But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 72

The moonlight grew deeper, and the night sky, like oil-soaked paper, turned translucent, with scattered stars dangling faintly upon it.

It was at this moment that Elder Han Shi received the message and rushed to the River God Temple. Returning here and seeing how utterly ordinary and quiet the temple appeared in the deep night, he couldn’t help but recount to the others the anecdote of how he once brought his disciples here to meditate on the temple wall, absorbing the world’s spiritual energy to cultivate together.

He let out a long sigh, feeling keenly how much things had changed while he remained the same.

The wall was still here, but most of the disciples who had followed him were gone.

Having returned to the River God Temple fully prepared this time, he had specifically gone to the Hall of Myriad Affairs to obtain a potion made from beast blood, which he then applied to himself, fearing that the River God girl might detect his presence prematurely.

If anyone were to investigate them, they would only mistake them for a few small beasts passing by chance; they would never arouse suspicion.

It was a pity, though, that brewing just this small amount of potion required the blood of ten thousand demon beasts. Its scarce production meant he could only bring ten people with him today.

Resentment simmered in Han Shi’s heart. The people in the Hall of Myriad Affairs were all good-for-nothings who only knew how to eat, drink, and enjoy themselves. They should go out more to hunt demon beasts and bolster the sect’s strength.

Utterly useless!

Although Han Shi was dissatisfied with the Hall, he had to admit the potion was somewhat effective. They had already reached the vicinity of the River God Temple without encountering any guards.

“Elder, it’s just as Senior Brother said! There really is demonic energy here!” A disciple in blue robes pulled out a compass from his chest. Its specially crafted needle quivered rapidly, pointing straight at the River God Temple. Ye Xin’s expression turned stern, and he quickly stepped behind Han Shi, whispering, “The demonic energy here is exceptionally thick. The Demon Realm Sovereign is likely inside. Elder, I fear we are no match for him.”

Han Shi stroked his newly trimmed long beard, narrowing his eyes. “Hmph, our Tianji Sect is the number one sect in the cultivation world. Evil has never prevailed over righteousness since ancient times. Why should we fear a mere Demon Realm Sovereign?”

“Your words are wise, Elder,” Ye Xin replied, his voice still hushed, though he felt somewhat ashamed to state the obvious. “But adding the unpredictable River God into the mix, I’m afraid the situation is unfavorable for us.”

Han Shi shot him a displeased glare. The first time, he had been caught off guard and fell for the River God’s trick. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. “Since when has Tianji Sect produced someone as cowardly as you? Report to the Discipline Hall for a hundred lashes when we return.”

“Your Senior Brother Qi must have fallen victim to that demon’s plot, which is why he met his end. As his fellow disciples, not seeking revenge for him makes you unworthy of being Tianji Sect disciples!” Han Shi grew angrier as he spoke, his face flushing a deep purplish-red, breathing heavily. If the timing weren’t so inappropriate, he would have demoted Ye Xin to an outer sect cleaning disciple on the spot.

Ye Xin hurriedly apologized, and only after much effort did Han Shi reluctantly nod and reduce his punishment by ten lashes.

Ye Xin glanced sideways at Han Shi, who was putting on his elder airs, and snorted inwardly. When he lifted his head again, his eyes held their usual respect.

If only Senior Brother Qi were still here, he wouldn’t have to complete this sect mission under the leadership of this incompetent figure.

A trace of sadness and regret flashed through Ye Xin’s heart, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a dark shadow swiftly flitting past his side. “Who’s there?!” he hissed coldly. “Elder, be careful! It’s an ambush!”

“What! That witch has discovered us?!” Han Shi started violently, immediately pulling a blue porcelain vial from his robe.

This was something the Sect Leader had specially given him before his departure. It was said to be a divine pill refined from a secret manual found in Tianji Sect’s library, capable of multiplying one’s power for a short time.

With just one small pill, the disciples he brought could become an unstoppable force, slaying gods and buddhas alike who stood in their way.

“Take it, quickly!”

Ye Xin received the pill, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately swallowed it under Han Shi’s urging gaze.

Instantly, a burning sensation, as if scorched by raging flames, erupted in his abdomen.

