Green Locust Reservoir

By afternoon, a cold drizzle had begun to fall from the sky again.

Lin Nan and the other two followed Ming Jun along the yellow-mud mountain path, weaving through the dense forest.

The rain had made the ground slick, and every step sank into a patch of mud.

Ming Jun, who led the way ahead, seemed to be growing increasingly tense.

Along the way, Yin An tugged at Lin Nan's sleeve and whispered, "Don't take it to heart. That's just the captain's temper. She doesn't like people talking back to her, especially when you're still a newcomer..."

"It's fine. Let's go." Lin Nan shook his head.

Before long, the four of them reached the end of the forest path. There stood a pile of stones about the size of a person, stacked from fist-sized pebbles beside the road.

"Who built this?" Yin An asked curiously, reaching out to touch it.

"It's a custom of the Watermouth Town residents, used to worship the River God," Ming Jun explained.

"Where are the rest of your constables? Why haven't we seen them along the way?" Li Zhiyao asked.

Ming Jun shook his head. "They're by the reservoir, probably still waiting for that water demon to emerge."

"Then let's move." Li Zhiyao snapped coldly.

A short while later, the four emerged from the forest.

Before them lay an enormous pool of water, bordered by a man-made dam. It was nearly the size of half a lake. Drizzle pattered across the surface, raising a faint mist.

By the reservoir stood three young constables in gray short outfits. The moment they saw Lin Nan and the others, their expressions turned excited.

"The True Yang Temple demon-hunting team is here."

At the sight of the three from True Yang Temple, the young constables immediately grew animated, their faces flushed with excitement.

"That water demon still hasn't appeared today?" Ming Jun asked the three constables.

"No. That water demon isn't particularly strong, but it's extremely cunning. We've been waiting since morning without any results."

"My lords, this is Green Locust Reservoir."

As he spoke, the lead constable stepped forward and respectfully cupped his fists toward Lin Nan and the other two.

He then pointed at the reservoir. "The water demon we saw before is hiding in there! But it's extremely cunning. We've waited all day without catching sight of it."

"This Water-Scab Old Man usually only comes out near the hour of the Rooster, and it's exceptionally crafty. One lapse in attention and it slips away. There's no point in simply waiting here."

Yin An set down the pack on his back and pulled out a piece of meat wrapped in oil paper.

At the sight of it, Lin Nan glanced over slightly.

"Demon flesh?"

"That's right. Tonight, we'll fish for the demon here." A faint smile curled Yin An's lips as he began tying the meat to a thin line.

"Fish for a demon?!" The four constables did not understand, but instinctively gripped the steel blades at their waists.

On the other side, Li Zhiyao moved two fingers and swiftly drew eight jade talismans from her person. Corresponding to the eight trigrams—Qian, Kun, Zhen, and the rest—she affixed them around the clearing in all eight directions.

"Newcomer, watch carefully and learn. This is called establishing a safe zone. It's an essential method for surviving in the wilderness."

Li Zhiyao gave him an indifferent glance.

So jade talismans could be used like this.

Lin Nan silently committed it to memory.

"It's only a first-rank water demon. It won't take much effort."

A cold glint flashed through Li Zhiyao's eyes as she stared at the lake. Then she pointed at Lin Nan and the four constables. "You lot, go set up the shelter."

Lin Nan narrowed his eyes.

He could tell that this squad leader named Li Zhiyao was exceptionally narrow-minded. Just because of what he had said earlier, she had developed quite a prejudice against him and directly grouped him with the constables.

The seven divided up the work. Before long, they had established a sizable safe zone beside the reservoir and lit a fire.

Yin An threaded the demon flesh onto a line and placed it in the shallow water by the shore. The seven waited while taking in the view.

They were unfamiliar with one another. At first, they exchanged a few awkward words, but gradually fell silent, all eyes fixed on the water's surface.

Without anyone noticing, the sky slowly darkened, and the light around them faded away.

