Chapter 18 The Truth Surfaces

After Zhao Zhuang spoke of the warlock’s sudden death, my eyes narrowed sharply.

The warlock's demise was only seven days from Wang Li Shi's drowning. In other words, the night the warlock died was Wang Li Shi's seventh day memorial.

The calamity in Fish Basket Village was inevitably linked to Wang Li Shi’s appearance and death. Those who could explain the secrets of that time were all scattered into nothingness beneath my blade, leaving me with only a vague clue.

This was the result of choices. Sometimes, after making a choice, one has no room for regret because everything is irreversible. One can only follow the initial choice, step by step.

I was silent for a moment before saying, "What was that woman's name?"

Zhao Zhuang answered in detail, "I asked my ancestors as well. They said that woman was the Wang family’s daughter-in-law. According to her husband's surname, she should be called Wang Li Shi."

Confirmed, finally confirmed!

The person I was looking for had finally emerged!

Zhao Zhuang didn't know what I was thinking and continued, "I heard my ancestor say unintentionally that the woman's maiden name should be Li Yu Lan."

"At the time, my ancestor also said that the woman's arrival was strange. How could a woman who was literate and skilled in writing and painting be rescued from the water by a Wang family boy? And then promise herself to him to repay the kindness."

"My ancestor only said this much and didn't say anything more. I felt like he had something he couldn't quite bring himself to say."

Zhao Zhuang was probably not lying. Li Yu Lan's arrival was indeed suspicious.

Although the name Li Yu Lan had a touch of vulgarity, in the era when Li Yu Lan appeared, only daughters from wealthy families had formal names. This indicated that her family should have at least produced scholars.

Moreover, in the old days, not many boys had the opportunity to study, let alone girls. Some teachers wouldn't even teach their own daughters to read because they believed "a woman's lack of talent is a virtue," so there was no need for them to be literate. Only families of officials could produce talented women skilled in "qin (a zither-like instrument), chess, calligraphy, and painting."

Would such a woman, perhaps brainwashed by feudal ethics, marry a fisherman to repay a life-saving debt or because of intimate contact? But what about the orders of parents and matchmakers? Shouldn't she have some origin?

Did this woman who came from the water come from an underground palace, or did she become a ghost in the underground palace after death?

I said in a deep voice, "You said Wang Li Shi was forced to death? Who did it? What reason was there to force Wang Li Shi to death? Where was her body buried?"

"I don't know any of that!" Zhao Zhuang shook his head. "It's not just me who asked about these things. Others in the village have asked as well, but none of the ancestors are willing to say."

I nodded slightly, "You made a deal with that woman. You should know what she's called, right?"

"I don't know. She just told me to call her 'Grand-Aunt'," Zhao Zhuang said. "I was just bewitched at the time. I believed everything she said. There was no restriction between us at all. If I had known..."

I didn't want to listen to Zhao Zhuang's regrets, so I interrupted him, "Then what was the deal between you and that woman? You should know that, right?"

Zhao Zhuang nodded, "I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything!"

"That woman asked us to release the dragon fish trapped in the village. As long as the dragon fish left the village, she would immediately lift the village's curse and set us free."

I turned to look at Old Liu Tou, "Is the dragon fish really in the village?"

"I don't know!" Old Liu Tou shook his head. "I haven't heard my ancestors mention this matter. Besides..."

Old Liu Tou looked at my expression and said, "The fish that killed people in the river doesn't look like a dragon fish. Can a dragon fish be without scales? It doesn't look like a jiao (a mythical dragon-like creature) either. That fish has no claws or horns. How could it be a jiao?"

The Wang family ancestor said that the Water Watch Camp had lured and captured a jiao, but Zhao Zhuang said that the woman wanted a dragon fish. One word difference, but a world of difference.

Regardless of who mistook the fish, one thing was certain: that the fish had the characteristics of a jiao or a dragon.

If it was just a matter of size, not to mention rivers, even reservoirs have fish that are longer than small boats. But no matter how big a fish grows, it can't be called a jiao or a dragon.

Whether it's a jiao or a dragon, it must have features like horns, claws, or golden scales.

Old Liu Tou's story is a bit different.

I temporarily put my doubts aside. "Are you sure the fish is in the village?"

"It should be!" Zhao Zhuang said. "There are waterways under the village, and they are..."

Zhao Zhuang didn't know how to express it, so he simply drew seven squares on the ground with his dagger: "The village's waterways are connected to seven pools. Each old house has such a pool underneath that can support a boat. Those places must have been used to imprison something before."

Zhao Zhuang said, "Except for Old Liu Uncle's house, we've searched all the pools under the other houses, but we haven't seen where the dragon fish is. We can only think of other ways to find the fish."

"In the beginning, we secretly dug a waterway that led directly to the river, wanting to lure that woman over to find the dragon fish. The day we secretly released the water was the day you came."

No wonder there were water ghosts drilling into the water tanks that day. So that's how it was.