Republican China: The Last Jianghu Mystic

Mama Liu hastily waved her hands. "No, I serve Toad Boy. I can't drink."

Cui Jiuyang looked down at the water still covering his entire lower body. It would be a long time before it receded.

He had nothing else to do anyway, and the sight of the beauty drinking had awakened his thirst for liquor.

Still, he had to be polite. "Ninth Lady, perhaps we shouldn't. Given our situation, this really isn't the time to drink."

As a corporate drudge... no, as a former corporate drudge, Cui Jiuyang could naturally hold his liquor.

But what he enjoyed most wasn't boisterous drinking with a crowd. It was sitting alone with two small dishes and sipping three cups.

Over time, he had developed a taste for it.

The Ninth Lady ignored him completely. She turned, pulled an Ox-Eye Cup from her Treasure Bag, and tossed it to Cui Jiuyang. "What man can't drink? Look at you. Why put on an act?"

Cui Jiuyang hurriedly caught the cup with both hands. The liquor's really getting to her. She can't even stand a few polite pleasantries.

But his thirst was itching to be scratched. They had just escaped the giant softshell turtle's jaws, shaken but unharmed. With a beauty before him and unknown life-or-death dangers ahead, a couple of drinks could count as liquid courage!

He tipped his head back and drained the cup.

Hah!!!

The liquor was strong, yet mellow and full-bodied.

It burned as it entered his mouth. Swallowing it felt like gulping down a stream of blazing lamp oil!

At once, it drove away the chill of the lake water.

Excellent liquor!!!

The Ninth Lady's drunkenness showed on her face, both cheeks flushed red. Seeing Cui Jiuyang drain his cup in one go, she gave him a thumbs-up. "Good! That's how it's done!"

And so, cup by cup and sip by sip, the two of them emptied the Celadon Porcelain Gourd.

By then, the Ninth Lady was in very high spirits, her eyes glistening.

She shook the gourd. When she heard no liquor sloshing inside, she turned the Celadon Porcelain Gourd upside down.

A drop of liquor gathered at its mouth, slowly growing larger. Just as it was about to fall... she flicked out the tip of her tongue and swept the last drop into her mouth.

Then she savored it with narrowed eyes, a sly, triumphant smile slowly spreading across her blissful face. "The last drop's mine!"

Cui Jiuyang burst out laughing and copied her, sucking the last trace of liquor from the Ox-Eye Cup.

By this point, the water at the higher ground near the cave entrance had receded to their feet, and both had drunk their fill.

Beside them, Liu the third wheel... Mama Liu sat cross-legged on the ground, smiling at the two young people.

She simply felt that it was wonderful to be young. I was once the belle of Jining City myself... too bad time spares no one!

The three of them now had much more room to move.

Cui Jiuyang stood and swept the Faintlight Lotus Pod around the cave walls beside him. They were smooth, without so much as a patch of algae clinging to them.

The exposed blue-stone walls actually bore signs of excavation... but the marks were so old that he could not tell when the cave had been dug.

Where did this cave lead?

The Lotus Pod's faint light could not penetrate the deep water inside. Looking with the naked eye, he had no way of knowing how far the cave extended.

Cui Jiuyang crouched and stirred the water with his hand. "Mama Liu, do you have any way to check what's farther inside?"

Mama Liu shook her head apologetically. "Mr. Cui, the Iron Rhino is deep inside the cave. The Malevolent Flood Dragon's aura is too strong here. My Tadpoles don't dare swim farther in."

He understood... unless Toad Boy descended and possessed Mama Liu, most of her supernatural abilities would probably be useless within the Malevolent Flood Dragon's sphere of influence.

The Ninth Lady's speech had become decidedly rough. "That... sleeping overgrown snake? What's there to be afraid of?! Let's go in! We'll drag it out and tie it in a knot!"

Cui Jiuyang pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

She was thoroughly drunk now. That Nuo Mask of hers was far too troublesome. Surely drinking like this every time couldn't be good. Couldn't it demand something like a pancake wrapped around a scallion instead?

