But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 80

“Muping!”

An excited shout rang out within the Realm of Wangchuan. Several villagers, who had risen early to pay their respects to the River God, stared warily at a nearby… ball?

They exchanged bewildered glances. Could this ball actually talk?

“Muping!”

The voice grew closer, accompanied by a clattering sound, as a spherical iron ball hurtled towards them at high speed.

Once the villagers snapped out of their daze, they immediately stumbled and scrambled towards the River God’s temple, shouting as they ran, “It’s terrible! Help! There’s a monster ball trying to eat us!!”

“What monster ball? How dare some fool cause trouble at the River God’s temple!” Wu Boshan snorted coldly. He grabbed the carrying pole leaning behind the door and went out to investigate.

Having not seen her son for many years, Guan Rou was anxious. After asking Yuanji for the direction to the River God’s temple, she curled back into a ball and sped straight towards it.

Her reckless charge wasn’t just due to her desire to see her son; it was also to avoid traveling with Qiguan Shang.

He was not a benevolent character. Recalling his warning glance, Guan Rou still felt a chill down her spine.

What if she inadvertently offended the Demon Realm Sovereign, and he prevented her from finding Muping?

It was better not to disturb him and the River God’s time alone and go on ahead. She was confident, based on her years of escape experience, that her speed was more than sufficient.

“My son! Your mother is here!” Another excited shout echoed as Guan Rou arrived at the entrance of the River God’s temple in the blink of an eye.

However, before the imagined scene of a tearful mother-son embrace could happen, several thick vines shot towards her.

Guan Rou was puzzled: Huh???

The next moment, a powerful force lifted her up.

Before Guan Rou could react, she saw the River God’s temple growing farther and farther away.

Guan Rou’s eyes widened: Huh??!

No, wait…

At the entrance, Wu Boshan slammed the carrying pole down beside him with a “thwack” and silently gave a thumbs-up to the pitcher plant stretching its leaves nearby.

“Truly worthy of being the ‘guardian’ personally chosen by the River God. So diligent and responsible.”

The villagers, who had previously been somewhat afraid of the pitcher plant, hurriedly took freshly made pastries from their baskets and offered them to the plant, their faces filled with admiration.

The pitcher plant lightly raised two of its leaves, as if to say, “You’re too kind.”

The villagers were moved again. With the River God’s temple protecting them, their future lives would surely be happy and prosperous. They had to thank the River God for all of this!

They immediately decided to commission another statue upon returning home to place in their family ancestral hall, ensuring their descendants would make daily offerings!

Inside the River God’s temple, the small commotion outside hadn’t caused any disturbance; it remained peaceful and quiet.

Only Ye Xin, who hadn’t yet retracted his rabbit ears, twitched them slightly. Before he could identify the sounds, the fine fur on his ear tips was gently touched by a small hand.

Since Ye Xin had told Guan Muping that his mother was still alive, the boy had been restless and unable to sleep soundly. Before dawn, he had squatted by Ye Xin’s bed, waiting for him to wake up and tell him more stories about his mother.

But perhaps because he was so worried about his mother’s safety, Guan Muping felt he might be hallucinating.

“Aixiang, I think I heard my mother calling me,” Guan Muping sighed, propping his chin up as he stared at the sleeping Ye Xin.

“Why isn’t Brother Ye Xin awake yet?” He tentatively reached out to check Ye Xin’s breathing. “Good, he’s still alive.”

Aixiang, not quite understanding, simply copied him and checked Ye Xin’s breath, then nodded solemnly. “Alive.”

“Why isn’t he awake yet?” Guan Muping sighed again.

Aixiang mimicked him, “Why isn’t he awake yet?”

Under their intense gaze, Ye Xin silently opened his eyes: I’m awake.

Meeting two pairs of excited eyes, Ye Xin sighed and sat up. “Do you want to hear the story about your benefactor again?”

Guan Muping nodded vigorously, but Ye Xin suddenly looked towards the outside. “Huh? The River God is back. Let’s go see.”

The moment Yuanji returned to the temple, a group of people eagerly gathered around. She glanced around but noticed Guan Rou wasn’t there.

“She should have arrived before us,” Qiguan Shang said, puzzled. “Why isn’t she here? Wu Bo, did anyone strange come by just now?”

Wu Boshan waved his hand confidently. “No strange people, just villagers from nearby. Although, there was a strange ball that the pitcher plant caught and tossed away.”

“?” Yuanji massaged her forehead, momentarily at a loss for words. “Where was it thrown?”

“Uh, probably towards the east,” Wu Boshan replied, sensing something amiss. He asked cautiously, “Was it an important ball? Should I take some people to look for it?”

Yuanji seemed to struggle for words. She took a deep breath. “It was Guan Rou.”

