Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Under the Hull

Gu Shi Yi paused, then ducked back into the cabin. From the bundle on the bed, she drew out three ancient coins and handed them over.

“Boss Yu, cast a divination…”

Captain Yu answered quickly. He took the three coins, loosely cupped his hands, and shook them a few times before letting them drop to the deck by his feet. Gu Shi Yi glanced down, then nodded.

“Again.”

He picked them up and repeated it. One cast after another—six in total—until Gu Shi Yi had all six results memorized.

“Wait outside. Let me calculate properly!”

She shut the cabin door in Boss Yu’s face, then turned and asked in a low voice, “Yan Er, what do you make of it?”

Li Yan Er poked her head out from the quilt, thought for a moment, and said, “Master left that divination book behind, and I only read it for two days. But look at this—four casts in a row came up blank… Go get Master’s divination book.”

Gu Shi Yi fetched it at once. Li Yan Er crawled onto her lap, and the two of them flipped through the chart together. After a long while, Gu Shi Yi bared her teeth in a helpless grin.

“Yan Er, I can’t see a thing. What did you figure out?”

Li Yan Er hesitated, then said, “This is a yin hexagram. And right now we’re traveling on water. Water is yin… Maybe we should look in the water.”

She hurried to add, “I’m just guessing. You—”

Before she could finish, Gu Shi Yi’s eyebrows jumped.

“Perfect!”

She swung the door open and strode out, speaking loudly enough for everyone nearby to hear.

“Boss Yu, honestly, only you could make me shave a whole year off my lifespan for one reading…”

Captain Yu had been running the jianghu long enough to understand exactly what she was selling. He immediately clasped his hands.

“Master Gu is righteous. I can’t let you lose lifespan for nothing. After this, I, Yu, will repay you properly!”

Good. He knew what was what.

Gu Shi Yi nodded with a pleased little squint. “If Boss Yu says it, I believe it.”

Then her expression sobered. “Send a few people down. Check the river.”

“The river?” Captain Yu blinked.

“Yes. The river.” Gu Shi Yi pointed toward the water beside the hull. “Have them search the area around the boat. Carefully.”

Captain Yu looked doubtful, but at this point even a dead horse had to be treated like it might still breathe. Besides, it wasn’t him going into the water—he only had to move his mouth.

He called a few shop assistants who were strong swimmers. They stripped down to shorts and slipped into the river.

Gu Shi Yi stood to one side, watching several young men flash eight-pack abs and thick thighs as they dove. Her smile only grew brighter.

Behind the cabin door, Li Yan Er peeked through the crack and saw her best friend’s expression—pure, shameless admiration. She winced. Great King, tucked nearby, poked out a twig-tip as well and clicked its tongue.

“This woman is thirsty for men to the point of tragedy… tsk. That old Daoist priest really did her dirty.”

Back in the mountains, whenever Gu Shi Yi felt bored, she’d come chatter at him. Half her chatter was always the same complaint: old Daoist priest was heartless, dragging her to this age and still not arranging a match. Great King had never understood why humans made such a fuss over it.

“You humans are such a hassle. With us, we can have children on our own. When the time comes, a pine nut drops into the dirt and—bam—children sprout. But you still have to find someone to marry, and if you don’t like them you refuse. Having children is having children. Everyone’s got one nose and one mouth. What’s there to be picky about?”

Li Yan Er broke into a sweat and could only laugh dryly.

On deck, more passengers poured out to watch the commotion. A whole crowd leaned over the railing, tracking the deckhands as they swam back and forth, flipping to dive under and resurface again and again. They thrashed around for nearly the time it took an incense stick to burn, but nothing looked unusual.

Wang Little Seven finally shouted from below, teeth chattering, “Owner, there’s nothing down here! I—I mean, can we come back up?”

The weather had turned cold. Even for a sturdy man like him, the river felt like needles after too long.

Captain Yu looked up, then glanced at Gu Shi Yi. “Master Gu, the water’s been searched. There’s nothing—”

“Search again.” Gu Shi Yi didn’t even blink.

The men groaned but obeyed. They dove again and swept the riverbed by feel.

Wang Little Seven surfaced, wiped water off his face, and suddenly went stiff. He twisted his head back and yelled, voice sharp with panic.

“Who’s grabbing me? Stop pulling my foot!”

But the others were all several strokes away, staring at him in bafflement.

Wang Little Seven’s face drained white. He kicked hard—and froze. The tighter he kicked, the tighter something wound around his ankle. It felt like a hand closing, dragging him down. He began to flail, splashing wildly, a broad-shouldered man shaking as he begged for help.

