Shui Miao tried to practice energy cultivation, but he couldn’t calm his mind at all. Every time he attempted to concentrate, his thoughts were interrupted by a strange force, and his dantian showed no reaction whatsoever. After several failed attempts, he gave up helplessly. This was a result he had anticipated, yet he still felt a sense of disappointment after failing.
Shui Miao attempted to practice Qi cultivation, but he simply couldn’t calm his mind. Every time he tried to focus, his thoughts were inexplicably blocked by an unknown force, and his dantian showed no response. After repeating this several times, he reluctantly gave up. Although he had anticipated this outcome, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of disappointment when failure actually set in.
Back when he possessed immortal power, he never realized how fortunate he was.
Now that he could no longer harness it, he realized how foolish he had been in the past—too impulsive, which led him to this miserable situation.
“If I could regain my immortal power, I would cherish it dearly!”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh and lay down on the bed.
He had been here for two days now, but he hadn’t thought much about his mother or friends. Before leaving, he had left a note, and everyone was financially secure and living well. There was no need for him to worry unnecessarily.
Instead, the affairs of Miaojiang piqued his curiosity. Everything felt fresh and intriguing.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”
The sound of light footsteps echoed. Shui Miao frowned slightly. From the footsteps, he could tell two people were approaching—both women. One was the young wife, and the other seemed to be Granny Ma.
Shui Miao sat up on the bed just as the door opened. It was indeed Granny Ma and the young wife.
Strangely, Granny Ma didn’t let the young wife enter. Instead, she shut her outside, acting as if she were the master of the room.
The young wife was puzzled but didn’t leave. Instead, she pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Granny Ma was no fool. She entered the room, stood beside Shui Miao, and whispered, “Something’s wrong. The Great Immortal went to the West Village and hasn’t returned for a long time. This matter started because of you. Since you’re so capable, I think it’s up to you to handle it. If anything happens to the Great Immortal, the consequences will be severe. The entire East Village will suffer!”
Granny Ma’s concern wasn’t entirely for herself but more for the villagers.
“Granny Ma! I can’t use any immortal power right now. Asking me to help is like forcing a duck onto a perch!” Shui Miao was indifferent. To him, the Gu Sorcerer was nothing. With his protective jade pendant, he almost wished the Gu Sorcerer would come cause trouble. If that happened, he might regain his immortal power, which would be even better.
Seeing Shui Miao’s reluctance, Granny Ma added, “Don’t forget, the Great Immortal is the one helping you disguise your appearance. If anything happens to him, you’ll revert to your original form. Then let’s see how you plan to stay here.”
“…”
Shui Miao was speechless. Did he really care that much about staying here?
Noticing Shui Miao’s silence, Granny Ma grew anxious and tugged at his arm. “You slept with the young wife. If she finds out you’re not Zhang Ling, she’ll surely kill herself. In this situation, for your sake and hers, you must do something.”
Granny Ma’s words hit the mark.
Shui Miao had initially been willing to go, but Granny Ma’s threat made him reluctant. Thinking back to last night, he was glad he had held back and not crossed the line with the young wife. Otherwise, Granny Ma’s words would have proven true. However, her warning reminded Shui Miao that he couldn’t stay any longer. If he did, bigger troubles would arise. After a quick mental calculation, he smiled slightly, walked to the door, swung it open, pulled the eavesdropping young wife inside, and said to Granny Ma, “You can ask her whether I slept with her or not. And no one can force me to do anything—not even you, Granny Ma.”
Shui Miao’s sudden declaration left both Granny Ma and the young wife stunned.
“Spilling everything? Do you have a death wish?”
Granny Ma never expected Shui Miao to risk exposing his identity rather than help her.
The young wife was even more shocked. Suddenly, this man felt unfamiliar—not her husband at all.
“I don’t care anymore. Death is just death,” Shui Miao coldly shook his head at Granny Ma before turning to the young wife. “I’m sorry, but I’m not your husband. Your husband is already dead. Don’t worry about me anymore; my life and death have nothing to do with you. As for that Gu Sorcerer, I’ll find a way to deal with him. You should remarry. You’ll surely find happiness because you’re still innocent.”
With those words, Shui Miao turned to leave.
But Granny Ma quickly grabbed him. “You can’t leave. You must go to the Dragon God Temple to save the Great Immortal.”
“What’s going on? Explain yourself clearly,” the young wife also held onto Shui Miao.
“Heh, it’s just a life! I’ve suddenly had an epiphany. I don’t want to hide anymore. I’ll face him, even if it means death. Of course, I’ll go to the Dragon God Temple, but when I go is not for you to decide.” Shui Miao didn’t know what came over him, but he felt tired of it all. He didn’t want to spend another day without his immortal power. Turning to the young wife, he took her hand and led her outside. “Nothing happened between us. You’re still pure. Come with me; I’ll take you to your husband’s body.”
The young wife instinctively followed Shui Miao downstairs.
Now it was Granny Ma’s turn to panic. She had come to ask for Shui Miao’s help, but instead of assisting, he had made things worse.
Granny Ma chased after them.
The villagers watched curiously, and a few even followed to see what would happen.
Shui Miao led the young wife to the spot where he had come ashore and found the pit where he had buried Zhang Ling. To his surprise, the pit had been dug up, and Zhang Ling’s body was missing. Seeing this, Granny Ma quickly pulled the young wife aside and told her that her husband wasn’t dead but had lost his mind—he seemed normal but wasn’t. The young wife was confused, and the others were equally skeptical.
Where had the body gone?
Shui Miao was baffled. He had buried the body properly. How could it have disappeared?
Had Zhang Ling risen as a zombie and climbed out?
Something felt off. Shui Miao carefully examined the ground and found drag marks. Based on their shape, he concluded that the body had been dragged away.
Someone had dug it up!
A sense of foreboding washed over Shui Miao. He quickly followed the marks. The riverbank’s sandy soil was damp, and upon closer inspection, the traces were still visible.
Granny Ma urged the young wife and the others to return home, insisting she would follow Zhang Ling.
But the young wife no longer trusted Granny Ma. She felt Shui Miao’s words were true—a fool couldn’t have spoken so clearly.
Ignoring Granny Ma, the young wife and a few childhood friends followed Shui Miao.
Without the Great Immortal, Granny Ma was just an ordinary person and couldn’t stop them.
“What are you looking for?” the young wife asked, trailing behind Shui Miao.
Shui Miao glanced westward, toward the shallow part of the Shuilong River. “The body—your husband’s body. If I’m not mistaken, the Gu Sorcerer from the West Village must have stolen it. It seems I’ll have to confront him sooner than expected…”
“But you are my husband!” the young wife stepped in front of Shui Miao and said in Mandarin, “Zhang Ling, stop joking around. Every time you wake up, you go to seek revenge on the Gu Sorcerer. Now you’re doing it again… I know you’re Zhang Ling. You’re trying to trick me into giving up and not stopping you. You’re wrong! I won’t believe it. Don’t be foolish anymore; we can’t defeat him.”
The young wife was convinced Shui Miao was Zhang Ling and believed he was lying to her to seek revenge.
Shui Miao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Even when he admitted his identity, no one believed him.
Granny Ma was at a loss for words. Initially, she had pressured Shui Miao to go, but now that he was willing, she felt he shouldn’t—because Long Wuye was truly sinister.
“Zhang Ling, don’t go. You’ll fall victim to his Gu magic.”
“Yes, Zhang Ling, revenge requires careful planning. Think about your parents. If something happens to you, how will they cope in their old age? They’ve already lost two sons!”
“Maybe… maybe we should call the police?”
“Don’t be naive. The police are too scared to even talk about our village affairs. Everyone within a hundred miles knows Long Wuye is a sinister man!”
“…”
A group of village girls pleaded with Shui Miao not to go to the West Village.
“Enough!” Shui Miao suddenly shouted. “Stop talking. Even if that Gu Sorcerer has three heads and six arms, I’ll still face him. All you know is fear. You haven’t even fought him, yet you’re already terrified. How can you ever defeat him? Put another way, the reason the Gu Sorcerer is so arrogant is precisely because you’re all too cowardly. Since you don’t dare confront him, let an outsider like me handle it.”
After delivering this impassioned speech, Shui Miao turned and ran toward the West Village.
His words left everyone stunned.
They felt that Zhang Ling seemed… different.
“Ah! I’ve lived a long life anyway. I have nothing to fear. The rest of you, go back. Let me go with Zhang Ling.” Inspired by Shui Miao’s words, Granny Ma adopted a resigned attitude toward life and death and followed him to the West Village.
“Whether he’s Zhang Ling or not, I’m going because… because he is my husband!” The young wife gritted her teeth. Her mindset was traditional. Even if this man wasn’t Zhang Ling, she would follow him for life. She had never been intimate with a man before—last night was her first time. For that first time, she had no regrets.
“We’re going too! At most, we’ll fight that old monster Long to the death!”
“Yes! He’s killed too many people. We can’t take it anymore…”
“Let’s go!”
A few young women, spirited and bold, were determined not to be outdone.
With no one stopping them, Shui Miao quickly crossed the shallow part of the Shuilong River.
After running westward for about a hundred meters, Shui Miao spotted a mud-and-grass house in the forest. It was built like a small temple, with a large stone standing to its right engraved with four dark characters: “Black Dragon God Temple.”
“Hiss, hiss, hiss…”
Shui Miao’s hearing was exceptionally sharp. Just as he saw the characters, he heard a faint hissing sound from the grass behind him. Instinctively, he turned and saw a black snake as thick as a waist slithering out of the grass, its black forked tongue flickering. Its pitch-black snake eyes were fixed intently on him!
Shui Miao attempted to cultivate his qi, but he simply couldn’t calm his mind. Every time he tried to focus, his thoughts were inexplicably blocked by an unknown force, and his dantian showed no response at all. After repeating this several times, he reluctantly gave up. Although he had anticipated this outcome, he couldn’t help feeling a bit disheartened when failure actually came.
Back when he still possessed immortal power, he never realized how fortunate he was.
Now that he could no longer harness it, he realized how foolish he had been in the past—too impulsive, which led him to this miserable situation.
“If I could regain my immortal power, I would cherish it dearly!”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh and lay down on the bed.
He had been here for two days now, but he hadn’t thought much about his mother or friends. Before leaving, he had left a note, and since none of them were short on money and were living well, there was no need for him to worry unnecessarily.
Instead, the affairs of Miaojiang fascinated him. Everything felt fresh and intriguing.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”
The sound of light footsteps echoed softly. Shui Miao frowned slightly. From the footsteps, he could tell that two people had arrived—both women. One was the young wife, and the other seemed to be Granny Ma…
Shui Miao sat up on the bed just as the door opened. It was indeed Granny Ma and the young wife.
Strangely, Granny Ma didn’t let the young wife enter the room. Instead, she shut her outside, as if she were the master of the room.
The young wife was puzzled but didn’t leave. Instead, she pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Granny Ma was no fool either. She entered the room, stood beside Shui Miao, and lowered her voice. “Something’s wrong. The Great Immortal went to West Village and hasn’t returned for a long time. This matter started because of you. Since you’re so capable, I think it’s up to you to handle it. If anything happens to the Great Immortal, the consequences will be dire. The entire East Village will suffer!”
Granny Ma wasn’t just thinking of herself; she was more concerned about the villagers.
“Granny Ma! I can’t use any immortal power right now. Asking me to help is like forcing a duck onto a perch—it’s just not possible!” Shui Miao didn’t really care. To him, the Gu Sorcerer was nothing. With his protective jade pendant, he almost wished the Gu Sorcerer would come cause trouble. If that happened, he might regain his immortal power, which would be even better.
Seeing Shui Miao’s reluctance, Granny Ma added, “Don’t forget, the Great Immortal is the one helping you change your appearance. If anything happens to him, you’ll revert to your original form. Then let’s see how you plan to stay here.”
“…”
Shui Miao was speechless. Did he really care that much about staying here?
Seeing Shui Miao remain silent, Granny Ma grew anxious and tugged at his arm. “You slept with the young wife. If she finds out you’re not Zhang Ling, she’ll surely kill herself. In this situation, for your sake and hers, you must do something.”
Granny Ma’s words hit the mark.
Shui Miao had initially been somewhat willing to go, but now that Granny Ma was threatening him, he felt displeased. Thinking back to last night, he was glad he had kept his limits and hadn’t done anything improper with the young wife. Otherwise, Granny Ma’s words would have proven true. However, her words also reminded Shui Miao that he couldn’t stay any longer. If he did, bigger troubles would arise. After quickly weighing his options, Shui Miao smiled slightly, walked to the door, pulled it open, and dragged the eavesdropping young wife inside. Then, turning to Granny Ma, he said, “You can ask her whether I slept with her or not. Also, no one can force me to do anything—not even you, Granny Ma.”
