But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 27

Gurgle, gurgle…

In the hazy night, a massive water sphere darted nimbly through the forest—much to the misery of those trapped inside.

Tossed about in the churning water, they were already dizzy and disoriented. To make matters worse, the sphere was filled with poisonous needles and toxic flowers, and before they could react, they were struck by their own poisons.

Mu Da, the leader of the group, was the quickest to react. The moment the water engulfed him, he held his breath. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, he immediately circulated his spiritual energy to shield himself, narrowly avoiding his own men’s deadly toxins.

Struggling to steady himself, he watched as his subordinates swelled up like bloated pigs, foamed at the mouth, or convulsed violently before collapsing lifeless.

In less than ten breaths, ninety percent of his men were dead.

His face darkened with fury as he glared at Yuan Ji, who stood calmly ahead of him. Gritting his teeth, he spat out, “Damn you! How dare you ruin my plans?”

With that, he pressed his palm forcefully against his right wrist, channeling spiritual energy into it.

The green floral tattoo on his wrist suddenly bulged and began to grow. In moments, a massive plant unfurled within the water sphere, its broad leaves shrinking the already limited space. But it didn’t stop there—it kept expanding.

Yue Tianchuan’s eyes widened in alarm. “Oh no—the water sphere can’t hold!”

The instant the words left his mouth, a pop echoed through the air as the sphere burst. A violent torrent of water sent the remaining hundred men sprawling in all directions. Only ten managed to stay on their feet—the rest lay strewn across the ground, motionless, their fates unknown.

But their relief was short-lived.

Mu Dezhong staggered back as he recognized the figure before him, his voice trembling. “It’s you… Mu Da.”

“Mu Da?” The servants of the Mu clan paled at the name, as if recalling something terrible. “He’s from our clan—why is he helping the Second Master’s side?”

“Indeed. Good eyes, Elder De,” Mu Da sneered. Behind him, the enormous plant continued to grow, releasing a dense white mist from its veins. “What a shame you’re serving a useless master with no bonded plant.”

The mist spread swiftly, and a single whiff was enough to render spiritual energy dormant, making cultivation impossible. This was Mu Da’s signature technique—the reason he had risen to lead the clan’s guards.

Mu Dezhong recognized the danger immediately. “Hold your breath! Beware the mist!”

Despite his warning, Mu Chao and his men were too slow. Their bodies went limp, devoid of strength.

Mu Da smirked, patting the plant behind him. “You found quite the helper this time, Elder De. To think you’d wipe out so many of my men.”

“Then I’ll chop this ‘helper’ to pieces right in front of you before taking your heads back to avenge my brothers. Attack!”

With a sharp motion, the broad leaves behind him coiled into spear-like formations, thrusting straight at Yuan Ji. Meanwhile, his remaining guards lunged at the closest targets.

Blades flashed, and Yue Tianchuan and the others were forced into retreat, once again at a disadvantage.

“Sister Yuan! Watch out!”

Mu Chao dodged a poisoned needle and stumbled toward Yuan Ji, his wrist burning with an inexplicable pain. Being called “useless” by Mu Da had stung, but seeing Yuan Ji in danger because of him sent panic coursing through him.

Bang!

The red tassel of the spear fluttered to the ground as the weapon itself shattered before Yuan Ji.

Seated atop the wall, Yuan Ji arched an eyebrow and shifted her posture. The coldness in her eyes was sharper than the waters of the River of Forgetfulness.

She didn’t like being pointed at.

Admittedly, her strength wasn’t fully restored—maintaining the water sphere for even an incense stick’s time had been her limit. Glancing at her fingertips, she narrowed her eyes.

But who said she could only summon water?

Snap.

With a flick of her fingers, an invisible force slammed Mu Da into the ground like a mountain crushing him. He writhed, unable to move, his dantian shattered and his meridians torn apart by the rampaging energy within him.

Blood gushed from his seven orifices as he gasped, “Who… are you?”

But before he could lift his head, a sharp pain lanced through his eyes, robbing him of even that strength.

This person… was terrifying.

Too late, fear gripped him. A thought flashed through his mind—

Was this the trump card the Eldest Master left for the Young Master?

Then why hadn’t the Young Master used it all these years?

But Mu Da would never get an answer.

Yuan Ji watched indifferently as the life faded from his body. Her gaze, devoid of emotion, swept over the remaining men.

“Boss! We need to run!”

One guard sensed the danger and turned to flee—only for a vine to drop from the sky, binding them all in an instant.

Just like that, the battle was over.

“Sister Yuan…” Mu Chao panted heavily, ignoring the man-eating grass as he rushed to Yuan Ji’s side. “Are you hurt?”

Yuan Ji’s eyes lingered on his wrist for a moment before she shook her head. “No.”

“Yan Ku, tie them up and bring them inside.” At her command, Yan Ku swiftly bound the captives and piled them in a corner.