Still, the Ninth Lady did not seem to have lost her reason. Drinking merely seemed to make her much more outgoing... almost like a different person.

Cui Jiuyang shook his head, but he was not particularly worried.

The closer they drew to that great Iron Rhino, the more questions filled his mind.

How had the Japanese brought the great Iron Rhino into such a deep cave?

Had the Japanese known all along that there was a cave beneath the lake?

But those answers could wait. Their most pressing concern was finding a way out!

The water level was still falling, but they probably could not afford to wait until the cave drained completely.

By then, all three of them might have starved to death here!

Cui Jiuyang discussed it with the Ninth Lady and Mama Liu. All three agreed that they might as well dive down and scout the way-though the Ninth Lady's aim was to teach the Malevolent Flood Dragon a lesson.

In theory, the Malevolent Flood Dragon was still asleep, so there should not be any tremendous danger.

Mama Liu's water-repelling Tadpoles could still do their job.

After much persuasion, Cui Jiuyang convinced the Ninth Lady not to lead the way, but to follow him instead. He also arranged for Mama Liu to bring up the rear and keep an eye on her.

Although the Ninth Lady, whose face had regained its vivid, captivating beauty, still seemed dependable, there was no telling whether she might go on a drunken rampage underwater and ruin everything.

Once ready, the three slowly submerged and swam deeper into the cave...

Meanwhile, up on the lake, the Meng brothers, Spirit Medium Wei, and the others were running in frantic circles like ants on a hot pan.

After the Lord Lake God had chewed all the dozen or so explosive poles Meng Da had prepared into sugarcane pulp, Meng Da hurried toward the spot where Cui Jiuyang and the others had entered the water.

When he arrived, Meng Er said grimly, "Brother, Mr. Cui and the other two went underwater just now. Not long after, golden light shot up from beneath the lake. Then there was a rumble like muffled thunder, and the water turned muddy."

"There's been nothing since."

Beside them, Spirit Medium Wei knelt in the boat, muttering incantations.

Chapter 31: The Giant Softshell Turtle

Miss Abe furiously smashed the delicate bone-china teacup in her hand against her assistant Togo's head. "Are you telling me that after all the trouble we took to get that damned flood dragon into the Qingyuan Tomb, the Qingyuan Water God's divine corpse wasn't there?!"

Scalding tea ran down Togo's gaunt face, followed by a thin crimson line from his forehead.

Her assistant Togo bowed his head without a word, letting Miss Abe vent her fury.

Trembling with rage, Abe waved her hand, and an eerie horned figure appeared in the room.

"Is this how you show your loyalty to the Emperor of Japan?" Abe's voice seemed to rise from hell, cold and hard.

Only when he saw the horned apparition did Togo finally show fear. He prostrated himself, lowering his head beside Abe's feet. "I have failed you. Please punish me, Miss Abe."

Intense murderous intent flashed in Abe's eyes. The horned apparition walked to Togo's side, bent down, and seized his neck in one hand like a hawk snatching a chick, lifting him into the air.

Togo clutched the hand gripping his neck with both hands, desperately trying to pry it open.

But how could the frail body of an Insect Master possibly budge the legendary Shikigami, Demon Horned Imperial Guard? After only a few moments of struggling, he began to suffocate.

The feeling of approaching death drove Togo to struggle ceaselessly. His hands clawed unconsciously at the Shikigami's armored forearm, producing shrill scraping sounds.

Since the Heian period, Demon Horned Imperial Guard had executed countless sinners who had offended Onmyoji. As the prey in his grasp gradually stopped moving, he could not resist extending his long tongue and licking the man's neck.

Only then did Abe speak again. "Let him go. He's still useful."

After a long while, Togo slowly regained consciousness. Looking around, he found that Demon Horned Imperial Guard had vanished and knew he had narrowly escaped death.

He prostrated himself once more. "Miss Abe, if the Qingyuan Water God's divine corpse truly is in the Qingyuan Tomb beneath Lake Taibai, then judging by the time that has passed, that Malevolent Flood Dragon should already have been refined."

