Chapter 67: Encounter with the Mermaid

  The sky was as red as a sunset, and the rain of blood fell down. What is called a bloody storm, this is it now. When I just arrived at the funeral home, I smelled the stench of corpse oil and wanted to vomit, but now that the rain of blood is falling on me, I don't feel anything anymore. I'm afraid my senses have been numbed by all that I've seen and heard along the way.

  At first, it was pea-sized raindrops falling down. Before long, they became disconnected beads, and soon after, they turned into a torrential downpour. The stagnant lake water gradually churned up waves. According to Hou Dàyǒng's theory, the current scene might be the appearance of essence and blood pouring into the Ghost Lake.

  I and Wang Jue stood in the rain, getting soaked like a drowned rat. In Spain, there's a Tomato Festival, every year on the last Wednesday of August, there's a "Tomato War", people walking on the street will be attacked by flying tomatoes at any time, often getting splattered all over their bodies until they're bright red. If we ignore the stench of rainwater, our current appearance is not much different from those who have participated in the Tomato Festival. I imagine that what's sticking to my body isn't blood, but tomato juice, this is the wonderful use of Ah Q's spiritual victory method.

  Wang Jue joked: "The bath has been washed, whether or not it jumps makes no difference, anyway the whole body is covered in blood."

  Alright, let's go with the flow. I exchanged a glance with Wang Jue and we both plunged into this turbulent sea of blood.

  Underwater and on the water are two different scenes. I originally thought that swimming in a pool of blood would have very low visibility. Now it seems that things aren't necessarily all as we imagined them to be. From the shore, this lake of blood is thick and stinky. But once you're in the water, inside it's clear and transparent. Opening your eyes, the surrounding scenery is clearly visible, with no great difference from ordinary lake water. The only difference is that we've dived down ten or more meters, yet there's not even a hint of oxygen deficiency, as if breathing isn't needed here.

  At the bottom of the lake, there are mountains and rocks, with dense aquatic plants. Schools of small fish dart back and forth among the rocks, most of which are only as big as a palm, without any large ones that could swallow a person like Hou Daxiong said.

  Hou Dayong was sitting on a rock at the bottom of the lake waiting for us. As Wang Jue and I were about to swim towards him, a mermaid suddenly appeared before our eyes. Big eyes, black hair, small lips, thin eyebrows, and a slender waist that started from her hips and gradually narrowed down into a tail, with scales shimmering in the light. She curiously looked at us, flicking her tail back and forth as she swam around us. From time to time, she would use her fingers to poke Wang Jue's and my backs. When we turned around, she would suddenly run away, repeating this game of hide-and-seek. Wang Jue was delighted by her teasing and followed her as she swam around, completely forgetting about Hou Dayong and me. As they played, the mermaid beckoned to him, and Wang Jue obediently followed her, ignoring my attempts to stop him, swimming further and further away.

  As I watched Wang Jue's receding back, I started to get anxious, wondering what was wrong with him. I made countless gestures towards Hou Dàyǒng, but he seemed oblivious. Helpless, I swam up to Hou Dàyǒng and found that he had fallen asleep on the rock. I shook him awake, pointing at Wang Jue and the mermaid in the distance. Hou Dàyǒng jumped off the rock, picked up a fish spear from the ground, and swam towards Wang Jue and the mermaid.

  As Hou Dàyǒng, holding a fish spear, swam closer and closer, the mermaid became somewhat frightened, quickened her pace, and took Wang Jue to the deeper part of the lake. I followed behind them, exerting myself to paddle with my hands and feet, and found that the surrounding schools of fish gradually increased in number, and their sizes were much larger than before, some even had teeth.

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