Sailing

Translator: Cinder Translations

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Fatty: "..."

The night grew deeper. Through the cracks in the window, the sky outside was as dark as ink, and everything around was eerily quiet. Even the sound of a needle dropping outside could be heard.

You Qi seemed to hesitate for a long time, but finally spoke, "How much longer? It feels like it's already the middle of the night."

No one responded to his words.

In the mission, it's only people who are late—ghosts never are.

However, You Qi's words finally broke the long silence in the room, and slowly, someone else spoke. Zuo Jing stared at the door, as if her gaze could pierce through the door and see outside.

"Starting from midnight, the first drumbeat signifies the beginning of the task. We must find the female ghost's corpse before the second drumbeat. After that, we need to return the corpse before the third drumbeat, and finally, the fourth drumbeat signals the end of the task."

These were the rules for the act conveyed by the middle-aged woman. Zuo Jing repeated them again, seemingly to reinforce the impression.

"I think the most dangerous time might be after bringing the female ghost's corpse back," You Qi interjected. "After all, everyone will be there, and if the ghost wants to kill anyone..."

He trailed off, noticing several gazes on him.

Hearing this, An Xuan nodded, as if to relieve the tension, "There is that possibility, but I think it's unlikely."

He exhaled slowly before lifting his head and speaking again. "I still think the probability of something happening on the lake is higher."

Upon hearing this, Fatty's face turned sour, Chen Qiang frowned, and although Xia Meng showed little change, it was only because her emotions weren't visible at the moment.

"Let's hope we're all safe today." Looking at the three people who were about to board the boat with him, An Xuan said sincerely.

"Listen!"

Suddenly, Master Liao Zhi spoke after a long silence.

The room immediately quieted.

Then, a slow but powerful drumbeat echoed.

The first drum.

It's here.

The show begins.

Without hesitation, An Xuan, Xia Meng, and the others immediately stood up, opened the door, and walked towards the lake. Jiang Cheng watched as Fatty's figure disappeared around a corner, then turned and closed the door.

Now, only Zuo Jing, Master Liao Zhi, You Qi, and Jiang Cheng were left in the room.

Zuo Jing seemed to be in a good state, sitting casually at the table. Her costume, which suited her well, reflected her elegant temperament, the kind of look that would make Jiang Cheng offer her a discount if he saw her at a night market.

In contrast, You Qi and Master Liao Zhi appeared much more nervous.

You Qi managed to keep a calm demeanor on the surface, but Master Liao Zhi was a mess. Perhaps the incident during the day had left a mark on him, as he looked on edge, constantly scanning the room—sitting, standing, and then even hiding on Fatty's bed.

He had a dark expression, not saying a word, constantly eyeing the surroundings, especially the window and the door.

A thin mist rose over the lake. In the interference of the mist, everything on the lake and the far shore appeared blurry, as though it were hiding countless demons and monsters.

Under the watchful eyes of the others, a small boat broke through the mist and silently emerged from the lake.

The boat was empty.

Xia Meng frowned slightly and asked, "Why is there only one boat?"

According to the previous plan, there should have been two.

Fatty and Chen Qiang were supposed to take one boat to search for the "bride" in the water, while Xia Meng and An Xuan would stay onshore with the other boat to carry the "bride" back.

Moreover, this boat was about the same size as the one they had previously ridden.

It was uncertain whether it could safely carry all four of them.

And the "bride" had not been recovered yet.

"What's this?"

An Xuan, who had jumped onto the boat to inspect, picked something up from the boat's rear.

It seemed to be a piece of hemp rope.

As he pulled, Fatty's expression suddenly changed, as he saw a white waterline appear on the lake. At the same time, An Xuan felt the force on the rope increase.

It turned out the rope was tied to the boat's rear, but the other end... was connected underwater.

No, not underwater!

It was in the mist!

The rough rope tightened in the air, and An Xuan was shocked to realize there was significant force coming from the other end of the rope.

Something in the mist was struggling against him!

This discovery made An Xuan's face turn pale.

"Help me!" he shouted immediately.

At this moment, the boat under his feet was being pulled, slowly dragged towards the mist.

Xia Meng immediately jumped onto the boat to share the load, while Fatty and Chen Qiang stayed onshore. But even with everyone's combined strength, the boat was still being slowly pulled away.

Just as they were about to be dragged into the water, Chen Qiang swiftly jumped onto the boat.

He turned and shouted to Fatty, still onshore, "Get on quickly!"

The premise of this mission was to board the boat. If one did not get on, something terrible might happen, especially if he stayed alone onshore.

Watching the boat slowly being pulled into the mist, Fatty hesitated for a moment, but after seeing the three on the boat looking at him, he stepped back, then suddenly sprinted towards the boat.

In that instant, Fatty displayed incredible agility and body talent.

No one expected a fat man to be so agile.

After twisting in the air, he landed with a loud thud at the boat's bow.

Only when the boat tilted at one end under the force did the others react quickly and rush to the other side to balance the boat.

Fatty, drenched in water, didn't think anything was wrong. Instead, he quickly crouched and began scanning the surroundings with a twinkle in his eyes.

They had been pulled into the mist. The surroundings were a thick white fog, and visibility was extremely low, perhaps only 2 or 3 meters.

Strangely, after being dragged into the mist, the tension on the rope disappeared. The rope, once taut, now lay limp on the water like a black snake.

Xia Meng steadied herself and then looked at An Xuan, her face grim as she said, "Pull the rope back."

"Okay."

The two of them displayed remarkable resolve, not asking for help from Fatty or Chen Qiang. They managed to straighten the rope again and began pulling it towards them.

The rope piled up at the rear of the boat, coiling into several loops.

Xia Meng gritted her teeth, her face dark with determination.

Chen Qiang's eyes showed an unmasked fear. The rope had tightened in mid-air, meaning something in the mist had weight.

It could not have happened otherwise.

Gradually, they could hear something moving closer, just ahead in the mist.

It seemed like Chen Qiang unconsciously swallowed. Was that the sound of water being disturbed?

Thanks for your support!

(End of the Chapter)

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