Kuang Feifan cautiously followed the purple butterfly across the road and walked to the intersection along the opposite street. With a turn, he found the butterfly had vanished, and not far ahead, he could see a pitch-black artificial lake. On the other side of the lake stood a rather luxurious theater recently built in town, though its name struck him as somewhat grating: Zhuan Zhuan Grand Theater.

He hadn't known about this theater or the large lake until now. Seeing the theater's name, clearly visible even in the night, he realized it must have been built during the brief fad for er ren zhuan (a local opera style), which led to a flurry of venues claiming to host such performances.

It seemed the theater was constructed during that era, but its sheer size was unexpected. He was even more surprised that the architect would dig a lake right in front of it.

At first glance, weeping willows were planted along the lake's edge. In front of him was a small square paved with decorative bricks, and near the water, a small dock was built, suggesting that during the day, there might be pleasure boats for tourists to cruise the lake.

He presumed that under a clear, sunny sky with a gentle breeze, the shimmering water reflecting the wind-tossed willows would surely offer a scene steeped in poetic beauty.

Unfortunately, the moon was hidden, people were scarce, and the night was shrouded in mist. A thick vapor seemed to rise from the lake surface, obscuring any clear view of the water below or the far shore.

Kuang Feifan turned to scan his surroundings but could no longer spot the butterfly. Doubt arose: was his vision playing tricks, or was he hallucinating? The thought prompted him to instinctively reach out and squeeze the string of prayer beads on his wrist.

Just as he prepared to leave and proceed to check the address of the person in charge, he suddenly heard a distinct po ci sound from the lake, as if something had just emerged from the water.

Kuang Feifan paused, looking toward the sound, but saw only blackness; nothing was distinguishable.

A thought struck him suddenly: Could that be Feng Tian? Had he fallen into the lake?

With this in mind, he took a few steps forward, intending to get closer to the bank for a better look. He had just reached the center of the small square when he noticed two decorative statues not far ahead, near the lake. Bronze statues were fashionable then, and this place was no exception: one depicted a child reading, the other, a child playing with a dog. Behind the statue of the reading child, a dark shadow was moving.

Movement meant a living thing. Fearing his eyes were deceiving him, Kuang Feifan raised a hand, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. Indeed, a shadow was swaying, but it wasn't behind the statue. The statue had initially blocked the view, but now he saw clearly: the shadow was on the water’s surface near the shore, right behind the statue, bobbing up and down with the gentle ripples.

When he first saw the shadow floating, Kuang Feifan had momentarily thought it was a person's head. But now that he saw it clearly, it was a monster seemingly covered in black fur with bright red eyes.

When Kuang Feifan’s gaze locked with the monster’s, he distinctly felt it staring back coldly, filled, it seemed, with intense resentment.

He was startled by what he saw. Was it a ghost or a monster?

Before he could react, the monster flickered and vanished from the lake surface, leaving only the water undulating in layers under the night breeze. A slight gust washed over him, and Kuang Feifan felt an icy chill run down his spine. Only then did he realize that in the brief moment he met the monster’s eyes, a good deal of cold sweat had broken out on him.

This made him suspect that the pitch-black creature was likely not a hallucination. If it were merely his imagination, he shouldn't have been able to feel an aura of death emanating from those blood-red eyes.

Abruptly, he slapped the back of his head, cursing his own foolishness. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, high-intensity flashlight—a tool he usually carried everywhere, yet had forgotten until now.

Kuang Feifan switched on the light and approached the water's edge slightly, shining the beam onto the lake. The illuminated surface appeared black, showing no hint of clarity. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to walk right to the bank to check the situation.

But as he passed the two statues, he inadvertently swept the flashlight beam over the bronze dog playing with the child. His expression instantly changed. In that brief flash of white light, he saw a small handprint impressed upon the head of the dog statue. He hurried closer to examine it carefully. Though not deep, the indented palm print was clearly pressed hard into the bronze, impossible to be something casually carved by some idle sculptor.

Kuang Feifan’s nerves snapped taut. To leave such an imprint on a bronze statue required immense force. He was certain that if that same force struck him, whatever it hit would be smashed.

He quickly shone the light back onto the lake surface, convinced the owner of this handprint was likely the red-eyed shadow he had just seen. The crucial question was whether that thing could reappear behind him at any moment.

At this juncture, Kuang Feifan felt trapped in a dilemma. If Feng Tian had indeed met with misfortune here, it was probably connected to the red-eyed shadow. Yet, given the evidence, that creature seemed immensely powerful; his own weight of over a hundred jin might not be enough against this unknown monster.

While hesitating, he subconsciously kept shining the flashlight back and forth over the handprint, trying to glean more information. Suddenly, a thought struck him: looking closely, he realized the print was peculiar. While its size resembled that of a child, perhaps even a half-grown infant, seeing it reminded him of the "Soul Locking Mark" on his own body.