“Mother!?” Guan Muping pushed forward, disbelief written all over his face. “My mother was really here? I wasn’t hallucinating!”

“Wu Bo! Take me to find my mother!” Guan Muping instantly became like a lit firecracker, buzzing with energy as he rushed outside. But the moment he took a step, Yuanji sensed something.

She turned her head towards the entrance, a slight smile playing on her lips. “No need to look. She’s right at the door.”

Everyone rushed out in surprise. There, the pitcher plant had extended numerous vines, waving them wildly in the air. A black shadow bounced, collided, and tumbled among the green leaves, accompanied by intermittent shouts of surprise.

Hearing the familiar voice, Guan Muping gasped, his voice choking with tears as he rushed forward. “Mother, I’ll save you!”

Guan Muping grabbed one of the pitcher plant’s vines and held it down firmly, preventing it from moving further. The bound black “ball” hung suspended in the air, and soon a flushed face emerged from it.

“Oh, Muping!” Guan Rou couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice. She waved at Guan Muping. “Come here quickly, my son! This is so much fun!”

Hearing this, Guan Muping stumbled. “Mother?”

Everyone: “…”

Only Yuanji nodded slightly, a thoughtful look in her eyes, seemingly rather tempted to try it herself. This scared A Tong, who hurriedly intervened. “Yuanji, as the River God, you cannot fool around like this!”

“Oh,” Yuanji replied, visibly disappointed.

After the excitement died down, Guan Rou and Guan Muping held hands, gazing at each other with tear-filled eyes as they recounted their longing for one another and the lives they had lived apart. Their heartbreaking stories were enough to sadden any who heard them.

“Mother, how did you become a ball?”

“It’s a long story, Muping. You’ve suffered these past few years. We will never be separated again.” Guan Rou pulled Guan Muping into a tight embrace. Only now did she show her vulnerable side.

Yuanji watched all of this quietly. Was this what reunion after separation required?

She pondered for a moment, her gaze unconsciously drifting to the tall figure standing in the courtyard. Had he also awaited their reunion with such anticipation that day?

“Yuanji, what did you say?” A Tong asked, peering at her curiously.

“Nothing,” Yuanji shook her head and changed the subject. “What’s the current mission progress?”

A Tong checked the system display, excitement bubbling up. “50%! It increased by 10% after the mother and son met.”

Yuanji suddenly remembered that they had triggered the hidden mission upon meeting Xiang Yizhi. Was this person also key to completing the task?

She immediately drew a simple summoning array in the air to call for Xiang Yizhi.

Meanwhile, in the River God’s Manor within the Valley of Despair, Xiang Yizhi was sitting close to Ye Wenshu. The two were huddled together, reading a storybook. Their expressions shifted from confusion to Dilemma, occasionally followed by a sigh of relief. As the plot reached a critical point, they didn’t even dare to blink, afraid of missing a single word.

After finishing the book, Xiang Yizhi blinked his sore eyes and bowed to Ye Wenshu with admiration. “Brother Ye, your literary talent is exceptional. I am in awe.”

“You flatter me,” Ye Wenshu waved his hand modestly. “It’s all due to the genuine emotions of the people in the story. I merely recorded what I witnessed.”

As he finished speaking, he noticed Xiang Yizhi glance around furtively. Seeing no one paying attention to them, Xiang Yizhi mysteriously leaned close to Ye Wenshu’s ear.

“Brother Ye, the characters in your story… are they about the River God?”

Ye Wenshu’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly covered Xiang Yizhi’s mouth. Fortunately, no one else was around. If word got out that he was writing stories about the River God, she would surely tear him apart page by page and paste him on the wall like one of his manuscripts.

“This is a secret!” Ye Wenshu hissed in a low voice. “I specifically returned to the Manor because you understand me best, so I shared it with you. You must not spread it!”

“Thank you for your trust, Brother Ye. I definitely won’t tell a soul,” Xiang Yizhi vowed.

He had been bored in this place for who knows how many years, yet his position prevented him from leaving. This rare source of fun was not something he would easily ruin.

“But in this story, the one who later raises the child of the… previous one alongside her… it’s truly heartbreaking to read,” Xiang Yizhi ventured boldly. “I wonder if Brother Ye will allow the… previous one to return as well? Wouldn’t that be a perfect ending?”

“That Lord… how could one attendant be enough!” Using only the coded references they both understood, Xiang Yizhi implicit expressed his anticipation.

Ye Wenshu frowned upon hearing this. “Considering closeness, of course I also want the… previous one to return. But if he returns, wouldn’t the… later one be even more pitiful?”

“In the blink of an eye, he’d have neither the child nor the… partner. All alone!”

