Chapter 52

Li Mang had already carried the drowning child to the shore and started to provide assistance. The child had been underwater for several minutes, and although his heart had not stopped beating, he was in a severe state of unconsciousness and had swallowed a considerable amount of water, causing his abdomen to swell.

"Phew..."

As Li Mang pressed firmly on the child's chest, a large amount of water was expelled, and the child's complexion gradually improved. With additional rescue measures, the child finally regained breathing, though his body was extremely weak and would require more professional treatment to recover.

"Quickly take the child to the hospital!" Li Mang instructed.

"Thank you, thank you." The child's parents, moved to tears, hurriedly carried the child down the mountain.

"Thank you, young man. If it weren't for you, Xiao Long would be gone today!"

"Yes, we really need to thank this young man."

The child's family was busy taking him to the hospital, and the villagers spontaneously came to Li Mang to express their gratitude. Some even prepared large red envelopes, not wanting to let the hero's heart grow cold.

"I appreciate your thanks, but please keep the red envelopes. I am currently partnering with Yangzhou to open a resort, and I will need everyone's help in the future!" Li Mang quickly stopped them.

"This..."

"Li Mang is not an outsider; there's no need for red envelopes." Xiao Yangzhou, who had just finished dressing, also quickly spoke to dissuade them. He knew that Li Mang didn't need these things, and he understood that every penny the villagers earned was hard-earned.

The villagers gave Li Mang a stack of "good person cards" and promised to cooperate with the resort project, then dispersed noisily. They were unwilling to stay any longer in this eerie ghost lake.

"You two should go back first, and then guard the halfway point to prevent anyone from coming up," Li Mang said to Ge Xuelin and Xiao Yangzhou, his face serious.

"Python, is there really something unclean down there?" Ge Xuelin raised an eyebrow, and as he looked at the calm lake surface, he suddenly felt a chill down his back.

Xiao Yangzhou also looked at Li Mang in shock. He was a native of Taohxiang Village and knew the eerie nature of the ghost lake. Li Mang's words made him secretly alarmed.

"There is something, but it's not the water ghost you mentioned. I'm not sure what it is yet," Li Mang shook his head, unable to say more. These two brothers were not yet part of the circle, and it was better not to let them see the water monster.

Despite his curiosity, Xiao Yangzhou didn't ask more, but asked seriously, "Is it safe for you to stay here alone?"

"I can take care of myself, don't worry," Li Mang said confidently. Through his earlier encounter, he had roughly gauged the water monster's strength. Although it looked terrifying, its power was only average, seemingly a degenerated ancient creature.

"If we don't see you back, should we call 120?" Ge Xuelin interjected.

"… Just burn incense for me!" Li Mang rolled his eyes.

"Do you need paper money?" Ge Xuelin asked again.

"Do you want me to go to hell as a pauper?" Li Mang countered.

"Stop saying such inauspicious things, let's go back and change our clothes!" Xiao Yangzhou interrupted their conversation, turning to leave, with Ge Xuelin following closely behind.

After sending everyone away, Li Mang did not rush to dive again. He was recalling the appearance of the water monster: tiger head, dragon body, snake tail, and four claws... For some reason, these features felt familiar to him, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

"Tiger Dragon!"

As the thought flashed in his mind, Li Mang named the creature, realizing why its appearance was familiar.

In the "Classic of Mountains and Seas: The Third Section of the Southern Mountains," there is a record of a strange beast with a tiger head, dragon body, and snake tail, known as the Tiger Dragon.

The Third Section of the Southern Mountains describes the third mountain range in the Southern Mountains, which is also the last range. Li Mang was currently in the third mountain of the first range, so he had not yet seen the Tiger Dragon's true form. However, the appearance of the ghost lake's water monster was indeed that of a Tiger Dragon.

As for why it was so weak, Li Mang was not sure, but considering the changes in the Earth's environment, he could only speculate that the Tiger Dragon's power had degenerated.

"Plunk!"

Li Mang dove into the lake again. It was already dusk, with the remaining sunlight, and the light was already dim. Waiting any longer would mean it would be completely dark, making things more difficult.

