stjorthotic Chapter 1 Blackwater Night Ghost
Chapter 1 Blackwater Night Ghost
Night, with dark clouds looming overhead.
The autumn moon was obscured, occasionally struggling to let out a few pale rays of light, which made the river surface ripple with a cold light.
A cold wind swept across the Blackwater River, stirring up large swathes of reeds and making a rustling sound.
From the depths of darkness, a "crunching...crunching..." sound could be heard from time to time, as if something was grinding its teeth.
Not far away, Su Yu sat on a slippery bluestone, his head nodding off.
In my sleep, a faint sound drifted into my ears from behind.
"Su Yu, the fish are here! Pull in the net!"
"Quickly set up the internet!"
Su Yu woke up groggily to find the river surface as still as ink, so dark that he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face.
Fish have arrived?
The thought had barely formed when a loud "plop" echoed through the water, sending up a large splash. It seemed the gillnet had indeed caught a big one.
Despite still feeling sleepy, his body's instincts made him immediately tighten his grip on the fishing line and pull it backward with all his might.
But after several attempts, the gillnet remained unmoved. At the other end of the rope, a tremendous, deadly force came from, as if it were not a fish caught, but a rock on the seabed.
Did they catch a big fish?
He rubbed his eyes, widened them, but couldn't see what was beneath the dark surface of the water.
He wrapped the fishing line around his fingers twice and pulled hard again. His fingers were already turning slightly white from the tightness, but the gillnet still hadn't been pulled back an inch.
Such a big fish?
Something is wrong!
Su Yu's mind was filled with doubt. Judging from the force, it seemed like the bottom had really been hit!
But the Blackwater River is hundreds of feet deep, and my gillnet is only half a foot deep. How could it possibly get caught on the bottom?
Just as he was filled with doubt and surprise, a voice behind him reminded him again.
"It's a treasure fish! Quickly, get it in the water!"
"Get in the water quickly! They're about to escape..."
Treasure fish?
These two words were like a flame, instantly igniting Su Yu's heart. A precious fish is worth at least tens of taels of silver; he couldn't let it get away.
He instinctively grabbed the rope and walked step by step toward the riverbank.
A night breeze blew by, and the reeds rustled, as if they were rejoicing over something.
Just as one foot was about to step into the icy river, something suddenly popped into Su Yu's mind.
Wait a minute... Am I the only one fishing tonight?
"Whoosh!" A chill shot from his tailbone straight to the top of his head, and Su Yu's hair stood on end instantly, freezing him in place.
Who was that speaking behind me just now?
Boom!Boom!Boom!
His heart was pounding wildly, as if it were about to leap out of his chest.
As he stopped, a chilling sensation, almost tangible, clung to him from the darkness behind him, slippery and icy, like a venomous snake slowly slithering across his back.
Did you run into something dirty?
Su Yu bit his lip hard, and the intense pain brought a sliver of clarity back to his chaotic mind.
"Heh...heh..."
Behind me, I heard a faint, labored breathing sound, like a broken bellows, oppressive and heavy.
Su Yu wanted to turn back, but the old fisherman's warning from Qingxi Village suddenly exploded in his mind!
"If you're fishing at night and hear someone calling you from behind, don't turn around!"
At this moment, Su Yu managed to hold back!
Because this world is full of strange things!
Fear surged up like a tide, and he began frantically chanting the talisman from his past life.
Whether it was an illusion or not, the eerie panting sound seemed to have really stopped.
But at that moment, with a loud "splash!", the rope in the water was pulled taut and began to shake violently, splashing water everywhere, just like a giant fish making its final struggle.
Su Yu's face was pale as he stared at the dark water, wondering what might be lurking beneath. Even if there were indeed treasure fish there, he dared not go into the water.
"Heh...heh..."
The faint voice came from behind him again, and the hairs on Su Yu's body stood on end once more.
That filthy stuff is still there!
Calm down, calm down. I'm fine right now, which means it was the right thing to do not look back.
He tried to step back a few steps, getting further away from the water, then bent down slightly, groping with his right hand to tightly grasp the short axe he used for chopping wood at his feet.
The cold metal gave him a sense of security, calming his wildly beating heart.
His mind raced, recalling the message the old fisherman had passed down.
