Chapter 688: The Well

When did I get compromised?

The first thing Mo Hua thought of was that golden lotus tricolor carp.

"Ate the fish, drank the soup—so the river god's evil intent infiltrated my consciousness?"

Mo Hua's thoughts stirred slightly, and suddenly he remembered something, his heart tightening.

Yu'er!

Yu'er had eaten the same golden tricolor carp as I did; if evil intent had contaminated my consciousness, then Yu'er's must be contaminated too.

The night was deep, and without hesitation, Mo Hua rose and went to the door next door; before he could knock, the door opened.

Wenren Wei stood at the threshold, his expression calm, yet slightly surprised.

"Young Master Mo?"

Mo Hua said at once: "I came to see Yu'er."

Wenren Wei's gaze was puzzled, but seeing Mo Hua's anxious expression, he dared not take it lightly and immediately invited Mo Hua in.

Mo Hua entered, passed through layers of elegant screens and ornate furnishings rich in materials yet playful in style, and reached the inner bedroom.

Yu'er lay on the bed, drool at the corner of his mouth, sprawled out soundly asleep…

He slept peacefully, his spiritual sense stable, with no abnormality whatsoever.

Mo Hua's pupils darkened slightly; he released his spiritual sense, carefully inspected several times, and confirmed beyond doubt that no evil presence clung to Yu'er, then let out a quiet breath.

But Mo Hua's brow furrowed slightly.

"Yu'er is fine…"

"Young Master Mo?" Wenren Wei said softly, "Is there something wrong with Young Master Yu'er?"

Mo Hua snapped back to himself and shook his head. "No, I'm just being overly cautious."

Wenren Wei relaxed, his brow smoothing, and said solemnly:

"Thank you for your concern, Young Master."

Mo Hua smiled, did not disturb Yu'er's sleep, and returned to his own room, leaning on the desk in deep thought.

The hour was late, but Mo Hua felt not the slightest drowsiness; his mind was a tangle of thoughts.

"That golden lotus tricolor carp was cooked into meat and stewed into soup—I ate it, and Yu'er ate it too—but Yu'er has no ill effects…"

"That means it's not the tricolor carp's fault."

"If it's not the tricolor carp's fault, then what could it be…"

Mo Hua frowned, recalling every detail from recent days with meticulous care.

From tracking the Overriver Dragon, to entering the small fishing village, the blood mist, Old Yu's head, the Wang family cultivators, finally leaving the village with the basket of tricolor carp…

If something seen had been tainted by evil intent, I should have sensed it.

If not seen, then perhaps smelled—or eaten…

And something Yu'er didn't eat…

"Not the tricolor carp—then it must be…"

Mo Hua paused to think, his pupils shrinking slightly: "Old Yu's head's fish soup?"

These past days, only that fish soup was something he had eaten but Yu'er had not.

Mo Hua frowned.

I ate a meal at Old Yu's head's place, drank his fish soup—and so was contaminated by the evil god?

Why?

Why would a pot of fish soup be tainted?

Mo Hua was puzzled.

At that moment, a flash of red suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Mo Hua froze.

He remembered that beside Old Yu's head's silver-scaled fish tank, there had been another small tank, sealed shut, its contents invisible—only a faint red hue visible within.

According to Old Yu's head, it housed a kind of crimson water carp that could not bear light.

As Mo Hua reflected carefully, he realized this so-called "crimson water carp" bore an uncanny resemblance in aura to the crimson little fish that had invaded his consciousness.

Old Yu's head…

Mo Hua's gaze sharpened.

"Looks like I'll need to pay another visit to the small fishing village when I have time…"

If Old Yu's head's fish soup was tainted, then every fish cultivator in the entire village may have been subtly contaminated by the evil god.

They just hadn't noticed.

The fish cultivators' suffering is the evil god's fertile soil…

Mo Hua's gaze shifted slightly, and suddenly he noticed his eyes felt dry, as if traces of tears from earlier still lingered.

Scene after scene from the dream rose again in his mind.

The sorrows, joys, separations, reunions, the hardship of barely scraping by, the despair of helplessness, the agony of loving yet being unable to stay together…

All wove together once more upon Mo Hua's heart.

Mo Hua sighed deeply.

This was only my dream—but it might also be the lives of countless others…

…

Gu Changhuai had sent people to watch the small fishing village, but over several days, they had found no trace of the Overriver Dragon.

So, several days later, during the ten-day break, Mo Hua could not wait and returned to the small fishing village.

It was noon, the sun bright and warm, the fish cultivators busy in the village.

From afar, it seemed full of life, with nothing unusual.

But Mo Hua now knew the situation was not as simple as it appeared.

He drank a sip of fish soup in the small fishing village, and his soul sea was invaded by the demonic god's malevolent thoughts.

Most of the cultivators in this small fishing village likely also had crimson little fish in their soul seas.

