Chapter 21: Another Life Lost

There doesn’t seem to be anything unusual about the back hill. Could it be that there really is no problem here at all, and these students are just bringing trouble upon themselves? Although all signs point to this conclusion, I still feel a lingering sense of doubt in my heart. Is it truly fine?

The old man looked at me. "Young Master Jiang, do you have any sense of the situation yet? Give me a straight answer!"

Zhang Yuxuan is merely the middleman; whether or not the problem gets solved rests entirely on me. Yet, after all this time, I haven't said a word, and the old man is starting to grow anxious. One must remember, there are fifty thousand yuan on the line!

"Let's look a bit longer. Under the current circumstances, I’m still not sure. The feng shui of Gudu University seems perfectly fine, and there are no malevolent spirits present," I said.

"None?"

The old man wasn't disappointed; on the contrary, he brightened up. "That’s good news! If there’s no problem to begin with, we can just play along tonight and ask them for the money tomorrow." Since there is no issue, it’s even easier! How wonderful to get paid without having to lift a finger!

"What are you thinking? We can take the money we’ve earned, but don’t you dare reach for a single cent that isn't ours." I glared at him. I certainly enjoy money, but a gentleman earns his keep through proper means. Expecting me to swindle people? Impossible!

"Oh, come on, Young Master Jiang, let's not be so rigid!" Zhang Yuxuan grew impatient. "Even if we don't take the full fifty thousand, we should at least ask for a service fee, right? We’ve been roaming the school all night, checking every corner—that’s worth at least ten or twenty thousand in labor, surely!" The old man wasn’t about to let the money fly away.

"Help! Someone, help!"

Just as I was about to retort, cries for help echoed from not far away. What’s going on?

"Let's go, take a look!"

I broke into a run toward the source of the sound. Judging by the direction, it seemed like something happened by the lake. The lake again?

...

When we arrived, we found a girl crouching by the edge of the water, weeping as she stared into the lake. As the old man shone his flashlight, I realized this was the same girl we had encountered on the back hill earlier. But this time, she was alone; the young man who had been with her was nowhere to be seen!

Needless to say, he must be in the water!

"Zhang Yuxuan, do you know how to swim?" I asked urgently. I grew up in the mountains; there were plenty of hills, but the only water around were small ditches—hardly a place to learn to swim. I couldn't swim, and if I jumped in recklessly to rescue someone, I’d likely lose my own life in the process.

"Young Master Jiang, don't joke around! It’s early autumn, but the water is still freezing cold!" The old man was frantic. If he went in, the cold alone would be dangerous, even for a good swimmer. Furthermore, when saving someone, the victim often clings to their rescuer like a drowning person clutching a straw, thrashing wildly. It’s easy for the rescuer to become exhausted and be dragged down. That is how many capable swimmers have met their end—trying to save others.

One must act according to one's ability; it is foolish to force oneself. Saving lives is a matter of kindness, not an obligation. If it’s truly impossible, it’s better not to get involved. I don't mean that saving people is wrong, but rather that one should act within their own means.

"Stop with the nonsense. When we split the money, I’ll give you an extra ten percent!" I said bluntly.

"Ten percent is too little. Young Master Jiang, I want twenty!" The old man began to haggle.

"Fine, twenty percent it is!" I retorted crossly. At a time like this, the old man was still playing these games—he was truly obsessed with money!

"Deal!"

The old man let out a shout, pulled a small flask from his jacket pocket, took two gulps, and jumped straight in. As for the girl, she was nearly frightened out of her wits, slumped by the shore, crying and calling for help. I had no time to comfort her; I just held the flashlight to guide the old man. I was already annoyed with these two. The school clearly mandates returning to dorms by ten o'clock, yet they ignored the rules to sneak off to the back hill for a tryst! They were truly asking for it—digging their own graves!

The old man was a decent swimmer; all that stalling earlier was just to bargain with me. He swam to the spot a few meters away in no time, grabbed the man by the arm, and began to pull him back. However, the young man seemed to have lost consciousness and remained completely limp. I didn't overthink it and directed the old man to swim toward me.

Five meters, four meters, three meters...

Just as they were about a meter from the shore, the old man suddenly froze.

"Zhang Yuxuan, what the hell are you doing? Get to the shore!" I barked. "Don't even think about asking for more money, or I’ll kick you back in once you get up here!"

"It’s not that, Young Master Jiang! Something seems to be holding me back!" The old man was panicking in the water. "I can't swim anymore! Do something!"

Something? That was a real problem. Honestly, I didn't know what was holding him. If it were a malevolent spirit, I might have a way, but if it were just lake weeds, I’d be powerless.

"Golden Water! Use the Golden Water!" I shouted to him.

"Will it work?" the old man asked.

"Just try it and see!" I urged. "Hurry, the longer you wait, the more dangerous it becomes."

The so-called "Golden Water" is, plainly put, the urine of a prepubescent boy. The old Taoist has lived a solitary, celibate life and remains a virgin. Because this is considered a treasure for warding off evil, it is referred to as "Golden Water"—a polite euphemism because "boy's urine" sounds rather unpleasant.

In the lake, the old man was starting to sink. Either something was physically dragging him down, or he was simply too exhausted to hold on. Neither was good news. The old man relieved himself in the water. A moment later, he seemed able to move again and dragged the man’s body out of the lake.

The old man was soaked through. I had intended to offer him my jacket, but the thought of him being covered in "Golden Water" made me feel nauseous. The girl rushed over to the body, clutching the man tightly. That’s right—the man was already dead. He had been dead from the moment the old man pulled him up.

"What was dragging you down?" I asked, looking at the old man.

"I don't know. It felt like a hand, gripping my ankle the whole time." As he spoke, he pointed to his right foot. Under the beam of the flashlight, I could clearly see a black handprint on his ankle.

It was undoubtedly the work of a malevolent spirit!

"When we get back, find some dried mugwort or use more Golden Water. Rub it on your ankle three times a day. It should fade in three days at most," I said.