Chapter 294

Zwoosh! The straight hook shot out like a bullet.

It entered through the water ghost's mouth and exited through its lower abdomen.

For a ghost,

the wound caused by the hook was too small—even if it pierced clean through, it caused little damage.

But this straight hook, after piercing the water ghost's body, wrapped twice around its thigh, then plunged deep into the flesh, locking the ghost firmly in place.

Jiang Taigong's fishing rod possesses the ability to reduce the weight of whatever it catches.

Thus, when Li Juxian pulled hard on the rod, the bloated water ghost—far heavier than an ordinary human—was lifted effortlessly.

Splash!

Water sprayed everywhere!

The bloated water ghost leapt from the water like a "mermaid."

But its terrifying face, pale swollen body, rotting flesh, falling hair—all had nothing to do with "beauty."

Even more coincidentally, the water ghost landed directly on top of Li Juxian.

Intense sunlight struck the water ghost, causing black vapor to continuously rise; the ghost screamed in agony, trying to crawl back into the well—even poisoned well water was less toxic than sunlight.

Logically,

the water ghost was already trying to flee.

Li Juxian could have just lain there and waited for others to come to his aid.

But Li Juxian felt nausea, fear—all negative emotions surging past a threshold, flipping his emotional state to the opposite extreme.

He grabbed a stone from the ground and smashed it hard against the water ghost's head, then began blindly striking the ghost with whatever was within reach.

Throughout the entire process, Li Juxian's eyes were bloodshot, his teeth bared, his expression like that of a wrathful golden deity—terrifying to behold.

In his rage… there was even a hint of ecstasy!

The water ghost was slightly frightened by Li Juxian, scrambling with all limbs to escape, like a drowned dog.

Swish! The water ghost's escape ended here.

Her vision suddenly shifted rapidly, spinning several times before she fell to the ground, just in time to see Wu Xian sheathing his bloodstained throwing star.

Wu Xian had not thrown the throwing star—he had swung it directly, severing the water ghost's head.

"I won't accept this…"

Plop! Another stone landed on the water ghost's face; Li Juxian kept wildly smashing until the head completely disintegrated, only then did he stop.

Wu Xian gently wiped the throwing star.

This thing, for close combat, proved unexpectedly effective—essentially a low-grade curved blade.

As Wu Xian wiped the star, he glanced sideways at Li Juxian: the man gasped heavily, his eyes gradually clearing, his strength fading, his demeanor reverting to that of a decadent vagrant.

"Hey, that was interesting."

The three beneath Sanxian Bridge were all far more complicated than they appeared.

The big yellow dog's danger-sensing ability far surpassed that of humans—too bad it couldn't worship deities for blessings; otherwise, it would've been far more useful than its two female attachments.

Su Xuan was suspected of having received professional training, possibly having worked in criminal investigation, espionage, or intelligence.

As for Li Juxian,

he looked like an ordinary vagrant.

But his enraged state just now had been as terrifying as a vengeful ghost—not merely his movements and expression, but the aura he radiated, which made people instinctively feel a chill in their bones.

The big yellow dog bared its teeth at him; Jiang Chun instinctively grabbed Wen Chao's clothes; Ran Qiuhua lowered her head, refusing to meet Li Juxian's eyes—everyone's perception of Li Juxian had changed…

Su Xuan stared fixedly at Li Juxian, his eyes filled with realization, loathing, pity… so complex they were nearly impossible to decipher.

Wu Xian had encountered two types of killers. One was the psychotic type, like "Guan Daorong"—emotionally lacking empathy, physically stronger than average, deriving pleasure from killing, savoring the thrill and carnage, but this pleasure remained purely mental.

The other was the physiological pervert type—excited and agitated by blood, always preferring violence to solve problems, sometimes losing control, unable to suppress the urge to kill until his hands were caked in blood…

The difference between these two types of killers lay in:

the first killed for pleasure; the second simply couldn't control himself.

Wu Xian felt:

Li Juxian was very likely the second type…

After the water ghost dissipated, it left behind a Chong Incense; a statue appeared beside the well.

Though Wu Xian and Jian Lingyu had contributed to the water ghost's slaying, the bulk of the credit belonged to Li Juxian—had he not terrified the ghost into paralysis with his madness, Wu Xian could never have severed the ghost's head so smoothly.

Therefore,

this opportunity to worship the deity should go to Li Juxian.

As Li Juxian prepared to worship the deity,

suddenly,

Boom! The earth trembled violently; everyone's hearts jolted—the most severe shaking occurred at the large pit where the coffins were stacked, some of the coffin jars and urns flying into the air.

Something beneath the pit was moving! When the tremors subsided,

Wu Xian slowly approached the pit and noticed the surrounding soil was damp—the pit had just spewed out some water…

"I get it!"

"It's poison!"

The underground waterway of this well likely connected to whatever lay in the pit; thus, when the toxin spread, the thing inside the pit reacted naturally, spewing the poisoned water out…

That violent tremor just now

further confirmed Wu Xian's theory—the pit indeed contained something alive! Lao Tang stepped out of his house; his expression showed no panic, for such tremors were routine to him. He walked to the spot where the water ghost had vanished and sighed deeply.

Before Wu Xian could ask, Lao Tang told the story of the water ghost.

This water ghost…

From the He Family of Immortal City.

The He Family was originally just an ordinary wealthy household, but over the past forty years they gradually rose to power and are now the dominant family in Immortal City, whose word is law.

The water ghost's original name was Zhao Huiqin; she married into the He Family and became the much-envied young mistress.

But later, the He Family's young master died; everyone said Zhao Huiqin had contracted the same deadly illness as the young master, and would soon suddenly drop dead, so she was driven out of the city and wandered to Wuzang Village.

After arriving in Wuzang Village, Zhao Huiqin did not fall into utter despair, but lived well and allowed the elders to enjoy a period of good days.

Until one day.

The elders discovered she had been floating in the well water.

On that day, an elder had seen the He Family's steward leading a group away from Wuzang Village…

The Lotus Juanren must make a trip to Yao City every morning and evening.

Therefore, this little story still holds some value for them.

Zhao Huiqin must have learned the He Family's secret, which is why she was driven out of Immortal City and silenced in Wuzang Village; the He Family only rose after their disaster, so this secret may be profoundly connected to Benfudi…

Li Juxian finished his worship.

The others used his fishing rod to "hook" Elder Miao out of the water.

After two days, Elder Miao had already swollen into a bloated corpse, looking extremely disgusting.

Now there were two new corpses; their main task this afternoon was to properly bury these two, hoping they would provide some useful information.

(End of Chapter)