But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 75

“A few years ago, before I joined the Tianji Sect and was still living deep in the mountains with my mother, I met her once.” Ye Xin, having changed into a fresh set of clothes, sat in the courtyard and began telling Guan Rou’s story. Everyone around him listened with rapt attention, their eyes full of curiosity.

“How was she? Was she injured?” Guan Muping urgently grabbed Ye Xin’s hand, eager to hear everything about his mother. Just hearing news of Guan Rou made his eyes well up with emotion.

Ye Xin noticed the boy who asked this question bore a striking resemblance to Guan Rou. Remembering the mechanical bird that had circled in the sky and captured them earlier, he immediately understood this must be his benefactor’s son.

Without holding anything back, he told Yuanji everything.

Back then, Ye Xin couldn’t properly conceal his beast ears. He spent his days with his head tightly wrapped in a cloth bag, terrified that any slip might reveal his secret and lead to disaster.

“That day, I had bought a bag of rice from the market and was heading home when a rampaging demon beast suddenly appeared, attracting many cultivators.”

Those cultivators wanted to capture the demon beast. The commotion they caused was enormous, destroying several market stalls and leaving a mess in their wake.

Fearing his half-demon identity would be exposed, Ye Xin quietly found a gap and slipped back into the mountains. But not long after, he ran straight into the injured demon beast.

The beast’s eyes were blood-red, completely devoid of reason. It pounced on Ye Xin, tearing and biting at him.

Fortunately, the cultivators arrived quickly. A single Immortal-Binding Rope subdued the demon beast. But just as they were leaving, something unexpected happened.

“The older cultivator leading them discovered my identity. It was strange; he stared at the wound on my arm, muttered ‘half-demon blood,’ and then suddenly went mad, attacking me, saying he would capture me for research.”

Whenever Ye Xin recalled that man’s insane laughter, a chill ran down his spine. “River God, actually, I… I am a half-demon.”

Gritting his teeth, Ye Xin closed his eyes, focused his spiritual energy, and released his half-demon features.

A pair of furry ears suddenly appeared on top of his head, covered in short, yellow-and-black fur that twitched cutely.

“A cat demon?” Yuanji thought to herself, confirming her earlier suspicion about the demon beast aura she had sensed. “And the group that came with you today, are they demons too?”

“River God, you mean my fellow disciples from the Tianji Sect?” Ye Xin found the question strange. Why would the River God ask that? But he still chose to be completely open. “No, they are all human. Many are even clan disciples of the sect elders.”

The finger Yuanji was lightly tapping on the table paused slightly. “Continue,” she said.

Somewhat embarrassed, Ye Xin went on. “River God, don’t look down on me just because I’m a half-demon. Although my cultivation isn’t high, my escape skills are quite good.”

That day, caught in a dragnet, he managed to break free but severely injured one leg. Dragging his useless leg, he hid in a secluded cave, where he met Guan Rou.

“She was very weak then, covered in wounds from head to toe, with bloody marks on her wrists and ankles from iron shackles.” Ye Xin’s tone softened when mentioning Guan Rou.

“She said I resembled her child, then asked me for a few sticks of firewood, saying she could find a way for me to escape the pursuers.”

Hearing this, Guan Muping’s eyes reddened, and tears finally spilled over, streaming down his cheeks.

Yuanji sighed inwardly. After a moment’s thought, she handed the Explosive Fruits to Guan Muping. She looked deeply at him, trying to convey her meaning through her gaze.

“Yuanji, do you want him to use the Explosive Fruits to get revenge for his mother?” A-Tong’s heart softened. His host was so foresighted. It’s better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.

“Not exactly,” Yuanji shook her head, denying it. “I just felt I should give him something to comfort him. Other things weren’t suitable.”

A-Tong: …Oh, I see.

Yuanji is so thoughtful!

Holding the handful of Explosive Fruits, Guan Muping was stunned for a moment before fiercely wiping the tears from his eyes. “Thank you, River God! I will definitely rescue my mother and live up to your trust!”

The River God has even bestowed such powerful items upon me. I must not disappoint her.

Yuanji: …

Although she didn’t understand why Guan Muping suddenly became so motivated, it was good that he had stopped crying.

Ye Xin continued the story of that day.

Guan Rou quickly carved the firewood into the shape of a cat with a stone knife and had Ye Xin drip a single drop of his heart’s blood onto it. A vivid little cat quickly took form, landed on the ground, and ran away.

“Substitution Technique,” Yuanji instinctively thought of this secret art upon hearing it. She tried to recall the specifics of the Substitution Technique, but a thick fog suddenly rose in her mind, blocking her consciousness.

Yuanji’s eyes darkened. She strained with all her might to break through the fog, but for a moment, it felt like thousands of needles were piercing her soul sea, hindering her recollection.

Her face turned extremely pale. She clenched her fingers sharply, her jade-like knuckles turning white from the force, her palms bleeding slightly where her slightly long nails dug in.

Swallowing the groan in her throat, Yuanji suddenly felt something being pressed into her palm—a wooden block still holding a trace of warmth. She looked down; it was a piece of wood carved into the shape of a spirit stone.

It lacked the radiant glow of a real spirit stone but had been carefully polished, without a single splinter, smooth and warm to the touch.

“I learned this from Guan Muping. Yuanji, don’t blame me if I don’t do well.” General Qi Guan pushed the black hair that fell on his neck back, and the thorn tattoo under his body moved slowly and secretly.

Holding the wooden carving, Yuanji slowly relaxed her clenched fingers. Suddenly, a hazy area in her mind became clear.