——-

Inside the River God Temple at that moment, Yuan Ji held Lei She by the neck. Human and snake stared at each other, then looked down in unison.

On the ground before them were several piles of charred remains, no longer recognizable. They dissipated into the air with a gentle breeze.

Yuan Ji cast a long look at Lei She, then waved her hand dismissively. “You… forget it. Let’s just wait for Yan Ku.”

If this continued, the unenlightened crabs in the river were likely to be utterly decimated.

“Sss!” Little Lei unconvinced raised its head and wriggled, its tongue flicking out lowly. So what if it couldn’t grill crabs? It could catch bugs!

The little snake twisted its body, trying to prove to its friend that it was still very capable!

At its call, the flytraps originally perched on the wall began waving their vines wildly, a demonic dance to vouch for their newly acknowledged boss—it really was useful!

Even though, thanks to its ‘help,’ they had caught far fewer bugs lately, leaving the plants so hungry they had slimmed down and had to sneak out at night to hunt small beasts for food.

“Perhaps let me give it a try.” Qi Guan Shang rolled up his sleeves, inadvertently revealing an exquisitely small golden dragon embroidered on the inside cuff.

Yuan Ji only saw a flash of golden light. She assumed it was some accessory on Qi Guan Shang’s person. Somehow, despite being adorned with pearls and jade, he didn’t seem the least bit gaudy.

It was the first time Yuan Ji realized she quite liked this red-and-gold color scheme. It was like a preference dormant in her bloodline had awakened one day and taken over everything with the force of a wildfire.

She withdrew her gaze, but the glimpse of that golden figure grew increasingly clear in her mind.

Just from that one glance, she knew this little dragon was extremely well-cared-for. Its slender yet robust body was covered in shimmering, light golden scales. On its two dragon horns, as if due to some mischievous whim, rested two small bouquets woven from gems and pearls.

This was definitely an extremely vain little dragon.

Yuan Ji instinctively felt this way, and then froze when she realized what she was thinking.

Why would I know that golden figure is a dragon? It could be a small snake, or even an earthworm, for all I know.

Thinking this, Yuan Ji felt an inexplicable chill. She rubbed her forehead strangely, unconsciously turning to glance at Qi Guan Shang. Meeting his gentle gaze, her heart stirred slightly, and she averted her eyes nonchalantly.

“Then I’d like mine a bit more tender.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, a heap of lively fish and shrimp fell from the sky, piling up in the courtyard with a clatter into a small mountain.

A Tong gasped. “Yuan Ji, did you just fish out all the shrimp and fish from this river? Do you have a grudge against them? Are you trying to change the river’s fish population?”

Seeing that his lord was condescending to cook for this River God, Hu Xiao, as a subordinate, couldn’t just stand by and watch.

So Hu Xiao stood to the side, looking for an opportunity to help.

He watched as his lord used his demonic energy to descale, gut, oil, and season the fish and shrimp in front of him. The series of fluid movements seemed practiced countless times.

Witnessing this, Hu Xiao fell into a long silence.

So this was the kind of hardship the lord had endured during his long slumber! He must have had to cook for himself every single day to develop such skill!

Tears welled in Hu Xiao’s eyes. Suddenly remembering he was there to help his lord, but couldn’t assist with the grilling itself…

He turned his eyes and spotted Yuan Ji nearby, his eyes lighting up instantly, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening.

“River God, you have a mighty appetite!” Hu Xiao cast an appreciative look at Yuan Ji. “If only our lord could eat as much as you, he wouldn’t be so frail. So pitiful~”

Qi Guan Shang’s hand, which was sprinkling salt, paused abruptly. He shot a deep look at Hu Xiao, wanting to rebuke him but holding back, then gently flicked off the excess salt as if he hadn’t heard.

Better not to look.

Oblivious, Hu Xiao nodded slowly at Qi Guan Shang, his eyes firm as if to say: Don’t worry, lord , I understand you best. I will definitely help you maintain the image of a delicate, easily toppled weakling to lower her guard. Then, when you reveal your true power later, you can capture the River God in one move.

Yuan Ji: “…It was just a hand tremor.”

Yuan Ji’s face was wooden. She didn’t really want to hear that kind of praise either.

