**Chapter Nine: The Ship Man**
Under the dense fog of the night, the girl in green floated gently, her toes lightly tapping the turbulent river surface, making her way swiftly through the storm, flying toward the distance.
At this moment, Lu Yibei heard Du Sixian’s voice.
“High Person, you must be Lu’s senior…”
Lu Yibei had always believed in one thing: as long as she self-exploded fast enough and made the secret public, without secrets, she would not be exposed.
So, before Du Sixian uncovered her secret, she decided to self-explode.
As for the content of the self-explosion, whether it’s true or false, does it matter?
“You guessed correctly! Lu Yibei is my…”
Lu Yibei originally intended to use the same excuse she had with Qing Ji and, drawing some reference from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” weave a tale of profound love and hatred between her and the Siye Association operatives.
However, just as she had prepared a set of believable lines, Du Sixian did not give her a chance to perform.
“Is it a distant relative?!” Du Sixian’s nostrils flared slightly, her face brimming with excitement.
“From my observations during this time, although the High Person and Lu’s senior do not look particularly alike, certain aspects make them feel remarkably similar, especially the gaze and temperament.”
Lu Yibei, “???”
You’re not right! Very not right!
In normal circumstances, the range of guesses generally doesn’t go beyond close relationships such as master-apprentice, lovers, or master-servant. How did you think of relatives, you weirdo?
As Lu Yibei grumbled internally, Du Sixian’s eyes suddenly brightened, “Wait, maybe not a distant relative!”
“The High Person seems to be an urban legend! The age of an urban legend shouldn’t be judged by appearance; could it be that you are Lu’s senior’s…”
“You’re quite clever! Indeed, I am Lu Yibei’s elder sister.” Lu Yibei said with an expressionless face.
She couldn’t let this girl guess wildly any longer.
With her imagination, if she kept guessing, it felt like the plot might head towards something absurd like “I am my mother,” Lu Yibei thought.
“Eh? I knew it!” Du Sixian’s eyes widened, her expression like she had uncovered a grand secret, ready to jump up in excitement, but then she furrowed her brow.
“However, there’s one thing that is a bit strange. Lu’s senior is a spiritual ability user, the High Person is an urban legend—how could they be siblings? Could it be that…”
Please don’t “could it be…” Lu Yibei thought, hurriedly interjecting before Du Sixian could steer the plot off-course, “This is a matter of our parents and not something to be discussed with outsiders.”
As she spoke, she paused slightly, her tone becoming serious, “What happened today is known only to Heaven and Earth, you and I. Just don’t let a third party know.”
“My younger brother currently works for the Siye Association. If others find out about our relationship, I worry it might have irreversible negative effects on him.”
“Of course, of course!” Du Sixian nodded repeatedly, “I’ve been in the Siye Association for so long, but I’ve never told anyone about the encounter with the High Person!”
“Friends should keep each other’s secrets!”
After joining the Siye Association, Du Sixian had closely recalled various experiences after meeting the High Person.
From Lu Yibei’s various behaviors, she had long deduced that the High Person was a terrifyingly powerful urban legend.
Even her potential as a spiritual ability user and occasional entries into that wonderful dream had a significant connection to the High Person.
However, when she reached such a conclusion, the first thing that came to her mind was not to report the High Person but to protect the secret between them.
Lu Yibei frowned slightly, her lips parting, “That said, I consider you a friend, but…”
“If the High Person doesn’t believe me, I can provide a written guarantee!” Du Sixian said sincerely.
“Oh?” Lu Yibei narrowed her eyes, assessing Du Sixian thoughtfully.
This is a good opportunity; perhaps she could take advantage of it to feign an offer to take her as a dependent, smoothly eliminating the risks this situation posed. Lu Yibei thought.
Seeing Lu Yibei remain silent for a long time, Du Sixian’s cheeks reddened slightly as she murmured, “If it really doesn’t work, I could try and date Lu’s senior, if he’s willing.”
