CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50 EIGHTEEN CROWS ON THE TREE

Chentang Pass is adjacent to the East Sea and is home to many fishing villages. Its inhabitants are mostly adept swimmers.

As the saying goes, those who drown are often the ones who know how to swim, and each year, there are tragedies of people being swept away by the waves at sea.

At first, Nezha didn’t think much of it. He returned to his room, took some of the small silver pieces he had saved up, and immediately hurried back to Lizhu Village.

Living under the same roof, Nezha naturally became closer to Lv Zhu’er than to others.

This girl received two silver pieces a month as her allowance.

Naturally, this was not much money. Given to a grown man, it would only suffice for two comfortable meals at a tavern, consuming only the most common grilled fish and the roughest liquor at Chentang Pass.

Yet Lv Zhu’er was reluctant to spend this small sum; she always sent it home.

She would often laugh and tell Nezha: "Grandfather is ill and needs medicine, and mother has had lung problems since she once swallowed water while pearl diving; she earns very little from weaving at home. It all depends on father alone; although the two silver pieces are not much, they can ease the hardship at home."

Such a sensible child.

Therefore, Nezha pampered her even more for being such an understanding little sister.

Every time she sent money home, Nezha would not stop her; instead, he would tuck some dried fruits, cured meat, incense, salt, and other sundries into the package.

Whenever Lv Zhu coveted a treat, she didn’t need to say a word; all it took was an extra longing look, and by the next mealtime, it would appear in her bowl.

While accompanying Nezha shopping, she would rummage through the bargain jewelry stalls for ages, leave reluctantly without buying anything, and upon returning home, she would magically find one or two trinkets that Nezha had somehow procured—always precisely what she liked.

With a true heart, one can win another’s true heart; hence, Bi Yun became Nezha’s friend, and thus Lv Zhu’er also liked Nezha very much.

Compared to the previous visit, there were noticeably fewer trees around the village. It was daytime, the prime time for locals to seek money at sea or in the fields, so there were but a few scattered people on the freshly paved bluestone path.

The Great Witch was gone, and the village somehow seemed cleaner, yet in a short time, people had not become much wealthier.

With an expansive view and moist sea breeze, the faint sound of waves reached one’s ears, and overhead, seagulls cried out leisurely as they flew past.

From the entrance of the village, looking inwards, it all seemed quite serene.

Nezha passed by, recognized by many here, and several boldly greeted him; Nezha responded to each one with a slight smile, his mood remaining subdued.

For he knew at the end of this stone path lay Lv Zhu’er’s home.

That girl must be devastated inside her house at this very moment.

The path wasn’t long, and Nezha quickly reached the end.

The roof’s green tiles were covered in moss, appearing somewhat darkened. The wall, half a person’s height, surrounded a yard that was smaller than others’.

In the corner of the wall grew a jujube tree that had just ripened a batch of fruit a few days ago; that man named Li Cunxin had even picked some to send to the Li Mansion.

As Cui Yu recounted, Li Jing had tasted the jujubes and found them delicious, inquiring where she bought them and asking to purchase more next time.

Now, on the stout branches of the small jujube tree, carefully pruned to gain strength, stood an unusually large gathering of eighteen crows, black as ink.

Nezha halted in his steps.

Rumors suggested that crows could smell death, and hence, when someone died, they often lingered on the eaves and walls, waiting to feast on the corpse.

But wasn’t it said earlier that Li Cunxin had gone pearl diving at the seabed and that his body was submerged in the deep sea?

All spirits in this world possess intuition, yet he could sense none from these crows.

Looking more closely, he saw that the eighteen crows had blood-red eyes, and where their gazes intertwined was fixated upon the window of the wall.

"A Cultivator? I originally thought this was merely a routine misfortune. Now it seems there may be someone else at play."

He looked at the crow and said in a low voice, "Daoist, what are you watching?"

No sooner had he spoken when all eighteen crows turned their heads to look at him with a gaze that met his; Nezha then saw the pupils in the blood-red eyes of the crows.

Those pupils didn’t seem to belong to a bird, but rather to a human.

