But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 11

“Destroyed… the temple?” Qi Yan froze for a moment, his gaze drifting toward the dilapidated River God Temple. A flicker of confusion crossed his mind—what exactly was smashed?

Suppressing his doubts, he nonetheless nodded solemnly at Yuan Ji, showing no trace of irritation at what might have seemed an unreasonable demand.

“Of course,” he agreed.

Hearing this, Yuan Ji—who had been idly tapping the stone table with her fingertips—paused. She inclined her head slightly, visibly pleased with his compliance.

The disciples, moved nearly to tears, felt their restless hearts finally settle. With their senior brother present, they no longer trembled in panic like before. Despite their disheveled state, a strange calm washed over them, and they stared at Qi Yan with burning admiration.

Their once-aloof senior brother now seemed… approachable.

But while the disciples brimmed with inexplicable excitement, Elder Han Shi watched in outrage as Yuan Ji first extorted Qi Yan and then pinned the blame on them. To him, Qi Yan looked like a fool happily counting coins after being swindled—a far cry from his usual cold, untouchable demeanor. It only confirmed Han Shi’s belief that Yuan Ji had “bewitched” him.

His face twisted grotesquely, the grime on his cheeks making the sight even more unbearable.

“Demoness, don’t push your luck!” Han Shi spat. “Who’d bother smashing this wretched shack of yours? Lies!”

Yuan Ji flicked a glance at him, then pointed wordlessly at the shattered temple gate—now two broken planks lying uselessly on the ground. Her voice was eerily mild.

“You broke the door.”

Han Shi choked. Now that he thought about it… when the “demoness” refused to come out earlier, they had kicked the door open. But that flimsy thing was already hanging by a thread! They’d barely touched it!

…Wait. The door was broken all along?

Then why had he needed to climb the wall last night—only to dangle pathetically from it until morning?!

Fury and humiliation clogged his throat. “Y-You… you…!”

Meanwhile, System A-Tong floated beside Yuan Ji, clapping excitedly. “So this is why you brought Qi Yan back! Brilliant!”

Its host had seen right through the scheme—truly impressive!

“And the brick by the entrance,” A-Tong added eagerly, pointing to a hairline crack. “The door smashed into it. That counts too, right?”

Yuan Ji blinked, eyeing A-Tong with sudden suspicion. Was this really the same system that preached “a god must love all beings”? Had it lost its mind too?

Noticing her stare, A-Tong stiffened, its virtual form flushing pink. It coughed. “Ahem. Yuan Ji, a god must love the people—but that doesn’t mean being a doormat.”

After all, Wu Boshan had mentioned that rebuilding the River God Temple to a “glorious standard” would cost a fortune!

Its righteous tone almost convinced Yuan Ji—but she was in too good a mood to argue. Unaware of their narrow escape, the disciples still struggled to protest.

“Elder Han, please calm down. Leave this to me,” Qi Yan interjected smoothly. “Rest assured, Cultivator Yuan, I’ll take full responsibility.”

Yuan Ji ignored Han Shi’s glare, quirking a brow at Qi Yan. “Good. That settles it.”

“Fetch Yan Ku and Wu Boshan,” she instructed Luan Yu, who nodded and hurried off with Lan Wu-Si in tow. Moments later, the two men arrived, already rubbing their hands together at the prospect of “contributing” to the temple’s renovation.

“River God,” they greeted Yuan Ji before scanning the crowd for targets.

Yan Ku’s cheerful grin faltered the instant he locked eyes with Qi Yan. He promptly turned away, muttering, “Oh no, oh no…”

Wu Boshan, however, squared his shoulders. With the River God present, what was there to fear? He nudged Yan Ku to speak up.

Yan Ku would’ve rather vanished into the earth, but under pressure, he launched into an elaborate spiel:

“Esteemed… immortal, an ordinary door might be replaceable, but this is the River God Temple. Its gate isn’t just wood—it’s a symbol! How could something plain ever suit such a holy place?”

“The River God is magnanimous and wouldn’t mind a humble door. But imagine the villagers’ dismay upon seeing it! They might mistake the Tianji Sect for cheapskates…”

On and on he went, somehow linking a single door to the fate of the entire cultivation world.

The Tianji disciples twitched. Was this guy… blackmailing them?

Since when did the cultivation world’s destiny hinge on a door?!

“Hmph! Silver-tongued devil!” Han Shi scoffed.

Yan Ku smiled serenely. “A mere *30,000 high-grade spirit stones* will resolve this misunderstanding—and stabilize the cultivation world.”

Wu Boshan’s jaw dropped. Thirty thousand?! He shot Yan Ku a look but played along. “Yes, yes. A trifling sum.”

The disciples wept internally: Senior Brother, we’ve doomed you!

Qi Yan chuckled, his voice cool and unruffled. “It seems I’m getting quite the bargain.”

Wu Boshan bobbed his head. “Absolutely!”

Only then did Yan Ku realize who he’d just extorted. His face drained of color. “N-Not at all! Ah, River God, I—I left a half-plucked chicken in the backyard! Must finish that!” He bolted, wiping sweat like a man escaping death.

Once they’d left, Yuan Ji studied Qi Yan before producing a moon-white bangle from her sleeve. Its surface shimmered with carved cloud patterns, glowing softly in the sunlight.

“A storage bracelet,” Qi Yan explained, offering it to her. “Mark it with your divine sense to prevent theft. Inside are the 30,000 stones… and a few trinkets, as apology.”

Yuan Ji accepted it without ceremony. The moment her fingers brushed the warm jade, her mood lifted imperceptibly. A quick sweep of her divine sense revealed piles of luminous high-grade spirit stones—each one radiant, like a swarm of fireflies.

Her pupils dilated. A strange, thrilling sensation surged through her, gone as quickly as it came.

“The amount is correct,” she said flatly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her tone suggested she’d received pocket change, not a king’s ransom.

Han Shi looked ready to combust. “You—!” His finger trembled mid-accusation before he thought better of it and stormed off.

“Mark my words, demoness! We’re leaving!” He whirled toward Qi Yan. “You—come with us! Don’t linger under her spell!”

Qi Yan smoothed his sleeves. “Elder Han, go ahead. I’ll join you shortly.”

Han Shi’s face crumpled as if watching a prodigy throw his life away for a temptress. “…Disappointing.” With that, he led the disciples out in a huff.

The cramped temple suddenly felt spacious. Villagers peeking from the backyard finally emerged, and Luan Xuan—clutching a vibrant feather—skipped over with Lan Wu-Si.

“River God,” Luan Xuan pleaded, eyes wide, “can Lan Jie stay with us? Scary people are chasing her! We’ll hide here until they give up, okay?”

Lan Wu-Si nodded meekly, doing her best “helpless maiden” impression.

“River God,” she cooed, voice dripping honey, “you’re so kindhearted. You’ll say yes, won’t you?”

Yuan Ji felt the weight of an invisible “virtuous” crown being forced onto her head. She stared Lan Wu-Si down until the latter squirmed.

“River God,” Lan Wu-Si tried again, eyes glistening, “about earlier… there were circumstances—”

Yuan Ji raised a finger to her lips. “Shh.”

Then, with a flick of her wrist, she plucked an invisible something from the air—a wriggling insect—and let flames dance around her fingertips. The acrid scent of burning chitin filled the space as she smiled, her eyes icy.

“But.”

“I hate bugs.”

Lan Wu-Si gulped. The charred remains of her prized gu worm might as well have been her own heart.