My Supernatural Exes Are Desperate to Win Me Back - Chapter 13 - Water Ghost, First Wave of the Shura Field...

The night deepened, the river surface shimmering, and the vendors along the river lit up their colorful neon lights.

Both sides of the Bailu Bridge Cave were cordoned off with bright yellow and black warning lines, and signs reading “Danger” and “Do Not Enter” were hung up.

Yet, passersby came and went, completely ignoring the warnings, demonstrating the wisdom of the people by simply bending down and slipping through.

Xu Xining sat by the roadside, munching on grilled gluten, and turned to ask, “Auntie, how come they still dare to walk through the bridge cave?”

In the time it took to eat the grilled gluten, Xu Xining had already charmed Aunt Chen, the vendor, into spilling everything.

Three days ago, Aunt Chen’s son disappeared in the bridge cave. She had watched him enter from one side but never saw him come out the other.

The police had been called, and searches conducted, but now Aunt Chen was determinedly stationed in front of the bridge cave, doing business while keeping a vigilant watch, determined to catch whoever took her son.

“Because if you don’t go through the bridge cave, you have to take a detour, and the nearest crosswalk is half an hour away.” Aunt Chen gestured in a big circle; opposite was the business district office buildings, and through the bridge cave was the residential area.

How wide could a bridge cave be? It’s not a tunnel; you can see right through to the other side.

People come and go; what are the odds of something happening to you?

The hurried faces of modern-day wage slaves carried a look of world-weary despair.

Death? Great, if you’re dead, you don’t have to go to work tomorrow.

Detour? Hell no, I’d rather die than detour.

“I’ll go take a look too.” Xu Xining smiled brightly, “Don’t worry, Auntie, your son will be fine!”

“Don’t go, young lady. This bridge cave is really eerie.” Aunt Chen advised, “The night before last, a mother and daughter bought grilled gluten from me and entered the bridge cave. Five minutes later, the child came out crying, saying her mother suddenly disappeared.”

The more she heard, the more it sounded like a ghost story.

Xu Xining patted her work badge on her chest: “I’m different; I’m a professional.”

“Being a reporter makes you safe?”

“No, my company pays for my social security.”

“…”

Aunt Chen looked at the righteous young girl, touched by something, and turned off the grill, wiping her hands on her apron: “Alright, what do you want to see? I’ll go with you.”

The bridge cave was dimly lit, with only the light reflected from the river.

The bridge cave was about three meters above the river surface, with high and sturdy railings and a smooth ground, making it difficult for anyone to accidentally fall over the meter-high railing.

Xu Xining had not only interviewed Aunt Chen; she had chatted with all the vendors near the bridge cave, almost exhausting herself.

Some of these vendors were friends or relatives of those involved, while others were witnesses.

The information they provided was very limited; the incidents invariably occurred at night, involving one or two people walking through the bridge cave, disappearing without making a sound.

Xu Xining snapped a bunch of photos, feeling puzzled.

This bridge cave was too ordinary; without some supernatural explanation, it was hard to make sense of it. If it wasn’t ghosts, it had to be groundhogs or perhaps the swimming zombies from Plants vs. Zombies, springing out of the Huai River in diving suits, leaping three meters high.

The monotonous sound of water splashing echoed.

Aunt Chen stood by the wall, talking on the phone with concerned relatives, while Xu Xining leaned against the railing, reviewing the photos and interview notes she had taken today, focused and serious.

A warrior born under the red flag would never bow to swimming zombies!

The sound of water splashing grew louder.

Suddenly, Aunt Chen put down her phone and screamed, “Watch out!!!”

Xu Xining turned to look, only to see the black river water surging up, filling the entire bridge cave like a beast suddenly rising, opening its bloody maw towards the shore. In the ever-rising water, a pale human figure emerged!

Xu Xining’s heart raced!

Damn it, the camera’s going to get wet!!

A powerful force grabbed her waist, as if someone in the air had embraced her, lifting her up and dragging her backward.

Xu Xining slid to the wall, her calves creating a meter-high splash in the water.

She turned to Aunt Chen, astonished: “Thanks, you’re really strong!”

Aunt Chen was terrified: “I didn’t touch you! You flew over?!”

