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

Back in the village, the lights were still on at Wang Laonian's house.

Li Ergou was carried to his house.

Li Ergou had no parents and was never married. He usually got along well with Wang Laonian.

I walked over and knocked on the door.

When Wang Laonian opened the door and saw it was me, he quickly let me in.

Li Ergou lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), covered with two quilts, still trembling all over, his face ashen.

Wang Laonian's wife was fumigating him with mugwort, and the whole house smelled of mugwort.

"How is it?"

"Still the same..."

Old Wang looked miserable.

"Thirteen, you have to save him... He may be a scoundrel, but he's not a bad person..."

I walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and looked at Li Ergou.

The dark energy had already invaded his internal organs, and mugwort and ginger soup alone could not save him.

We need to use another method.

I thought for a moment and then took out a copper coin from my pocket.

The Kangxi Tongbao coin represents the peak of Yang energy.

He bit his finger again and then smeared the blood from his fingertip onto the coin.

Pry open Li Ergou's mouth and stuff the copper coin inside.

"Keep it in your mouth, don't spit it out."

Next, I asked Wang Laonian to bring a bowl of water, drew an exorcism talisman, burned it to ashes, and dissolved it in the water.

"Feed it to him."

Old Wang quickly did as instructed.

After the talisman water was fed to him, Li Ergou's body began to tremble violently.

Then, with a "whoosh," he spat out a mouthful of black water.

The black, foul-smelling liquid sizzled as it fell to the ground.

After vomiting, Li Ergou's complexion improved; the dark aura faded, and he turned pale.

His breathing has become steady.

"Alright," I said. "Keep the copper coin in your mouth for seven days, and change the water each day. After seven days, you should wake up."

Old Wang expressed his deepest gratitude.

I waved my hand.

"Besides, can he be considered a good person? What kind of good person would go to a dilapidated temple to dig for treasure just because of a dream?"

Walking home, the night breeze was cool.

The water ghosts of the Blackwater River hadn't even figured out what was going on when Li Ergou dug up something from under the dilapidated temple. They were truly in a panic.

"Thirteen, don't you think something's wrong?"

"How could Li Ergou suddenly have a dream and then go to a dilapidated temple to dig for treasure?"

When I heard Liu Ruoyun's voice in my mind, I immediately became alert.

Yeah, why didn't we dig for them before?

Why do we have to dig today?

Could it be...?

"Before, Huang Dalang lived in the dilapidated temple, and the thing under the temple was wary of it. Today, you set up your temple and Huang Dalang has left the dilapidated temple. This has given that thing under the dilapidated temple an opportunity. Li Ergou's dream is very likely the work of that thing under the dilapidated temple."

Liu Ruoyun's words put me on high alert. Sure enough, that was very likely the reason.

In that sense, I indirectly harmed Li Ergou.

I gave a wry smile. How could things in this world be so unpredictable?

When I returned, they noticed I wasn't in high spirits.

My mother quickly asked me.

"How are you? Are you alright?"

"fine."

I didn't say anything more, but went straight back to my little room and covered myself with the blanket.

When my father saw me like this, he just sighed and didn't say anything more.

Back in his room, he lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), but couldn't fall asleep.

My mind is filled with thoughts of today.

What exactly is under that dilapidated temple?

What exactly is the water ghost of the Blackwater River trying to tell me?

And Old Wang, was it really just an accident when he fell into the Blackwater River?

I was enveloped in sleepiness and soon drifted off to sleep. This time, I slept very soundly, as if I had just finished a very strenuous task and had completely entered a certain state.

I didn't get up until my mother called me the next day.

"Thirteen, thirteen, get up, it's almost noon."

I felt someone gently push me a few times before I opened my eyes.

"Thirteen, get up quickly, it's already noon."

"noon?"

I got up and rubbed my eyes.

I can't believe I slept until noon. Although this has happened before, I was silly back then and my parents didn't pay any attention to me.

"Thirteen, thirteen brothers!"

Wang Laonian's shouts from outside the door completely dispelled the lingering drowsiness I felt after waking up.

I rolled off the kang (a heated brick bed), and Wang Laonian had already walked into the room carrying a basket of eggs.

"Thirteenth Brother, Li Ergou is alright, but he's too weak to get out of bed. He asked me to bring some eggs to thank you."

I took the eggs without hesitation.

I glanced at it naturally.

The basket contained not only chicken eggs, but also duck eggs and goose eggs.

I didn't say anything. Li Ergou was a good-for-nothing, and these chickens, ducks, and goose eggs were probably all he had left. He might even end up in debt.

But I didn't refuse. Firstly, the spirit medium earns money through his skills, and secondly, he carries the burden of karmic debts.