Ever since the last “one-person hide and seek” urban legend incident, where she had executed a task with Lu Yibei, Du Sixian had developed a vague admiration for her.
Admittedly, this was all Lu Yibei’s fault for saying, “I’ve dreamt of you, dreamt of you often.”
All being teenagers, this admiration brewed for too long and, when catalyzed by some peculiar things, was bound to give rise to other feelings.
Now that her elder sister was here, why not take this opportunity to understand her better? Du Sixian thought.
Lu Yibei, “???”
I think of you as a dependent, a friend, and you’re actually interested in me?
And looking very reluctant about it; this absolutely wouldn’t do!
“Sorry, my younger brother is already taken, this might be difficult…”
“I understand, I understand!” Du Sixian nodded, still having a bit of self-awareness.
Lu Yibei, “…”
What do you understand?
With your wild imagination, why not write a novel? You’d definitely have a brighter future than my old man.
“Lu’s senior likes Officer Jiang, right? I noticed that a long time ago.” Du Sixian spoke, swiftly changing her expression from that of a shy girl to a gossip girl.
“Let me tell you, Officer Jiang is Lu’s senior’s superior; they always exchange glances.”
You must have seen it wrong… Lu Yibei thought to herself, it’s just very pure eye contact.
Lu Yibei had always thought Li Xuan was the gossip king of Huacheng Siye Association; it now seemed that Du Sixian was trending towards taking his place.
Just as Lu Yibei prepared to explain her relationship with Jiang Li to Du Sixian, and as Du Sixian pondered whether to discuss a dowry with the High Person.
A sudden loud laugh echoed from the riverbank, belonging to Xing Yuan.
“Hahaha—! After hearing that description, I thought you were the inheritor of the River God’s powers; I didn’t expect you to be just a fraud?!”
Lu Yibei tilted her head, “……” Fraud? What does that mean?
“Despicable! I didn’t expect you to be members of the Siye Association, such despicable creatures, secretly sending people aboard to ambush!” the River God roared.
Lu Yibei frowned, “……” The implication of this statement is that I’ve caused a fire on the ship, seemingly having some negative effect on the River God?
“Today I must… ah—!”
Before the River God could finish the threat, Lu Yibei silently detonated a portion of the prints she had left on the grand ship, causing the River God to scream in pain, echoing throughout Baiyanzi Village.
Ah, don’t involve Bei Bei; I was just trying it out… Lu Yibei thought, shrinking her neck, pulling Du Sixian closer, and speeding away into the distance.
Once she safely settled Du Sixian, she could return and help. Lu Yibei thought.
————
Moments earlier, at the riverbank.
After the River God recited a passage from “Nine Songs – River God,” describing the ancient myth of the Yellow River God on patrol, the waves behind surged to a terrifying degree.
Thick streams of water rose from the small river, swirling and intertwining in the air behind him.
The River God, dressed in a red robe and white cape, stood proudly in the air, his garments flowing, gaze sweeping down with disdain, truly having some divine bearing.
Faced with such a state of the River God, Xing Yuan felt a pressure-filled intensity, sending a retreat signal to Lu Yibei and then contemplating.
If this River God truly inherited some of the Yellow River God’s powers, the level of spiritual energy fluctuation would definitely reach disaster-class levels.
The Yellow River breaking its banks, floating corpses for thousands of miles, is no joke.
As an inspector of the Siye Association, Xing Yuan had witnessed firsthand the terrifying power of a disaster-class spiritual ability user with the spirit pattern “Mythological Species: Wuzhiqi.”
In comparison, a disaster-class urban legend exerting its full power, the two A-Class spiritual ability users would find it difficult to clash head-on, let alone suppress it.
However.
What puzzled Xing Yuan was, could the Yellow River God’s powers exert such strong control over the tributaries of the Yangtze River?
It felt somewhat dissonant, as if using a neighboring country’s sword to strike at one’s own officials.
Yet.