No time to catch her breath, the figure in the water lunged again!

Xu Xining seized the opportunity to snap a photo, feeling her dedication deserved a medal.

In the torrential water curtain, the figure’s face was pale, indistinguishable in gender, with hair like thick seaweed covering the face, and the outstretched hand was skeletal, dry like white bones!

“Mvindengedigevigavlsignelser.”

The wind whipped around Wen Nansen as he stood above, softly chanting.

His long eyes closed slightly, as if he could see through the scene below the bridge cave, his fingertip lightly tapping.

Xu Xining felt a slight warmth on her collarbone.

Golden and green light intertwined, radiating from her collarbone, momentarily flickering like the transparent wings of a spirit, the light flashing and then disappearing.

-Elf’s Blessing.

Aunt Chen turned her head, greatly shocked: “You’re still taking photos?! With flash?!”

The skeletal hand recoiled as if burned upon touching the light wings.

The bridge cave echoed with indistinct, hoarse screams, like a cacophony of voices, reverberating endlessly.

“Such high loans… can’t pay them off, I’ve let down my parents who raised me.”

“Got laid off, can only return to my hometown, let everyone laugh at me.”

“Five attempts at grad school, still no success… I’m a failure, my life is over.”

…

“Don’t want to live, don’t want to live… don’t want to live, but don’t want to die either, so I’ll find a… scapegoat!”

The skeletal hand abandoned Xu Xining, turning to grab Aunt Chen!

Aunt Chen was strangled, still fiercely striking the figure, desperately cursing: “You’re the one who took my son?! Give me back my son!”

Xu Xining didn’t hesitate, lunging to grab Aunt Chen’s waistband, pulling her back.

Together, their combined weight was no match for the skeletal hand, and Xu Xining was dragged, falling into the water, the waistband snapping, Aunt Chen’s pants falling, revealing her Chinese-style red long johns, about to be pulled into the water.

A figure flipped down from the bridge.

From over three meters high, he landed without a splash, one hand casually pulling the unconscious Aunt Chen back, the other helping Xu Xining up from the water, softly saying, “I’m sorry.”

He had come too late.

Xu Xining looked up at the face of her childhood friend, utterly shocked: “What are you doing here?!”

Zhan Xingye pushed her back a bit, pulling down his cap over her head, quietly saying, “Stay back.”

Then, expressionless, he took a few steps forward, single-handedly supporting the railing, agilely jumping into the water, as if he were a young diving athlete.

Xu Xining rushed forward, grabbing the railing, leaning out and shouting, “…Hey!!!!!”

What the heck?! Who does he think he is?! A superhero or a magical boy?! Jumping just like that, you jump I jump… but you can’t!

Xu Xining was furious, watching the river rise higher, dark as ink, a huge whirlpool forming where Zhan Xingye had jumped.

She pulled out her phone, jumping in anger while quickly dialing 911.

Zhan Xingye, amidst the roaring water, descended into the Huai River, opening his eyes, the black depths cold as the long night.

From all directions in the water came twisted, painful whispers, countless resentments and malice attacking like icy needles, like the murmurs of vengeful ghosts.

This creature was known in legends as:

-Water Ghost.

Water Ghosts are the collective souls and malevolent thoughts of all those who drowned in water, trapped in the water where they died, unable to reincarnate, only able to find release by dragging down other scapegoats, thus instinctively devouring people on the shore.

When not haunting, Water Ghosts can merge with the water, only forming a physical entity when devouring people, so the Administration Bureau can only ambush and stake out.

Zhan Xingye’s special constitution meant that if he was nearby, Water Ghosts would fearfully avoid appearing, so he had to wait at a distance… nearly failing to arrive in time.

Now, sharp laughter echoed from the water.

The Water Ghost laughed, celebrating their success in dragging down a scapegoat, countless souls like water plants entwining the young man’s long limbs.

Yet the person in the water, skin cold white, hair jet black, showed no signs of suffocation, only… anger as cold as a blade.

“You shouldn’t have targeted her.”

A massive shadow suddenly emerged behind the young man, the pressure like a mountain slowly collapsing.

