Chapter 107: Middle-Gate Sniper

Beneath the river water, shadows flickered over piles of bones. High atop that ossuary, a wild child gripped a bundle of water grass, using all its might to drag something toward the bottom.

Xu Qing was greedy for more; the moment he saw the pile of bones and the wild child, the corpse in his hand instantly lost its appeal.

He tucked the upside-down corpse into his Box Garden and stroked his chin, observing the three-year-old child with bare buttocks.

Calling it a three-year-old was a stretch; it looked more like a water monster.

This creature had small horns on its head, scales like a carp, a tiger's tail, and knees like a tiger's paws. Most importantly, it had the face of a human child.

"This appearance matches the legends of the 'Water Tiger'."

Linhe was a hub of water transport, and legends of water monsters abounded, the most famous being the Water Tiger and the Water Monkey.

Both were water-dwelling spirits, frequently recorded in ancient texts like *Xiang Mian Ji*, *Classic of Waterways*, *Classic of Birds*, and *Ten Dao Records*.

The *Xiang Mian Ji* states: "In the water is a creature called the Water Tiger. Its form is like a three-year-old child, with knees like a tiger's paws. Its claws are usually submerged, showing only its knees to people. Children who do not know better try to play with it, and it devours them. If one captures it alive, one must pluck its 'gaoyan' to command it slightly; it is called a Water Tiger."

The Water Tiger is born with the Ear-Knowledge opened, possessing a pair of omniscient ears that understand the speech of fish, birds, and humans.

The Water Tiger has no teeth in its mouth, but its stomach contains sharp teeth, allowing it to chew and digest what it swallows.

Furthermore, the water-dwelling Water Tiger possesses the ability to make its body vanish in water.

Such spirits are extremely difficult to deal with in water, yet they are not without weaknesses.

Legend says that when encountering a Water Tiger, one can pluck its "gaoyan" to command it.

However, some ancient books, such as the *Compendium of Materia Medica*, interpret "gaoyan" as the "nose," claiming that if one captures a Water Tiger, plucking its nose allows one to command it.

Yet, in the *Yan Lu Ci* "Huan Xi Sha: Amorous Feelings," there is a verse: "Brocade quilts of seven patterns, eight silkworms of cotton; the gaoyan drags softly upon the mat..."

Here, "gaoyan" clearly cannot refer to a nose.

As for whether subduing a Water Tiger is better done by pinching the nose or grabbing the crotch...

Xu Qing took out his brass knuckles and grinned.

Disciplining one's own child requires technique, but does disciplining a wild, unruly brat require any?

Xu Qing suddenly relaxed his body, letting the water grass drag him toward the riverbed.

The purple-lipped brat below, who had been pulling with all its might, felt the end of the grass go slack, as if a big fish had slipped the hook.

Caught off guard, it landed hard on its bottom in the silt and bones. With the added momentum, the Water Tiger rolled several times before finding its footing.

The already murky riverbed was stirred into a cloud of silt. The Water Tiger, possessing a strong hunting instinct, kicked off the sand like an arrow, darting through the currents toward the surface.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing, having entered the water, used the momentum of the grass dragging him to dive toward the bottom.

Zombies do not need to breathe; the pig bladder filled with air was useless to Xu Qing. With the Water-Walking Art, he felt no discomfort upon entering the water.

The Water Tiger's lair was a pit about four or five zhang deep, surrounded by river sand and stones. The reeds grew in a large patch around this pit.

Such a hidden nest was usually impossible to track.

Xu Qing dove down, and before long, he saw the Water Tiger rush out of the murky vortex, colliding head-on with him.

The Water Tiger had never expected the person on the surface to dare enter the water, let alone actively dive toward it.

Caught off guard, it collided with him.

A dull thud echoed underwater.

Xu Qing felt his whole body shudder, but he felt no ill effects.

The Water Tiger, however, had many scales scraped off in the collision.

Threads of blood mist permeated the river water. The Water Tiger, dazed and confused, was stunned.

What kind of creature had it dragged back?

Seeing the unknown evil spirit swimming toward it, the Water Tiger's scales nearly stood on end.

Knowing it had met a tough opponent, it dared not face the enemy head-on. In a panic, its body rippled like water waves. By the time Xu Qing reached it, the Water Tiger had merged with the water color and vanished.

Xu Qing activated his Qi-Gazing Art and looked around. The surroundings were filled with thick, foul demonic aura, but there was no sign of the Water Tiger.

