It takes a few days to reach his hometown from here. In the meantime, let me tell you how I met him.
I am an editor, just an ordinary editor. Every day, I solicit articles, review drafts, and proofread layouts, feeling like I'm endlessly repeating the same tasks.
Two years ago, there was a surge of news, and the newsroom was short-staffed. The chief, sitting comfortably in his air-conditioned office, decided I should work a few days as a part-time reporter. Note that this came with no additional pay; it was framed as an opportunity for a young person to gain more experience.
So, after a tiring day, I still had to find time to cover news stories. But it was a welcome change from sitting in that damned office for over ten hours at a stretch.
My first assignment was about a child who had drowned while playing in the water. The child was only twelve years old, and his parents were nearly driven insane. In our city, close to a natural river, every summer, many children swim to escape the heat. Unfortunately, every year, some children never return to their parents.
Honestly, I didn't want to interview the grieving family, as it felt like reopening a wound. So, I focused on the accident site instead.
It was an ordinary riverbank, not far from the newspaper office. I often passed by on my bike. Many people were still swimming, some even younger than the drowned child. I randomly interviewed a few people, asking routine questions about water safety, and was about to call it a day when I noticed a young man standing at a distance. He was tall, with fair skin, and seemed to be a traveler given the large backpack he carried. He stood there motionless, which struck me as odd since he wasn't swimming.
I put the matter aside for the moment. But not long after, another child nearly drowned at the same spot, though fortunately, this time the child was saved, and I was nearby.
I was passing by when I heard a middle-aged woman, hair disheveled, screaming for help. I tossed my bike aside and ran over. A few people were already there, but none of them could swim well. The child had fallen into the deep water. I saw his head surface briefly before disappearing again. It seemed hopeless.
Just as I was about to call for help, I felt a gust of wind behind me. It was the same young man from the day before. He quickly removed his coat and dove into the water. I noticed he tied something, like a red string, around his wrist before diving in.
After a while, he emerged with the child. The child's mother, hysterical, rushed over and took her child, forgetting to even say thank you.
The rescued child was about eleven or twelve, his face bluish-purple, and he lay motionless. It was unclear if he was still alive.
The young man, exhausted, collapsed onto the ground.
"You're very brave. I'm a reporter from XX Newspaper. Can I interview you?" I asked, eager for a firsthand account.
He glanced at me coldly, "Instead of interviewing me, why don't you help the poor child?"
Embarrassed, I shrugged. "All I can do is call for help. But why do you keep hanging around here?"
He gave me a look, then walked away without a word.
I thought, "What an arrogant guy." That was our first conversation, but it was interesting.
Unfortunately, the child didn't survive. Rumors began to spread that there was a water ghost in the river. They said the bodies retrieved had black handprints around their ankles. I hadn't looked closely before, so I didn't know if it was true. But my boss insisted we find the young man who had saved the child for a feature story. The newspaper always seemed to thrive on sensationalism.
I didn't go looking for him. I knew he would return. And sure enough, the next morning, I saw him by the river again under the pretense of conducting interviews.
"You're here again," I said, walking over and extending a friendly hand. He looked surprised but quickly resumed his cold demeanor.
"What are you doing here?"
"I knew you'd come. Don't worry, I'm not here to interview you. I just have a hunch that there's something strange about these drownings."
He stared at me with piercing eyes, making me uncomfortable. Suddenly, he smiled and asked, "Do you believe in ghosts?"
I smiled back, "If you believe, they exist. If not, they don't. I don't fully believe, but I don't completely dismiss it either. It's like asking if there are aliens. There are many stories, but no concrete evidence."
"You're rational, only believing what you see. Typical of a reporter." He laughed, revealing neat, white teeth.
"Tell you what, if you're not afraid and have some time, I'll show you some evidence today." He took out some diving equipment from his bag.
"Do you know how to dive?" he asked, tossing me the equipment.
I nodded. In reality, my diving experience was limited to a few meters at the local swimming pool last summer.
"Good, put this on," he said, handing me a red string. It was the same one I'd seen him tie around his wrist. I didn't ask any questions; I figured if he wanted to explain, he would.
The diving gear was simple, just a mask with a breathing tube. We entered the river. I hadn't realized how murky the water was until I went under. It was nothing like the clean surface.
As we neared the deep water, he signaled for me to stop and pointed ahead. I saw nothing at first, just some children playing above us.
Then, I noticed something moving in the murky water. It had limbs, and its swimming was awkward. As we got closer, I saw it looked like a monkey.
It wasn't exactly a monkey, but its front limbs were longer, resembling flippers, and its tail ended in a hand-like appendage.
The creature cautiously approached the children above. Strangely, it could sense the children but not us.
