Chapter 14: Encountering Danger

After speaking, Chen Zhiqiang pulled out a talisman from his pocket, prepared long ago by his grandfather. He muttered incantations under his breath, and once he finished, he threw the talisman into the waters of the Yellow River. As soon as the talisman touched the water, the calm surface began to churn, forming a massive whirlpool. From beneath the riverbed came the sound of an infant crying.

“Ah!”—to be honest, Chen Zhiqiang’s trick worked surprisingly well. Upon hearing the cries from the riverbed, Bai Xiaoli was so frightened that she hid behind Chen Zhiqiang, clutching his clothes tightly. It was only because Bai Xiaoli was slightly braver than most; if it had been another girl, she would have clung to Chen Zhiqiang outright.

Seeing Bai Xiaoli like this, the smile on Chen Zhiqiang’s face grew even broader. He shouted toward the center of the whirlpool, “What fiend dares to frighten my girlfriend? Show yourself at once!”

“Chen Zhiqiang, stop talking nonsense. I’m not your girlfriend—I have a husband!” Bai Xiaoli muttered, but Chen Zhiqiang paid her no mind, knowing the real show was yet to begin.

The infant’s cries grew louder, and the whirlpool spun faster and faster. Suddenly, a blood-soaked infant burst from the river’s center, floating in midair, its vacant eyes fixed upon Chen Zhiqiang.

A spirit infant deprived of consciousness looks terrifying, but in truth, it won’t harm anyone. Bai Xiaoli, unaware of this, was so frightened her face turned pale, yet even in her fear, she only gripped Chen Zhiqiang’s sleeve more tightly, never losing her reason.

“Fiend! Stay away from my girlfriend!” Chen Zhiqiang pulled out another talisman and slapped it onto the spirit infant’s forehead. The infant hovered motionless in the air.

With a triumphant clap, Chen Zhiqiang turned to the thoroughly terrified Bai Xiaoli and said, “Xiaoli, don’t be afraid. I’ve subdued this specter.”

Only then did Bai Xiaoli open her eyes, staring at the immobilized infant in midair. Her mouth dropped open in astonishment as she pointed at the spirit and exclaimed, “Chen Zhiqiang, he—he’s smiling!”

Hearing this, Chen Zhiqiang’s smile froze. The spirit infant tore off the talisman from its forehead, its lips curling into a strange grin. It reached out with pale hands and lunged for Chen Zhiqiang’s throat.

“Oh my god, Grandpa, save me! This spirit infant isn’t what you described!” Chen Zhiqiang panicked, abandoning Bai Xiaoli and fleeing in terror.

Witnessing this, I was stunned—never had I expected Chen Zhiqiang to abandon Bai Xiaoli at the critical moment. No matter how powerful the support, it’s useless if the main player falters.

Bai Xiaoli clearly hadn’t anticipated Chen Zhiqiang’s desertion, and she stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the spirit infant before her.

“Don’t harm my fiancée!” Fearing that the humanoid fish would hurt Bai Xiaoli, I quickly sent a message across the distance. Yet the reply came from the water itself.

“Sir, I haven’t entered the infant’s body yet!” Hearing this, I frantically looked toward the water—the fish with a human face was still submerged, never having possessed the infant’s body.

Damn!

The fish was still in the water, so what was going on with the spirit infant?

No—this infant actually had consciousness!

“Xiaoli, run!” Without time to think, I shouted to the petrified Bai Xiaoli as I scrambled down the mountain, heading straight for her.

“Ha ha ha, it’s cold beneath the water, big sister. Come keep me company down here.” The spirit infant’s laughter was chilling. It seized Bai Xiaoli’s arm and dragged her toward the river. Bai Xiaoli’s legs had already turned to jelly; though she heard my shout, she couldn’t take a single step, and was pulled straight into the Yellow River.

Damn it!

Without a second thought, I dove headfirst into the river.

“Ha ha ha, a brave one—daring to enter the water.” Seeing me jump in after, the spirit infant’s smile grew more sinister, as if convinced I was doomed.

But it had no idea—the water was my domain. In the river, I actually felt more at ease. Floating effortlessly in the Yellow River, I called out to the infant, “Little brat, I don’t want to fight you. Let my wife go.”

The spirit infant glanced at the unconscious Bai Xiaoli in its grasp and laughed, “If it were anyone else, I might let you off, but this woman is a once-in-a-millennium spiritual vessel. I must take her.” With that, the spirit dragged Bai Xiaoli down toward the riverbed, pausing only to make a face at me.

“Courting death!” I plunged toward the riverbed in a single breath. The infant descended quickly, but I was faster, reaching the bottom ahead of it.

Only then did the spirit realize something was wrong and, clutching Bai Xiaoli, tried to flee.

I reached the riverbed, grabbed a handful of mud, and with a forceful push from my legs, shot upward. As I caught up to the infant, I recited an incantation and slapped the mud onto its face.