Chapter 389: Water-Suppressing Yin Official (2)

Although I hadn't been practicing the Yin-Yang Ghost Art for long, I had an exceptional talent for ghost arts. Within just a few days of acquiring the art, I had already stepped into the Second Realm—Driving Spirits and Commanding Ghosts.

Yin energy surged through my Yin Meridians, breaking the balance of yin and yang within my body. My aura soared. As I stood at the bow of the boat, not a single floating corpse in the water dared to come near.

"I'll clear the way!" The Yin-Yang Ghost Art was extraordinarily domineering, intimidating every floating corpse as Du Yu gripped the oars and rowed hard.

The sound of the wind in our ears grew clearer, and the stench in the air slowly dissipated. In the distance, a faint glimmer of light filtered through the cave.

"We're almost out!"

The bomb shelter opened up. The walls were mottled, and we could vaguely make out slogans left over from that bygone era.

As we rounded a bend, a wooden sluice gate appeared, blocking the way out.

"A gate means an exit. Looks like we came the right way." The wooden stakes were driven into the riverbed. Whoever built this gate likely hadn't done so to keep people out, but simply to keep the current from washing the corpses out.

Du Yu and I jumped off the small boat, smashed the wooden gate, and waded forward through waist-deep water.

I lost track of how long we waded, though little by little, the river water stopped feeling quite so bone-chilling. Just as we could clearly make out specks of light ahead, a sudden sigh echoed in our ears.

"I'm genuinely surprised the two of you made it this far, but this is where you stop." A wooden raft drifted over from the distant water, carrying a dark-skinned man as thin as a bamboo pole.

"You're not dead?"

"It really was you!"

Du Yu and I stood side by side in the water, watching the approaching raft warily. "Number Eleven, you kept yourself well hidden. Faking your death at the end almost fooled us."

He Bo sat on the raft, still in his corpse retriever outfit. He looked perfectly ordinary, no different from any other fisherman on the great river. "If I told you only one survivor could leave, would the two of you turn on each other and fight to the death?"

"Trying to turn us against each other won't work on us. I was ready to die just now, and Gao Jian saved me. In this place, at least, I owe him my life. If he wants it, he can take it anytime." Du Yu spoke casually, his nonchalance toward life and death leaving even me impressed.

"The only thing I didn't anticipate was that you two already knew each other. Next is the final trial of this game. If you can make it through safely, I'll follow the rules and give you a special reward." From any angle, He Bo looked entirely too ordinary. It was hard to connect him to the mastermind behind all this.

"Before the trial begins, can you tell me why you went to such lengths to gather us here? I doubt it was just to help wronged souls get revenge, was it?" Yin energy radiated from my body, pressing back the floating corpses so none dared approach.

"I'll tell you once you pass the trial." He Bo's raft came to a stop. The water in front of him suddenly stirred, rings of ripples spreading out from nowhere as the corpses hidden beneath the surface showed their faces.

Familiar faces, struggling souls—Number One Wang Shi, Number Two the worker, Detective Number Three, Wang Yuchun, Tian Teng...

One corpse after another surfaced, lining up in a row.

"They are your final trial. This was originally meant for the killer alone, but now it falls to the two of you. Every cause has its effect—if they're willing to let you leave, I won't say another word." A barely perceptible smile flickered across He Bo's simple, honest face. "If you give up, then stay here forever. The secrets of the Corpse Hiding Cave have been kept hidden for decades, and they cannot be exposed."

"Are you secretly controlling these corpses? Or have they turned into water ghosts?" I clenched my fists. Inside me, the Ghost Infant shrieked, as if sensing a grave threat.

"What goes around comes around. If you're really that capable, why don't you prove it with force and destroy them?" He Bo sat cross-legged on the raft, an ancient seal resting flat in the palm of his hand.

"Do you really think I wouldn't dare? I'm capable of going up against an entire city—you're nowhere near enough to threaten me!" That wall of corpses looked terrifying, but it didn't faze me. "Quit playing tricks. They're just a bunch of defeated losers. I wasn't afraid of them when they were alive, let alone now that they're dead."

"Young man, don't think you can run rampant just because you know a few ghost arts. You have terrorized Jiangcheng, your killing nature is heavy, and you've damaged your merit and squandered your blessings. Today, you are destined for this calamity!"