I saw it stealthily extend its tail towards a child's ankle and grab hold. I was shocked and wanted to intervene, but the young man stopped me. I glared at him in anger, but he remained calm.
I cursed under my breath and pushed past him, swimming towards the child. The creature was dragging the child away, and I swam faster.
I reached out to grab the child's hand but grasped nothing. I was left in stunned silence as the creature disappeared with the child.
The young man surfaced and signaled for me to come up.
"What just happened?" I asked, bewildered.
"What you saw was a few days ago when I saved a child. The string you're wearing is actually small fragments of red crystal linked together, called shadow crystal. It allows you to see what I saw." He stretched out his hand and took back the string.
"What was that thing? It looked like a monkey."
"A water monkey. They live in muddy rivers or lakes and don't usually attack people. But this one has already taken three children, each with black marks on their ankles."
"If it took them, how were the bodies found?" I asked, recalling that he had rescued a child's body.
"It took their souls," he explained, looking at the swimmers. "If we don't act fast, it might start attacking adults."
Before he could finish, there was commotion by the river. Another person had gone missing. This time, it was a college student. His friends were too scared to speak, trembling all over.
I quickly asked one of them what happened. "A monkey… a monkey dragged him away!" he stammered.
"Damn, now even regular people can see it. We need to stop the sand dredging and return the water monkey to where it belongs," the young man said, packing his things. The riverbank was next to a road built from dredged sand.
"Wait for me. Also, what's your name?" I asked, not wanting to miss this opportunity.
"I'm Ji Yan. You can call me Xiao Si," he said. "And you?"
"Ouyang Xuanyuan," I replied.
"Your name is impressive," he laughed.
"Xiao Si is interesting too," I chuckled back.
Half an hour later, we arrived at the Water Police Station.
"Four people have died already. I hope you can stop the dredging and temporarily close the riverbank. Give me one day," Ji Yan pleaded with the duty officer.
The officer looked at him mockingly and waved him off. Ji Yan was about to lose his temper, but I stepped in and showed my press credentials.
"I'm a reporter from XX Newspaper. The recent drownings have caused widespread panic. If you don't cooperate, we'll report your negligence," I said, flashing my ID. The officer's expression changed, and he reluctantly agreed to let us see the director.
The director was thin, defying my stereotype of high-ranking officials being heavyset. He had a tanned complexion, indicating he often worked outdoors.
"Hello," I began, ready to continue my spiel.
"Put it away. I heard everything outside," the director said without looking up.
"I'll grant your request, but you must give me a clear reason," he said, finally looking up with piercing eyes.
Ji Yan leaned over the desk. "People are in danger. I'll provide evidence after we resolve the issue."
The director shook his head. "Closing the riverbank is no small matter. I need a compelling reason."
I pulled Ji Yan aside and whispered, "Why not tell him about the water monkey?"
"Will he believe us?" Ji Yan murmured.
To our surprise, the director suddenly stood up and shouted, "What did you say about a water monkey?"
Startled, I saw Ji Yan respond seriously, "Yes, it's a water monkey. It's been disturbed by the dredging and is attacking people. It just took a college student today. If we don't stop it, it will be too late."
The director stared at Ji Yan for a long time before saying, "Alright, I'll close the riverbank and order the sand dredgers to leave. I've warned them before about over-extraction." I was surprised at how easily he agreed.
The riverbank could only be closed for six hours, but Ji Yan said that was enough. He planned to act after the river water cooled in the evening.
We waited anxiously by the river. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up, it was pitch dark. I checked my watch; it was seven o'clock. I couldn't find Ji Yan and felt a chill from the eerie silence.
"Ji Yan!" I shouted, but only the wind answered.
"Don't shout. I'm here," he said, emerging from the river.
"The water temperature is just right. We need to lure it out now," he said.
"Good idea, but there's no one around. How will you lure it out?" I asked, then saw his mischievous smile.
I quickly waved my hands. "No way. I've seen what it does. I don't want to end up like that."
"Don't worry. The shadow crystal will protect you. It's been blessed to ward off evil. Once it grabs you, I can use the crystal to force it ashore. On land, it's just a monkey," he explained confidently.
I reluctantly agreed. As I stepped into the icy water, I regretted my curiosity.
I swam to the deep water while Ji Yan stayed on the shore. The water was dark, and I couldn't see anything. The occasional gust of wind made me shiver.
According to him, the water monkey would come out when the water temperature dropped, making it easier to sense human body heat.
I had drifted some distance from the shore. Despite my efforts, the current kept pushing me further.
