Big Fool quickly stuffed what he grabbed from the water into the bucket, covered it with the lid, and then reached back into the water, his eyes filled with anxiety.
"Not enough! It's still not enough!"
"Sister Narcissus said she needs to eat seven of them today!"
"If she doesn't eat enough, Sister Narcissus won't grow!"
He anxiously felt around in the water, and after a while, he changed his position, bit another finger, squeezed out some blood, and put his hand back into the water.
Lu Fei and the other two, hiding on the shore, were shocked, their eyes wide open in disbelief.
"Boss, did we see that wrong?"
"How could that thing possibly move?"
Hu Zi rubbed his eyes.
"Don't rush, let's watch a bit more!" Lu Fei narrowed his eyes, a hint of doubt in his expression.
Big Fool's movements were too quick, and he couldn't see very clearly.
The three of them patiently watched Big Fool walking back and forth in the river, trying to catch his prey.
The sun gradually set.
The entire river surface was dyed a dark red.
Big Fool grew increasingly anxious, constantly changing positions. He bit all ten of his fingers until they bled, and managed to catch a few more.
"Just one more!"
"It's over! It's going to be dark soon!"
"If we're one short, what will Sister Daffodil eat?"
He stomped his feet in frustration, but the sun had already fully set, and the river surface turned gloomy.
He knew he couldn't stay in the river any longer. Once, he didn't listen to Sister Daffodil and left a bit late, nearly dying here.
No matter how unwilling he was, he could only lift the heavy red bucket and run ashore with his legs.
Standing on the shore, he caught his breath and glanced at the wet red bucket.
"Sigh! I hope Sister Narcissus won't be angry?"
He hung the bucket on the handlebar of the bicycle and rode back anxiously.
Since the bucket was filled with something, his speed was much slower.
Only then did Lu Fei and the other two come out from their hiding place.
They were not hiding very well, but Dashan was so engrossed in his own affairs that he had no time to pay attention to anything else.
"Boss, we didn't see wrong, what he fished up are bones of a dead person!" Hu Zi's eyes were full of confusion, "But how can the bones of a dead person move around like fish?"
"What else could it be, it's a dirty thing!" Jing Jian said.
"Don't I know it's a dirty thing? The key is, what kind of dirty thing is it? Do you know?" Hu Zi rolled his eyes dramatically.
"I don't know!"
"You don't know, but you're shouting so loudly?"
"Why can't I shout loudly?"
Jing Jian spoke with full justification, while Hu Zi was speechless and choked up.
"Alright, alright, stop bickering. You two, follow him and keep an eye on Da Sha." Lu Fei looked at these two, waving his hand.
"I'll go check the river. Once I figure out what it is, I'll come back and meet up with you."
After saying that, he quickly walked towards the river.
Hu Zi also wanted to go with Lu Fei; he was extremely curious about the moving dead bones, but the boss had already made the arrangements.
"Boss, be careful, okay?"
He could only suppress his curiosity and rode a shared bicycle with Jing Jian, chasing after Da Sha.
Lu Fei took off his shoes and rolled up his pants to his knees, then walked barefoot into the river.
Even though it was a scorching hot day, the water here was icy cold.
His feet sank into the soft, mushy silt, and step by step, he made his way to where Da Sha had been active.
He bent down and looked into the water.
By now, the sky had darkened, and the slightly murky, dark water faintly reflected his shadow.
The icy water soaked his legs, and suddenly, he felt something slide past his leg.
"What?"
Lu Fei narrowed his eyes and strained to see.
Unnoticed shadows gathered like a school of fish, hovering around Lu Fei and gradually moving closer.
It was as if a pitch-black hand grabbed hold of Lu Fei's ankle.
Lu Fei remained calm and unhurried.
He channeled his magical energy, causing a slight tremor.
Glug!
Bubbles emerged from the water, and the shadow dissipated with a boom.
Then, a few grayish-white bones floated to the surface.
"These are indeed human bones."
Lu Fei picked them up directly, examined them, and then, seemingly remembering something, took the bones back to the shore.
He then took out his phone and searched for information about the river.
Sure enough.
Many people had died in this river.
Moreover, they were all young and beautiful women.
"The bones soaked in the Yin Gathering River for years, nourished by the yin energy, have become yin bones."
Yin bones can be said to be a kind of evil object.
People who die in the river, due to soaking, have their flesh rot, leaving only scattered bones. Over time, grievances attach to these bones, which then swim around in the river.
From a distance, it looks like a group of fish, luring people into a trap.
Those who enjoy fishing need to be particularly cautious; finding a school of fish in the water in the wild might not be a good thing.
"Then why does the Snail Maiden eat this stuff?"
Lu Fei tossed the bone back into the river, put on his shoes, and hurried to meet up with his friends.
It was about to get completely dark.
Da Sha, carrying a heavy and soggy bucket, quickly ran into the alley and returned home.
The doors and windows were tightly closed.
Master Mo pressed his ear against the wall and listened.
It was rather quiet next door, no sounds could be heard.
Watching Dasha return home, Hu Zi and Jing Jian anxiously waited for Lu Fei in the hallway.
Fortunately, it was only about ten minutes later that Lu Fei returned.
"Where is Dasha?"
"He's already inside."
"Boss, what about those dead man's bones..."
"Let's go to Dasha's place first!"
Although Lu Fei said this, he entered Master Mo's house instead, then walked to the balcony.
Master Mo's balcony and Big Fool's balcony are connected, with just a wall separating them.
"Master Mo, it's time for the Snail Maiden to eat. If we climb over the balcony, we can see what's happening in Big Fool's house."
Lu Fei looked at Master Mo, seeking his opinion.
After all, this is Master Mo's home.
Master Mo looked around; it was already pitch dark, and no one should be paying attention.
"Be careful."
"Don't worry."
It was only the fourth floor, not too dangerous, so Lu Fei and the other two nimbly climbed over the wall to Big Fool's balcony.
A faint light seeped through the gap in the door, and the windows were covered by thick curtains.
But that didn't pose a problem for them.
Hu Zi took out a thin wire, inserted it into the window crack, and then pried the curtain open slightly, creating a small gap.
Through this gap, they could only vaguely see the situation inside the room.
Lu Fei squatted at the very bottom, his eyes pressed against the glass.
Above him, in order, were Jing Jian's and Hu Zi's heads.
This posture was very tiring, but neither of them wanted to move their eyes away, both eager to see what the the snail girl looked like.
The room was still damp and dim.
The desk lamp emitted a faint glow.
A thick mosquito net covered the entire bed, and Da Sha stood by the bedside with a bucket in hand, looking like a child who had failed an exam, somewhat at a loss.
There was a large fish tank on the bed.
At the bottom of the fish tank, a black shadow lay sprawled.
Through the thick mosquito net, the view was too blurry. Even though the three people outside the window squinted hard, they still couldn't see clearly.
"Daffodil, I'm sorry!"
Before the shadow in the fish tank could react, Da Sha started crying first.