Chapter 51

In the mountains of Taocun Village, there is a lake called Ghost Lake. It is said that several villagers have drowned here, and even mysteriously disappeared. Some say there are water ghosts in the water, hence the name 'Ghost Lake.' Without delving into old stories, just a few years ago, a major accident occurred when two children secretly swam in the lake and both drowned. One body was recovered, but the other has never been found.

The people of Taocun Village are not foolish. They went to great lengths to drain the lake and search it thoroughly, but found nothing. In the end, they invited a Taoist priest to perform a ritual to put the matter to rest.

Some people have suggested destroying Ghost Lake, but this would require a significant amount of money. More importantly, the villagers are hesitant because Ghost Lake is the only water source for Taocun Village, essential for hundreds of acres of farmland. Therefore, the plan to destroy the lake was not approved.

In recent years, Taocun Village has strictly prohibited anyone, especially children, from playing in Ghost Lake. Parents often warn their children and order them not to play in the water, even portraying Ghost Lake as a place of evil to scare them.

However, the nature of children cannot be easily curbed by a few warnings. It was a weekend, and a few idle children secretly gathered to fish at Ghost Lake. Unable to resist the temptation, these fearless young ones eventually stripped down and went into the water to play. Unfortunately, a drowning incident soon occurred.

According to the children who managed to swim to shore, the child was dragged underwater by something, and there was a significant commotion at the time.

Li Mang, unaware of the discussions on shore, quickly swam to the center of the lake and held his breath to dive underwater. However, the depth of Ghost Lake startled him. He had already descended ten meters and still could not touch the bottom.

Opening his eyes underwater is possible, but it can damage the eyes. Li Mang knew he couldn't delay, so he gritted his teeth and opened his eyes. Despite his strong constitution, the pressure of the lake water on his eyeballs caused a slight pain. But with a life at stake, Li Mang could not afford to hesitate and had to endure the pain.

Meanwhile, he could see a few meters around him, indicating that the water in Ghost Lake was very clear, though it could not compare to the clarity of Lijishui. Suppressing his thoughts, Li Mang continued to descend. The darkness around him indicated that he had reached the bottom of the lake, which gave him some comfort. If he went any deeper, even if his body could withstand it, his eyes would not be able to handle the intense water pressure.

The bottom was covered in silt, and Li Mang could only see a few meters in front of him, which made his search extremely difficult. However, he did not dare to slack off.

"Ssssh..."

A strange sound from ahead made Li Mang freeze. As far as he knew, he was the only one who had dived to the bottom of the lake; the other villagers lacked the skill. But... what was causing such a commotion? Li Mang's mind raced as he slowly approached.

A fish? It probably wasn't. Strangely, although the lake had many fish, there were few large ones. Li Mang made a bold guess that the large fish had been eaten by something.

Soon, a dark shadow appeared in Li Mang's line of sight. The shadow was long, about two meters, like a snake, but it seemed to be only a part of the tail, with the other part submerged in the water, making it difficult for Li Mang to identify what it was.

As he got closer, Li Mang could see more clearly. It was indeed a snake's tail, but it was very thick, perhaps too thick to be grabbed with one hand. The scales were distinct and shone with a dark luster in the water, a sign of age.

"What is this?" Li Mang hesitated. On land, he might not fear anything, but underwater, his strength was greatly reduced, and he could not stay submerged for long. With his current level of cultivation, he was far from being able to hold his breath for an extended period.

But he could not hesitate any longer; the child's life was at stake. Li Mang clenched his teeth and suddenly swam forward, grabbing the tail with his bare hands and pulling it up!

"Swish!"

Mud churned up, and Li Mang did not know what he had pulled out. He quickly swam upward. The mud severely obstructed his vision, and he needed to move the battle to clearer water to avoid a disadvantage.

"Roar!"

A sound like a tiger's roar reached Li Mang's ears, startling him. The tail in his hand suddenly struggled violently. Despite his tight grip, he felt a sharp pain in his palm and was then released by the unknown water creature.

"Swish!"

The sound of breaking water made Li Mang's muscles tense. He opened his eyes, despite the discomfort, and finally saw the shape of the water creature.

It had a head as large as a plate, with the body of a dragon, claws, and a snake-like tail. It was a very peculiar creature. Li Mang was certain he had never seen it in real life, but he had a vague memory of it, as if he had seen it before.

But Li Mang could not dwell on this, as the creature was rapidly swimming toward him. It was clear that the water was its territory, and it moved with astonishing speed, opening its tiger-like mouth to reveal two sharp fangs.

To Li Mang's surprise and relief, the water creature's front claws were holding a naked, unconscious child. Whether the child was still alive was unclear, but Li Mang had to save him quickly. He did not dodge but instead gathered strength in his fist.

"Swish..." It was getting closer.

"Thud..." Li Mang suddenly punched. Although the water reduced his strength, his years of cultivation still made his punch very powerful.

"Bang!"

"Roar!"

Perhaps never expecting such strength from its prey, the water creature cried out in pain and became dazed.

"Bang!"

Li Mang's other fist followed, injuring the creature again. Its dazed state made its movements less agile, and it began to sink.

Li Mang took the opportunity to snatch the child from the creature's grasp, kicked his feet, and quickly swam upward.

"Swish." Li Mang soon surfaced, first lifting the child out of the water with one hand. He then took a deep breath and spat out some lake water he had accidentally swallowed. Holding his breath had been quite a strain.

"Quick, look, they've saved Xiaolong!" A woman on the shore suddenly shouted. Xiaolong was the child Li Mang was holding.

The commotion on the shore grew, and the people searching the lake were overjoyed, all looking toward Li Mang. Xie Yangzhou and Ge Xuelin were surprised, clearly not expecting Li Mang to have found the child when so many others had failed. This brother was becoming increasingly mysterious in their eyes.

"Everyone, get to shore quickly!" Li Mang shouted to the people in the lake and then swam rapidly to the shore. Although the water creature had taken two punches, Li Mang could not be sure it would not become enraged and attack the others in the water.