But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 73

Within the River God’s temple, the enticing aroma of roasted meat wafted through the air. The fresh, savory scent of fish and shrimp, mingled with the faint, sweet fragrance of fruitwood, was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.

Yuan Ji, who had initially been watching the Venus flytrap idly perform its trick of ‘shattering a large fish on its chest’ with boredom, gradually found herself drawn to Qí Guān Shàng’s culinary skills.

Yuan Ji sat straddling beside the bonfire, propping her chin up with one hand, her gaze fixed intently on the fish roasting before her.

Drops of a glistening, secret-recipe seasoning trickled down the golden, crispy skin, seemingly intensifying the aroma that now hooked directly into one’s nostrils.

Unlike Yàn Kū’s methods, Qí Guān Shàng preferred to sprinkle the grilled fish with a sweet and sour sauce to balance out the smoky bitterness. The addition of this fresh, bright flavor was like a lone, leisurely boat appearing on a vast, empty sea—always making one yearn to seek out its trail.

“Would you like some more?”

Qí Guān Shàng had grilled several fish for Yuan Ji in a row, each with a different flavor profile. Every fish had met a worthy end.

Yuan Ji tilted her head to look at Qí Guān Shàng beside her. In the warm glow of the bonfire, the corners of his eyes seemed tinged with a worldly warmth, and the orange light made the look in his eyes appear even softer.

“Another fish, please.”

Yuan Ji was quite frank, her gaze expectant as she looked at Qí Guān Shàng. She hadn’t expected his skills to be this good. Although Yàn Kū was also good at roasting meat, she always felt something was missing. Today, she finally understood what it was.

It was like a parched person suddenly receiving a bowl of clear spring water; even after quenching their thirst, they would still instinctively lick their lips, wanting another bowl.

“Eating only fish can become tiresome. How about having a piece of pastry to change the pace first?” Qí Guān Shàng pulled out the box of pastries Yàn Kū had made for him before he left; they were still slightly warm. “By the time you finish this, the fish will be almost ready.”

System, watching Qí Guān Shàng alternately offer tea and pastries, felt that this man seemed particularly attentive.

But then again, its host was so well-behaved, who wouldn’t want to be good to Yuan Ji?

Logic checks out. System looked at Qí Guān Shàng with even more satisfaction. “Yuan Ji, this one can stay.”

Yuan Ji took a bite of the pastry. A clean, sweet fragrance filled her entire mouth, bringing a sense of physical and mental pleasure. For a moment, Yuan Ji began to think that perhaps, after the curse was lifted, it wouldn’t be out of the question to set aside a room for this man in the River God’s temple.

Just then, Luán Xuān excitedly rushed from the backyard to the front with Guān Mùpíng in tow, her face unable to hide its triumph.

“Lord River God, quick, guess what Mùpíng has made!”

Yuan Ji glanced at Guān Mùpíng, who was hiding somewhat shyly behind Luán Xuān, and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Oh? What is it?”

Luán Xuān nudged Guān Mùpíng, signaling him to present what he had made.

“Lord River God, I made this myself.” Guān Mùpíng somewhat bashfully handed a very small, wooden mechanical bird to Yuan Ji. “I made it based on notes my mother left behind, figuring it out as I went.”

He gave it a gentle toss upwards, and the mechanical bird actually flapped its wings like a real bird, gliding through the air. “With just a little air current, it can circle in the air for a long time without falling.”

“It’s just… I’m not as clever as my mother was. It’s not made very well, I hope Lord River God doesn’t disdain it.” Guān Mùpíng had originally thought he would never reveal his identity as a descendant of the Guān family in this lifetime, but Yuan Ji had given him a great sense of security. Once he had some free time, the Guān family bloodline within him revealed itself.

Whenever he had a spare moment, he tinkered, trying to create something. And so, in just a day or two, he had managed to produce this flying bird.

“You’ve done very well. I like it very much.” Yuan Ji softened her voice and gently patted Guān Mùpíng’s shoulder. “I see the patterns on it are quite beautiful, they don’t look like your handiwork.”

“Lord River God, I drew them!”

Mentioning the patterns made Luán Xuān even happier, she raised her head proudly. The patterns were painted with butterfly powder she had mixed in; they shimmered with a silvery-blue glow under the moonlight, more brilliant than the Milky Way.

“They are exceptionally beautiful.” Yuan Ji nodded solemnly. Perhaps bored from waiting, she now found herself somewhat amused, being pulled along by these two half-grown children. Looking at the mechanical bird in her hand, she had a sudden inspiration.

She remembered that there seemed to be that thing in the system mall.

“Here it is!”

Yuan Ji exchanged points for a glowing explosive seed, about the size of a fingernail, from the system mall.

