But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 3

“From now on, my brother and I belong to you.”

Luan Xuan cupped her cheeks in her hands, peeking timidly at Yuan Ji from beneath lowered lashes. When her gaze met Yuan Ji’s contemplative one, she quickly averted her eyes, as if afraid Yuan Ji might change her mind.

“My brother is an exceptional dancer,” she added hastily, her voice sweet and coaxing. “People would pay a fortune just to see him perform. If you want, he can dance for you too~”

Her dewy eyes shimmered with an almost pitiable vulnerability.

The system, A-Tong, hovered near Yuan Ji’s shoulder and muttered under its breath, “Yuan Ji, something feels… off about this.”

“Hmm.” Yuan Ji chuckled softly, unfazed by Luan Xuan’s transparent act. She raised a hand, and the flickering ember at her fingertips suddenly blazed into a searing light, twisting like a ferocious beast eager to tear everything apart.

Crack.

The mist suspended in the air shuddered, as if something invisible had shattered.

Luan Xuan’s expression instantly shifted. She took a step back, all traces of her earlier “adoration” vanishing, replaced by wariness. “Who are you?”

Yuan Ji spread her hands and smiled lazily. “The River God.”

“River God?” Luan Xuan repeated silently. The title felt ancient, something she could only vaguely recall from inherited memories. “I—I’m strong! Don’t think you can bully us!”

Her bravado was paper-thin.

Amused, Yuan Ji shook her head.

“Child’s play.” She plucked a shimmering sapphire fragment from the air, turning it between her fingers. The light refracted brilliantly, like the wings of a butterfly she’d once caught…

Yuan Ji froze.

A seal deep within her soul trembled, loosening for just a moment before the swirling fog swallowed it again, leaving no trace.

After a futile attempt to chase the fleeting memory, Yuan Ji refocused on the girl before her.

Pretty, but dangerous. Interesting.

“You’re a butterfly spirit, aren’t you?” She tossed the fragment back to Luan Xuan, who caught it with wide, distrustful eyes. “I have no interest in you or your brother. You’re free to go.”

The jade shard carried Yuan Ji’s cool aura but didn’t burn to the touch. Luan Xuan lowered her head, her expression unreadable.

Yuan Ji had no use for lifeless trinkets. She turned and strode toward the distant village, intent on gathering followers as her mission required. Hopefully, the locals are easy to persuade… or at least gullible enough.

Luan Xuan had never met someone like her—someone who would casually return the Butterfly Clan’s most coveted treasure, the Illusion Jade, without a second thought. It defied everything she’d come to expect from humans.

Biting her lip, she glanced at her unconscious brother, Luan Yu, and made a decision.

“Wait—wait for us!”

Yuan Ji didn’t stop.

Luan Xuan stared at her retreating figure, then at her brother. With a frustrated huff, she grabbed Luan Yu’s collar and dragged him after Yuan Ji, leaving a messy trail in the dirt.

All pretense of fragility was gone.

Luan Yu, jolted awake by the rough handling: “…?”

“Xuan’er?”

Luan Xuan paused mid-drag, then sped up. “Brother, the two who were chasing us—that self-proclaimed River God killed them. She also fished us out of the water.”

“I need to hurry, or we’ll lose her. If you’ve recovered, help me. We’re too slow like this.”

“What?” Luan Yu stumbled. “She pulled us from the water? Why are we chasing her?”

His shock was justified. That water had been unnatural—no matter how much spiritual energy he’d poured into escaping, it had felt like sinking into an abyss.

As they ran, Luan Xuan recounted everything, emphasizing how effortlessly Yuan Ji had shattered her illusions.

Luan Yu studied the figure ahead. Yuan Ji’s slender frame gave no hint of such power, but an unfathomable energy surrounded her, making her cultivation level impossible to discern.

The landscape shifted as they traveled—from towering ancient trees to waist-high shrubs. Though the air remained thick with moisture, the terrain grew more open.

A-Tong finally proved useful, navigating via its system functions.

“Yuan Ji, the target is a hundred meters ahead,” it declared, trying to reclaim some dignity.

Yuan Ji glanced at the two shadows trailing her. “Mm.”

Soon, a ragged, burly man came into view. He slumped against a tree, face buried in his hands, his sobs muffled. Strangely, a thick iron chain coiled around his left arm clinked with every movement.

The desolate surroundings magnified his grief.