The violent shadow surged forward, like a beast pouncing, like a swarm of snakes, like the tentacles of a deep-sea monster, like rapidly spreading vines, engulfing the Water Ghost entirely.

The Water Ghost, formed by countless malevolent souls, was shredded into pieces, squeezing out deafening screams from the gaps, soon falling silent, the shadow slowly blooming with bright red flowers, as vivid as blood floating in the water…

Though it wasn’t flood season, the river water rose uncontrollably, surging onto the Bailu Bridge.

The speeding traffic stalled, drifting, spinning sideways, rear-ending in a chain reaction, the brake lights forming a red line, the blaring horns creating a cacophony.

Wen Nansen stood above, his raised collar flapping in the wind.

His slender fingers held invisible green chains, densely radiating from his hand, locking the raging tide.

With the river rising at such speed, the entire Bailu Bridge would have been submerged, the traffic and people on the bridge unable to survive.

Spirits are beings born of love, beauty, and nature, favoring peace over conflict, almost all spirits unable to stand by while ordinary people suffer, especially Wen Nansen.

After confirming Xu Xining’s safety, he began to restrain the Huai River’s tide, single-handedly containing the overwhelming flood.

A soft cry came from the wind.

Wen Nansen looked down, seeing a little girl standing too close to the embankment, swept away by a wave, now in the river’s center, being carried downstream.

Wen Nansen frowned, helpless with no one else to assist.

He closed his eyes, his long, pale gold lashes resting on his eyelids, chanting a complex magical incantation.

The lengthy incantation was as epic as it was beautiful, like a song.

As more characters flowed from his lips, the tide seemed to defy gravity, surging skyward, gathering into vast rain clouds.

These clouds would drift over certain cities in the coming days, bringing unexpected rain.

Meanwhile, Wen Nansen walked on the calm river surface, the undulating waves failing to wet his clothes.

He bent down, his green eyes showing compassion and gentleness, cradling the little girl, gently patting her.

As he patted, the water on the child dried, miraculously stopping her pain.

The little girl showed a frightened yet curious expression, staring at the spirit’s otherworldly handsome face under the moonlight.

“Who are you?” the child asked.

“I’m a teacher,” Wen Nansen smiled at the child, “Meeting me should be a secret.”

The river calmed like a tamed beast, and the congested streets on either side slowly regained order.

Police cars, sirens wailing, arrived at the scene to find such a large-scale sudden tide and traffic congestion, yet almost no casualties had occurred.

Aunt Chen, with marks on her neck, was taken by the police to the hospital for a check-up. She clutched the officer’s hand in panic: “I saw the face of the culprit! I even fought with her, she came out of the water, her hair so long, her face so pale! It was Sadako! Let me go find Sadako! Sadako took my son!”

The police quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, all the missing persons have been found, only their clothes and belongings were lost, there is no danger to their lives. We will take you to see your son after the check-up.”

Meanwhile, Zhan Xingye, drenched, climbed up the embankment and over the railing.

Xu Xining saw him return and immediately rushed over, limping and angrily questioning: “Why did you jump in just now! What kind of hero do you think you are! How did you know they didn’t have a knife?! Do you know how dangerous the tide is?”

Zhan Xingye looked up at her and suddenly asked, “Are you hurt?”

Xu Xining snapped, “Are you even listening to me?!”

Zhan Xingye walked over and suddenly lifted her horizontally in his arms.

Xu Xining was lifted off the ground, frightened, she clung to his neck: “Idiot! What are you thinking? How are you so strong?”

She remembered after scolding him that although Zhan Xingye appeared lanky and frail, he had always been incredibly strong since childhood.

As a child, when she climbed trees to pick dates, Zhan Xingye would boost her up, effortlessly lifting her high with his hands supporting her feet.

In elementary school, they climbed mountains together; initially, Zhan Xingye carried her backpack, but when Xu Xining got tired, he carried her instead, with two large backpacks hanging in front of him, still walking fast and steady without even panting.

Having not interacted with him for a long time, Xu Xining was somewhat unaccustomed to his occasionally bizarre actions.

With one hand, Zhan Xingye tried to examine her leg, but she was wearing tight jeans today, and he struggled to roll up the leg, impatiently ripping it with one hand.

