Liu Dashao had always regarded the water goblins, Tiger Grandma (a witch who eats children), and Hua Nüye (an elderly woman who knocks on children’s heads to bewitch them) as mere scare tactics adults used for kids. Thus he remained skeptical yet curious about these tales.

The water goblins, also known as water apes, possessed immense strength in water - capable of drowning a bull even in one-meter deep water. But ashore they were helpless, at the mercy of others. Hence their existence was confined to aquatic realms where survival became impossible once stranded on land. Most had never seen these creatures; some claimed they resembled children, others insisted they looked like ducks. Those dragged underwater by goblins transformed into replacements for them - allowing the goblin to reincarnate while the victim turned into a new goblin perpetually seeking their own replacement in ponds until a successor was found. This cycle continued endlessly.

Yet every creature had its weakness. For water goblins, it lay in their inability to leave water - their very source of power. Once separated from this element they became helpless as Heracles deprived of his mother's strength, vulnerable and doomed by enemies. These creatures used children's cries to lure people toward water's edge then dragged them under. They targeted women and kids specifically for their weaker resistance while avoiding stronger men. This particular detail deepened Liu Dashao’s skepticism about the existence of such beings.

That year a child from neighboring Xiushui Village vanished, taken by these goblins. The boy was named Yusu, three years younger than Liu Dashao.

The village was holding its monthly market fair that day when most adults left for town, leaving only elderly and children to mind the house. In sweltering June heat, Yusu conspired with friends to sneak into the pond for a swim - forgetting their parents' warnings completely. When he didn't emerge after bathing, his companions shouted through the water until desperation set in. They unanimously decided to keep the incident secret, hiding Yusu's clothes among nearby grasses.

At midday when adults returned from market, Yusu's frantic parents questioned children about his whereabouts. One mother caught her son fidgeting suspiciously during questioning and slapped him hard asking truthfully where Yusu was. The child burst into tears revealing what had happened - sending Yusu's mother running to the pond with wild cries while his father followed immediately understanding.

Other parents arrived at the pond, stripping off clothes like Yusu's father before plunging in themselves. Within fifteen minutes Yusu was hauled ashore but already lifeless with blood gushing from nose and mouth uncontrollably.

Yusu's mother collapsed sobbing hysterically as her husband pounded his son’s back while blood dripped across the ground. The boy's skin had turned deathly purplish-black when several men shook their heads - knowing it was too late to save him. Women yanked off their sons’ pants and spanked pale buttocks shouting, "I told you not to swim!" Children wailed uncontrollably.

Yusu’s aunt arrived with a bamboo fire-blower (hollow tube used for fanning flames) which she handed over. Yusu's father jammed it into his son's rectum and blew until vomit and blood gushed from the boy's mouth. He repeated this process, forcing feces to erupt while continuing to pound helplessly on his back - all in vain as Yusu remained unconscious.

The grieving mother tore her hair weeping over her corpse when women rushed forward to restrain her. Her husband silently smoked cigarettes while everyone shared heavy sorrow; how could a healthy child turn so suddenly into a bean ghost (a prematurely deceased child)? The entire family was engulfed by grief until neighbors came the next day asking Liu Dashao’s master Zhang to investigate supernatural causes. After hearing details, Master Zhang agreed and allowed Liu Dashao to join despite old Mr. Liu's warnings about seeing dead people causing nightmares. But since Master Zhang approved, he only muttered admonitions about protecting Liu carefully from harm.

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