Investigation

"Before, we caught the Green Carp here," Xiang Geng explained. His voice echoed faintly through the empty cavern.

"We caught several nets' worth that day, more than a dozen fish. After we ate them, we realized something was wrong."

Feng Xiu narrowed his eyes and surveyed the area.

"Go. A little farther left." The firelight was limited, illuminating only a small patch.

He then directed the men toward the shallow water by the rock wall. Something seemed to be moving there, but it was hard to make out.

After one of the men followed his instruction, Xiang Geng looked over as well.

A great many nearly transparent fry swam through the shallows, forming a grayish-white shadow that wriggled along the bottom.

"Where did these fry come from?" Feng Xiu asked.

Xiang Geng replied, "They should be offspring of the Green Carp we caught before."

Feng Xiu rose to his feet and swept his gaze across the entire cavern.

"Go back to the Grain Courtyard. Bring tools and drain the pool. Also, get some fire oil. Burn all of it."

Feng Xiu closed his eyes in thought. A moment later, he gave the order in a low voice.

Xiang Geng froze, seeming to want to say something, but he nodded all the same.

He took a long look at the rust-covered iron gate, then turned and split the seven or eight sturdy men into two groups.

One group would fetch the tools; the other would ride into town to buy potent fire oil.

The men accepted their orders and left the Dark Canal.

Before long, they returned with several enormous cowhide bags and dozens of lengths of green bamboo as thick as a man's thigh. They joined the sections together.

They stuck one end into the pool and extended the other to the entrance, forming a massive pipe.

They took out several hollow iron rods and inserted them into holes in the bamboo pipe, then sealed them with pine resin.

With the rods aimed at the connectors on the cowhide bags, seven or eight men began pressing down together.

Air rushed into the pipe. The pool bubbled, then swirled into a vortex and surged out through the bamboo.

In no time, the water level visibly dropped, exposing slick, moss-covered stone.

Some of the men grabbed buckets and wooden pails and simply jumped in. With the water barely reaching their knees, they strained to scoop it out.

Feng Xiu watched calmly from the side. Xiang Geng remained silent beside him.

Once the pool had been drained completely, leaving only a few shallow puddles, the other group came over with wooden buckets.

Each bucket was filled to the brim with black liquid.

The Dark Canal was cramped, and the liquid's pungent odor filled the space at once.

"Pour it."

Feng Xiu raised a hand, and countless streams of fire oil cascaded down the rock walls.

"Young Master." Xiang Geng bowed respectfully and held out a fire starter.

Feng Xiu took it and blew on it. When the flame caught, he tossed it straight down.

BOOM!

A roaring blaze erupted, its flames rising higher than a grown man. Along the edges, sparks licked at the pool.

The shallow puddles evaporated completely. Hissing sounds rang out as the water vanished, and some of the fry burned to ash, accompanied by the smell of fish roasting over a fire.

The fire oil fed a fierce blaze, and thick greenish smoke billowed overhead.

Everyone covered their mouths and noses. Before long, they felt a wave of scorching heat, and the air above the pool began to shimmer.

Only after quite some time did Xiang Geng step forward and tug at Feng Xiu's sleeve.

"Pull back. From now on, patrol twice a day. Report anything unusual immediately," Feng Xiu said slowly.

"Understood, sir." Xiang Geng nodded solemnly.

The group quickly packed up, then left the Dark Canal.

Emerging from the cave, they found their vision suddenly clear. A vast patch of water lay before them, in front of the bamboo grove.

The sun was rising. Its scorching rays quickly dried the water, while a few fry still struggled and flopped about.

Xiang Geng looked at Feng Xiu, then at the men in the group carrying wooden buckets.

They had already experienced the effects of fully grown Green Carp; their medicinal value was excellent. If they could raise these fry...

Xiang Geng's brows shifted slightly. He was about to say something.

"Burn them all."

Xiang Geng's expression froze, and his eyes widened slightly.

They were going to make sure not a single fry survived?

He nodded and agreed, then called several men over to pour fire oil on them.

Flames sprang up at once.

