But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 74

“You heartless, ungrateful… Yuan Ji… Ugh-!”

Before he could finish his sentence, an immense pressure slammed him to the ground. His already severely injured body couldn’t withstand it. Hanshi fell heavily, vomiting a mouthful of blood.

Yuan Ji crouched down, looking at him with lowered eyes. She raised a finger to her lips and said coldly, “Shh. Quiet now.”

“You know I don’t like noise,” Yuan Ji feigned a well-intentioned tone. “Elder Hanshi, it’s been so long since we last met. Let’s not waste time on irrelevant topics.”

Hanshi’s pupils constricted sharply. He never imagined that Qi Yan would be considered an ‘irrelevant topic’ in the River God’s eyes.

“You… You… What could I possibly have to discuss with a demon like you?”

Hanshi’s hand trembled as he pointed at Yuan Ji, his heart aching for the pride of his Tianji Sect. If he had known it would come to this, he would have fought to the death to bring Qi Yan back to the sect back then. At least then, they might have recovered his body, instead of having nothing now.

Furious and frantic, Hanshi gasped for breath, his eyes glaring, bloodshot and crimson.

“De-Demoness! You’ll die a wretched death! I’ll kill you!” Hanshi squeezed out a blood-streaked curse from his throat, struggling to pull a jade vial from his robes to take more divine pills.

But in an instant, an invisible force slammed him away, sending him crashing into a distant stone mountain before he finally came to a stop.

Boulders clattered down, burying his body completely.

“Tch.” Yuan Ji clicked her tongue in annoyance. There were always irritating insects causing trouble.

If Hanshi wouldn’t cooperate, talking to someone else was just fine.

Yuan Ji lifted her chin slightly, her gaze slowly sweeping over the few people outside the door.

Huh? This person?

Yuan Ji felt suspicious. “A-Tong, why does this person have the aura of a demon? Does the Tianji Sect accept demons as disciples now?”

A-Tong immediately widened its eyes upon hearing this, clinging to Yuan Ji’s shoulder and staring intently at the person. “That shouldn’t be possible. The Tianji Sect has always been at odds with demons. How could they accept a demon as a disciple? Wait, this scent…” A-Tong sensed something amiss. “They all have traces of demon beast aura on them, but they’re clearly human.”

As soon as the words were spoken, Yuan Ji and A-Tong exchanged a look, both sensing something unusual about this situation.

If they were all human… now that was interesting.

For a moment, Yuan Ji stared thoughtfully at the freshly formed pile of rubble not far away. Was it too late to dig him out and ask?

“Qi Yan?” Qi Guan Shang stood to the side, arms crossed, watching Yuan Ji with relaxed composure. “Is he Yuan Ji’s lover?”

His light, casual words landed like a thunderclap on calm ground. Everyone instinctively held their breath, their eyes turning towards Yuan Ji.

“Hmm?” Yuan Ji noticed the numerous covert glances falling on her and found it somewhat amusing. So the old man Hanshi was blind, but did even they think she and Qi Yan had that kind of strange relationship?

The memory of that person thrusting a sword towards her heart surfaced in Yuan Ji’s mind. Besides, he had deceived her. A faint, self-mocking hum escaped her as her eyes shifted. “No,” she stated clearly, looking directly at Qi Guan Shang. “The next time I see him, I will kill him.”

“Tss~”

Luan Xuan forced an awkward laugh and hurriedly covered Guan Muping’s mouth—who had gasped in shock—pulling him towards the backyard. Meeting his confused gaze, the more experienced Luan Xuan frantically blinked, signaling: Let’s go, let’s go, this is not a scene for kids like us to get involved in.

He looked at Yuanji slowly with a faint smile, which made people suspect that if the three of them really met one day, he would hand over the knife to Yuanji without hesitation.

Yuan Ji nodded, not taking his words to heart, and turned to investigate the secret behind the Tianji Sect disciples.

