Chapter 697: Arrival

"A corpse retriever?" Seeing this made me think of a certain person—the organizer of the Real Death Game, the water-suppressing yin official He Bo.

'To get to Jinghai City, I have to cross the river...' I didn't even know my current location; reaching Jinghai City before nightfall would be incredibly difficult. If that person really was He Bo, it would actually work in my favor.

Based on what I knew of him, even though he dealt with floating corpses every day in a terrifying profession, he was a decent person. He despised evil and could be relied upon in a crisis.

I acted as soon as I made up my mind. Pressing my fingers against an acupoint on my lower neck, I recalled the voice-altering tricks from the ancient disguise technique and wedged a blade of grass under the base of my tongue. 'Speaking like this sounds weird, but it beats being recognized.'

Waving my leather suitcase, I picked up a stone and hurled it into the great river. With my Heart Aperture opened, my arm strength was extraordinary; I could launch a fist-sized rock a tremendous distance.

The splashing water quickly caught the corpse retriever's attention.

The small boat headed my way. As the distance closed, relief colored my eyes—the man on the boat was indeed He Bo!

'He really is a bleeding heart. He saved that menace Lu Xing back then, which made me resent him for a long time. I never expected that feng shui takes turns, and now I'd be the one getting saved by him.' I waved frantically. Once the small boat was a few meters from the shore, I called out in my disguised voice, "Boatman, can you take me to the other side?"

Getting straight to the point had always been my style.

"We're in the middle of nowhere. How did you end up out here?" Tall, thin, and plainly dressed, He Bo leveled a stern look on his square face. He used a bamboo pole to turn the boat, angling the hull to hide the corpses tethered to the back.

"I work in Jinghai City," I lied smoothly. "I got a rare vacation and came to Jiangcheng for a hike in the wild, but I got lost in the mountains. I've been walking along the river for a day and a night."

"What's a hike in the wild?" He Bo eyed my outfit. "And your voice sounds weird."

He stared at me for a long time. Then, without warning, he suddenly asked, "Have we met somewhere before?"

"You've met me?" I was a little startled, and it wasn't entirely an act. I was wearing a Human Skin Mask and using a disguised voice; I never expected He Bo to recognize me after our single brief encounter.

This served as a stark reminder never to get careless.

I couldn't answer He Bo's question, and dragging it out would do me no good, so I decided to change the subject.

I glanced at the stern and let my expression drastically shift. Forcing a look of pure panic, I flailed my arm and stuttered wildly, "Y-you have dead bodies behind your boat! So many bodies!"

If I hadn't been worried that my exaggerated acting would give me away, I would have added a few more lines.

I scrambled backward, putting distance between us as if preparing to flee back into the woods.

"You've got it wrong! Come back, don't misunderstand!" He Bo shouted, rowing the boat toward the shore. "Don't run off! You'll get lost again! These are wild mountains, it's completely desolate out here!"

My tactic of retreating to advance worked perfectly. Interrupted like this, He Bo completely forgot to continue his earlier line of questioning.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" Having livestreamed so many times, I had seen countless terrified expressions; now that I was mimicking one myself, I pulled it off quite convincingly.

"You really misunderstood. I'm responsible for clearing garbage from the river. I have nothing to do with those bodies; I just tow them to the bank and wait for their families to claim them." He Bo's small boat finally bumped against the shore. He pulled a crumpled little booklet from his jacket pocket and walked toward me. "This is my work badge, take a look."

Seeing that I didn't dare approach, he tossed the badge over to me.

"You actually have a work badge?" I also felt curious about what kind of identity this water-suppressing yin official and folk eccentric held now.

I picked up the crumpled little booklet, flipped it open, and nearly burst out laughing. "Jiangcheng Sanitation Department Waterway Sanitation Station, Manual Cleaning Boat Sanitation Worker—He Bo."

It was a very concise introduction, complete with an attached photo of He Bo. Perhaps because he rarely had his picture taken, he looked incredibly stiff in the shot.

"Jiangcheng manual cleaning boat sanitation worker?" I read the line aloud, but my mind drifted back to the time he had blocked my path, clutching his water seal.

It essentially meant the same thing, but He Bo had made it sound incredibly imposing back then. He had boasted about wielding the River God Water Seal, governing eighty miles of the Yangtze River's water veins, ferrying souls to the netherworld, and suppressing evil spirits. He'd even bragged in the end that no one on the Yangtze River dared cross him except the Dragon King himself.

'A grand water-suppressing yin official governing the river's veins... who would've thought his real identity is a sanitation worker, and it seems he doesn't even have a formal municipal position...' Looking at He Bo's painfully honest face nearby, I didn't even know what to say.

"You believe me now, right? I've got nothing to do with these bodies. I just bring them to the bank so their families can take them back." He Bo was still earnestly explaining himself. His sheer, simple honesty actually made me feel a bit embarrassed.

"I didn't expect you to be a civil servant," I said, stepping out from behind the rocks to hand back his work badge.

"I wouldn't dare claim that title," He Bo said, stuffing the crumpled badge back into his pocket. "Anyway, I won't ask any more questions. The rain's probably going to pick up soon, so I'll ferry you across the river first."

