Under the sunlight,
the gourd-shaped river glittered with ripples.
Though the water flowed gently downstream, an unfathomable darkness lurked beneath its seemingly tranquil surface.
Brother Zheng's gaze brimmed with trepidation.
"I didn't believe in these things either before. But after years of salvage work and witnessing countless strange phenomena, I've learned one truth - humans should respect the unknown. I'm not trying to frighten you, but the underwater world... it's an entirely different realm from our dry land."
Though he spoke gravely, Hu Zi waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry, brother! You've no idea what kind of person my boss is. I've never seen anything that could scare him!"
"What makes you special? You've still got one nose and one mouth!" Brother Zheng scrutinized them both. "Even Old Xing, the most skilled body retriever around, nearly lost his life in the belly of this gourd-shaped river. Loyalty is admirable, but there's a boundary between the living and the dead. The breathing shouldn't cling too tightly to the departed."
"We appreciate your concern, brother. Please speak plainly! What happened to those families?" Lu Fei pressed for clarity.
"You youngsters!" Seeing their determination, Brother Zheng shook his head and took several deep drags from his cigarette before uttering: "Several of those searching family members... they drowned. In water."
"In Hulu River?" Lu Fei looked startled.
"No. Other bodies of water... That's what's truly terrifying." Brother Zheng pinched his cigarette, his expression mixing bewilderment and dread.
"One drowned in their own water vat. Another fell face-first into a puddle at their feet. There was even someone who choked to death while bathing... It's like... they died in whatever water was closest to them..."
"Aren't you overthinking this, brother? They didn't die in this river. Couldn't these just be accidents? Coincidences?" Hu Zi countered.
"I wish they were. But all those deceased family members had one thing in common - they'd all entered Hulu River to search for someone." Brother Zheng tapped off his ash. "My guess? Their obsession with the dead... ended up claiming the living."
"After all that's been said, I still hope you can take it easier! You two are decent folks. Some things should be let go when needed. Don't keep wandering around here! It's getting late. I should head back now."
With these words, Brother Zheng stamped out his cigarette butt, gathered his tools, urged the two men a few more times, and finally left.
"Boss, if what the old brother said is true, then this 'gourd belly' is truly horrifying. People aren't even in the water, yet they get killed. What kind of sinister thing could be lurking inside?" Hu Zi glanced at the river again, feeling an eerie chill.
"This Master Xing Si should know the answer."
Lu Fei pulled out his phone and dialed the contact number Brother Zheng had given him, reaching out to the body retrieval diver.
The call went through, but no one answered.
"Could something be keeping them busy?"
Lu Fei thought for a moment, then sent a text message to the number, stating that he needed corpse retrieval and hoped the other party would reply as soon as possible.
Then, he returned to Antique Street to wait for a response.
It wasn't until the next day that a number finally called back.
"Hello, are you the one looking for my father to salvage a body?" It was a woman's voice.
"Yes, is Fourth Master available?"
"I'm sorry, my father stopped salvaging bodies long ago. Please find another expert."
With that, the caller was about to hang up.
"Wait!" Lu Fei quickly interjected, "If salvaging isn't possible, could we at least meet him?"
"Well... My father's in the hospital. It's probably not convenient." The voice sounded hesitant.
"We sincerely apologize for disturbing Fourth Master. We just need to ask him a few questions—it won't take long." Lu Fei's tone brimmed with earnestness.
After a prolonged silence, the voice reluctantly disclosed the hospital name and room number.
Lu Fei grabbed Hu Zi, and they sped toward the location.
An oppressive dampness permeated the hospital room, clinging to the air like ghostly residue.
A sallow-skinned old man lay weakly on the hospital bed, his eyelids drooped so deeply that it was impossible to tell whether he was asleep or awake.
A plainly dressed middle-aged woman sat by the bed, her eyes red-rimmed and her face etched with exhaustion and worry.
"Sister Xing, thank you for allowing us to visit. How is Fourth Master Xing's condition now?"
Lu Fei placed the fruit basket on the bedside table and asked softly.
Sister Xing gestured for them to step outside.
"The doctor said his condition isn't optimistic—maybe just a few days left. It's not that I don't want to help you, but my father he..." Sister Xing trailed off, tears streaming down her face again.
Lu Fei and Hu Zi exchanged a glance, their hearts heavy.
How could they impose on someone in such dire circumstances?
"Sister, we've disturbed you enough." Lu Fei took out the prepared gift money and pressed it into her hand.
"We're not relatives—I can't accept this..."
As they were wrestling over the money.
"Xiaoyan..."
A hoarse, feeble call came from the hospital room.
"Dad." Sister Xing hastily wiped her tears and entered the room.
"Let them in." Fourth Master Xing's eyes had opened at some point.
"Dad..."
After a moment's hesitation, Sister Xing called Lu Fei and Hu Zi into the room.
Fourth Master Xing lay tilted against the pillow, his hospital gown hanging loosely on his emaciated frame. His bones seemed deformed as he weakly studied Lu Fei, a faint smile appearing on his sallow face.
"Young man, you're not an ordinary person, are you?"
"This junior, Lu Fei of Sinisterium Pawnshop, pays his respects to Fourth Master Xing." Lu Fei immediately bowed respectfully.
"So you're the heir of Sinisterium Pawnshop, no wonder..." Fourth Master Xing nodded slightly, "What do you want to ask?"
Lu Fei thought for a moment and chose to be direct: "Hulu River."
"Hulu River?!" Fourth Master Xing's pupils constricted, "Why ask about that river?"
"You must remember Bus No. 44 that sank in the river years ago? I have a client whose wife and child were on that bus. He wants me to help bring them back." Lu Fei stated truthfully.
Since the man agreed to meet him despite grave illness, he owed him full honesty in return.
"That river's not to be trifled with." Fourth Master Xing smiled bitterly, then turned to his daughter, "Xiao Yan, I'm hungry. I want some tofu soup."
"Alright, Dad. Wait here, I'll go buy it now."
Hearing her father had regained appetite, Sister Xing beamed with joy and hurried out of the ward.
"Young man, got a cigarette?" Fourth Master Xing spoke again after his daughter left.
"Master Xing, is this... appropriate?" Lu Fei glanced at the medical chart at the bedside.
Lung cancer.
"Our trade is bitter work. The stench of waterlogged corpses is beyond description. Often we can't eat after retrieval, only suppress nausea with smoke." Fourth Master Xing smiled calmly, seeming at peace.
Hearing this, Lu Fei motioned Hu Zi to offer the old man a cigarette.
But Fourth Master Xing didn't light it, merely held it beneath his nose to smell.
"That river's wrathful. I hid for years, yet couldn't escape. When the River Lord claims lives, whoever interferes meets misfortune." Fourth Master Xing sighed, "Were it not for that river, I might've lived longer."
Lu Fei exclaimed in shock: "Master Xing, your condition... was caused by the river?"
"Since you found me, you must know this already—all who stubbornly search that river meet disaster! I barely escaped with my life, but the River Lord never truly released me."