Since he had been there before and knew the exact location, Li Mang went directly to the spot where the Tiger Dragon had previously burrowed. The shape of the nearby mud allowed him to identify the location, but unfortunately, the creature was nowhere to be seen.

"Is it already under the mud?" Li Mang thought, frowning slightly. This would undoubtedly make it more difficult to deal with. Moreover, he was unsure of the conditions under the mud, which made the situation even more challenging.

With a thought, Li Mang took out the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" from his heart, opened the first page to the map of the Southern Mountains, and entered it. The book was not afraid of fire, let alone water.

When he reappeared at the bottom of the ghost lake, he held a bamboo pole about six to seven meters long, and after determining the position, he inserted it into the mud.

Two meters.

Four meters, five meters...

To Li Mang's surprise, it still hadn't reached the bottom. Normal lake mud could not be this deep; even two meters would be extremely unusual.

Li Mang continued to push the bamboo pole down, stirring it to avoid missing any clues.

"Plunk!" His hand suddenly felt lighter as the bamboo pole entered a space without mud. This was a different sensation from before, and it was very clear. Li Mang was now certain that there was a water cave about six meters below, which was likely the Tiger Dragon's lair.

"Rumble!"

A large patch of bubbles suddenly emerged from the mud below, and they continued to rise. At the same time, the bamboo pole in his hand vibrated, indicating that something had touched it. This made Li Mang's expression change, and he watched the area below with caution, waiting.

"Plunk!"

A black shadow emerged from the mud and quickly rushed toward Li Mang. It was none other than the Tiger Dragon he had previously encountered.

The Tiger Dragon was now extremely angry, its small eyes blood-red. This human had not only taken food from its mouth but also injured it. Living in such an environment, the Tiger Dragon was actually quite timid, so after regaining consciousness, it had not sought revenge but had instead hidden in its lair out of fear.

However, now that Li Mang was stirring its lair with the bamboo pole, despite its degenerated power, the Tiger Dragon, being an ancient fierce beast, still retained some of its aggressive nature.

"Roar!"

The Tiger Dragon roared in anger, breaking through the water with even greater speed than before, causing Li Mang's face to change slightly. Previously, the Tiger Dragon had been holding a child, which had somewhat hindered its performance. Additionally, it had been caught off guard, and Li Mang's punch to its head had put it at a disadvantage from the start.

However, this also led Li Mang to underestimate the Tiger Dragon's strength, which was a very dangerous mistake. With no other choice, Li Mang gathered his strength and waited.

"Bang!"

"Plunk!"

"Boom..."

Despite being in the water, the battle was exceptionally intense. Li Mang's attacks were mainly with his fists, while the Tiger Dragon was more agile, using its large mouth, sharp claws, and long tail as weapons. Although its strength was average, its defense and speed were remarkable, and its only weakness was its head. This time, it had learned to avoid head-on collisions with Li Mang.

In this situation, Li Mang was at a disadvantage. More critically, unlike the Tiger Dragon, which could stay underwater for a long time, Li Mang needed to hold his breath, which was his most significant weakness. After just two or three minutes, his movements became sluggish, and his face turned red. He had to try to lure the Tiger Dragon to the surface.

" Splash!"

Li Mang finally emerged from the water to take a breath, but unfortunately, a scaly tail wrapped around his right foot and pulled him down. With a "plunk," he sank back into the water.

Li Mang, who had accidentally swallowed a mouthful of lake water, was furious. He leaned back to gather strength in his waist and then lunged forward with all his might, finally turning his body. At the same time, he kicked the Tiger Dragon's lower body with his other foot— "Bang!"

"Roar!!!"

This blow seriously injured the Tiger Dragon, as Li Mang had kicked it in the testicles, a vulnerable spot for most creatures. The Tiger Dragon's body, covered in scales, had no protection in this area. Li Mang's full-force kick was not just a matter of pain.

Humans have tendons, and so does the Tiger Dragon. The injury to its testicles caused its entire body to tremble and become stiff due to the impact on its tendons.