Shui Miao’s sudden declaration left both Granny Ma and the young wife stunned.
“Spilling everything? Do you have a death wish?”
Granny Ma never expected Shui Miao to risk exposing his identity rather than help her.
The young wife was even more shocked. Suddenly, this man felt unfamiliar—not like her husband at all.
“It doesn’t matter. Death is just death,” Shui Miao shook his head coldly at Granny Ma before turning to the young wife. “I’m sorry, but I’m not your husband. Your husband is already dead. Don’t worry about me anymore; my life and death have nothing to do with you. As for that Gu Sorcerer, I’ll find a way to deal with him. Find another man to marry. You’ll surely be happy because you’re still an innocent girl.”
After saying this, Shui Miao turned to leave.
But Granny Ma quickly grabbed him. “You can’t leave. You must go to the Dragon God Temple to save the Great Immortal.”
“What’s going on? Explain yourself clearly,” the young wife also grabbed Shui Miao.
“Heh, it’s just a life! I’ve suddenly had an epiphany. I don’t want to hide anymore. I’ll face him, even if it means death. Of course, I’ll go to the Dragon God Temple, but when I go is not up to you.” Shui Miao didn’t know what came over him, but he felt tired of it all. He didn’t want to spend another day without his immortal power. Turning to the young wife, he took her hand and walked out. “Nothing happened between us. You’re still pure. Come with me; I’ll take you to your husband’s body.”
The young wife instinctively followed Shui Miao downstairs.
Now it was Granny Ma’s turn to panic. She had come to ask for Shui Miao’s help, but instead of helping, he had made things worse.
Granny Ma chased after them.
The villagers found it strange, but a few followed along to watch the commotion.
Shui Miao led the young wife to the spot where he had come ashore and found the pit where he had buried Zhang Ling. To his surprise, the pit had been dug open, and Zhang Ling’s body was gone. Seeing this, Granny Ma quickly pulled the young wife aside and told her that her husband wasn’t dead but had lost his mind—he seemed normal but actually wasn’t. The young wife was confused by this, and the others were also skeptical.
Where had the body gone?
Shui Miao was very puzzled. He had buried the body properly. How could it have disappeared?
Could Zhang Ling have risen from the dead and crawled out?
Something felt off to Shui Miao, so he carefully examined the ground and found drag marks. Based on the shape of the marks, he concluded that the body had been dragged away.
Someone had dug it up!
A sense of foreboding washed over Shui Miao. He quickly followed the marks. The riverbank’s sandy soil was damp, and with careful observation, the traces were still visible.
Granny Ma tried to send the young wife and the others back, insisting on following Zhang Ling herself.
But the young wife no longer trusted Granny Ma. She felt that Shui Miao’s words were true—a fool could never have spoken like that.
So, the young wife ignored Granny Ma and, along with a few childhood friends, followed Shui Miao.
Without the Great Immortal, Granny Ma was just an ordinary person and couldn’t stop them.
“What are you looking for?” the young wife asked, following behind Shui Miao.
Shui Miao looked toward the west, the direction of the shallow part of the Shuilong River. “The body—your husband’s body. If I’m not mistaken, the Gu Sorcerer from West Village must have stolen it. It seems I’ll have to confront him sooner than expected…”
“But you are my husband!”
The young wife stepped in front of Shui Miao and said in Mandarin, “Zhang Ling, stop joking around. Every time you wake up, you go to seek revenge on the Gu Sorcerer. Now you’re doing it again… I know you’re Zhang Ling. You’re trying to trick me into giving up on you and not stopping you. You’re wrong! I won’t believe it. Don’t be foolish anymore; we can’t defeat him.”
The young wife was convinced that Shui Miao was Zhang Ling and believed he was lying to her to seek revenge.
Shui Miao found it both amusing and frustrating. Even when he admitted his identity, no one believed him.
Granny Ma was at a loss for words. Initially, she had pressured Shui Miao to go, but now that he was willing, she felt he shouldn’t—because Long Wuye was truly sinister.
“Zhang Ling, don’t go. You’ll fall under his curse.”
“Yeah, Zhang Ling, revenge needs careful planning. Think about your parents. If something happens to you, how will they cope in their old age? They’ve already lost two sons!”
“Maybe… maybe we should call the police?”
“Don’t be naive. The police are too scared to even talk about our village affairs. Everyone within a hundred miles knows Long Wuye is a sinister man.”
“…”
A group of village girls pleaded with Shui Miao, urging him not to go to West Village.
“Enough!”
Shui Miao suddenly shouted, “Stop talking! Even if that Gu Sorcerer has three heads and six arms, I’ll still confront him. All you know is fear. You haven’t even fought him, yet you’re already terrified. How can you ever defeat him that way? Put another way, the reason the Gu Sorcerer is so arrogant is precisely because you’re all too cowardly. Since you don’t dare to face him, let an outsider like me handle it.”
After delivering this impassioned speech, Shui Miao turned and ran toward West Village.
His words left everyone stunned.
They felt that Zhang Ling seemed… different.
“Ah! I’ve lived a long life anyway. There’s nothing left to fear. You all go back. Let me go with Zhang Ling,” Granny Ma said, moved by Shui Miao’s words. She seemed to have accepted the possibility of death and followed toward West Village.
“Whether he’s Zhang Ling or not, I’m going because… because he is my husband!”
The young wife gritted her teeth. Her mindset was traditional. Even if this man wasn’t Zhang Ling, she would follow him for life. She had never held hands or kissed a man before—last night was her first time. For that first time, she had no regrets.
“We’re going too! At most, we’ll fight that old monster Long to the death!”
“Yeah! He’s killed so many people. We can’t take it anymore…”
“Let’s go!”
A few young girls, spirited and bold, were determined not to be outdone.
With no one stopping them, Shui Miao quickly crossed the shallow part of the Shuilong River.
After running west for about a hundred meters, Shui Miao saw a mud-and-grass house in the forest ahead. The house was built like a small temple, with a large stone standing to its right. On the stone were four large, pitch-black characters: “Black Dragon God Temple.”
“Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss…”
Shui Miao’s hearing was exceptionally sharp. Just as he saw the characters, he heard a faint hissing sound from the grass behind him. Instinctively, he turned around and saw a black snake as thick as a waist sticking its head out of the grass, its black forked tongue flickering. Its pitch-black snake eyes were fixed intently on him!
Shui Miao attempted to practice Qi cultivation, but he simply couldn’t calm his mind. Every time he tried to focus, his thoughts were inexplicably blocked by an unknown force, and his dantian showed no response at all. After repeating this several times, he reluctantly gave up. Although he had anticipated this outcome, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat disheartened when failure actually set in.
Back when he possessed immortal power, he never realized how fortunate he was.
Now that he could no longer harness it, he realized how foolish he had been in the past—acting too impulsively, which led him to this miserable situation.
“If I could regain my immortal power, I would definitely cherish it!”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh and lay down on the bed.
Having been here for two days, Shui Miao hadn’t dwelled much on thoughts of his mother or friends. Before leaving, he had left a note, and since everyone was financially secure and living well, there was no need for him to worry unnecessarily.
Instead, the affairs of Miaojiang piqued his curiosity, feeling entirely fresh and intriguing at every turn.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”
The sound of light footsteps echoed. Shui Miao frowned slightly. From the footsteps, it was clear that two people had arrived—both women, one a young married woman and the other seemingly Granny Ma.
Shui Miao sat up on the bed just as the door opened. It was indeed Granny Ma and the young married woman.
Strangely, Granny Ma didn’t allow the young woman to enter the room. Instead, she shut her outside, as if she were the master of the room.
The young woman was puzzled but didn’t leave. Instead, she pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Granny Ma was no fool either. Entering the room, she stood beside Shui Miao and lowered her voice. “Something’s wrong. The Great Immortal went to West Village and hasn’t returned for a long time. This matter started because of you. Since you’re so capable, I think it’s up to you to handle it. If anything happens to the Great Immortal, the consequences will be dire—the entire East Village will suffer!”
Granny Ma’s concerns weren’t entirely for herself; she was more worried about the villagers.
“Granny Ma! I can’t use any immortal power right now. Asking me to help is like forcing a duck onto a perch—it’s just not possible!” Shui Miao was indifferent. To him, a mere Gu sorcerer was nothing. With his protective jade pendant, he almost wished the Gu sorcerer would come cause trouble. If that happened and he regained his immortal power, it would be even better.
Seeing Shui Miao’s reluctance, Granny Ma added, “Don’t forget, the Great Immortal is the one helping you disguise your appearance. If anything happens to him, you’ll revert to your original form. Then let’s see how you plan to stay here.”
“…”
Shui Miao was speechless. Did he really care that much about staying here?
Seeing Shui Miao silent, Granny Ma grew anxious and tugged at his arm. “You slept with the young woman. If she finds out you’re not Zhang Ling, she’ll surely kill herself. In this situation, for your sake and hers, you must think of a solution.”
Granny Ma’s words hit the mark.
Shui Miao had initially been somewhat willing to go, but now that Granny Ma was threatening him, he felt disinclined. Recalling last night, he was glad he had kept his limits and not acted improperly with the young woman. Otherwise, Granny Ma’s words would have proven true. However, her warning reminded Shui Miao that he couldn’t stay any longer. Remaining would only bring greater trouble. After quickly weighing his options, Shui Miao smiled slightly, walked to the door, opened it abruptly, pulled the eavesdropping young woman inside, and said to Granny Ma, “You can ask her whether I slept with her or not. And remember, no one can force me to do anything—not even you, Granny Ma.”
Shui Miao’s sudden declaration left both Granny Ma and the young woman stunned.
“Spilling everything? Do you have a death wish?”
Granny Ma never expected Shui Miao to risk exposing his identity rather than help her.
The young woman was even more astonished. She suddenly felt that this man was a stranger—not her husband.
“Whatever. It’s just death,” Shui Miao shook his head coldly at Granny Ma before turning to the young woman. “I’m sorry, but I’m not your husband. Your husband is already dead. Don’t worry about me anymore; my life and death have nothing to do with you. As for that Gu sorcerer, I’ll find a way to deal with him. You should find another man to marry. You’ll surely be happy because you’re still an innocent girl.”
With those words, Shui Miao turned to leave.
But Granny Ma quickly grabbed him. “You can’t leave. You must go to the Dragon God Temple to save the Great Immortal.”
“What’s going on? Explain yourself clearly,” the young woman also held onto Shui Miao.
“Heh, it’s just a life! I’ve suddenly had an epiphany—I don’t want to hide anymore. I want to face him, even if it means death. Of course, I’ll go to the Dragon God Temple, but when I go is not up to you.” Shui Miao didn’t know what came over him, but he felt weary. He didn’t want to spend another day without his immortal power. Turning to the young woman, he took her hand and walked out. “Nothing happened between us. You’re still pure. Come with me; I’ll take you to your husband’s body.”
The young woman instinctively followed Shui Miao downstairs.
Now it was Granny Ma’s turn to panic. She had come to ask for Shui Miao’s help but ended up making things worse instead.
Granny Ma chased after them.
The villagers found it all very strange, but a few followed along to watch the commotion.
Shui Miao led the young woman to the spot where he had come ashore and found the pit where he had buried Zhang Ling. To his surprise, the pit had been dug open, and Zhang Ling’s body was missing. Seeing this, Granny Ma quickly pulled the young woman aside and told her that her husband wasn’t dead but had lost his mind—he seemed normal but actually wasn’t. The young woman was confused by this, and the others were equally skeptical.
Where had the body gone?
Shui Miao was baffled. He had buried the body properly—how could it have disappeared?
Had Zhang Ling’s corpse reanimated and climbed out on its own?
Something felt off to Shui Miao. He carefully examined the ground and discovered drag marks, indicating that the body had been pulled away.
Someone had dug it up!
A sense of foreboding washed over Shui Miao. He quickly followed the tracks. The riverbank’s sandy soil was damp, and upon closer inspection, the marks were still visible.
Granny Ma urged the young woman and the others to return home, insisting on following Zhang Ling herself.
But the young woman no longer trusted Granny Ma. She felt that Shui Miao’s earlier words were true—a fool could never have spoken like that.
So, the young woman ignored Granny Ma and, along with a few childhood friends, followed Shui Miao.
Without the Great Immortal, Granny Ma was just an ordinary person and couldn’t stop them.
“What are you looking for?” the young woman asked, trailing behind Shui Miao.