Others' spiritual senses were sealed within their soul seas.

Mo Hua could not enter their soul seas, so naturally he could not see what lay inside.

He could only search for traces through surface appearances…

Mo Hua's pupils darkened slightly; golden light surfaced in his eyes. He released his spiritual sense, meticulously scanning back and forth through the small fishing village, and only then discovered things he had previously overlooked.

The fishing cultivators in the village, though hardworking and enduring, all struggled to survive.

But when their eyes moved, their expressions would occasionally flicker with momentary confusion, and a corpse-like numbness would leak from their pupils.

This seemed to be a sign that their spiritual senses were being consumed…

Mo Hua also saw Old Yu Tou.

Old Yu Tou was the same—his gaze occasionally grew dull and numb, yet his complexion had improved greatly.

It seemed that with the spiritual stones, he could send his two grandsons into a sect, securing a better future and freeing them from a lifetime of poverty and hardship; the man had revived like a final flicker of life, his spirit brightened, and light returned to his eyes.

It was already noon; his family still ate fish soup for lunch, just like every other fishing cultivator in the small village.

Mo Hua stared at the fish soup, but unexpectedly, he saw nothing suspicious.

It was ordinary fish soup.

The fish used to brew it were ordinary spiritual fish pulled from the Yan Shui River.

Old Yu Tou did keep a small tank of strange "Red Water Carp."

But he had sealed it away and never touched it.

Mo Hua frowned.

Had he guessed wrong?

Was it not the fish soup?

Mo Hua thought for a moment, then did not enter the village. Instead, he concealed his form again and circled the outskirts of the small fishing village.

The small fishing village was built against a mountain, on a flat stretch at its foot, surrounded by forests; across a road, not far away, lay the Yan Shui River.

After walking around, Mo Hua became even more confused.

"There's nothing…"

No demonic god's preaching statues.

No demonic god's parasitic objects.

He found no traces of demonic or dark cultivators' strongholds, nor any demonic halls like the Bishan Demon Cavern.

Not even an altar.

No matter how he looked, this was just an ordinary small fishing village.

Of course, if it truly were ordinary, that would actually be a good thing…

Mo Hua's expression was solemn.

Hunting required patience; he decided to wait a while longer.

So Mo Hua returned to a large tree outside the small fishing village, activated the Flowing Water Step, coated his soles with spiritual energy, adhered to the tree trunk, and walked vertically upward with his hands behind his back until he reached the treetop.

Then Mo Hua sat cross-legged, upright on a branch, his gaze sharp and fixed on the small fishing village.

He wanted to see if he could find more traces.

Mo Hua sat like this, watching until nightfall.

The night was hazy, like a black veil slowly settling over the small fishing village.

Everything grew dim.

The horizon faded, without stars, only a half-moon hanging—cold moonlight, carrying a chilling sorrow.

He had stared all afternoon without result, but as night fell, the weary Mo Hua instantly perked up.

He had a faint feeling that something was about to happen.

Indeed, nearly another hour passed.

The night deepened; most fishing cultivators in the village had extinguished their lamps, leaving only faint glimmers of fishing lights dotting the night sky.

At Old Yu Tou's home.

Old Yu Tou, feigning sleep, opened his eyes.

He glanced around; seeing his family asleep, he quietly rose, tied the tank containing the "Red Water Carp" with hemp rope, slung it on his back, then hunched over and stepped out the door into the night.

On the distant tree, Mo Hua's gaze sharpened; he silently descended, concealed his form, merged with the darkness, and silently followed behind Old Yu Tou.

The small fishing village in the night was eerily silent.

Old Yu Tou, hunched with the tank on his back, looked blurred in the night, like an ancient river demon crawling from the river.

He walked straight ahead.

Mo Hua followed quietly.

Until they reached the back of the village, an empty, uninhabited courtyard with few footprints, where Old Yu Tou finally stopped.

In the courtyard stood a well.

The well was built of pale white stone; under the moonlight, it glowed a ghastly white.

Old Yu Tou set down the tank, unsealed it, and took out several crimson fish with sharp fangs and bizarre fins.

They resembled the fish from Mo Hua's dream.

Though Mo Hua was not a fishing cultivator and could not identify the exact species, he knew these were certainly not carp.

Old Yu bowed deeply and placed the several blood-red little fish into the well, then knelt on the ground and bowed three times, devoutly saying:

"O River God, your humble servant Old Yu has come to fulfill his vow…"

"Thank you, River God, for your blessings…"

Old Yu bowed three more times, gratefully saying:

"That day, the storm was fierce—I was already half-submerged in the river, nearly dead, but thanks to the River God's protection, I escaped disaster and survived, and caught that one exquisite golden lotus tri-color carp…"

"With this fish, my two grandsons' futures are secured; finally, someone in our family won't have to spend their whole life battling wind and waves, risking their life just to survive…"

Old Yu sighed, "But later, that fish nearly got stolen—though luckily…"

"Luckily, another 'little benefactor' intervened, drove off the Wang family's henchmen, and bought my fish…"

"That little benefactor is a good person—I've been fortunate."