The riverbed, which had just been churning with mud, gradually returned to calm.

The water surface above rippled, and the reeds around the pit cast reflections that shimmered in the light.

Amidst the shifting light and shadows, Xu Qing suddenly felt a reverse current at his nose and mouth, as if water were trying to force its way into his lungs.

"..."

Xu Qing fell silent. He had never heard of a zombie drowning; how was this any different from trying to drown a giant salamander?

But the child couldn't keep hiding from him forever.

After pondering for a moment, Xu Qing had an idea and began to thrash about.

He gripped his own throat with both hands, rolled his eyes back, and kicked his legs. He looked exactly like a drowning man.

A moment later, Xu Qing stopped struggling, his limbs floating limply, his body curled up as he sank toward the bottom.

In the deep pool, water stirred. A blade of water grass as wide as a palm slithered out from a dark corner like a snake.

The grass clung to the riverbed silt, extending all the way to where Xu Qing was sinking.

Reaching Xu Qing's side, the tip of the grass crept up his waist and abdomen.

A strange sensation touched his neck as the grass wrapped around it and suddenly tightened.

For about half an incense stick's time, the taut grass didn't move.

Xu Qing remained motionless, as if he were truly dead.

In the dark, deep pit, a faint ripple of water moved.

The Water Tiger emerged from the shadows.

It wagged its tiger tail, legs together, its body as flexible as a noodle, swimming to Xu Qing's side.

The Water Tiger, with its child-like face, made a grimace at Xu Qing.

It had thought this person was so formidable, but he was just a useless piece of trash. Now that he was in its home turf, he would have to become its meal!

The Water Tiger extended its tiger paws, its sharp claws glinting. But just as it prepared to slice into its prey, the corpse that should have been dead suddenly reached out a hand like a steel vice.

The large hand moved with lightning speed, instantly gripping the creature's "gaoyan."

The Water Tiger let out a strange cry like a wailing child underwater. With its pressure point seized, its entire body stiffened.

Fearing the creature might vanish again, Xu Qing held the "teapot" tight with one hand while wearing his brass knuckles on the other, smashing them into the Water Tiger's nose.

Blood sprayed, mixing with the silt and river water.

The Water Tiger instinctively tried to turn invisible, but no matter how advanced its concealment technique, it could not escape the grip on its pressure point.

Xu Qing unleashed his Dragon-Elephant Tiger Seal Fist, hammering away. He didn't stop until the Water Tiger was limp and completely still.

Xu Qing tried to communicate with the *Scripture of Salvation*, but there was no reaction.

It seemed this Water Tiger was just a spirit with a human face; its essence was unrelated to humanity.

Looking at the Water Tiger's corpse, which had been hollowed out by his strikes, Xu Qing didn't discard it.

The flesh of such spirits often had miraculous uses; it might come in handy one day.

With this in mind, Xu Qing's heart stirred. He wanted to take out his Box Garden to store the corpse, but he suddenly remembered something.

The Box Garden was a miniature courtyard; if he opened it underwater, the river would flood in, and his garden would be instantly submerged.

Thinking of this, Xu Qing swam to the surface. Only after reaching the air did he take out the Box Garden and store the Water Tiger's corpse.

After dealing with the corpse, he returned to the riverbed.

This pit was the Water Tiger's nest, and it held many human remains—these were the true treasures to him!

Diving into the pit, Xu Qing looked at the bones piled in the silt and felt his heart race. He felt as if he had returned home; the river water felt like warm amniotic fluid, and the bones were umbilical cords feeding him.

Standing amidst the pile of bones, Xu Qing happily began his work.

He first set aside the complete corpses, then placed the broken ones in another spot. He worked like someone completing a puzzle, piecing together the scattered limbs and bones one by one.

If anyone else had tried this, they wouldn't have been able to assemble them correctly, but Xu Qing had extensive experience in collecting and preparing corpses!

About half an hour later, Xu Qing finished assembling the last skeleton and swam to the mid-water level.

He floated in the water, looking down at the neatly arranged corpses, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

Water Tigers have teeth in their stomachs but none in their mouths; thus, when eating, they only strip the flesh and do not chew the bones.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to piece together so many complete skeletons.

He checked the rewards he received for assembling the corpses.

Water-Probing Art, Fishing Art, Water-Origin Pill, Breath-Holding Pill, Underwater Breathing Method...

