The river was only a few hundred meters wide, yet the Taoist had been navigating with the pole for nearly an hour without seeing the light of the other shore.

With a crisp snap, the long bamboo pole in the Taoist’s hand broke into two pieces.

The bamboo raft began to oscillate violently on the increasingly turbulent river, gigantic waves crashing with an awe-inspiring roar.

The women finally couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into tears.

"What should we do? How did the sturdy pole break? How are we supposed to get back now?!!"

Although the young Taoist looked unusually pale, he remained relatively calm.

He wiped the rainwater off his face and said in a tightening voice:

"This river path is rugged, with jagged rocks at the bottom. It’s common for the pole guiding the boat to get caught and break due to the swift current.

Don’t panic. As long as we hold onto the ropes on the boat and rely on each other, we won’t be in trouble."

Having traveled across Four Seas with the Taoist, deceiving people and traversing mountains, the young Taoist’s mental fortitude was quite strong, able to calm people’s hearts.

The Taoist also nodded indifferently: "That’s right, with me here, there’s no need to worry."

The yellow-robed Taoist seemed calm, yet no one noticed the trembling of his lips as he spoke or the shaking of his hand holding the half-broken bamboo pole, his palm icy cold.

Evidently, an unknown struggle and fear brewed within his heart.

Even though the young Taoist’s explanation was logical and reasonable, the yellow-robed Taoist clearly felt it— the bamboo pole wasn’t merely broken by getting stuck in the rocks.

That sensation... it was unmistakably a hand hidden in the water, forcibly snapping it!

Just before the break, the yellow-robed Taoist could even sense that hand in the water struggling vehemently with him for the bamboo pole.

Gripped by fear, he held on tightly without letting go, which led to the break.

But who would be swimming and diving in this deep river in the middle of the night, especially under the dangerous torrential rain?

Moreover, he had already informed the villagers that tonight he would perform a ceremony for the River God in this river, and no one would dare to swim and mess around at such a time.

A terrifying thought suddenly surfaced in the yellow-robed Taoist’s mind.

Could it be that what’s hidden in the water isn’t human at all?!

The yellow-robed Taoist instantly felt chills creeping over him, unable to stay a moment longer, grasping tightly the usual tools for deception—a Peach Wood Sword and Red Talisman Paper.

With the bamboo pole gone, the bamboo raft could only drift downstream with the swift current, increasing its speed.

With a heavy "bang," the raft seemed to hit a protruding rock, waves splashing wildly, seemingly about to capsize.

The young Taoist shouted urgently, sit tight and stabilize, don’t let the boat capsize!

Under the young Taoist’s guidance, the women screamed shrilly, yet still followed his instructions.

Except for Shu Ci, they held hands, forming a human wall, narrowly keeping the nearly capsized raft steady.

The yellow-robed Taoist was immensely relieved, fortunate enough not to conduct the River God ceremony alone, pretending to be bold.

For safety’s sake, picking six village women turned out to be foresight.

Otherwise, with his weight alone, the boat might have already capsized.

In this dark visibility, amidst such rapidly cold river water, he couldn’t find the covert stake at all; no matter how well he knew water, he might have lost his life.

Should the boat be swept downstream, it could remain safe and sound.

After narrowly avoiding danger, the Taoist was about to breathe a sigh of relief, instinctively wanting to look at the beloved Madam Shu.

But out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a red figure—tightly nestled against one of the village women, her face obfuscated.

At first, the yellow-robed Taoist thought it was a timid little lass scared and secretly crying behind a familiar sister.

But inexplicably, his mind suddenly exploded.

Strange, were any of the women who boarded the boat tonight wearing red clothes?

Half in doubt, half in fear, the yellow-robed Taoist counted carefully.

In an instant, he felt a chilling sensation, like his whole body was about to freeze, cold sweat pouring down.

Seven people?!

Seven women?!

He distinctly counted, those who boarded were six of the most beautiful village women. Yet at some point, there were seven women on this boat!

The one wearing red was never on the boat from the start.

An unclean presence!

He had truly attracted an unclean presence!

The Taoist’s legs went weak, nearly sitting down directly.

His eyes rigidly refused to look at that red figure, but under extreme fear, he couldn’t stop his gaze from fixating on that eerie woman, unable to turn away even slightly.

After a chaotic bout, the raft gradually steadied, through the dim weather shrouded in mist.

Sitting on the boat, the people could vaguely see two figures on the opposite shore, holding umbrellas and lanterns, seemingly waiting for them to reach the shore.

Everyone rejoiced, believing they were about to arrive at the other side, finally no longer fearing.

The five women hurriedly used their palms as oars, paddling the raft quickly, eager to reach the shore.

The yellow-robed Taoist, stiffly staring at the red-clad woman, could only see her like a parasitic spirit sticking closely behind one of the women, slowly raising a pale, profound face.

The woman’s lips were blood-red, cracked like a crescent moon, hissing cold wind towards the back of the woman’s neck.

The woman shivered but seemed unable to see or feel the presence of the woman behind her, furiously paddling the water, eyes eager towards the opposite riverbank.