Chapter 118: Suspected Drowning in the River

The four of them struggled out of the vehicle, plunging into the deep river one after another with loud splashes. The Jaguar followed, sinking into the depths and disappearing beneath the surface amidst the churning water.

As Zhang Qinglin dove into the river, the freezing water rushed into his clothes, a bone-chilling cold striking deep into his heart. He blinked, twisted his body, and kicked upward until his head broke the surface. He heard someone else emerge behind him and turned to see a dark silhouette not far away. A pair of shoulders poked out of the water, and long strands of hair clung to the face and shoulders. Recognizing the hair, he assumed it was Wanqing. He waved to her, shouting her name and urging her to follow him to the bank.

As time ticked by, Zhang Qinglin scanned the area for Cheng Che and Chi Tan, as well as the riverbank. After swimming a short distance, he paused to look around, only to find that the figure he took for Wanqing had remained completely stationary. Puzzled by her lack of movement, he stared closer, a sudden, eerie feeling washing over him. The woman stood perfectly still in the water, not making a sound, seemingly staring directly at him. In a flash of distorted perception, he imagined her face: white, milky eyes with blood-red undersides, a long red tongue darting in and out of the water.

"Cough, cough... Zhang Qinglin... I'm here!" Wanqing surfaced nearby, spitting out a mouthful of river water.

Zhang Qinglin spun around quickly. Wanqing was swimming toward him. When he looked back at the spot where the other woman had been, she was gone.

"Where are Cheng Che and the others?" Wanqing asked as she reached him.

Zhang Qinglin swallowed hard, trying to steady his nerves. "They should be around here somewhere."

They searched for a while, but the river surface only rippled, showing no sign of the others. Just as they were about to head for the bank, Wanqing looked up at the bridge ahead with a look of extreme shock. Zhang Qinglin followed her gaze and saw a figure standing on the bridge, peering down into the water. Wu Guangen’s car was gone—there was not a vehicle in sight. It was impossible; they hadn't been in the water long, and Wu Guangen couldn't have vanished without a trace so quickly.

Suddenly, a fierce wind whipped up. The calm river began to churn violently, and both Zhang Qinglin and Wanqing were sucked under. The last thing Zhang Qinglin saw was Wanqing being swept away by the current; he, too, was dragged uncontrollably in the opposite direction of the bridge. His mind went blank, and his limbs began to cramp. He struggled desperately, hoping to reach the bank or grab hold of anything to save himself.

He swallowed several mouthfuls of water, shaking his head as he realized the absurdity of the sudden turbulence. Unless a dam had opened its gates—which was impossible in the Xi'an region—this shouldn't be happening. He recalled the heavy rainstorm from earlier; perhaps the upper reaches of the river had overflowed.

Something grabbed his right ankle and pulled him downward. Despite the cramps, he felt the distinct sensation of a pair of hands gripping his leg, dragging his entire body toward the riverbed. He slowly looked down and saw a shadow beneath him. He kicked and thrashed to swim upward, but his strength was failing. With a sharp tug from the figure below, he sank further.

Trying to remain calm, he held his breath and strained to see who—or what—it was. As he continued to sink, he bent his waist, reaching down to pry the hands away. When he saw a long, red tongue wrapped several times around his ankle, his heart plummeted. It was the same figure he had mistaken for Wanqing earlier. *A water ghost?* The thought flashed through his mind. He had only heard tales of them, and he knew they were all different.

Feeling his breath running out, he cursed silently, refusing to drown here. He clawed at the red tongue, but then, countless women with long, waist-length hair surged toward him from all sides. He felt torrents of river water flood his throat, his vision blurred, and his body grew light. As his consciousness flickered, he felt the long-haired women tearing at him. Then, everything faded into darkness.

He thought he was dead, but a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest forced a gasp of air into his lungs, and he bolted upright, eyes wide open.

It was no longer night. The water ghosts and the long, red tongue were gone. He was in a simple prefab shack, lying on a makeshift bed in the corner. A window covered with plastic sheeting rattled as the wind howled outside. Zhang Qinglin looked around, dazed. His clothes had been changed, and his heart skipped a beat—the Jade Amber was in his original jacket pocket. He frantically searched the bed, but couldn't find his clothes.

*Am I dead, or is this a hallucination?* He pinched his thigh; it was real. He climbed off the bed and spotted his clothes piled on a rickety wooden chair by the side. He scrambled through them and found the Jade Amber. Just then, muffled shouting drifted in from outside.

Clutching the jade, he stepped out. The freezing air made him shiver, as he was wearing only a grey shirt. He rubbed his hands together and looked up to see a row of similar shacks to his left. A large pond lay not far ahead, where a man and a woman were standing. Zhang Qinglin walked toward them, hearing them discuss fish species and harvest ratios.

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt. Could you tell me where this is?" Zhang Qinglin asked, addressing the woman, who stood with her back to him, tall and dressed in a thick coat.

Hearing him, she stopped talking to the honest-looking middle-aged man beside her. She turned slowly, a smile gracing her beautiful face as she spoke three words:

"You're awake!"