“River God, this is for you.”
Ai Xiang timidly glanced at Guan Muping, then, encouraged by his gaze, hesitantly extended her hand forward.
On her small, delicate palm lay a tiny embroidered pouch adorned with a blooming peach flower.
The pouch was no larger than the size of a palm, its stitches fine and meticulous—clearly crafted with great care.
Yuan Ji stood before her, the warm morning sunlight casting a gentle glow over her fair complexion, softening the depths of her eyes.
“Hold it in your hand, and the token will help make the pain go away.”
Ai Xiang gazed up at Yuan Ji with wide, pleading eyes, glistening with unshed tears—impossible to refuse.
Behind her, Guan Muping swallowed hard, not daring to make a sound, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Yuan Ji, afraid he might miss even the slightest change in her expression.
His heart pounded uncontrollably, and suddenly, he felt a pang of regret. He should have done what the others did—found a beautiful wooden box to present it in.
Now, in such haste, what if the River God found it unworthy?
Guan Muping frowned, his youthful face bearing an uncharacteristic solemnity.
Token?
A flicker of suspicion crossed Yuan Ji’s mind as she reached out and took the pouch. The moment her fingertips brushed against it, a familiar aura surged forth—
Like a pot of boiling water, the floating layer of oil scattered, releasing long-suppressed scorching steam in an overwhelming wave, catching her off guard.
Her fingers stiffened imperceptibly as she calmly opened the pouch. Sure enough, inside was the last copper swastika token.
She hadn’t expected the fourth one to come so easily—as if an invisible hand had deliberately delivered it to her.
A shadow passed through Yuan Ji’s eyes, a fleeting glint of something unreadable. Perhaps these two children held secrets of their own.
Seeing Yuan Ji accept the pouch, Ai Xiang’s eyes curved into crescents, her joy overflowing as she shyly hid behind Guan Muping.
Just as Yuan Ji was about to speak, she caught a glimpse of a figure flickering at the edge of her vision—someone’s gaze lingering faintly on the pouch in her hand.
“Thank you. I like it very much.”
Her expression unchanged, Yuan Ji bent down and gently patted Ai Xiang’s head. Before the girl’s face could turn as red as an autumn fruit, she asked softly, “Would you like to come to the River God Temple with me?”
Perhaps there, she could find the answers she sought.
Ai Xiang’s delight was unmistakable, and even the usually composed Guan Muping couldn’t hide a flicker of anticipation.
Once the two agreed, Yuan Ji signaled Mu Dezhong to summon his men to escort the villagers back to their homes.
Song Yingzi volunteered to stay behind with them—his “Two or Three Things You Must Know About the River God and the Child of Righteousness” wasn’t finished yet. It wasn’t often he encountered such an enthusiastic audience, and he wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip away.
Soon, Yuan Ji returned to the River God Temple with Qi Yan, Mu Dezhong, and the two children in tow.
Mu Zhao had been waiting at the entrance. The moment he spotted Yuan Ji, he rushed forward, his gaze instinctively scanning behind them. When he saw no sign of Yue Tianchuan, his eyes dimmed momentarily.
Forcing a smile, he asked, “Sister Yuan, you’re back. Is everyone alright?”
At the same time, the red lotus in the corner seemed to sense Yue Tianchuan’s presence. Its leaves, mottled with black spots, perked up and stretched toward Mu Dezhong.
Mu Zhao froze, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes. “Uncle Zhong?”
“Yes. It was Mu Danchen’s doing.” Mu Dezhong carefully pulled out Yue Tianchuan’s soul pearl, his expression tender. “But we were too late. The River God brought Xiao Chuan’s soul pearl back.”
“The truth behind this… we’ll have to wait until Xiao Chuan wakes to ask.”
Mu Zhao’s tension eased slightly, but then he suddenly remembered something. “Oh, Sister Yuan, about the seeds you gave me—”
Before he could finish, Yuan Ji shook her head slightly. Noticing the figure still lingering in the distance, she lowered her gaze. “Let’s talk inside.”
Mu Zhao nodded and followed Yuan Ji into the courtyard.
As soon as they entered, Yuan Ji spotted Luan Xuan crouching under a tree taller than a person, its branches heavy with golden fruit, her eyes gleaming with greed.
Yuan Ji raised an eyebrow, amused. “You managed to cultivate that seed?”
Mu Zhao scratched his head sheepishly. “Well, yes, but the seeds you gave me were too high-grade. This is the only one I managed to grow.”
And even then, sprouting, leafing, and fruiting had nearly drained him of all his spiritual energy.
Looking back, Mu Zhao still felt weak at the thought.
“River God!” Luan Xuan bounded over to Yuan Ji, but upon noticing the two unfamiliar faces behind her, realization dawned.
The River God had brought more people back.
Guan Muping, sensing her gaze, immediately stepped protectively in front of Ai Xiang. This person looked suspicious!
Luan Xuan flashed an innocent smile, retracting her gaze, and cooed in a syrupy voice, “River God, you were gone for so long! I missed you so much!”
With her adorable features and butterfly fairy charm, Luan Xuan’s spoiled manner was impossible to resist.
Yuan Ji shuddered at the exaggerated sweetness, staring at her for a long moment, utterly bewildered.
Before she could process it, five or six more brightly colored figures spilled out from inside, their melodious laughter ringing like silver bells as they called out in honeyed voices.
“River God, you’re back! We’ve been waiting for you!”
