But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 84

“Annoying.”

The two lightly spoken words were like a swallow’s tail in spring lightly skimming the water’s surface, rippling out in concentric circles. Yet, that one disdainful glance from Yuan Ji stirred up a tidal wave in Zhong Taiyong’s heart.

Boom. Blood rushed to his head with a roaring sound, washing away all reason. The surrounding noises faded like a receding tide, leaving only the sound of his surging blood.

“I am Zhong Taiyong of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect! How dare a mere female cultivator insult me like this!”

Zhong Taiyong swallowed his fury, his rather small pupils gradually filling with a bloody hue. The sword energy around him stirred, and as he slowly raised his longsword, a cold wind blew towards Yuan Ji.

Her dark hair moved though there was no wind, and Yuan Ji’s impatience became increasingly evident.

She lifted her eyes, scanning the crowd nearby who had taken half a step back in fear, then let her gaze fall back upon the cold, gleaming silver longsword, narrowing her eyes slightly.

The sword pointing directly at Yuan Ji suddenly began to tremble. A series of low, mournful hums emanated from the blade itself, like cries of agony.

This sudden change made Zhong Taiyong widen his eyes, trying to see what was happening. But a thick red mist obscured his vision; all he could feel was the fear emanating from the sword in his hand.

Panic flashed through his heart, but Zhong Taiyong couldn’t grasp the fleeting thought.

He watched helplessly as Yuan Ji walked towards him step by step, then passed him by without even a glance in his direction.

Leaving only him, standing rigidly in place, still holding his sword.

Like a fool.

“Boring,” Yuan Ji murmured as if to herself, walking straight onto the path leading to Mist Viewing Peak.

“Tch.”

Someone snickered first but quickly suppressed their laughter. The murmurs of discussion turned into loud laughs that flew into Zhong Taiyong’s ears.

Instantly, his eyes nearly burst with rage. Gripping his longsword tightly, he swung it with all his might, thrusting towards Yuan Ji’s back.

A swift wind followed, and the shocked gasps from the side abruptly ceased.

Yuan Ji tilted her head slightly and raised her hand, catching the silver blade between her two fingers. Her gaze shifted, and a vast, powerful spiritual force spilled from her fingertips, rushing along the sword like a swift dragon opening its massive jaws.

The impact of that force left Zhong Taiyong’s mind blank for a moment. His body felt light, as if all his strength had been drained.

He opened his mouth in a daze, watching Yuan Ji’s retreating figure, his gaze finally settling on her hair flowing freely in the air, soft and untroubled.

“How did she catch it?”

Zhong Taiyong asked stupidly, but no one around answered him. He turned his head to glare at Meng Qi, wanting to shout at him, but saw Meng Qi staring wide-eyed, pointing at his sword as if he had seen a ghost, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

“Have you gone mad? Is this the kind of person the Heavenly Pole Sect sends to receive guests?”

His dissatisfaction erupted once more, but in the next instant, Zhong Taiyong’s eyes widened in shock, his heart shaking violently.

He saw that his top-grade spirit sword, meticulously chosen from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect’s Sword Tomb, was now covered with dense, intricate silver lines.

In the space of a single breath, it shattered into thousands of fragments.

The stagnant air began to flow again. The crowd looked at the shattered spirit sword, then at Yuan Ji departing surrounded by a floral spectacle, and finally at Zhong Taiyong of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, standing stunned in place. The crowd immediately erupted into an uproar.

“Who is she? Such formidable power! And that was a Ten Thousand Swords Sect spirit sword!”

“It must be that Zhong Taiyong is just too weak. I’ve heard the truly gifted disciple above him is another named Ruan Xuanxin—now he’s a real prodigy, a true sword cultivation genius.”

“But that female cultivator definitely has extraordinary strength. Look, she’s accompanied by people from the Alchemy Heart Sect and the Heavenly Pole Sect. An ordinary person couldn’t manage that.”

