For thirty years, he has roamed the Northeast, his divine might overwhelming all immortals under hea

"Thirteen, you're not getting any younger, shouldn't you start thinking about marriage?"

My mother was working while she was talking to me.

In Zhujiakan, boys can get married when they turn 18.

Many families used to arrange marriages.

Just like Xiulian and I, we were betrothed as children.

If you're over 23, it'll be nearly impossible to find a good partner in Zhujiakan.

Because to outsiders, not finding a partner must mean there's something wrong with them that's causing this delay.

"Mom, if you want to have a grandson, you need to find the right person. Where am I supposed to find one for you now?"

My mother scattered corn kernels into the winnowing basket and glanced at me sideways.

"Stop with the nonsense. Old Zhao's second daughter from the east end of the village, I even asked around about you the other day. But in my heart, I still think it has to be Xiulian. With that figure, she looks like she'll have a lot of children, she's sure to give birth to a boy."

"mother!"

I was so embarrassed that my face burned.

An eighteen-year-old young man felt uncomfortable listening to his own mother complaining about other girls having big butts.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and my father, with his pipe hanging from his head, crawled into the room.

"Blackwater River! The water is so clear you can see the bottom! Fish are leaping and splashing in it! Old Liu and his family all went there with buckets!"

I've been to the Blackwater River before, but even after dealing with the water ghosts, the water in the Blackwater River is still black, as dark as ink.

How can you just say it's clear?

Paid off completely?

My heart skipped a beat; I had a vague feeling that something was wrong. This situation didn't seem like a good omen.

"real?"

My mother forgot to scold me and lifted her apron to wipe her hands.

"Dad, let's hurry up and go get some too."

"Go, Thirteen goes too!"

My dad rubbed his hands together and looked at me.

Just as I was about to respond, the outer courtyard gate creaked open, and footsteps, both light and hurried, pushed the door open again.

The person who came in made my mother's face immediately light up with a smile, made my father shut his mouth, and made my heart skip a beat again.

It's Xiulian.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, her face was still wet with tears, and the tip of her nose was red from crying.

As soon as I entered the door and saw my mother, tears streamed down my face like beads from a broken string.

"Oh my dear girl! What happened? Who bullied you? Come here and let Auntie take a look!"

My mother was heartbroken. She threw down the winnowing basket and rushed over, pulling Xiulian into her arms and wiping away her tears with her rough hands.

My father turned his back and refused to look at Xiulian.

I know he was angry that Old Wang broke off the engagement, but I also know that my father approved of Xiulian in his heart.

Xiulian sobbed and could barely speak.

"Aunt... Uncle... Thirteenth Brother... My father, my father... he's really sick..."

My mother was startled.

"Your dad? What happened to your dad?"

"Just last night."

Xiulian sniffed hard.

"He collapsed as soon as he came back from the river. His whole body was burning hot, and he was talking nonsense. We called Mr. Xu from our village, and then went to the back village to find a doctor. After we gave him the medicine, he... he became even more confused. He kept shrinking into the kang (a heated brick bed), saying he was cold, but his body was burning hot..."

As she spoke, she looked up at me with tearful eyes. Her gaze held fear, despair, and a hint of pleading that I couldn't bear to look at closely.

"Thirteenth Brother... I really have no other choice... Please... save my father."

"I know it was my family that broke off the engagement, but... but please don't blame him, blame me, okay..."

Old Wang was adamant about breaking off the engagement, because he thought my family was poor and that I was foolish back then.

You can't fight city hall.

Xiulian naturally couldn't win an argument with her father.

I know perfectly well that Old Wang's illness came on strangely.

"Back from the river?"

I asked another question.

Xiulian nodded.

"Well, my dad insisted on going to the river bend yesterday afternoon to see if he could break a hole in the ice to catch some small fish. When he came back, he was a bit listless and said the water seemed less murky. He also picked up a rather smooth black stone."

"Where's the stone?"

"It's...it's in my dad's arms, we can't pry it off, it cries as soon as we touch it."

It became.

I have a pretty good idea of ​​what to expect.

This is not an ordinary illness.

My mother was already anxious and was pushing me.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go check on Xiulian! Old Wang isn't a very honest man, but we can't just stand by and watch her die!"

She pulled my dad again.

"Dad, you go too, lend a hand! There's always time to fish, saving lives is the priority!"

My dad stood still, so my mom quickly pushed him a few more times.

"You old codger, what's wrong? You can't even let go of that little thing?"

"Everyone says a real man should have a broad mind, but you're the opposite, your heart is as narrow as a needle's eye."

My father glanced at me, then walked out of the yard first.

"Let's go, Xiulian, I'll go take a look."

