Chapter 1 The Newcomer

Xiao Liang was clearly an innocent young woman. I hadn't even done anything yet—my clothes were still neatly on, and I had only taken out the bedding for sleeping—but she was already blushing crimson.

Seeing her shy appearance, I couldn't help but joke.

I said, "Xiao Liang, is there any need to be so bashful with me? We're old acquaintances. Have you forgotten about me helping you detoxify in the ancient Shu tomb?"

As soon as the "alkaline solution" incident was mentioned, Xiao Liang's pretty face turned even redder. She pouted, picked up a pillow, and threw it at me, scolding playfully, "Chen Rongsheng! You're so annoying! Don't you dare mention that again!"

I chuckled and caught the pillow, saying, "Alright, alright, I won't."

Xiao Liang glared at me resentfully, then said, "Let's decide first, should you sleep on the bed and I on the floor, or should I sleep on the bed and you on the floor?"

I glanced at the floor of the room. Because it was next to the Duck River, the environment here was very humid, and the floor was always damp, making it impossible to sleep on.

I shook my head and said, "The floor is too damp to sleep on. Neither of us can sleep on the floor."

Hearing this, Xiao Liang looked troubled and said, "What should we do then? Are you suggesting we both sleep on the bed? Then…then you must promise not to…not to get handsy at night…okay?"

I couldn't help but laugh and said to her, "You've never been in a relationship, have you?"

Xiao Liang was taken aback by my question. She lowered her head, bit her lip, and whispered, "N-no…why? Why are you asking me this?"

I said, "You haven't even been in a relationship. Wouldn't sleeping with you ruin your innocence? Don't worry, I won't sleep with you tonight. I'll go sleep in Uncle Mei's room. You sleep by yourself."

With that, I picked up the quilt and prepared to leave.

At that moment, Xiao Liang suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm, whispering, "Chen Rongsheng, wait!"

"What?" I asked, turning back to her.

Xiao Liang said with a red face, "This…this house is old and dilapidated, and there's the sound of wind howling outside. I…I'm afraid to sleep alone."

I was a little helpless and asked, "What should we do then? You don't want me to sleep with you, do you?"

"Can…can you wait until I fall asleep before you leave?" Xiao Liang pleaded a little shyly, her watery eyes looking at me pitifully.

Seeing her touching appearance, I finally softened. I put down the quilt, nodded, and said, "Alright, you go to sleep first. I'll go to Uncle Mei's room after you fall asleep."

Xiao Liang smiled happily, shook my arm, and said coquettishly, "Chen Rongsheng, you're so good!"

After saying that, she took off her shoes and got into bed. She then took off her clothes under the covers and closed her eyes, preparing to sleep.

After a few minutes, she suddenly turned over, looked at me, and said, "Chen Rongsheng, I can't sleep. Tell me a story."

I was speechless and said with a cold face, "Don't push your luck. Why are you asking for more and more?"

Xiao Liang pouted and begged, "Please, please, Chen Rongsheng, you're the best. Tell me a story, please, please."

I couldn't stand her persistent pleading, so I had to make something up. "Once upon a time, there was a mountain, and on the mountain was a temple. In the temple, an old monk was telling a story to a young monk. What story was he telling? He was telling the story of, once upon a time, there was a mountain, and on the mountain was a temple…"

This story is now old and clichéd, but to be honest, back in 2005, this story was still quite popular. Xiao Liang listened to it twice and then fell asleep soundly in bed.

After she fell asleep, I took the quilt back to Uncle Mei's room, carefully climbed onto the bed, and lay down close to the edge.

I didn't sleep very soundly that night, and I woke up early the next morning.

After breakfast, Uncle Mei and I went to the Duck River to look for business, while Xiao Liang stayed at home to clean.

It could be said that our timing was also a coincidence, as we arrived right in the middle of the rainy season in this area.

According to the landlord, there had been seven or eight heavy rainstorms this month, causing the water level of the Duck River to rise sharply, flooding many houses along the banks, and people were constantly falling into the water and drowning.

While this wasn't a good thing, it wasn't bad news for us corpse fishermen.

Uncle Mei and I went to the river and first took the corpse fishing boat for a spin along the Duck River.

We didn't find any bodies along the way, only some dead branches and leaves that had fallen into the river.

In order to find the traces of the tomb robbers as soon as possible, I also jumped into the river and checked underwater.

However, unlike the Tuo River, the current in the Duck River was swift but without any undercurrents, and there were no abnormalities beneath the surface.

I returned empty-handed.

By noon, Xiao Liang came from home to bring Uncle Mei and me lunch.

The lunch consisted of two simple home-style dishes that she had casually stir-fried, served with white rice. Uncle Mei and I tasted them, and they were surprisingly delicious. I didn't expect Xiao Liang, who looked so gentle and quiet, to have such exquisite cooking skills.

After lunch, Uncle Mei and I lay on the boat and dozed off. In the afternoon, Uncle Mei left me alone by the river to wait for business, while he went to the town of Hongyan to gather information. We split up.

I took the corpse fishing boat and circled the Duck River twice, but still couldn't find any clues. As the sun set, I turned back, preparing to call it a day and go home.

As I was heading back, I stood on the boat and looked at the riverbank. In the brilliant light of the setting sun, I saw a woman wearing a long red dress, with long flowing hair and fair skin, standing under a willow tree on the shore, waving at me.

It was too far away for me to see her features clearly, but I vaguely felt that she was smiling at me.

This woman had the air of a beauty, but for some reason, she gave me a sinister feeling. Luckily, it wasn't dark yet, and the sun hadn't set. If it were at night, it would probably scare me into a heart attack.

I steered the corpse fishing boat slowly towards the shore, getting closer and closer to the woman. Only then did I see clearly that she was indeed a very beautiful woman. In her early thirties, heavily made up, she had a strong smell of perfume about her, her eyes were bright, and her lips were curved upwards, exuding charm.

Although I hadn't had much experience with women at that time, I could tell that the woman in front of me was a femme fatale. Not only in this remote town, but even in a big city, she would definitely be a stunning beauty that would attract men's attention.

When my boat reached the shore, the charming woman looked at me and said, "Young man, you look a bit unfamiliar. Are you new here?"

Her accent was also from out of town; she wasn't a local.

I immediately became vigilant but remained calm on the surface, nodding and saying, "Yeah, just moved here a couple of days ago."

"Then what kind of business do you do? I saw you driving the boat around the river all day," the charming woman asked.

I smiled and said, "My line of work isn't exactly glamorous; I'm a corpse fisherman on the river. The Duck River's water level has been rising sharply these past few days, so my wife and my old man and I specifically moved here to try our luck and see if there's any business to be done."

The charming woman nodded with a smile after hearing this.

I took the opportunity to ask, "What about you, sister? Judging from your accent, you're not a local either, right?"

The charming woman giggled at my words, stretched out her slender hand, and pointed to a small shop not far from the riverbank. I saw the words "Health Massage" in pink letters plastered on the shop's window.

She said to me in a seductive voice, "I'm a masseuse. Young man, you've been busy all day. How about I give you a massage? The price is negotiable."