But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 66

Yuan Ji followed Xiang Yizhi deeper into the Valley of Despair. The further they went, the denser the moisture in the air became.

Having been deprived of sunlight for years, the cliffs on both sides were covered in dark green moss. From a distance, the dense black patches looked strikingly like swirling demonic energy, yet they seemed to fear something, hesitating to spread beyond their boundaries.

Yuan Ji frowned imperceptibly. She glanced at Xiang Yizhi, who offered her an ingratiating smile, and quickly concealed the suspicion in her eyes. “Have you been guarding this place all along?”

“Serving the River God is my duty. I dare not be neglectful. This is what I should do,” Xiang Yizhi said, bowing and gesturing for Yuan Ji to proceed. He pointed eagerly at a boundary stele that was as clean as if it were new.

“Look, my lord, this is the boundary stele of the River God’s Manor. Beyond this lies your residence. Please, my lord.”

Xiang Yizhi stood still, bowing his head low in what appeared to be deep reverence for Yuan Ji. Yet, the moment he lowered his head, an almost imperceptible smirk flickered across his lips.

“Yuan Ji,” Atong said worriedly, nestling against Yuan Ji’s shoulder as he eyed the suddenly appearing manor. “Are we really going in? Could this be a trap?”

Yuan Ji’s gaze swept over the boundary stele. It was made of an uneven, porous stone, with the words “River God’s Manor” meticulously painted in golden ink. Unlike the filthy surroundings, the stele was spotless, untouched by dust, likely cleaned daily.

Yuan Ji nodded, seemingly satisfied, and strode confidently inside, paying no attention to the line of small characters beneath the words “River God’s Manor”:

“Those who enter shall be killed!”

Oh no, could she really be the River God? Xiang Yizhi thought, watching Yuan Ji fearlessly step forward. He quickly shook off the idea. Whether she is or not, we’ll know once we’re inside.

Wiping cold sweat from his brow, Xiang Yizhi stood one step behind Yuan Ji, waiting for her to enter.

He watched her footsteps intently.

Five steps, four steps, three steps, two steps…

Xiang Yizhi licked his lips, staring breathlessly at Yuan Ji, silently counting down the final step.

“One step.”

“Wait,” Yuan Ji said, turning to Xiang Yizhi just as he expected her to take the final step. His heart raced nervously.

Xiang Yizhi’s breath caught in his throat. “M-my lord?”

Yuan Ji smiled faintly, raising her hand as a white light emerged from her fingertips, dancing playfully. Xiang Yizhi sensed an overwhelming force, more domineering than the earlier flame, and inwardly panicked. This is bad.

“Thank you for your hard work, but I prefer it this way,” Yuan Ji said calmly, lifting her hand.

Before Xiang Yizhi could react, the white light shot toward the boundary stele with lightning speed.

“Boom!”

The stone shattered, crumbling into dust and debris, gradually revealing what lay beneath.

As the gray faded, a golden glow began to shimmer.

Yuan Ji’s expression turned cold, and she sensed trouble.

She took a step back, suddenly reluctant to enter the River God’s Manor. As for the inheritor in the pot, let him fend for himself.

In contrast to Yuan Ji’s reaction, Atong’s mouth gaped wider and wider, his excitement growing.

“Boom!”

The boundary stele shed its stone disguise and rose from the ground, now standing as tall as a person and glowing brilliantly.

It was a pure gold boundary stele!!

The words “River God’s Manor” on it shone with dazzling golden light, as if washing away years of wronged to show everyone its true form.

Behind them, Xiang Yizhi trembled like a leaf. Two streams of murky tears flowed from his deep-set eyes. Even though the golden light was too bright to look at directly, he refused to look away.

Is this the true appearance of the boundary stele?

I… I never knew the truth.

Complex emotions surged within him, and unintelligible sounds escaped his throat. It was unclear whether he was overcome with excitement or fear.

Human joys and sorrows are indeed disconnected.

Unlike Atong’s excitement and Xiang Yizhi’s mix of fear, reverence, and joy, Yuan Ji only felt pain in her eyes.

She covered her face and took a deep breath, feeling a sense of despair.

This is bad.

She never expected the boundary stele’s true form to be like this.

She looked at the dull gray debris on the ground, feeling utterly exhausted. Is it too late to cover it back up?

Her River God Temple was already blinding enough. Who knew this small boundary stele would be just as bad?

“Thud.”

Xiang Yizhi turned and knelt abruptly before Yuan Ji. His tone was steadier now, devoid of earlier flattery, as if this was his true self.

Now convinced of Yuan Ji’s identity, he kowtowed three times, his forehead bleeding. “River God, your radiance is the light I strive for all my life. Please allow me to follow you.”

Yuan Ji: …

She didn’t actually like things this bright.

“My lord, are you displeased that I failed to clean the boundary stele to its rightful magnificence? If you permit me, I will clean it even more diligently from now on, ensuring everyone witnesses the glory that belongs to the River God’s Manor…”

Xiang Yizhi grew more and more excited, as if he would dash his head against the ground to atone for his failure if Yuan Ji refused.

Yuan Ji: …

Now her head hurt as much as her eyes!

“Let’s go inside first,” Yuan Ji said weakly, massaging her forehead.

Xiang Yizhi felt as if he had been granted a great reprieve. “Yes! Thank you, River God! I swear not to fail your trust!”

……

The moment Yuan Ji stepped past the boundary stele, she passed through a transparent barrier, and everything before her changed.

Unlike the damp, gloomy valley, the River God’s Manor was dry and refreshing, completely free of moisture. This pleased Yuan Ji greatly.

Good. I dislike damp cold. This place is quite nice.

Yuan Ji looked around, taking in her surroundings.