Shui Miao glanced westward, toward the shallow part of the Shuilong River. “The body—your husband’s body. If I’m not mistaken, the Gu sorcerer from West Village must have stolen it. It seems I’ll have to confront him sooner than expected…”
“But you are my husband!”
The young woman stepped in front of Shui Miao and said in Mandarin, “Zhang Ling, stop joking around. Every time you wake up, you go seeking revenge against the Gu sorcerer. Now you’re doing it again… I know you’re Zhang Ling. You’re trying to trick me into giving up on you and not stopping you, but you’re wrong! I won’t believe it. Don’t be foolish anymore; we can’t defeat him.”
The young woman was convinced that Shui Miao was Zhang Ling and believed he was lying to her to seek revenge.
Shui Miao found it both amusing and frustrating. Even when he admitted his identity, no one believed him.
Granny Ma was at a loss for words. Initially, she had pressured Shui Miao to go, but now that he was willing, she felt he shouldn’t—because Long Wuye was truly sinister.
“Zhang Ling, don’t go. You’ll fall under his Gu curse.”
“Yeah, Zhang Ling, revenge requires careful planning. Think about your parents—if something happens to you, how will they cope in their old age? They’ve already lost two sons!”
“Maybe… maybe we should call the police?”
“Don’t be naive. The police are too scared to even talk about our village affairs. Everyone within a hundred miles knows Long Wuye is a sinister man.”
“…”
A group of village girls pleaded with Shui Miao, urging him not to go to West Village.
“Enough!”
Shui Miao suddenly shouted. “Stop talking! Even if that Gu sorcerer has three heads and six arms, I’m going to confront him. All you know is fear—you’re already terrified before even facing him. How can you fight him like that? Put another way, the reason the Gu sorcerer is so arrogant is precisely because you’re all too cowardly. Since you don’t dare to confront him, let an outsider like me handle it.”
After delivering this impassioned speech, Shui Miao turned and ran toward West Village.
His words left everyone stunned.
They felt that Zhang Ling seemed… truly unlike Zhang Ling.
“Ah well! I’ve lived a long life anyway—I have nothing left to fear. You all go back. Let me go with Zhang Ling,” Granny Ma, moved by Shui Miao’s words, felt a newfound indifference to life and death and followed toward West Village.
“Whether he’s Zhang Ling or not, I’m going because… because he is my husband!”
The young woman gritted her teeth. Her mindset was traditional—even if this man wasn’t Zhang Ling, she would follow him for life. She had never embraced or kissed a man before; last night was her first time. For that first time, she had no regrets.
“We’re going too! At most, we’ll fight it out with that old monster Long!”
“Yeah! He’s killed so many people. We can’t take it anymore…”
“Let’s go!”
A few young girls, spirited and bold, were ready to take on the challenge, proving themselves no less courageous than men.
With no one stopping them, Shui Miao quickly crossed the shallow part of the Shuilong River.
After running westward for about a hundred meters, Shui Miao spotted a mud-and-grass house in the forest ahead. The house was built like a small temple, with a large stone standing to its right inscribed with four jet-black characters: Black Dragon God Temple.
“Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss…”
Shui Miao’s hearing was exceptionally sharp. Just as he saw the characters, he heard a faint hissing sound from the grass behind him. Instinctively, he turned and saw a black snake as thick as a waist sticking its head out of the grass, its black forked tongue flickering. Its pitch-black snake eyes were fixed intently on him!
Shui Miao sighed deeply and lay down on the bed.
It had been two days since he arrived here, and he hadn’t thought much about his mother or his friends, because he had left a note when he left, and everyone was financially secure and living well, so there was no need for him to worry unnecessarily.
Rather, it was this Miao region that intrigued him, making him feel everything was fresh and new.
“Shhh… shhh…”
A faint sound of footsteps echoed. Shui Miao slightly furrowed his brow. From the sound, it was clear that two people had arrived, both women—one a young wife, and the other seemingly the old woman known as Ma Po.
Shui Miao sat up from the bed, and by then, the door had already opened—it was indeed Ma Po and the young wife.
Strangely, Ma Po didn’t let the young wife enter the room, instead shutting her outside, as if she were the actual owner of the room.
The young wife was very puzzled, but she didn’t leave. Instead, she pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Ma Po wasn’t stupid either. She entered the room, stood beside Shui Miao, and whispered in a low voice, “It’s bad news. the Immortal went to the western village and hasn’t returned for a long time. This matter started because of you. Since you’re so capable, I think you must handle it. If anything happens to the Immortal, the consequences will be terrible—entire eastern village will suffer!”
Ma Po wasn’t thinking entirely for herself; she was also concerned for the villagers.
Shui Miao attempted to practice Qi cultivation, but he simply couldn’t calm his mind. Every time he tried to focus, his thoughts were inexplicably blocked by an unknown force, and his dantian showed no response at all. After repeating this several times, he reluctantly gave up. Although he had anticipated this outcome, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat disheartened when failure actually struck.
When he had possessed immortal power before, he never realized how fortunate he was.
Now that he could no longer harness it, he realized how foolish he had been in the past—acting too impulsively, which led him to such a miserable situation.
“If I could regain my immortal power, I would cherish it dearly!”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh and lay down on the bed.
Having been here for two days, Shui Miao hadn’t dwelled much on thoughts of his mother or friends. Before leaving, he had left a note, and since everyone was financially secure and living well, there was no need for him to worry unnecessarily.
Instead, the affairs of Miaojiang piqued his curiosity, making everything feel fresh and intriguing.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”
The sound of light footsteps echoed. Shui Miao frowned slightly. From the footsteps, it was clear that two people had arrived—both women, one a young married woman and the other seemingly Granny Ma.
Shui Miao sat up on the bed just as the door opened. It was indeed Granny Ma and the young married woman.
Strangely, Granny Ma didn’t allow the young woman to enter the room. Instead, she shut her outside, as if she were the master of the room.
The young woman was puzzled but didn’t leave. Instead, she pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Granny Ma was no fool either. Entering the room, she stood beside Shui Miao and lowered her voice. “Something’s wrong. The Great Immortal went to the West Village and hasn’t returned for a long time. This matter started because of you. Since you’re so capable, I think it’s up to you to handle it. If anything happens to the Great Immortal, the consequences will be dire. The entire East Village will suffer!”
Granny Ma’s concerns weren’t entirely for herself but more for the villagers.
“Granny Ma! I can’t use even a bit of immortal power right now. Asking me to help is like forcing a duck onto a perch—utterly impossible!” Shui Miao was indifferent. To him, the Gu Sorcerer was nothing to fear. With his protective jade pendant, he almost wished the Gu Sorcerer would come after him. If that happened, he might regain his immortal power, which would be even better.
Seeing Shui Miao’s reluctance, Granny Ma added, “Don’t forget, the Great Immortal is the one helping you with your disguise. If anything happens to him, you’ll revert to your original appearance. Then let’s see how you plan to stay here.”
“…”
Shui Miao was speechless. Did he really care that much about staying here?
Noting Shui Miao’s silence, Granny Ma grew anxious and tugged at his arm. “You slept with the young woman. If she finds out you’re not Zhang Ling, she’ll surely kill herself. In this situation, for your sake and hers, you must think of a solution.”
Granny Ma’s words hit the mark.
Shui Miao had initially been somewhat willing to go, but after being threatened like this, he lost all interest. Recalling the previous night, he was glad he had maintained his boundaries and not acted improperly with the young woman. Otherwise, Granny Ma’s words would have proven true. However, her warning reminded Shui Miao that he couldn’t stay any longer. Remaining would only bring greater trouble. After quickly weighing his options, Shui Miao smiled slightly, walked to the door, swung it open, pulled the eavesdropping young woman inside, and said to Granny Ma, “You can ask her whether I slept with her or not. And no one can force me to do anything—not even you, Granny Ma.”
Shui Miao’s sudden declaration left both Granny Ma and the young woman stunned.
“Spilling everything? Do you have a death wish?”
Granny Ma never expected Shui Miao to risk exposing his identity rather than help her.
The young woman was even more shocked. Suddenly, this person felt unfamiliar—not like her husband at all.
“It doesn’t matter. Death is just death,” Shui Miao coldly shook his head at Granny Ma before turning to the young woman. “I’m sorry, but I’m not your husband. Your husband is already dead. Don’t worry about me anymore; my life and death have nothing to do with you. As for that Gu Sorcerer, I’ll find a way to deal with him. Find another man to marry. You’ll surely be happy because you’re still an innocent girl.”
With those words, Shui Miao turned to leave.
But Granny Ma quickly grabbed him. “You can’t leave. You must go to the Dragon God Temple to save the Great Immortal.”
“What’s going on? Explain yourself clearly,” the young woman also held onto Shui Miao.
“Heh, it’s just a life! I’ve suddenly realized—I don’t want to hide anymore. I’ll face him, even if it means death. Of course, I’ll go to the Dragon God Temple, but when I go is not for you to decide.” Shui Miao didn’t know what had come over him, but he felt weary. He didn’t want to spend another day without his immortal power. Turning to the young woman, he took her hand and led her outside. “Nothing happened between us. You’re still pure. Come with me; I’ll take you to your husband’s body.”
The young woman instinctively followed Shui Miao downstairs.
Now it was Granny Ma’s turn to panic. She had come to ask for Shui Miao’s help, but instead of assisting, he had made things worse.
Granny Ma chased after them.
The villagers watched curiously, and a few even followed to see what would happen.
Shui Miao led the young woman to the spot where he had come ashore and found the pit where he had buried Zhang Ling. However, the pit had been dug open, and Zhang Ling’s body was missing. Seeing this, Granny Ma quickly pulled the young woman aside and told her that her husband wasn’t dead but had lost his mind—he seemed normal but wasn’t. The young woman was confused by this, and the others were equally skeptical.
Where had the body gone?
Shui Miao was baffled. He had buried the body properly—how could it have disappeared?
Had Zhang Ling’s corpse reanimated and climbed out on its own?
Something felt off to Shui Miao. He carefully examined the ground and discovered marks indicating that the body had been dragged away.
Someone had dug it up!
A sense of dread washed over Shui Miao. He quickly followed the trail. The riverbank’s sandy soil was damp, and with careful observation, the traces were still visible.
Granny Ma urged the young woman and the others to return, insisting on following Zhang Ling herself.
But the young woman no longer trusted Granny Ma. She felt that Shui Miao’s earlier words were true—a fool couldn’t possibly have spoken like that.
So, she ignored Granny Ma and, along with a few childhood friends, followed Shui Miao.
Without the Great Immortal, Granny Ma was just an ordinary person and couldn’t stop them.
“What are you looking for?” the young woman asked, trailing behind Shui Miao.
Shui Miao glanced westward, toward the shallow part of the Shuilong River. “The body—your husband’s body. If I’m not mistaken, the Gu Sorcerer from the West Village must have stolen it. It seems I’ll have to confront him sooner than expected…”
“But you are my husband!”
The young woman stepped in front of Shui Miao and said in Mandarin, “Zhang Ling, stop joking around. Every time you wake up, you go to seek revenge on the Gu Sorcerer. Now you’re doing it again… I know you’re Zhang Ling. You’re trying to trick me into giving up and not stopping you, but you’re wrong! I won’t believe it. Don’t be foolish anymore; we can’t defeat him.”
The young woman was convinced that Shui Miao was Zhang Ling and believed he was lying to her to seek revenge.
Shui Miao found it both amusing and frustrating. Even when he admitted his true identity, no one believed him.
Granny Ma was at a loss for words. Initially, she had pressured Shui Miao to go, but now that he was willing, she felt he shouldn’t—because Long Wuye was truly sinister.
“Zhang Ling, don’t go. You’ll be cursed.”
“Zhang Ling, revenge requires careful planning. Think about your parents. If something happens to you, how will they cope in their old age? They’ve already lost two sons!”
“Maybe… maybe we should call the police?”
“Don’t be naive. The police are too scared to even talk about our village affairs. Everyone within a hundred miles knows Long Wuye is a sinister man.”
“…”
A group of village girls pleaded with Shui Miao not to go to the West Village.
“Enough!”
Shui Miao suddenly shouted. “Stop talking! Even if that Gu Sorcerer has three heads and six arms, I’ll still face him. All you know is fear. You haven’t even fought him, yet you’re already terrified. How can you ever defeat him like this? Put another way, the Gu Sorcerer is so arrogant precisely because you’re all too cowardly. Since you don’t dare confront him, let an outsider like me handle it.”
After delivering this impassioned speech, Shui Miao turned and ran toward the West Village.
His words left everyone stunned.
They felt that Zhang Ling seemed… different.
“Ah! I’ve lived a long life anyway. I have nothing to fear. The rest of you, go back. Let me go with Zhang Ling,” Granny Ma said, moved by Shui Miao’s words. She had come to terms with life and death and followed toward the West Village.
