Investigation

"We caught the Green Carp right here before," Xiang Geng explained, his voice echoing slightly in the vast, hollow cavern.

"We hauled up several nets that day, maybe a dozen or so, but after eating them, we realized something wasn't right."

Feng Xiu narrowed his eyes, scanning his surroundings.

"Go, move a bit to the left." The firelight was limited, illuminating only a small patch of the area.

He then directed the men toward the shallow water near the stone wall, where some movement seemed to be stirring, though it was difficult to make out clearly.

After someone followed his orders, Xiang Geng looked over as well.

In the shallow water, a multitude of nearly transparent fry were swimming, forming a grayish-white shadow that writhed along the bottom.

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

Xiang Geng immediately replied, "They must be the offspring of the Green Carp from before."

Feng Xiu stood up, his gaze sweeping across the entire cavern.

"Go, return to the Grain Courtyard, bring the tools, drain the pool, and get some fire oil—burn it all."

Feng Xiu closed his eyes in thought, and after a short while, he issued the order in a deep voice.

Xiang Geng froze for a moment, wanting to say something but holding back, before finally nodding.

He cast a lingering look at the rusted iron gate, then turned to organize the seven or eight sturdy men into two groups.

One group went to fetch tools, while the other rode horses into the city to purchase fierce fire oil.

The men acknowledged the order and left the Dark Canal.

Before long, they returned with several massive cowhide bags and dozens of thick, thigh-sized green bamboo poles, which they spliced together.

One end was submerged in the pool, while the other extended to the entrance, forming a massive pipe.

They then inserted several hollow iron rods into holes drilled into the bamboo, sealing them with pine resin.

Aligning the rods with the nozzles on the cowhide bags, the seven or eight men began to press down in unison.

Air surged into the pipe, causing the pool to bubble and churn, quickly forming a vortex that flowed out through the bamboo conduit.

In no time, the water level in the pool dropped at a visible rate, revealing the slick, moss-covered stone.

Some of the men grabbed buckets and wooden pails, jumped down into the water—which was barely knee-deep—and began bailing it out with all their might.

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

Once the pool was completely drained, leaving only a few shallow puddles, the other group returned, each carrying wooden buckets.

The buckets were filled to the brim with a pitch-black liquid.

The space in the Dark Canal was cramped, and the pungent odor of the liquid instantly filled the air.

"Pour."

Feng Xiu raised his hand, and countless streams of fierce fire oil cascaded down the stone walls.

"Young Master." Xiang Geng, his expression respectful, reached out and handed over a fire starter.

Feng Xiu took it, blew on it, and once the flame caught, he tossed it directly below.

BOOM!

A raging fire erupted, the flames rising as high as a man, the outer sparks licking at the pool.

The remaining water in the shallow puddles evaporated instantly, accompanied by a constant hissing sound, as even the fry were reduced to ash, followed by the scent of roasting fish.

The fire, fueled by the fierce fire oil, burned with intensity, sending thick, dark smoke drifting upward.

Everyone covered their noses and mouths, and within moments, they felt a wave of scorching heat that made the air above the pool shimmer and distort.

Only after a long while did Xiang Geng finally reach out to tug on Feng Xiu's sleeve.

"Withdraw. From now on, patrol twice a day; if there is any abnormality, report it immediately," Feng Xiu said slowly.

"As you command," Xiang Geng replied with a solemn nod.

The group hurriedly packed their gear and exited the Dark Canal.

Stepping out of the cave, the view suddenly brightened, and right in front of the bamboo forest, a large patch of water stains caught their eyes.

As the sun rose higher, its heat quickly evaporated the moisture, though a few fry could still be seen struggling and twitching.

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

He had already experienced the effects of the mature Green Carp; its medicinal value was exceptional. If these fry could be raised...

Xiang Geng's eyes flickered, and he was just about to speak.

"Burn them all."

Xiang Geng's expression faltered, his eyes widening slightly.

To deal with a few fry, he wanted to cut the weeds and dig up the roots?

He immediately nodded in agreement, signaled the men, and poured the remaining fierce fire oil.

Suddenly, flames ignited.

After finishing this, the group traveled on until they reached a small bamboo grove.

