This Damned Thirst for Survival

Jiang Luo : “……”

He said quietly, “It’s a good question.”

It took Ge Zhu a few moments to realise that he was smiling, and yes, how would Jiang Luo know why it was him.

“But that’s not my main concern now,” Jiang Luo said, “it’s – who pays?”

Ge Zhu : “…… This issue is so important.”

But when people are watching, it’s a hard act to follow. Jiang Luo gave the perfect “it’s nothing” smile of a rich man and nodded towards the captain with his chin raised.

Jiang Luo’s first thought was that Chi You was responsible for his Yu Guang sweeping through the crowd. He tried to catch a glimpse of Chi You on someone’s face, but instead of seeing Chi You, he got a couple of not-so-friendly stares.

Ge Zhu was in a panic and kept saying, “What can we do? What can we do? We don’t have any money. The most I can do is to sell a kidney for you, how much is a kidney?”

At the end of the auction, the first ten people had to go to the captain to pay. Jiang Luo was about to improvise and give the place to his next friend without shame when the captain smiled and said, “Mr Zhong, you have already paid.

Jiang Luo froze for a moment and then laughed, “Really? I don’t remember.”

The captain handed over a piece of white paper and a bank card and said, “There is a card attached to this price list you have submitted.”

The price list contains only Jiang Luo’s name and a large number.

Jiang Luo smiled and folded up the price list, “Captain, I don’t think this piece of paper is used anymore, is it? Just give it to me as a souvenir.”

The captain smiled, “Of course.”

After Jiang Luo and Ge Zhu left the auction room and returned to their room, they found a note under a crack in the door.

[Meet in the swimming area tonight at 2pm]

The mark at the end is a sketch of the emblem of Bai Hua University.

Ge Zhu took the note and read it, “They’re not in trouble, are they?”

Jiang Luo found a white porcelain basin, went to the bathroom and put a basin of water in the middle of the table, “Nothing will happen, I know this character, it’s Ye Xun.”

Ye Xun was his teacher for a while when he was first introduced to metaphysical knowledge.

Jiang Luo, on his feet, took out a string of copper coins disguised as a bracelet from his bag and a box of incense ashes that had been placed in a box of incense.

It dawned on Ge Zhu, “You want to find out who wrote the quote for you?”

Jiang Luo nodded, “Yes.”

He unwrapped the copper coins and set them in formation under the water. Lay the incense ash flat on the tabletop next to the white porcelain basin.

“But ……” Ge Zhu wanted to say, “it’s a difficult method, even our teachers can’t succeed in such a humble environment.”

“It’s no trouble to try.” Jiang Luo sets everything up, takes a knife and cuts his left middle finger, drawing the charm on the white porcelain basin.

The blood of the middle finger is where the body’s yang energy is strongest; for men and women, blood and water are more effective than vermilion.

After Fu Lu had easily drawn the last stroke, Jiang Luo tore the part of the price list with the writing in the middle into a figurine and used his middle finger to dab another drop of blood in the centre of the figurine, which he then put into the water.

He put his finger to his lips and licked away the blood, his eyes staring straight into the basin.

The little man was slowly soaked in water. Such a light piece of paper should have floated on the surface, but it sank into the water, and after the copper coin was attached to his back, the little man’s arms suddenly moved and he rose from the water.

Ge Zhu suppressed his ecstasy, “It’s done!”

The little man crawled out of the water and onto the incense and ashes, and it kept walking. The incense ash gradually appeared as the blurred appearance of a man under its wet footsteps, but halfway through the painting, the water on the little man’s body had been drained by the incense ash and it abruptly lost its aura and collapsed.

Jiang Luo picks the figurine up and looks at the half-face on the table.

Broad forehead, narrow cheekbones and a mole on the bridge of the nose.

Ge Zhu looked at him for a moment and said, “This man looks familiar.”

Jiang Luo turned his head to stare at him.

“I think I saw this man when I was in Buddhism,” Ge Zhu meditated, “with a mole on his nose and a bad face, and I was frightened by him once.”

“Who was that again?” He rubbed his forehead.

Jiang Luo said tentatively, “The Qi family? The Chi family?”

Ge Zhu slapped his palms together and sat up excitedly, “Yes, yes, it’s the Chi family!”

