After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 133: Chapter 134: Water Spirit?

Blood from the Crocodile Demon trickled down the Long Spear, and he heard that guttural gasp again.

He finally understood now. It was the crocodile’s cry of pain.

In that instant, a thought crossed his mind:

’If I thrust the Long Spear straight up, would it pierce the giant crocodile’s brain?’

’If I kill this behemoth, the threat will be gone for good, right?’

However, the thought was fleeting.

’If the giant crocodile were that easy to kill, wouldn’t Wu Shaoyi have already tried?’

’Even if I succeeded, wouldn’t the crocodile take me down with it? After all, I’m inside its mouth.’

So Hee Lingchuan quickly dismissed the idea and went back to cautiously grinding the spear shaft out of the tooth socket, little by little.

The process made the crocodile howl in pain.

Of course, he remained wary. He first stepped back onto the rock, then pulled the Long Spear out horizontally, all while rapidly backing away.

It was out.

He had just retreated a few dozen feet when the giant crocodile snapped its mouth shut. The CLACK of its upper and lower teeth meeting echoed clearly throughout the entire cave.

Seeing it lying there, completely still, Hee Lingchuan reminded it, ”Hey, you’re supposed to take us to the surface now.”

”He’ll die if he so much as moves,” the Crocodile God said, refusing to budge. ”I’m tired too. I’m going to rest for a bit.”

After struggling for a few double-hours, it was utterly exhausted. The giant crocodile species was not known for its stamina.

It showed no intent to attack, which put Hee Lingchuan slightly at ease. He took advantage of the moment to rush back to Wu Shaoyi’s side, light two more candles, and inspect his wounds.

’When the pain is gone, people can easily get bad ideas.’

’I don’t know Wu Shaoyi well at all. It’s better to let him keep hurting.’

Now that he was out of the water, Wu Shaoyi coughed often, bringing up blood each time.

The more Hee Lingchuan examined him, the more alarmed he grew.

”Your injuries are too severe. Your lungs and kidneys are damaged, you have seven broken bones, and you’ve lost more than half your blood.” The bloody wound on Wu Shaoyi’s body was over an inch in diameter, and he was bleeding internally. ”If this keeps up, you’ll either drown in your own blood or die from organ failure.”

To put it in a nutshell, Wu Shaoyi was beyond saving.

”I know. I’ve already used every medicine I have,” Wu Shaoyi said with a wretched smile.

”In your condition, can you even swim back to shore with me?” Hee Lingchuan now understood why the Crocodile Demon had agreed to his terms so readily. It must have realized that Wu Shaoyi, the man who had wounded it, was already at death’s door. There was no need for it to seek revenge.

”I can... hold on, I think.” Wu Shaoyi’s eyes were half-closed. ”I just... don’t want to die in darkness.”

Whether it was dying in a secret underwater cave or being buried in a crocodile’s belly, both certainly qualified as dying in darkness. ”Get me to the surface,” Wu Shaoyi continued, ”and I have a way to save myself. And for you... there will be a generous reward.”

This was the second time he had mentioned it.

After a moment’s consideration, Hee Lingchuan fed him another Pill. It was a Spirit Pill, the same kind he had used himself months ago after a near-fatal fall from a cliff. It was said that Hee Chunhua had specially obtained it from Zhaomandu the Great Shaman. It could forcefully grant a dying person one last gasp of life. Before Hee Lingchuan left Black Water City this time, Hee Chunhua had made sure to procure a new supply.

Wu Shaoyi found the pill had a foul, earthy smell, as if it were molded directly from river mud, but it dissolved the moment it went down his throat.

A moment later, a current of warmth surged from his belly, and some strength seemed to return to his limbs.

In the meantime, Hee Lingchuan took a candle and ventured deeper into the cave. He had suspected there was something at the back of the cavern earlier, and while treating Wu Shaoyi’s wounds, he had smelled a foul stench drifting from its depths. Now, as he got closer for a look, he jumped in fright.

”Wh-what is this?”

In the candlelight, he saw an enormous giant turtle... no, its carcass!

