Chapter 19: The Water Monkey

Although Feng Yuxuan was only nine and a half years old, he spoke with remarkable clarity and precision, making everything perfectly understandable.

He continued:
“The monster’s lair is beneath the pond, and it has an accomplice. After they caught me, the two creatures locked me in the sewer and howled at me. I was terrified and had no idea what they wanted.”

“They kept me there all night. When dawn came, the two monsters fell asleep. Seizing the opportunity, I slipped out through the sewer. As I emerged, I happened to run into Uncle Lin Yulang, who then brought me back.”

At this point, the truth was laid bare.

Lin Yulang was clearly lying!

Feng Yuxuan was not rescued by him from any evil spirit—Lin Yulang had never even seen the creature.

It was plainly Feng Yuxuan who escaped on his own and happened to encounter Lin Yulang, who shamelessly took credit for the rescue, fabricating a story about battling the evil spirit to save the boy.

I sneered coldly and addressed the Feng family:
“Everyone heard that, right? This is the real story. Yuxuan escaped on his own, but Lin Yulang, that shameless conman, took credit for it. He lied, claiming he risked his life to save Yuxuan. Ha... what a despicable man!”

Director Feng immediately flew into a rage, glaring at Lin Yulang:
“Lin Yulang, I never thought you’d be such a hypocritical and treacherous man! My grandson clearly saved himself, yet you claim you rescued him? How dare you say such things?”

Feng Weidong clenched his teeth and said:
“Lin Yulang, you’ve truly disappointed me!”

Exposed, Lin Yulang’s face turned pale and splotchy, but he was unwilling to give in. His eyes darted as he tried to shift the blame onto me, pointing and saying:
“Director Feng, Mr. Feng, don’t be fooled by Lin Mazi! I only told a small lie; it’s harmless! The real culprit is Lin Mazi!”

“If he hadn’t arbitrarily altered the Feng family’s villa feng shui, this filthy thing wouldn’t have appeared, and Yuxuan wouldn’t have been taken! So ultimately, Lin Mazi is the one who caused all this trouble! You should hold him accountable, not me!”

After he spoke, Director Feng and Feng Weidong exchanged glances, their expressions shifting as they looked at me.

It seemed Lin Yulang’s words struck a chord with them.

I remained composed and sneered:
“Lin Yulang, are you really sure this filthy creature was attracted by me? What if I told you it was you who drew it here—what would you say then?”

Lin Yulang shook his head decisively:

“That’s impossible! Lin Mazi, stop spreading lies! These two filthy things only appeared after the Feng family’s feng shui was disturbed. How could it have been me? It must have been you who brought them here!”

I didn’t bother arguing further but turned to Director Feng:
“Director Feng, if I’m not mistaken, haven’t there been strange occurrences near the villa’s pond before? Although they were minor at first, nothing as serious as Yuxuan’s disappearance until now.”

Sure enough, Director Feng nodded immediately:
“That’s right. Mazi, how did you know?”

“There have always been odd happenings near the pond. Earlier, our two pet dogs disappeared while playing outside at night. Looking back, they vanished right by the pond!”

“Also, our gardener once told me he often saw the shadow of a child near the pond at night, sneaking around, as if swimming in the water.”

“But whenever he went to check, the figure would vanish in an instant. Mazi, what could this mean?”

I smiled faintly and said:
“It’s simple. The figure the gardener saw swimming in the pond wasn’t a child—it was this filthy creature. Those missing dogs were taken by it as well.”

“As time passed, this creature grew larger and bolder. At first, it only dared to snatch pets, but now it has started taking children. That’s how Yuxuan was captured.”

Director Feng frowned and asked:
“Mazi, what exactly is this filthy thing?”

I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I asked Director Feng to bring paper and pen. Swiftly, I sketched a drawing.

Everyone looked at the image: it depicted a short, hunched creature with rough skin, a face resembling a toad, a turtle shell on its back, wild black hair, and partial baldness.

I handed the drawing to Feng Yuxuan and asked:
“Yuxuan, is this the filthy creature that took you? Does it look like this?”

Feng Yuxuan nodded vigorously:
“Yes, exactly like this! Exactly like this!”

Director Feng’s eyes widened as he pressed:
“Mazi, what exactly did you draw?”

I said:
“The name of this filthy creature is one you’ve probably heard before, though you may never have truly seen one. It’s called—a water monkey.”

The words “water monkey” sparked sudden understanding among the group.

They had indeed heard of it.

I went on to explain:
“A water monkey is a filthy creature that lives in water, born from the spirit of a drowned soul. When a drowned ghost’s soul lingers, unable to rest or find a proper body, it possesses aquatic creatures like toads, turtles, or softshell turtles, transforming into a water monkey.”

“At first, water monkeys are small—only slightly bigger than a carp—but they are spiritual beings capable of cultivation. As they train and grow, their size increases.”

Pausing, I glanced at Lin Yulang and then said to Director Feng:
“Director Feng, do you remember when I told you that your villa’s feng shui arrangement called ‘All Rivers Flow to the Sea’ channels your fortune into the pond, which is why the carp and lotus there thrive so well?”

Director Feng nodded:
“Of course I remember.”

Then suddenly it dawned on him as he slapped his thigh:
“Ah, no wonder water monkeys were drawn to my pond! They came to feast on the Feng family’s fortune!”

I nodded in approval:
“Director Feng, you’re perceptive. Yes, these water monkeys didn’t originally live here. It was Lin Yulang who set up this feng shui formation that attracted them.”

“Not only did it bring them here, but the fortune leaking into the pond fed and fattened these two water monkeys, causing them to grow larger and bolder until they even had the nerve to snatch your eldest grandson.”

After my explanation, the truth was finally clear.

Everything was Lin Yulang’s disastrous doing!

Upon learning the truth, Director Feng was furious, his eyes blazing as he pointed at Lin Yulang and shouted:
“Lin Yulang, you’ve caused such a huge mess for the Feng family! How do you intend to take responsibility? Speak!”