"But..." He hesitated. "But there has still been no activity at Lake Taibai. That suggests our plan to sacrifice the Malevolent Flood Dragon and the river-suppressing Iron Rhino to the Qingyuan Water God, restoring some of his power, needs certain adjustments."

Abe stood, planted a foot on the back of Togo's head, and asked, "Adjustments? What adjustments?"

Togo's voice trembled slightly. "The divine corpse! The Qingyuan Tomb is most likely only a cenotaph. After the Ji River dried up, the surviving aquatic clan of the Jishui Water Palace built a cenotaph at Lake Taibai, which remained behind, to commemorate the Qingyuan Water God..."

"That would also explain why the thousand-year-old giant softshell turtle in Lake Taibai refuses to leave, despite its considerable cultivation and despite the lake being too shallow and small for it. It is one of the surviving members of the Jishui Water Palace's aquatic clan, so naturally it refuses to abandon its former master's cenotaph!"

Abe seemed to find some merit in his explanation. Although she pressed down harder with her foot, her voice softened a little. "Go on."

Togo's head was now pressed against the floor. He continued, "Multiple ancient texts and legends corroborate the account of the Yellow River Spirit Source Water God slaying the Jishui Qingyuan Water God! But there are no records of where the Qingyuan Water God's divine corpse ultimately fell!"

"My conjecture! My conjecture is... that the Qingyuan Water God's divine corpse was most likely dismembered by the Yellow River Spirit Source Water God and placed in the former Ji River's Water Eyes to suppress the aquatic clan of the Jishui Water Palace!"

"The Qingyuan Water God died, the Ji River dried up, the Water Palace closed, and the aquatic clan was suppressed. The Jishui Lineage existed in name only. That is why the Jidu Shrine has appeared only three times in a thousand years!"

"Otherwise, there is no explaining why the Jishui Aquatic Clan has been reduced to a single giant softshell turtle in Lake Taibai, while all the others have vanished without a trace!"

Miss Abe could not help applauding. "Togo, you never fail to make astonishing claims. You really shouldn't have joined the Onmyoryo to seek advancement. You should have gone to the homes of Tokyo's doctors of literature and become a deskbound scholar instead."

She withdrew her foot from Togo's head and sat on the sofa. "Then... the Iron Rhino we went to such lengths to find is entirely useless?"

Togo raised his head slightly. "No. We still need it as a sacrifice to the Qingyuan Water God. However, I believe we can obtain even greater benefits inside the Jidu Shrine."

Abe looked questioning. "You mean... the giant softshell turtle?"

Togo revealed a cruel, vicious smile. "Yes. The giant softshell turtle."

Their conversation ended, and a knock came at the door. An attendant leaned inside. "Miss Abe, Master Lu has come to pay his respects."

By the time Lu Zhongqian entered, the two Japanese were already seated by the sofa, drinking tea.

"Miss Abe, I've recently made discreet inquiries among people from many different circles. All the information suggests that the person who entered the Jidu Shrine back then was not Old Fifth Yang."

"As for who it actually was, accounts vary. Two versions are currently the most common. One says a little beggar from the west side of the city entered the Jidu Shrine. No one knew his name, and no one ever saw him again afterward. The other says an officer under Military Governor Zhang, a Jining native named Wang Shicheng, supposedly entered the Jidu Shrine."

Abe smiled. "We've met Mr. Wang. It wasn't him."

Lu Zhongqian looked troubled. "Your historical research is simply too obscure, Miss Abe. It's difficult enough for me to find anyone who even knows about the Jidu Shrine."

Togo stood. "Master Lu, undertaking such a difficult task must indeed have taken considerable effort. Why not help us with something a little simpler?"

With that, he pushed over a list detailing another batch of things they needed.

Unlike the ancient books, paintings, and other items in the previous batch, the very first entry on this list made even the worldly Master Lu frown.

What did these two Japanese want explosives and naval mines for?

Despite his doubts, Lu Zhongqian went out to instruct his subordinates to procure the items.

That night, a pleasure boat carrying everything on the list and the two honored Japanese guests sailed out onto Lake Taibai.