The old fisherman took Shu Yuehen and Mu Hanyun around Zuimeng Lake for a day, but did not see any monsters.
Shu Yuehen was a little depressed. She thought to herself: It would be great if Han Sheng from Xianxia Sect was here. He would definitely be able to figure out where the monster is.
Zuimeng Lake is so big. According to the old fisherman, it would take half a month to visit the entire Zuimeng Lake.
Mu Hanyun had no worries and had a very pleasant chat with the old fisherman. He also tasted the specialty of Zuimeng Lake, the small whitebait, and praised it as a delicacy he had never seen in his life.
The old fisherman was unwilling to spend the night in Zuimeng Lake, so he rowed his small fishing boat to a ferry.
There were seven or eight unmanned fishing boats tied to the ferry. Behind the ferry was a village. At sunset, puffs of smoke rose from the village. It was obvious that no one in the village had escaped.
The old fisherman was anxious to go home and wanted to invite the two distinguished guests from the county magistrate back to the county seat and go to Zuimeng Lake tomorrow.
Mu Hanyun took the old fisherman's hand and said, "Uncle Tang, why are you driving us away? We want you to stay overnight in Tangjiazhuang."
Uncle Tang glared and said, "You are all distinguished guests. Our small family cannot afford to entertain you."
Mu Hanyun said with a smile: "Uncle Tang, you are a foreigner now. We hit it off on the boat. Although we have not known each other for a long time, I have already regarded you as a lifelong friend. Why don't you let us stay overnight?"
The old fisherman's surname was Tang and his single name was De. His name and life experience were previously tricked out by Mu Hanyun on the boat.
He has lived in Tangjiazhuang all his life and made a living by fishing. He has never married a wife, but he has a nephew in the village.
Tang De was pulled by Mu Hanyun and had no choice but to lead Shu Yuehen and Mu Hanyun back to the small courtyard where he lived.
He hastily cleaned two rooms for the two of them to live in.
Shu Yuehen looked at the mouse in the corner and the spider webs on the roof. She had never lived in such a terrible room in her entire life.
She asked Mu Hanyun: "Junior brother, why do you have to live in the old fisherman's house?"
Mu Hanyun said: "Sister, don't you find it strange? Chang Youwei said that the villagers in other villages were afraid of monsters and ran away. Why are the people in Tangjiazhuang not afraid of monsters and still staying in the village?"
Shu Yuehen asked: "Maybe it's hard to leave your homeland?"
Mu Hanyun smiled and said, "Maybe the people in Tangjiazhuang are relying on them and think that the water demon will not harm them."
"You suspect that the water demon and the people from Tangjiazhuang are colluding with each other, so what are we waiting for? We will immediately arrest the people from Tangjiazhuang for interrogation."
"Senior Sister, don't be impatient and let me investigate carefully."
The old fisherman Tang De waited for the two guests to turn off the lights and go to bed, then quietly walked out the door. He didn't notice Mu Hanyun and Shu Yuehen following him.
The old fisherman went to Witch Zhang's house in the village.
He took the reward given to him by the county magistrate.
He handed the bag containing the reward to Witch Zhang.
"Witch Zhang, I gave you all the money, you can't let my nephew be a human sacrifice."
Witch Zhang poured the money out of the bag and counted them carefully one by one, smiling happily.
"Okay, if the money is enough, I will ask the village chief to find someone else to be a human sacrifice."
The old fisherman Tang De sat on the threshold, a little worried: "Witch Zhang, if we offer a human sacrifice, the master in the lake will not harm us?"
Witch Zhang smiled and said: "Of course. Our Tangjiazhuang has built a village by Zuimeng Lake for three hundred years. From generation to generation, we spirit witches have passed down how to serve the Lord in the lake. She is easy to talk to, as long as our village can provide human sacrifices in time , that adult will not harm us, and there is no need to abandon everything and flee like other villages."
At this time, someone said: "Witch Zhang, do you know that offering sacrifices to monsters privately is a capital offense?"
Witch Zhang and Tang De were so frightened that they stood up.
Mu Hanyun and Shu Yuehen walked in. It was Mu Hanyun who asked the question just now.
Tang De asked with wide eyes: "You're not sleeping!"
Mu Hanyun smiled and said: "Don't dare to sleep. Your Tangjiazhuang actually colluded with the water demon. If you tell Magistrate Chang, the consequences will be very bad for you."
Tang De had a stubborn temper and said angrily: "You monks who come and go can't get rid of the water monster. What will we, the common people who have lived in Zuimeng Lake for generations, do?"
Witch Zhang was so frightened that she grabbed Tang De and said, "Old Tang, please stop saying a few words. If you don't want your life, others in the village still want their lives!"
Tang De was breathing heavily, and the whites of his eyes were red. He didn't dare to speak anymore. He also had a nephew in the village.
Neither Shu Yuehen nor Mu Hanyun was angry. Mu Hanyun told Witch Zhang: "Witch Zhang, if you truthfully tell the truth about the water monster in the lake, we will not report you to Magistrate Chang for secretly sacrificing monsters. Things. We just want to get rid of the demons, but we don’t want to interfere with your village’s business.”
Witch Zhang said quickly: "Okay!"
According to Witch Zhang, three hundred years ago, no one lived around Zuimeng Lake, and the world was dominated by water monsters.
Later, war broke out in the north, and a group of refugees went south and passed by Zuimeng Lake. They saw that Zuimeng Lake was rich and wanted to live here.
There is a spirit witch among the refugees. The spirit witch can communicate with gods and monsters by dancing.
The water monsters of Zuimeng Lake promised them that they could live here in exchange for holding human sacrifices every year and finding ten people for the water monsters to eat.
This group of refugees agreed, and they settled down around Zuimeng Lake.
About two hundred years ago, a swordsman passed by Zuimeng Lake and saw the water monsters in the lake eating people. He became furious and killed all the water monsters in the lake.
Zuimeng Lake has since become a human territory. Later, as the population multiplied and a county town was established, the water monster in the lake was gradually forgotten.
But at the beginning of this summer, water monsters suddenly appeared in Zuimeng Lake. The water monsters killed many fishermen in Zuimeng Lake, and also killed many monks invited by the county magistrate to eliminate the monsters.
Tangjiazhuang was unwilling to leave his hometown and flee again.
The villagers asked Witch Zhang to communicate with the water demon in the lake. The water demon in the lake promised the villagers in Tangjiazhuang that as long as they fulfilled their ancestors' promise, offered human sacrifices to the water demon in the lake, and helped the water demon find a person named "Xiao Ba", Just allow them to continue living by Zuimeng Lake.
After Shu Yuehen listened to the story, he asked, "You mean the Sword Immortal?"
Witch Zhang said: "We spirit witches also have a heritage. The one who killed the water demon in the lake was the sword immortal of Xuantian Sword Sect. The "Xiao Ba" who was asked by the water demon in the lake to find us, followed the sword immortal in the end. Leaving Zuimeng Lake."
Shu Yuehen and Mu Hanyun looked at each other and asked in unison: "Xuantian Sword Sect?"
Witch Zhang said: "The inheritance of our spiritual witches is special. The seniors can pass on some important memories to the younger disciples. They are the sword immortals of the Xuantian Sword Sect except the water monster in the lake."
Neither Shu Yuehen nor Mu Hanyun expected that the water demon in the lake would actually involve the ancestors of the Xuantian Sword Sect.
The "Xiaoba" taken away by the Xuantian Sword Sect's senior swordsman might also become a disciple of the Xuantian Sword Sect.
(End of chapter)