She raised her hand, about to send the extra, still-flopping fish and shrimp back to the river, when a verdant vine slowly draped over her wrist.

“You want to help?” Yuan Ji looked suspiciously at the inexplicably excited flytrap, wondering when they had grown so large.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!” The flytrap, seeing that Yuan Ji understood its intention, became even more excited! Countless more vines, as thick as a wrist, shot out from behind it, waving in the air.

Yuan Ji nodded slightly, feeling increasingly appreciative of the flytrap. “What a good child.”

The flytrap, having received Yuan Ji’s praise, seemed as if injected with adrenaline, suddenly swelling in size. Its vines deftly snatched up the fish and shrimp piled on the ground, each vine tensing into an elegant arc.

Then, with a “Whoosh!”, a plump fish transformed into a black shadow shooting straight out of the River God Temple, heading directly for the distant river.

“Plop.”

The flytrap, successfully having sent one chubby fish home, shook with excitement. Its vines swept across the ground in unison, grabbing whatever fish or shrimp they could and hurling them towards the river.

Although, from time to time, a few opportunistic vines would sneakily emerge from below, coiling around the plumpest fish and shrimp and stealthily eating them.

Flytrap: …Mmm, so tasty! Finally full!

And so, with the flytrap’s vines whirling like blurs, the piles of fish and shrimp gradually diminished.

Yuan Ji watched as the fish and shrimp became black arrows shooting straight into the river and fell silent.

She was beginning to worry. With that kind of force and speed, would there be a large number of dead fish floating belly-up in the river tomorrow?

The mere thought of that scene sent a shiver down Yuan Ji’s spine.

Ugh, she really didn’t want to have to fish those things out of the river.

Meanwhile, outside the River God Temple, Elder Han Shi and his group felt as if they had been struck by lightning.

Thinking the River God had discovered them and was launching a preemptive attack, they had taken the divine pills.

The divine pills lived up to their name. In just a few breaths, the disciples’ power surged violently, each of their cultivation levels jumping several stages. The abundant and domineering spiritual energy overflowed from their bodies, even bursting through parts of their specially made robes.

The disciples flexed their robust bodies, their eyes blazing, ready to engage in a bloody battle with the enemies inside the River God Temple.

But after waiting a moment, no one emerged from the temple.

They looked at each other in confusion. Just as they were about to charge in at Han Shi’s signal, a black arrow shot straight towards Han Shi’s face.

Han Shi lowered his brows, his gaze cold. He gently stroked his long beard, a deepening smile on his face. “Today is the day I wash away my humiliation with blood.”

He swung the long sword in his hand. With a “hum,” the intimidating sword intent made the surrounding air pressure drop significantly.

With just one swing, what could this black arrow do to him?

“Hah, too slow!” A trace of contempt appeared in Han Shi’s eyes. The speed of this black arrow wasn’t even half of his sword intent’s.

Han Shi swung confidently, only to see the black arrow split in two mid-air, exploding with a stench of mud and rot.

“What is this?!” When he saw what the black arrow actually was, his pupils constricted violently, and he forgot to dodge.

“Splat.”

Half of the split chubby fish slammed heavily into the bridge of his nose, forcing him back several steps. Stinking, muddy blood and fish scales covered his face.

Han Shi gasped, nearly fainting from the stench.

“Elder!”

“Elder… are you alright?”

Supported by his disciples, Han Shi wiped his face viciously, squeezing out words through gritted teeth, “How dare you… How dare you insult me like this!”

After slicing apart a few more flying fish and shrimp, Han Shi trembled with rage, his heart and liver shaking.

To look down on him so much! To humiliate him without even showing their face!

“Attack! Attack!!” He waved his sword wildly, his previously immortal-like aura completely gone.

But before the words fully left his mouth, Han Shi felt the surrounding air suddenly distort. He jolted to a stop, looking up in disbelief.

There, in mid-air, tens of thousands of chubby fish were poised, ready to launch. Their pairs of fish eyes gleamed with an eerie light under the bright moonlight.

Everyone’s breath caught. For the first time, facing mere fish, they felt a profound sense of despair and terror.

So many!

The River God is truly terrifying to such an extent!!