I stared blankly for a moment. "The rain is going to get heavier? How do you know?"

"I'm out on this river all year round. One look at the water's flow tells me everything I need to know." He Bo flashed a smile, his bright white teeth contrasting sharply against his dark skin.

"Thanks a lot, then." I stood at the bow with my suitcase, deliberately keeping my distance from the floating corpses. He Bo didn't comment on it, merely chuckling as he poled the boat toward the opposite bank.

"Brother, let me ask you—what area is on the other side? Have we left Jiangcheng yet?"

"We just crossed out of it. If you're in a hurry to get back, I can drop you off on the Jiangcheng side," He Bo answered casually, not thinking much of it.

"And what if I want to head to Jinghai City? I'm in a rush to get home; I don't want my family to worry."

"Jinghai? That's a long way from here. You could head back to Jiangcheng first and catch a bus." After making the directions clear, He Bo took up his pole, using the current to row at a brisk pace. He chatted with me idly as we moved, inadvertently revealing a great deal of information—much of it concerning Jiangcheng.

According to him, Jiangcheng was now in complete chaos. The police were everywhere.

Hearing that made me even less inclined to return to Jiangcheng. As soon as he dropped me on the opposite shore, I prepared to disembark.

"Hold on." Bamboo pole in hand, He Bo only remembered after crossing the river. "Brother, I keep looking at you and feeling like you're familiar. Are you sure we haven't met before?"

"No, I just have a common face. You must be mistaking me for someone else. Farewell."

"Hey! Don't be in such a rush. It's going to pour in a bit, so take this umbrella." He Bo was incredibly warm and acted with nothing but rustic sincerity, but his next action wiped the smile off my face.

He pulled a black mourning umbrella out of the cabin—the kind used for visiting graves—and shoved it into my hands. "Don't mind how ugly this umbrella looks. Some family left it behind the last time they came to claim a body. It's about to storm, and you don't want to get soaked."

"This umbrella..." I wanted to refuse. A black mourning umbrella held far too much significance for me. The very first time I had gone to No-Lights Road for my Live Show interview, the paper-tying craftsman had given me an umbrella to shield me from the rain. That was where everything had begun.

"Just take it, don't fuss over it." He Bo forced it into my hands, then pushed the boat away from the riverbank.

'A black umbrella. The Live Show. Is this a coincidence?'

Hefting my suitcase, I hadn't yet said anything when my ears twitched. My keen hearing caught He Bo muttering to himself. "Why is this guy also heading to Jinghai City? His expression barely changes, almost like he's wearing a fake face. So familiar. I know I've seen him somewhere."

He Bo's voice was hushed, but I caught every word. Gripping the black umbrella in my hand, a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside me. It felt like he was kindly trying to warn me.

By the time I looked up, I found that He Bo had already rowed away, but his last few words lingered in my ears. 'What does he mean by "also heading to Jinghai City"? Did he run into someone else heading to Jinghai City before me? He came from the Jiangcheng side, and we're in the middle of nowhere, which means whoever he met is highly likely tracking me! Could it be Elder Chen?'

I shook my head, feeling like I was getting a bit paranoid.

Opening the black umbrella, I trekked along the great river. He Bo's final behavior had been rather strange, but he was right about one thing. A dozen minutes later, a torrential downpour began. The river was once again shrouded in water mist, blurred by the hazy rain until nothing could be seen clearly.

...

Wanted and hunted by the Five Great Upper Sects, I couldn't take a bus or train. To reach Jinghai City as early as possible, I resorted to the most foolish, most expensive method available.

After hiking out of the mountains, I swallowed my pride and hitchhiked along the highway. Once I reached the county district, I continually transferred between taxis, spending a full eight or nine hours on the road before finally arriving in Jinghai City.

This first-tier metropolis was divided into two halves—the inner district and the outer district—with Hongqiao serving as the boundary. The six inner districts were prosperous and stable, standing as one of the economic hubs of all of Huaxia.

In contrast, the six outer districts were chaotic and underdeveloped. All the conflicts and hidden dangers generated by the city's open expansion had been pushed out here.

Jinghai was a microcosm of Huaxia, and one of Huaxia's most representative cities.

...

Tires violently kicked up mud, and headlights pierced the pitch-black night. The digital clock next to the steering wheel showed the time: 7:10 PM.

"That's three hundred total." The taxi driver puffed on a cigarette, seemingly completely blind to the red Arabic numerals on his meter—53.

"Driver, isn't that asking a bit much? Are you trying to rob me?" I was genuinely running low on cash, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered arguing with him.

"In this heavy rain, you've soaked the inside of my cab. How am I supposed to pick up other fares tonight? Three hundred is letting you off easy." The taxi driver seemed to do this often, wearing a completely unapologetic look.

"I can give you this three hundred, but I'm afraid you won't have the life to spend it." I pulled three hundred from my suitcase and held it in my hand.

"Won't have the life? Outsider, is this your first time in Jinghai? In this place, money makes you a god. With enough cash, you can buy life itself!" The driver flicked his cigarette butt out the window and snatched the three bills from my hand.