Chapter 99: The Incident at the Fishing Village

"I am terribly sorry, dear guests. Due to the low-water season, river sand has risen and the channel is clogged. Our boat is a bit too large, and I fear we won't be able to make it through this bend today."

"I am afraid I must trouble you all to go ashore. There is a fishing village ahead; we shall seek lodging there for the night. Early tomorrow morning, I will find people to help haul the boat through this section, and after that, the path ahead will be clear."

On the Gan River, the vessel carrying Song Mu and his companions had reached this point by the afternoon, only to be trapped by a bend in the river. Despite the boat owner and his crew exerting every ounce of effort to pull the ship from the silt, they were unable to maneuver the wide vessel past the shallows. They had no choice but to turn back and dock at a breakwater along the riverbank.

This river boat, traveling from Jizhou Prefecture to Xunyang Prefecture, was laden not only with over a hundred passengers but also with a vast quantity of cargo.

The passengers were furious upon hearing the news, yet they were helpless. With the space beneath the decks packed with goods and the autumn nights growing chilly, they had no choice but to gather their belongings and head toward the breakwater.

Song Mu rose as well, clutching his chest and pack, and hurried off the boat alongside his close friends. As the boat owner continued to offer apologies to the crowd, some of the passengers had already reached the small fishing village on the shore.

"In this autumn low-water season, large boats are truly difficult to manage. It should be fine, though. It might just take us two extra days to reach Shiyang County," Kong Zongzheng remarked to Shao Le beside Song Mu.

As they chatted, the group soon reached the village near the river.

The village elders had already come out to meet them. Perhaps having never seen so many scholars and men of letters arrive at once, the entire village was in a stir, with adults and children alike gathering at the entrance to watch.

Song Mu and the others surveyed the villagers as they arrived. The commoners appeared gaunt, their faces darkened by the sun.

Master Xun had already stepped forward to present his credentials. After a brief conversation with the village elders, it was decided that the group would be accommodated in the village ancestral hall. Only then did Song Mu learn that this place was called Little Yang Village—a tiny settlement of barely two hundred people, struggling to survive amidst the surrounding mountains.

The houses in the fishing village were very low, mostly constructed of yellow clay. Only the ancestral hall in the center of the village was built of wood and stone, containing a "Stele of Letters" used for ancestral rites and providing basic protection for the village. It was kept very clean, sufficient to accommodate the travelers for the night.

"I am truly sorry to trouble you honorable scholars. We are preparing to boil water and cook a meal. It is but simple fare, and I hope you will forgive us."

The speaker was an elderly man of great age. Behind him, several village women were gathered. Outside the hall, a few men were busy mixing mud to build stoves, preparing a large pot to boil water for the scholars.

Master Xun, already feeling embarrassed by the villagers' hospitality, tried to decline several times and even instructed some of his students to ask the boat owner to trade some of the cargo for supplies.

Seeing the scene, Song Mu felt a pang of emotion. He set his things down and went out to help.

A man who was building a stove saw the tall scholar approaching with his sleeves rolled up and quickly stood up, shaking his head. "Young master, don't come over. The mud will soil your clothes."

As others chimed in, Song Mu merely smiled. In the end, he helped carry a bundle of firewood, but he did not leave, choosing instead to chat with them.

It turned out that this small fishing village had existed for many years. Originally, the villagers had lived deep in the mountains, but after demons appeared and the village lost its protection, they had no choice but to migrate outward, relying on the great river and the surrounding forests for their livelihood.

Life was hard, and the people were thin and sallow. Although the Jiangnan West Circuit was becoming increasingly prosperous, there were still those who struggled to fill their bellies.

"We have cleared another twenty acres of land on the southern slope. The authorities have promised no taxes for three years, so we can still manage to eat," a dark-skinned, sturdy man said as he finished the mud stove, wiping sweat from his brow with a smile. "With the daily catch and wild game, and the occasional merchant boat docking here, we can trade for some necessities."

Song Mu nodded as the man spoke. However, another man nearby straightened up, looking at Song Mu with eyes that suddenly flickered with hesitation.

Song Mu noticed this immediately and turned his head to ask, "Is there something you need?"

The dark-skinned man turned his head away, but the shorter, stocky man looked at Song Mu, seemingly having made up his mind, and prepared to speak.

But the dark-skinned man interrupted him. "Nothing, young master. What could we possibly need? Old Third, the stove is built; go fetch some water!"

The dark-skinned man even urged him to leave, but the shorter man looked clearly unwilling. Song Mu, seeing the signs, smiled and said, "If you two have any hidden troubles, feel free to tell me. If we can help, we certainly will not refuse."

Song Mu’s tone was calm. The dark-skinned man grinned and waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing, nothing at all, young master."

But the shorter man would not be deterred. He turned back, looked straight at Song Mu, and said, "Young master, I do have a request."

As he spoke, the man began to kneel.

Song Mu reached out to help him up, but the dark-skinned man became irritated and kicked the shorter man hard. "Old Third, what are you spouting? We will go to the officials about this later. Do you think the young master can solve this for us?"

Despite his words, the shorter man's actions had drawn the attention of many, including Kong Zong, who walked over to inquire.

The shorter man finally spoke. It turned out that about half a month ago, a demon had appeared in the mountains not far from the village.

The demon was elusive, appearing and disappearing like a phantom, yet it was incredibly fierce. It roamed the surrounding forests, initially hunting only wild beasts, but not long ago, it found the village and began to prey on people.

Three men who had gone into the mountains to gather herbs had already been devoured, and the entire village was in grave danger.

When they reported it to the authorities, the officials sent a team to search, but they found no trace of the creature at all.

Once, the soldiers even got lost in the mountains, and when they finally found the exit, they were thirty miles away from the fishing village.

Such strange occurrences naturally led to constant sweeps by the soldiers, but seven days had passed with no progress.

Even more urgently, the demon had started appearing within a hundred meters of the village, and even the Stele of Letters could barely suppress it.

"I won't lie to you, young master. This morning, my fourth brother went into the mountains to chop wood and met with disaster. He managed to run back, but a large chunk of flesh was torn from his thigh."

Hearing this, Song Mu tightened his fists. The demon’s cruelty had reached such a point.

The other scholars nearby, upon hearing this, were filled with righteous indignation. However, Song Mu and the others soon wore bitter expressions, realizing they could do little to help.

Though they were all scholars, they had only recently attained the title. They possessed literary power, but it held little lethality. The only one they could truly rely on was Master Xun, who was a Provincial Graduate.

The shorter man did not know this and spoke with growing anxiety. "Honorable sirs, I know you are men of letters with great powers. Please, help us deal with this demon."

The dark-skinned man knelt as well, his face moved. "I didn't dare trouble you, but since Old Third has spoken, I beg you all. Several men in the village have died one after another, and their wives and children have no way to live."

As the dark-skinned man finished, everyone exchanged looks, and the commotion drew Master Xun, who had been talking to the village chief.

After learning the full story, Master Xun sighed. "We wish to help you, but in these vast mountains, with no trail to track the creature, how can we find it?"

"Besides, we must depart early tomorrow morning."

"This matter is best left to the local authorities."

"The most I can do is to imbue your ancestral hall’s Stele of Letters with an extra layer of power."

When Master Xun finished, the faces of the two men turned ash-gray.