The Water-Probing Art could locate water sources and explore caves; it was an essential skill for water-finders and well-diggers.

The Fishing Art, as the name suggests, was the skill for survival for fishermen. It covered everything from drag nets and lift nets to casting, retrieving, baiting, and angling.

After receiving the fishing experience, Xu Qing now possessed master-level fishing skills.

The Water-Origin Pill was a pill to improve a woman's constitution, strengthen her yin-essence, and enhance her root-bone.

This pill was useless to Xu Qing unless he practiced the Yin-Yang Reversal Method to switch genders. It was just a paperweight.

Xu Qing thought he might trade it to Yizhen for something useful one day.

The Breath-Holding Pill, also known as the Feigned Death Pill, could stop a person's breathing and heartbeat for three days without killing them.

"..."

Xu Qing was speechless. Zombies didn't need to breathe, nor did they have heartbeats. This was even more useless than the Water-Origin Pill—it was like taking off one's pants to fart.

Then he looked at the Underwater Breathing Method...

Xu Qing fell into a deep silence.

Ten miles away from the reed marsh, Lu Ping led his team, followed by two or three scattered fishing boats.

After searching in vain, Lu Ping prepared to turn back.

Just then, another corpse-collector rowed over, looking puzzled. "Brother Lu, I remember nearly ten boats followed us here, but in just this short time, half of them are gone?"

Lu Ping turned to look behind him. Indeed, of the dozen or so boats, only two or three remained.

"You and I are the fastest rowers in the team. Even if they were slow, they should have caught up by now."

The other collector frowned. "Could they have found corpses along the way and started scavenging?"

Lu Ping narrowed his eyes, the scar on his face looking exceptionally ferocious. "Old Song, with my eyesight, do you think I would miss a corpse?"

"This stretch of river is calm, with no potholes or strong currents. If there were any mistakes, they could only have happened in the reed marsh we passed earlier."

Old Song shook his head slightly. "Better safe than sorry. The person who fell in was a wealthy merchant; he must have had a lot of money on him. If they found it first..."

"So what if they found it?" Lu Ping said viciously. "In the corpse-collecting team, it's not about who finds the corpse, but who can keep the money!"

With that, Lu Ping decisively turned his boat around and headed back the way they came.

In the reed marsh, Xu Qing had finished retrieving all the corpses from the pit.

These were fishermen and travelers harmed by the Water Tiger over the years, including former members of the corpse-collecting team.

Xu Qing picked through them; out of forty-some skeletons, only three could be identified.

The pit under the reeds was extremely cold, and the Water Tiger had preserved these three corpses quite well, likely as a food reserve.

As for the rest, they were beyond identification.

Xu Qing had seen their "lantern-lit" memories; he knew who they were and where they lived.

But if he sent these remains to the corpse-collecting team, no one would claim them.

Xu Qing pondered for a moment and made a decision.

He would store the unidentifiable remains in his Box Garden and bury them in the Water Gate Bridge estate upon his return to improve the feng shui.

As for the three complete corpses...

Xu Qing placed them in his boat, intending to deliver them to the morgue himself so their families could claim them.

But delivering the corpses was just a pretext; he only wanted an excuse to enter the morgue.

Having settled everything, Xu Qing prepared to row away, but he suddenly remembered that there was still one corpse in his Box Garden he hadn't transcended yet.

(End of Chapter)

There were also former members of the corpse-salvaging team among them.

Xu Qing picked and chose; out of forty or so skeletons, only three could be identified.

The pit at the bottom of the reed marsh was extremely cold, and these three corpses were also quite well preserved by the water tiger, looking like they were kept as food.

As for the rest of the corpses, they were completely unrecognizable.

Xu Qing had seen their revolving lanterns and still knew who they were when they were alive and where they lived.

But if these skeletons were sent to the corpse-salvaging team, there would inevitably be no one to claim them.

Xu Qing thought for a moment and made a decision.

These unrecognizable corpses could be put into the box garden, and after returning, they would be buried in the Shuimen Bridge residence to improve the geomancy.

As for those three complete corpses...

Xu Qing put them into the boat, intending to personally send them to the morgue when returning to the port, for their families to claim.

However, sending the corpses was just incidental; he did all this just to find an excuse to enter the morgue of the corpse-salvaging team.

After dealing with everything, Xu Qing was about to pole the boat away when he suddenly remembered that there was still a corpse in his box garden that he hadn't transcended yet.

(End of chapter)