In the water, I really couldn't contend with this water ghost.
The opponent was too fast.
Coupled with my lack of experience dealing with water ghosts, I was in a dire situation.
Although my cultivation was decent now, allowing me to hold my breath underwater for a considerable time.
But if this continued, I would drown in the river.
Unconsciously, ten minutes had passed.
I had been underwater, holding my breath for ten minutes.
Fighting this water ghost for ten minutes.
It didn't engage me head-on.
Instead, whenever I tried to swim to the surface, it would use its dark energy to entangle my legs.
Ten minutes was enough to drown an ordinary person.
And I, despite holding on for so long.
Was beginning to struggle.
My face was flushed, my lungs ached.
"Damn it, if this continues, I'm dead for sure."
I thought to myself.
Trying to repel the water ghost.
But that water ghost was clever. Having suffered from the Eight Trigram Mirror before, as soon as I aimed it at him, he would dart away.
In the water, the opponent's agility was too high.
I couldn't keep up at all.
Add to that the surging currents and waves, and I was completely on the defensive.
This time, I tried to swim towards the surface again.
As soon as I exerted force upwards.
The water ghost circled behind me again.
Wisps of dark energy surged from all directions, tightly wrapping around my legs and waist.
Pulling me down again.
After swimming up two meters, I was dragged back.
"Hehehe, don't even think about swimming back. Today, I'll let you taste what it's like to drown."
A hoarse voice echoed in the water, sending shivers down my spine.
At this point, I truly couldn't hold on any longer.
With a "gulp," I exhaled a breath, and water rushed into my mouth.
Though extremely uncomfortable.
I gritted my teeth and continued to persevere.
If I choked and the water went into my lungs, it would be all over.
I was already hearing ringing in my ears.
My head was swimming, my body felt heavy.
The "thump-thump-thump" of my heartbeat was suddenly so clear.
In this moment, I felt I was in a desperate situation.
I couldn't even think of a way out.
And the water ghost believed I was doomed.
"Hehehe," it cackled in the water.
Constantly circling me, leaving streaks of afterimages.
The sound was jarring, mocking, and chilling.
I also felt a sense of powerlessness, which was very frustrating.
But, just as I felt I was about to drown at the bottom of the river.
I suddenly saw countless white particles, bubbling, sinking from the river surface.
One by one, there were so many of them.
I looked around, and they were everywhere.
"What is this?"
I was shocked, but when I touched them with my hand.
I found them to be scalding hot.
"Lime?"
I exclaimed in surprise.
And the water ghost, which had been circling me, seemed terrified of this substance.
Its expression changed drastically, and it shouted, "Damn it!"
Then it swam away quickly to the side...
Seeing this, I didn't care where the lime particles came from.
Escaping to the surface was the most important thing now.
I madly swam towards the river surface.
In a flash, I broke the surface.
The surrounding river water, due to the lime being scattered, had become somewhat warm, even a little scalding.
Bubbling and steaming with white vapor.
And not far away, about three meters ahead.
There was a wooden fishing boat.
On the boat stood a short old man.
The old man was around sixty years old, with very dark, thin skin.
He was holding a white sack, scooping handfuls of quicklime and scattering it into the river.
He was the one who saved me.
Panting heavily, I looked at him in surprise.
The old man saw me at the same time.
And gave me a faint smile:
"Old Gu's disciple, the things in this river are not easy to deal with."
Hearing this, I was shocked again.
"Old Gu," he was clearly referring to my master.
He knew my master, and he knew me?
"May I ask who you are?"
I asked, confused.
The old man continued to scatter the quicklime:
"When Old Gu was being buried, I offered incense for him!"
Hearing this, my expression changed drastically.
My mind raced, trying to recall.
He offered incense for my master, and he knew how to deal with Yin creatures.
This was clearly one of the Yin people who came that night.
I looked closely at the man's appearance.
Besides being very dark and thin, he had a patch of fish scales on his left cheek.
It was... it was that corpse collector who came to offer incense.
My martial uncle had said he was a boatman from our side, from Clearwater River.
"You're the corpse collector? The boatman?"
I asked in surprise.
The old man smiled calmly:
"Come up quickly! That thing will be back soon."
I nodded repeatedly.
And quickly swam towards the small boat.
The corpse collector extended his oar for me to grab.
I also grabbed the gunwale and climbed onto the small boat.
From the distant shore.
The people who saw me submerged in the water for a long time were terrified.
They thought I might have drowned.
But now, seeing me resurface and climb onto a small boat.
They all exclaimed in surprise.
"That's great, the young man is alright!"
"A good person! Good people are blessed by heaven!"
"May good people have peace all their lives..."
Many were offering blessings and cheering.
Old Mo saw this and waved towards me.
I responded with a wave.
Then I saw the boatman begin to row the boat towards the shore.
"Senior, may I know your name?"
I clasped my hands in a gesture of respect.
My escape today was entirely thanks to the corpse collector.
The old man rowed the boat and replied:
"My name is Jiang, among those in the trade, they all call me Corpse Collector Jiang."
"So it's Master Jiang. This junior owes his life to Master Jiang's intervention. Thank you again."
After speaking, I bowed to Corpse Collector Jiang.
Corpse Collector Jiang simply shook his head and continued rowing:
"It's nothing, nothing at all.
Speaking of which, I had some acquaintance with your master.
After you get ashore, don't go into the water again.
The things in this water are not something you can deal with at your current cultivation level..."