boyutpedia Chapter 34 Investigation
Chapter 34 Investigation
"We caught silver carp here before," Xiang Geng explained, his voice echoing slightly in the empty cave.
"We caught several nets that day, about ten of them, but after eating them, we realized something was wrong."
Feng Xiu squinted and looked around.
"Go, a little to the left." The firelight was limited, illuminating only a small area.
Then, he directed people to approach the shallow water near the stone wall, where there seemed to be some movement, though it was not clear.
After someone did as instructed, Xiang Geng also looked over.
There were many tiny, almost transparent fish fry swimming in the shallow water, forming a grayish-white shadow as they writhed on the bottom.
"Where did these fish fry come from?" Feng Xiu asked.
Then, Xiang Geng replied, "It should be the offspring of the previous silver carp."
Feng Xiu stood up and scanned the entire cave.
"Go back to the grain depot, take the tools, drain the pool, and also get some kerosene and set it all on fire."
Feng Xiu closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then gave the order in a deep voice.
Xiang Geng paused for a moment, hesitated, but still nodded.
He glanced deeply at the rusty iron gate, then turned and divided the seven or eight strong men into two groups.
One group went to get tools, while the other rode horses to the city to buy kerosene.
The man accepted the order and left the culvert.
Not long after, he arrived with several huge leather bags and dozens of bamboo poles as thick as thighs, which he had pieced together.
One end is inserted into the pool of water, and the other end extends to the entrance, forming a huge pipe.
They then took out several hollow iron rods, inserted them into the holes in the bamboo tubes, and sealed them with rosin.
Seven or eight men simultaneously pressed down on the seam of the leather bag.
Airflow rushed into the pipe, the pool bubbled and gurgled, then turned into a vortex and flowed out along the bamboo pipe.
Before long, the water in the pool dropped at a speed visible to the naked eye, revealing slippery moss.
Among the crowd, some people, carrying buckets or wooden tubs, simply jumped in, the water barely reaching their knees, and struggled to scoop up the water.
Feng Xiu watched calmly from the side, while Xiang Geng beside him remained silent.
After the water in the pool was completely drained, leaving only some shallow puddles, another group of people each carried a wooden bucket.
It was filled with a bucket of pitch-black liquid.
The culvert space was small, and the pungent smell from the liquid instantly spread.
"fall."
Feng Xiu raised his hand, and immediately countless streams of fiery oil poured down the stone wall.
"Young Master." Xiang Geng said respectfully, handing over a tinderbox.
Feng Xiu took it, blew on it, and after the flames ignited, threw it down.
Boom~
A raging fire broke out, its flames reaching the height of an adult, and the outer flames scorched the pool of water.
The shallow pool of water evaporated completely, and a hissing sound could be heard continuously. Some fish fry were burned to ashes, accompanied by the smell of roasted fish.
The fire fueled by the raging oil was fierce, and thick blue smoke rose upwards.
Everyone covered their mouths and noses, and soon they felt a scorching wave of heat, which distorted the air above the pool.
It wasn't until quite a while later that Xiang Geng couldn't help but step forward and tug at Feng Xiu's sleeve.
"Let's withdraw. From now on, patrol twice a day. If there are any abnormalities, report them immediately," Feng Xiu said slowly.
"Your subordinate obeys." Xiang Geng nodded solemnly.
The group quickly packed their things and then exited the culvert.
Stepping out of the cave, the view suddenly became clear, and right in front of the bamboo forest, a large patch of water came into view.
As the sun rose, its scorching heat quickly evaporated the fish, though some fry still struggled and thrashed about.
Xiang Geng glanced at Feng Xiu, then looked at the group of men carrying wooden buckets.
I've already experienced the medicinal benefits of adult silver carp; they have excellent medicinal value. If these fry could be raised successfully...
Xiang Geng's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if he was about to say something.
"Burn them all."
Xiang Geng's expression froze, and his eyes widened slightly.
To deal with some fish fry, we need to eliminate them completely.
He then nodded in agreement, and after calling to a few people, poured in flammable oil.
Instantly, flames ignited.