"I terrorized Jiangcheng? And which eye of yours saw that?" The Three-Eyed Ghost Infant crawled out of my Kidney Aperture, baring its fangs at the wall of corpses ahead. I was ready to force my way through. "I cultivate both yin and yang and command the art of Driving Spirits and Commanding Ghosts! I refuse to believe these water ghosts of yours would dare run wild in front of me!"

"Arrogant!" He Bo seized the Black Ancient Seal in one hand and pressed it down through the empty air. "I wield the River God Water Seal, govern eighty miles of the Yangtze River's water veins, suppress evil spirits, and ferry the dead to the netherworld—I am the twenty-ninth-generation water-suppressing yin official of Jianghuai! On this Yangtze River, aside from the Water Dragon King, no one has ever dared speak to me like that!"

He straightened up. He was still wearing the same coarse linen clothes, yet with that ancient seal in his hand, his entire presence had transformed completely.

"Gentlemen, could there be some misunderstanding between the two of you?" Those involved are deluded, those watching from the side are clear-headed. Du Yu raised both hands to show he meant no harm. "From what you're saying, He Bo, you believe Gao Jian terrorized Jiangcheng. But as far as I know, not only has he never done anything to harm Jiangcheng—when the flood struck recently, he single-handedly defended the Lanjiang Dam. That is a massive achievement that benefited millions of lives!"

"If he saved millions of lives, would his merit be so damaged? Would he look so prematurely aged? Say no more. If you two can break through this corpse formation, I'll let you go immediately without another word. If you can't, then wait for death!" He pressed the Black Ancient Seal down, and the murky river water seeped into the corpses, looking deeply eerie.

Hearing Du Yu say that, I also realized something was wrong. The person who truly wanted to destroy the Lanjiang Dam was Lu Xing, and he had fallen into the river with me.

My mind raced as I recalled waking up on the banks of the great river. That had been the first time I saw He Bo—he was standing on the opposite shore, watching me.

"He Bo, the first time we met was by the riverbank. That day, did you see a strange man with scars covering half his face?"

The moment I asked, He Bo's gaze shifted subtly. "You mean Ah Fu? I did save a weak man that day. He had knife wounds on his body. Half of his face was handsome and resolute, while the other half was a mangled mess of flesh and blood. You know him?"

"More than just know him—I'd gladly hack him to pieces cut by cut!" Learning of Lu Xing's whereabouts sent a jolt through me. That man was far too dangerous; until I killed him, I would never be able to rest easy.

He Bo snorted coldly. "Showing your true colors, I see. Ah Fu was right. You're a ruthless killer who slaughters all your enemies without the slightest mercy."

"Ah Fu is just a fake name! That man's real name is Lu Xing—he's a national Class-A wanted fugitive!" I recalled the Ghost Infant to my Kidney Aperture. Since this was a misunderstanding, there was no need to fight to the death anymore.

He Bo pulled a crumpled wanted poster out of his pocket and unfolded it toward me. "I don't know if he's a fugitive, but you definitely are! Ah Fu brought this back from the city."

"Mr. He, do you never watch TV?" Du Yu couldn't help but speak up in my defense. "Gao Jian was framed. After he was brought in, there was a live-streamed court trial. I was the one who defended him in court that day."

"He definitely didn't see that trial, or he'd already know how you and I know each other." Keeping my eyes on that row of corpses, I dispelled my ghost art of my own accord. "Lu Xing used you. He's the real murderer."

I gave a wry smile. It turned out I had been the main character of this whole setup all along, and everyone else was merely part of the supporting cast. "The news that he deliberately tried to sabotage the Lanjiang Dam wasn't made public. I can call the police right now to prove my innocence."

He Bo remained silent for a long time. Gripping the black seal in his hand, he carefully examined Du Yu and me. "I still can't trust you. How about this? You come out with me, and leave Number Ten here as a hostage."

"Gao Jian, don't worry about me. This is the best solution," Du Yu said in a deep voice.

I nodded. With my phone in one hand and the Great Divine Mantra of the Big Dipper held ready in the other, I waded between the corpses and climbed onto He Bo's raft. "You have to guarantee Number Ten's safety."

"If he has a clear conscience, naturally nothing will happen to him." He Bo rowed the raft. We traveled a good dozen meters and rounded two bends before the sound of rushing water grew louder in my ears. My phone gave a soft chime—I finally had a signal. "I'll prove it to you right now."

I pulled up the edited video of the court trial online, along with the wanted notice issued by the Public Security Bureau for the fugitive suspect, and handed my phone to He Bo. When he saw Lu Xing's photo on the wanted poster, he couldn't say another word.