But as the other Aquatic Folk officers withdrew, General Crab and several yakshas under his command returned to the enormous Bronze Coffin, their expressions grave.
The coffin had closed again, but none of them had closed it. It had closed on its own, leaving those beside it deep in thought.
"General, it seems this coffin is the strangest thing of all."
"Do your own duties well. I'll go see the immortal master first. Once this is over, he'll make arrangements for it."
As they spoke, the Aquatic Folk dispersed, and silt covered the coffin once more. This time, the riverbed truly fell quiet.
The startled and suspicious ghosts and gods on shore also departed afterward. Under normal procedures, neither side had jurisdiction over the other. Since nothing was wrong in the water anymore, those on shore naturally paid it no further attention.
Yi Shuyuan did not leave immediately. Instead, he remained seated quietly beside the river.
Late that night, a little crab crawled ashore, stopped by Yi Shuyuan's feet for a while, then returned to the river.
Only when the sky began to lighten did Yi Shuyuan stand up.
"Sir, just tell me whether I deserve credit! I was the one who suggested you seek out the Aquatic Folk in the river!"
With the crisis seemingly resolved, Hui Mian was feeling rather pleased. Anyone could see how much the Water God's officers in the river had contributed that night.
"Yes, yes, you deserve credit."
"Sir, what do you think that corpse was? Could it have been a flying zombie?"
Yi Shuyuan looked east, where the sun was about to rise, then at the river, which had now returned to normal. He recalled the sensation when he had recalled the fleeting light and sword shadows yesterday.
Although he had effectively