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Lin Xi replied, “It’s probably the villagers of Biluo Village. They regard the koi as a deity; you killed their god, so they naturally took revenge.”
The dark brown fish scales represented the curse, while the pale-yellow scales were formed from the koi’s own merits.
Every night, the koi would come to check if these three were dead. Sensing they were close to death, it would stick on a pale-yellow scale to halt the curse from progressing.
What a foolish fish.
Lin Xi waved her hand.
The koi gently touched her palm, grinning widely. “Lin Xi, like.”
Lin Xi rubbed its head and pointed to Wang Hu beside her. “You see him, why didn’t you run away?”
The koi seemed to be recalling something.
“Water, swimming, death.”
From the koi’s fragmented speech, Lin Xi pieced together the entire story.
The koi believed that Wang Hu swimming in the water would lead to drowning, so it swam over to save him.
Unexpectedly, Wang Hu picked up a stone and killed it.
This fish was indeed quite foolish; it treated humans with the utmost goodwill, only to meet its end at their hands.
Even after death, it remained pure-hearted, not avoiding humans but instead still approaching them.
Lin Xi shared this with everyone.
After hearing it, Wang Liangshan was rendered speechless for a long time.
The Great Koi had a simple mind and noble morals, actually setting aside past grievances and coming to the Wang family to save them.
This was a true deity.
He was moved to tears.
Wang Liangshan knocked his head three times, his expression extremely serious. “Great Koi, my Wang family has no way to repay your great kindness. In this life and the next, I will serve you like an ox or horse.”
The koi stared at him blankly, completely confused.
What is this human saying? I don’t understand a single word.
Little Koi was right; humans were complex beings.
Ah! So complicated.
The koi looked eagerly at Lin Xi. “What is he saying?”
Lin Xi explained, “He thinks you are the best fish in the world and wants to repay you. What do you want?”
“Happy,” the koi replied, happily blowing bubbles. “Want, sparkling, sparkling.”
Wang Liangshan was bewildered. “Master Lin, what does the Great Koi mean?”
Lin Xi said with exasperation, “The koi likes shiny things. Do you understand now?”
Wang Liangshan nodded. “I understand. Great Koi, I will create a magnificent statue of you out of gold, ensuring it sparkles every day, and I will offer incense to you regularly.”
The koi still couldn’t grasp his words but understood the term “sparkling.”
It nodded seriously. “Okay.”
Wang Liangshan sighed in relief. “Thank you, Great Koi, and thank you, Master Lin.”
After a moment of silence, he asked, “Master Lin, since the curse wasn’t cast by the Great Koi, what should we do?”
“Find the person who cast the curse,” Lin Xi glanced at the koi. “You know who it is, right?”
The koi stopped blowing bubbles, its tone somewhat sad. “Little Koi, it’s her. I can’t.”
“Alright, alright, I understand,” Lin Xi gently patted its head for comfort. “Little Koi will understand your meaning.”
“Really?” The koi visibly brightened. “Lin Xi, kiss.”
Lin Xi didn’t move; this fish particularly liked to cuddle.
The koi pouted and leaned closer to her cheek, giving it a peck. “I like you the most.”
A faint rainbow light descended upon Lin Xi, radiating from her like a colorful light bulb.
This was the first kiss she had given to a fish.
It was the koi’s blessing.
Those who received the koi’s blessing would gain good fortune.
Lin Xi smiled slightly. “Thank you, Koi.”
The koi liked her even more. “Pretty.”
Lin Xi pointed to Wang Hu beside her. “Let’s go find Little Koi.”
“Okay.”
The koi flicked its tail and swirled around her several times.
It gradually grew larger, stopping beside Lin Xi’s legs.
“Ride you.”
Lin Xi didn’t refuse; it was her first experience riding a koi.
Seeing them about to leave, Wang Liangshan quickly called out, “Master Lin, Wang Hu and Hu Tao can’t move.”
Lin Xi waved her hand, dispelling the binding and silencing talismans.
Hu Tao and Wang Hu both fell into the water with a splash.