“Brothers—hey! Help me! Pull me up!”

Several deckhands lunged toward him. They grabbed his arms and started hauling.

It only got worse.

The more they pulled, the faster Wang Little Seven sank. They strained until veins stood out on their necks, yet he still dropped by inches, as if something below was calmly reeling him in. His mouth went under. Then his nose. Another breath and his head would vanish completely.

Gu Shi Yi’s expression finally darkened.

The others couldn’t see it, but she could: as Wang Little Seven surfaced and screamed, a lump of black qi seeped out on the river’s surface like ink dropped into clear water. It spread fast, staining the current around him, bleeding outward until the whole patch of river beside the merchant boat looked dyed.

“Resentment qi.”

Gu Shi Yi spun and rushed into the cabin. She snatched up a stack of yellow talismans the old Daoist priest had left behind, pinched one between her fingers, and strode back to the rail. The wind snapped at her sleeves.

She shook the talisman twice.

It ignited without any flame.

A collective gasp rose from the deck.

Gu Shi Yi flicked her wrist and hurled it toward the river. “Go!”

The talisman spun in the air and drifted down onto the water. The fire didn’t go out. It clung to the surface and raced outward in a thin, ghostly blaze, spreading along the river until the whole area around the boat shimmered with dim, eerie flames.

The deckhands froze, half-submerged, as the fire licked around their bodies. Yet there was no heat—no pain—only a strange chill and the stink of river muck.

Gu Shi Yi barked, “Pull Wang Little Seven up! Now!”

They snapped back to themselves and hauled again.

This time, it was effortless.

Wang Little Seven was yanked free and dragged up until his head burst above the surface. He coughed and gulped air like he’d been reborn.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

Gu Shi Yi leaned over the rail. “Wang Little Seven—did you see what was pulling your foot?”

Wang Little Seven treaded water and shook his head so hard droplets flew. “N-no! I didn’t know! I was scared to death—I didn’t even look!”

Gu Shi Yi clicked her tongue. Coward.

Before she could say more, someone on deck shouted, “Look! What’s that?”

Something was rising nearby.

The deckhands turned—and scattered with yelps. A red shadow floated up from the dark water, slow and heavy.

“It looks like a person…”

“It is a person!”

As it rose, the shape sharpened into a swollen corpse: a woman in a red robe, black hair fanning across the surface like water weeds. For a heartbeat, everyone stared at the hair and the way it drifted—too much like something reaching.

Captain Yu’s face went bloodless. He turned to Gu Shi Yi with a miserable look. “Master Gu… what is this?”

Gu Shi Yi already had her answer, but her tone stayed mild. “It’s fine. Bring her up.”

Captain Yu had no ideas left. He did exactly what she said. He ordered shop assistants to fetch an iron hook, drop it, snag the corpse’s clothing, and pull.

Nothing moved.

“Owner! We can’t lift her!”

Captain Yu grabbed the rope himself and hauled until his arms shook. The corpse still wouldn’t budge. He whipped his head around, desperate. “Master Gu—”

Gu Shi Yi thought for a moment. “Have them check under the boat.”

A deckhand dove under the hull. He surfaced a moment later, spitting water, and yelled, “Owner! Her skirt’s hooked on our rudder!”

That made no sense. The rudder lived underwater—slick, worn, and smooth. And yet the hem of a red skirt was caught there like a deliberate knot, so firmly that even in the water they couldn’t tug it free.

Captain Yu’s lips trembled. “Then… then does that mean she’s been following us since we left Xuan Cheng?”

Gu Shi Yi nodded. “Cut the cloth.”

The deckhands dove again. A knife flashed under the water. After a few jerking motions, the skirt tore free. This time the iron hook caught, and the corpse surged up with a loud splash.

They dragged her onto the deck and laid her there, water pouring off her sleeves.

Some passengers fled at the first sight. The braver ones hovered at a distance, staring as if they couldn’t help themselves.

Gu Shi Yi took a bamboo pole and lifted the hair off the corpse’s face.

The reaction was instant.

A chorus of horrified noises burst from the crowd. The face had bloated from soaking, then been gnawed by something below. It was pitted and ragged. The ears were gone. The nose was reduced to a hole. The cheekbone showed through torn flesh. The lips were missing, leaving teeth bared in a fixed, obscene grin.

People covered their mouths and turned away, retching.

Gu Shi Yi didn’t change expression. She reached out and tugged at Captain Yu, who was shielding his eyes with trembling fingers.