However, he quickly dismissed that idea after a closer look. Although it looked like a palm print with five distinct digits, only the thumb was shorter than the other four fingers; the remaining four were all the same length. A human hand should have fingers of varying lengths.

This was not a human handprint... but what could it be?

Kuang Feifan swept the flashlight beam carefully around the immediate vicinity and discovered more similar handprints in various positions on the statues. They all seemed roughly the same size, suggesting they were left by the same creature.

These findings left Kuang Feifan deeply unsettled, a vague idea seeming to surface in his mind, yet he couldn't quite grasp the fleeting memory fragment.

A sudden idea flashed, providing a potential answer to his confusion. He reached out and pulled out his phone, dialing Wang Hai.

The plan was simple: borrow Wang Hai’s phone to ask the Old Daoist Priest about the situation concerning this artificial lake.

Indeed, the moment the Old Daoist Priest heard him mention what he found at the artificial lake, his voice immediately tightened with alarm as he pressed: "Are you certain about the appearance of the monster you saw?"

Kuang Feifan recalled the details carefully and confirmed: "That’s right, exactly like that, floating on the water’s surface."

The Old Daoist Priest was silent for a moment before stating, "That is a Water Monkey."

A bolt of lightning seemed to flash through Kuang Feifan's mind as memories of the Water Monkey immediately surfaced.

Water Monkey was a common folk term, sometimes called a Water Ghost, and it even had different names in different countries. Generally speaking, a Water Monkey was the vengeful spirit formed from a drowned child. It was said to look like a cross between a human and a monkey, living in the water. Once it spotted someone lingering near the bank, it would use various tricks to lure them close to the water, then grab their feet and drag them under. Some accounts claimed Water Monkeys possessed immense strength, making it impossible for victims to struggle free once caught.

According to some records, legends like the Kappa actually originated in the upper reaches of the Yellow River basin in China. Back then, people called them "Water Tigers" or "River Gods." Kuang Feifan knew about this because of the lesson he studied in school about Ximen Bao breaking the custom of sacrificing a bride to the River God. As this legend traveled, it morphed into the tale of the Kappa.

However, whether Kappa or Water Monkey, these beings were the most terrifying and dangerous evil spirits in the water. Anyone who saw a Water Monkey would supposedly have their soul taken, becoming another sacrificial ghost in the water.

The Old Daoist Priest clearly understood the danger and asked with concern, "Did you find Feng Tian? Was he captured by the Water Monkey? How did you end up there?"

Kuang Feifan didn't know how to answer these questions. Was he supposed to tell him over the phone that he was led here by an eerie butterfly?

Now, he wasn't even sure if the butterfly was connected to Feng Tian or if it was merely an illusion created by the Water Monkey to lure him to the water's edge.

The realization that he was standing near the water made Kuang Feifan instinctively step back a few paces. He casually asked, "Let's set those questions aside for now. Is there a way to deal with a Water Monkey?"

The Old Daoist Priest answered without hesitation, "There is, but not there."

"What do you mean?" Kuang Feifan asked, puzzled.

"Normally, if you can force it ashore, away from the water, the Water Monkey loses all its abilities and can be dealt with as you wish. But the one in that artificial lake is different." The Old Daoist Priest stated with absolute certainty.

"Why?" Kuang Feifan's heart sank as he pressed on.

"Because the Water Monkey there is not only unafraid of leaving the water but can rush onto the shore to drag people down. Anyone who sees a Water Monkey will sooner or later be dragged into the water," the Old Daoist Priest hurried to explain. "You must leave there quickly and return to the Daoist temple. It will be safer there."

Kuang Feifan was quite shocked by this. He involuntarily backed up further, then suddenly realized something, asking as he retreated, "Wait a moment, Old Daoist Priest, you knew there was a Water Monkey in this artificial lake?"

The Old Daoist Priest sighed, "I only heard rumors, but the person who told me was very insistent. Since I cannot leave the temple for too long, I only investigated briefly and confirmed that there is indeed something in the lake. The rumors started shortly after the artificial lake was dug. I even sent disciples to perform rites, but still, quite a few people drown in that lake every year. Regrettably, even though this terrifying rumor is widespread, people still go there."

Kuang Feifan felt something was off and asked again, "If many people know, why do they still come here?"

The Old Daoist Priest hesitated before replying, "Most people have only heard the stories; they haven't actually seen the Water Monkey. And according to rumor, the Water Monkey only comes ashore from the lake on the night of the full moon. But the Water Monkey there is extremely vengeful. Besides dragging in anyone they see on that night, they will come for anyone who has seen them in the past, dragging them away on the night of the full moon."

Kuang Feifan froze, blurting out, "Damn, this is a Water Ghost, and a psycho killer too. This is too... twisted..."