After doing all this, the group went to the small bamboo grove.
As soon as he stepped inside, Xiang Geng instantly sensed something strange, and the hairs on his body stood on end.
The summer sounds of rustling bamboo leaves and chirping birds in the bamboo grove suddenly fell silent.
It was as if time had been paused here, and an extreme chill rose up, gradually covering the bottom of each bamboo stalk with a ring of frost.
"Something's not right." Xiang Geng's expression hardened.
He then gestured for everyone to slowly back away. Everyone looked solemn, their hands slowly reaching for the hilts of their swords, their eyes serious.
Feng Xiu possessed a powerful and vigorous body of qi and blood, making him extremely sensitive to the evil intentions of the outside world.
He lowered his head slightly, his gaze slowly drifting to his arm, where the hairs had somehow stood on end!
"withdraw!"
Xiang Geng's heart was in his throat, and he whispered.
Before the words had even faded, a piercing roar exploded in my ears!
"Feng Shouzhou, you slept with my master's woman and even killed my clan's offspring!"
The voice, filled with resentment and madness, suddenly rang out, startling everyone who heard it and making them tremble.
Then, a figure rudely passed through the bamboo forest.
Wherever it passed, the green bamboo stalks seemed to be crushed by a tremendous force, cracking and exploding like firecrackers.
Large swaths of bamboo leaves fell down, and broken wood shavings clung to the bamboo, lying haphazardly. When the figure appeared, everyone's pupils instantly contracted sharply!
Before me stood an old woman in gray, fish roe dripping from beneath her clothes.
On the bamboo forest trail behind us, small silver carp, each about the size of a palm, were still jumping around.
Its face, which originally had human features, was now entirely composed of tiny, fingernail-sized scales. Its dead fish eyes were filled with rage, and the cold air in the room intensified with each opening and closing of its mouth.
"This, this is from the Chronicle of Strange Beasts... the Fish Mother~!"
Someone's eyes widened, as if they recognized something, and the hand holding the knife trembled slightly.
The monsters and strange beasts in the book came to life in reality, and everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
"What's the panic!"
Xiang Geng, having experienced many battles, shouted loudly, drawing everyone's attention back to the present.
Just then, the mother fish let out a chilling laugh, her eyes fixed on Feng Xiu.
"Feng Shouzhou, I was planning to go looking for you, but I didn't expect you to come to me on your own, hehe~~"
"I'm not Feng Shouzhou!"
After a brief moment of distraction, Feng Xiu quickly recovered and, upon hearing this, spoke in a gloomy and cold voice.
"It is you, it is you!"
The mother fish chuckled, and her dead fish eyes shone even brighter, as if she were quite certain.
"Grass!"
Although the Feng brothers were only a year apart, they did look somewhat alike.
But after being mistaken for someone else twice, Feng Xiu clenched his fists, and veins bulged on the back of his fists.
He turned his head instantly, grabbed the hilt of a guard's sword, and his strength was so great that the guard staggered and almost lost his balance.
With a flash of cold light, the blade slashed forward with a sharp, hissing sound, and with a powerful step, it cleaved straight at the mother fish.
The mother fish flashed, shaking out a large number of fish eggs. Her mouth revealed sharp, dense teeth, and she opened her mouth to spray out a stream of condensed water!
The water jets were sharp, and Feng Xiu turned his head to dodge. A guard was unable to dodge in time and was instantly struck on the right shoulder.
He cried out in pain, and blood gushed out from under his clothes.
Seeing Feng Xiu make the first move, Xiang Geng's expression changed, and he hurriedly shouted, "This guy is tough, all of you come at him together, be careful of being sprayed with water."
With just one move, Feng Xiu had already tested out some of the Fish Mother's abilities and techniques, and no one dared to be careless in the slightest.
However, since everyone had returned to the granary after burning the fishpond and connecting the bamboo pipes, there were very few guards with weapons at the moment.
Even so, they handed their broadswords to several highly skilled fighters, while they themselves stood by and watched from the sidelines.
In an instant, eight or nine sharp blades, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind, slashed down at the mother fish.