Xu Xining: “……”

Xu Xining angrily twisted his ear: “Damn it! That was my favorite pair of jeans!!!”

Below the torn jeans, her slender calves and a bruised, scraped knee were revealed; the pale skin made the blood look particularly bright.

She had fallen when she lunged to grab Aunt Chen. It wasn’t a severe fall, but it looked quite bad.

Zhan Xingye’s energy seemed drained after tearing the jeans.

He looked down at the wound on her knee, his expression blank, as if unsure what to do next, and he dared not touch it. Large drops of water rolled down his soaked bangs and drooping eyelashes.

Xu Xining: “Are you done looking?”

Zhan Xingye, like a drenched black dog: “I’m sorry.”

Xu Xining: “What are you apologizing for? It’s not like you did it.”

Zhan Xingye stayed silent.

Xu Xining tried to get down from his arms, but Zhan Xingye held on tightly, causing her to struggle like she was trying to escape from sticky candy, furiously yelling, “Let go! I still need to take photos! How long are you planning to hold me?!”

Zhan Xingye muttered, “You can’t walk.”

“I can walk!! I can!! You’re insulting my legs!” Xu Xining tapped his forehead, “Everyone falls and scrapes their knees! Don’t make such a big deal out of it! Or just take me to the hospital now! If we delay any longer, I’ll heal on my own!”

Zhan Xingye seemed to understand and immediately started walking towards the hospital.

Xu Xining forcefully twisted his head like steering a wheel, forcing him to turn back: “I was joking! I was joking! Can’t you take a joke?”

Zhan Xingye then stopped.

Xu Xining pulled out a voice recorder from her bosom and said, “Now, Reporter Xu is interviewing the kind citizen Mr. Zhan. Why did you suddenly jump into the water? What did you see underwater? Where is the suspect now?”

Zhan Xingye was caught off guard by her sudden switch to work mode, his eyes quietly panicking.

He had seen the Water Ghost about to attack Xu Xining and jumped into the water in a rush; the suspect, the Water Ghost… was killed by him.

These words, not a single one could be spoken.

Zhan Xingye was silent for a long time before saying, “I don’t know.”

Xu Xining raised an eyebrow: “You don’t know?”

Zhan Xingye: “…I didn’t see anything.”

Xu Xining: “…”

Zhan Xingye: “…I’m not very good at swimming.”

Xu Xining: “…”

Xu Xining turned off the recorder, doubly angry, and knocked on his head: “I think you don’t want to get better! Jumping into water when you can’t swim! You’re just looking to die! I’m going home to tell Old Xu! I’m telling him right now!”

In the meantime, a blonde girl furiously flapped her arms in the arms of the young man, while on the adjacent road, a black Maserati moved slowly along with the clearing traffic, passing them by.

As they passed, Zhan Xingye silently lowered Xu Xining’s cap over her head and turned his body to shield the girl, making sure not a single strand of golden hair was exposed.

Inside the dark car, Huo Ting pressed his fingertips against his forehead, the veins on the back of his hand occasionally pulsing with tiny currents.

The driver, terrified, asked, “Mr. Huo, should we keep looking?”

What was he searching for? A phantom that he knew did not exist? Or a wishful obsession?

“Let’s go.” Huo Ting, as if he could smell an intoxicating scent of blood in his hallucination, felt his throat tighten with thirst.

He suppressed his desires, closed his eyes, leaned back in his seat, and said in a raspy voice, “Let’s leave now.”

Xu Xining didn’t actually call Old Xu.

She hated tattletales the most, and besides, complaining would only cause Old Xu unnecessary worry. She was just upset and wanted to threaten Zhan Xingye.

Two towering men approached, looking like mob bosses out to make trouble, their massive pectorals nearly bursting through their shirts.

One of the men suddenly reached out, stopping them: “We are staff members and need to check the photos you’ve taken.”

Xu Xining squinted her eyes: “Staff members? What kind of work? Where are your work badges?”

These two, named Chen Long and Zhang Hu, were members of the Administration Bureau’s enforcement team, or in other words, subordinates of Zhan Xingye.