It's reasonable to accept some compensation.

"It's only because he woke up that he was spared. Tell him not to get out of bed and wander around, and also not to go to the dilapidated temple."

"I'm not going, I'm not going, I'd rather die than go."

"Thirteenth Brother, you're so capable, could you tell Li Ergou's fortune? He wants to turn over a new leaf and walk the straight path, but he's struggling to find a direction. Can you give him some advice?"

As Wang Laonian spoke, he casually took out 20 yuan from his pocket and placed it on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Give me his birth date and time, and I'll check it for him."

Upon hearing my agreement, Old Wang was in trouble. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, on which Li Ergou's birth date and time were written in crooked handwriting.

I couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed that Old Wang had made preparations before he arrived.

Li Ergou's birth chart: Gui Si Wu Wu Gui Chou Wu Wu

I was startled. Li Ergou was destined for fame, power, and wealth.

But right now he's a good-for-nothing.

This is clearly not in line with his destiny.

"Wang Laonian, what's the first step to going out and making money?"

"what?"

When I asked Wang Laonian, he seemed a little confused.

"Of course you have to work. If you don't work, who's going to pay you?"

I shook my head.

"Yes, he's going out. Li Ergou has extremely good fortune; he's destined for wealth and prosperity."

"Right now he's a good-for-nothing, but his luck hasn't come yet. After his 28th birthday next year, his luck will turn around and he'll have more opportunities. If he can seize them, he'll be rich and powerful for life, and he might even be able to get a job in the government."

"Go out for a walk; there are many opportunities outside."

"Thirteen brothers, are you telling the truth?"

Wang Laonian couldn't believe it; his eyes widened in disbelief.

"That's his destiny. As for whether he can seize life's opportunities, that's entirely up to him."

"Thank you, Brother Thirteen. I'll pass on the message to him right away."

Old Wang thanked me repeatedly and quickly left my house.

After Wang Laonian left, my father came over.

"Thirteen, is Li Ergou, that good-for-nothing, destined for wealth and honor?"

"Yes, Father, that's his destiny."

"The amount of food and clothing a person eats and wears in their lifetime is fixed from birth."

"Alright, Dad, I'm going out for a bit."

"where are you going?"

"Old cemetery."

"What?"

My dad stared at me as if he had heard something terrible.

"That's a mass grave, you need to be careful there."

Even when my dad tries to persuade me, I won't listen. Instead, he tells me to be careful.

I nodded, tidied up quickly, and went out.

We took the same path, passed through the woods, and arrived at the Blackwater River.

The midday sun was intense, shining on the river surface, and the black water reflected a blinding light.

The reeds swayed in the wind, making a rustling sound.

I stood on the riverbank, looking towards the opposite bank.

The mass grave was just behind that barren beach. You could see mounds of graves in the distance, some overgrown with weeds, others half-collapsed.

We have to get through this.

There is no bridge over the Blackwater River; the only way to cross is by wading.

I took off my shoes and socks, rolled up my trouser legs, and tentatively stepped into the river.

The water was icy cold; I shivered as soon as I went in.

The further in you go, the deeper the water becomes. By the time you reach the middle of the river, the water is already up to your thighs.

The current was so strong that it made it hard for me to stand. I gritted my teeth and moved forward step by step.

When I reached the middle of the river, I suddenly felt my feet sink.

It felt like something had grabbed my ankle.

My heart skipped a beat, and I looked down.

The river water was murky, and the bottom was not visible.

But the touch of that hand was very clear.

Cold and stiff.

The fingers gripped my ankle like iron clamps.

I quickly steadied myself, took out a red rope from my pocket, bit my finger, smeared it with blood, and threw it into the water.

The red rope seemed to come alive, disappearing into the water.

"Ahhh—"

A piercing scream came from underwater.

The hand on my ankle has come off.

I took the opportunity to quicken my pace and staggered across to the other side.

Looking back, the river had returned to calm, with only the sound of flowing water.

I took a breath and put on my shoes and socks.

There was a ring of bluish-purple handprints on my ankle, as if it had been frozen, and it was numb and painful.

I steadied myself, and a warm current surged from my dantian, flowing along my meridians to my ankles.

With just a simple touch, the bluish-purple handprint on her ankle disappeared, and a bluish-purple wisp of smoke appeared in the air, quickly dissipating into nothingness.

I quickly got up and went to the mass grave.

The graves stood side by side, some with tombstones, others just mounds of earth.

Most of the characters on the tombstones are blurred and illegible; only the surname and year can be vaguely discerned.

Some have completely merged with the earth, becoming just small mounds of earth.

Beneath this lies the important message the water ghost wanted to convey to me.

