Dragon King

The Black River's water was not actually black.

Not only was it not black, but in Longyou Circuit, a land shrouded in yellow sands all year round, having such a crystal-clear river was already a gift from heaven.

The river flowed from west to east, winding onward and nourishing the fertile fields and people along both banks.

Yet this very river had now changed beyond recognition.

Still half a li from the riverbank, an indescribable stench assailed them head-on.

Even the Demon Suppression Office party, who had long grown accustomed to every sort of grisly scene, could not help frowning when they caught that smell.

Even so.

What needed investigating still had to be investigated.

The group dismounted, led their horses, and walked step by step toward the riverbed.

The closer they drew, the thicker the stench became, leaving them dizzy and lightheaded.

The once-clear river now bore a strange hue. Its surface was blanketed in densely packed white fish bellies, large and small, stretching beyond sight.

"Fuck..."

Zhao Hu was the first to lose it. He dry-heaved, raising his sleeve to cover his nose and mouth tightly.

Liu Chen did not look much better. He waved a hand. "Bear with it. Search carefully and see if you can find any clues."

The others acknowledged the order and scattered, searching closely along the riverbank.

Very soon.

They found nothing.

There was no demonic aura, nor was there any trace of the Yellow Division.

By all reason, when demons caused trouble, they would leave behind demonic aura.

Yet there was nothing here besides the stench.

Either the demon possessed formidable means and could conceal every trace of its presence.

Or...

There was another reason this river had become like this.

Just as they were pondering it, they caught sight of curling cooking smoke not far away.

There was actually a small village by the riverbank.

The village was not large, perhaps only twenty or thirty households. Its rammed-earth walls and thatched roofs looked utterly dilapidated.

"These villagers... haven't fled?"

With the river stinking like this, could people still survive living beside it?

No sooner had he spoken than an old man with a stooped back emerged trembling from the village, carrying two wooden buckets straight toward the river.

The group watched as the old man reached the riverbank and lowered his buckets into the oily water, where dead fish floated everywhere.

"..."

Zhao Hu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Damn it, have these people lost their minds?!"

Without a second thought, he rushed over in several long strides, snatched the rope from the old man's hand, and poured the half-bucket of foul water he had just drawn back into the river.

"Old sir! Do you have a death wish?!"

"The water's already like this! Drinking it will kill you!"

The old man was startled by the sudden turn of events. Once he saw that it was a burly man wearing Demon Suppression Office attire, however, his clouded eyes held not the slightest gratitude, only resentment.

The old man rolled his eyes at him without saying a word, bent down to pick up the buckets, and prepared to draw water again.

This time, not only Zhao Hu but even Liu Chen and the others who had followed him over were dumbfounded.

"Hey! You old man!"

Zhao Hu stamped his feet in fury and stopped him again. "I'm talking to you! Are you deaf? You can't drink this water!"

At last, the old man grew impatient. "If we don't drink this, what are we supposed to drink?"

"Drink this river water, and maybe we'll die slowly."

"But if we don't drink it..."

"In a few days, we'll die of thirst. You choose."

"..."

The group looked at one another, at a loss for words.

Longyou Circuit was a thousand li of yellow sands, with drought nine years out of ten.

For ordinary people to survive in this land, they had only two hopes.

Either they hoped for heaven.

Or they hoped for the river.

In most places, even digging a hundred feet into the ground might not yield a single drop of water.

Liu Chen said nothing. He merely handed the water skin in his hand to the old man.

The old man froze for a moment, accepted the water skin, unscrewed it, and tipped back his head for a great gulp before letting out a long breath.

"Thank you."

"Old sir, we are from the Demon Suppression Office and have come to investigate the Black River's strange transformation. We ask for your cooperation."

When the words Demon Suppression Office were spoken, the old man's clouded eyes finally showed a flicker of reaction.

He raised his head and carefully examined the group, his gaze eventually settling on the horizontal sabers at their waists.

"Officials..."

The old man sighed, set the wooden buckets down, and plopped himself onto a stone beside the river.

"It's not that I refuse to cooperate. There truly isn't much to say."

"Our Longyou has always lacked water. The villages along this Black River depend entirely on it for drinking and daily use."

"Half a month ago, for reasons unknown, it flowed backward by itself for three days."

"After three days, the water flowed normally again, but it had become this ghostly mess. All the fish in the river died, and the water turned fishy and foul."

"Earth dragons turning over is common in Longyou, but for the water veins to be cut off... eighty percent chance the Dragon King has become enraged."

Dragon King?

Jiang Yuechu raised a brow.

The others were also taken aback.

Liu Chen frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

The old man pointed at the yellow earth beneath their feet. "Our Longyou lives off the heavens, but when heaven doesn't send rain, we can only rely on the land. The water beneath this land is bestowed by the Dragon King."

"The nearby villages and towns all offer incense to the Dragon King. Every year, they dare not slacken even the slightest in their sacrifices. These past years, we can't say the winds and rains came in due season, but we have never seen anything as strange as the water veins being completely severed."

"If not for what happened some days ago..."

Halfway through, the old man abruptly clamped his mouth shut, as though afraid he had said too much.

Liu Chen's brow furrowed.

Such situations were not uncommon in the Great Tang.

These so-called Dragon Kings were, in essence, mostly demons.

The local people were ignorant and worshipped them as gods, seeking favorable winds and timely rains.

In many deep mountains and great marshes, there were such "mountain gods" and "river lords," receiving the incense of one region and protecting its waters and soil.

So long as they did not harm people, the Demon Suppression Office generally turned a blind eye.

But given the current state of things...

"Before this, did a group dressed similarly to us come here?"

Liu Chen changed the question.

"I think... there were a few of them, dressed like officials too. They asked a few questions, then went upstream along the riverbank."

They went upstream?

Liu Chen exchanged looks with the others, already having formed an idea.

The Yellow Division must have discovered something as well, which was why they had gone upstream to investigate.

"Thank you, old sir."

The old man waved a hand and ignored them no longer.

He filled both buckets himself, slung the rope over his shoulder until it bit into the flesh, then slowly headed back toward the village without looking back.

Zhao Hu watched his retreating figure, opening his mouth as if he wished to offer more persuasion.

Yet when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back down.

He unconsciously touched the water skin at his waist.

The eight of them had ridden day and night from Liangzhou Prefecture. The water they carried would only be enough to last until their mission was over.

How could they possibly have enough to spare for everyone in this entire village?

Liu Chen watched the old man's departing back in silence for a long while before speaking slowly.

"Tell me. What do you all think?"

Old Wang sighed. "What else is there to think?"

"That Dragon King the old man spoke of is most likely the demon entrenched here."

"Previously, the winds and rains were favorable because the people's incense offerings must have been plentiful. Now that things have become like this, I fear something has happened to that demon."

Zhao Hu spat.

"What fucking Dragon King? It's just a beast squatting on the water veins."

"If you ask me, we should charge in and chop off its head!"

"Chop off its head?"

Old Wang shot him a sidelong glance and said irritably, "Do you know where that demon is? Do you know what realm it's in?"

"Those Yellow Division fellows are all skilled scouts, yet now they are neither seen alive nor found dead. Do you think this is some game?"

"You..."

"Enough."

Liu Chen barked, stopping their quarrel.

Rather than making empty guesses here, they might as well follow the tracks of those who came before and investigate upstream.

Liu Chen took a deep breath, determination flashing through his eyes.

"Everyone, mount up!"

Eight Scarlet-eyed Steeds wheeled around and galloped upstream along the riverbed.