“Yuan Ji, why did you exchange for this?” System asked curiously, leaning over to watch as Yuan Ji wedged the seed into the mechanical bird’s short beak. “This explosive seed will blow up!”

“Don’t worry.” Yuan Ji nonchalantly quickly placed a restriction on the seed to prevent it from exploding while inside the mechanism. She remembered reading the mall description; when this explosive seed burst, each individual seed would fly out like a spark.

If this mechanical bird carried the explosive seed and glided through the air for a round, the scattering specks of light falling slowly from the sky would be especially fun, like mortal firework displays.

After recovering part of her memories, many playful recollections had surfaced in Yuan Ji’s mind. It seemed someone had also used fireworks to amuse her in the past.

Yuan Ji tried to recall that person’s features further, but everything became hazy, followed immediately by a piercing pain in her heart.

Forget it. She would know who that person was once she recovered all her memories.

Yuan Ji shook her head, dismissing the thought. She tossed the mechanical bird in her hand slightly, a faint smile curling her lips. “Let me show you something interesting.”

The vigorous bonfire occasionally spat out a few fireflies-like embers. Yuan Ji’s unusually vivid and bright smile etched itself into Qí Guān Shàng’s heart. He remained silent for a long time, just watching, not shifting his gaze away one bit.

After a while, he subtly moved his finger under his wide sleeve. A barely detectable trace of demonic energy attached itself to the mechanical bird, coating it in an indestructible armor.

Nothing would be allowed to disrupt Yuan Ji’s enjoyment.

Her smooth, fair hand cradled the mechanical bird and gave it a gentle push upwards. The somewhat crudely made bird actually circled through the air with remarkable agility. As it glided, the silvery-blue butterfly powder sprinkled down from its body.

It was like stars were falling.

“Pop!”

The explosive seed in the bird’s beak burst. Restricted by the spell, it didn’t scatter sparks, but countless tiny seeds spilled out from the mechanical bird’s mouth.

Qí Guān Shàng stepped slowly to Yuan Ji’s side and handed her the freshly grilled fish.

Yuan Ji tilted her head to look. Under the night sky, her eyes met his downward gaze. That gaze was deep and profound, like a soft wind at the end of spring—warm and inescapable.

The interweaving of red and blue, the collision of points of light, created an illusion that the entire Milky Way was tilting for Yuan Ji, presenting her with this piece of dreamlike beauty.

Yuan Ji’s heart gave a sudden, unexpected leap.

——-

Outside the River God’s temple, Hán Shí, his killing intent growing, wiped the filth from his face, only to hear a disciple behind him stammer in utter terror.

“E-elder, look! What is that!”

Hán Shí gritted his teeth impatiently. What a bunch of useless trash, wasting all those divine pills I gave them. So cowardly.

It was a shame they were short-handed now. All the usable disciples had been summoned by the Sect Leader for who-knows-what…

Forget it, no use dwelling on it. Hán Shí suppressed his dissatisfaction with the Sect Leader hoarding all the talented disciples. He narrowed his eyes and looked up in the direction the terrified disciples were pointing.

“Tch, useless fools. A mere mechanical bird scares you like this?”

“What does that River God have besides underhanded tricks? If we really faced her, it’s not like we have no chance of winning!”

Hán Shí spat viciously, but then he saw the disciple’s expression grow even more horrified.

Suddenly, a chill shot up his spine. A realization struck him—he remembered the strange events he’d encountered at the River God’s temple before. He hurriedly raised his longsword to guard in front of himself.

In the next instant, the slowly descending red specks of light abruptly exploded right before their eyes.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!…

Tiny seeds exploded all around them. The dark night was torn open by crimson gashes. Thousands of streaming flames burst around them, like a waterfall of molten rock pouring down, seemingly intent on burying them alive.

“Aaaah! Aaaah!…”

The disciples, whose robes had torn from their violently increased cultivation, shrieked as the flames scalded them. No sooner had they dodged an exploding spark on the left than another erupted on the right.

Looking around, they were surrounded by countless fireballs. There was no escape. They could only let the dark-red embers sear blackened wounds onto their bodies.

“It’s a hidden weapon dropped by that mechanical bird! Quickly, shoot it down!” Hán Shí’s eyes sharpened, quickly locking onto the culprit.

His longsword shot out, striking heavily towards the mechanical bird, but it didn’t fall as Hán Shí had expected. A powerful force protected the bird, causing the sword to merely graze past it.

For a moment, even more silvery-blue butterfly powder drifted down.

Amid the endless crimson flames, the butterfly powder settled onto the group and quickly vanished into their bodies.