After about half an hour, I was freezing and shouted to Ji Yan that I was coming back. As I swam towards the shore, I felt a sharp pain in my left leg. At first, I thought it was a cramp, but the burning, stabbing sensation told me otherwise.
Something was pulling me into the deep water. Thankfully, Ji Yan hadn't lied. I hadn't lost my soul. I struggled and screamed, trying to swim back. For a few seconds, I stayed in place, fighting against the pull.
But my strength quickly waned in the cold water. The creature yanked me underwater. My mouth and nose filled with water, making it hard to breathe. I could feel a powerful force dragging me.
I held my breath and turned on the emergency light on my waterproof watch. I had always thought it was a useless feature, but now it was saving my life.
The light shone directly on the creature's face. Though dim, it startled the water monkey. I saw its face clearly.
Unlike the previous time, it appeared fully real. It was larger, with fur standing on end. Its face retained some monkey-like features but with red eyes and fangs. The muscles on its face were grotesquely prominent. Its tail, ending in a spiked hand, gripped my ankle.
I cursed inwardly, wondering where Ji Yan was.
Just as I thought I was doomed, the shadow crystal on my wrist emitted a blinding red light, illuminating the river. The water monkey released me, seemingly in a trance.
Seizing the opportunity, I swam to the surface and gasped for air. I saw Ji Yan standing on the shore, holding his glowing shadow crystal.
"Drag it ashore!" he shouted, barely able to stand.
Reluctantly, I dove back in. The water monkey remained motionless, and I carefully approached it, considering where to grab.
I decided to grab its tail, avoiding the spiked hand. The tail was over two meters long. I slowly swam towards the shore, the creature seemingly hypnotized.
I didn't know how long I swam, constantly checking if it had awoken. The shadow crystal's light was fading.
I sensed that if the light went out, the water monkey would regain its strength, so I hurried. I managed to reach the shore just as the light dimmed.
Exhausted, I collapsed on the ground. The water monkey was much heavier on land.
"Help me!" I shouted, but Ji Yan had fainted. I rushed to his side and saw a deep wound on his wrist, blood everywhere. Panicking, I didn't know what to do.
Ji Yan regained consciousness and smiled weakly, "I'm fine. Just a lot of blood loss. Hold the wound, and use my blood to draw a swastika on the water monkey's head."
"A swastika?" I asked, confused.
"Yes, the Buddhist swastika. Hurry, it's waking up," he pointed to the creature. Indeed, it was stirring.
I dipped my fingers in Ji Yan's blood and drew the symbol on the water monkey's head. It screeched like nails on a chalkboard, rolled a few times, and then disappeared.
"What happened? How did you get hurt?" I asked, helping Ji Yan up. He looked better, though still pale.
"I told you, the shadow crystal is linked. I used my blood to control the water monkey's mind, allowing you to capture it," he explained.
"Is it really gone?" I asked, looking at the spot where it had been.
"No, we only destroyed its physical form. It never truly had one. As long as it's not disturbed, it won't be a problem," he said, his color returning.
We sat by the river for a long time, then called the director, who sent a car to take us to the hospital. Fortunately, I had only minor injuries, and Ji Yan's recovery was remarkable. I wondered how he healed so quickly despite losing so much blood.
The police stopped the illegal sand dredging, and strict controls were put in place. There were no more reports of mysterious drownings.
The director later explained that he had witnessed a water monkey as a child, though it hadn't harmed anyone back then. He said that water monkeys were once harmless and avoided humans, but relentless disturbance had turned them into killers.
"I have to leave. I'm actually a senior medical student and came here for the summer," Ji Yan said after recovering.
"Why does your blood repel the water monkey?" I finally asked, unable to contain my curiosity.
"I don't know. I've heard my blood has exorcising properties, and combined with the shadow crystal, I thought it might work," he laughed.
"You thought?" I shuddered. "You've never dealt with a water monkey before?"
"No, but I figured it would work," he scratched his head and smiled, saying goodbye as he boarded a car. I stood there, stunned, forgetting to say goodbye. I shivered at the thought that if his plan had failed, I would have drowned.
Two years later, we met again in this city. Perhaps it was fate that we were meant to join forces and fulfill our destinies.
"What are you thinking about?" he nudged me.
"Just reminiscing about our first encounter with the water monkey," I replied.
"Oh, that was a long time ago and quite an adventure. By the way, we're almost there. Get ready," he said, packing his things.
"Are you really going to a matchmaking?" I asked, wondering if he would marry a girl from his hometown.
"I don't know. We'll see. But I have a feeling something bad is going to happen. You know, nothing good ever happens around me," he said, then quickly added, "Of course, I don't mean you." I gave him a sideways glance and stayed silent.
The conductor announced that we had reached our destination.