Chapter 385: Dragon Grandfather

Li Huowang gently stroked Mantou's head. Through the translucent black veil, he watched the little girl walk away, a pang of envy stirring within him. How wonderful it would be if he could return to a time of blissful ignorance.

As he was thinking this, a sudden dull thud made the cabin tilt sharply to the left. People who had been fighting in the distance instantly tumbled together, rolling around like gourds.

Li Huowang drew his sword and plunged it into the deck. He then reached out and grabbed Mantou's tail.

"With waves this big, will the carriage in the lower hold be safe?"

The thought of Black Taisui breaking loose in the cabin made Li Huowang anxious. Without waiting for the ship to steady, he stumbled toward the area where the horses were kept. He breathed a sigh of relief only after seeing that the carriage he had secured was undisturbed and the blindfolded horse nearby was calmly chewing its feed. After thoroughly checking the carriage's stability, Li Huowang felt reassured and turned to head back.

However, when Li Huowang returned to the cabin, he was stunned to find that the large group of people was gone, and their slender playing cards were scattered across the floor.

"Thud!" Another dull crash, and the entire cabin tilted violently once more.

"What's happening?" Sensing trouble, Li Huowang furrowed his brow, gripped his sword hilt, and quickly dashed towards the deck. As soon as he stepped out of the cabin, he was instantly drenched by torrential rain. The people hadn't vanished; they were gathered on the deck, listening to the captain, who was excitedly pacing and shouting.

"Get out here, you scoundrel! Which one of you lying wretches falsified your surname! Do you realize that because of you, the entire ship is going to be fed to the fish!"

"Thud!" The ship lurched again, causing everyone on board to shout in panic.

Li Huowang now noticed something odd: despite the heavy downpour, there were no waves on the surrounding sea. It was as if the ship's tilting was caused by something striking it. Li Huowang quickly moved to the ship's edge, leaning over to peer at the water. Perhaps because of the overcast sky, the previously deep blue sea had turned an eerie, dark green.

"Thud~" The ship shuddered violently again. Li Huowang saw a blurry black shape flash underwater, and strands of black hair swayed from below the surface, rising towards him.

"There's actually something in the water." The thought of something similar to the previous River God lurking beneath the surface instantly soured Li Huowang's mood. Nothing had happened on their journey so far, and now, just as they were nearing their destination, trouble had flared up again.

As Li Huowang pondered what to do, he heard frantic kowtowing sounds coming from behind him.

The captain, blood trickling from his forehead, had drawn a gleaming long knife from his waist. He screamed, his voice breaking, "Who the hell is it?! Who withheld their name?! If you don't come out now, I'll kill every single one of you!"

The captain's furious state clearly terrified everyone. The man with a plaster on his forehead quickly pointed to the sallow-faced woman next to him.

"It's her! I heard her call her daughter by her nickname! Her daughter's surname is Chen!"

As if grasping a lifeline, the captain lunged forward with a desperate eagerness, snatching at the little girl the woman was clutching. It was the same child who had offered Li Huowang sesame candy earlier.

"Ah, a Chen dared to board this ship! I told you the Dragon King wouldn't come for nothing!"

"What are you doing?! Let go of my daughter!"

"What am I doing?! The Dragon King has come for us, what do you think I'm doing?! Let go!"

Shouts, screams, and the little girl's sobs merged into a chaotic din amidst the torrential rain.

"Thud!" The ship was violently tossed upwards again. Now, everyone else panicked, repeatedly urging the woman to release her grip.

As Li Huowang watched the chaos, just as he was about to speak, a low voice boomed beside him. "To feed a child to the evil creature in the water – are you even human?"

"Hmm?" Li Huowang looked up to see that the speaker was one of the card players from earlier—the bearded bald man, known for his skill. Seeing someone step forward, Li Huowang paused, ready to observe. If someone else could resolve the situation, he would be content to stay out of it.

The captain wiped the rain from his face and bellowed at the man, "You speak lightly, but the Dragon King is right there in the water! My ship won't last much longer; if it sinks, we'll all die!"

"If you throw this child in, do you think the thing in the water will just leave?"

"Of course! This Dragon King only eats people with the surname Chen! As long as it consumes one, we'll all survive!"

"Ignorant fool! Get out of my way!" The bearded man violently shoved the captain aside, strode to the bow, and began forming hand gestures towards the inky black water, as if chanting. Although the man appeared ordinary, it seemed he had some genuine skills.

Li Huowang thought for a moment, then walked over, asking with a hint of concern, "Are you confident?"

"If I'm not confident, should I just back down? I'm a man! How could I cower here and watch a little girl die in my place?"

Li Huowang glanced back at the little girl, huddled in her mother's arms, and couldn't help but nod. "Well said, indeed. Well said."

The bearded man eyed Li Huowang's peculiar attire with a puzzled expression. "My friend, who are you? And from what sect or school do you hail?"

Before Li Huowang could answer, the ship's hull was violently tossed high again, accompanied by an extremely terrifying creaking sound from beneath.

The captain's anxious voice rang out again, "The ship can't hold on much longer! Whatever you're going to do, hurry up and do it!"

Li Huowang removed his conical hat, climbed onto the ship's rail, and looked down at the increasing amount of black hair on the water. "No matter what's down there, if we act together, our chances will be greater."

The bearded man, his expression grim, slowly nodded as he gazed at Li Huowang's skinless head.

"That beast is coming! Get ready!" Li Huowang drew his copper coin sword and crouched slightly.

The bearded man disregarded everything else, pulling out a string of Buddhist beads and wrapping them around the fingers he used for his incantations. Though he couldn't see the black shadow re-emerging in the dark green seawater, Li Huowang pushed off with his feet, leaping directly into the water below.

Before Li Huowang even hit the water, the long black hair on the surface seemed to come alive, swiftly coiling around him.

"Om ti da pin na ji ji she!"

The verdigris-covered copper coins swiftly spread apart. With a flash of cold light, the black hair was instantly severed into several segments, ceasing to move. Li Huowang took a deep breath, and with a "plop," plunged directly into the bone-chilling seawater. As the salty seawater enveloped Li Huowang's skinless body, he felt a pain akin to being fried in hot oil, causing him to tremble violently.