“Whether he is Zhang Ling or not, I’m going because… because he is my husband!”
The young woman gritted her teeth. Her mindset was traditional—even if this man wasn’t Zhang Ling, she would follow him for life. She had never embraced or kissed a man before; last night was her first time. For that first time, she had no regrets.
“We’re going too! At most, we’ll fight that old monster Long!”
“Yes! He’s killed too many people. We can’t take it anymore…”
“Let’s go!”
A few young women, spirited and bold, were determined not to be outdone by men.
With no one stopping them, Shui Miao quickly crossed the shallow part of the Shuilong River.
After running westward for about a hundred meters, Shui Miao spotted a mud-and-grass house in the forest. It was built like a small temple, with a large stone standing to its right inscribed with four jet-black characters: Black Dragon God Temple.
“Hiss, hiss, hiss…”
Shui Miao’s hearing was exceptionally sharp. Just as he saw the characters, he heard a faint hissing sound from the grass behind him. Instinctively, he turned and saw a black snake as thick as a waist sticking its head out of the grass, its black forked tongue flickering. Its pitch-black snake eyes were fixed intently on him!
Seeing Shui Miao’s reluctance, Ma Po continued, “Don’t forget, it’s the Immortal who is helping you disguise your appearance. If anything happens to the Immortal, you’ll revert to your original form. Then how will you stay here?”
“…”
Shui Miao was speechless. Did he really care so much about staying here?
Seeing his silence, Ma Po grew anxious and tugged at Shui Miao’s arm. “You slept with the young wife. If she finds out you’re not Zhang Ling, she’ll surely commit suicide. Under these circumstances, for your own good and for hers, you must think of a solution.”
This statement hit the nail on the head.
Shui Miao had been slightly inclined to go, but now that Ma Po was threatening him, he became unwilling again. Thinking back to last night, he was glad he had maintained his boundaries and hadn’t done anything inappropriate with the young wife. Otherwise, Ma Po’s words would have come true. However, her words reminded Shui Miao that he couldn’t stay here any longer—remaining would only bring more trouble. After a quick moment of contemplation, he smiled faintly, walked to the door, opened it abruptly, pulled the eavesdropping young wife inside, and then said to Ma Po, “You can ask her yourself—did I sleep with her? Also, no one can force me to do anything, not even you, Ma Po.”
Shui Miao’s sudden declaration left both Ma Po and the young wife stunned.
“What are you saying? Do you want to die?”
Ma Po hadn’t expected Shui Miao to be willing to risk exposing his identity and refuse to help her.
The young wife was even more shocked. Suddenly, this man felt unfamiliar—he wasn’t her husband.
Shui Miao attempted to practice Qi cultivation, but he simply couldn’t calm his mind. Every time he tried to focus, his thoughts were inexplicably blocked by an unseen force, and his dantian remained completely unresponsive. After repeating this process several times, he reluctantly gave up. Though he had anticipated this outcome, the actual failure still left him feeling somewhat disheartened.
When he had possessed immortal power before, he never realized how fortunate he was.
Now that he could no longer harness that power, he understood how foolish he had been—too impulsive in his actions, which had led him to this miserable situation.
“If I could regain my immortal power, I would cherish it dearly!”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh and lay down on the bed.
He had been here for two days now but hadn’t thought much about his mother or friends. Before leaving, he had left a note, and since none of them were short on money and were living well, there was no need for him to worry unnecessarily.
Instead, the affairs of Miaojiang piqued his curiosity—everything felt fresh and intriguing.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”
The sound of light footsteps reached his ears. Shui Miao frowned slightly. From the footsteps, he could tell that two people had arrived—both women, one a young married woman and the other seemingly Granny Ma.
Shui Miao sat up on the bed just as the door opened. It was indeed Granny Ma and the young married woman.
Strangely, Granny Ma didn’t allow the young woman to enter the room. Instead, she shut her outside, as if she were the master of the room herself.
The young woman was puzzled but didn’t leave. Instead, she pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Granny Ma was no fool. She entered the room, stood beside Shui Miao, and lowered her voice. “Something’s wrong. The Great Immortal went to the West Village and hasn’t returned for a long time. This matter started because of you. Since you’re so capable, I think it’s up to you to handle it. If anything happens to the Great Immortal, the consequences will be dire—the entire East Village will suffer!”
Granny Ma’s concerns weren’t entirely selfish; she was more worried about the villagers.
“Granny Ma! I can’t use any immortal power right now. Asking me to help is like forcing a duck onto a perch—it’s just not possible!” Shui Miao didn’t really care. To him, the Gu Sorcerer was just a minor threat. With his protective jade pendant, he almost wished the Gu Sorcerer would come after him. If that happened, he might even regain his immortal power, which would be even better.
Seeing Shui Miao’s reluctance, Granny Ma added, “Don’t forget, the Great Immortal is the one helping you change your appearance. If anything happens to him, you’ll revert to your original form. Then let’s see how you plan to stay here.”
“…”
Shui Miao was speechless. Did he really care that much about staying here?
As Shui Miao remained silent, Granny Ma grew anxious and tugged at his arm. “You slept with the young woman. If she finds out you’re not Zhang Ling, she’ll surely kill herself. In this situation, for your sake and hers, you must do something.”
Granny Ma’s words hit the mark.
Shui Miao had initially been somewhat willing to help, but now that Granny Ma was threatening him, he felt even more reluctant. Thinking back to last night, he was glad he had maintained his boundaries and not done anything improper with the young woman. Otherwise, Granny Ma’s words would have proven true. However, her warning reminded Shui Miao that he couldn’t stay any longer. If he did, the troubles would only escalate. After quickly weighing his options, Shui Miao smiled slightly, walked to the door, pulled it open, and dragged the eavesdropping young woman inside. Then, turning to Granny Ma, he said, “You can ask her whether I slept with her or not. And remember, no one can force me to do anything—not even you, Granny Ma.”
Shui Miao’s sudden declaration left both Granny Ma and the young woman stunned.
“Have you lost your mind?” Granny Ma never expected Shui Miao to risk exposing his identity rather than help her.
The young woman was even more shocked. She suddenly felt that this man was a stranger—not her husband.
“I don’t care anymore. Death is just death,” Shui Miao shook his head coldly at Granny Ma before turning to the young woman. “I’m sorry, but I’m not your husband. Your husband is already dead. Don’t worry about me anymore; my life and death have nothing to do with you. As for that Gu Sorcerer, I’ll find a way to deal with him. You should find another man to marry. You’ll surely be happy because you’re still an innocent girl.”
With those words, Shui Miao turned to leave.
But Granny Ma quickly grabbed him. “You can’t leave. You must go to the Dragon God Temple to save the Great Immortal.”
“What’s going on? Explain yourself clearly,” the young woman also held onto Shui Miao.
“Heh, it’s just a life! I’ve suddenly had an epiphany. I don’t want to hide anymore. I’ll face him, even if it means death. Of course, I’ll go to the Dragon God Temple, but when I go is not for you to decide.” Shui Miao didn’t know what had come over him, but he felt tired of it all. He didn’t want to spend another day without his immortal power. Turning to the young woman, he took her hand and led her outside. “Nothing happened between us. You’re still pure. Come with me; I’ll take you to your husband’s body.”
The young woman instinctively followed Shui Miao downstairs.
Now it was Granny Ma’s turn to panic. She had come to ask for Shui Miao’s help, but instead of getting assistance, she had made things worse.
Granny Ma chased after them.
The villagers watched curiously, and a few even followed to see what would happen.
Shui Miao led the young woman to the spot where he had come ashore and found the pit where he had buried Zhang Ling. To his surprise, the pit had been dug open, and Zhang Ling’s body was missing. Seeing this, Granny Ma quickly pulled the young woman aside and told her that her husband wasn’t dead but had lost his mind—he seemed normal but wasn’t. The young woman was confused by this explanation, and the others were equally skeptical, half-believing and half-doubting.
Where had the body gone?
Shui Miao was deeply puzzled. He had buried the body properly—how could it have disappeared?
Had Zhang Ling’s corpse reanimated and climbed out on its own?
Something felt off to Shui Miao. He carefully examined the ground and discovered drag marks, which led him to conclude that the body had been dragged away.
Someone had dug it up!
A sense of foreboding washed over Shui Miao. He quickly followed the marks. The riverbank’s sandy soil was damp, and with careful observation, the traces were still visible.
Granny Ma urged the young woman and the others to return home, insisting that she would follow Zhang Ling herself.
But the young woman no longer trusted Granny Ma. She felt that Shui Miao’s earlier words were true—a fool could never have spoken so coherently.
Ignoring Granny Ma’s advice, the young woman and a few childhood friends followed Shui Miao.
Without the Great Immortal, Granny Ma was just an ordinary person and couldn’t stop them.
“What are you looking for?” the young woman asked, trailing behind Shui Miao.
Shui Miao looked toward the west, in the direction of the shallow part of the Shuilong River. “The body—your husband’s body. If I’m not mistaken, the Gu Sorcerer from the West Village must have stolen it. It seems I’ll have to confront him sooner than expected…”
“But you are my husband!” the young woman stepped in front of Shui Miao and said in Mandarin, “Zhang Ling, stop joking around. Every time you wake up, you go to seek revenge on the Gu Sorcerer. Now you’re doing it again… I know you’re Zhang Ling. You’re trying to trick me into giving up on you and not stopping you. You’re wrong! I won’t believe it. Don’t be foolish anymore; we can’t defeat him.”
The young woman was convinced that Shui Miao was Zhang Ling and believed he was lying to her to seek revenge.
Shui Miao found the situation both frustrating and amusing. Even when he admitted his true identity, no one believed him.
Granny Ma was at a loss for words. Initially, she had pressured Shui Miao to go, but now that he was willing, she felt he shouldn’t—because Long Wuye was truly sinister.
“Zhang Ling, don’t go. You’ll fall under his curse.”
“That’s right, Zhang Ling. Revenge requires careful planning. Think about your parents. If something happens to you, how will they cope in their old age? They’ve already lost two sons!”
“Maybe… maybe we should call the police?”
“Don’t be naive. The police are too scared to even talk about our village affairs. Everyone within a hundred miles knows Long Wuye is a sinister man.”
“…”
A group of village girls pleaded with Shui Miao not to go to the West Village.
“Enough!” Shui Miao suddenly shouted. “Stop talking! Even if that Gu Sorcerer has three heads and six arms, I’ll still confront him. All you know is fear. You haven’t even faced him, yet you’re already terrified. How can you fight him like this? In a way, the Gu Sorcerer is so arrogant precisely because you’re all too cowardly. Since you don’t dare to confront him, let an outsider like me handle it.”
After delivering this impassioned speech, Shui Miao turned and ran toward the West Village.
His words left everyone stunned.
They felt that Zhang Ling seemed… different.
“Ah! I’ve lived a long life anyway. I have nothing to fear. The rest of you, go back. Let me go with Zhang Ling.” Inspired by Shui Miao’s words, Granny Ma adopted a more resigned outlook toward life and death and followed him toward the West Village.
“Whether he’s Zhang Ling or not, I’m going because… because he is my husband!” The young woman gritted her teeth. Her mindset was traditional—even if this man wasn’t Zhang Ling, she would follow him for the rest of her life. She had never been intimate with a man before, and last night was her first time. For that first experience, she had no regrets.
“We’re going too! At most, we’ll fight that old monster Long to the death!”
“Yeah! He’s caused enough deaths. We can’t take it anymore…”
“Let’s go!”
A few young women, spirited and bold, were determined not to be outdone by the men.
With no one stopping them, Shui Miao quickly crossed the shallow part of the Shuilong River.
After running west for about a hundred meters, Shui Miao spotted a mud-and-grass house in the forest. It was built like a small temple, with a large stone standing to its right inscribed with four jet-black characters: Black Dragon God Temple.
“Hiss, hiss, hiss…”
Shui Miao’s hearing was exceptionally sharp. Just as he saw the characters, he heard a faint hissing sound from the grass behind him. Instinctively, he turned around and saw a black snake as thick as a waist slithering out of the grass, its black forked tongue flickering. Its pitch-black eyes were fixed intently on him!
After saying this, Shui Miao turned and walked away.
Ma Po hurriedly grabbed his arm. “You can’t leave. You must go to the Dragon God Temple to save the Immortal.”
“What exactly is going on? Please explain clearly,” the young wife also grabbed Shui Miao.
Shui Miao attempted to practice Qi cultivation, but he simply couldn’t calm his mind. Every time he tried to focus, his thoughts were inexplicably blocked by an unseen force, and his dantian showed no response. After repeating this several times, he reluctantly gave up. Although he had anticipated this outcome, he couldn’t help feeling disheartened by the failure.
