HDRDTH -Chapter 20 Terror at Houhai

Beijing, Houhai.

As a treasured geomantic location beneath the imperial capital, this place was not only packed with tourists, but also considered sacred ground for the old Beijing men who loved wild fishing.

Yu Xian’s family of three moved into the courtyard house gifted by Qin Yue.

The location was excellent. Right outside the gate was Houhai itself, and inside the courtyard stood a century-old jujube tree. Quiet and elegant, it truly was the perfect place for retirement.

“Not bad. Pretty nice.” Yu Xian lounged in a rattan chair in the courtyard, lazily fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. “Now this is living.”

Meanwhile, Su Wanyi took Su Qian to the Qin residence so she could sing for the old master.

Before leaving, she repeatedly warned him:

“Just wander around nearby and don’t cause trouble. This is Beijing—throw a brick randomly and you’ll hit a government official!”

“Relax. I’m just going fishing.”

Yu Xian picked up his collapsible fishing rod and strolled out leisurely.

By the time he reached Houhai, all the good fishing spots were already occupied by old men.

The retirees were fully geared up: carbon fiber rods, glowing floats, imported bait—everything imaginable.

Each of them carried the proud arrogance unique to lifelong Beijing locals.

Yu Xian found a corner spot and sat down on a little folding stool.

Big shorts, flip-flops, and a cheap-looking fishing rod that seemed like it cost 9.9 yuan with free shipping—his outfit immediately earned him looks of disdain from the surrounding old men.

“Hey buddy,” one old man in sunglasses teased, “the water’s deep here. Think that little broken rod of yours can handle it? Don’t hook something big and get dragged straight into the lake.”

Yu Xian ignored him completely and slowly attached a homemade dough bait to the hook.

“I’m not fishing for big fish. Just fishing for fun.”

Yet only five minutes later, his float suddenly vanished underwater in a violent pull!

SWISH—!

He jerked the rod upward and set the hook!

The rod instantly bent into a huge arc!

“Holy crap? He got a bite already?” The old man’s sunglasses nearly slipped crooked from shock.

Yu Xian focused calmly. With a flick of his wrist, something light—but tangled with water weeds—flew ashore.

SMACK!

The object landed on the ground.

It wasn’t a fish.

It was black lace.

And a rather large size too—probably an F-cup bra—dangling pitifully from the fishing hook and fluttering in the wind.

Old men: “…”

Yu Xian’s old face turned red. Using the tip of his shoe, he kicked the embarrassing object deep into the grass.

“Ahem… looks like the water’s nutrient levels are pretty rich. Everyone’s living standards seem pretty good.”

What kind of explanation was that supposed to be?!

He cast the line again.

Only two minutes later, the float twitched slightly before sharply sinking again.

“Got one!”

Yu Xian’s eyes sharpened. With practiced skill, he flicked his wrist and set the hook.

This time the feeling was strangely light, like hooking a plastic bag, yet oddly sticky and elastic.

With a splash, the object flew ashore, tracing a sparkling arc of water before landing perfectly at Yu Xian’s feet.

It was a used condom… still containing some cloudy liquid inside.

Yu Xian: “…”

The old man in sunglasses leaned closer, stared at it for a long moment, then disgustedly stepped back half a pace before slapping his thigh and bursting into laughter.

“Whoa! Buddy, your luck is incredible! Other people fish for lives, but what you just caught is human life! How many billions of lives were wiped out here?”

That completely set the old men off.

The uniquely cheeky humor of elderly Beijing locals came pouring out nonstop.

“Exactly! Young man, your romantic luck must be overflowing. Even the Dragon King of Houhai can’t stand it anymore, so he’s sending you equipment!”

“I call this the ‘cut-off-the-family-line fishing technique.’ Ordinary people could never master it!”

Yu Xian’s face turned the color of pig liver, while his toes curled hard enough inside his sandals to dig out an entire apartment.

Taking a deep breath, he disgustedly kicked the thing into the grass and stubbornly tried to save face.

“Ahem… this proves there are underwater currents down there. Easy to snag dirty stuff. This is called… cleanup behavior.”

“Sure, sure. Keep cleaning.” The old man in sunglasses unscrewed his thermos and watched like he was enjoying a stage performance. “Now I really want to see what else you pull out.”

Grinding his teeth, Yu Xian cast the line again.

This time, the float looked like something had clamped onto it tightly as it slowly sank beneath the water.

“Black drift! A big fish bite!”

Yu Xian’s heart leapt as he yanked the rod upward.

Heavy!

Extremely heavy!

Even heavier than the previous two catches combined!

“This time it’s real!”

Yu Xian shouted as the rod bent into a beautiful curve, creaking under the strain.

The old man in sunglasses stopped drinking tea and hurried over with wide eyes.

“Oho? That weight’s gotta be at least ten jin! Did this kid actually get lucky?”

“Maybe he just snagged the bottom,” someone nearby questioned.

“It moved! It’s moving!”

Yu Xian braced the rod tightly, feeling the sluggish pulling force coming from beneath the water.

Whatever it was didn’t dart around like a fish.

Instead, it drifted slowly and heavily with the current.

Carefully, Yu Xian reeled it in bit by bit, dragging the massive thing toward shore.

As it got closer, something pale and round became faintly visible beneath the murky water.

Then a dark tangled mass floated upward like drifting weeds.

It was…

Wet black hair.

As he pulled further, a pale swollen human face emerged beneath the rippling surface, bobbing with the waves, its hollow eyes staring straight at everyone on shore.

The temperature in the air instantly dropped to freezing.

Even the cicadas in the trees seemed frightened into silence.

The old man in sunglasses dropped his thermos with a loud clang, and it rolled far away.

Pointing at the pale face in the water with trembling fingers, he let out a bloodcurdling scream:

“AAAAAH!! A dead body!! He fished up a corpse!!!”