"But I believe all this is due to the River God's grace—he guided the little benefactor to save me…"

Old Yu bowed several more times, then clasped his hands together and said:

"Now I have no other wish—I only beg the River God to protect my two grandsons, that they may smoothly enter Ru Sect…"

"I don't ask for great wealth or success in the Dao—only that they secure a livelihood, never again have to deal with storms and water demons, and live out their lives in peace. If so, Old Yu will die without regret…"

"River God, whatever you desire, I will give you."

"Please… I beg you…"

"I will care for these 'blood-red fish' well—when they grow fat and large, I will offer them to you again…"

After Old Yu finished speaking, a sound of water suddenly rose from the well, and a faint crimson glow flashed briefly—then all returned to stillness.

As if something had consumed the offering.

The fish died, its blood merging into the well water.

Mo Hua froze, then suddenly understood.

It was the well water!

If his guess was correct, every cultivator in the small fishing village drank from this well.

Old Yu had thrown the blood-red fish into the well, polluting the water.

The fishing cultivators of the village, by drinking this water, had all been corrupted by the demonic god.

And I… I had drunk fish soup boiled with this well water at Old Yu's home—this was why my consciousness had been tainted by the demonic god's malice.

Hence, at midnight, I had helplessly drowned in the nightmare the demonic god had woven…

No, it wasn't the demonic god who "wove" the nightmare…

Mo Hua glanced at Old Yu, still bowing endlessly, and sighed inwardly.

It was the impoverished fishing cultivators of the village, each drawing from their own suffering, who had collectively "woven" this nightmare…

After offering the blood-red fish to the well, Old Yu resealed the fish tank.

Some fish in the tank were still not ready—after more days of careful raising, they could be offered to the well.

Having finished his task, Old Yu rose to leave, when suddenly, in the silent night, a clear voice rang out.

"Old Yu…"

Old Yu startled violently, slipped on the ground, and fell.

As he struggled to rise, his terrified eyes scanned the darkness—and saw a small figure slowly emerging in the distance.

The figure was familiar.

By the cold moonlight, Old Yu recognized it—the "little benefactor" who had driven off the Wang family's cultivators and bought his tri-color carp just days ago.

But now, this little benefactor no longer wore his kind, amiable expression.

The moonlight fell upon his face, pale and cold.

His eyes held an unfathomable depth.

Old Yu turned to look at the well, then back at Mo Hua, his voice trembling: "You… little brother… you saw everything?"

Mo Hua slowly nodded.

Old Yu's face twisted in anguish, then he pleaded:

"Please, don't tell anyone…"

Mo Hua remained silent.

"This must never reach others…" Old Yu cried in terror, "Otherwise, all I've done is wasted—my two grandsons' futures are ruined, and I'll be punished by the River God…"

"I beg you…"

Mo Hua still said nothing.

Old Yu pleaded for a moment longer; seeing Mo Hua unmoved, a fury slowly rose in him—his eyes turned blood-red, his voice twisted, no longer human, more like the cry of a fish demon.

He lost his reason, his face contorted with rage, and lunged at Mo Hua.

"If you won't agree, I'll kill you!"

But as he reached Mo Hua, he saw the compassion in Mo Hua's eyes beneath the moonlight—and froze.

Memories flooded his mind.

Mo Hua had drawn the array for him, driven away the bullying Wang family cultivators, and spent a fortune in spirit stones to buy his tri-color carp…

The red in Old Yu's eyes faded; his rage dissolved, leaving only helpless sorrow.

He slowly knelt before Mo Hua, tears streaming down his aged face: "I beg you…"

He bowed his head again and again.

Life's suffering had forced him to kneel, to bow endlessly, to beg endlessly…

Mo Hua's heart ached; he sighed and said: "I promise you."

Old Yu froze.

Mo Hua spoke slowly:

"I won't tell anyone, but you must tell me what exactly happened."

"Who taught you to raise these blood-colored little fish?"

"And who told you that raising such fish would make your wishes come true and bring you no misfortune?"

Lao Yu's head stared blankly for a moment, then looked at Mo Hua with pleading eyes.

Mo Hua said: "I keep my word. Tell me, and I won't tell anyone. Otherwise…"

A cold glint of sharpness shone in Mo Hua's gaze.

Lao Yu's heart jolted—he remembered how, that day, two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Wang family, along with several Qi Condensation cultivators, had still been slaughtered by this young boy without mercy.

He, a fisher-cultivator unskilled in combat arts, was no match for this terrifying young master.

Lao Yu sighed deeply and helplessly said: "Fine, I'll tell you…"

(End of Chapter)