When he had possessed immortal power before, he never realized how fortunate he was.
Now that he could no longer harness that power, he realized how foolish he had been—acting too impulsively, which led him to such a miserable situation.
“If I could regain my immortal power, I would cherish it dearly!”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh and lay down on the bed.
He had been here for two days but hadn’t thought much about his mother or friends. Before leaving, he had left a note, and since everyone was financially stable and living well, there was no need for him to worry unnecessarily.
Instead, he was deeply curious about the Miaojiang region, finding everything novel and intriguing.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”
The sound of light footsteps reached his ears. Shui Miao frowned slightly. From the footsteps, he could tell that two people had arrived—both women, one a young married woman and the other seemingly Granny Ma.
Shui Miao sat up on the bed just as the door opened. It was indeed Granny Ma and the young married woman.
Strangely, Granny Ma didn’t allow the young woman to enter the room. Instead, she shut her outside, acting as if she were the master of the room.
The young woman was puzzled but didn’t leave. Instead, she pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Granny Ma was no fool. She entered the room, stood beside Shui Miao, and whispered, “Something’s wrong. The Great Immortal went to West Village and hasn’t returned for a long time. This matter started because of you. Since you’re so capable, I think it’s up to you to handle it. If anything happens to the Great Immortal, the consequences will be dire. The entire East Village will suffer!”
Granny Ma’s concern wasn’t entirely for herself but more for the villagers.
“Granny Ma! I can’t use any immortal power right now. Asking me to help is like forcing a duck onto a perch—it’s impossible!” Shui Miao was indifferent. To him, the Gu Sorcerer was nothing to fear. With his protective jade pendant, he almost wished the Gu Sorcerer would come after him. If that happened, he might regain his immortal power, which would be even better.
Seeing Shui Miao’s reluctance, Granny Ma added, “Don’t forget, the Great Immortal is the one helping you disguise your appearance. If something happens to him, you’ll revert to your original form. Then, let’s see how you plan to stay here.”
“…”
Shui Miao was speechless. Did he really care that much about staying here?
Seeing his silence, Granny Ma grew anxious and tugged at his arm. “You slept with the young woman. If she finds out you’re not Zhang Ling, she’ll surely kill herself. In this situation, for your sake and hers, you must do something.”
Granny Ma’s words hit the mark.
Shui Miao had initially been somewhat willing to help, but now that Granny Ma was threatening him, he felt reluctant. Thinking back to the previous night, he was glad he had maintained his boundaries and not acted improperly with the young woman. Otherwise, Granny Ma’s words would have proven true. However, her warning reminded Shui Miao that he couldn’t stay any longer. If he did, the trouble would only escalate. After a quick mental calculation, he smiled slightly, walked to the door, swung it open, pulled the eavesdropping young woman inside, and said to Granny Ma, “You can ask her whether I slept with her or not. And remember, no one can force me to do anything—not even you, Granny Ma.”
Shui Miao’s sudden declaration left both Granny Ma and the young woman stunned.
“Have you lost your mind?” Granny Ma never expected Shui Miao to risk exposing his identity rather than help her.
The young woman was even more shocked. She suddenly felt that this man was a stranger, not her husband.
“I don’t care anymore. Death is just death,” Shui Miao coldly shook his head at Granny Ma before turning to the young woman. “I’m sorry, but I’m not your husband. Your husband is dead. Don’t worry about me anymore; my life and death have nothing to do with you. As for that Gu Sorcerer, I’ll find a way to deal with him. You should remarry someone else. You’ll surely find happiness because you’re still an innocent girl.”
With those words, Shui Miao turned to leave.
But Granny Ma quickly grabbed him. “You can’t leave. You must go to the Dragon God Temple to save the Great Immortal.”
“What’s going on? Explain yourself clearly,” the young woman also grabbed Shui Miao.
“Heh, it’s just a life! I’ve suddenly realized I don’t want to hide anymore. I want to face him, even if it means death. Of course, I’ll go to the Dragon God Temple, but when I go is not for you to decide.” Shui Miao didn’t know what had come over him, but he felt tired of living without immortal power. He turned to the young woman, took her hand, and led her outside. “Nothing happened between us. You’re still pure. Come with me; I’ll take you to your husband’s body.”
The young woman instinctively followed Shui Miao downstairs.
Now it was Granny Ma’s turn to panic. She had come to ask for Shui Miao’s help but had instead made things worse.
Granny Ma chased after them.
The villagers watched curiously, and a few even followed to see what would happen.
Shui Miao led the young woman to the spot where he had come ashore and found the pit where he had buried Zhang Ling. To his surprise, the pit had been dug open, and Zhang Ling’s body was missing. Seeing this, Granny Ma quickly pulled the young woman aside and told her that her husband wasn’t dead but had lost his mind—he seemed normal but wasn’t. The young woman was confused, and the others were equally skeptical.
Where had the body gone?
Shui Miao was baffled. He had buried the body properly. How could it have disappeared?
Had Zhang Ling’s corpse reanimated and climbed out?
Something felt off to Shui Miao. He carefully examined the ground and found drag marks, indicating that the body had been moved.
Someone had dug it up!
A sense of foreboding washed over Shui Miao. He followed the drag marks along the riverbank, where the damp sand made the traces somewhat visible.
Granny Ma urged the young woman and the others to return home, insisting on following Zhang Ling herself.
But the young woman no longer trusted Granny Ma. She felt that Shui Miao’s words were true—a fool couldn’t have spoken so clearly.
Ignoring Granny Ma, the young woman and a few childhood friends followed Shui Miao.
Without the Great Immortal, Granny Ma was just an ordinary person and couldn’t stop them.
“What are you looking for?” the young woman asked, trailing behind Shui Miao.
Shui Miao glanced westward, toward the shallow part of the Shuilong River. “The body—your husband’s body. If I’m not mistaken, the Gu Sorcerer from West Village must have stolen it. It seems I’ll have to confront him sooner than expected…”
“But you are my husband!” the young woman blocked Shui Miao’s path and said in Mandarin, “Zhang Ling, stop joking around. Every time you wake up, you go to seek revenge on the Gu Sorcerer. Now you’re doing it again… I know you’re Zhang Ling. You’re trying to trick me into giving up and not stopping you. You’re wrong! I won’t believe it. Don’t be foolish anymore; we can’t defeat him.”
The young woman was convinced that Shui Miao was Zhang Ling and believed he was lying to her to seek revenge.
Shui Miao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Even when he admitted his identity, no one believed him.
Granny Ma was at a loss for words. Initially, she had pressured Shui Miao to go, but now that he was willing, she felt he shouldn’t—because Long Wuye was truly sinister.
“Zhang Ling, don’t go. You’ll fall under his curse.”
“Yes, Zhang Ling, revenge requires careful planning. Think of your parents. If something happens to you, how will they cope in their old age? They’ve already lost two sons!”
“Maybe… maybe we should call the police?”
“Don’t be naive. The police are too scared to even talk about our village. Everyone within a hundred miles knows Long Wuye is a sinister man.”
“…”
A group of village girls pleaded with Shui Miao not to go to West Village.
“Enough!” Shui Miao suddenly shouted. “Stop talking! Even if that Gu Sorcerer has three heads and six arms, I’ll still face him. All you know is fear. You haven’t even fought him, yet you’re already terrified. How can you defeat him like this? In a way, the Gu Sorcerer is so arrogant precisely because you’re all too cowardly. Since you don’t dare to confront him, let an outsider like me handle it.”
After delivering this impassioned speech, Shui Miao turned and ran toward West Village.
His words left everyone stunned.
They felt that Zhang Ling seemed… different.
“Ah! I’ve lived a long life anyway. I have nothing to fear. You all go back; let me go with Zhang Ling.” Inspired by Shui Miao’s words, Granny Ma adopted a resigned attitude toward life and death and followed him to West Village.
“Whether he’s Zhang Ling or not, I’m going because… because he is my husband!” The young woman gritted her teeth. Her mindset was traditional—even if this man wasn’t Zhang Ling, she would follow him for life. She had never been intimate with a man before, and last night was her first time. For that first time, she had no regrets.
“We’re going too! At most, we’ll fight that old monster Long to the death!”
“Yes! He’s killed too many people. We can’t take it anymore…”
“Let’s go!”
A few young girls, spirited and fearless, were ready to take on the challenge.
With no one stopping them, Shui Miao quickly crossed the shallow part of the Shuilong River.
After running westward for about a hundred meters, he spotted a mud-and-grass house in the forest, built like a small temple. A large stone stood to the right of the house, inscribed with four jet-black characters: “Black Dragon God Temple.”
“Hiss, hiss, hiss…”
Shui Miao’s hearing was exceptionally sharp. As he read the characters, he suddenly heard a faint hissing sound from the grass behind him. Instinctively, he turned and saw a black snake as thick as a waist slithering out of the grass, its black forked tongue flickering. Its pitch-black eyes were fixed intently on him!
Instinctively, the young wife followed Shui Miao downstairs.
Now, it was Ma Po’s turn to panic. She had originally come to ask Shui Miao for help, but instead of helping, she had ruined everything.
She chased after them.
The villagers were curious, and a few followed behind to see what was happening.
Holding the young wife’s hand, Shui Miao led her straight to the place where he had come ashore. He found the pit where he had buried Zhang Ling that day, only to discover the pit had been dug up, and there was no body inside. Seeing this, Ma Po quickly pulled the young wife aside and told her that her husband wasn’t dead, but rather had lost his mind—he seemed normal but wasn’t. The young wife listened in confusion, as did the others, uncertain whether to believe it.
Where had the body gone?
Shui Miao was deeply puzzled. He had buried the body very carefully—how could it have disappeared?
Could it be that Zhang Ling had risen as a zombie and crawled out?
Shui Miao felt something was wrong and carefully examined the ground. He noticed a trail. Judging from its shape, he determined it was a trail left by someone dragging a corpse.
The body had been taken!
Shui Miao’s heart sank. He quickly followed the trail. The riverbank’s damp soil preserved clear traces.
Ma Po asked the young wife and others to return while she followed Zhang Ling.
But the young wife no longer trusted Ma Po. She felt that Shui Miao’s words were true—an idiot could never have said such things.
Therefore, the young wife didn’t listen to Ma Po. Instead, she and several childhood friends followed behind Shui Miao.
Now that Ma Po had lost the Immortal, she was just an ordinary person and couldn’t stop anyone.
“What are you looking for?”
The young wife asked while following behind Shui Miao.
Shui Miao attempted to practice Qi cultivation, but he simply couldn’t calm his mind. Every time he tried to focus, his thoughts were inexplicably blocked by an unseen force, and his dantian showed no response. After repeating this several times, he reluctantly gave up. Although he had anticipated this outcome, he couldn’t help feeling a bit disheartened when failure actually set in.
Back when he possessed immortal power, he never realized how fortunate he was.
Now that he could no longer harness it, he realized how foolish he had been in the past—too impulsive, which led him to this miserable situation.
“If I could regain my immortal power, I would cherish it dearly!”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh and lay down on the bed.
He had been here for two days, but he hadn’t dwelled much on thoughts of his mother or friends. Before leaving, he had left a note, and everyone was financially secure and living well. There was no need for him to worry unnecessarily.
Instead, the mysteries of Miaojiang fascinated him. Everything felt fresh and intriguing.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”
The sound of light footsteps reached his ears. Shui Miao frowned slightly. From the footsteps, he could tell two people were approaching—both women. One was the young wife, and the other seemed to be Granny Ma…
Shui Miao sat up on the bed just as the door opened. It was indeed Granny Ma and the young wife.
Strangely, Granny Ma didn’t allow the young wife to enter. Instead, she shut her outside, as if she were the master of the room.
The young wife was puzzled but didn’t leave. Instead, she pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Granny Ma was no fool. She entered the room, stood beside Shui Miao, and lowered her voice. “Something’s wrong. The Great Immortal went to West Village and hasn’t returned for a long time. This matter started because of you. Since you’re so capable, I think it’s up to you to handle it. If anything happens to the Great Immortal, the consequences will be severe. The entire East Village will suffer!”
Granny Ma’s concern wasn’t entirely for herself but more for the villagers.
“Granny Ma! I can’t use any immortal power right now. Asking me to help is like forcing a duck onto a perch!” Shui Miao didn’t really care. To him, the Gu Sorcerer was just a minor threat. With his protective jade pendant, he almost wished the Gu Sorcerer would come after him. If that happened, he might regain his immortal power, which would be even better.
