Luo Siyuan said slowly with a stern face, "Huang Silang, who sold the dog-head gold,

no longer needs to fish, enduring hunger and cold with his family.

But people are never satisfied.

He secretly kidnapped beggars from all over, those whom no one would miss, and threw them into the river to exchange for the river god's blessing.

It is unknown by what principle, but Huang Silang, who frequently offered sacrifices, actually had great financial luck.

Since starting his business, his family has prospered, and he has become wealthy, acquiring manors, fields, and street-facing shops, becoming a prominent figure in Fu County.

He even felt that his white hair had turned black again, regaining his youth.

When beggars were not enough, he entrusted brokers to find mentally disabled people from the surrounding areas, deceiving them by saying that Huang Silang was kind and willing to provide servant work.

In reality, he also sank them to the bottom of the river, turning them into ghosts.

In the end, Huang Silang even felt that he had grown blue scales on his back,

and that he, too, could be worshiped and live forever like a river god.

This account book contains the evidence of his crimes, which was found by the Fu County constables in Huang's residence."

He took out a tattered account book from his bosom, opened it, and pointed to a page as he read, "March 17th, entrusted to an evil sorcerer, abducted a nine-year-old girl from Lou County, cut off her toes, pierced the wounds with iron needles, soaked them in boiling lime water, crippled her, and threw her into the Ling River;

April 1st, abducted a child from Nanxun, ate his flesh to refine bones, threw the bone pills into the Ling River;

May 13th, abducted a child, forged iron needles to insert into his ankles, severed his Achilles tendons, and threw him into the Ling River;

July 4th, kidnapped a child outside Qimen in Suzhou, crushed his bones because he hated his crying, and threw him into the Ling River..."

Luo Siyuan shook his head, heavily closed the account book, and said in a deep voice, "Huang Silang found a caisheng zhege (child mutilator) who knew evil sorcery, abducting children everywhere, cruelly torturing them, and offering them to himself and the river god.

Xu Wencai, a merchant from Nanjun, was the 'cargo' he dreamed of offering to the river god.

As for the deaths of the Xu brothers,

it was because he was afraid of attracting cultivators and being exposed,

so he instructed his evil servants to set the fire at the inn.

The people of Fu County, hearing Huang Silang's confession, were furious and rushed into the yamen, beating the Huang family and his son to death in the court.

The remaining evil servants were also sentenced to be executed by slow slicing according to the law.

However, the so-called Ling River God has not yet been brought to justice."

"Mm."

General Du Tinghuai nodded and said in a deep voice, "The fish demon has eaten hundreds of people, an unforgivable crime.

Although these three war galleons are strong and have powerful cannons, capable of hunting demons,

the Ling River is turbid and rapid, with turbulent undercurrents, making it difficult to determine the fish demon's location.

I hope that you can work together for the people along the river and jointly slay the demon..."

The ambitious General Du Tinghuai began to explain how to lure out and kill the fish demon later.

Zhu Xuemin clasped his fingers together, lowered his eyes, and pondered silently.

After a while, the plan was discussed, and General Du Tinghuai walked out of the cabin, followed by the other cultivators.

The breeze on the river swelled the sails, driving the sparkling waves.

The sky was clear for thousands of miles, and occasionally a few egrets flew by.

The location of the fish demon has arrived.

The three war galleons dropped anchor and stopped in a triangular formation.

Soldiers led a blindfolded ox out of the cabin, swung a sledgehammer, and cleanly and painlessly ended the ox's life.

Then, they smeared a strange-smelling ointment on the dead ox's body.

Using a horizontal blade, they cut open the ox's spine,

and lowered a ferocious iron hook attached to an iron chain from the steel bracket at the bow of the ship,

inserting it into the ox's abdomen along the spinal wound.

The Wu De Guard was experienced in hunting demons in rivers and seas. This time, they also specially added some spices to the ointment that could please the Ling River demon, according to Huang Silang's confession.

When the iron hook was in place,

General Du Tinghuai gave an order, and the sailors turned the winch, slowly lowering the entire ox, as bait, into the river.

Thick blood gushed out from the wound on the ox's back, slowly spreading in the river.