But the moment they stepped inside, Xiang Geng instantly sensed something eerie, and the hair on his body stood on end.

The summer sounds of the bamboo forest—the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds—suddenly fell into a dead silence.

It was as if time had pressed the pause button here; an extreme, biting chill rose up, and a ring of frost gradually crept up the base of every bamboo stalk.

"Something's wrong." Xiang Geng's expression turned stern.

He immediately signaled for the group to slowly retreat. Everyone wore a solemn look, their hands slowly moving toward their sword hilts, their eyes heavy with caution.

Feng Xiu possessed vigorous, boiling blood and qi, making him extremely sensitive to external malevolent forces.

He lowered his head slightly and looked at his arm; the hair on his skin had stood up at some point!

"Withdraw!"

Xiang Geng's heart jumped to his throat as he whispered.

Before the tail end of his words had even faded, a shrill, miserable roar exploded in their ears!

"Feng Shouzhuo, you slept with your master's woman and killed the offspring of my clan~~"

The voice was filled with resentful madness, erupting so suddenly that it made everyone shudder.

Then, a figure violently tore through the bamboo grove.

Wherever it passed, the green bamboo stalks were crushed as if by immense force, snapping and exploding with a sound like a string of firecrackers.

Bamboo leaves showered down in large swathes, and broken wooden splinters clung to the stalks, lying scattered in every direction. When the figure finally appeared, everyone's pupils contracted sharply!

Before them stood an old woman in gray, with fish roe oozing from beneath her clothes.

On the path she had carved through the bamboo, palm-sized Green Carp were still flopping about.

Her face, which should have been human, was now entirely covered in fine scales the size of fingernails. Her dead fish eyes were filled with fury, and as her fish-like mouth opened and closed, the chill in the air grew even more intense.

"This... this is the Fish Mother from the Records of Strange Beasts!"

Someone's eyes widened as if they had recognized the creature, and the hand gripping their blade trembled slightly.

Seeing a monster from a book walk into reality, everyone felt a chill shoot straight to their scalps.

"What are you panicking for!"

Xiang Geng was, after all, a man who had seen battle; he let out a loud shout, pulling everyone's focus back.

Just then, the Fish Mother let out a hair-raising laugh, her gaze locked firmly onto Feng Xiu.

"Feng Shouzhuo, I was planning to go find you, but to think you'd deliver yourself to my doorstep, hehe~~"

"I am not fucking Feng Shouzhuo!"

After a brief moment of shock, Feng Xiu immediately recovered, his face darkening as he spoke in a cold, harsh voice.

"You are, you are!"

The Fish Mother cackled, her dead fish eyes brightening, seemingly quite certain.

"Damn it!"

Although the Feng brothers were only a year apart and their faces did indeed bear a resemblance, being mistaken for the other twice in a row made Feng Xiu clench his fingers, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.

He turned instantly and snatched a blade from a guard's hilt. His strength was so immense that the guard stumbled, nearly losing his footing.

With a cold flash of steel and a sharp shing, he stepped forward, his fierce blade intent slashing directly at the Fish Mother.

The Fish Mother flickered, shaking off a large amount of fish roe, and opened her mouth to reveal sharp, dense teeth, spitting out a condensed line of water!

The water jet was lethal. Feng Xiu tilted his head to dodge, but a guard was too slow and was struck in the right shoulder.

He cried out in pain as blood began to gush from beneath his clothes.

Seeing Feng Xiu strike first, Xiang Geng's expression changed, and he quickly roared, "The target is tough! Everyone attack together, watch out for the water spray."

After one exchange, Feng Xiu had already tested some of the Fish Mother's abilities, and no one dared to be the least bit careless.

However, because everyone had returned to the grain storage to retrieve the bamboo pipes after burning the fish pond, there were very few guards currently armed with blades.

Even so, they handed their sabers to the few skilled fighters among them while the others stood by to flank the creature.

In an instant, eight or nine sharp blades, carrying fierce wind, slashed toward the Fish Mother in unison.

Xiang Geng took the lead; among the entire group, only he and Feng Xiu possessed the highest level of strength.

For a moment, the Fish Mother's arms were stained with blood, and she was forced back several steps, her aura faltering.

"Watch the ground!"