Hearing footsteps, the man jerked his head up. Bloodshot eyes locked onto Yuan Ji like a cornered wolf.

“Girl, you shouldn’t be here,” he rasped. “Leave. It’s not safe.”

Yuan Ji studied his despair, then tilted her head, listening.

Rustle. Crunch.

Something heavy crushed the underbrush. Mud squelched.

“Hhhkk…”

A guttural, blood-tinged breath shattered the silence.

A grotesque figure emerged from behind the tree—neither fully human nor beast. Its face was obscured by matted fur, save for two crimson eyes and a gaping, fetid maw. A chain around its waist connected to the man’s wrist.

“Hhhkk…” The creature crouched lower, poised to lunge for Yuan Ji’s throat.

“Go. Pretend you never saw me,” the man muttered, waving her off.

Hidden in the distance, Luan Yu and Luan Xuan stifled gasps. “Brother,” Luan Xuan whispered, “isn’t that the man-eating monster from the rumors? Why’s it here?”

Luan Yu pressed her head down and gripped the Illusion Jade, ready to use it if needed.

“Corrupted by demonic energy,” Yuan Ji observed.

The man stiffened. His tear-streaked face twisted. “What would you know?” he snarled. “Are you with them?”

A-Tong shrank back. “Yuan Ji, maybe he’s not the best target. Let’s find someone else.”

“Then I can’t let you leave.” The man patted the creature’s head. “Baobei, go.”

The monster lunged.

Luan Yu held his breath, fingers whitening around the jade.

Screeee!

A sword’s cry split the air, aimed straight for the creature’s skull.

Though it dodged, the blade’s edge grazed it, black blood oozing from the wound. With a shriek, it curled up, then suddenly stilled and growled at the sword.

The azure blade hummed, vibrating like a challenge.

“Baobei! Careful!” The man rushed forward, shielding the creature as he pressed a cloth to its wound. He glared at the hovering sword, then spat at Yuan Ji.

“Pah! You ‘immortals’ are all the same—hypocrites! Flaunting your power, trampling on mortals. So noble, so righteous—more like rotten to the core!”

A-Tong bristled. “Yuan Ji, he’s so rude! He doesn’t even know the facts!”

Yuan Ji tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, soothing A-Tong. She eyed the creature. “If you want to kill me, you’ll need to unsheathe those claws.”

As if on cue, the creature flexed its hands, revealing ten black, spade-like nails.

“Hkk!”

The sword slashed its arm before it could strike.

“Agh!”

“We found Senior Brother’s sword! They’re here!”

A shrill voice rang out. Three purple-robed cultivators descended on flying swords.

Luan Yu and Luan Xuan ducked lower. Tianji Palace disciples. The sect was notorious for its hatred of demons.

The leader, Lin Langxing, flung out talismans the moment he saw the creature. “Fiend, surrender!”

Eight talismans formed a cage around Yuan Ji, the man, and the creature. Golden barriers rose, crackling with lightning—a single touch would sear flesh to bone.

This was Tianji Palace’s lethal formation, capable of crippling even a Nascent Soul cultivator.

The man paled, clutching the creature’s hand.

Lin Langxing’s gaze swept over them, lingering on Yuan Ji. His junior, Dongfang Hua, whispered, “Senior Brother, she reeks of demonic energy. Might as well eliminate her too.”

He drew a finger across his throat.

Lin Langxing’s eyes darkened. But before he could activate the formation, the azure sword smacked all three cultivators into the dirt.

“Oof!”

The man barked a laugh. “Tianji Palace? Pathetic.”

Dongfang Hua gaped at the sword. “Why is Senior Brother angry?”

Yuan Ji sighed. “Noisy.”

A single word, yet it carried crushing pressure. Silence fell.

Dongfang Hua recovered first. “You demon! How dare you disrespect us? You’ve got a death wish!”

His finger jabbed toward Yuan Ji—then snapped backward with a sickening crack.

“I don’t like being pointed at,” Yuan Ji said mildly.

Dongfang Hua howled. “Do you know who I am? I’m a Tianji Palace disciple!”

“Tianji Palace?” Yuan Ji glanced at the man. “Are they strong?”

The man smirked. “Trash.”

“You—!”

Dongfang Hua’s outrage died as Yuan Ji smiled. The golden formation shattered into motes of light.

Yuan Ji crouched before him, a white glow at her fingertips.

“Remember this.”

“I am the River God.”