Seeing Shui Miao’s reluctance, Granny Ma added, “Don’t forget, the Great Immortal is the one helping you disguise your appearance. If anything happens to him, you’ll revert to your original form. Then let’s see how you plan to stay here.”
“…”
Shui Miao was speechless. Did he really care that much about staying here?
Noting his silence, Granny Ma grew anxious and tugged at his arm. “You slept with the young wife. If she finds out you’re not Zhang Ling, she’ll surely kill herself. In this situation, for your sake and hers, you must do something.”
Granny Ma’s words hit the mark.
Shui Miao had initially been somewhat willing to help, but now that Granny Ma was threatening him, he felt even more reluctant. Recalling the previous night, he was glad he had maintained his boundaries and not crossed the line with the young wife. Otherwise, Granny Ma’s words would have proven true. However, her warning reminded Shui Miao that he couldn’t stay any longer. Remaining would only bring more trouble. After a quick mental calculation, he smiled slightly, walked to the door, swung it open, pulled the eavesdropping young wife inside, and said to Granny Ma, “You can ask her whether I slept with her or not. And remember, no one can force me to do anything—not even you, Granny Ma.”
Shui Miao’s sudden declaration left both Granny Ma and the young wife stunned.
“Spilling everything? Do you have a death wish?”
Granny Ma never expected Shui Miao to risk exposing his identity rather than help her.
The young wife was even more shocked. Suddenly, this man felt unfamiliar—not her husband at all.
“I don’t care anymore. Death is just death.” Shui Miao shook his head coldly at Granny Ma before turning to the young wife. “I’m sorry, but I’m not your husband. Your husband is already dead. Don’t worry about me anymore; my life and death have nothing to do with you. As for that Gu Sorcerer, I’ll find a way to deal with him. You should remarry. You’ll surely find happiness because you’re still an innocent girl.”
With those words, Shui Miao turned to leave.
But Granny Ma quickly grabbed him. “You can’t leave. You must go to the Dragon God Temple to save the Great Immortal.”
“What’s going on? Explain yourself clearly,” the young wife said, also holding onto Shui Miao.
“Heh, it’s just a life! I’ve suddenly had an epiphany. I don’t want to hide anymore. I’ll face him, even if it means death. Of course, I’ll go to the Dragon God Temple, but when I go is not for you to decide.” Shui Miao didn’t know what came over him, but he felt tired of it all. He didn’t want to spend another day without his immortal power. Turning to the young wife, he took her hand and led her outside. “Nothing happened between us. You’re still pure. Come with me. I’ll take you to your husband’s body.”
The young wife instinctively followed Shui Miao downstairs.
Now it was Granny Ma’s turn to panic. She had come to ask for Shui Miao’s help, but instead of assisting, he had made things worse.
Granny Ma chased after them.
The villagers watched curiously, and a few even followed to see what would happen.
Shui Miao led the young wife to the spot where he had come ashore and located the pit where he had buried Zhang Ling. To his surprise, the pit had been dug open, and Zhang Ling’s body was missing. Seeing this, Granny Ma quickly pulled the young wife aside and told her that her husband wasn’t dead but had lost his mind—he seemed normal but wasn’t. The young wife was confused by this explanation, and the others were equally skeptical.
Where had the body gone?
Shui Miao was baffled. He had buried the body properly. How could it have disappeared?
Could Zhang Ling have risen from the dead and crawled out?
Something felt off. Shui Miao carefully examined the ground and noticed drag marks. Based on their shape, he concluded that the body had been dragged away.
Someone had dug it up!
A sense of foreboding washed over him. He quickly followed the marks. The riverbank’s damp soil made it easier to trace the trail.
Granny Ma urged the young wife and the others to return home, insisting on following Zhang Ling herself.
But the young wife no longer trusted Granny Ma. She felt that Shui Miao’s earlier words were true—a fool couldn’t have spoken so clearly.
Ignoring Granny Ma, the young wife and a few childhood friends followed Shui Miao.
Without the Great Immortal, Granny Ma was just an ordinary person and couldn’t stop them.
“What are you looking for?” the young wife asked, trailing behind Shui Miao.
Shui Miao glanced westward, toward the shallow part of the Shuilong River. “The body—your husband’s body. If I’m not mistaken, the Gu Sorcerer from West Village must have stolen it. It seems I’ll have to confront him sooner than expected…”
“But you are my husband!”
The young wife stepped in front of Shui Miao and said in Mandarin, “Zhang Ling, stop joking around. Every time you wake up, you go to seek revenge on the Gu Sorcerer. Now you’re doing it again… I know you’re Zhang Ling. You’re trying to trick me into giving up and not stopping you. You’re wrong! I won’t believe it. Don’t be foolish anymore. We can’t defeat him.”
The young wife was convinced that Shui Miao was Zhang Ling and believed he was lying to her to pursue revenge.
Shui Miao found it both frustrating and amusing. Even when he admitted his identity, no one believed him.
Granny Ma was at a loss for words. Initially, she had pressured Shui Miao to go, but now that he was willing, she felt he shouldn’t—because Long Wuye was truly sinister.
“Zhang Ling, don’t go. You’ll fall under his curse.”
“That’s right, Zhang Ling. Revenge requires careful planning. Think about your parents. If something happens to you, how will they cope in their old age? They’ve already lost two sons!”
“Maybe… maybe we should call the police?”
“Don’t be naive. The police are too scared to even talk about our village. Everyone within a hundred miles knows Long Wuye is a sinister man.”
“…”
A group of village girls pleaded with Shui Miao not to go to West Village.
“Enough!”
Shui Miao suddenly shouted. “Stop talking! Even if that Gu Sorcerer has three heads and six arms, I’ll still confront him. All you know is fear. You haven’t even fought him yet, but you’re already terrified. How can you expect to defeat him like this? Put another way, the Gu Sorcerer is so arrogant precisely because you’re all too cowardly. Since you don’t dare to face him, let an outsider like me handle it.”
After delivering this impassioned speech, Shui Miao turned and ran toward West Village.
His words left everyone stunned.
They felt that Zhang Ling seemed… different.
“Ah well! I’ve lived a long life anyway. I have nothing to fear. You all go back. Let me go with Zhang Ling.” Moved by Shui Miao’s words, Granny Ma adopted a resigned attitude toward life and death and followed him to West Village.
“Whether he’s Zhang Ling or not, I’m going because… because he is my husband!”
The young wife gritted her teeth. Her mindset was traditional. Even if this man wasn’t Zhang Ling, she would follow him for the rest of her life. She had never embraced or kissed a man before—last night was her first time. For that first time, she had no regrets.
“We’re going too! At most, we’ll fight it out with Long the Monster!”
“That’s right! He’s killed too many people. We can’t take it anymore…”
“Let’s go!”
Several young girls, spirited and bold, were determined not to be outdone.
With no one stopping them, Shui Miao quickly crossed the shallow part of the Shuilong River.
After running westward for about a hundred meters, he spotted a mud-and-grass house in the woods. It was built like a small temple, with a large stone standing to its right inscribed with four jet-black characters: Black Dragon God Temple.
“Hiss, hiss, hiss…”
Shui Miao’s hearing was exceptionally sharp. Just as he saw the characters, he heard a faint hissing sound from the grass behind him. Instinctively, he turned around and saw a black snake as thick as a waist slithering out of the grass, its black forked tongue flickering. Its pitch-black eyes were fixed intently on him!
“But you are my husband!”
Shui Miao attempted to practice Qi cultivation, but he simply couldn’t calm his mind. Every time he tried to focus, his thoughts were inexplicably blocked by an unknown force, and his dantian showed no response. After repeating this several times, he reluctantly gave up. Although he had anticipated this outcome, he couldn’t help feeling a bit disheartened when failure actually struck.
Back when he possessed immortal power, he never realized how fortunate he was.
Now that he could no longer harness it, he realized how foolish he had been in the past—too impulsive, which led him to this miserable situation.
“If I could regain my immortal power, I would cherish it dearly!”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh and lay down on the bed.
He had been here for two days but hadn’t thought much about his mother or friends. Before leaving, he had left a note, and everyone was financially secure and living well. There was no need for him to worry unnecessarily.
Instead, the affairs of Miaojiang fascinated him. Everything felt fresh and intriguing.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”
The sound of light footsteps echoed. Shui Miao frowned slightly. From the footsteps, he could tell two people were approaching—both women. One was the young wife, and the other seemed to be Granny Ma…
Shui Miao sat up on the bed just as the door opened. It was indeed Granny Ma and the young wife.
Strangely, Granny Ma didn’t let the young wife enter the room but instead shut her outside, as if she were the master of the room.
The young wife was puzzled but didn’t leave. Instead, she pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Granny Ma was no fool either. She entered the room, stood beside Shui Miao, and whispered, “Something’s wrong. The Great Immortal went to the West Village and hasn’t returned for a long time. This matter started because of you. Since you’re so capable, I think it’s up to you to handle it. If anything happens to the Great Immortal, the consequences will be dire. The entire East Village will suffer!”
Granny Ma wasn’t just thinking of herself; she was more concerned about the villagers.
“Granny Ma! I can’t use any immortal power right now. Asking me to help is like forcing a duck onto a perch!” Shui Miao didn’t really care. To him, a mere Gu sorcerer was nothing. With his protective jade pendant, he almost wished the Gu sorcerer would come cause trouble. If that happened, he might regain his immortal power, which would be even better.
Seeing Shui Miao’s reluctance, Granny Ma added, “Don’t forget, the Great Immortal is the one helping you disguise your appearance. If anything happens to him, you’ll revert to your original form. Then let’s see how you plan to stay here.”
“…”
Shui Miao was speechless. Did he really care that much about staying here?
Seeing Shui Miao silent, Granny Ma grew anxious and tugged at his arm. “You slept with the young wife. If she finds out you’re not Zhang Ling, she’ll surely kill herself. In this situation, for your sake and hers, you must do something.”
Granny Ma’s words hit the mark.
Shui Miao had initially been somewhat willing to go, but after Granny Ma’s threat, he changed his mind. Thinking back to last night, he was glad he had kept his limits and not done anything improper with the young wife. Otherwise, Granny Ma’s words would have proven true. However, her warning reminded Shui Miao that he couldn’t stay any longer. If he did, bigger troubles would arise. After a quick mental calculation, he smiled slightly, walked to the door, swung it open, pulled the eavesdropping young wife inside, and said to Granny Ma, “You can ask her whether I slept with her or not. And no one can force me to do anything—not even you, Granny Ma.”
Shui Miao’s sudden declaration left both Granny Ma and the young wife stunned.
“Spilling everything? Do you have a death wish?”
Granny Ma never expected Shui Miao to risk exposing his identity rather than help her.
The young wife was even more shocked. Suddenly, this man felt unfamiliar—not her husband at all.
“Whatever. It’s just death,” Shui Miao coldly shook his head at Granny Ma before turning to the young wife. “I’m sorry, but I’m not your husband. Your husband is already dead. Don’t worry about me anymore; my life and death have nothing to do with you. As for that Gu sorcerer, I’ll find a way to deal with him. You should remarry. You’ll surely find happiness because you’re still an innocent girl.”
After saying this, Shui Miao turned to leave.
But Granny Ma quickly grabbed him. “You can’t leave. You must go to the Dragon God Temple to save the Great Immortal.”
“What’s going on? Explain yourself clearly,” the young wife also grabbed Shui Miao.
“Heh, it’s just a life! I’ve suddenly had an epiphany. I don’t want to hide anymore. I’ll face him, even if it means death. Of course, I’ll go to the Dragon God Temple, but when I go is not up to you.” Shui Miao didn’t know what came over him, but he felt tired of it all. He didn’t want to spend another day without his immortal power. Turning to the young wife, he took her hand and walked out. “Nothing happened between us. You’re still pure. Come with me; I’ll take you to your husband’s body.”
The young wife instinctively followed Shui Miao downstairs.
Now it was Granny Ma’s turn to panic. She had come to ask for Shui Miao’s help, but instead of helping, he had made things worse.
Granny Ma chased after them.
The villagers found it strange, but a few followed along to watch the commotion.
Shui Miao led the young wife to the spot where he had come ashore and found the pit where he had buried Zhang Ling. To his surprise, the pit had been dug open, and Zhang Ling’s body was missing. Seeing this, Granny Ma quickly pulled the young wife aside and told her that her husband wasn’t dead but had lost his mind—he seemed normal but wasn’t. The young wife was confused by this, and the others were equally skeptical.
Where had the body gone?
Shui Miao was baffled. He had buried the body properly. How could it have disappeared?
Had Zhang Ling’s corpse reanimated and climbed out on its own?
Something felt off to Shui Miao. He carefully examined the ground and found drag marks. From the shape of the marks, he deduced that the body had been dragged away.
