Chapter Thirty-Seven: Unexpected Change

I smiled and nodded, feeling that I might be worrying too much. But then, anyone with a knife at their throat would have their mind a little out of sorts.

After breakfast, I asked again about matters we should pay attention to over the next few days—especially what to do before the seventh day arrived. Should we stay in Mountain Gorge Village or return to River Village? After all, the journey was long, and preparations needed to be made in advance.

The old water ghost gave me no clear answer, saying only that we should wait another two days. Only then could he make up his mind.

I didn’t disturb Tong Xiaomeng’s rest. After eating, I went directly to Liu Dehan’s house to ask Jin Yitiao about the business with the turtle shell.

Jin Yitiao grimaced after hearing me out, his lips nearly worn out from bargaining, but he hadn’t managed even a penny’s worth of discount.

I told him it didn’t matter, since we weren’t paying out of pocket. Knowing his temperament, even if the benefit for each person was ten thousand, this trip would still easily total six figures.

Jin Yitiao didn’t deny it. After all, no one in this line of work lacked greed—honest folk would have starved to death by the riverside long ago. He had given it real thought: after this deal, he’d buy a villa in Australia and retire for good.

He was planning to settle the price today, take the village chief to the county to transfer the money, and ship the turtle shell out. But when he heard I’d be staying a few days longer, he decided to hold out a bit more, in case things took a turn.

I nodded, then suddenly thought of something and asked, “Have you found out anything about those other buyers hiding in the village?”

Jin Yitiao sucked his teeth. “No. Even if those people are here, that lot would never tell me. But if they keep stirring up trouble from behind the scenes, I doubt even ten thousand apiece will be enough in the end.”

That was exactly what I’d been thinking. The buyers surely didn’t know each other’s bottom line. The old village chief was playing them off one another, pressing their psychological limits, and in the end, the highest bidder would win. It was only natural.

I said, “To avoid dragging this out, you should just settle things today. Fix the price at ten thousand and see how they react. Honestly, I don’t think you’ll get it for that.”

Jin Yitiao eyed me. “You think they’re bargaining on the spot?”

I nodded. “Looks that way.”

He bared his teeth and slapped his thigh. “Then I’ll go talk to them now.”

I stopped him and told him not to rush. “If you go to them, you’ll never get the price you want. I bet the other buyers aren’t in a hurry to act either. Anyone who found this place isn’t ordinary. Tell the old man we’re leaving first thing tomorrow and ten thousand is our final offer. See how he reacts, then we’ll decide what to do next.”

Jin Yitiao thought it over and agreed, then asked how things were going on my end.

I told him I was staying in the village to settle the matter, not to worry, I’d found a solution.

While Jin Yitiao went to find the village chief, I headed to the backyard to take another look at the turtle shell in the corner.

The first time I saw it was at night, and I hadn’t gotten a good look—just thought it was huge. But now, in the daylight, the shell gleamed with a dark green luster under the sun. It was hard to imagine what the creature must have been like when alive.

Clearly, the records in the Ancient Compendium of Hidden Treasures weren’t pure fiction. A turtle shell this size would have been sent straight to the imperial palace in ancient times, revered as a divine artifact and worshipped by the emperor during major festivals.

After staring at the shell for a while, I turned to leave.

But as I exited the yard, a black shadow flashed before my eyes. I quickly turned and saw a black cat crouched on the crumbling wall, silently watching me.

Black cats—also called “mystic cats”—are seen as ominous abroad, but in traditional Chinese folklore, they are guardians against evil. In the old days, nearly every wealthy household kept a black cat. It was only later, due to foreign influence, that they became unfairly maligned.

I looked at the black cat, thinking it seemed very intelligent.

How to describe it? Its blue eyes were vibrant and fixed on me. When we locked eyes, it didn’t feel like looking at an animal, but at a person.

The sensation made me shiver. I wondered if I was getting paranoid, and stomped my foot to scare the cat off, then left myself.

Two calm days passed, and Jin Yitiao finally closed the deal for the turtle shell.

Each person got an allowance of eleven thousand, which Jin Yitiao said was the best possible outcome. He’d already contacted the buyers, who agreed to pay fifteen thousand and would transfer the money that afternoon. But this small county only had one rural credit union, and handling the transaction was a hassle. They’d probably have to go to Kaifeng to get it done.

Time was of the essence. The next day, the buyers had already arranged a car in Kaifeng. Jin Yitiao, the village chief, and a few villagers wrapped the turtle shell in bedsheets, loaded it onto a boat and a truck, and left Mountain Gorge Village ahead of us. Before leaving, Jin Yitiao handed me the black pistol for safety and said he’d come back for me once everything was settled.

After he left, I spent my days wandering around the village. Sometimes I’d spot that strange black cat. At night, I slept in the jade coffin. This went on for two days, just as the wedding date set by the River Empress drew near. Then the old water ghost found me and said I didn’t need to sleep in the coffin anymore—the River Empress had arrived.

At noon, the old water ghost took me and Tong Xiaomeng from the yard to the Yellow River’s edge. He pointed at a string of small footprints in the mud. “The River Empress has come ashore—she must have caught a trace of something.”

The footprints came up from the water, paused on the bank, then returned to the river.

Standing at the water’s edge, staring at the churning current, I found it hard to imagine what that scene would be like. I looked at the footprints for a long time, then turned to ask, “So everything we did before was for nothing?”

The old water ghost’s cloudy eyes stayed fixed on the river. He shook his head. “Not entirely. At least she’s only testing the waters for now. If she were certain you were in the village, she wouldn’t just stand and watch.”

Tong Xiaomeng asked, “What should we do next?”

The old water ghost didn’t answer at first. He stared at the river as if he could see its depths. After a long silence, he sighed. “With my abilities, I’m no match for the River Empress. It seems the only way to save you is to go to River Village and ask the Dragon King of the Hai River to intervene and protect your life.”

“We have to go back to River Village?” I asked in surprise.

The old water ghost looked confused and hesitated for a while before speaking. “I don’t know. I don’t know if you’ll survive the journey. Besides the River Empress, the corpses of River Village’s women also want your life…”

The three of us stood on the riverbank. The wind off the river was cool, carrying with it a faint fishy scent.

“Let’s go.”

The old water ghost, holding his pipe, turned and left the riverbank. Tong Xiaomeng and I exchanged glances and hurried after him.

Back at the yard, the big black dog stood at the door, howling mournfully toward the river, clearly sensing something ominous.

“Blackback can smell the River Empress too…” the old water ghost sighed, tapping his pipe on the ground. I quickly lit the pipe for him. After a deep drag, he asked, “If you really had to marry the River Empress, would you be willing?”

I froze. “What do you mean?”

He squinted. “What I fear most is that neither the River Empress nor the women’s corpses from River Village will let you reach River Village alive. The only way to deal with them is to have the River Empress protect you. The jade corpses from the riverbed are no match for her, and here on the Yellow River, there’s nothing they can do to you.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “If I marry the River Empress, wouldn’t I just die here?”

He said nothing, but his silence told me he agreed.

I felt a wave of despair. After all this, we were right back where we started.