The body substitution technique uses a drop of blood from the person being replaced to protect them from a life-or-death crisis.

However, the Substitution Technique can only substitute for life and death, not for sensation. The substitute puppet endures everything, and the original person will still perceive it all.

“That cat saved you a life,” Yuanji said in a deep, resolute voice.

“River God is wise.” A look of admiration flashed in Ye Xin’s eyes. “Those cultivators thought I was injured and had reverted to my original form. They chased after the cat, allowing me to escape.”

“Later, through my senses, I learned the cat died horribly. Those people drained much of its blood. When it died, they didn’t pay it much mind, cursed it for being ‘useless,’ and threw it to the rampaging demon beast as food.”

“Only because of that did they fail to discover the little cat wasn’t me, but a wood carving.”

Yuanji nodded, a strange feeling flickering in her heart.

“That demon beast was pitiful,” Yuanji lamented, shaking her head. “It swallowed a piece of wood, who knows if it could digest it properly.”

Qiguan Shang seemed to read her thoughts. “In the eyes of those people, the blood-drained demon beast is merely a usable tool. If it dies, they just get another. No one cares.”

His words fell, and silence descended upon everyone present.

“Benefactor stayed in the cave for a while before someone came to pick her up. Before leaving, she gave me a pill that helped me retract my ears. That’s how I got the chance to enter the Tianji Sect to cultivate.”

“Who did my mother leave with?” Guan Muping started, grabbing Ye Xin’s sleeve, his emotions running high.

Ye Xin shook his head. “I don’t know. I only know that person was definitely also a demon.”

Guan Muping fell silent again, saying no more.

“The next time I received news from Benefactor was a few days ago. I received a message from this mechanical sparrow while in the outer sect.” Ye Xin placed the mechanical sparrow before everyone. “It instructed me to find a key within the Tianji Sect.”

“That key hangs from Elder Han Shi’s waist. It’s said to open a secret realm in the back mountains of the Tianji Sect.”

This was precisely why Ye Xin wanted to enter the inner sect to cultivate. Perhaps the heavens took pity.

Many inner sect disciples were suddenly assigned tasks outside the sect, leaving only a few within the sect.

Elder Han Shi, upon hearing of Senior Brother Qi Yan’s death, wanted to take some disciples to investigate the truth. That’s how Ye Xin was chosen to come to the River God Temple.

“River God, the key is on Elder Han Shi right now!” Ye Xin’s spirits rose, feeling the joy of being noticed by others for the first time.

Yuanji glanced again at the small stone pile outside the door: …

Careless. They’d have to dig him out.

“River God, I’ll go!” Guan Muping shot out first like a little cannonball, picking up stones one by one and tossing them aside.

Yuanji sighed, waved her hand hanging by her side, and the Bug-Catching Grass coiled on the wall bundled itself up into a rather fluffy ball. It hopped, hopped over to stand beside Guan Muping, then extended its vines.

“Swish, swish.”

The Bug-Catching Grass’s version of “Shadowless Hands”—efficiency was top-notch.

Watching the ordinary-looking weed on the wall suddenly display such astonishing power, a familiar feeling flashed through Ye Xin’s heart.

The flying fish… that was its doing.

Ye Xin gulped, looked at the Bug-Catching Grass with considerable respect, and secretly felt relieved.

Even the River God’s “gatekeeper grass” possessed such extraordinary strength. Good thing he saw the truth early and pledged himself under the River God.

Everyone found the key from the ground and was about to return when they saw a jade vial roll off Han Shi’s body.

The lid was loose, and a red liquid, like gushing blood, seeped out from the gap.

Qiguan Shang’s pupils constricted sharply. His voice turned cold. “This is refined from the blood of thousands of demon beasts. What is the Tianji Sect… actually doing?”

“What?”

Ye Xin jerked his head up, his eyes full of disbelief. “Demon blood… the Tianji Sect!?”

Overlapping with memories from years ago, a horrifying thought surged into everyone’s minds.

“Do you remember what the people who captured you were wearing?” Yuanji prompted.

Ye Xin thought carefully. “Their clothing was different from the current Tianji Sect uniforms. They wore light blue robes, and yes, they had white belts around their waists!”

This attire was very common, making it difficult to identify immediately.

“It’s the Hall of Myriad Affairs,” Qiguan Shang explained slowly, meeting everyone’s confused gazes. “The hall master of the Hall of Myriad Affairs once suggested to the Tianji Sect leader.”

“Tianji Sect disciples attract attention whenever they go out. If they want to purchase rare treasures, sellers will inevitably raise prices. The Hall of Myriad Affairs often needs to make purchases outside, so they specially designed different attire.”

“Thinking about it now, they probably just wanted to conceal their identity to commit heinous acts without being discovered.”

Ye Xin was furious, his black eyes instantly turning into blue vertical pupils. His yellow-and-black beast ears also uncontrollably revealed themselves.

Tianji Sect!

“River God, please rid the world of this scourge.”

“Please, River God, save the countless demon beasts!”

Ye Xin knelt on the ground, his whole body trembling with rage. He had actually worked for those murderers for so long!

The more he thought, the angrier he became. A burning heat in his abdomen grew increasingly intense, as if countless hands were reaching out from within, trying to tear him apart.

Thin black lines spread across his blue pupils. In less than a breath, both of Ye Xin’s eyes turned completely black.

He suddenly stood up, an aura not his own erupting from his body.

Even more terrifying, the several Tianji Sect disciples who had been rendered immobile by the Soft Meridian Powder and piled up like a small mountain also rose unsteadily, their postures inhuman.

They all faced Yuanji and spoke in unison:

“River God?”

“Seeking death!”