"When you encounter something dirty, you must not let it see your fear!"
So, Su Yu mustered his courage and swung his axe fiercely at the water's surface a few times, cursing under his breath, "Once this treasure fish is pulled up, I'll chop its head off with this axe and see how it can jump around then!"
His voice trembled slightly with fear, yet it carried a fierce determination to go all out.
"Aren't you... going into the water? The treasure fish... is going to escape..."
The sound behind me began to become sharp and piercing, like fingernails scraping against a wall, sending chills down my spine.
Suppressing the surging fear within him, Su Yu feigned extreme impatience and roared back, "Get lost! I don't want to go into the water today!"
"Heh...heh..."
"Splash! Splash!" The splashing in the water grew even louder.
In the quiet of the night, the sound was exceptionally clear.
However, Su Yu stood firmly on the ground, motionless.
"Get in the water! The fish is about to escape! Get in the water!" The shrill voice rang out again, urging frantically!
However, hearing this urgent urging, Su Yu felt more at ease.
It's in a hurry!
His face grew even more impatient as he brandished the axe and roared, "Fuck you! I said I won't lower it, and I'm not lowering it!"
"Get in the water! Get in the water!"
"Get out! I won't get off!"
"Get in the water quickly!"
"roll!"
"..."
After an unknown amount of time, Su Yu's voice became hoarse and parched, and the sounds behind him finally disappeared.
However, he still dared not move, like a statue, staring intently at the river surface that had returned to its deathly stillness.
As the first rays of dawn broke and the darkness dissipated, Su Yu's tense body relaxed, and the weight in his heart was finally lifted.
"Damn it... I'll never come here at night again, even if you beat me to death..."
He was panting heavily. A few nights ago, he had caught a lot of fish and had mocked the villagers for being timid. Now he realized that no one who could survive in this world was a fool.
Only when it was fully light did Su Yu dare to pull the barbed net again; it floated lightly, completely empty.
This caused his expression to change repeatedly.
He retrieved the gillnet, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and turned to inspect it.
Beside the blue stone behind them, two wet footprints were clearly imprinted.
The footprints were large and clearly not made by shoes!
The front end resembles a sharp claw!
Su Yu took a deep breath, not daring to delay any longer, and hurriedly ran towards the direction of returning to the village.
Only when he saw the wisps of smoke rising from the village entrance and the early-rising villagers did his heart finally settle down.
With a thought, a transparent panel, visible only to him, slowly unfolded before his eyes.
[Su Yu]
[Breakpoint]: 1 point
[Skill]: Net Casting (Da Cheng 998/1000)
[Note]: Skill levels are divided into Beginner, Proficient, Minor Mastery, Major Mastery, and Perfection. Upon reaching Perfection, you can break through the limits and gain trait bonuses.
"Just 2 o'clock left... After months of intense work, we're finally going to see results."
Su Yu turned around and glanced at the vast Blackwater River in the morning mist.
The Blackwater River stretches for eight hundred miles, where treasures and dangers coexist. Last night's experience gave him the most profound understanding of the dangers of this world.
strength!
I must master martial arts power as soon as possible! Otherwise, I might not be so lucky next time.
Su Yu pondered all the way back to his low wooden house.
He hung the fishing nets out to dry in the yard, pushed open the creaking, rotten wooden door, and went inside.
Now that I'm completely safe, a thunderous hunger pang suddenly rises in my stomach.
He first poured a bowl of cold boiled water, then took out two rye cakes from a cloth bag next to the stove.
The flatbread was made from wheat bran mixed with wild vegetables; it was dry and hard, and it stung my throat.
Su Yu then swallowed the pancakes carefully, one bite at a time, with cold water, finally suppressing his hunger.
After finishing his meal, he went to the corner of the wall, laboriously lifted the half-full water vat, and took out a few pieces of silver from underneath. He counted them carefully and found they were still six taels.
"I'm still four ounces short... If I save up a little more, I can go to the city to become an apprentice at a martial arts school!"
By then, with my talent, I'm sure I'll stand out from the crowd!
A strong wave of drowsiness washed over Su Yu, and she lay down fully clothed on the hard wooden bed, falling into a deep sleep almost instantly.
……
As evening approached, there was a rapid knocking on Su Yu's front door.