His vision blurred instantly, and intense pain flared in his eyes. Fat Wang instinctively opened his mouth to scream, only for a piece of flatbread to be shoved in, muffling his cries.
Immediately after, agonizing pain tore through his chest and abdomen. The kid before him threw at least three punches in the span of half a breath!
All three strikes landed squarely on his diaphragm, making his vision turn black as he gasped desperately for air.
Not satisfied yet, He Lingchuan raised a foot and kicked him hard between the legs.
The searing ache in his groin sent the fat man clutching himself and collapsing to the ground, twitching all over. In the face of such agony, even the foul stench didn't seem so terrible anymore.
The personal guard was quick on his feet. Fearing the fat man's hulking frame would crash down like a falling mountain and draw attention from outside, he immediately caught him with both hands and pinned him quietly to the floor.
Sweat poured like water from the fat man's oily face, but he couldn't make a sound.
He Lingchuan drew a silk-binding rope from his storage ring and swiftly bound his hands tight.
This was the kind used by the city garrison to secure suspects—lightweight, supple, and elastic. Not only did He Lingchuan keep some stocked in his storage ring, but he had also specifically learned the proper knotting techniques before setting out, allowing him to bind someone in no time.
By the time the fat man gathered his wits and tried to struggle free, the bindings only tightened the more he thrashed.
With the flatbread still stuffed in his mouth, he couldn't call for backup outside. On top of that, the profligate young master drew a dagger and pressed it against his neck. "Struggle again, and I'll cut off your ears before gouging out your eyes!"
The captive quieted down considerably.
He Lingchuan gave the guard a look, and the man went out to check the premises. He returned shortly and said, "There are two men outside the courtyard. They asked what that noise was just now. I told them the young master had too much to drink... and they didn't suspect a thing."
He Lingchuan kicked the prisoner on the ground. "Looks like you're quite a fighter; everyone's pretty confident in you." Presumably, with this fat man holding down the fort inside, the bandits had not overthought things, believing he could easily handle He Lingchuan and two guards.
Choosing not to engage the fat man in a direct brawl had indeed been the right move. Any noise from a struggle would have brought trouble, not to mention whether they could beat him in an outright fight—the man was clearly a desperate cutthroat, and his counterattacks wouldn't be weak.
In any case, he and Zhu-shi finally had a chance to speak directly. He Lingchuan exhaled in relief, searched Fat Wang, took everything of value, and didn't forget to pry the Blackspine Ring from his finger.
***
He Yue and Zeng Feixiong left the Prefect and his wife's quarters, heading toward the lake.
He Chunhua had already broken down the situation for Zeng Feixiong, who was now heading out to muster his men and make quiet preparations. "Why did the Second Young Master come out too? It's dangerous outside."
By the lake, figures were scattered in twos and threes, all bandits.
After He Chunhua's warning, everyone looked like a bandit to Zeng Feixiong.
He Yue protested, "My brother went out just now, so why didn't anyone say it was dangerous for him?"
Two personal guards followed behind him as well.
"Uh..." The Eldest Young Master clearly knew how to take care of himself, unlike the frail, delicate Second Young Master.
He Yue waved his hand. "Don't mind me, it was just a joke. I can't stay cooped up with our parents the whole time; it would arouse suspicion. And I won't stray too far from you."
At his age in his early teens, boys were naturally restless. For a grown lad like him to cower inside his parents' room without stepping out would look completely unnatural.
A few villagers walked past them just then, so the two ceased their conversation.
Continuing until they reached the lakeside, they heard splashing water.
He Yue looked into the lake and couldn't help smiling. "I hope this isn't where the villagers draw their drinking water."
At this stretch of Xianling Lake, the channel narrowed, divided by wetlands into a side pool with a gentle slope. The surface had originally been clean and placid, dotted with only a few fallen leaves, but right now four or five soldiers were thrashing about in the water, laughing and bantering loudly.
It was October, and the cold ran particularly deep in the mountains, but this company had been marching for a long time. A casual rub against their skin peeled off a thick layer of grime, so they truly couldn't resist when they saw the crystal-clear lake water. Besides, these men were all hale and hearty; what was wrong with a quick dip in cold water?
Maotao was among them. Though once a sand bandit, the man had a knack for socializing and had already blended right in with the other soldiers. Seeing He Yue and Zeng Feixiong approach, he called out enthusiastically to invite them: "Second Young Master, Boss, come on in! It feels amazing here—there are little fish nibbling at you, ticklish and refreshing!"
As he spoke, he pursed his lips, mimicking a little fish sucking with smacking sounds.
The others laughed and copied him, filling the lake with a chorus of bizarre noises.
He Yue asked curiously, "Do fish eat people?"
Blackwater City had streams and seasonal creeks, but no boundless lake like this.
"Skin's not broken, no bleeding, no pain." Maotao swiftly scooped up a fish no bigger than a fingertip from the water. "Look, seems they only eat dead skin."
"All right, out of the water, all of you. What kind of spectacle is this, making such a racket together?" Zeng Feixiong had heavy matters on his mind and didn't want to waste time with them.
Yet no sooner had he spoken than Maotao suddenly shushed everyone. "Quiet, all of you. Listen!"
Just as the others were about to tease him, Zeng Feixiong's face hardened, and he raised his voice: "Shut up!"
Silence fell over the crowd, and then He Yue caught the strange noise as well.
*Shhh-sssh-sssh*—it sounded quite familiar, like sand scattering across the dunes.
Maotao pointed toward the open waters nearby. "It's coming from over there!"
Not only that, the sound surged from faint to deafening, drawing closer and closer as it rushed straight toward the shore.
Now everyone could see it: the lake's surface seemed to boil, a white crest surging violently toward them.
Zeng Feixiong's expression twisted, and he barked, "Get out, all of you!"
Unfortunately, he was a moment too late.
Only two soldiers had scrambled onto the bank before the white surge crashed in.
First, two palm-sized fish leapt from the water and smacked Maotao right in the face, dazing him.
Then five, then ten more fish leapt into the side pool.
Then twenty, thirty...
A hundred, a thousand...
Even after plunging into the side pool, the fish did not stop; they flopped frantically toward the dry land.
Only then did everyone see clearly: that was no white wave upon the water, but countless throngs of fish leaping madly!
Several soldiers tried to shield their heads, only to be battered below.
The surging fish came in every size and variety, ranging from the length of a pinky finger to seven or eight feet long.
The onlookers, however, burst into laughter. "An extra dish! Tonight's late supper is served!"
An eight-foot giant fish threw itself onto the sloping bank and couldn't climb any farther, thrashing wild in the mud and sand, spraying everyone head to foot with muddy water. The soldiers were thrilled rather than alarmed. "Is this the king of fish? It's enough to feed dozens of men!"
On the bank and in the shallows, flopping live fish were everywhere, easily totaling one or two thousand jin.
Hearing the commotion, nearby villagers and soldiers hurried over to watch. Yet only the soldiers waded into the water or scrambled along the shore to catch the fish; the villagers merely stood watching from afar, keeping at least forty or fifty feet from the water's edge.
He Yue caught this discrepancy with keen eyes, his heart skipping a beat: *Could there be danger lurking behind them?*
He suddenly remembered what had been written in the blood letter: the broken Water Spirit tablet.
Such a frenzied fish surge was blatantly abnormal—could it be connected to that?
He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Get out! Stop catching them!"
Just then, a figure broke through the tall reeds, dashed down the sloping bank, and with a loud splash plunged into the water, sinking straight out of sight.
Chapter 104