But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 18

“Help!”

Ye Wenshu gasped as he bolted upright, his sweat-drenched clothes clinging to him. His chest heaved as if he had just escaped death itself.

“My ancestors, I’m finally out!” He glanced around, noticing everyone’s eyes on him, and cleared his throat, forcing a composed tone. “Ahem, it was nothing serious, really.”

Luan Xuan swiftly recalled her blue butterfly and hurried to Yuan Ji’s side, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I did everything Lord River God asked!”

“Well done.” Yuan Ji praised her, conjuring a dazzling high-grade spirit stone from his hand and handing it to her. “Go play in the back.”

“Yay! I can use this to make pretty butterflies now!” Luan Xuan cheered, skipping toward the backyard, the radiant glow of the spirit stone in her palm casting a cold shadow over Xuan Chengren’s heart.

He sighed deeply, his expression complicated as he watched Ye Wenshu’s exhausted state. Having been controlled—and hunting Ye Wenshu—for so many years, he knew him well.

A strange sense of camaraderie stirred in him.

“Are you really alright?”

“Probably… fine.” Ye Wenshu rubbed his head, utterly bewildered. The illusion had been inhumanly brutal.

If he weren’t outmatched by the River God, he’d have stood up and cursed.

“Pah! That was downright cruel!”

“But Elder Xuan, are you okay?” Freed from the control of the swastika talisman, Ye Wenshu finally dared to approach Xuan Chengren, gently helping him up. “You’re free now.”

Xuan Chengren stiffened, offering a bitter smile. “I suppose I’ll be seeing you on the wanted posters soon.”

Ye Wenshu: “…Huh?”

Tap.

Yuan Ji set down his teacup with a soft clink. The sound made Ye Wenshu and Xuan Chengren jump, both turning toward him.

Tilting his head, Yuan Ji spoke leisurely. “Ye Wenshu, are you ready to talk now?”

The bronze swastika talisman rested between his fingers, its verdigris staining his jade-like fingertips like freshly extracted poison—sinister and unsettling.

Ye Wenshu gulped, recalling the horrors he’d faced in the illusion, his heart pounding.

She’s still threatening me!

Does being a River God mean she can do whatever she wants?!

“I—I already paid the ransom!” he blurted out without thinking.

He’d given her the Spirit-Bamboo Brush. She couldn’t harm him now.

“The Spirit-Bamboo Brush?” Yuan Ji mused, as if just remembering. He picked up the brush from the stone table, examining it with interest. Then his eyes narrowed sharply.

“It only ensures you won’t die.” He paused. “But what if you were trapped in illusions every single day?”

Ye Wenshu shuddered but stubbornly held his ground.

“You’re not human, are you?” Yuan Ji stated casually, revealing Ye Wenshu’s greatest secret.

The color drained from Ye Wenshu’s face. Even Xuan Chengren, the only other person who knew, paled in shock.

How does he know?!

Ye Wenshu opened his mouth to deny it, but no words came out. He’d carried this secret for years, and the weight of it had worn him down.

Forcing a grimace that looked more like a sob, he muttered, “So you knew.”

If that was the case, there was no point hiding it anymore.

Ye Wenshu gazed eastward, his eyes distant as if revisiting the past.

“Long ago, in a hidden realm, there lay an ancient divine artifact—the Starcloud Mirror. It’s said to have existed since the primordial era of the gods, capable of manipulating the stars themselves. Unlike the so-called ‘divine artifacts’ of today, this one could truly reshape heaven and earth.”

Starcloud Mirror. Yuan Ji’s heart skipped. The name felt inexplicably familiar. He remained silent, listening intently.

“Its power was too great. It was sealed away in a secret realm, bound by countless restrictions and guarded by four suppression stones. This swastika talisman was one of them.”

“As for me… I was just a compass left near the mirror, bathed in its aura until I gained sentience.”