“Boss Yu, don’t be afraid. Look carefully.” Her voice was almost gentle. “Is this the woman from your dream?”

Captain Yu peeked through his fingers, took one look, and nodded frantically. “It’s her… it’s her…”

Gu Shi Yi pressed, “Was she the top courtesan from that flower boat?”

Captain Yu forced himself to look again, but his face twisted. He staggered to the railing and vomited hard.

“Ugh—ugh… her face… it’s too… too rotten… b-but… b-but at her temple, there was… a red mole… I… I recognize it… ugh…”

Gu Shi Yi nodded once, then turned to the remaining passengers.

“This woman died horribly. She’s likely already become a vengeful spirit.” Her gaze swept the deck. “I’m going to perform a rite to send her on. Everyone else, leave. Now. If any of you stay and get possessed, don’t blame me for not warning you.”

Nobody argued. The crowd scattered like birds, slamming back into cabins.

Captain Yu tried to flee too, but Gu Shi Yi caught his sleeve. “Boss Yu, you’re not going anywhere. You need to be here.”

Captain Yu’s knees practically knocked. “This really has nothing to do with me! If she possesses me, what do I do?”

“Relax. I’m here.” Gu Shi Yi gave him a reassuring pat, then immediately made it worse. “Besides, on this whole boat, she’s not looking for anyone else. She’s looking for you.”

Captain Yu nearly cried. “Why me?!”

Gu Shi Yi’s tone turned knowingly solemn. “Because of that little dew-and-dawn romance on the flower boat. If you don’t settle it, she’ll cling to you forever.”

Captain Yu shot up in outrage. “I’m wronged! I didn’t even touch her hand! How is that a romance?”

He complained with his mouth, but his feet stayed rooted, rigid with fear. Gu Shi Yi patted her chest.

“It’s fine. She won’t dare act up with me here. She’s just unwilling—she thinks she died unjustly. Don’t worry. I’ll talk her down.”

She pulled out the old Daoist priest’s peachwood sword and a stack of talismans. Then she ordered Captain Yu to fetch a porcelain bowl and strong liquor.

She burned a talisman into the bowl, poured in the liquor, and seized Captain Yu’s hand. With a sharp motion, she pricked his fingertip.

“Ah!” Captain Yu yelped.

Gu Shi Yi squeezed several drops of blood into the bowl, stirred it with his finger, and thrust it back at him.

“Drink.”

Captain Yu stared at the black, murky liquid and hesitated. Gu Shi Yi pinched his jaw and poured it down his throat.

The moment it hit his stomach, Captain Yu’s eyes rolled back. He toppled with a heavy thud, rigid as a board.

Gu Shi Yi crouched beside him, pulled off one shoe, and jabbed the sole with the peachwood sword’s tip.

“Ah!”

Captain Yu jerked upright with a scream, sitting straight as if yanked by a string. His eyes looked different—too still, too empty. He stared at Gu Shi Yi without blinking, without speaking, without breathing like a normal man.

Gu Shi Yi tilted her head. “Who are you?”

Captain Yu’s mouth moved.

A woman’s voice slid out.

“I… I… Qiao Qiao…”

“Qiao Qiao.” Gu Shi Yi kept her tone calm. “How did you die?”

“I… I…” The voice wavered, struggling through memory. “I…”

Then Captain Yu’s face twisted, the features contorting into a raw, vicious snarl.

“It was her! That vile bitch!” the woman’s voice screeched. “I paid for talismans to press her under the flower tree—so she could never rise again. How did she get out? How? When I jumped into the water, she dragged me under the boat… she drowned me—drowned me!”

Gu Shi Yi’s eyes narrowed.

“If you know who killed you, then go settle it. Reincarnate, take revenge—whatever you must. Why are you haunting Captain Yu?”

The possessed Captain Yu shrieked, sharp enough to make the hair on the neck stand up.

“You think I want to? My corpse was hung under this boat! She wanted the fish and shrimp to chew me to pieces so I couldn’t even keep a whole body. I had no choice!” The voice sobbed and rasped in the same breath. “So I went to Yu Lang!”

Gu Shi Yi rolled her eyes. “Now your corpse has been pulled up. After this, I’ll have Captain Yu pay for a good coffin and a proper burial spot. Then you can go.”

The ghost’s voice turned wild, desperate.

“I don’t want to die! I won’t accept it! The Zhao family young master promised me—less than a month and he’d carry me through the door! I was about to marry into a great house. Glory and wealth were right there, and now it’s all gone. I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it!”