Chapter 47: The River of Death

“If you dare to marry another woman, I swear I’ll come out and kill your whole family.” Fortunately, after saying these words, Xu Yingying sank into the river.

“Is... is it done?” I stood on the bank, staring dumbly at the river as its surface returned to calm, my whole body trembling with excitement.

I knew that once Xu Yingying’s corpse entered the “Dragon Head Canal,” it would be trapped by the feng shui barrier here, making it nearly impossible for her malice and resentment to gather again or escape. Tonight, I would finally be able to sleep soundly. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder—after I truly married Bai Xiaoli, would this deadly resentment really break free?

“Young man, thank you...” An ancient voice echoed in my mind. I turned around and saw the enormous dragon in the water, its wide eyes fixed on me.

I was about to say, “You’re welcome,” when the gray dragon’s voice sounded in my ear once more. “Young man, do you know why, thousands of years ago, there were so many legends about dragons, but now almost nothing remains of their stories?”

Dragons are the totem of our people.

From ancient times, dragons have appeared in countless records, but in modern eras, there are hardly any mentions of them at all. Modern scholars have even started to deny their existence.

I gazed at this ancient dragon before me, waiting for its answer.

“It’s because dragons, too, were nurtured by the Yellow River... but the Yellow River is dying. It can no longer give birth to dragons. The dragon veins are withering, and we can no longer draw energy from the river. As the old dragons age and die and no new ones are born, our numbers dwindle.” The gray dragon let out a desolate sigh and continued, “For generations, your River-Guarding Clan has sought the reason for the Yellow River’s declining dragon veins. I once saw hope in your grandfather, but alas, he could not escape his fate.”

At the mention of my grandfather, my heart clenched with anxiety. My eyes, filled with desperate hope, fixed on the gray dragon. “You’ve seen my grandfather? He’s not dead, is he?”

My heart leapt to my throat, yearning for a positive answer, but the gray dragon fell silent for a long while.

“I don’t know. Perhaps if you marry that Bai Xiaoli, you might find a clue about your grandfather.” The dragon shook its head in the water, then said, “Child, I am old and feeble now. But I can see that you are wiser than your ancestors. I hope you can find the cause of the Yellow River’s dying dragon veins and save the river from death. Perhaps then, we shall meet again.” With that, the great dragon stirred up a mighty wave, then sank to the riverbed. Judging by the direction of the swirling water, it seemed to be heading toward the sea.

I stood motionless for a long time. The fate of the River-Guardians, the mystery of the Yellow River’s declining dragon veins—what did all this have to do with me? All I ever wanted was to live quietly as a live-in son-in-law, perform my duties as a protector of the Yellow River’s ecosystem, and earn a modest, steady salary from the government.

The dragon entered the sea, and all was still once more.

On my way back, the old ballad of the Yellow River echoed in my mind...

“The Yellow River runs wide and deep,
On its banks a maiden weeps.
The River God seeks a bride,
Longing for an unwed wife.
A fisher’s daughter, beauty bright,
In song and looks both pure and light.
Wrapped in fragrant, oiled silk,
She enters the water, none to mourn.
For a thousand years the waves accompany,
On moonlit nights, sleepless agony.”

Again I recalled the vague, red-swathed figure that appeared behind Xu Yingying. Why did that silhouette feel so uncannily familiar? Who was she, and why did she try to stop me from marrying Bai Xiaoli?

It wasn’t until I’d collected my clothes and backpack from Qinglong Mountain and returned to the shop I rented in the alley, that I understood. There, asleep at my doorway, was Bai Xiaoli. The realization struck me like lightning.

That vague, haunting silhouette wrapped in red was the spitting image of Bai Xiaoli in her crimson dress. The only difference was that now Bai Xiaoli wore a long red skirt, while the other figure was swathed in red silk. Other than that, they were identical.

Bai Xiaoli doesn’t want me to marry Bai Xiaoli?