“Yes, River God! Are you hurt? We were so worried! Let us take a look!”
Luo Qiushui and her fellow female disciples swarmed Yuan Ji, leaving no room to breathe. Mu Zhao was even elbowed aside by Huang Li, clutching his chest in pain.
These female cultivators were terrifying!
Qi Yan, who had lagged behind, observed the familiar faces with a rare crack in his usually impassive expression.
Qi Yan: ?
“River God, we made new robes for you! Come inside and try them on!”
“Yes, yes! We also prepared some jewelry. Let’s go see if they suit you!”
Yuan Ji: …?
She couldn’t fathom how, after just one day away, these people had undergone such a drastic change.
“System…”
The System lifted its head languidly from the edge of the faith pool. “Perhaps they’re asserting their dominance in front of the newcomers.”
Yuan Ji: …?
Meanwhile, Guan Muping and Ai Xiang, who had never witnessed such a scene, stood frozen in place. They glanced at the beautiful female cultivators on the left, then at the provocatively dressed ones on the right.
Their faces paled as they sucked in a sharp breath. This looked like a scene of seductive spirits luring unsuspecting prey.
Were they next?
Hemmed in on all sides, Yuan Ji found herself unable to break free. Luan Xuan, seeing her chance slipping away, stamped her foot in frustration and summoned a colorful butterfly, ready to intervene—
When a light cough sounded from behind.
Luo Qiushui and the others stiffened instantly, turning their heads slowly. “Oh, hey… Master Brother. Fancy seeing you here.”
A beat later, it finally registered.
“Master Brother?!”
“Y-you—why are you here?!” Huang Li stuttered, panic-stricken. “Didn’t you return to the sect?”
Qi Yan: …
His lips curled into a faint, unreadable smile. He didn’t say a word, yet the female cultivators felt a chill crawl down their spines, reluctantly withdrawing their hands from Yuan Ji.
Oh no. They’d been caught.
Luo Qiushui and the others exchanged glances, their smiles bitter.
Would Master Brother feed them to demonic beasts now?
From afar, Qu Yunqing, perched on Yan Ku’s head, patted the latter’s skull and sighed in admiration.
Their Sect Master had quite the number of rivals.
Silence. The atmosphere grew thick with awkwardness.
Unfazed by the tension, Yuan Ji seized the opportunity to slip away, strolling casually to the tree in the courtyard.
Gracefully avoiding the storm.
The System, watching from the sidelines: …
As expected of my host!
Qi Yan lazily opened his eyes, their depths dark and unfathomable like ink. He moved with practiced ease to Yuan Ji’s side, settling onto a stone bench and beginning to brew tea with deliberate motions.
The fragrant steam slowly filled the courtyard, yet the group at the entrance remained rooted in place, not daring to move.
Fang Mingzhu emerged from the inner courtyard, leading Guan Muping and Ai Xiang away to freshen up.
Luo Qiushui stood frozen for a moment, her willow-leaf brows knitting together in distress. Biting her lip, she took a determined step toward Yuan Ji—
Only to freeze when a frosty gaze swept over her, colder than mountain winds carrying snow, sending shivers down her spine.
In the past, such a look from Qi Yan would have left her giddy for half the night. But now…
She glared at her feet, seething but powerless.
Yuan Ji studied the golden fruit, her excess spiritual energy suddenly surging restlessly. Just as she frowned, a blue jade teacup appeared before her.
“Have some tea.”
Slender fingers set the cup down with a soft clink, the sound dispersing the faintly agitated spiritual energy in the air.
Yuan Ji exhaled in relief, downing the tea in one go. The warmth spread through her, soothing her discomfort—though the surplus of spiritual energy remained overwhelming.
She stared at her palm, troubled. Just how much power had Mu Danchen absorbed? Even she felt like she was about to overflow.
This sensation of being overstuffed was unpleasant. After a moment’s thought, her eyes lit up, and she beckoned Mu Zhao over.
“Sister Yuan, you called?”
Mu Zhao bounded over eagerly, but the moment he noticed Qi Yan behind her, his enthusiasm withered instantly.
“Mn. Do you still have the seeds I gave you earlier?”
Puzzled, Mu Zhao retrieved the remaining seeds from his pouch. “They’re all here. But I couldn’t cultivate the rest.”
Yuan Ji’s gaze brightened as she studied the symbiotic plant on Mu Zhao’s wrist. “No matter. I’ll help you. Let’s try again.”
Mu Zhao hesitated, not wanting to disappoint her. He carefully selected the smallest seed.
Surely this one wouldn’t refuse to sprout, right?
Yuan Ji didn’t mind his choice, though her eye twitched slightly at the sight. Sensing the figure still watching from outside the temple, she sighed inwardly.
“Let’s begin.”
As spiritual energy flowed, Mu Zhao gritted his teeth, channeling his power with trembling hands. Just as he was about to collapse from exhaustion, a surge of raw energy poured into him from behind.
It coursed through his meridians, flooding into the seed.
A hint of green appeared before their eyes. Then, in rapid succession—sprouting, leafing, branching, flowering…
In no time, a fully grown plant stood before them.
Mu Zhao stared blankly at his hands, then at the perfectly ordinary tree, and finally at the carnivorous plant snapping at insects nearby.
His expression turned complicated as he glanced at Yuan Ji, who looked thoroughly satisfied.
Perhaps the real cause of plant mutations was someone else all along.