A barren field overgrown with withered grass surrounded a simple, unadorned structure. Its plain appearance was a stark contrast to the flamboyant style of the boundary stele, which put Yuan Ji somewhat at ease.

Directly ahead stood the large pot she had sensed.

Yuan Ji peered inside. The person-sized pot was engraved with intricate patterns, though a thick layer of dust obscured the details.

“My lord, please wait a moment.”

Xiang Yizhi pulled out a handkerchief he carried with him, his voice trembling with excitement as if he were about to scream. Even under Yuan Ji’s gaze, he could hardly contain his exhilaration. “Allow me to clean this incense burner for you.”

Such a large incense burner! The River God must have had many followers in the past!

I must perform well and not disappoint the River God!

Yuan Ji didn’t understand his excitement but nodded in sudden realization. Ah, he must be someone who loves cleanliness, given how he cleans the boundary stele daily.

Thus, Yuan Ji nodded at Xiang Yizhi, approving of his hobby, before walking toward the structure.

Emboldened by her approval, Xiang Yizhi wiped the dust off the incense burner. Instantly, a surge of power flooded into his body, and he felt his soul grow stronger.

This was… the River God’s blessing!!

Without a word, Xiang Yizhi lowered his head to hide his tears and cleaned the incense burner with even greater fervor.

…..

The closer Yuan Ji got to the structure, the stronger her sense of familiarity grew. She quickened her pace and soon realized that the River God’s Manor bore a striking resemblance to a place from her memories.

The jade chessboard placed by the window, the pavilion for enjoying lotus flowers in the rain, even the branches of the withered tree were the same—only missing the drifting red ribbons.

“This place…” Yuan Ji swallowed her words as a bold guess surfaced.

Could it be that I was once from this world? But then she glanced at Atong, who was still excitedly exploring, and shook her head, setting the thought aside.

I must be overthinking it.

“Atong, is this River God’s Manor related to my River God Temple?”

Atong, reluctantly pulled away from a vacant lot he was eyeing, turned back. This place is perfect. I could move all the buildings from the system mall here.

Atong was brimming with ideas, even considering sneaking over to his “buddy” to borrow some “code” to quietly transfer items from the system mall.

“Yuan Ji, I’ve checked. This place is also yours!”

“But it was hidden within a barrier, so the system didn’t detect it. This is also a River God Temple. You can think of it as the main temple, and the place we lived in before is a branch temple.”

“Strangely, the system shows that this River God’s Manor appeared suddenly, with no prior records.” As if someone had erased them.

Atong kept the latter half of the sentence to himself and instead reported the details of the River God’s Manor and its surrounding area to Yuan Ji.

“Yuan Ji! My earlier search was correct!” Atong suddenly sensed something and puffed out his chest proudly. “That person carries the aura of the River God’s boundary stele. Previously, the River God’s Manor wasn’t registered in the system, so his aura was hidden too.”

“No wonder I couldn’t find it before. Hmph!” Atong huffed and floated up to Yuan Ji. “It’s not that I’m useless. It’s that you’re too amazing, Yuan Ji!”

“If you don’t acknowledge the existence of the River God’s Manor, it isn’t allowed to appear.”

To evade the system’s detection—Yuan Ji, you’re truly the host I chose.

Atong puffed out his chest proudly, sharing in the glory.

Yuan Ji chuckled softly. “Can we establish a connection with the River God Temple to make it easier to return?”

“Of course, whenever you wish.”

Yuan Ji understood. After a moment of thought, she slowly closed her eyes.

“Hear my summons.”

“Come.”

“Ahhh!!”

As Xiang Yizhi cleaned the pot—or incense burner—with increasing vigor, the movements jostled Wudu awake. Opening his eyes, he saw a circular sky above and what seemed like bronze walls surrounding him.

Wudu gasped, his pupils shaking in shock.

Had he been thrown into a pot to be cooked?!

Wudu panicked for a moment, feeling the “pot” shaking incessantly. He recalled a cooking technique in the human world called “tossing the pan,” which confirmed his fears.

He tried to calm down but failed.

“Wahh, don’t eat me! Don’t eat me!”

Xiang Yizhi noticed the movement in the incense burner and peered inside, startled. “Oh, little one, why are you sleeping in the incense burner?”

“Did you have a nightmare? There, there. This is the River God’s Manor. You’re safe here.”

Seeing Wudu curled up, blinking his eyes, looking small and pitiful, Xiang Yizhi was reminded of his well-behaved nephew. Had he lived, he might have been around this age.

Xiang Yizhi’s gaze grew even more tender.

Look at those features. So similar to the River God’s. So handsome.

At the “bottom of the pot,” Wudu heard these words like a demon’s whisper and grew even more terrified.

Oh no! Had he fallen right into the enemy’s base?!

Help…Help.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person. I serve the River God now,” Xiang Yizhi reassured gently. “We’re all family here.”

Wudu: …

Help, is this person threatening me?!

“Your mother will be here soon. Why don’t you come out first?” Xiang Yizhi felt that the residual incense ashes in the burner were probably beneficial but too dirty for a child.

“My mother?!” Wudu’s voice twisted in disbelief. “Who?”

“The River God, of course,” Xiang Yizhi said, puzzled. “Did you sleep through everything?”

“Isn’t the River God your mother?”

“What!”

Wudu trembled with rage. What nonsense was this person spouting?

At that moment, several equally shocked voices erupted around them.

“What!!”

“Since when does the River God have a child?”

“Who was lucky enough to bear a child for the River God?!” (?)

A cacophony of voices filled the air. Xiang Yizhi shuddered and turned around to find a crowd of people standing behind him.

Xiang Yizhi: …

Xiang Yizhi: Ghosts!!!

“River God, save me!!”