“Hmm?” Yuan Ji looked down in puzzlement at the grilled fish in her hand. It still smelled perfectly delicious, so why was she also catching a whiff of something burning?

“Never mind, better to be careful.” Yuan Ji waved a hand, casting a transparent protective shield over the few people in the courtyard. The flowing flames were beautiful, but it would be bad if someone got accidentally burned.

The System on her shoulder felt another surge of fondness. As expected of the sweet host I chose. So considerate.

Inside the courtyard, harmony and contentment reigned.

Outside the courtyard, cries of misery filled the wilderness.

“This… this River God is so powerful! Did she know we would take those pills?!”

One disciple’s terror had reached its peak; his entire body shook like a sieve. Though, paired with his bulky physique, it looked rather ridiculous.

Another disciple had already broken down completely. “She must have known all along! She’s just hiding, watching us make fools of ourselves! The River God… she truly is a god! A god!!”

Yet another fell prostrate on the ground. The relentless explosions had already shattered his Dao Heart. “Wuuu… Elder, I want to go back.”

“I miss home.” He recalled the New Year celebrations in the mortal world, setting off firecrackers to scare away the Nian beast. He never imagined that today, at this River God’s temple, he would get to experience what it felt like to be the Nian beast.

Was the Nian beast as pitiful as I am now?

“Lord River God, spare us! Have mercy!” One disciple, unable to endure any longer, was the first to kneel and beg for forgiveness. The roaring in his ears was deafening; he could no longer hear what his fellow disciples were saying. He only knew one thing:

If they didn’t beg for mercy now, Lord River God would surely have even more terrifying things waiting for them.

What audacity did they have to challenge a god?

Remembering the fish eyes gleaming with a cold light in the air, the man shuddered.

This must be the punishment the god decreed after seeing our lack of remorse following the first warning.

First, humiliation but not fatal. Then, severe pain but still survivable. Never a complete extermination. This was Lord River God’s mercy.

“Thank you, Lord River God, for sparing my life!”

“Lord River God is compassionate! Thank you, Lord River God!”

The man’s face was covered in black soot from the explosions, tears now streaming down, creating a mottled pattern that made him look like a demon freshly crawled out of hell. Combined with his nearly delirious mix of weeping and laughter…

He looked… truly terrifying.

The fierce flames burned away the potion effects on their bodies, gradually revealing their auras as cultivators.

Yuan Ji frowned almost imperceptibly. Why did these people have to come now?

The gates of the River God’s temple slowly opened. Everyone looked at the scene before them: a mass of wailing and lamenting, the ground filthy and defiled. Silence fell.

What in the world is this!?

Hǔ Xiāo stretched his neck, barely managing to recognize these charred figures as disciples of the Tianji Palace. Seeing their current state, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.

Truly worthy of being the one our Lord has set his heart on. To torment them to this state without me even noticing her methods.

Such skill! Impressive!

He stole a glance at Qí Guān Shàng, inwardly cheering his lord on. Such a formidable Lord River God, my Lord, you must use every means at your disposal to win her favor.

Rest assured, this old servant will surely do his part to assist you!

Guan Muping was shocked when he saw the mechanical bird still flying in the air. It turned out that this was what the Lord River God wanted him to see.

He bit his fingertip, inspiration flashing rapidly through his mind.

“If enemies attack someday, this mechanical bird is small and lacks life aura, making it hardest to detect. If we carve protective arrays on it, we can send it out in times of danger, have it throw instant-explosion talismans, heavenly thunder talismans at the enemy…”

The more he thought, the brighter Guān Mùpíng’s eyes became. He felt a surge of eagerness to try.

If Xiàng Yìzhī were here, he would surely gasp in shock. That fanatical gleam in his eyes was indeed inherited from his cousin’s child—the same bloodline.

Yuan Ji was unaware of the myriad thoughts running through everyone’s minds.

She looked at the pile of Tianji Sect disciples heaped up by the Fierce Guardian Crabs, then glanced back at these… bizarrely shaped individuals whose clothes were in tatters. A trace of disdain flickered in her eyes.

Why is the Tianji Sect associating with such shameless people?

“Huh?” Just as Yuan Ji was thinking of tying them all up together, she realized one of these blackened lumps was an old acquaintance. “Hán Shí?”

Elder Hán Shí raised his head in grief and indignation, ready to curse, but then he saw a man standing calmly behind Yuan Ji.

The man was tall and slender, with strikingly handsome features and… rather exposed clothing. He looked like the type skilled in seduction.

In that moment, his grief and indignation surged.

“Yuan Ji!”

“Qí Yǎn’s bones aren’t even cold yet, and you’re already keeping a male concubine!?”

Yuan Ji was stunned: …

…Huh?