After finishing, the group headed to the little bamboo grove.

But the moment they entered, Xiang Geng sensed something strange. The hair all over his body stood on end.

The summer sounds that had filled the bamboo grove—the rustling leaves and chirping birds—suddenly fell silent.

It was as though time had stopped there. A bone-chilling cold rose, and frost slowly crept around the base of every bamboo stalk.

"Something's wrong." Xiang Geng's expression tightened.

He raised a hand, signaling everyone to slowly back away. The others looked equally grim, their hands creeping toward their sword hilts, their gazes tense.

Feng Xiu possessed abundant, surging qi and blood, making him acutely sensitive to sinister forces in his surroundings.

He lowered his head slightly and glanced at his arm. At some point, the hairs on it had risen!

"Retreat!" Xiang Geng whispered, his heart in his throat.

Before the last word had faded, a shrill roar exploded beside them!

"Feng Shouzhuo, you slept with the master's woman and killed the offspring of my kind!"

The voice rang out in a crazed, resentful frenzy, catching them completely off guard. Everyone shuddered.

Then a figure barreled violently through the bamboo grove.

Everywhere it passed, green bamboo stalks crumpled under some tremendous force, bursting apart with a dense crackle like firecrackers.

Bamboo leaves showered down in great swaths. Broken stumps clung to the stalks, which lay scattered in every direction. The instant the figure appeared, everyone's pupils shrank sharply!

Before them stood an old woman in gray. Fish roe dripped from beneath her clothes.

Along the path she had carved through the bamboo grove, Green Carp the size of a palm still flopped about.

Her face, once human, was now entirely covered in densely packed scales the size of fingernails. Her dead-fish eyes brimmed with fury, and every time her fish mouth opened and closed, the chill in the air grew more intense.

"Th-that's the Fish Mother from the Records of Strange Beasts!"

Someone's eyes widened as if they recognized her. The hand gripping their sword trembled.

A monster from the pages of a book had stepped into the real world. A chill shot straight to everyone's brains.

"What are you panicking for?!"

Xiang Geng had seen his share of danger. His shout snapped everyone back to their senses.

Just then, the Fish Mother let out a spine-chilling laugh, her eyes fixed once more on Feng Xiu.

"Feng Shouzhuo, I was planning to come find you. I never thought you'd deliver yourself to me. Heh-heh!"

"I'm not Feng Shouzhuo, damn it!"

Feng Xiu was dazed for only a moment before quickly recovering. Hearing those words, he spoke in a cold, dark voice.

"You are! You are!"

The Fish Mother cackled. The dead-fish eyes gleamed even brighter, as if she were utterly certain.

"Damn it!"

Though only a year separated the Feng brothers, their faces did bear some resemblance.

But after being mistaken for him twice in a row, Feng Xiu clenched his fists, the veins standing out across his knuckles.

He whirled around and grabbed a guard's sword hilt. His strength was so great that the guard staggered, nearly losing his balance.

With a flash of cold steel, Feng Xiu drew the blade. He stepped forward and brought it down on the Fish Mother in a fierce slash.

The Fish Mother dodged, shaking loose a shower of fish roe. Her fish mouth revealed rows of sharp teeth, and she spat a condensed stream of water.

The stream shot toward Feng Xiu with deadly force. He turned his head and dodged, but one of the guards couldn't get out of the way in time. It struck him squarely in the right shoulder.

He cried out in pain. Blood poured from beneath his clothes.

Seeing Feng Xiu make the first move, Xiang Geng's expression changed. He hurriedly shouted, "This one's tough! Everyone, attack together! Watch out for her water spit!"

With that one exchange, Feng Xiu had tested some of the Fish Mother's abilities. The others didn't dare let their guard down for a moment.

However, after burning the fish pool and joining the bamboo pipes, they had all returned to the Grain Courtyard. Very few of the guards had weapons with them now.

Even so, they handed their broadswords to the strongest fighters and stood by to provide support.

In an instant, eight or nine sharp blades swept toward the Fish Mother, accompanied by fierce gusts of sword wind.