In contrast, Hu Xiong behind her looked preoccupied. So the River God held no fondness for the identity ‘Qi Yan’? It seemed that the rival for their Lord’s affections was still that beloved who had vanished into nothingness.

For a moment, Hu Xiong looked at Qi Guan Shang with eyes full of pity. After a long pause, he mustered an ingratiating smile and sidled up to Qi Guan Shang, whispering comfortingly, “My Lord, don’t worry. Between the old flame and the new, surely you, as the new love, will win the River God’s favor.”

Qi Guan Shang: “…”

Qi Guan Shang gave a cold laugh, the smile on his face not reaching his eyes. “Fifty lashes when we return.”

Hu Xiong stiffened, tears welling in his old eyes.

This was misdirected anger! Their Lord must have been upset because he hit a sore spot!

——-

The moment Ye Xin saw Elder Hanshi being sent flying, his heart wavered violently once again. He was a half-demon who had painstakingly hidden his identity to sneak into the Tianji Sect and learn their techniques, only to become an outer sect cleaning disciple, constantly bullied and ostracized by those with power and influence.

He had resigned himself to the fact that demons like him were unwelcome in this world. But just moments ago, amidst the bursting flames, he had clearly seen the butterfly demon’s scale powder.

Ye Xin had once heard his mother mention that butterfly demon scale powder could create illusions, trapping people and clouding their minds.

The River God actually had demons among her subordinates? A sour emotion instantly swelled within his heart. Ye Xin didn’t quite understand what he was feeling. Perhaps it was joy at seeing a fellow demon, or maybe… jealousy that another demon could gain the River God’s favor while he suffered abuse.

He wanted to see this River God.

Ye Xin secretly glanced up and saw Yuan Ji bathed in a golden beam of light, her gaze sweeping over him. Her impassive eyes fell upon him, making him feel as if he, too, could live under the sunlight, no longer a bug lurking in the gutter.

Ye Xin’s throat moved as he swallowed. An absurd idea began to sprout and grow wildly in his heart.

“Riv…”

He struggled to force the word out, but his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the figure standing behind the River God. Crimson eyes, cold and piercing, with enchanting facial markings… He looked no different from the legendary Demon Realm Sovereign.

But hadn’t the Demon Realm Sovereign fallen into a deep slumber long ago? How could he appear here?

Ye Xin’s pupils contracted sharply, and he immediately lowered his head, his heart pounding like a drum.

Suddenly, a soft, measured female voice sounded above him. Mustering his courage, Ye Xin looked up. Silver threads embroidered on a light-colored long gown formed butterflies that seemed to flutter and take flight with the sway of the hem.

“You, what’s your name?”

“Ye… Ye Xin!” Ye Xin’s mind was already unable to form coherent thoughts. He instinctively blurted out his name, afraid that any delay might anger the River God.

His fellow disciples, who had been kneeling beside him, had become emotional the moment Yuan Ji approached them. They were now kowtowing before the River God, tears and snot streaming down their faces.

“Mmm, then it’s you.” Yuan Ji lifted her hand and crooked a finger. “A-Shang, come here.”

“This person is yours to handle.”

Qi Guan Shang nodded. When he turned to look at Ye Xin, the warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a chilling expression as if he were looking at a lifeless object. What frightened Ye Xin even more was that his voice remained just as clear and gentle as before, making the shift in demeanor feel like Ye Xin’s own illusion.

“Yuan Ji, you can rest assured.”

With Qi Guan Shang’s assurance, Yuan Ji lazily yawned and found herself a soft couch to recline upon.

She took out the five swastika-engraved bronze tokens from her robe and toyed with them idly. The pale golden tokens emitted a faint halo under the moonlight, resonating with each other. Yuan Ji traced the patterns on them and stacked them in sequence, only to discover that one piece was missing.

“A-Tong, can you tell where the missing piece is?”