The ship was silent. Zhu Xuemin and his companions leaned on the railing, staring at the surface of the water where the iron chain was sinking, like the other cultivators.

Suddenly, the wind stopped.

The entire river surface was as calm as a mirror, and the billowing sails slowly fell.

The birds flying in the sky hurriedly flew away, and the flocks of mandarin ducks playing in the distance seemed to sense something, making sharp 'oer' sounds and fleeing ashore.

A v-shaped wave suddenly rose on the distant water surface, as if a behemoth was slowly swimming towards them beneath the surface.

It was a dark cyan shadow hidden under the surface of the river, and the shadow area was extremely large, almost comparable to the tall war galleons.

The soldiers on the ship swallowed their saliva and silently turned the crossbow turrets, aiming the muzzles at the underwater shadow.

The shadow seemed to be wondering why the ships offering sacrifices this time were several times larger than before.

It circled the three war galleons again and again, and finally couldn't resist the temptation of the bloody smell, and swam over quickly, swallowing the ox carcass sinking in the water in one gulp.

Zheng—

The iron chain, thicker than a human arm, instantly tightened.

The front half of the war galleon even sank a few inches into the water.

General Du Tinghuai's eyes widened, and he shouted, "Fire!"

Bang bang bang,

all the crossbows and cannons fired in unison.

Arrows and bullets cut through the water and pierced into the shadow.

A pool of bright red quickly rose on the water surface. The underwater shadow was severely hit and immediately wanted to sink into the river,

but it was too greedy and hungry. When it swallowed the ox carcass just now, it swallowed it directly into its stomach.

The iron hook hidden in the ox's belly just happened to get stuck in its throat.

In its struggle, the iron thorns pierced even deeper.

Splash—

The violently struggling underwater shadow stirred up waves several meters high.

The high-flying river water splashed on the deck, soaking all the soldiers.

General Du, who was also drenched in river water, didn't care about his appearance and ordered his subordinates to pull up the iron chain.

Twenty or so burly men formed a circle and turned the huge winch with all their might.

The winch and chain, made of refined iron, made harsh creaking sounds as the two sides struggled with brute force.

The other two war galleons quickly closed the distance, and the crossbows and cannons on the ships continued to fire, bombarding the fleeing underwater shadow, as if to flatten and crush the entire river surface.

"Let this poor Taoist go first."

Luo Siyuan turned around and said calmly to the many cultivators.

He waved his horsetail whisk, and the flowing water on the river seemed to come to life, rising high and carrying the underwater shadow out of the water, allowing everyone to see what the fish demon looked like.

This was a giant fish whose size was comparable to a war galleon. Its overall color was black.

The front of its body was cylindrical, and the back was flattened. It had a long head, a short, round, blunt snout, and a large open mouth full of sharp fangs. The pale fish eyes reflected the figures of everyone.

The fish demon was lifted by the rapid current, half of its body exposed above the water.

Even though blood was overflowing from its mouth, staining its gills red,

it was still fiercely biting the iron chain in its throat,

while wagging its tail, stirring up waves that almost overturned the war galleon.

A gale rose, and the sky was covered with thick black clouds, lightning flashed in the clouds, and loud thunder rumbled.

Luo Siyuan gripped the horsetail whisk tightly with both hands, maintaining the flow of water that lifted the fish demon.

Veins bulged on his face, and he no longer had his former gentle calm. "Please join me in slaying the fish demon!"

The cultivators no longer hesitated and took action one after another.

Fire, flying swords, frost, and electric light danced across the sky,

blasting the black fish's body to pieces, causing it to roar in pain, emitting a long "woo woo—" sound.

Cannons roared, spells flew,

and after a long time, accompanied by torrential rain,

the fish demon slowly stopped struggling, allowing its body to be lifted by the fish hook and hang over the river.

Loud cheers rang out on the three war galleons.

General Du Tinghuai laughed loudly, patting Luo Siyuan's shoulder, who was leaning on the railing and panting for breath.

The cultivators also put away their magical treasures and enjoyed the moment of victory with smiles on their faces.

Boom—

A flash of lightning streaked across the sky.

Zhu Xuemin, his face wet with rain, looked at the mountain-like fish corpse and sighed.

There was no joy on his face.

There was only sadness.

"It's about to begin..."