Xiang Geng charged at the front. Only Feng Xiu and he were stronger than the rest of the group.

For a moment, blood stained the Fish Mother's arm, and she was forced back several steps. Her aura faltered.

"Watch your footing!"

"She's not that strong!"

Xiang Geng shouted. During the brief fight, he had seen that the monster wasn't impervious to blades.

But the Fish Mother kept laying eggs as she fought. The ground was slippery, throwing off the men's aim.

"Feng Shouzhuo, it seems Su Wantang trained you well. You've even learned martial arts!"

In the middle of the fight, the Fish Mother's withered old hand suddenly seized Feng Xiu's steel blade. Her fish mouth spat out an arrow of ice.

Feng Xiu's expression changed. He yanked hard on the sword, but it wouldn't budge. With his thoughts racing, he suddenly let go and twisted quickly to the side.

"What did you say?!"

After those words, Feng Xiu stood rooted to the spot, momentarily stunned.

Seeing this, the others gathered behind him, swords raised as they faced the enemy. A rough gasp sounded in their ears.

Xiang Geng's gaze froze. Feng Xiu's ceremonial crown had tilted crookedly.

In the blink of an eye, a flush spread over his resolute face, and the veins in his forehead pulsed.

"What did this old woman say wrong? You were nothing but a good-for-nothing. It was only after Su Wantang trained you that you became what you are today. Heh."

The Fish Mother sneered.

"You... damn... bitch!" Feng Xiu ground out through clenched teeth.

With a swish—

As soon as she finished speaking, the Fish Mother gave Feng Xiu no chance to respond. She tore the steel blade apart, turning it into countless shards that shot toward him.

"Young Master, watch out!"

Xiang Geng's expression changed drastically. He was about to swing his sword to block them when Feng Xiu suddenly stepped forward. The force of his step made everyone around him tremble.

His oxhide boots sank several inches into the soil. Bending his right knee, he shot forward in a streak of green.

Midair, he lashed out with both hands. His huge, thick palms, hard as a Vajra's, met the flying shards with a series of crisp clangs, like iron striking iron.

The Fish Mother was startled. Her tiny pupils reflected Feng Xiu's vicious grin.

Then she opened her mouth wide and spat out an ice-cold arrow as thick as a man's arm. It shot straight at him!

But she was fast, and Feng Xiu was faster. His fingernail snapped out like a black dot, and the ice arrow shattered inch by inch!

The Fish Mother's face filled with horror. She seemed never to have imagined such a thing. Just as she tried to dodge, Feng Xiu's left hand slammed down.

His middle three fingers clamped around the back of her head, while his thumb and little finger locked onto her temples.

At the same time, his right hand formed a blade with its fingers, the edge pressed to her throat.

"Ahhh!"

The Fish Mother looked terrified. Her slick body writhed and struggled.

But the more she fought, the more the fingers of the hand clamped around her head tightened. Five bloody pits opened, bright red blood flowing from them, while the sharp fingers at her throat pierced her skin.

"This...?!"

The sight left everyone around him dazed. Feng Xiu's sudden burst of violence had completely shattered their impression of him as a refined Confucian gentleman.

When they came to their senses, they saw that he had lifted the Fish Mother—who had kept them at bay for so long—with one hand.

"Let me go! I've only just taken human form! Let me go!"

Her two slick legs kicked wildly in midair!

Feng Xiu bent forward slightly. His hard, stern face suddenly loomed large before her eyes. His expression was dark as he spat out a cold threat, every word dripping with murderous intent.

"Open your damned eyes and take a good look. Who am I?"

"Feng Shouzhuo! Feng Shouzhuo! You slept with the master's woman, and you killed my children! You are Feng Shouzhuo!"

The Fish Mother shrieked, struggling even harder.

But the hand clamped around her head was as hard as steel. Blood ran down her scaled face from her temples.

Crack—

Feng Xiu's face was livid with fury. He swung his right hand across, and her head hit the ground. Her scream cut off abruptly.

"Do we have any fire oil left?" Feng Xiu casually dropped the body.

"Yes, yes, we do."

"Burn it!"