But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 68

“The tale of the River God taking a bride is a folk story. It’s said that long ago, there was a tyrannical river god who, because he could control the waters, would often flood farmlands and oppress the people.”

As the River God System, A-Tong naturally knew all information related to river gods. It sometimes read such folk stories as casual entertainment.

“The people thought this river god must be too lonely and idle, so they decided to find him a wife—to keep him busy and give him less free time to stir up trouble.”

“So they selected a beautiful villager, dressed her in red wedding robes, and offered her to the river god as a bride, hoping to gain his favor and ensure good weather and abundant harvests the following year.”

“Unexpectedly, the river god accepted the bride they offered him and truly never caused trouble again.”

A-Tong embellished the story it knew, narrating it vividly to Yuan Ji, as if this would better showcase its vast knowledge.

After listening, Yuan Ji frowned silently. Could this river god be a lecher? He actually accepted a bride offered by others? Who would enjoy a story where one person is sacrificed for the happiness of others?

“Did the villagers give me this storybook to insult me?” Yuan Ji fell silent for a moment, hardly able to avoid suspecting that this might be a veiled criticism.

No, it was more like a direct insult pointed right at her.

For a moment, Yuan Ji laughed in anger, glaring at the storybook in A-Tong’s hands and snorting coldly, as if it were some filthy object rather than a book.

Seeing Yuan Ji frown and reach out to tear the book to shreds, A-Tong hurriedly protected it, tucking it into its embrace.

“Oh, Yuan Ji, those are things only disreputable river gods would do!”

A-Tong spoke firmly, soothing Yuan Ji’s ruffled feathers. “That’s just the river god from a folk story—probably another impostor! It has nothing to do with you!”

“You are a proper river god!”

“And besides,” A-Tong held up the storybook, “the river god in this story is incredibly powerful, the greatest under heaven, responsibly managing all the rivers. He’s a good and dutiful river god.”

Yuan Ji thought it was just trying to fool her. What kind of good river god needs the people to offer him a bride?

A-Tong awkwardly rubbed its nose, unsure how to explain to Yuan Ji that this kind of setup was very common in stories.

“And the bride offered in this story wasn’t chosen by the villagers as a sacrifice. He was alone and orphaned from childhood, and because he had a beautiful face, he was often bullied. Being sent to the river god as a bride actually saved him from his suffering…”

“This little bride, to repay the river god for saving him, served him diligently. Over time, the two developed feelings for each other. It’s a happy story.”

Yuan Ji: …Hmph.

Yuan Ji’s face remained expressionless. She still couldn’t understand. She waved her hand. “Enough, put it away. I don’t want to see it again.”

A-Tong quickly stored the stack of storybooks into the system. If they were left out, Yuan Ji might just burn them all.

“Yuan Ji, let’s finish the daily tasks. We only have one piece of trash left.”

While they were talking, Yuan Ji had already “collected” another piece of trash. Just one more, and the daily task would be complete.

Yuan Ji grunted in acknowledgment and sped up her work.

The raging waters of the River of Forgetfulness surged forward, waves crashing against the stones on the bank, stirring up large white foams that were quickly swallowed by the following waves.

Suddenly, a flash of red appeared amidst the white foam.

This red was strikingly bright, like a red gentian flower blooming abruptly on a vast snowy mountain, stubbornly displaying its vigorous life under heavy snow.

Yuan Ji’s eye twitched, and a strange feeling rose in her heart.

Red?

She must have been poisoned by that horrifying storybook!

Yuan Ji narrowed her eyes, thought for a moment, then fished out that flash of red. A slender stream of water carried it to her, and she unfolded it by pinching its corners.

It was square, embroidered with two plump, colorful chickens.

Yuan Ji looked it over and couldn’t help but remark, “This plump colorful chicken can actually float on water. If it diligently cultivated, it would surely have great potential for cultivation.”

“What plump colorful chicken?” A-Tong was stunned. It looked up at the exquisitely embroidered pattern—clearly a red bridal veil used in folk weddings—and exclaimed, “Those are mandarin ducks! Who embroiders fat chickens for a wedding?”

Yuan Ji: Mandarin ducks…?

Yuan Ji: A wedding…??

The next moment, Yuan Ji crumpled the red veil and threw it back into the River of Forgetfulness, then turned to leave.

Filthy thing.

“Hey, Yuan Ji, where are you going?” A-Tong watched as the red disappeared into the water. Soon, a small whirlpool appeared from below, and more red emerged.

A-Tong cried out, “Yuan Ji, look!”

Yuan Ji turned to see the whirlpool growing larger, the color beneath deepening as if something was about to emerge.

The next moment, Yuan Ji’s eyes widened. A very familiar, faint fragrance drifted from the water—light, elusive, like a thin veil gently brushing past Yuan Ji’s nose, compelling her to take a few steps forward.

“Qi…”

Before she could finish, Yuan Ji saw the person surrounded by that cluster of red.

Dressed in red robes, intricate patterns woven with gold thread shimmered brilliantly under the glistening water. A chain of glass jade beads hung diagonally at his waist, accentuating his alluring figure.

He slowly opened his eyes. A pair of red pupils mirrored the red demonic patterns beneath them, creating the most enchanting appearance. Yet, the coolness in his eyes made his demeanor transcendent, like an immortal exiled to earth.

He arrived in full splendor, as if he had come to marry her.

“It’s not him.”

Yuan Ji fell silent, raising a hand to press against her chest. For some reason, she felt an emptiness in her heart.

“Ahem.” The man staggered slightly, masking a trace of laughter in his eyes. He seemed weak, barely managing to steady himself before another fit of coughing wracked his throat.

His red robes were soaked through, clinging tightly to his body. Ink-black hair fell along his cheeks, making him look utterly pitiful.

“Are you the River God?”

“I’ve been searching for you for so long.”

A-Tong was shocked.

This… this scene… It had a bad feeling about this.

Yuan Ji fell silent.

Yuan Ji pondered.

Yuan Ji found it familiar.

The red veil, the red wedding robes, this… this beautiful man!

Yuan Ji, self-taught, had already grasped the truth: Could this be the “bride” the villagers had sent for her?!

Yuan Ji gasped, taking two steps back. “But I’m a proper river god!”