As the boat sailed along the river, the scenery was boundless. By the time dusk settled, the setting sun in the west dipped into the water, reflecting a rosy pink that looked like a carmine glow.
“That fellow hasn't come out again since he spoke to you. But those animals he brought on board are making such a racket, it’s giving me a headache.
Sister Zhi, do you think this man is good or bad?”
Wanniang glanced out the window before drifting back to Nan Zhi’s side, watching her focus intently on sketching something on a piece of paper.
“Is this... a kitten? It’s quite adorable with its sturdy little head.”
Nan Zhi held a brush in one hand and the paper in the other. On the paper, a small, pitch-black beast was curled up, its silhouette barely discernible.
Wanniang stared for a long time before she could barely make out the squiggly, caterpillar-like patterns on the little beast's head.
Her praise was somewhat against her better judgment, so she simply looked away.
“There's no way to tell if someone is good or bad just by meeting them once, but it’s best to be cautious.”
Nan Zhi calmly set the paper aside, not admitting that she had actually been trying to draw a tiger.
“That Ma San is a cultivator, yet he went out of his way to toy with that pear seller over a minor matter. It’s clear he’s the vengeful type.
I broke his glamour in public; how could he not secretly hold a grudge against me?
Did you see the hedgehog following him? That was clearly the worker from the foot-shop who led us the way.
I suspect Ma San is the owner of that foot-shop. He obviously knows we came from outside the city, yet he put on an act as if he didn't recognize us.”
“Are you saying Ma San has bad intentions?”
Wanniang grew a bit anxious.
“Then why did you agree to meet him tonight? Isn't that walking straight into the tiger's den?”
“Who said I have to go just because I agreed?”
Nan Zhi gave her a strange look and flicked the half-dry ink from her brush.
“It was just a bit of lip service, a casual promise. Let him stand on the deck and blow in the wind.
I have a feeling those animals he brought on board are a bit strange. I wonder if they’re little demons he’s subdued.
Once the boat quietens down tonight, I’ll sneak into the hold to take a look. If there really is something strange, I can prepare early.”
“Then I’ll keep watch for you.”
Hearing that Nan Zhi already had a plan, Wanniang immediately became excited and volunteered to keep lookout.
“Tell the Wine Immortal to go; it has been growing more and more in tune with my mind these past few days. With its help, forget Ma San—even if the City God himself were here, he wouldn't be able to see through my ghostly shroud for a while.”
Nan Zhi thought about it and agreed, telling Wanniang to act as she saw fit when the time came.
...
...
Nan Zhi waited until dark before making her move. Wary of Ma San watching from the shadows, she climbed directly out the window and crept along the hull toward the lower cabins.
The lower hold was at the very bottom of the boat. Normally, no one came here except for the boatmen or those checking the cargo.
The dozen or so sheep and the four big blue donkeys Ma San had brought were kept in one of the cargo bays. Before Nan Zhi could even get close, a series of noises erupted from within:
“Baaa! Baaa! Baaa!”
“Baa-baa-baa-baa-baa!”
“Hee-haw! Hee-haw!”
The animals in the hold seemed exceptionally frantic. Even standing on the cargo hatch, she could hear the heavy thuds of bodies slamming against the walls.
A large copper lock hung on the door. Nan Zhi examined it briefly, then chanted a mantra and formed a hand seal, using fire to heat the lock until it was glowing red before summoning a handful of fresh water—
With a sharp crack, the lock fell away.
“Indeed, if you study your physics and chemistry, you can travel the world without fear.”
Nan Zhi tossed the lock aside, knelt down, and pulled up the wooden boards covering the hold. Immediately, an unbearable, sour stench wafted out.
She leaned in to look. By the bright moonlight, she saw a dozen sheep huddled together in the cramped hold, their cries filled with terror.
Four big blue donkeys lay limply on the ground, seemingly on the verge of death.
The distinct, rank smell of livestock and waste hit her, mixed with the sour scent of fermented grass in the stifling air.
The smell was not pleasant at all.
Nan Zhi wrinkled her nose and patiently scanned the room.
With this look, she truly did notice something amiss.
In the stone troughs used for feeding, fodder was piled high, yet the animals hadn't touched a single bite. Conversely, the water troughs were bone-dry, without a single drop left.
Having been locked in the pitch-black hold for days, the animals grew even more agitated at the sudden sight of moonlight, braying and bleating loudly:
“Baa-baa-baa-baa!”
“Baa-baa-baa!”
An exceptionally thin blue donkey even stood up, sticking out its tongue to desperately lick the water Nan Zhi had spilled on the floor during her spell.
“Hee-haw!”
But that tiny bit of water was a drop in the bucket. Even though it tried its hardest, it only managed to lick up a single droplet.
The big blue donkey grew even more desperate with thirst. It struggled to stand upright, pointing at its own throat with its front hooves.
“Hee-haw! Hee-haw!”
Seeing this, the other animals followed suit, rising halfway and walking on their hind legs. Their round eyes were filled with longing and human-like pleading:
“Baa-baa-baa-baa!”
“Baa-baa-baa!”
“Baa-baa-baa-baa!”
Under the moonlight, a dozen animals were walking upright like humans.
Their eyes were wide as they bleated and screamed incessantly, their voices growing increasingly hoarse, as if someone were squeezing their vocal cords.
The scene was incredibly eerie.
For some reason, Nan Zhi suddenly recalled a ghost story she had heard before.
The story went that in ancient times, there was an evil man who specialized in human trafficking. His method was unique: he would wrap a sheepskin around a person, and they would turn into a sheep, obediently following him.
However, as powerful as this sorcery was, it had one flaw: the humans turned into sheep could not be given water, or the spell would be broken.
“Do you want... water?”
Nan Zhi tentatively conjured a mass of fresh water. The leading big blue donkey nodded its head frantically.
“Hee-haw!”
Without further hesitation, Nan Zhi immediately cast the Water Shield Art, summoning a large amount of fresh water that fell into the stone troughs like rain. The animals in the hold swarmed forward, opening their mouths to gulp it down.
For a moment, the sound of heavy gulping filled the air.
A gust of wind suddenly blew across the river, and dark clouds quietly obscured the bright moon. Nan Zhi’s shadow on the deck stretched longer and longer—
The animals in the hold also began to change.
The sheep, now full of water, huddled and pushed against each other. White, fluffy wool kept falling from their backs.
Several small sheep rolled on the spot, bleating. The sheepskins on their bodies dissipated, and they actually transformed into the forms of five or six year old children.
“Waaah! I want my mommy! I want my mommy!”
“Waaaah... Daddy! Daddy!”
“Waaaah...”
“It’s so dark here, waaah...”
As for the big blue donkey that had asked for water, the donkey skin slowly peeled away. Its heavy hooves softened, turning into rough, large hands. The donkey hair receded bit by bit, turning into clothes.
The furry donkey face shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye, gradually turning into a human face. A pair of long ears became short and small, sitting flat against the sides of his cheeks.
The pear seller, eyes wide, was squeezed into the hold just like that.
Weak, pitiful, and helpless.
Nan Zhi almost wanted to ask him sincerely:
How do you manage to run into every piece of bad luck?
Rate on N.U.
