But I'm a proper river god, you know! - Chapter 87

“Cough, cough…”

Fine, charred ash continuously drifted down from everyone, accompanied by bursts of coughing, with wisps of black smoke rising up.

A silver figure darted rapidly through the surroundings, everyone could only catch glimpses of a few dazzling beams of light.

Elder Tengyao touched his own hair—now curled, rough to the touch, and sitting on his head like a clump of black cotton—his pupils violently trembling twice. Had he… had he been struck by heavenly lightning?

“N-no, impossible…”

Unable to withstand the shock, Elder Tengyao stumbled back two steps, only to be steadied by another person with an equally cottony head.

“Elder!”

“Wow.” Ah Tong looked at the crowd with their similarly big heads and excitedly patted one of his tentacles. “Yuan Ji, look!”

Yuan Ji glanced at the group of charred, blackened people and walked straight towards Qi Guan Shang. She slowly raised her hand. The silver figure swiftly flew towards her, weaving through her fingertips before finally revealing its true form.

“Xiao Lei.”

The Thunder Snake coiled around Yuan Ji’s fingertip, flicking its forked tongue as if saying, You all thought you could run off to play without me!

Yuan Ji looked directly at Qi Guan Shang. Seeing a flicker of panic in his eyes beneath the mask, she raised an eyebrow. Just as she watched Qi Guan Shang grow increasingly flustered, she flicked her sleeve and turned away.

Under the bright moonlight, her clothes fluttered gracefully, accompanied by flashes of lightning. She lifted her gaze to the crowd, her tone icy. “You all, say that again?”

Yuan Ji’s words carried no divine power, yet everyone seemed to be under a paralysis spell, unable to move.

“River God, you… are you protecting this de—” Before Elder Tengyao could finish, Fu Sheng covered his mouth and pulled him back.

Fu Sheng gave an awkward laugh, changing the subject. “River God, please don’t be angry. This person’s brain was fried by the lightning; he’s just spouting nonsense.”

Seeing this, Yuan Ji nodded, quite satisfied with this person’s perceptiveness. She slowly swept her gaze over the people present. The Thunder Snake in her hand also stared at them, faint flashes of lightning flickering within it.

“And the rest of you?”

Seeing Fu Sheng speak up, even if they felt it was improper, they dared not say more. After exchanging glances, they all cupped their hands in unison.

“We wouldn’t dare.”

“This must be a misunderstanding. We were nearly deceived by that demonic creature.”

“Yes, yes, it’s all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.”

Tengyao was displeased. He shot a confused glare at Fu Sheng, who was covering his mouth, only for Fu Sheng to clamp down even tighter.

Fu Sheng, afraid this man would blurt out something he shouldn’t, immediately pulled him along to bid farewell to Yuan Ji. Once granted permission, he promptly dragged Tengyao away.

Once the two had retreated to a secluded spot in the back mountains, Tengyao immediately shook off Fu Sheng’s hand, pointing at him and berating him angrily. “You actually let that demon go! Have you forgotten your duty as a member of the righteous path, Fu Sheng?!”

“Tengyao, calm down.” Fu Sheng sighed, stepping forward to lower Tengyao’s pointing hand. “Have you forgotten who he came with? The River God.”

“So what?” Tengyao stiffened his neck, his face still full of anger.

Fu Sheng stared at him, hesitating to speak, his eyes filled with frustration. “That River God’s power far exceeds all of ours combined. Killing us would be effortless for her. Besides, that person is the River God’s…”

“He is a Demon Realm Honored One, yet the heavenly lightning didn’t strike him. Don’t you understand?!”

Fu Sheng stared at his own curly hair and sighed. “Now even the heavenly tribulation, born to punish, shows him leniency, while we righteous cultivators were struck like this. Don’t you think this is a warning from the Heavenly Dao?!”

Elder Tengyao’s eyes snapped open wide in sudden understanding. He bowed deeply to Fu Sheng. “Thank you, elder brother, for enlightening me once again!”

Fu Sheng helped him up. “We are sworn brothers; there’s no need for thanks.”

