Free Web NovelChapter 1: Chapter 1: Young Master of the Republic
The afternoon sun slanted across the turbid surface of the river.
Dark, lean laborers swarmed like ants over the barges clustered along the riverbank, hauling cargo piece by piece to the merchants’ unloading docks. Work chants and the occasional steam whistle punctuated the air, which hung thick with the earthy stench of river water, the damp must of burlap sacks, the sour reek of sweaty undershirts, and the aroma of cheap tobacco.
A short distance from the riverbank, under the archway bearing the words "Luan River Pier," a noisy crowd had gathered. They pointed and murmured at the dozen or so tall flagpoles erected beside the archway.
A corpse hung from each pole, ghastly pale and swollen, looking like a dozen tattered, waterlogged burlap sacks dangling in the air.
Beneath the corpses, a Daoist in apricot-yellow robes was performing a ritual, his altar set up before him. He held a Peach Wood Sword and his feet traced the Seven Star Step as he chanted, "All spirits and demons, may all four forms of life be blessed by grace. Let hatred and enmity be resolved, and meritorious virtue be brought to Perfection. I command all you souls to swiftly find release..."
"...swiftly find release!..."
Fu Juemin was standing in the crowd of onlookers.
He had neatly parted hair and a refined, handsome face. A flannel suit accentuated his slender frame, and a thin gold watch chain dangled from the second button of his waistcoat. As he moved his hand, one could catch a glimpse of his Cyan Jade cufflinks...
Though the crowd was dense, people unconsciously kept their distance from him, their gazes a mixture of awe and scrutiny.
"Young Master!"
A man in a flat-brimmed cap and a short black jacket pushed through the crowd, trotting up to him. He reported breathlessly, "They’re all saying it’s the work of a ’water monkey’ in the river... It’s already claimed over a dozen lives this week." freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"A water monkey?!"
Fu Juemin couldn’t help but frown, clearly skeptical.
"Are you sure you got the story straight?"
"Absolutely certain," the man said, gesturing with his hands. "Over five feet tall, covered in black fur, with terrifyingly green eyes!"
"Several people saw it happen. Someone would be walking along, and then—WHOOSH!—they were dragged into the river..."
"Could it be river pirates?"
Fu Juemin asked again.
"Haven’t heard of any merchants losing cargo these past couple of days."
The man shook his head, then lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Besides, it’s not just ordinary people who’ve died. Even Wu Xiaoyun, the Gang Leader of the Black Shark Gang, fell victim to it."
"It happened just last night. Wu Xiaoyun was on his way back from the opera at Qunyu Garden. As he passed the pier, some whim took him, and he decided he had to stop and take a piss by the river’s edge before heading on."
"He hadn’t even gotten his pants down when that beast shot out of the water. They fought, and plenty of the Black Shark Gang members saw the whole thing..."
The man sighed again. "Young Master, you might not know, but that Wu Xiaoyun was no ordinary man. He came from a Martial Family and was a genuine martial arts practitioner. A dozen regular men wouldn’t have dared to get near him..."
"But he was dragged into the water in just two or three rounds and was sucked completely dry. If that’s not a Water Demon, what is?"
"If Wu Xiaoyun hadn’t died, the pier merchants wouldn’t have bothered hiring a Daoist. I hear all these corpses have to be left out in the sun for half a month, then burned with aged lychee branches..."
Fu Juemin fell silent, his gaze returning to the corpses hanging from the poles.
Looking at the bodies again, he now noticed several strange details—
The longest-hanging corpses had been there for nearly a week. Despite the scorching August heat and constant exposure to the sun, not a single fly went near them. Each one emitted an indescribable stench, not of ordinary decay, but more like the reek of sludge that had settled at the river bottom for decades—an odor so foul it was nauseating even from dozens of paces away.
’Could there... really be a Water Demon?’
He murmured to himself, a complex, unreadable expression flickering across his face—a look that was part thrill, part bewilderment.
A moment later, Fu Juemin silently turned and walked away.
A gleaming black automobile was parked there.
The man in the flat-brimmed cap trotted a few steps past him and solicitously opened the rear car door.
Fu Juemin got into the car, his expression now calm once more.
"Thank you for your trouble today, Steward Liu."
"You’re too kind, sir."
The man chuckled, "It was no trouble at all. Just say the word if you need anything. You should come by more often... Oh, no!"
The man caught himself mid-sentence and quickly corrected himself, "Actually, you probably shouldn’t come to the pier in person for a while."
Fu Juemin smiled, rolled up the window, and the car slowly began to move.
Watching the car rattle off into the distance, the man finally let out a long sigh. He turned, and his eyes fell again on the poles, the corpses, the chaotic, noisy crowd... He couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh. "What a world..."
.....
’What a world...’
Inside the car, Fu Juemin stared blankly through the glass at the passing scenery.
Gray.
Gray walls, gray tiles, gray, dusty streets.
Whether it was the signboards or the buildings, almost everything was gray.
Most of the pedestrians on the road wore almost numb expressions, as if the current times had worn away all their luster.
The third year of the Great Xin Republic. The political situation was in pieces.
The Southern Government was newly established, while the Northern Warlords carved up the land and fought endlessly. From without, the ironclad warships of the Western powers threatened the coasts; from within, rebels, bandits, and Cults sowed chaos.
Man-made disasters were ceaseless, and natural calamities struck one after another: great droughts, massive floods, plagues, locust swarms...
The newspapers were filled almost daily with stories of refugees from this place or that pouring into the cities to beg for food, alongside appeals for donations to disaster relief.
’The chaotic era of the Republic was a bad enough setting as it is,’ he thought. ’And now it seems I have to add bizarre Demon Fiends to the mix...’
Fu Juemin, his mood darkened by the events at the pier, turned his face away from the gray streetscape outside the window.
He didn’t even know how he had transmigrated. He had simply woken up one day to find himself in this world, bewildered to be the Eldest Young Master of the Fu Family in Luan River County.
The Fu Family’s business in Luan River was immense, with interests in every trade and industry. They ran two banks, three gold shops, and more than a dozen factories of various sizes... His newfound father, Fu Guosheng, was even known in Luan River by the nickname "Fu Bancheng"—Fu Half-the-City.
But being the Eldest Young Master of the Fu Family wasn’t so easy.
Three months ago, the original owner of this body had been in an "accidental" car crash.
During the crash, someone had shot him. The bullet pierced his heart. Strictly speaking, Fu Juemin had already died once.
’I can’t die a second time.’
At this thought, Fu Juemin narrowed his eyes slightly. In his field of vision, a faint red, translucent frame that only he could see slowly materialized.
[Fu Juemin]
[Attack: 1 | Defense: 1 | Life: 1 | Mana: 0]
[Cultivation Technique:]
[Talent:]
Beside the red frame was a circular groove shaped like a taijitu. The left half of the groove held some Blue Energy, while the right half was empty.
He had no idea which martial arts game from his past life this character panel had come from, but it seemed to have transmigrated along with him.
Judging from the panel’s information, it was most likely related to Martial Arts. As for its specific functions, he would have to explore those slowly.
Just then, a dark cloud drifted overhead, blocking the sun. The sky instantly grew dim.
Fu Juemin gazed at the gloomy sky, which looked as if it could rain at any moment, and let out a soft breath.
’A chaotic age, Military Calamity, Demon Fiends... In that case, what of the Martial Dao?’