With just one glance, the crows scattered and flew away from the tree.

Nezha’s eyes turned cold as he walked forward. From afar, he could hear sobbing sounds coming from within the house. He pushed open the courtyard gate and continued inside.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw two men dressed in military uniforms walk out of the main hall.

Nezha felt that the man in the front looked familiar, but he recognized the one in the back—it was Ten-man Captain Zhou Quan whom he had seen before on the walls of Chentang Pass.

Before Nezha could speak, the man in front greeted him with a fist-and-palm salute: "I am General Feng, Deputy Commander of Hard Tiger Army. Feng Xiaonian has the honor of meeting the Third Young Master."

Feng Xiaonian had impeccable manners, yet his eyes were filled with indifference and detachment.

Within Chentang Pass, he only took orders from General Li. To him, even though Nezha was Li Jing’s son, he was just a seven-year-old child.

Nezha glanced at him and, observing a faint golden aura emanating from his body that pulsed with his breathing, understood that this man was at least a cultivator of the God Absorption Realm.

Nezha asked, "What are you two doing here?"

Zhou Quan, with unmistakable grief on his face that he did not attempt to hide, spoke: "Reporting to Young Master, the deceased Li Cunxin is my cousin. I have taken leave to come here, and General Feng joined me on his way while fulfilling his duties. Out of kindness, seeing the household full of women and children without laboring hands, he also donated money for consolation."

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiaonian waved his hand and said, "It was just a small effort."

Nezha nodded and went ahead to look for Lu Zhu’er.

Inside the house, an elderly couple and a young wife were all crying around a brazier.

Li Cunxin’s bones were nowhere to be found, likely fed to fish and turtles, which was the most feared tragedy for the people of the fishing village. In this short time, Li Cunxin’s wife had already fainted from crying three times.

Lu Zhu’er, on the other hand, knelt obediently, her eyes red and not uttering a sound.

"Little Piggy?"

Upon hearing the voice, Lu Zhu’er turned her head to see Nezha and could no longer hold back her tears, throwing herself into Nezha’s arms and crying loudly.

"Brother Nezha! My dad, my daddy, he’s gone! Woo woo woo..."

Then a medley of crying filled the room, overlapping one another.

While holding Lu Zhu’er, Nezha turned to look at the two agonized elderly people in the room and whispered in Lu Zhu’er’s ear, "Good girl Lu Zhu’er, if you want to cry, cry a little more. Brother Nezha is here for you."

The little girl had not slept all night and was already exhausted. Nezha coaxed Lu Zhu’er to sleep and then went out to the courtyard where he saw both Feng Xiaonian and Zhou Quan.

Feng Xiaonian saluted, "Returning to the Third Young Master, I, Feng Xiaonian, cannot stay due to military duties. I shall take my leave now."

Nezha nodded and watched Feng Xiaonian leave first. Then he turned to Zhou Quan and asked, "Uncle Quan, what exactly happened here?"

Zhou Quan sighed. He was of a similar age to Li Cunxin and the closest among their peers, and his heart was heavy with sorrow and regret that he could not easily dispel. He explained, "There was a sea mishap. For the people of the fishing village, especially the pearl divers, dying at sea is common. Some get eaten by large fish, others get trapped by giant clams and can’t surface. Who could say for sure, but it’s tragic that we couldn’t even find a body."

Zhou Quan sighed frequently, but Nezha noticed his hesitation to speak fully.

Narrowing his eyes, Nezha asked in a hushed tone, "Is there some hidden secret?"

Zhou Quan shook his head and replied, "I am not clear about any hidden secret, but in the last three years, the number of unexplained disappearances in Chentang Pass has significantly increased. I’ve paid attention and it’s at least tripled."

Nezha pondered for a moment, "I understand. First, take good care of this family and prevent more incidents. I’ll be right back."

Since the disappearance happened at sea, he would seek answers there.

Nezha soared into the sea, utilizing a light-based escape technique. He took out the Dividing Water Divine Shuttle and infused it with Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi from within his body. With his spiritual energy guiding him, he moved freely and soundlessly through the water like a flying fish, disappearing in an instant.