“Tomorrow is the Ascension Ceremony. Once we return, have the disciples remain vigilant.”

——-

Meanwhile, on the other side, after everyone had left, Yuan Ji looked at Qi Guan Shang, who had remained silent from the moment she appeared. “Do you… have anything to say to me?”

Qi Guan Shang’s gaze flickered. He slowly took two steps forward, his Adam’s apple bobbing once. “Yuan Ji, I…”

Looking into Yuan Ji’s pure eyes, Qi Guan Shang momentarily didn’t know what to confess first.

His curse? His identity as a Demon Realm Honored One? Or that he was Qi Yan?

Qi Guan Shang opened his mouth but ultimately didn’t know how to begin. He fell silent for a moment, reaching out to touch Yuan Ji’s hand, but she subtly avoided it.

Qi Guan Shang immediately froze in place. He withdrew his hand dejectedly. “Yuan Ji, I… do you despise me for being a demon?”

“No.” Yuan Ji shook her head. In her eyes, all living beings were equal, no different. She gave Qi Guan Shang a steady look, then turned and left, leaving only these words behind.

“Come find me when you’ve made up your mind.”

Ah Tong didn’t react immediately. He hastily punched the Thunder Snake to reclaim his spot on Yuan Ji’s shoulder. “Jijiji?”

Yuan Ji, why didn’t you wait for him to confess his identity? Where are you going?

Yuan Ji looked at the mountain-protecting formation before her, hefted the Thunder Snake twice, and threw it. The originally resilient formation rippled with circle after circle of light under the electrical arcs. Finally, the impregnable formation opened a passageway just big enough for one person.

The Little Thunder Snake used as a key: ???

Darn it, how did she know I could pass through this formation?!

Yuan Ji contentedly brushed away nonexistent dust from her fingertips. Nothing in this world could trap her.

“Ah Tong, have you forgotten our daily task?”

Yuan Ji leisurely made her way towards the direction of the River of Forgetfulness. “Naturally, I’m going to… pick up trash.”

“Oh. I see.” Ah Tong didn’t fully understand but felt profound awe. Watching Yuan Ji become more and more like a proper River God, the little blue octopus shed two clear streams of tears.

Yuan Ji glanced sideways at the tears, which carried a faint scent of seawater and glowed with a pale blue light, and threatened expressionlessly, “If you dare let that get on me, you’ll be waiting to become dried octopus.”

“…” Ah Tong hurriedly wiped away his tears. He wasn’t moved anymore.

Yuan Ji was extremely fast, traveling from the Heavenly Pole Sect to the territory of the River of Forgetfulness in just a few breaths. With the Ascension Ceremony imminent, it was best to go early and return early.

She quickly pulled a mirror from the deep riverbed silt. The mirror had been covered by thick mud at the river bottom. As Yuan Ji pulled it from the water, the mud was washed away by the river, revealing the colorful gemstones inlaid upon it.

Under the gentle moonlight, the mirror, buried for many years, had not lost its luster. It even seemed to come alive, hanging suspended before Yuan Ji, reflecting her lovely face.

“This is…” Yuan Ji vaguely recalled its name from her fragmented memories. “The Star Cloud Mirror.”

“Ah, Yuan Ji, you recognize it?” Ah Tong stretched his neck to see if a name was engraved on it, completely unaware of the nostalgia in Yuan Ji’s eyes at that moment.

Seeing the Star Cloud Mirror again, the memory fragments that had previously appeared in her mind finally had their thin veil lifted.

That person wore a dark red robe, with golden thread embroidering plum blossom patterns that shimmered like moonlight with his movements. He slowly extended his hand, offering this Star Cloud Mirror to Yuan Ji, saying softly:

“A gift I brought back for you, the Star Cloud Mirror. Don’t be angry anymore.”

Yuan Ji took the mirror in a daze, her gaze hesitantly traveling upward from it.

From the jade-like, bamboo-like slender fingers, to the vivid red plum blossoms on the robe, to that exceptionally handsome, captivating face.

