Dragon King Below

Li Huowang gently patted Mantou’s head, his gaze following the little girl’s retreating form through the translucent black veil. A flicker of envy stirred in his chest.

If only he could go back to a time when he knew nothing at all. How wonderful that would be.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a dull thump rang out. The cabin lurched sharply to the left. The people who had been brawling a moment earlier tumbled together into a heap of rolling gourds.

Li Huowang, who had driven his sword into the deck to brace himself, reached out and grabbed Mantou by the tail.

“Such a big wave… will the cart in the lower hold be alright?”

The moment he considered what would happen if the Black Tai Sui broke free of its restraints in the hold, Li Huowang’s nerves tightened. He couldn’t even wait for the ship to right itself before stumbling toward the stern.

When he saw that the nailed-shut cart was completely undisturbed, and the blindfolded horse beside it was calmly chewing its feed, he finally let out a breath.

After a thorough inspection of the cart’s bindings, Li Huowang relaxed and turned back.

But when he re-entered the cabin, he was startled to find the entire crowd gone. Only slender leaf-tiles lay scattered across the floor.

Thump! Another muffled impact. The cabin tilted violently again.

“What’s going on?” Sensing something was wrong, Li Huowang frowned, gripped his sword hilt, and rushed toward the deck.

The moment he stepped through the hatch, a sheet of torrential rain slapped him in the face. The passengers hadn’t disappeared—they were gathered on the deck, surrounding the boat captain as he jumped and shouted in agitation.

“Get the hell out here!! Which son of a bitch gave a false name! Don’t you realize that because of you alone, every soul on this boat is fish food!”

Thump! The ship tilted again, drawing panicked screams from everyone aboard.

Li Huowang finally noticed something strange. Though the rain was sheeting down, the sea around them was completely calm. There were no waves. It was as if the ship’s tilting was being caused by something slamming into it from beneath.

He strode quickly to the railing and peered down at the water. Whether from the heavy clouds overhead or something else, the deep blue sea had turned an eerie, unsettling dark green.

Thump— The vessel shuddered violently once more. Li Huowang caught a blur of black movement beneath the surface. Strands of black hair swayed up from the depths, rising to the water’s surface.

“There really is something in this water.” The moment he imagined an entity similar to the River Lord lurking down there, Li Huowang’s mood soured completely.

Nothing had happened the entire journey, and now, right when they were about to arrive, chaos had to break out.

As he was considering what to do, he heard the sound of frantic kowtowing behind him.

The boat captain, blood streaming from his forehead, had already drawn a gleaming long blade from his waist. His voice cracked as he shouted, “Who the fuck was it?! Who hid their name! If you don’t come out now, I’ll kill every last one of you!”

The captain’s frenzy clearly terrified everyone. The man with the dog-skin plaster on his forehead quickly pointed at the sallow-faced woman beside him.

“It was her! I heard her call her daughter by a pet name! Her girl’s surname is Chen!”

The captain latched onto this like a lifeline. Overjoyed, he rushed over and reached for the little girl clutched tightly in the woman’s arms—the same girl who had given Li Huowang the hemp rope earlier.

“Good! Surname Chen and you still dared to board my boat! I’ll show you! Lord Dragon King would never be wrong to come for us!”

“What are you doing?! Let go of my daughter!”

“What am I doing?! The Dragon King has come knocking! What do you think I’m doing! Let go!”

Screams, shrieks, and the little girl’s cries all mingled together in the pouring rain.

Thump! The hull was slammed upward again. The others panicked now too, repeatedly urging the woman to let go.

Watching the chaotic scene before him, Li Huowang was about to speak when a low shout rang out beside him. “Tossing a child to the evil spirits in the water as an offering—are you even human?”

“Hm?” Li Huowang looked up. The speaker was one of the men who had been playing cards earlier—the one with the best skills, a burly bald man with a bushy beard.

Seeing someone step forward, Li Huowang paused. He decided to wait and see. If someone else could handle this, he would welcome the peace.

The captain wiped the rain from his face and shouted at the man, “Easy for you to say! The Dragon King is right under the water! My boat can’t take many more hits! If she sinks, we all die!”

“If you throw this child overboard, do you think the thing in the water will leave?”

“Of course! The Dragon King only eats people named Chen or Fan! Once it eats, we’ll live!”

“Ignorant fool! Get out of my way!” The bearded man shoved the captain aside, strode to the bow, and began forming hand seals while chanting toward the dark green water.

Though he looked ordinary enough, he seemed to have some skill.

Li Huowang thought for a moment, then walked over. He asked, still a little uneasy, “Can you handle it?”

“Even if I can’t, does that mean I shouldn’t try? I’m a man! How can I cower in the back and let a little girl die in my place?”

Li Huowang glanced back at the little girl sobbing in her mother’s arms. He nodded slowly. “Well said. Very well said.”

The big bearded man eyed Li Huowang’s bizarre appearance with suspicion. “And you, brother? Who are you? Which sect or school?”

Before Li Huowang could answer, the ship pitched violently upward again. From beneath the hull came a horrifying, grinding creak.

The captain’s frantic voice rose once more. “The ship can’t take much more! Whatever you’re going to do, do it now!”

Li Huowang swept off his conical hat, vaulted onto the ship’s railing, and looked down at the growing mass of black hair on the water’s surface. “Whatever’s down there, if we fight it together, our chances will be better.”

The big bearded man stared solemnly at Li Huowang’s skinless skull and slowly nodded.

“It’s coming! Get ready!” Li Huowang drew his bronze coin sword and crouched slightly.

The bearded man set aside his other concerns, pulled out a string of prayer beads, and wrapped them around his chanting fingers.

The shadowy mass beneath the dark green water surged again. Li Huowang’s legs tensed, and with a powerful leap, he dove straight toward the water.

Before he could even hit the surface, the black hair on the water came alive, writhing and latching onto his body.

“Om ti da pin na ji ji she!”

The bronze coins separated in a flash of green patina. With a glint of cold steel, the strands of hair were severed in an instant, falling limp.

Li Huowang took a deep breath. With a splash, he plunged into the bone-chilling seawater.

The salt-laden water enveloped his skinless flesh like a bath of boiling oil. The pain was so intense that his entire body convulsed violently.