Xiulian watched my movements, her tears stopped a little, she bit her lip and whispered something.

"Thank you, Brother Thirteen."

I didn't reply and just went out.

The sky outside was overcast and gloomy.

My mother locked the door and ran after me, muttering to herself.

"Xiulian, don't be afraid. Your thirteenth brother is here. Did you hear about what happened in our village the other day? It was all handled by your thirteenth brother. Your father will definitely be able to take good care of it."

A group of four.

However, they split into three groups.

My father, me, my mother, and Xiulian.

Fortunately, Wangjiatun is not far from Zhujiakan.

As soon as I entered her courtyard, I felt a chill seep into my bones. It wasn't the kind of cold that comes with the weather, but a sticky, creepy cold.

I could hear intermittent, indistinct whimpers coming from inside the house. They didn't sound like human voices, but rather like some wild animal whimpering in a pit.

Xiulian's mother passed away long ago, leaving only the father and daughter at home.

She pushed open the door to the main room, and a strong smell of herbs mixed with an inexplicable fishy odor wafted towards her.

Inside the inner room, on the kang (a heated brick bed), Old Wang was huddled in the corner at the very end of the kang, wrapped in two thick cotton quilts, and was still shivering.

His face wasn't a sickly white, but rather had an eerie bluish-gray tinge. His eyes were sunken, his lips were dry and cracked, and he was slightly parted, making panting sounds like "hoarse...hoarse..."

What's most striking is that he clenched his hands tightly in front of his chest, causing his cotton-padded jacket to bulge out, vaguely resembling a round shape.

My parents gasped in shock.

My mother said in a low voice.

"This...this doesn't look like a real illness."

I asked Xiulian to light an oil lamp.

As the dim light drew closer, I could see that Old Wang's fingernails seemed to be filled with dark grime. When I smelled them, there was no earthy smell, but rather a rotten, watery odor unique to riverbed silt.

"Uncle Wang? Uncle Wang?"

I called out twice.

Old Wang's head jerked violently, and his eyes suddenly opened a crack. His eyes were cloudy and yellowish, staring straight at the roof beams, his pupils shrinking to a tiny size.

He gurgled in his throat and mumbled out a few words.

"They're all mine...they're all mine..."

His voice was hoarse, completely unlike his usual self.

Xiulian covered her mouth in fright.

My father's face was grave, and my mother held Xiulian's arm tightly.

I took two steps back, took out three incense sticks from my pocket, lit them by the oil lamp, and stuck them in the cracks along the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). The smoke rose in wisps, but instead of dissipating, it swirled and slowly drifted toward Old Wang, especially around his tightly clasped chest.

The moment the smoke touched him, Old Wang let out a sharp scream, his body arched like a shrimp, trembling even more violently, and he shouted incoherently.

"I won't leave! I won't leave! This precious land... is my cave dwelling... get out of my way!"

The voice was high-pitched and didn't sound like Old Wang's at all.

My last bit of doubt disappeared.

He turned to Xiulian and my parents and said.

"Something from the river has come back. That stone is the 'trigger'."

Xiulian's legs went weak, and she almost knelt down, her voice trembling with tears.

"Thirteenth Brother, what... what should we do?"

I looked out the window at the gloomy sky, then at Old Wang groaning on the kang (a heated brick bed), and sighed.

"Let's prepare some things. Father, Mother, lend a hand. Xiulian, go find an unused black bowl, fill it with clean water, and find a new, undyed red thread."

The Blackwater River suddenly became clear, attracting creatures that coveted the treasure. Old Wang, driven by greed, picked up what he shouldn't have, which became the "trick" that the creatures wanted. Ordinary medicine couldn't cure this.

The smoke from the incense stick swirled even more rapidly.

"Go and prepare."

I composed myself and said to the people in the room, "We need to get the guests out before dark."

My father silently walked to the door and stood there like a guardian deity, muttering to himself.

"That old Wang, he always gets himself into all this mess..."

I looked at Old Wang's hands, which were tightly clasped to his chest. What kind of "black stone" was that underneath?

The light from the oil lamp cast our shadows, sometimes long, sometimes short, swaying and flickering on the mottled earthen wall.

Xiulian, trembling, brought over the black bowl and the red thread.

The bowl was made of coarse pottery and sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), with clear water inside gently swaying.

The new red thread was tangled in her hands.

My mother took the bowl and steadied herself, while my father turned the oil lamp up a little brighter.

I picked up the red thread and tied one end to Old Wang's right wrist.

He dodged with tremendous force, and my dad had to step in to help, barely managing to hold him down.

On the other end, I gently rested my hand on the rim of the bowl.