“But one day, the long-dormant Starcloud Mirror grew restless. It shattered its seals and vanished.” Ye Wenshu’s voice trembled as if reliving the cataclysmic moment.

“With the mirror gone, I fled to the mortal world. But the suppression stones, sensing its absence, pursued it—either to reseal it or destroy it outright.”

“Then why were they chasing you?” A’Tong, unable to contain itself despite being unheard, interjected.

No wonder the map hadn’t marked anything earlier. It had worried the system was broken, but now it made sense.

Lost in his tale, Ye Wenshu continued, “I carried traces of the mirror’s aura. While passing through Xuan City, before anyone could locate the mirror, someone found one of the suppression stones.”

“The stone awakened, detecting the mirror’s presence on me. It locked onto me, determined to drag me back—or erase me on the spot.”

Finishing his story, Ye Wenshu exhaled deeply. The burden of his secret lifted, he felt lighter.

He relaxed his shoulders and met Yuan Ji’s gaze, leaving the choice in his hands. “That’s my truth.”

The swastika talisman, eroded by time, bore the marks of countless years. Yuan Ji brushed off a fleck of rust, the rough texture grounding him.

So that’s how it is.

Nodding slightly, he tapped the talisman absently. One question remained.

Just then, Qi Yan, who had been silent until now, spoke. “Then why was Elder Xuan dragged into this?”

Yuan Ji raised a brow, surprised.

Since when does he care about Xuan Chengren’s affairs?

Under the group’s scrutiny, Xuan Chengren didn’t evade. If Ye Wenshu could lay bare his secrets, so could he.

“When the suppression stone escaped, many assumed a treasure had emerged. The noble families sent hunters after it—I was one of them. Tracking its trail, I stumbled upon it trying to eliminate Ye Wenshu.”

Back then, the stone’s power was immense, capable of summoning storms with a mere flicker.

Seeing Ye Wenshu struggling for his life, Xuan Chengren mistook him for an unfortunate young noble and intervened.

“But a surge of demonic energy ambushed me. On the brink of death, the suppression stone embedded itself in my chest… becoming my heart.”

It kept him alive, but his weakened body fell under the stone’s control, turning him into a half-living puppet—one that hunted Ye Wenshu relentlessly.

The guilt weighed on Ye Wenshu. Even when he had chances to destroy the stone, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Without the stone, Xuan Chengren would die.

Torn, Ye Wenshu could only hide and survive.

Now, revisiting the past, he couldn’t hold back his tears. Without hesitation, he threw himself at Xuan Chengren, sobbing.

“Elder Xuan, this is all my fault!”

“Good child, it wasn’t you.” Xuan Chengren patted his back, his own eyes moist.

A touching scene unfolded. A’Tong sniffled invisibly. “So tragic…”

Yuan Ji felt a pang of sympathy. Releasing the talisman, he tossed it onto the table. “In that case, you may leave.”

Ye Wenshu’s heart leaped. He’d expected punishment for his honesty, not mercy.

“Thank you, Lord River God!” He bowed deeply, then turned to Xuan Chengren. “With the stone gone, you’re free too. Why not travel the world with me?”

Xuan Chengren’s smile faltered. “Ah… I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid I can’t.”

“Why not?!”

The elder’s face reddened slightly. “Well… I still owe Lord River God some spirit stones.”

Yuan Ji nodded in confirmation.

Ye Wenshu thumped his chest. “You saved me back then. Let me repay you now. How much do you owe? I’ll cover it.”

A’Tong applauded internally. Such nobility!

Yuan Ji’s lips curved. “In that case, thank you.”

“100,000 high-grade spirit stones. Hand them over directly.”

Ye Wenshu froze, his pupils dilating. “H-How much?!”

“One hundred thousand.” Yuan Ji enunciated slowly. “High-grade.“

Like a weathered boulder finally pushed off a cliff after millennia, Ye Wenshu—

Shattered.