The water of the Black River was not actually black.Not only was it not black, but in this Longyou Circuit, a Region perpetually shrouded in yellow sand, to have such a clear river was already a gift from the heavens.
The river water flowed windingly from west to east, nourishing the fertile fields and people on both banks.Yet, this very river had now changed its appearance.
Half a mile from the riverbank, an indescribable stench assaulted them.Even though the Demon Suppression Division members were accustomed to all sorts of scenes, they couldn't help but frown at this smell.
But even so,What needed to be investigated still had to be investigated.Everyone dismounted, leading their horses, and walked step by step towards the riverbed.
The closer they got, the stronger the stench became, making them dizzy. The once clear river water now had an eerie color, and the surface was covered with a dense layer of white fish bellies, large and small, stretching as far as the eye could see.
"Damn it…" Tiger Zhao was the first to gag, raising his sleeve to tightly cover his nose and mouth. Liu Chen's face also looked unpleasant.
He waved his hand, "Bear with it, everyone. Search carefully and see if there are any clues." Everyone assented, then spread out, meticulously searching along the riverbank.Soon,They found nothing.
Not to mention Demonic Qi, they didn't even see any trace of the Yellow Character Battalion.Logically, if a Demon was causing trouble, there would surely be residual Demonic Qi.But here, apart from the stench, there was nothing else.
Either the Demon's methods were highly advanced, allowing it to completely conceal its aura.Or… there was another reason for the river water turning into this state.
As they pondered, the corner of their eyes caught sight of curling smoke not far away.On the riverbank, there was actually a small village.
The village wasn't large, appearing to have only twenty or thirty households, with adobe walls and thatched roofs, looking dilapidated. "These commoners… haven't fled yet?"
The river stank like this; could people still live by it?No sooner had he spoken than an old man, stooped with age, emerged from the village, carrying two wooden buckets and tottering directly towards the river.
Everyone watched as the old man walked to the river, submerging his wooden buckets into the oily, dead-fish-filled river water.
Tiger Zhao's eyes nearly popped out."Damn it, are these people crazy?!" Without thinking, he rushed over in a few big strides, snatched the rope from the old man's hand, and poured the half-bucket of foul water he had just drawn back into the river.
"Old man! Are you trying to die?! This water is like this; drinking it will kill people!" The old man was startled by the sudden turn of events. When he saw it was a burly man in Demon Suppression Division attire, his cloudy eyes showed not a hint of gratitude, but rather resentment.
The old man glared at him, said nothing, turned around, picked up the wooden buckets from the ground, and prepared to draw water again.This time, not only Tiger Zhao but also Liu Chen and the others who had followed were dumbfounded.
"Hey! You old man!" Tiger Zhao stomped his foot in anger, stopping him again. "I'm talking to you, are you deaf? This water cannot be drunk!"
The old man finally grew impatient. "If not this, what should I drink? Drinking this river water, perhaps it's a slow death. But if I don't drink… I'll die of thirst within a few days. You choose?" Everyone exchanged glances, at a loss for words.In Longyou Circuit, with its thousand miles of yellow sand, it was nine droughts out of ten years.
Mortals living in this Region had only two hopes.Either, they hoped in heaven.Or, they hoped in the river.In most places, digging a hundred feet might not yield a single drop of water.
Liu Chen remained silent, simply handing his water skin to the old man.The old man paused, took the water skin, unscrewed it, and took a big gulp, letting out a long sigh of relief."Thank you."
"Old man, we are from the Demon Suppression Division, here to investigate the anomaly of the Black River. Please assist us."As soon as the words 'Demon Suppression Division' were uttered, a ripple finally appeared in the old man's cloudy eyes.
He looked up, meticulously scrutinizing everyone, finally letting his gaze rest on the horizontal sabers at their waists.
"Official Sirs…"The old man sighed, placed the wooden buckets on the ground, and sat down heavily on a rock by the river.
"It's not that I won't cooperate, it's just that there's really nothing to say. Our Longyou has always been short of water. The villages along this Black River rely entirely on this river for drinking and daily use. Half a month ago, for some unknown reason, it flowed backward for three days."
"After three days, the water flowed normally again, but it turned into this ghastly state. All the fish in the river died, and the water became foul-smelling and fishy. Earth Dragons flipping over in Longyou is common, but this complete severance of the water pulse… most likely, the Dragon King Lord is angry."
Dragon King Lord?
Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow.Everyone else was also stunned.
Liu Chen frowned, "What do you mean by that?"
The old man pointed to the yellow earth beneath his feet, "We in Longyou Circuit rely on heaven for sustenance, but if heaven doesn't rain, we can only rely on the earth. The water in the earth is bestowed by the Dragon King Lord."
"Nearby villages and towns all offer incense to the Dragon King Lord, performing sacrifices annually without any slack. Over the years, while it hasn't been consistently favorable weather, there has never been such a strange incident of the water pulse completely severed."
"If it weren't for a few days ago…" Mid-sentence, the old man suddenly fell silent again, looking as if he feared saying too much.
Liu Chen frowned.
This situation was not uncommon in the Great Tang.The so-called Dragon Kings were essentially mostly Demons.
The local ignorant commoners worshipped them as deities, seeking favorable weather.Many deep mountains and vast marshes had such "Mountain Gods" and "River Earls," receiving incense from one Region and protecting its land and water.
Due to lack of manpower they were forced to make a compromise. As long as they didn't harm people, the Demon Suppression Division mostly turned a blind eye.
But in the current situation…
"Before this, did a team of people dressed similarly to us come here?" Liu Chen changed the question.
"It seems… there were a few such people, also dressed as Official Sirs. They asked a few questions, and then went upstream along the riverbank.
"Went upstream?" Liu Chen and the others exchanged glances, already having a plan in mind.The Yellow Character Battalion members must have also discovered something to go upstream to investigate.
"Thank you, old man." The old man waved his hand, no longer paying attention to them. He filled both wooden buckets on his own, slung the rope over his shoulder, and then, without looking back, slowly walked towards the village.
Tiger Zhao looked at his retreating figure, opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to persuade him further.But the words reached his lips and were then swallowed back.He subconsciously touched the water skin at his waist.
Their group of eight had traveled day and night from Liangzhou Prefecture; the water they carried was only enough to last until the mission's end.
How could they have any extra to share with an entire village of people? Liu Chen watched the old man's receding figure, silent for a long time, before slowly speaking.
"Everyone, speak your thoughts. What do you make of this?"
Old Wang sighed, saying, "What else is there to make of it?"
"The Dragon King Lord that old man spoke of is, more likely than not, the Demon entrenched in this area."
"Previously, the weather was favorable, presumably because the commoners' incense offerings were sufficient. Now, in this state, it's likely that something has happened to that Demon."
Tiger Zhao spat. "What kind of damned Dragon King Lord? It's just a beast occupying the water pulse.""In my opinion, we should just charge over and chop off its head!"
"Chop off its head?" Old Wang glanced at him, annoyed, "Do you know where that Demon is? Do you know what Realm it's in?"
"Those Yellow Character Battalion people, every single one of them is good at investigation, yet now they are neither seen alive nor found dead. Do you think this is a joke?"
"You…"
"Enough, enough." Liu Chen snapped, stopping their argument. Rather than making baseless conjectures here, it was better to follow the predecessors' tracks and investigate upstream.
Liu Chen took a deep breath, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes."Everyone, mount up!"
The eight Red-Eyed Colts turned their heads and galloped upstream along the riverbed.