Yuan Ji rubbed the gap with her finger. She had a vague feeling that if she could gather all the swastika tokens, her memories would fully return, and she would know exactly who she was.

A-Tong propped its chin, also examining the tokens. “Yuan Ji, I can’t see it. But don’t worry, it will appear when the time is right. We’re only missing the last piece.”

“Yes, just the last piece.” Yuan Ji glanced at Qi Guan Shang, who was leaning over talking to Ye Xin. “Wherever these swastika tokens appear, there’s always some unusual activity. What do you think the unusual activity related to him is?”

“Why are you thinking about that, Yuan Ji?” A-Tong gave her a strange look. “The unusual activity around him… that curse?”

“No, it must be something else.” Yuan Ji’s eyes darkened. “Don’t you think his appearance is just too coincidental?”

Yuan Ji found a comfortable position and looked up at the stars dotting the night sky. Occasional strands of bright moonlight fell through her fingers, illuminating her deep, thoughtful eyes.

“We mentioned the River God taking a bride, and he appeared before me dressed in red.”

“He grilled fish exactly to my liking on the first try.”

“And now, he’s even helping me collect the ransom.” Yuan Ji listened as the ransom amount, in a case of one willingly beating and the other willingly taking it, skyrocketed to a terrifying figure. She couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “Haven’t you noticed how everything is going exactly as I’d like?”

Listening to Yuan Ji list these points one by one, A-Tong felt chills run down its spine. It sucked in a sharp breath. “Y-Yuan Ji, he hasn’t even been here for two full days!”

“Yes, only a day’s time.”

“A-Tong, is there only one system in this world?”

A-Tong stammered, still feeling spooked. “N-Naturally. We systems can sense each other. There’s only me in this world.”

“Then there’s only one possibility left.”

Yuan Ji closed her fingers. Her slender, smooth fingers looked like jade or bamboo in the moonlight. A smile tugged at her lips, one she herself didn’t seem aware of.

“He is Qi Yan.”

A-Tong: !!!

A-Tong suddenly remembered what Yuan Ji had said earlier. It swallowed hard and ventured, “Yuan Ji, you’re not actually going to take action, are you?”

Yuan Ji stared unblinkingly at Qi Guan Shang. Noticing her gaze, he turned to meet her eyes and offered a faint smile. She raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk appearing on her lips.

“A-Tong, he went through all the trouble of changing his appearance to get close to me. Wouldn’t it be boring to just expose him like that?”

The smile on Yuan Ji’s face widened. “I just thought of something fun.”

A-Tong was stunned, and couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Qi Guan Shang—no, for Qi Yan.

His dear host was usually the type to avoid trouble at all costs. But once she decided to play…

A-Tong sighed and shook its head.

Before long, Qi Guan Shang finished his conversation with Ye Xin and walked over gracefully. As he moved, the beads and jade ornaments on his clothing clinked together, sounding like shattering jade in empty mountains or orioles singing in a forest.

Yuan Ji rested her chin on her hand, quietly waiting for him to approach. “Is everything settled?”

“Anything you ask of me, I will spare no effort to accomplish,” Qi Guan Shang replied. He continued, “Moreover, I’ve learned some information that you might find interesting.”

Yuan Ji feigned surprise. “What information?”

“Guan Rou once saved Ye Xin.”

Yuan Ji stood up, her expression turning more serious. “You mean Guan Muping’s mother, Guan Rou?”

Qi Guan Shang sat down beside Yuan Ji and took out a handkerchief from his robe. He slowly unfolded it. On the green handkerchief lay a small wooden sparrow.

Unlike Guan Muping’s slightly crude mechanical bird, the smooth, clean lines of the carving showcased the carver’s skilled and proficient technique.

The faint, natural scent of wood still clung to the small sparrow; it had been carved very recently.

“And a few days ago, Ye Xin received a message delivered by this sparrow, instructing him to find something in the Tianji Palace.”

“So, Guan Rou… she is still alive.”