Yin An waited until he began yawning.

"That's not right. It's already the hour of the Rooster. Why hasn't this water demon come out yet?"

Just then.

He saw mist curling over the surface of the shallows, and it seemed that a figure was standing there.

When he focused his eyes again, he froze for a moment before his expression abruptly changed.

It was Ming Jun!

The young constable who had just been sitting beside him!

"Ming Jun?! Why did you run into the water?!"

He sprang to his feet and hurried toward the shallows. Rushing forward, he reached the water's edge and grabbed Ming Jun by the shoulder.

"What are you doing here? Get back! The water is the water demon's main battlefield..."

Buzz!

Before he could finish, Yin An's hand suddenly grasped nothing. The Ming Jun before him seemed to dissolve like a phantom.

"Was I seeing things?" Yin An was startled and spun around.

The Ming Jun he had just seen was now sitting by the shore, huddled inside the shelter and chatting with the other three constables.

It was as if the figure in the water had merely been an illusion.

"What's going on?"

Yin An hurriedly tried to turn and leave, but suddenly felt a pulling force beneath his feet. It was like a suction cup, holding him firmly in place.

"Has it come? No, there's no tangible sensation."

Alarmed, Yin An drove his qi and blood into his legs, trying to pull himself from the water. Yet no matter how he circulated it, that tremendous force clamped onto him like iron pincers, leaving him unable to break free.

The suction beneath the water grew stronger and stronger, nearly submerging even his upper body.

"This is bad... Help... help me!!"

Yin An's face went pale as he began shouting desperately.

Yet under that pulling force, his body sank deeper and deeper. Water mixed with silt rushed into his lungs, and the violent suffocation made his chest burn with swelling pain.

"I'm a dignified third-level Skin-and-Flesh Realm martial artist. Don't tell me I'm going to drown like this?! What kind of joke is this!!"

Yin An's consciousness gradually sank away.

But the next moment.

A powerful surge of qi and blood, carrying scorching heat, seized him by the neck. Like lifting a chick, it yanked him out of the water in one motion.

"Hah... hah..."

Yin An greedily gulped down air, black water spilling from his nose and mouth.

"I... what happened to me just now?"

Yin An collapsed on the shore and looked up. Lin Nan's tall figure stood calmly beside him, the muscles on his arm sharply defined, giving off an overwhelming sense of security.

At that moment, Li Zhiyao and the other four constables rushed over.

Li Zhiyao shouted sharply, "Yin An, why did you suddenly go into the water?! What if you startled the water demon away?"

Yin An stammered, "I... I just now... I don't know either..."

Before he could finish, Li Zhiyao turned toward Lin Nan. "And you. Acting on your own without permission—what if you scared the water demon away? Can you bear that responsibility..."

Before Lin Nan could answer, Ming Jun suddenly cried out!

"Look, the water demon is here!"

Following the direction Ming Jun pointed, they saw a hunched figure faintly crouching on the opposite shore of the reservoir. From afar, it looked like a bloated old man in his twilight years.

Li Zhiyao was instantly overjoyed. "Go! Catch it!"

"Wait!" Lin Nan raised a hand to stop her, his eyes calm as a clear spring. "Don't you think this is too much of a coincidence?"

"A coincidence? You talk too much. Has no one told you that the first thing a newcomer must do is follow orders?" Li Zhiyao laughed coldly in anger.

"Instead of standing here and pointing fingers?! Are you going or not?!"

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here." Lin Nan shook his head slightly.

"Fine. Just you wait."

Li Zhiyao sneered and said no more.

She drew her longsword, pulled out a talisman and stuck it to herself, then crept along the shore.

Yin An looked helpless. He glanced at Lin Nan, but ultimately chose to follow Li Zhiyao.

The four young constables also glanced back at him. Without saying anything, they turned and followed Li Zhiyao and Yin An.

Only Lin Nan remained on the shore, quietly watching them.