Blood-Tide of the Qing-Zhai Carp
By @john1208
I only meant to pour the tea and keep my head down. My family had just traded me to the wealthy Xhafen clan, and my first duty as a new bride was to witness the Patriarch finalizing a massive, illicit medicine trade. The secret ingredient? An immortal, golden-scaled carp stolen from the Qing-Zhai temple pool and boiled down for its vital essence. But the moment the ink dries on the merchant's contract, the Patriarch begins coughing up black pond water. Now, the estate is sealed. The curse is spreading, causing the corrupted elites to sprout suffocating, razor-sharp scales and thrash into a bloodthirsty frenzy just to 'swim' through the gore of the innocent. I must fight my way through the labyrinthine villa to destroy the remaining elixir and appease the spirit. But Elder Zongwu, the family's trusted spiritual guide, is deliberately sabotaging my efforts. He knows a terrifying secret the rest of us don't: the curse isn't just a slow, agonizing mutation. The courtyard wells are rapidly rising, and an unmentioned midnight deadline will plunge the entire mountain into a crushing spectral lake. Can a quiet bride outrun mutating monsters and a vengeful god before the countdown drowns us all?
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