Eastern Tomb Expedition Chronicles

Chapter 9: Electric Fishing

In the Nanfeng district of Shunde, the streets were lined with small eateries bustling with diners. I roamed around for a long time, tempted several times to scatter the soil, but I never did. It was my first time doing this, and though I was initially confident, fear crept in when the moment actually arrived. I was terrified that someone in uniform might tap me on the shoulder and question my actions. Eventually, I found myself by a small river, and a plan formed in my mind. Considering Shunde's reputation for its rich water resources, I thought the blue and white soil would just become mud once it hit the water, surely going unnoticed.

Seeing that no one was around, I quickly opened my backpack, ready to dump the soil into the river. "Wait! Stop!" "What are you doing!" A clear, commanding voice from behind nearly made me tumble into the river. Heart pounding, I turned to see a girl with her hands on her hips, glaring at me. She was in a school uniform, her hair tied back in a ponytail, her cheeks flushed, and she wore a red armband that read "River Clean-Up."

"What are you looking at! What were you about to throw into the river, huh? Planning to dump garbage?" The zipper of my backpack was still open, and in my panic, I quickly waved my hands, "No... no, I wasn’t throwing out garbage."

"Nonsense! I saw it. What’s in your bag? Let me see!" she demanded loudly, walking toward me. Her approach scared me senseless, and in a moment of heat, I grabbed my backpack and ran.

"Hey kid, stop!" She chased after me, and we ended up running along the city moat. In my haste, I slipped and fell into the moat... the blue and white soil sank as soon as it touched the water. I can't swim, so I flailed about, swallowing several mouthfuls of water and yelling for help. Eventually, the girl saved me.

Her name was Li Jing, a local from Shunde and a high school sophomore at Shunde No. 3 Middle School. That day, she was filling in for her mother, who was responsible for managing garbage on the river's surface. After being rescued, I was soaked like a drowned rat but relieved inside, because my bag of blue and white soil had dispersed, and I hadn't been caught. The girl, her own clothes drenched from the rescue, grabbed my shirt and demanded, "Why did you run? You can't even swim; do you have a death wish? What's really in your bag?"

I blushed and replied, "I just slipped accidentally and fell into the river. My bag had books in it, it’s fine, I can always buy more." She looked me up and down skeptically, clearly doubting my story.

"I think you're up to something shady. There have been people using electric fishing in the area recently. You have to come with me to see my mom; you can go once she says it's okay." Without waiting for my response, she pulled me along by my shirt. I desperately waved my hands, explaining loudly, "I'm not an electric fisher, I swear."

Of course, I couldn't tell her the truth either; admitting I was a tomb raider would be far worse than being mistaken for an electric fisher. I thought about running a few times, but ultimately didn't dare; I knew that if I ran, given this girl’s tenacious nature, she might inadvertently expose our whole gang.

Li Jing's house was right by the city moat, accessible via a footbridge lined with various stalls, including toy sellers and sock and insole vendors. One particularly conspicuous stall was a fortune-telling spot. The fortune-teller, a man in his fifties with round sunglasses, constantly smoked Red River cigarettes, lighting a new one before the last had finished.

"Wow, little Li Jing, more capable than your mom, caught another litterbug?" the fortune-teller chuckled from his stool.

Li Jing, flattered, replied, "Li the Half-Immortal, right? This guy started running as soon as he saw me, even fell into the river. I think he's involved in electric fishing."

The fortune-teller, puffing smoke, was almost hidden in the clouds he produced. "Ah, electric fishing, young man, that’s not good. Those people's fortunes are damaged; they're bound to face retribution."

Li Jing laughed, "Li Lao Liu, I just call you Li the Half-Immortal for fun, and you take it seriously, hilarious! Remember the fortune you told for Auntie Li? You said her pig would have piglets within a month, and what happened? The pig got diarrhea and died three days later. Where are the piglets?"

The fortune-teller coughed, "

That pig's bad luck isn’t my fault; my prediction was accurate. If you don’t believe me, should I read your fortune too?"

Li Jing bent over laughing, "No way, I don’t dare let you read mine. It's been days since you had a customer. Read his fortune instead, tell me if he's an electric fisher." Suddenly, she pointed at me.

Somehow, amidst the confusion, he ended up reading my fortune. He first asked for my birthdate, then took out a turtle shell with three Qianlong-era copper coins inside. After shaking them a bit, the coins fell onto the table. Whether by coincidence or not, all three coins landed face down, two of them stacked atop each other and the third lying apart, a noticeable distance between them. The fortune-teller's usual jovial expression vanished as he stared at the coins for a long time, his cigarette burning down to the stub.

Looking up, he glanced at Li Jing and then at me, sighing and shaking his head. Li Jing asked, smiling, "Li Lao Liu, out with it. What did you find? Is he an electric fisher?"

The fortune-teller lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, and looked at me meaningfully, "Young man, you’re no simple case..."

Feeling guilty, I cautiously asked him what he saw. He chuckled, "Deep waters and shallow pools, the pools are shallow yet filled with turtles; you’re the most valuable turtle in the pool, yet you can’t escape your fate, eventually being turned into turtle soup."

At the time, I was furious to be called a turtle. But now, thinking back on his words... they were profoundly insightful... Later, I returned once but never found that fortune-teller again. Some said he died of lung cancer a few years ago due to smoking heavily and lacking funds for treatment; others said he had left Shunde, whereabouts unknown. If I could meet him again now, I would pay a million to have him read my fortune once more, to see whether Xiang Yunfeng could settle down or what path I should take in the future.