“Ah, that’s true too,” Xiang Yizhi sighed with emotion.

As the two whispered, a magical array suddenly appeared before them, shimmering with divine power. It was Yuanji summoning them back.

“Gah!” Xiang Yizhi and Ye Wenshu immediately fell over in fright, scrambling backward several steps. They looked at each other, seeing the same despair in each other’s eyes: “It’s over! The River God must know! We’re dead for sure!”

“What do we do?”

“Should we… bring the child?”

“Maybe the River God will go easy on us for the child’s sake…” Ye Wenshu felt uneasy.

With trepidation, they carried the giant incense burner—along with Wudu, who was hiding inside and refusing to come out—into the array.

In the next instant, they appeared inside the River God’s temple.

The people in the temple gasped in surprise at the sight of the massive incense burner that suddenly appeared before them.

“Such a huge incense burner!”

“Ye Wenshu, you’re so thoughtful. The temple’s incense offerings have been increasing lately; we really do need a burner this big.”

Ye Wenshu gave an awkward laugh, not daring to look Yuanji in the eye, and simply nodded vaguely.

Contrary to Ye Wenshu’s expectations, Yuanji did not paste him onto the wall. He breathed a long sigh of relief, having narrowly escaped disaster.

As Yuanji watched Xiang Yizhi appear, the mission progress bar advanced significantly. She immediately understood.

Just as she had suspected, Xiang Yizhi was inextricably linked to the Guan family case.

“Guan Rou, come here.”

At Yuanji’s soft call, Guan Rou, who had been crying with Guan Muping, immediately wiped her face and hurried over. After hearing Muping’s account, Yuanji now occupied an unparalleled position of respect in her heart.

She secretly vowed to follow the River God’s lead from now on.

“Yes, River God? What are your instructions?”

Without saying much, Yuanji simply pointed towards Xiang Yizhi, who stood rigid and stunned in place.

“Cousin!” Guan Rou exclaimed, stumbling back three steps. “You… you’ve come back as a zombie!?”

Xiang Yizhi opened his mouth, struggling to find words. It took him a moment to regain his voice. “No. I’m truly dead. Not a zombie.”

Guan Rou stared at him, horrified.

Meanwhile, everyone present was even more terrified than she was.

“A g-g-ghost… ghost!”

Ye Wenshu instantly hid behind Yan Ku. His panic-stricken appearance made Xiang Yizhi feel desolate.

He knew his current state would frighten others.

Yuanji, watching everyone’s genuine “seeing a ghost” reaction, was puzzled. “A Tong, haven’t they seen Xiang Yizhi before? Why are they still so scared?”

A Tong looked at Xiang Yizhi’s lower body, which had become semi-transparent after leaving the River God’s Manor. Even the well-traveled system couldn’t help but gulp. It spoke with difficulty.

“Probably because they just found out he’s not human. It’s a bit shocking.”

“Yuanji, you knew he was a ghost all along?”

Yuanji found this unremarkable. She looked at Xiang Yizhi, full of confusion. “Naturally. Isn’t it obvious at a glance?”

A Tong: “…”

A Tong didn’t say anything more. A Tong was just questioning its system life a little.

Seeing A Tong suddenly shut down, burying its head and ignoring everyone, Yuanji assumed it was scared. She found it somewhat amusing. Who knew A Tong was afraid of ghosts?

Suddenly, she noticed Qiguan Shang slowly stepping closer to her side. She glanced over and saw him staring at Xiang Yizhi, his brow slightly furrowed as if obscured by mist.

After a moment’s thought, Yuanji pinched a handful of Wangchuan River water, formed it into a small humanoid figure, and tossed it towards Xiang Yizhi.

Infused with Yuanji’s divine power, the Wangchuan water merged into Xiang Yizhi’s form, instantly filling it out. It firmly anchored his soul, and with the support of the river water, his translucent spirit gradually solidified.

Xiang Yizhi felt his body was no longer weightless, and for the first time, his feet felt the solid ground beneath them. His emotions surged.

His eyes grew warm, and he immediately dropped to one knee, clasping his hands in a respectful salute above his head. His voice trembled slightly.

“Thank you, River God, for reshape my body. Xiang Yizhi will surely go through fire and water for you without hesitation.”

Yuanji looked at his now solid form with satisfaction, not paying much mind to his gratitude. She casually waved her hand, indicating he should go chat with Guan Rou, then turned to look at Qiguan Shang beside her.

“He’s not a ghost anymore. Don’t be afraid.”

Hearing this, Qiguan Shang was momentarily stunned, then broke into a radiant smile.

“With Yuanji caring so much, of course I’m not afraid.”

A Tong, who had heard everything from the side: ??

Yuanji, do you ever wonder if I’m afraid or not?