In situations involving Exotic Species, it was necessary to ensure that evidence of their existence did not leak.

The police who took Aunt Chen earlier were from the Secret Department of the Administration Bureau; they took her to the hospital to brainwash her into believing that the Water Ghost was just an ordinary criminal with overly long, unnaturally pale hair…

Afterward, the Administration Bureau would send two employees to surrender at the police station to close the case…

The Water Ghost, having died, turned into water, and they couldn’t exactly present a puddle of water to the public as the corpse of the culprit.

Xu Xining, carrying a press ID and a camera and being a witness, was likely to have captured critical evidence. If it were uploaded online, the consequences could be unimaginable.

They approached to chat and delete the Exotic Species photos from her camera, which was standard procedure.

Since Zhan Xingye had jumped into the water, his Bluetooth headset had stopped working, forcing them to act on their own.

Convinced of the righteousness of their actions in their hearts, they just didn’t quite understand why their boss was continuously holding this girl with only a minor injury.

Perhaps that’s just how the boss was… showing compassion for the victim, demonstrating a loving heart.

Chen Long presented an ID issued by the Administration Bureau: “We are police investigators. If you have taken any photos related to the case, please hand them over to us. Do not disseminate them privately.”

Xu Xining lifted her eyelid: “Oh? Which law states that?”

Caught off guard, Chen Long and Zhang Hu exchanged a look, seeing the words “big trouble” in each other’s eyes.

Indeed, they were legitimate, but not everyone knew of the Administration Bureau’s existence.

If Xu Xining really sent the photos to the police to file a case, they would likely end up detained, and then they’d have to write lengthy reports to have the Administration Bureau bail them out, face salary deductions, and endure the boss’s hellish training.

The two stepped forward simultaneously, their imposing figures casting a shadow over Xu Xining.

Their faces twisted into a villainous sneer: “Hehehe, little girl…”

Zhan Xingye lifted his eyelids and said, “What are you doing?”

Intimidating her, then snatching the camera…

Zhan Xingye: “Step aside.”

The two immediately obeyed, instinctively standing at attention, ready to make way.

Unfortunately, their attempt to stand at attention was too stiff, causing their pectorals to menacingly burst forth.

Xu Xining, thinking they were about to attack, acted quickly, pulling out the pepper spray from her bosom and spraying it wildly at their faces.

“Run!!” Xu Xining shouted, “Xingye, run!”

Without hesitation, Zhan Xingye started sprinting, holding Xu Xining tightly.

Chen Long and Zhang Hu, faces burning from the pepper spray, rolled on the ground in agony, desperately hoping for their boss’s help, but all they could see through their painfully opened eyes was their boss fleeing with the instigator without looking back…

“Damn! I get it now!” Chen Long shouted in agony, “That girl is her!!”

“Which ‘her’? Who’s ‘her’?!” Zhang Hu, covering his eyes and rolling around.

“The one that made the boss take a rare day off! ‘She’s asking me to come home for dinner tomorrow’ that ‘her’!” Chen Long roared.

“Ah! It’s her! It’s her! It is her!!!” Zhang Hu suddenly realized, then fell into confusion, “…So who is she?”

The two fell into a painful silence.

“She’s the sister-in-law.” Chen Long made a resounding judgment, lying on the ground, tears tragically streaming down his face.

“Truly worthy of being the sister-in-law… such a fierce move.”

The noise gradually faded into the tranquility of the night, with a few police lights flashing alternately by the roadside. The river flowed quietly like black silk towards the outskirts of the city.

A tall man with long legs wore a sharp jacket, lazily leaning against the railing, his hair tousled by the night breeze, revealing a pair of alluring eyes.

Xie Yi blew a couple of cheeky whistles towards the river.

Bubbles began to surface, and soon, like dumplings being cooked, round little heads bobbed up one after another.

The little heads started to shout in chorus, “King!” “Oh, it’s the King!” “Hello, King!” “Greetings, King!”…

These were a group of small aquatic demons, each cheerfully greeting Xie Yi.

They were covered in scales, with heads like little tigers, adorably clumsy… if not for the fact that each had a pair of underwear on their head.

Xie Yi couldn’t bear to look directly, “Where did you get the underwear on your heads?”