Jiang Luo was not surprised, instead he smiled, “The Chi’s bought me a place to eat blood eels, they want me to live longer and become younger?”

How is this possible.

This spot comes from a bad place, and it is clear that this thing, the blood eel, is definitely not a good thing.

Jiang Luo accidentally thought more about it.

The state didn’t even know what a blood eel was and had given them a special task to investigate. The Chi family, however, knew, and knew decidedly more.

It is unlikely that their mission to investigate the blood eels this time was originally tampered with by the Chi family.

If the blood eels are really dangerous and are related to the Chi family, wouldn’t Jiang Luo be able to use them to bring down the Chi family?

No, no, no, even if the blood eels had nothing to do with the Chi family, he could still make them relevant.

Jiang Luo was excited to find out what the blood eels were.

Ge Zhu was taken aback by his bright smile, “Jiang, Jiang Luo?”

Jiang Luo smiled gently at him, “Let’s catch up on our sleep now, we may have to stay up all night.”

Naturally, Ge Zhu agrees.

After a good night’s sleep, the two men gingerly made their way to the swimming area and found their companions in the corner. But something was wrong with them, the atmosphere was depressing and cigarette butts were falling all over the place.

Wen Renlian and Zhuo Zhongqiu are crouched on the floor smoking, Sai Liaoer and Lu Youyi’s eyes are red as rabbits, Ye Xun stands by and hugs Xiao Fen without speaking.

Jiang Luo was stunned, “What’s wrong?”

Sai Liaoer, as if she had seen a pillar she could rely on, choked up as the corners of her mouth turned downward, ” Kuang Zheng, who had drunk the fish soup for us, had a fever in the middle of the night and was taken away.”

Ge Zhu stepped forward in shock: “Taken by who?!”

Wen Renlian put out his cigarette and looked up, his eyes bloodshot, “There was fish soup for dinner both days, and half of those who drank it were taken away by the crew during the night with fevers. At dinner today, we were watched by the crew, who wouldn’t leave until they had seen everyone at the table drink the fish soup. Kuang Zheng drank it and was taken away for the night with a fever. Sai Liaoer was knocked unconscious and we didn’t know anything had happened to Kuang Zheng until the crew had checked him out.”

His hand was shaking involuntarily as he held the cigarette, but he still had his wits about him and told the story in a concise manner. Jiang Luo closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he asked calmly, “Where were they taken?”

“The bilge.” Ye Xun’s voice was hoarse.

Jiang Luo knew he had to remain calm at this time, as they looked at him with expectation and a weight on his shoulders. Jiang Luo breathed out, “Get up, don’t panic. Let’s go to the bilge and find Kuang Zheng. Can’t Sai Liaoer invoke the gods? Ge Zhu could be saved even if he was seriously injured to the point of dying. Even if there’s something in the fish soup, not to mention the fever-”

Thinking of his physique, he stopped his mouth in time, ” Kuang Zheng will be fine.”

Wen Renlian murmured, “Is it really going to be okay?”

Jiang Luo’s gaze shifted to him and he said, without any expression or melodrama in his tone, “I promise he will be fine.”

Strangely enough, it was clearly a common phrase, but it was as if several people had been given the strength to revive themselves; they gathered their dishevelled attitude and perked up.

Jiang Luo thought for a moment and said, “There are too many of us, so it’s best to leave half of us to wait in our rooms.”

No one’s feet moved as they looked at Jiang Luo, a silent expression of their insistence.

“Forget it,” Jiang Luo sounded helpless, “be careful and follow my instructions.”

The bilge had to be passed outside the crew quarters and they managed to get to the bilge door, carefully avoiding the crew on duty.

There are also two crew members guarding the door to the bilge. Jiang Luo’s eyes flicker and he turns back towards the group and beckons.

“Remember how to draw the Five Ghosts?”

The two crew members at the door were talking when they suddenly felt a breeze blowing in front of them. They didn’t care, but the breeze blew in bursts, seven times.

One of the crew turned their heads to look around, “Strange ……”

Inside the bilge door, Jiang Luo and the others respectfully see off the five ghosts who brought them in. When they looked up again, they saw the “people” hanging from the ceiling like a forest.

— or an oddly shaped corpse.