Someone had dug it up!
A sense of dread washed over Shui Miao. He quickly followed the tracks. The riverbank’s sandy soil was damp, and upon closer inspection, the traces were still visible.
Granny Ma tried to send the young wife and the others back, insisting on following Zhang Ling herself.
But the young wife no longer trusted Granny Ma. She felt that Shui Miao’s words were true—a fool could never have spoken like that.
So, the young wife ignored Granny Ma and, along with a few childhood friends, followed Shui Miao.
Without the Great Immortal, Granny Ma was just an ordinary person and couldn’t stop them.
“What are you looking for?” the young wife asked, trailing behind Shui Miao.
Shui Miao looked west, toward the shallow part of the Shuilong River. “The body—your husband’s body. If I’m not mistaken, the Gu sorcerer from the West Village must have stolen it. It seems I’ll have to confront him sooner than planned…”
“But you are my husband!”
The young wife stepped in front of Shui Miao and said in Mandarin, “Zhang Ling, stop joking around. Every time you wake up, you go seek revenge on the Gu sorcerer. Now you’re doing it again… I know you’re Zhang Ling. You’re trying to trick me into giving up on you and not stopping you. You’re wrong! I won’t believe it. Don’t be foolish anymore; we can’t defeat him.”
The young wife was convinced that Shui Miao was Zhang Ling and believed he was lying to her to seek revenge.
Shui Miao found it both amusing and frustrating. Even when he admitted his true identity, no one believed him.
Granny Ma was at a loss for words. Initially, she had pressured Shui Miao to go, but now that he was willing, she felt he shouldn’t—because Long Wuye was truly sinister.
“Zhang Ling, don’t go. You’ll be cursed.”
“Yeah, Zhang Ling, revenge requires careful planning. Think about your parents. If something happens to you, how will they cope in their old age? They’ve already lost two sons!”
“How about we call the police?”
“Don’t be naive. The police are too scared to even talk about our village affairs. Everyone within a hundred miles knows Long Wuye is a sinister man.”
“…”
A group of village girls tried to persuade Shui Miao not to go to the West Village.
“Enough!”
Shui Miao suddenly shouted. “Stop talking! Even if that Gu sorcerer has three heads and six arms, I’ll still confront him. All you know is fear. You haven’t even fought him yet, but you’re already terrified. How can you defeat him like this? Put another way, the reason the Gu sorcerer is so arrogant is precisely because you’re all too cowardly. Since you don’t dare to face him, let an outsider like me handle it.”
After delivering this impassioned speech, Shui Miao turned and ran toward the West Village.
His words left everyone stunned.
They felt that Zhang Ling seemed… different.
“Ah! I’ve lived a long life anyway. I have nothing to fear. You all go back. Let me go with Zhang Ling,” Granny Ma said, moved by Shui Miao’s words. She seemed to have accepted the possibility of death and followed toward the West Village.
“Whether he is Zhang Ling or not, I’m going because… because he is my husband!”
The young wife gritted her teeth. Her mindset was traditional. Even if this man wasn’t Zhang Ling, she would follow him for life. She had never embraced or kissed a man before—last night was her first time. For that first time, she had no regrets.
“We’re going too! At most, we’ll fight that old monster Long!”
“Yeah! He’s killed so many people. We can’t take it anymore…”
“Let’s go!”
A few young girls, spirited and bold, were determined not to be outdone by the men.
With no one stopping them, Shui Miao quickly crossed the shallow part of the Shuilong River.
After running west for about a hundred meters, Shui Miao spotted a mud-and-grass house in the forest. It was built like a small temple, with a large stone standing to its right inscribed with four jet-black characters: “Black Dragon God Temple.”
“Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss…”
Shui Miao’s hearing was exceptionally sharp. Just as he saw the characters, he heard a faint hissing sound from the grass behind him. Instinctively, he turned around and saw a black snake as thick as a waist sticking its head out of the grass, its black forked tongue flickering. Its pitch-black snake eyes were fixed intently on him!
The young wife was convinced that Shui Miao was Zhang Ling and firmly believed he was deceiving her for revenge.
Shui Miao was both amused and frustrated—admitting his identity, yet no one believed him.
Ma Po didn’t know what to say. Originally, she had pressured Shui Miao to go, but now that he was actually going, she instead felt he shouldn’t go because Long Wuyeye was indeed a sinister figure.
Shui Miao attempted to cultivate his qi, but he simply couldn’t calm his mind. Every time he tried to focus, his thoughts were inexplicably blocked by an unseen force, and his dantian remained completely unresponsive. After repeating this process several times, he reluctantly gave up. Though he had anticipated this outcome, the actual failure still left him feeling somewhat disheartened.
When he had possessed immortal power before, he never realized how fortunate he was.
Now that he could no longer harness that power, he realized how foolish he had been—how impulsive his actions were, leading him to such a miserable state.
“If I could regain my immortal power, I would cherish it dearly!”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh and lay down on the bed.
He had been here for two days now, but he hadn’t spent much time thinking about his mother or friends. Before leaving, he had left a note, and everyone was financially secure and living well. There was no need for him to worry unnecessarily.
Instead, the affairs of Miaojiang piqued his curiosity. Everything felt fresh and intriguing.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”
A soft sound of footsteps echoed. Shui Miao frowned slightly. From the sound, he could tell two people were approaching—both women. One was the young wife, and the other seemed to be Granny Ma.
Shui Miao sat up on the bed just as the door opened. It was indeed Granny Ma and the young wife.
Strangely, Granny Ma didn’t allow the young wife to enter. Instead, she shut her outside, as if she were the master of the room.
The young wife was puzzled but didn’t leave. Instead, she pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Granny Ma was no fool. She entered the room, stood beside Shui Miao, and lowered her voice. “Something’s wrong. The Great Immortal went to West Village and hasn’t returned for a long time. This matter started because of you. Since you’re so capable, I think it’s up to you to handle it. If anything happens to the Great Immortal, the consequences will be severe. The entire East Village will suffer!”
Granny Ma’s concerns weren’t entirely selfish; she was more worried about the villagers.
“Granny Ma! I can’t use any immortal power right now. Asking me to help is like forcing a duck onto a perch—it’s just not possible!” Shui Miao didn’t really care. To him, the Gu Sorcerer was just a minor threat. With his protective jade pendant, he almost hoped the Gu Sorcerer would come cause trouble. If that happened, he might regain his immortal power, which would be even better.
Seeing Shui Miao’s reluctance, Granny Ma added, “Don’t forget, the Great Immortal is the one helping you disguise your appearance. If something happens to him, you’ll revert to your original form. Then let’s see how you plan to stay here.”
“…”
Shui Miao was speechless. Did he really care that much about staying here?
Noticing Shui Miao’s silence, Granny Ma grew anxious and tugged at his arm. “You slept with the young wife. If she finds out you’re not Zhang Ling, she’ll surely kill herself. In this situation, for your sake and hers, you must do something.”
Granny Ma’s words hit the mark.
Shui Miao had initially been somewhat willing to help, but now that Granny Ma was threatening him, he felt less inclined. Thinking back to last night, he was glad he had maintained his boundaries and not done anything with the young wife. Otherwise, Granny Ma’s words would have proven true. However, her warning reminded Shui Miao that he couldn’t stay any longer. If he did, bigger troubles would arise. After quickly weighing his options, Shui Miao smiled slightly, walked to the door, swung it open, pulled the eavesdropping young wife inside, and said to Granny Ma, “You can ask her whether I slept with her or not. And remember, no one can force me to do anything—not even you, Granny Ma.”
Shui Miao’s sudden declaration left both Granny Ma and the young wife stunned.
“Have you lost your mind?” Granny Ma never expected Shui Miao to risk exposing his identity rather than help her.
The young wife was even more shocked. Suddenly, this man felt unfamiliar—not like her husband at all.
“I don’t care anymore. Death is just death,” Shui Miao shook his head coldly at Granny Ma before turning to the young wife. “I’m sorry, but I’m not your husband. Your husband is dead. Don’t worry about me anymore; my life and death have nothing to do with you. As for that Gu Sorcerer, I’ll find a way to deal with him. You should find another man to marry. You’ll be happy because you’re still untouched.”
With those words, Shui Miao turned to leave.
But Granny Ma quickly grabbed him. “You can’t leave. You must go to the Dragon God Temple to save the Great Immortal.”
“What’s going on? Explain yourself clearly,” the young wife also held onto Shui Miao.
“Heh, it’s just a life! I’ve suddenly had an epiphany. I don’t want to hide anymore. I’ll face him, even if it means death. Of course, I’ll go to the Dragon God Temple, but when I go is not for you to decide.” Shui Miao didn’t know what came over him, but he felt tired of it all. He didn’t want to spend another day without his immortal power. Turning to the young wife, he took her hand and led her outside. “Nothing happened between us. You’re still pure. Come with me; I’ll take you to your husband’s body.”
The young wife instinctively followed Shui Miao downstairs.
Now it was Granny Ma’s turn to panic. She had come to ask for Shui Miao’s help, but instead of helping, he had made things worse.
Granny Ma chased after them.
The villagers watched curiously, and a few even followed to see what would happen.
Shui Miao led the young wife to the spot where he had come ashore and found the pit where he had buried Zhang Ling. To his surprise, the pit had been dug up, and Zhang Ling’s body was missing. Seeing this, Granny Ma quickly pulled the young wife aside and told her that her husband wasn’t dead but had lost his mind—he seemed normal but wasn’t. The young wife was confused by this explanation, and the others were equally skeptical.
Where had the body gone?
Shui Miao was baffled. He had buried the body properly. How could it have disappeared?
Had Zhang Ling’s corpse reanimated and climbed out on its own?
Something felt off to Shui Miao. He carefully examined the ground and noticed drag marks. Based on their shape, he deduced that the body had been dragged away.
Someone had dug it up!
A sense of foreboding washed over Shui Miao. He followed the drag marks. The riverbank’s sandy soil was damp, and with careful observation, the traces were still visible.
Granny Ma urged the young wife and the others to return home, insisting that she would follow Zhang Ling.
But the young wife no longer trusted Granny Ma. She felt that Shui Miao’s words were true—a fool couldn’t have spoken so coherently.
Ignoring Granny Ma, the young wife and a few childhood friends followed Shui Miao.
Without the Great Immortal, Granny Ma was just an ordinary person and couldn’t stop them.
“What are you looking for?” the young wife asked, trailing behind Shui Miao.
Shui Miao looked toward the west, in the direction of the shallow part of the Shuilong River. “The body—your husband’s body. If I’m not mistaken, the Gu Sorcerer from West Village must have stolen it. It seems I’ll have to confront him sooner than expected…”
“But you are my husband!” the young wife stepped in front of Shui Miao and said in Mandarin, “Zhang Ling, stop joking around. Every time you wake up, you go seek revenge on the Gu Sorcerer. Now you’re doing it again… I know you’re Zhang Ling. You’re trying to trick me into giving up and not stopping you. You’re wrong! I won’t believe it. Don’t be foolish anymore; we can’t defeat him.”
The young wife was convinced that Shui Miao was Zhang Ling and believed he was lying to her to pursue revenge.
Shui Miao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Even when he admitted his true identity, no one believed him.
Granny Ma was at a loss for words. Initially, she had pressured Shui Miao to go, but now that he was willing, she felt he shouldn’t—because Long Wuye was truly sinister.
“Zhang Ling, don’t go. You’ll fall under his curse.”
“Yeah, Zhang Ling, revenge requires careful planning. Think about your parents. If something happens to you, how will they cope in their old age? They’ve already lost two sons!”
“Maybe… maybe we should call the police?”
“Don’t be naive. The police are too scared to even talk about our village. Everyone within a hundred miles knows Long Wuye is a sinister man!”
“…”
A group of village girls pleaded with Shui Miao not to go to West Village.
“Enough!” Shui Miao suddenly shouted. “Stop talking! Even if that Gu Sorcerer has three heads and six arms, I’ll still confront him. All you know is fear. You haven’t even fought him, yet you’re already terrified. How can you defeat him like this? Put another way, the reason the Gu Sorcerer is so arrogant is precisely because you’re all too cowardly. Since you don’t dare to face him, let an outsider like me handle it.”
After delivering this impassioned speech, Shui Miao turned and ran toward West Village.
His words left everyone stunned.
They felt that Zhang Ling seemed… different.
“Ah well, I’ve lived a long life already. I have nothing to fear. The rest of you, go back. Let me go with Zhang Ling.” Moved by Shui Miao’s words, Granny Ma adopted a more resigned outlook toward life and death and followed him toward West Village.