“From humans!” “They fell off!” “They’re fun!” “Then we sent them away!” “Snatched from the Water Ghost!”…

The little demons chattered away, explaining.

Turns out, the Water Ghost kept dragging people down, but the kind-hearted little demons saved them.

Though they saved them, they were very interested in the clothes and phones on those people, so they stripped them all off to play with.

Those “missing persons” were now safely lying on a downstream sandbank somewhere, and when the police arrived, they found them all stark naked piled together, like some bizarre outdoor play.

Truly scandalous.

“Alright, alright, stop messing around,” Xie Yi coaxed like he was talking to children, his voice magnetic and alluring. “I’m not interested in the Water Ghost. Did you see what Zhan Xingye is?”

When the Water Ghost was causing trouble, Xie Yi was also watching over Xu Xining from a distance, but since Zhan Xingye had already intervened, Xie Yi wanted to take the opportunity to see what he was all about.

Originally, Xie Yi thought his immunity to allure and extraordinary combat ability came from the bloodline of the Fox Clan of Mount Tu.

-Since it wasn’t, what exactly was he?

This time, the little demons were stumped, chattering away.

“It’s a bunch of shadows!” “It’s a big tree!” “It’s a giant octopus!” “It’s a giant octopus that blooms!”…

Xie Yi: “…”

Damn, sounds even more monstrous than a demon.

Xie Yi gave up, instructing, “Alright, you all did well. In the future, when saving people, don’t strip them of their clothes, got it? And don’t wear their underwear on your heads.”

The little demons cheerfully responded, “Love it!” “Love it so much!” “So it’s called underwear!” “Love underwear!” “Underwear is the best!”

Xie Yi couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “Wait here.”

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked into a nearby convenience store, buying all the underwear on the shelves, regardless of size or style. After paying, he carried a large plastic bag of underwear to the riverbank, tore open the packaging, and tossed them in.

“If you want something, I’ll buy it for you. Isn’t using someone else’s dirty?”

One by one, colorful underwear drew beautiful arcs as they were thrown into the Huai River, and the little demons immediately bubbled with excitement, jostling like fish fighting for food, “I want it!” “Me too!!” “I want the big ones!” “Thank you, King!” “Long live the King!”

Xie Yi was busy tossing underwear when he suddenly felt two pairs of eyes staring at him.

He turned around and saw Zhan Xingye standing expressionless behind him, with Xu Xining, who was balancing on one leg, holding onto Zhan Xingye’s arm, looking utterly shocked as if struck by lightning.

Xie Yi: “…”

How do they walk without making a sound?! It must be Zhan Xingye trying to set him up!

Xu Xining felt like a thousand grass mud horses were galloping through her mind!

Damn, what bad luck, running into an ex throwing underwear into the Huai River in the middle of the night! And it’s a whole new bag of underwear! And it’s girls’ Snoopy dog underwear and pink lace triangle underwear!!!

Is he a pervert?!

This is definitely a record-breaking, unprecedented pervert!

Xie Yi held the underwear, unsure whether to throw or not: “No, let me explain.”

He turned to look, only to find that the little demons, adhering to the principle of “not being discovered by ordinary humans,” had taken the underwear and submerged back into the water, completely ignoring their king’s predicament.

Caught red-handed, what’s there to explain!

Xu Xining raised her camera and snapped away furiously, angrily accusing, “If you don’t want next week’s headline to be ‘Top Stream Pervert’s Behavior Exposed: Throws Five Hundred Underwear into the River at Night,’ then quickly announce the breakup!! This is my last warning to you!”

Zhan Xingye suddenly asked, “You broke up?”

The night wind was quiet, the young man tilted his head to look at her, his dark eyes reflecting the streetlight, like a star shining in the cold night sky.

Xu Xining pointed at him, turned angrily, “See! Even Xingye doesn’t know we broke up!”

Xie Yi was genuinely annoyed for once.

The jacket draped over his shoulder was puffed up by the wind, the zipper head rattling in the breeze.

He sneered, his tongue pressing against his cheek, stepped forward, leaned in, and stared into his eyes with a half-smile, “Little brother, what exactly are you?”