The reason I think this way is entirely because of the water ghost's behavior that day.

She pointed this way, where the words "things" and "east" could be vaguely seen.

There must be something of vital importance in this place.

I chose a shady spot and lit three sticks of incense.

As the incense burned, Huang Dalang appeared on the mound.

"Thirteen, I finally understand why that white snake from the Liu family took a liking to you."

"I've already inquired about the water ghosts in the river for you."

"This happened during the Republic of China era."

"That water ghost was originally the daughter of a cloth merchant in the town during the Republic of China era. On the day she married into the neighboring village, the wedding procession encountered a bearded man. Not only did the bearded man rob her of her gold and silver, but he also wanted to drag her up the mountain to be his wife."

"This woman is fiercely independent; she would rather die than submit."

"She jumped into the river and committed suicide. Later, her family retrieved her remains and buried her on the banks of the Blackwater River. There is a local custom that those who die violently cannot be buried in the family cemetery, especially since she was already married out of the area."

"Its obsession lies in a bracelet, which was part of her dowry. It fell into the river when they were retrieving her remains. You need to go into the river, retrieve the bracelet, find her remains, and bring the bracelet back."

Huang Dalang's words made my head go blank.

Go down to the Blackwater River?

Although I can swim, I'm really not confident going down into the Blackwater River.

"Qi disperses when carried by the wind and stops when it encounters water."

The Blackwater River is tainted by yin energy and resentment, and it has probably long since formed a "yin evil water formation".

The resentment in the water has manifested in more than one form.

"And what about her remains?"

Huang Dalang pointed his claws towards the northwest corner of the chaotic graveyard.

"It's in that collapsed cemetery. Back then, someone tried to retrieve her as a burial object. They dug up the graves and filled them back in, dug them up and filled them back in again, until there wasn't even a tombstone left. But the bracelet is still at the bottom of the river, too far from her remains, separated by the living and the dead, so naturally her soul is restless."

I looked in the direction it pointed, and sure enough, a large section of the cemetery had collapsed. The soil was black, and there wasn't even any weeds left; it was completely bare, like a bald man.

It is clearly a "deadly place" with ruined feng shui.

I walked over and squatted down, pressing my fingertips against the black soil. A bone-chilling cold seeped into my fingertips, and the warmth in my lower abdomen immediately began to circulate to resist it.

"This place cannot bury a soul."

"Her bones were separated from the water, her bracelet from her bones, and her three souls and seven spirits scattered and unable to reunite. No wonder she became a water ghost and was always trying to deliver messages."

I turned my head to look at the Blackwater River.

"Kan represents water, and Li represents fire."

I need to use yang fire to dispel yin cold in order to safely go down into the river.

I drew a "fire array" on the shore, lit mugwort, and mixed cinnabar with blood from my fingertips to apply to three acupoints: my forehead, chest, and lower abdomen.

"Brother Dalang, could you keep an eye on this Fire Array for me?"

"Hehe, Thirteen, no problem."

Huang Dalang leaped and arrived beside the Fire Array.

I casually lit three more sticks of incense.

When people eat, even the immortals smell the aroma.

When seeking favors from deities, offerings of incense are naturally essential.

After doing everything, I took off all my clothes.

Staring at the dark river water, I took a deep breath.

He then slowly walked into the river.

The skin had just come into contact with the river water.

That chilling coldness seeped into my body through my pores.

Despite the blazing sun overhead, the chill in the river did not diminish in the slightest.

After getting used to it for a while, I felt that the river water was no longer so cold and damp. I knew that this was because the Fire Array was working.

I hurried down to the river to find the bracelet.

I plunged straight into the river, but the dark water made it impossible for me to see anything clearly.

Everything was blurry, and I struggled to swim to the bottom of the river.

Suddenly, I felt like countless eyes were staring at me.

I turned around abruptly, and a multitude of eyes stared intently at me, their pupils cloudy and empty, densely packed.

Before I could react, I felt a pulling sensation under my feet.

I looked down and saw a pair of red eyes staring at me, while on my feet were a pair of bloodless hands.

"roll!"

I roared in my heart, and a sound wave emanated from my chest, shattering the vengeful spirits in front of me.

But they regrouped at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Moreover, it's closer to me.

I panicked and tried to break free from those bloodless hands.

I struggled desperately, but just then, a fair face emerged from the darkness.

Pale white.

She had a smile on her face, but it didn't look like a smile at all.

I felt a chill that penetrated to my very core.

My legs started kicking and thrashing violently.

But it just couldn't break free from the water ghost's grasp.

Suddenly, several hands appeared on my legs, and their number kept increasing...

One pair, two pairs...