Before Xing Yuan could contemplate further, the River God waved his arms, and two thick, murky water columns, carrying a suffocating vapor, howled towards them.
Accompanied by booming sounds, two water columns rolled like dragons in the sky, tangling down and splashing countless spinning high-speed streams, resembling the sharpest weapons, slicing back and forth across the ground.
Xing Yuan and Bai Kai swung their weapons to fend off the incoming streams and also noticed that without using spiritual energy, the long residual waves akin to rivers would rebound painfully against their hands.
However, no matter how hard they exhausted themselves, as they drew closer to the River God after cutting through the dense water blades, they were horrified to discover they couldn’t inflict any substantial damage.
It was like striking the water’s surface.
Seeing the two stubbornly resist, the River God couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, “Haha, I already said it, the river is formless; how can it be shattered by such weak attacks?”
Hearing this, Xing Yuan and Bai Kai frowned simultaneously, a flicker of wavering confidence appearing in their hearts.
If the true disaster-class urban legend they faced, the probability of winning would indeed be minuscule.
They could retreat, but Lu Yibei was still on the River God’s grand ship; they couldn’t retreat.
Sensing a bit of hesitation in their eyes, the River God’s eerie face revealed a cold smile and was about to seize the advantage, just then the grand ship behind him suddenly erupted with an explosive sound.
“Boom—!”
With an explosion, a fiery red light soared from the grand ship’s deck, spreading along the ship’s hull like a long snake.
Screams from the red-clothed woman on board echoed.
Under the blasted ship debris, chunks of brown-red flesh that seemed to be swollen and decayed by river water surfaced, wailing at a frequency imperceptible to human ears, writhing and retreating into the depths of the ship.
At the same time, the River God’s complexion changed, turning pale, with a ripple-like flow racing beneath the skin.
Noticing the peculiarity of the River God, Xing Yuan continued to dodge the increasingly fierce water blades while squinting, her gaze darting back and forth between him and the grand ship as she pondered.
She felt something quietly rising in her mind, as if she could capture it with a mere stretch of her hand.
At this moment, another explosion sound roared, reverberating dramatically.
An even fiercer explosion erupted from within the grand ship, flames soaring from the grand ship’s hollow inner chambers, breaking through the colorful glass dome, alongside smoke, forming dark clouds spitting flames in the air above the grand ship.
The River God in the sky trembled again, nearly losing balance and tumbling down, a mound of flesh suddenly swelling on his back, and with a “splash!” sound, it burst like a bubble, scattering murky sludge everywhere.
Seeing this, Xing Yuan’s pupils constricted slightly as she quickly turned to look at Bai Kai, wanting to warn him, only to find Bai Kai looking at her simultaneously, lightly nodding, “Got it, that ship is this guy’s real body; he was just putting on a show.”
Thus, all their previous attacks had indeed landed on the water, which was merely a manifestation constructed of water flow; how could they cause any substantial harm?
Xing Yuan nodded, turning to gaze at the River God in the sky, breaking into laughter.
The River God roared in fury, with a colder glint appearing in his bizarre eyes.
Then…
The ship exploded again.
“Boom—!”
Amidst the deafening roar, it felt as if the earth had cracked. Bright cracks spread across the massive ship, tearing through it like a rush, spewing flames while the high-pitched wails pierced the air, exposing the charred flesh beneath.
The ship trembled violently, large chunks of brown-red flesh rolling about, countless indistinct faces and twisted limbs appearing as if wrapped in mud, floating up only to quickly sink back into the depths of the sludge.
Suspended in the air, the River God, who controlled the wind and rain, had already fallen, as if severely injured, clutching his chest and gasping heavily.
Seeing this scene, Xing Yuan and Bai Kai were even more convinced that he had not inherited much, perhaps not even any, of the Yellow River God’s powers. Perhaps even the previous description was mere bluster to confuse the enemy.
If that were the case, the River God could not possibly be a disaster-class urban legend, and they could indeed fight and win!