Upon seeing the fish-shaped shadow, they filled with fear, huddling and trembling in the bathtub.
Their bodies began to itch again, not only itchy but painful as well. When would this suffering end?
The koi was determined to find Little Koi and flew into the sky with Lin Xi on its back.
Wang Liangshan knocked his head three times again. “Great Koi, Master Lin, safe travels.”
Wang Qian knelt down like her father, looking at the slowly disappearing koi. “Great Koi, I’m sorry.”
…
In a desolate factory in Di Jing.
Yun Yan, Bai Xiuyuan, and Jiang Yuanyuan crouched in the grass, swatting mosquitoes.
Bai Xiuyuan held a compass, his expression serious. “It’s in there.”
Yun Yan stared at the door. “Let’s go, but be careful. The opponent is a witch from the Li ethnic group.”
Jiang Yuanyuan spoke up. “No one plays with curses better than the Miao people, but the Li ethnic group is proficient in curse techniques and has always been reluctant to interact with outsiders. We know very little about them.”
Both the Li and Miao ethnic groups have witch doctors.
The difference is that the Miao use worms to conduct physical attacks, while the Li use curses to conduct spiritual attacks.
Yun Yan said, “The Li ethnic group has lived in Biluo Village for generations, worshipping the Great Koi. They once signed a treaty with the chief, agreeing that witch doctors wouldn’t step out of Biluo Village.”
He frowned. “The appearance of a Li witch doctor in Di Jing is very strange.”
“We should try not to conflict with the witch doctor and peacefully bring her back to the special administration bureau.”
“Understood, Captain.” Bai Xiuyuan nodded.
Holding the compass, the needle spun rapidly before finally stopping in the southern direction.
Bai Xiuyuan led the way. “This way.”
Jiang Yuanyuan released five caterpillars. “I’ll let the worms scout ahead.”
She was the last Miao saintess, having inherited the art of worm manipulation from her father.
The worms quickly returned, informing her that someone was ahead.
The three made their way to a clearing, where someone sat in a chair, facing away from them.
Yun Yan raised a hand. “Don’t go over yet.”
He drew the money sword.
This sword was crafted from 108 ancient copper coins, imbued with righteous energy that could restrain all demons and monsters.
Suddenly, the person turned around.
Yun Yan focused, “Wooden puppet.”
Jiang Yuanyuan let out a breath. “You scared me! I thought it was another corpse.”
During this time, she had collected too many corpses and didn’t want to encounter another one.
If she had known, she wouldn’t have learned corpse manipulation from her father.
Her father was a master of corpse manipulation from Xiangxi, and she had been tricked into learning it as a child.
Now, all the corpses in the bureau were managed by her.
Collecting corpses, performing autopsies, transporting corpses, digging graves, and burying them—she provided a complete service.
The wooden puppet opened its mouth and spat out a slip of paper.
Yun Yan put on gloves and picked it up to take a look.
It read: “To everyone at the Special Administration Bureau, I apologize for the previous offenses. Leaving Biluo Village was my fault. I will handle all matters and then surrender to the Special Administration Bureau. Please bear with me.”
Witch Doctor, Li Chi.
Jiang Yuanyuan asked, “What does she mean? Are we still looking for her?”
“Of course,” Yun Yan replied. “We can’t trust her word alone. She deliberately lured us here; something big is bound to happen tonight.”
“Bai Xiuyuan, reposition.”
“Understood, Captain.”
Bai Xiuyuan silently recited a mantra, using the Heavenly Star secret technique to locate her.
He came from one of the top feng shui sects, the Heavenly Star Sect.
He was naturally sensitive to various energies and excelled at tracking the aura of others.
The Heavenly Star secret technique was unique to the Heavenly Star Sect, capable of locating everything from dragon veins to a single breath of air.
Bai Xiuyuan quickly locked onto a direction. “This way.”
Suddenly, a golden light flashed across the sky. Yun Yan felt it and looked up, his expression growing more solemn.
“It’s definitely that direction; something has passed through. We must hurry.”
—