“I heard she’s the River God! I’ve been hearing that a lot lately from the villagers near our sect. They say this person is quite… benevolent.”

“Benevolent? Don’t make me laugh. I was nearly scared to death just now. I didn’t even dare to breathe…”

“I saw there’s a prize for the River God listed on the jade slip. Do you think I should give it a try?”

For a moment, Yuan Ji became the center of everyone’s discussion once again.

But what no one knew was that a chilling cold was spreading through Zhong Taiyong’s heart. Icy beads of sweat slid down his neck, provoking uncontrollable shivers.

Why…

His eyes…

He couldn’t see.

——-

Meanwhile, Yuan Ji was heading towards Mist Viewing Peak, her steps quickening as if she were under a spell.

“Yuan Ji.”

Suddenly, a pair of large hands grasped her wrists. The cool touch of fingertips on her exposed skin somewhat soothed her restlessness.

Yuan Ji snapped back to awareness. She looked ahead at the verdant peak, faintly feeling it begin to twist and rotate within the clouds and mist.

A Tong perched on her shoulder, its blue tentacles gently touching her cheek, said with lingering fear, “Yuan Ji, what’s wrong? I called you several times just now, but you didn’t hear me.”

Yuan Ji stared at the mountain peak again and saw it had returned to its original state, showing no signs of abnormality.

Qi Guan Shang gazed intently at Yuan Ji, a slight frown between his brows, his worry evident on his face. “Yuan Ji, are you alright?”

Yuan Ji withdrew her gaze and shook her head. “I’m fine. I just have a bit of a headache from all the noise.”

She pressed her throbbing temples, lowered her head, and after asking Luo Qiu Shui for directions, instructed her to lead the others to Mist Viewing Peak first.

After the others had left, Yuan Ji and Qi Guan Shang found a pine branch on the mountainside and sat down on it.

“My apologies,” Qi Guan Shang said regretfully, his gaze like clear water enveloping Yuan Ji.

Yuan Ji couldn’t help but find it amusing. She waved her hand and looked out at the lush green mountains. “What does this have to do with you?”

A Tong, hanging on Yuan Ji’s shoulder, let out a couple of approving “ji ji” sounds, as if in agreement. “Exactly! It was clearly that guy who was full of himself and had to pick a fight.”

A Tong raised two tentacles, planting them on its hips like arms, let out a heavy “hmph!”, and used two other tentacles to point accusingly. “So weak, yet he goes around imitating others and threatening people. Serves him right! Yuan Ji, you were far too nice. It’s just not like you.”

A Tong thought to itself that the old Yuan Ji would have long since planted the guy headfirst into the ground without a second thought, not simply broken his sword like this.

Thinking this, A Tong’s gaze softened, looking at Yuan Ji like a child it had watched grow up.

The next moment, Yuan Ji expressionlessly plucked A Tong from her shoulder, folded its tentacles together, and bundled it into a small blue ball, which she then tossed in her hand for amusement.

A Tong: …??

Ji ji ji!!!

Yuan Ji, you’ve become mean!

Qi Guan Shang watched Yuan Ji’s somewhat childish play with A Tong, a beautiful curve slowly forming at the corner of his mouth. He gave a soft hum of acknowledgment but didn’t explain further.

As he lowered his head, a complex mix of emotions churned in his eyes. A fleeting, dark and unreadable expression flashed across his face, enough to make one’s heart tremble.

Taking just his eyes was letting him off easy. With the Great Ascension Ceremony imminent, it’s best not to cause too big a stir.

A broken sword is a sign of his lack of skill; a dead body would be a different matter altogether.

When Qi Guan Shang looked up again, a faint smile graced his lips. He turned his head; the orange light and shadows danced on his face, bright and gentle.

“Yuan Ji, if you don’t mind, shall I massage your temples for you?”

Before Yuan Ji could refuse, those cool fingertips were already pressing against her swollen temples. It was like dropping an ice cube into a scalding pool—a chilling cold spread out, suppressing the searing, clamoring heat.