Both had an unprecedented fighting spirit, exchanging glances and lunging forward together.
“Little Bai, I suddenly remembered our past hunting the Zombie King.” Xing Yuan murmured.
Bai Kai nodded, softly replying, “That’s right, back then we fought together like this.”
“How nostalgic!”
“It’s alright, we can team up often in the future.”
The River God, “……”
At this moment, he was deeply aware that the enemy had uncovered his true body, facing danger, and disregarding the two nuisances who had been boasting endlessly about the small gaps, he gritted his teeth, vigorously urging his spiritual energy to control the water flow to intercept the two while turning to fly toward the grand ship, where flames were leaping into the sky.
As long as he could reintegrate the separated consciousness with the main body, he still had full confidence; what truly made him cautious was the person setting fire on the ship.
The fiery red flames did not extinguish upon meeting water; he needed to use a considerable amount of spiritual energy to wrap the water flow to control the flames, which made him feel a bit eerie…
Before long, upon arriving at the riverbank, the River God leapt toward the river’s surface.
In an instant, the river, which had just calmed for a moment, surged again, roaring waves appearing as if welcoming the River God back, wrapping him and slowly sinking with him into the water.
Immediately after, a massive water pillar suddenly burst up from beneath the grand ship, as if the waterfall was flowing backward, engulfing the grand ship.
As tens of thousands of tons of river water hoisted the ship upward, wrapped in the form of a giant crystal ball, on the ship’s deck, the upper half-n*ked River God emerged from the writhing brown-red flesh, opening his arms and infusing spiritual energy into the water.
With a soft “hiss!” the flames on the grand ship instantly extinguished.
Then.
Accompanied by the resounding horns of the Yaksha Strongmen on board, the arms formed from brown-red flesh protruded from the ship, powerfully thrashing about.
The river quaked, and the wind and rain surged.
Blinding lightning illuminated the void, weaving into spears raining down in all directions.
Just as Lu Yibei had safely taken Du Sixian to a secure location and was about to head back, she concealed herself in the distant mountains, observing this scene with a face full of disdain.
“After all that, it turns out to be such a thing? So when I left my palm print on the ship, didn’t that mean I was petting its body?”
“Ugh—! Just thinking about it feels a bit uncomfortable!”
Ship man, no good!
Ship girl, good!
————
Amidst the thunder and fierce storms, the River God directed his enormous body against Bai Kai and Xing Yuan, casting a massive shadow over the land.
“You have a chance to surrender; originally, you only needed to serve aboard for thirty years, and I would grant you freedom. Now, only your deaths can extinguish my rage.”
“No! Only flooding the city can release the hate in my heart!”
Hearing this, Xing Yuan and Bai Kai’s hearts tightened; although they had confirmed that the River God was not a genuine disaster-class urban legend, they were confident they could hunt him down.
However, this River God was still a top-tier existence among A-Class urban legends; if he ran amok and triggered floods, the destruction caused would be beyond their control.
As they pondered, a voice shouted from the entrance of Baiyanzi Village, and upon looking, a girl in green, shouldering a broken sword, slowly walked over.
“Please wait! I heard there’s an urban legend planning to flood Huacheng?” The girl gazed up at the colossal figure in the sky and asked, “Have you asked me?”
The River God in the sky furrowed his brow slightly, tilting his head to scrutinize the girl below, as if asking, “Who might you be?!”
“I am…”
Lu Yibei was still brewing her response when Xing Yuan raised an eyebrow and preemptively introduced, “You’re done for, this is a good partner of the Siye Association, the master of Huacheng’s urban legends, the witch who commands the Hundred Demons Walk, the urban legend that slaughters Pestilence Taijie, the deity of fire and drought, calamity itself!”
After finishing, she raised an eyebrow at Lu Yibei as if saying, “No need to thank me!”
Lu Yibei, “……”
d*mn! Suddenly I have a feeling that I can never speak the title I had in mind for myself!
