Chapter 110: A Clever Rescue of Two Women

After dawn, Zhou Qing’s gaze widened once more. As he drifted along the river, he suddenly noticed a blue figure appearing just beneath the water not far ahead. Above that blue shadow, two people were struggling; their feet were gripped tightly by the blue entity’s outstretched hands, pulling them inexorably toward the riverbed.

The scene instantly brought Zhou Qing back to that rainy night in his past life. After falling into the river, he too had been dragged to the depths in this manner, ultimately arriving in this world. Why he had been reborn here remained a mystery, but he knew one thing: if those two women were dragged beneath by the blue shadow, they would disappear from this world forever.

To do good, to accumulate merit, was something Zhou Qing did not resist when within his power. Thus, upon seeing the river’s sinister spectacle, he immediately produced his Illusory Peerless and floated toward the blue evil spirit below.

Movement underwater was not as swift as on land, so as Zhou Qing approached the spirit, it turned and noticed him. Human and ghost locked eyes; Zhou Qing saw a swollen, terrifying face, while the evil spirit stared at him, stunned. Then it released its grip on the two legs and, with a flicker, floated ahead along the river.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing willed himself forward, pursuing the evil spirit. As he departed, two women had just swum to the riverbank. They were both farmwives from a nearby village. Upon rising early, they’d carried wooden basins to the river to wash clothes, but midway through, a sudden force tugged at their washing, pulling them into the water. As they tried to climb out, an inexplicable force gripped their feet.

Just when they thought they would drown, the force vanished, and they hurriedly swam back to shore, carrying their basins toward the village.

“Sister Xiao Zi, was that a water ghost in the river just now?” one woman asked, still shaken.

“I don’t know. Maybe it was,” replied Xiao Zi, hastening her steps.

As they suspected, a water ghost had indeed caused trouble; had Zhou Qing not passed by, the two women would likely have perished together.

On the river’s surface, the two women escaped, while beneath, Zhou Qing gave chase to the evil spirit at his fastest speed. Ordinarily, spirits moved swiftly, but in the river, the evil spirit’s pace was merely average—matching Zhou Qing’s own.

“Stop!” Zhou Qing called out in pursuit, uncertain if the spirit could hear him, but he spoke nonetheless.

The evil spirit turned and glanced back at Zhou Qing. From its reaction, Zhou Qing knew his words had been heard.

“Let me ask you: did you kill a herding child two days ago, and yesterday drag a young fisherman into the river to drown him?”

“What business is it of yours?” the evil spirit replied.

“It’s true it has nothing to do with me. I merely happened to encounter you and asked out of curiosity,” Zhou Qing continued, “just now I only sought to stop you from harming others, with no malice. There’s no need to fear me.”

“Fear? Ha! What a joke. I’ve died once already—why should I fear you?”

“If you’re not afraid, why did you flee upon seeing me?”

The question silenced the evil spirit, who gave no answer, only continued floating ahead, while Zhou Qing followed unhurriedly.

“Enough! Stop chasing me. Don’t think I’m truly afraid of you,” the spirit suddenly shouted in anger.

“If you’re not afraid, then stop and answer my question.” Zhou Qing did not insist on meddling, but the spirit’s conduct and its arrogant tone irked him, so he kept up the pursuit.

“Do you take me for a fool? If I stop, would you really spare me?”

“If you don’t stop, how would you know if I mean you harm? Besides, I may not even be able to capture you.”

“Don’t try to trick me. Someone like you, able to control water, could deal with me easily if I stopped.”

Having exchanged several words, Zhou Qing saw that both he and the spirit called themselves ‘grandfather,’ and neither intended to stop. He then condensed Illusory Peerless into a long spear and hurled it at the evil spirit ahead.

Underwater differed from land; Zhou Qing’s spear did not strike straight, but arced slowly, its speed reduced. In the end, the spear missed its mark, piercing only the spirit’s calf.

Struck by Illusory Peerless, the evil spirit howled, its form now slightly dimmer than before. Panic flickered across its face, but it did not pause, fleeing onward. Zhou Qing pursued, retrieving his weapon along the way. The brief pause widened the gap between them a little.

Their speeds matched, and the chase continued until afternoon without pause. Zhou Qing had long considered abandoning the meaningless pursuit, but he was traveling along the river anyway, and moving underwater took no effort, so he kept at it.

“You’re really a persistent ghost,” the spirit muttered, glancing back at Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing was now too disinterested in the pointless exchange to reply. It was less a chase, more a journey. He had already put away Illusory Peerless, clasped his hands behind his back, and floated leisurely along the river.

Seeing Zhou Qing’s relaxed demeanor, the evil spirit sighed bitterly.

He had once been a bodyguard in an escort agency, but while transporting valuables, he was ambushed, the cargo stolen, and he himself tied to a large stone and drowned in the river. After death, he cultivated for years beneath the water, gained some power, and sought to vent his rage and grievances. Thus he became a water ghost, wandering and wreaking vengeance on the innocent. Zhou Qing’s earlier encounters had been his doing, and before those, he had committed at least ten other heinous acts.

All this stemmed from his unwillingness to accept his fate, his urge for revenge.

He glanced at Zhou Qing again. Just then, a sharp sword plunged from the surface above, piercing his spirit.

“Ah—” With a cry, the evil spirit’s form dissolved into the riverbed.