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"Mai Lao," after regaining his composure, asked him, "Xiao Ba, what exactly is this Sting Horse Colt you mentioned?"
"Yeah, Lao Ba, I don't quite understand either," I said, looking at Jiao Ba. If I understood the term literally, this horse was indeed a colt, but how did that relate to the Black Fish?
Jiao Ba chuckled as he sat down, casually taking a cigarette from my hand and lighting it. "I just checked back home. According to the notes written by my grandfather, this thing should definitely be the Sting Horse Colt."
"What we want to know now is what the hell this Sting Horse Colt is. How can you be so sure that this Black Fish is it? By the literal meaning, if it's a horse, how can it be anything like a fish?" This time, I truly felt that Jiao Ba's words were a bit absurd; they were downright ridiculous.
Jenny and the others looked puzzled, all waiting for his explanation. Jiao Ba took a puff of his cigarette and said in a calm tone, "Let me explain first. I'm certain I've never seen a Sting Horse Colt. According to my grandfather's notes, this creature first appeared during the Han Dynasty and disappeared after the Ming Dynasty. It was considered a very sinister being used for warfare. It is essentially an ordinary horse, but through the crafting of a Passage Master or sorcerer, it transforms into a Sting Horse Colt."
"On the battlefield, the Sting Horse Colt is unmatched; its sole purpose is killing. It feels no pain, has a dark black body covered in spikes on its head, and its sharp teeth are as long as fingers. Even if it's a white horse, once it becomes a Sting Horse Colt, its entire body turns pitch black. Those who feed it must constantly provide fresh blood and human flesh."
"The more people it consumes, the greater its power becomes. However, it's very difficult to control; after all, it's quite sinister. Therefore, those who raise it often end up dead at its hands. By the early Ming Dynasty, fewer and fewer people knew how to create Sting Horse Colts, and the number of sorcerers capable of making them dwindled significantly."
After listening to Jiao Ba's words, I still felt somewhat confused. I had grasped what a Sting Horse Colt was about but couldn't see how it related to the Black Fish. No matter how hard I tried to think about it, I just couldn't understand.
I asked in bewilderment, "Lao Ba, I get what you're saying, but what does this have to do with the Black Fish? The horse you mentioned is terrestrial; we're dealing with something from the sea here—aren't we straying off topic?"
Mai Lao interjected, "Sting Horse Colt? I think I've heard of that too. But aren't these just legends? Could such a thing really exist?"
Jiao Ba scratched his head and smiled. "The Sting Horse Colt is definitely not just a legend. You all know about the Human-Faced Flower and Demon Worm Corpse; what's so strange about this? Besides, I'm only speculating here—the physical characteristics of that Black Fish are quite similar to those of the Sting Horse Colt. Aside from its fish-like appearance, they are almost identical. I was just pondering this: since the Human-Faced Flower can grow on the seabed, perhaps the Sting Horse Colt could also live in the sea and has evolved over centuries into what it is now."
I let out a cold laugh and said, "You're making wild assumptions. Even if it's evolution, it can't happen that quickly. What are you talking about?"
Jiao Ba glanced at me and replied, "Brother Yi, don't forget that it's not an ordinary creature. Evil spirits have their own survival patterns."
"Then let me ask you, what is that thing doing hiding in the gap of the Wreck? Is it hibernating or something?" I looked at him, my tone a bit harsh. This time, I genuinely felt something was off; it sounded so damn awkward. And what's with the Sting Horse Colt? It’s like comparing cats and dogs.
Jiao Ba calmly said, "I don't know about that. Maybe it's for survival? But I feel that this thing is indeed the Sting Horse Colt. Perhaps it can't be called that anymore since its appearance has changed."
Mai Lao and I exchanged glances; the Old Man also wore a puzzled expression. Jiao Ba's words didn't seem very credible this time, but we didn't have a better explanation for now, so we had to settle for this.
Mai Lao spoke up, "Alright, Xiao Ba, let's assume what you said is correct. Right now, we just want to know if this so-called Sting Horse Colt is the same as the shadow we encountered before and those strange sounds we heard."
"Well... how would I know? I'm not an encyclopedia. But I feel that the shadow Brother Yi encountered should be the same kind of creature as the Sting Horse Colt," Jiao Ba stammered in explanation.
"What we need now is not 'should be,' but 'definitely,'" Mai Lao said to Jiao Ba again.
Jenny suddenly interjected, "Yes, Jiao Ba, we've already lost four sailors. We can't afford any more casualties. Putting aside the salvage issue, if anyone else gets hurt, I won't be able to live with myself."
Jiao Ba sighed and said, "I know. The biggest problem right now is safety. How can we eliminate these dangers? But based on our current capabilities, achieving one hundred percent safety in deep sea is impossible; we can only try to minimize casualties."
"Do you have any good solutions?" Mai Lao asked softly.
"No, we can only adapt as we go. As I mentioned earlier, these are just my deductions since I've never dealt with this before. Let's just be extra careful from now on," Jiao Ba replied casually.
Ma Lao Shen's expression was somewhat lacking as he rubbed his forehead and sighed, "Well, it can only be this way. Loyalty and Righteousness, huh? Help me stabilize the emotions of those sailors. After we go down tomorrow, let's try to stick together. Unless there's a special situation, don't split up."
I nodded and replied, "I understand, Mai Lao. Don't worry."
After discussing for over an hour, we still had no concrete results. It was all speculation and illusions, with no definitive answers. I too hesitated to give any correct instructions; there were many unknowns in the deep sea that made me feel a bit timid.
Once we returned to the resting quarters, I suddenly whispered to Jiao Ba, "Lao Ba, what you just said—was it just a ruse or is there some truth to it?"
Jiao Ba glanced at me and said, "Truth can be false, and falsehood can be truth. The Sting Horse Colt does exist, but whether it's that Black Fish or not, I can't say."
"Then what's the purpose of your statement?" I didn't quite understand; was it merely for speculation?
Jiao Bayi grinned mischievously and said, "Speculation! Having some sort of conclusion is better than having none at all, right? At least it can help steady the troops."
"Damn," I said as I playfully knocked him on the head. Steadying the troops? But thinking about it, the sailors were on edge; we needed some explanation to placate them. Regardless of its truthfulness, we had to keep them calm for now.
I slept soundly until the afternoon of the next day. After a quick meal, I started chatting with the sailors to build rapport and ease their pressure. I even shared what Jiao Ba had mentioned about the Sting Horse Colt to reassure them for their work at sea. Sometimes I wondered what my true intentions were; it felt like I was going a bit overboard.
As night fell, Mai Lao began organizing our preparations for going down to sea again. This time we planned to check out the ship's hold. After some persuasion, the four sailors finally agreed to accompany me underwater. Especially Shandong Giant—he trusted me now and kept saying that once we returned home, we should stay in touch and become brothers. I hoped that all of us would safely return to our hometowns…
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