Xiang Geng took the lead, and among the entire team, he and Feng Xiu were the strongest.
In an instant, the mother fish's arm was stained with blood, and she was forced back several steps, her breath catching in her throat.
"Watch out for the ground!"
"She's not that strong!"
Xiang Geng shouted, having realized during the previous struggle that this monster was not invulnerable to weapons.
However, as the mother fish laid eggs while striking, the ground became slippery, causing the group to lose their aim.
"Feng Shouzhuo, it seems Su Wantang has trained you well; you've actually learned martial arts!"
In the arena, the withered old hand of the Fish Mother instantly grabbed the steel knife that Feng Xiu was attacking, and a shot of ice arrow shot out from her fish mouth.
Feng Xiu's expression changed. He gripped the knife and tried to pull it out, but it didn't budge. His mind raced, and he suddenly dropped the knife and quickly turned to the side.
"What did you say?!"
After hearing this, Feng Xiu stood still, looking stunned.
Seeing this, the group gathered behind Feng Xiu, holding their swords and focusing their attention, when a heavy panting sound came from nearby.
Xiang Geng's gaze froze for a moment, only to see that Feng Xiu's crown was askew.
His once resolute face was now flushed crimson almost instantly, and veins throbbed on his forehead.
"Where did I say something wrong? You're nothing but a good-for-nothing. You only got to where you are today after being trained by Su Wantang, heh~"
The mother fish sneered.
"You son of a bitch!" Feng Xiu gritted his teeth.
shuh~
After the Fish Mother finished speaking, she didn't give Feng Xiu a chance to refute her. She tore the steel knife in her hand apart, turning it into countless flying shards that shot towards Feng Xiu.
"Young Master, be careful!"
Xiang Geng's expression changed drastically. He was about to swing his sword to defend himself when he saw Feng Xiu suddenly take a step forward with such force that it made everyone around him tremble.
The bull's feet sank deep into the mud, its right knee bent, and its body transformed into a blue shadow as it charged forward!
In mid-air, he waved his hands repeatedly, his thick, diamond-like hands striking the broken blades with a crisp, metallic clang.
The mother fish was startled, and a sinister smile appeared in her small pupils.
She then opened her mouth wide, and a icy arrow as thick as an arm shot out in an instant!
However, she was fast, but Feng Xiu was even faster. His fingernail bullet turned into a black dot and shot out from behind, shattering the ice arrow in front of him inch by inch!
The mother fish looked horrified, as if she had never imagined such a situation. Just as she was about to dodge, Feng Xiu slammed down with his left hand.
Grasp the back of your head with your middle three fingers, and press your thumb and little finger firmly against your temples.
At the same time, he pressed his right hand, fingers together like a knife, against the man's throat.
"Ah~~!"
The mother fish looked terrified, her body slippery, and she struggled violently.
But the more she struggled, the tighter the large fingernails on her head tightened, causing bright red blood to flow from five bloody holes, and the sharp point at her throat pierced her skin.
"this......?!"
Seeing this, everyone around was momentarily stunned. Feng Xiu's sudden move completely shattered their impression of the gentle and refined Confucian gentleman.
When he came to his senses again, he could clearly see that he had completely lifted the long-defeated mother fish with one hand.
"Let me go! I've only just taken human form, let me go!"
Two wet, slippery thighs were kicking wildly in mid-air!
Feng Xiu bent down slightly, and his rugged face suddenly loomed large in his vision. His expression was gloomy, and he uttered a cold sentence filled with murderous intent.
"Open your dog eyes wide and take a good look at who I really am!"
"Feng Shouzhuo, Feng Shouzhuo, you slept with my master's woman, and my child died at your hands. You are Feng Shouzhuo!"
The mother fish screamed and struggled even harder.
However, the giant hand on his head felt like steel, and blood flowed down his scaly face from his temple.
Click~
Feng Xiu's expression was ashen and gloomy. He swung his right hand in a horizontal slash, and a head fell to the ground, silencing the screams abruptly.
"Do you still have any more flammable oil?" Feng Xiu casually tossed the corpse aside.
Yes, yes, yes.
"burn!"