Chapter 64: Black Water

Chapter 64: Black Water

As the light flooded in, the ever-alert Shen Lingxue woke up instantly and she abruptly sat up in her bed.

Her blanket slid off, but she was fully clothed, so there was no awkward exposure. At most, her collar was a bit disheveled from sleep, revealing much of her fair collarbone. It was a pity that Zhao Hao, who was particularly fond of that feature, was asleep and missed it.

"Who's there!"

Shen Lingxue couldn't make out Fang Xiu's face as he shone a flashlight at her.

"It's me," Fang Xiu replied calmly.

"When did you get into my room?" Shen Lingxue seemed quite displeased.

"Look around before you speak."

Fang Xiu waved the flashlight, illuminating the dark river surrounding them.

Realizing where they were, Shen Lingxue's face turned ashen.

"Is this Blackwater River? What the hell happened? Did a Specter appear?"

Her urgent voice woke up Zhao Hao and Liu Shuai, who were sharing the same bed. The two jolted awake and almost fell into the water when they recognized their surroundings.

"What the heck is this place? We were sleeping just fine in bed; how did we end up in a river? This doesn't make any sense!" Liu Shuai was pale as a ghost, clinging onto Zhao Hao like a lifebuoy.

"Liu Shuai, don't move around! With your weight, you'll tip us over!" Zhao Hao was also terrified, holding on to Liu Shuai tightly.

Ignoring the pair's emotional embrace, Fang Xiu calmly surveyed the scene. He noticed that the bed was slowly drifting toward the center of Blackwater River.

Shining his flashlight toward it, he faintly saw a dark whirlpool, like the gaping maw of an abyss, ready to swallow them whole.

Seeing the whirlpool, the rest panicked, thinking of all sorts of dire possibilities.

"That whirlpool's gonna swallow us, let's get out of here!"

"Run? Where to? I can't swim."

"Don't worry, I can."Read latest chapters at nov(e)lbin.com Only

"What good does that do? The Specter might be underwater. If you go in, you're not coming back up."

Listening to Zhao Hao and Liu Shuai argue back and forth, Shen Lingxue felt like her head was buzzing.

_'Gone?'_

Fang Xiu felt a twinge of suspicion. If the whirlpool was conjured by Specter, then its disappearance likely signaled the Specter's location.

But now, the whirlpool was gone, it probably means the Specter was planning something new, maybe coming at them!

Just as this thought crossed his mind, they abruptly felt themselves sinking. To be more precise the bed was sinking.

Shen Lingxue's face turned ashen. "This Specter is pulling the bed!"

She quickly shone her flashlight into the dark water below, but the abyss seemed to swallow the light itself. Barely visible were strands of hair, darker than the river water, undulating beneath the surface.

Shen Lingxue flipped her hand, and a hot, bright flame appeared. With a forceful toss, the flame hit the water.

SIZZLE!

Steam billowed as the river water boiled. Yet the bed continued to sink, now more than halfway submerged. It seemed that the water was going to swallow them whole.

Shen Lingxue looked increasingly grim. Even above water, she couldn't hurt a finger of this Specter, let alone beneath the surface.

_'Is this where we meet our end?' _she thought to herself.

Shen Lingxue didn't give in, continuously summoning more flames and hurling them into the water. But the elusive Specter dodged with ease, seemingly unafraid of her attacks. All she had done was waste a lot of Spiritual Energy.

Finally, the bed sank completely, and everyone was submerged. The moment they hit the water, a bone-chilling cold spread throughout their bodies. If they weren't psychics, they would have been frozen stiff.

"I can't swim!" Liu Shuai struggled frantically, swallowing gulp after gulp of icy water.

Zhao Hao acted swiftly to save him, but attempting to rescue a drowning person as an amateur could be dangerous, especially when that person was heavyset.

In his panic, Liu Shuai latched onto Zhao Hao, making it impossible for him to stay afloat. Both started to sink, choking on water.

With a chop to the neck, Fang Xiu knocked Liu Shuai unconscious. Only then could Zhao Hao finally break free to the surface.

"Damn it! This fat guy almost killed me," Zhao Hao gasped for air, supporting the unconscious man with one arm.

Shen Lingxue sensed something was off. "Why isn't the Specter attacking?"

Fang Xiu answered her question. "It's waiting."

"Waiting?"