“Whether he is Zhang Ling or not, I’m going because… because he is my husband!” The young wife gritted her teeth. Her mindset was traditional—even if this man wasn’t Zhang Ling, she would follow him for the rest of her life. She had never been intimate with a man before, and last night was her first time. For that first experience, she had no regrets.
“We’re going too! At most, we’ll fight it out with that old monster Long!”
“Yeah! He’s killed too many people. We can’t take it anymore…”
“Let’s go!”
A few young women, spirited and bold, were determined to stand their ground—no less courageous than any man.
With no one stopping them, Shui Miao quickly crossed the shallow part of the Shuilong River.
After running west for about a hundred meters, Shui Miao spotted a mud-and-grass house in the forest. It was built like a small temple, with a large stone standing to its right inscribed with four jet-black characters: Black Dragon God Temple.
“Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss…”
Shui Miao’s hearing was exceptionally sharp. Just as he saw the characters, he heard a faint hissing sound from the grass behind him. Instinctively, he turned and saw a black snake as thick as a waist sticking its head out of the grass, its black forked tongue flickering. Its pitch-black snake eyes were fixed intently on him!
“Yeah, Zhang Ling, revenge should be planned carefully. Think about your parents. If something happens to you, how could they bear it at their age? They’ve already lost two sons!”
“What about calling the police?”
“Don’t be naive. Those police officers are too scared to even say much when they hear about our village. Long Wuyeye is a sinister man—everyone within a hundred miles knows that!”
“…”
A group of young women from the village all spoke up, trying to stop Shui Miao from going to the western village.
“Enough!”
Shui Miao attempted to practice Qi cultivation, but he simply couldn’t calm his mind. Every time he tried to focus, his thoughts were inexplicably blocked by an unknown force, and his dantian showed no response at all. After repeating this process several times, he reluctantly gave up. Although he had anticipated this outcome, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat dejected when failure actually set in.
Back when he still possessed immortal power, he never realized how fortunate he was.
Now that he could no longer harness it, he realized how foolish he had been in the past—too impulsive, which led him to this miserable situation.
“If I could regain my immortal power, I would definitely cherish it!”
Shui Miao let out a long sigh and lay down on the bed.
He had been here for two days now, but he hadn’t spent much time thinking about his mother or friends. Before leaving, he had left a note, and besides, none of them were short on money—they were all living well. There was no need for him to worry unnecessarily.
Instead, he was deeply curious about the affairs of Miaojiang. Everything felt fresh and intriguing to him.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”
The sound of light footsteps echoed softly. Shui Miao frowned slightly. From the footsteps, he could tell that two people had arrived—both women. One was the young wife, and the other seemed to be Granny Ma…
Shui Miao sat up on the bed just as the door swung open. It was indeed Granny Ma and the young wife.
Strangely, Granny Ma didn’t allow the young wife to enter the room. Instead, she shut her outside, almost as if she were the master of the room.
The young wife was puzzled but didn’t leave. Instead, she pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop.
Granny Ma was no fool either. She entered the room, stood beside Shui Miao, and lowered her voice. “Something’s wrong. The Great Immortal went to West Village and hasn’t returned for a long time. This matter started because of you. Since you’re so capable, I think it’s up to you to handle it. If anything happens to the Great Immortal, the consequences will be dire—the entire East Village will suffer!”
Granny Ma’s concerns weren’t entirely selfish; she was more worried about the villagers.
“Granny Ma! I can’t use even a bit of immortal power right now. Asking me to help is like forcing a duck onto a perch—it’s just not possible!” Shui Miao didn’t really care. To him, the Gu Sorcerer was just a minor threat. With his protective jade pendant, he almost wished the Gu Sorcerer would come cause trouble. If that happened, he might even regain his immortal power, which would be even better.
Seeing Shui Miao’s reluctance, Granny Ma added, “Don’t forget, the Great Immortal is the one helping you with your disguise. If anything happens to him, you’ll revert to your original appearance. Let’s see how you plan to stay here then.”
“…”
Shui Miao was speechless. Did she really think he valued staying here that much?
Noticing Shui Miao’s silence, Granny Ma grew anxious and tugged at his arm. “You slept with the young wife. If she finds out you’re not Zhang Ling, she’ll definitely kill herself. In this situation, for your sake and hers, you must think of a solution.”
Granny Ma’s words hit the mark.
Shui Miao had initially been somewhat willing to go, but after being threatened like this, he changed his mind. Thinking back to last night, he was glad he had kept his limits and hadn’t done anything improper with the young wife. Otherwise, Granny Ma’s words would have proven true. However, her warning reminded Shui Miao that he couldn’t stay any longer. If he did, bigger troubles would arise. After quickly weighing his options, Shui Miao smiled slightly, walked to the door, swung it open, pulled the eavesdropping young wife inside, and said to Granny Ma, “You can ask her yourself whether I slept with her or not. And remember, no one can force me to do anything—not even you, Granny Ma.”
Shui Miao’s sudden declaration left both Granny Ma and the young wife stunned.
“Spilling everything? Do you have a death wish?”
Granny Ma never expected Shui Miao to risk exposing his identity rather than help her.
The young wife was even more shocked. Suddenly, this man felt unfamiliar to her—not like her husband at all.
“I don’t care anymore. Death is just death,” Shui Miao shook his head coldly at Granny Ma before turning to the young wife. “I’m sorry, but I’m not your husband. Your husband is already dead. Don’t worry about me anymore; my life and death have nothing to do with you. As for that Gu Sorcerer, I’ll find a way to deal with him. You should find another man to marry. You’ll definitely be happy because you’re still an innocent girl.”
After saying this, Shui Miao turned to leave.
But Granny Ma quickly grabbed him. “You can’t leave. You must go to the Dragon God Temple to save the Great Immortal.”
“What’s going on? Explain yourself clearly,” the young wife also grabbed hold of Shui Miao.
“Heh, it’s just a life! I’ve suddenly had an epiphany—I don’t want to hide anymore. I’ll face him, even if it means death. Of course, I’ll go to the Dragon God Temple, but when I go is not for you to decide.” Shui Miao didn’t know what had come over him, but he felt tired of it all. He didn’t want to spend another day without his immortal power. Turning to the young wife, he took her hand and walked out. “Nothing happened between us. You’re still pure. Come with me; I’ll take you to your husband’s body.”
The young wife instinctively followed Shui Miao downstairs.
Now it was Granny Ma’s turn to panic. She had come to ask for Shui Miao’s help, but instead of getting assistance, she had made things worse.
Granny Ma hurried after them.
The villagers watched curiously, and a few even followed to see what would happen.
Shui Miao led the young wife to the spot where he had come ashore and found the pit where he had buried Zhang Ling. To his surprise, the pit had been dug up, and Zhang Ling’s body was missing. Seeing this, Granny Ma quickly pulled the young wife aside and told her that her husband wasn’t dead—he had just lost his mind. He might seem normal, but he wasn’t. The young wife was confused by this, and the others were equally skeptical.
Where had the body gone?
Shui Miao was baffled. He had buried the body properly—how could it have disappeared?
Had Zhang Ling’s corpse risen and crawled out on its own?
Something felt off to Shui Miao. He carefully examined the ground and discovered drag marks, which he deduced were from the body being moved.
Someone had dug it up!
A sense of foreboding washed over Shui Miao. He quickly followed the tracks. The riverbank’s sandy soil was damp, and with careful observation, the traces were still visible.
Granny Ma tried to send the young wife and the others back, insisting on following Zhang Ling herself.
But the young wife no longer trusted Granny Ma. She felt that Shui Miao’s earlier words were true—a fool couldn’t possibly have spoken like that.
So, the young wife ignored Granny Ma and, along with a few childhood friends, followed Shui Miao.
Without the Great Immortal, Granny Ma was just an ordinary person and couldn’t stop them.
“What are you looking for?” the young wife asked, trailing behind Shui Miao.
Shui Miao looked toward the west, in the direction of the shallow part of the Water Dragon River. “The body—your husband’s body. If I’m not mistaken, the Gu Sorcerer from West Village must have stolen it. It seems I’ll have to confront him sooner than expected…”
“But you are my husband!” the young wife blocked Shui Miao’s path and said in Mandarin, “Zhang Ling, stop joking around. Every time you wake up, you go seeking revenge against the Gu Sorcerer. Now you’re doing it again… I know you’re Zhang Ling. You’re trying to trick me with this story so I’ll give up and not stop you. You’re wrong! I won’t believe it. Don’t be foolish anymore; we can’t defeat him.”
The young wife was convinced that Shui Miao was Zhang Ling and believed he was lying to her to pursue revenge.
Shui Miao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Even when he admitted his true identity, no one believed him.
Granny Ma was at a loss for words. Initially, she had pressured Shui Miao to go, but now that he was actually willing, she felt he shouldn’t—because Long Wuye was truly sinister.
“Zhang Ling, don’t go. You’ll fall under his Gu curse.”
“Yeah, Zhang Ling, revenge needs careful planning. Think about your parents—if something happens to you, how will they cope in their old age? They’ve already lost two sons!”
“Maybe… maybe we should call the police?”
“Don’t be naive. The police are too scared to even talk about our village affairs. Everyone within a hundred miles knows Long Wuye is a sinister man.”
“…”
A group of village girls pleaded with Shui Miao, urging him not to go to West Village.
“Enough!” Shui Miao suddenly shouted. “Stop talking! Even if that Gu Sorcerer has three heads and six arms, I’ll still confront him. All you know is fear—you’re already terrified before even facing him. How can you fight him like that? Put another way, the reason the Gu Sorcerer is so arrogant is precisely because you’re all too cowardly. Since you don’t dare to oppose him, let an outsider like me handle it.”
After delivering this impassioned speech, Shui Miao turned and ran toward West Village.
His words left everyone stunned.
They felt that Zhang Ling… might truly not be Zhang Ling anymore.
“Ah well! I’ve lived a long life anyway—I have nothing left to fear. You all go back. Let me go with Zhang Ling,” Granny Ma, moved by Shui Miao’s words, seemed to have accepted the possibility of death and followed toward West Village.
“Whether he’s Zhang Ling or not, I’m going because… because he is my husband!” The young wife gritted her teeth. Her mindset was traditional—even if this man wasn’t Zhang Ling, she would follow him for life. She had never held hands or kissed a man before last night, and for that first experience, she had no regrets.
“We’re going too! At most, we’ll fight it out with that old monster Long!”
“Yeah! He’s killed so many people. We can’t take it anymore…”
“Let’s go!”
A few young girls, spirited and bold, were determined not to be outdone by the men.
With no one stopping them, Shui Miao quickly crossed the shallow part of the Water Dragon River.
After running west for about a hundred meters, Shui Miao spotted a mud-and-grass house in the forest ahead. It was built like a small temple, with a large stone standing to its right inscribed with four jet-black characters: “Black Dragon God Temple.”
“Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss…”
Shui Miao’s hearing was exceptionally sharp. Just as he saw the characters, he heard a faint hissing sound from the grass behind him. Instinctively, he turned around and saw a black snake as thick as a human waist slithering out of the grass, its black forked tongue flickering. Its pitch-black snake eyes were fixed intently on him!
After passionately delivering these words, Shui Miao turned and ran toward the western village.
Everyone stood there, stunned.
They felt as if Zhang Ling was no longer the same Zhang Ling.
“Ah! Well, I’ve lived this long already. I have nothing to fear. You all go back. Let me accompany Zhang Ling.” Inspired by Shui Miao’s words, Ma Po felt a sense of detachment from life and death and walked toward the western village.
“Regardless of whether he is or isn’t Zhang Ling, I will go because… because he is my husband!”
The young wife gritted her teeth. Her thoughts were traditional—if this man in front of her wasn’t Zhang Ling, she would still follow him for life, because she had never hugged or kissed any man before. Last night was her first time. For that first time, she would have no regrets.
“We’re going too! At worst, we’ll fight Long Laogui!”
“Yeah! He’s killed so many people. We won’t endure it anymore…”
“Let’s go!”
Several young girls, full of youthful passion and courage, showed no less bravery than men.
No one stopped him, and Shui Miao quickly crossed the shallow bank of the Shuilong River.
After running about a hundred meters westward, Shui Miao saw a thatched hut deep in the woods. The hut looked like a small temple. A large stone stood to the right of the house, carved with four black-painted characters: Black Dragon Temple.
“Sssssss…”
Shui Miao’s hearing was excellent. As he looked at the characters, he suddenly heard a faint hissing sound from the bushes behind him. Instinctively turning his head, he saw a snake as thick as a human waist sticking its head out from the bushes, its black tongue flicking. Its pair of pitch-black snake eyes fixed on him unblinkingly!
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