Soon, the group watched as the guards broke down at the sight of the carnivorous plant, their earlier arrogance gone.

“It’s… over?”

No—this was the River God’s power.

Ye Wenshu gulped and nudged Xuan Chengren. “Old Xuan, if the River God is this strong, why does she even need us as guards? Who’d dare offend her?”

Xuan Chengren sighed deeply. “Perhaps this is the River God’s mercy.”

“Huh?” Ye Wenshu blinked before suddenly understanding. “Oh! I get it! When the River God acts, no one survives. So she needs us to give people a chance to live before she steps in!”

Overhearing their “whispered” conversation, the others glanced at the carnivorous plant, its leaves twitching as it tried to nibble on a captive’s arm, then recalled Mu Da’s gruesome fate.

Their hearts swelled with emotion.

The River God is so merciful!

Yuan Ji: “…?”

The bound guards, however, were far from moved. As the man-eating plant’s maw opened and closed near their heads, one finally cracked.

“Don’t kill me! I’ll talk! Spare me, Young Master!”

Yuan Ji accepted a handkerchief from Fang Mingzhu, covering her nose in disgust. “Question them,” she said to Mu Chao.

With her permission, Yue Tianchuan—small in stature but strong in strength—kicked the man to the ground. “Traitors! Now you beg for mercy?”

Mu Dezhong thanked Yuan Ji again before coldly beginning the interrogation.

Meanwhile, A’Tong rummaged through the system’s archives and retrieved information on the Mu family.

“Huh, this is weird,” A’Tong muttered, scanning the data. “Records say the Mu family is a prominent clan in Feiyun City. They have a secret art called ‘Bonded Plants’—every Mu clansman has one. The family trades spiritual plants and maintains good relations with other major families…”

Yuan Ji listened for a while. “The odd part is Mu Chao?”

“Yep!” A’Tong continued. “The records state Mu Chao is the sole heir of the Mu family’s main branch, but he can’t summon his bonded plant. After his father’s death, the clan refused to acknowledge him.”

“And according to the records… Mu Chao was supposed to die a month ago.”

Yuan Ji frowned. “A month ago?”

That was before A’Tong had awakened her. Who changed fate?

A vague thought flickered in her mind, but before she could grasp it, Mu Dezhong finished extracting answers from the captives.

His face was ashen. He hadn’t imagined the conspiracy ran this deep.

“Those old bastards! How dare they treat us like this after the Eldest Master’s death!”

His white beard bristled with rage, seemingly unaware of the irony in an old man calling others “old bastards.”

All their excuses—

“We want the clan to witness the Young Master’s abilities, so he must retrieve the lost treasure himself.”

“To be fair, the Second Branch will also participate, to silence gossip.”

—were lies!

This was nothing but a scheme to get the Young Master killed far from home.

Worse, Mu Dezhong had assumed the pursuers were from the Second Branch. He never imagined they were sent by the main clan!

Trembling with fury, veins bulging on his hands, he wished his bonded plant—a healing white lotus—had offensive power. If only…

Then an idea struck him, and a slow smile spread across his face. “Xiao Chuan, feed them to the man-eating grass. A little snack!”

“On it, Father!” Yue Tianchuan eagerly dragged two captives toward the wall.

Yuan Ji, witnessing this: “…”

Mu Chao, unable to stomach the brutality, stumbled to Yuan Ji, pale and despondent. “Sister Yuan…”

“It’s a Venus flytrap,” Yuan Ji said abruptly.

Mu Chao blinked. “What?”

Yuan Ji’s voice was firm. “It’s called a Venus flytrap. Not ‘man-eating grass.’”

Mu Chao nodded obediently. “You’re right, Sister Yuan. Those scum don’t deserve to be called ‘men’—they’re just insects.”

Yuan Ji: “…”

That wasn’t what she meant.

Never mind.

Mu Chao sighed, rubbing his aching wrist. Had a poison plant bitten him earlier? The pain was unbearable.

Yuan Ji’s gaze fell on it. “It’s about to awaken.” That was why it hurt.

Mu Chao was confused. “Huh?”

But Mu Dezhong, who had just approached, froze. His expression twisted between joy and grief. “River God… is it true?”

Yuan Ji nodded. “It was sealed. That’s why it couldn’t emerge.”

Mu Dezhong’s expression hardened. Was this the clan’s doing too? He didn’t doubt Yuan Ji’s words. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to storm back to the clan with a blade. But he forced himself to calm down and knelt before her.

“River God, I beg you—help our Young Master. This old man will serve you as an ox or horse in my next life!”

Mu Chao, a tear still clinging to his lashes, looked up in confusion.

“I’ll help him,” Yuan Ji said, her eyes fixed on Mu Dezhong. “But first, tell me—”

“One month ago… who did you meet?”