Chapter 58 The Bloody Pot

Yi Yuyi stood by the sea for a long time, until the sun was high in the sky shining directly on him, before he pulled his fishing net back.

He looked at the fish caught in the net and, without hesitation, poured them all back into the sea. He picked up the wooden bucket, carefully carried the jug, and returned to his thatched hut.

Yi Yu Yi's house was built by her parents when they were alive. After years of exposure to the elements, some parts have started to crack and fall apart. Yi Yu Yi has not repaired it and has just kept it standing like this until now.

He put the things away in the room, took a sharp knife from a cabinet, and gently scraped it on a whetstone.

Yi Yuyi often uses this knife to separate different kinds of fish, then sews them back together to create a specimen of fish carcasses from different species.

"This is art."

Yi Yuyi always felt that no one understood him, that everyone feared him, and that they simply couldn't comprehend his art. He picked up the knife and placed it on the table, then took out a rope and a piece of burlap, put them in a bucket, and walked towards the sea.

To the left of the fishing area, there was a large area of ​​rocks of various shapes, where the village children often played. Normally, Yi Yuyi wouldn't even approach them, but this time he went there beforehand to hide.

The midday sun was scorching, and after saying goodbye to their parents, the children swarmed to the pile of stones. They played and shoved each other for a while before deciding to play hide-and-seek.

"Everyone, hide well! 1, 2, 3..."

At the sound, the children scattered, and the boy, carrying a small wooden slingshot, limped deeper into the pile of stones. He carefully stepped over the low stones, excitedly looking left and right, confident that he would not be discovered.

As the boy passed by a standing rock, a hand suddenly reached out and covered his mouth and nose. He struggled fiercely, kicking and hitting the person who was holding him from behind.

The burlap sack sealed off all avenues for the boy to breathe. The prolonged lack of oxygen caused the boy's movements to become increasingly sluggish until he finally stopped moving altogether.

Yi Yuyi looked at the boy who had slipped and fallen to the ground, picked him up, and carefully hurried towards the thatched hut. The sun was shining brightly, and Yi Yuyi felt sweat gradually soaking through his clothes. He looked around, trying to avoid the villagers.

Fortunately, because of the scorching midday sun, there was hardly anyone around. Yi Yuyi thus safely returned to his dilapidated thatched hut.

He pressed the boy, who was bound with hemp rope, onto the stage, raised the sharp knife, and slashed at him repeatedly.

Blood splattered everywhere, but Yi Yuyi felt no discomfort, only excitement. His movements became faster and faster, a strange smile curving his lips.

Yi Yuyi pieced the dismembered body parts back together, humming a little tune as he stitched them up. He used coarse hemp thread, which left heavy marks, much to his dissatisfaction.

Yi Yuyi looked at his perfect creation and carefully placed it into the ceramic pot he had made. Blood flowed down the rim of the pot, staining the earthenware with a bright red.

——

"Son—son."

"Fish Boy—".

The villagers' calls echoed across the beach as they searched for traces.

"Honey, could it be that it fell into the sea?"

The elderly village chief turned to ask the middle-aged man, who was none other than Dazhi, the father of the missing boy. Dazhi had come to the village halfway through his journey, and unlike the local villagers, he had previously spoken with Yiyuyi.

However, he inadvertently discovered that the other person enjoyed torturing and killing animals, had a fondness for corpses, and possessed a paranoid and dangerous personality. Therefore, he instructed his son not to communicate with the other person and, ideally, to stay away from him altogether.

For some reason, Daichi suddenly remembered what his son had told him at lunch.

"Dad, that weirdo is bullying the little brother next door. He's so strange. I saw him with a stick. Is he going to hit the little brother?"

"Oh? You should stay away from him."

"Yes, Father."

Dazhi jumped up, grabbed a wood-chopping knife from the room, and headed toward the pile of stones. He searched carefully, knowing that his son was an excellent swimmer and not far away; it was impossible for him to have fallen into the sea and drowned without a sound.

Finally, after turning over several oddly shaped stones, he saw the corner of the kimono that had been caught. It was a brownish-red striped kimono, the one his son was wearing today.

He searched and found a small trail of footprints not far away. They had been mostly washed away by the sea, and if it weren't for the fact that it was still dusk and Da Zhi had sharp eyesight, they would have all disappeared by the next day.

His eyes hardened, and he gripped the machete even tighter. He walked step by step toward Yi Yuyi's thatched hut. The hut hadn't been repaired in a long time; the door opened with a touch. Da Zhi's gaze fell on the table, where the sharp knife was slightly curled. He smelled a strong stench of blood.

He carefully searched the surroundings and finally found fragments of his son's clothes under a pile of grass. The blood-soaked fragments were glaringly obvious, and he turned to look at the bottles and jars on the other side.

Daichi had a bad feeling.

He rushed over and smashed the pots and jars to the ground, discovering a clay-colored porcelain pot with a strong smell of blood in the corner.

With trembling hands, Daichi saw his son, his body dismembered and strangely stitched together, in the fading light of dusk. The hands and feet were joined differently, the brown hemp thread standing out starkly against them, reminding him of the fish specimens he had seen before.

"Damn it, damn it!"

Daichi gritted his teeth in anger, veins bulging on his forehead. He saw the double-toothed harpoon in the room and reached out to pick it up.

He darted out, brushing past the villagers who had rushed over, causing everyone to turn around.

"Where did Dazhi go? Why is he so angry?"

"You must be very worried if your child goes missing and can't be found."

"That's true... ah—."

As the screams echoed, everyone looked at the spout of the kettle, now a mess on the ground, and saw a wide-eyed stare at them.

Yi Yuyi was by the sea, painstakingly catching rare fish to gather material for his art.

"Damn it, die!"

The double-toothed harpoon lashed out at Yi Yuyi with a gust of wind, and even though he reacted quickly, he was still slashed in the waist and abdomen. He turned his head and saw Da Zhi, who was furious. Da Zhi did not stop, but instead spun the double-toothed harpoon around and stabbed at Yi Yuyi again with great force.

"ah--."

Blood gushed wildly from Yi Yuyi's waist and abdomen. He struggled to dodge, but how could his body, which had never been trained, possibly be a match for Da Zhi, who had been fishing for many years?

"puff--."

The double-toothed harpoon pierced Yi Yuyi's body violently, then was pulled out forcefully. Da Zhi stared coldly at Yi Yuyi lying on the beach.

"You will die a painful death here, submerged in the seawater."

After saying that, he turned and left. He wanted to collect his son's body, hold a funeral for him, and let him go to heaven in peace.

Yi Yuyi watched the bright moon gradually climb into the sky, as darkness slowly descended. The feeling of blood draining from his body made him increasingly dizzy, and pain swept through his entire body.

"Ah, the smell of blood is so strong..."

Yan Sheng got up, opened the door, looked at the bright moon reflected on the sea, and slowly walked forward.