The massive creature was over four zhang—nearly forty-three feet—long from head to tail. Its carapace was high and thick, covered in sharp ridges. From a human perspective, it looked like a small hill.

Hee Lingchuan knew of a creature called the ridged-shell turtle, but this was the first time he had ever seen one so massive.

Without a doubt, this had been a Great Demon of profound Daoist Practice.

The giant turtle’s head was gone. Its forelimbs had been bitten off, an entire hind leg was missing, and a huge gash was torn in its belly, its entrails spilling out. Blood had flowed onto the Stone Beach and congealed into black stains. Crabs, rats, and other unknown scavengers crawled over the corpse, enjoying a grand feast.

Hee Lingchuan was suddenly reminded of the Water Spirit Temple in Xianling Village.

This dead turtle must be the Water Warden of Immortal Spirit Lake. The Water Spirit Altar had suddenly broken yesterday morning, likely because this giant turtle was killed by the giant crocodile. That, in turn, had gotten Mrs. Zhu slapped by the village chief.

The turtle’s back was covered in vicious scratches and holes of varying depths. Hee Lingchuan glanced at the carcass, then back at the giant crocodile resting with its eyes closed on the Stone Beach. He guessed these marks were the handiwork of its conical teeth.

However, he also noticed that as sharp as the giant crocodile’s teeth were, they had not pierced the Turtle Shell.

In the contest of spear versus shield, the shield had held firm till the end.

Apparently, the giant crocodile had won by seizing an opportunity to clamp down on the giant turtle’s head, crushing its skull in one bite.

This implied two things.

First, the Crocodile Demon was an outsider. It had entered Immortal Spirit Lake only in the last couple of days, clashed with the local Lake Spirit, and emerged victorious. This timeline coincided almost perfectly with Lui Yao’s arrival in Xianling Village.

Second, the giant turtle hadn’t looked like an easy opponent. This meant that when the Crocodile Demon fought Wu Shaoyi today, it likely hadn’t yet recovered from the brutal battle yesterday morning and was not at its full strength.

No wonder it had agreed to a truce so quickly.

Both sides were spent forces.

Of course, Hee Lingchuan couldn’t hide his mix of excitement and bewilderment. The Water Spirit lay dead before him, and it had clearly died yesterday morning. So what was the deal with the two ”worst possible luck” fortunes he had drawn just a few double-hours ago?

’Was it really as Hee Chunhua had said? Did the giant turtle tamper with the fortunes to ensure I would draw the worst possible luck every time?’

’Or perhaps, its spirit lingers even after death?’

’The Water Spirit is dead and gone, so who’s going to interpret those two fortunes for me now?’

Hee Lingchuan took two more steps closer and suddenly noticed the edge of the Turtle Shell giving off a faint, pale Golden Light in the flickering candlelight.

He gripped the Turtle Shell and gave it a couple of tentative tugs.

’Hmph. It won’t budge an inch. Just as I expected.’

”Crawl inside,” the Crocodile Demon said suddenly.

”Huh?” Hee Lingchuan looked back and saw it was still resting with its eyes closed.

”There’s a pearl in its belly. I can’t reach it, and neither can my children. If you can get it out, it’s yours,” the Crocodile Demon said flatly. ”Consider it a thank-you gift for pulling out the spear.” Crocodile claws weren’t dextrous enough for digging out treasure.

’Treasure in its belly?’

Hee Lingchuan looked at the hill-sized carcass and the black blood on the ground. ’To get the treasure, I have to crawl inside this thing’s stomach?’

’So bloody... so filthy... so cruel...’

’I have to do it.’

Hee Lingchuan bowed twice to the giant turtle, thinking, ’Water Spirit, you’ve already passed on, so please be magnanimous. Don’t blame me for disrespecting your remains.’

There was already a hole in the turtle’s belly. He took out his Broken Blade and widened the opening until it was large enough to crawl through.

Even though the giant crocodile had torn it open, the turtle’s flesh and hide were still far tougher than a hundred-year-old vine. If not for the unparalleled sharpness of his Broken Blade, Hee Lingchuan doubted any other knife could have cut through it.