Yuan Ji was silent for a moment, tempted. She gave a low sound of assent. As Qi Guan Shang slowly moved closer, she could hear his even, gentle breathing in the blink of an eye. Yuan Ji pressed her lips together, her gaze darting uncomfortably elsewhere.

This feels so strange.

Immediately, Yuan Ji untied A Tong and re-bundled it into a different shaped ball, as if this could distract her from the coolness of Qi Guan Shang’s fingertips.

Seeing the discomfort fade from Yuan Ji’s brow, a flash of happiness appeared in Qi Guan Shang’s eyes before quickly vanishing back into those red pupils.

Qi Guan Shang’s expression was serious, his fingers applying steady, gentle pressure as he slowly massaged Yuan Ji’s temples. Wisps of a deep red energy seeped into her skin, quickly converging into a complex and profound array.

Before long, the array was complete.

The restless power was suppressed by the array, falling back into slumber.

Qi Guan Shang breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the now-hidden array, he thought to himself: It’s not yet time. We must wait a little longer, until I have everything prepared.

As his power receded, the black thorny patterns on his skin instantly ran wild, growing rampantly. As the branches intertwined, several slender tendrils swiftly claimed half of his face, eager to seize this chance to devour Qi Guan Shang completely.

Qi Guan Shang’s face paled. He clenched his jaw, tightly shut his eyes, and forcibly swallowed back the mouthful of blood that rushed up his throat.

Fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He looked as though he had just crawled out of a life-or-death battle.

A Tong, at the peak of one of Yuan Ji’s tosses, caught sight of his change and couldn’t hold back a cry of shock: “Ji!”

“Hm?” Yuan Ji stopped her motions, somewhat surprised. What was A Tong saying?

“A Tong seems very happy,” Qi Guan Shang said with a light laugh, a note of relief in his tone. “It seems to enjoy playing like this.”

A fresh fragrance drifted from behind her, and the swelling in her temples had completely vanished. Yuan Ji instantly felt clear-headed and refreshed, and even her gaze towards A Tong softened considerably.

Yuan Ji held A Tong in her hands, scrutinizing it carefully, but couldn’t discern any look of happiness from its beady octopus eyes.

She pouted regretfully. I should have chosen a different body for A Tong back then.

But, since it wasn’t refuting her and was just making “ji ji ji” noises, it must have been so happy it forgot it was a system.

Having reasoned this far, Yuan Ji nodded, as if suddenly understanding. “So that’s it.”

With that, she continued tossing A Tong up in the air, even asking thoughtfully, “A Tong, should I throw you higher?”

A Tong, utterly dizzy from being tossed: Ji ji ji!!

It cried out indignantly, Why can I only go ‘ji ji ji’! Yuan Ji, save me! I can’t speak!

It tried to point a tentacle towards Qi Guan Shang behind it. Yuan Ji, look at him! He’s not right!! He actually sealed my mouth!!!

But A Tong’s tentacles were already tied up by Yuan Ji at a bizarre angle, impossible to undo.

At this moment, A Tong’s heart felt like ashes.

Only the sound of “Ji ji ji” echoed through the mountain valley.

Witnessing this touching scene of “harmony between owner and pet,” Qi Guan Shang raised an eyebrow and deliberately mouthed to A Tong: “She won’t find out.”

Watching A Tong’s blue skin take on a strange shade of green from fright, followed by another series of high-pitched “ji ji ji” cries—which only resulted in it being tossed even higher—a smile finally broke through Qi Guan Shang’s pale face. His light laugh, however, triggered another surge of blood energy, and the thorns grew even more rapidly.

Yet, his expression remained unchanged, as if he felt no pain. His crimson eyes held only Yuan Ji’s figure, shining brilliantly in the light.

If only time could linger here a little longer.

But just then, a tremendous roar came from the back mountains. Instantly, black smoke, accompanied by a massive plume of steam, shot straight up into the sky.