Those familiar, stunningly beautiful features, possessing the softness of jade yet also the sharpness of a blade—it was that familiar face, the face of Qi Yan.

But this time, the memory did not abruptly end. That person smiled at “herself” and continued:

“Have you been stunned speechless? Those people are always strict about watching me, not letting me out. Luckily, I know disguise techniques. I changed my face and slipped out to see you. Are you happy?”

Plop.

The Star Cloud Mirror in her hand fell back into the river, sending out ripple after ripple. Yuan Ji looked down, feeling as though the ripples traveled extremely far. Otherwise, why did her heart feel so unsettled and adrift?

She quickly fished the Star Cloud Mirror out of the water. Before the doubts in her heart could disperse, she heard what sounded like the roar of a wild beast, accompanied by a thick scent of blood wafting from the distance.

“A demonic beast?”

“Let’s go, Ah Tong. Let’s take a look.”

On the other side, Ruan Xuanxin was desperately dodging, clutching the massive piercing wound on his chest. Warm blood gushed incessantly from the injury, with faint black demonic energy attempting to worm its way into his body.

Chasing behind him was a demonic wolf several meters long, corrupted by demonic energy. Like Little Six and Little Eight before, its fur had grown exceptionally long and pitch black. If not for its wide-open mouth panting heavily, revealing white fangs, it would have been difficult to recognize immediately.

“Ugh.” Ruan Xuanxin grunted. The continuous blood loss made him feel as cold as an ice cellar. His entire body was already numb from the cold, even the movement of his eyes becoming extremely difficult.

He collapsed, his face sinking into the muddy riverbank, with only one eye exposed. But he didn’t even have the strength to lift his head, only able to watch as the demonic wolf step by step, step by step, drew closer.

Ruan Xuanxin closed his eyes in despair. His mind flashed to the huge argument he’d had with his father today.

He had been taught swordsmanship by his father since childhood and was regarded as the hope of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. But, for some unknown reason, his father had become obsessed with making him apprentice himself to some obscure Hall Master of the Heavenly Pole Sect.

Proud of his prodigious talent, how could he possibly call some unknown person ‘Master’? Therefore, he hadn’t gone to that so-called Ascension Ceremony with the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. He decided to venture out on his own to find a truly powerful person to be his master.

But reality gave Ruan Xuanxin a heavy blow. Not far from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, he had been targeted by this demonic wolf and chased all the way here.

For a full day and night, he was truly out of strength.

As mud filled his mouth and nose, and the foul, bloody breath of the beast puffed against the top of his head, Ruan Xuanxin didn’t know if he regretted it. He only felt an emptiness in his heart, a deep sense of regret.

He hadn’t yet met a true powerhouse.

His body temperature dropped lower and lower, and Ruan Xuanxin’s awareness of his surroundings dimmed inch by inch.

He closed that one exposed eye in despair, but then—a white light illuminated the world around him.

A tear slowly traced from the corner of his eye, disappearing into the muddy filth.

Thud.

With just one strike from Yuan Ji, the terrifying demonic wolf fell to the ground.

“Yuan Ji, why is it like those two people in the cave?” Ah Tong looked at the clump of black fur on the ground, curling his lips in distaste.

Yuan Ji lightly tapped her arm twice with her fingertip, smiling. “Perhaps the person controlling them is bald, so they have a preference for these long-haired creatures.”

Ah Tong: Doesn’t fully understand but feels it makes sense. “So that’s how it is.” Ah Tong lamented. What a pity.

Yuan Ji stepped forward to examine the demonic wolf before her. Its arrival is quite timely, saves me the trouble of finding an opportunity to check on the imprisoned Little Six and Little Eight.

Her peripheral vision caught the unlucky fellow being chased by this wolf. Yuan Ji’s brows furrowed slightly.

This corpse… is losing a lot of blood.

Expressionlessly, she gently waved a hand, sending a force to flip him aside.

Close call, almost let his blood pollute the River of Forgetfulness.

“Hey, Yuan Ji, this person is still alive!”