"Her strength isn't that great!"

Xiang Geng shouted loudly. During the brief skirmish, he had realized this monster was not impervious to blades.

It was just that the Fish Mother was laying roe as she fought, making the ground slippery and causing their strikes to lose their precision.

"Feng Shouzhuo, it seems Su Wantang has trained you well; you've actually learned martial arts~~"

In the center of the arena, Fish Mother's withered, wrinkled hand instantly clamped onto the steel blade Feng Xiu had swung at her, while her fish-like mouth spat out an icy arrow.

Feng Xiu's expression shifted; he gripped the blade and yanked hard, but it didn't budge. With his mind racing, he suddenly abandoned the weapon and threw his body rapidly to the side.

"What did you say?!"

After these words, Feng Xiu stood frozen in place, his expression stunned for a moment.

Seeing this, the others gathered behind Feng Xiu, holding their blades and focusing their attention, while a ragged, heavy panting reached their ears.

Xiang Geng's eyes stalled as he saw the official cap atop Feng Xiu's head tilted askew.

Across his resolute face, a crimson flush spread almost instantly, and the veins on his forehead began to throb.

"Where did this old one speak wrongly? You are nothing but a piece of trash who only has what he has today after being trained by Su Wantang, heh~"

Fish Mother sneered.

"You~ god~ damn~ it!" Feng Xiu gritted his teeth!

Swish~

No sooner had Fish Mother finished speaking than she gave Feng Xiu no chance to retort; the steel blade in her hand was shredded, transforming into countless jagged fragments that shot toward Feng Xiu.

"Young Master, watch out!"

Xiang Geng's face changed in alarm, and just as he was about to swing his blade to deflect them, he saw Feng Xiu stomp forward with such force that those around him felt a tremor.

His boots sank an inch into the mud, his right knee bent, and his figure transformed into a green blur as he charged forward!

In mid-air, he waved his hands repeatedly; his thick, sturdy palms, like those of a Vajra, collided with the blade fragments, producing the crisp, ringing sound of metal striking metal.

Fish Mother felt a jolt of shock, her tiny fish-eye pupils reflecting a ferocious grin.

Immediately, she opened her mouth wide, and an icy, lethal arrow as thick as an arm struck out instantly!

Yet, she was fast, but Feng Xiu was faster; his fingernail flicked out like a black speck, launched after her attack, and the icy arrow shattered into pieces before him!

Fish Mother's expression turned to horror, as if she had never imagined such a scenario. Just as she was about to dodge, Feng Xiu's left hand slammed down.

His middle three fingers gripped the back of her head, while his thumb and pinky locked tightly onto her temples.

At the same time, his right hand formed a blade with his fingers, the tip pressing against her throat.

"Ah~~!"

Fish Mother's expression was frantic, her body slick as she struggled wildly.

But the more she struggled, the more the fingernails of the large hand gripping her head applied pressure, drawing bright red blood from five puncture wounds, while the sharp point at her throat pierced her skin.

"This...?!"

Seeing this scene, the minds of those nearby drifted into a daze; this sudden outburst from Feng Xiu had completely shattered the image of the gentle, refined Confucian scholar they held in their memories.

When they regained their senses, within their clear line of sight, he had actually lifted the Fish Mother—whom they had fought for so long without victory—up with a single hand.

"Let me go, this old one has only just taken human form, let me go~"

Her two wet, slippery legs kicked incessantly in the air!

Feng Xiu leaned down slightly, his rugged face suddenly looming large in her vision. His expression was gloomy, and his lips spat out a cold sentence dripping with murderous intent.

"Open your dog eyes wide and take a good look at who I really am!"

"Feng Shouzhuo, Feng Shouzhuo, you slept with the Master's woman, and my child also died by your hands; you are Feng Shouzhuo!"

Fish Mother shrieked, struggling even harder.

However, the large hand on her head was like steel, and blood flowed down her fish-scaled face from her temples.

Snap~

Feng Xiu's expression remained livid and somber. His right hand swung in a horizontal slash, a head tumbled to the ground, and the shrieking came to an abrupt end.

"Is there any fierce fire oil left?" Feng Xiu tossed the corpse aside casually.

"Yes, yes, there is."

"Burn it!"