This is called "leading the way," showing a path to someone who refuses to follow.

Then, I took out three coins from my pocket.

These are the five-zhu coins from the roof beam of Widow Wang's house; they'll come in handy now.

The copper coin, cool to the touch, gradually warmed as I held it in my palm. I approached the kang (heated brick bed), and the smoke from the burning incense seemed to possess a spirit, circling my wrist once.

"Uncle Wang."

I spoke in a calm voice to the huddled figure.

"We know you didn't mean to cause trouble. Return what you found; they've come looking for you."

Old Wang made a "hoarse" sound in his throat, his eyelids trembled, and he gripped his chest even tighter, his veins bulging.

I picked up a copper coin and quickly touched it lightly between his eyebrows and on each of his shoulders with the edge.

This is called "sealing the three gates," locking his soul to prevent it from being scattered further.

As soon as the last blow landed, Old Wang suddenly straightened up, his eyes snapped open, and he stared straight at me.

That look in his eyes—cold, greedy, and with a hint of panic—was definitely not Old Wang's.

"Junior..."

He squeezed out two words, his voice wet and heavy, like he was holding sand from the bottom of a river.

"have a finger in the pie!"

My mother was so frightened that she leaned back, and Xiulian covered her mouth tightly, sobs stuck in her throat.

My father took half a step forward, blocking my mother and Xiulian's way.

"This is no small matter."

I steadied myself and met his gaze.

"This is a matter of life and death. You have taken his life force, shortened his lifespan, and broken the rules. The Blackwater River is clear because of the will of Heaven, not because you have forcibly taken Uncle Wang's life force. Leave that 'guide' behind, go back to where you came from, and in your future cultivation, the two will have nothing to do with each other."

"rule?"

Old Wang grinned, revealing an extremely strange smile.

"The river has cleared... this is a treasure trove of unclaimed land... that old geezer is greedy and has been too restless; he deserves to be my seat! This body... feels warm..."

As he spoke, Old Wang slowly propped himself up and sat up, his movements stiff, like a marionette.

He kept his arms crossed over his chest, but his eyes darted around before finally settling on Xiulian, where he licked his chapped lips.

"This girl... has even more energy..."

"You dare!"

Before I could even speak, my dad yelled and grabbed the door jamb by the door.

I quickly stopped my father and spoke to the possessing entity.

"Look carefully, this is someone else's. You forcibly took their body and harmed their life. Even if you get this temporary cave, you won't have peace of mind. Do you think you can cultivate in peace? Why not listen to me and leave the stone behind? I will send you on your way with incense and pure water, and help you find a truly suitable place. It will also be a good deed."

The thing seemed to hesitate for a moment, and a bluish aura surged on Old Wang's face.

But soon, it became ferocious again.

"Don't try to fool me! You shamans are all talk! I'm going to use this body!"

Seeing that negotiations were stalled, they could not delay any longer.

Old Wang's face was starting to swell, and the dark aura between his eyebrows was growing stronger.

I bit my left index finger, squeezed out a drop of blood, and quickly smeared it on the red line connecting the black bowl.

The droplet of blood rolled down the red line and dripped into the clear water in the bowl with a soft "plop," and a very faint red tinge spread out in the center of the water.

"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences!"

I gave a low shout, grabbed the three copper coins with my right hand, and slammed them down in a "品" shape onto Old Wang's tightly clasped arms!

"Aww!"

A horrific scream erupted from Old Wang's mouth, causing dust to fall from the roof beams.

His whole body convulsed violently as if he had been branded with a hot iron, and his hands suddenly released their grip!

A palm-sized, flat, round, dark stone rolled out and landed on the kang mat.

The stone was unnaturally black, as if it could absorb light. Its surface was wet and covered with river mud.

The instant the stone detached from the body, a black mist, almost invisible to the naked eye, shot out from above Old Wang's head and frantically rushed towards the black stone on the ground, trying to burrow back in.

I was prepared, and I kicked over the black bowl on the edge of the kang!

"Splash!"

The water was splashed all over the ground, soaking the black stone and the wisp of black mist.

The red thread attached to the bowl also snapped.

The purified water ruined its catalyst!

The black mist let out a sharp, mournful squeak, twisted a few times in the air, could no longer adhere to the stone, and hurriedly scurried along the ground towards the crack in the door, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The cold, sticky atmosphere in the room quickly dissipated.

Old Wang collapsed onto the kang with a "thud," his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

The bluish-gray tinge on his face faded at a visible rate. Although he was still pale and weak, that was the normal state of a sick person, no longer the eerie, lifeless look.

Xiulian burst into tears and threw herself onto the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Father! Father!"