Chapter 69: The Missing Master Yang

The Ze Ding bloomed with a faint blue light.

【Ding Master: Liang Qu】

【Refining Refined Ze Ling: Water Monkey (White) (Fusion Degree: 70.6%)】

【Innate Skill: Water Leap】

【Water Marsh Essence: None】

【River's Favor: 0.0001 (Huaihe)】

【Commanding Water Beasts: Taihua Crocodile, Six-Whiskered Catfish, Stone Turtle Crab, Heavenly Water Centipede】

【Evaluation: The Water Monkey Refined Ze Ling originates from the great Lord of Huai Vortex, the activation is incomplete, a small character not worth mentioning】

River's Favor, 0.0001!

This decimal quality was comparable to a slash on Pinduoduo.

Liang Qu stared at this tiny 0.0001, deeply feeling it was hard-won.

I don't know if it's because the fusion rate increased by twenty or because of the blessing, but the final evaluation has changed. "Minor nature, weak life" turned into "not worth mentioning." It doesn't sound like much of a difference, but it should count as a small improvement... right?

He just didn't know which step in the sacrifice was recognized? Being the chief officiant? Sacrificing the Mountain Ghost? Leading a thousand people?

Or was it not any single step, but that the entire process was completed to get the favor?

In the future, if he wanted to get favor, did he have to hold a sacrifice and be the chief officiant?

There were too many doubts, and the entire sacrificial process was too complex to easily reproduce for a control experiment.

Liang Qu couldn't judge and could only make certain guesses.

Today's sacrifice, said to be sacrificing to the River God, essentially didn't have a specific object.

Just like Lin Songbao said, every year there were great demons appearing and being seen by mortals.

This year it was the spherical black shadow Toad Brother, last year it was the Great Wide Fish, and the year before that it was the Great Wide Fish. After the events, there were sacrifices, which were sacrificial customs formed by the villagers out of fear.

There were too many great demons, and the Huaihe was too big. The probability of seeing the same great demon in the same place was extremely small.

Such a situation led to the setting that the Huaihe God could change his own form.

In folklore, there were often stories of the Huaihe God incarnating as a handsome young nobleman, falling in love with folk women, punishing corrupt officials, unfilial descendants, and helping scholars studying in cold windows.

Without a specific target, saying it was sacrificing to the River God was not as good as saying it was sacrificing to the Huaihe itself.

Everyone hoped that by offering livestock, they could make the Huaihe remember their hardships, so that the coming year would be favorable with timely rain, a bumper harvest, and lush grass and fat fish.

So the sacrifice was actually sacrificing to the Huaihe.

If he wanted to gain favor through sacrifice, this should be a necessary condition.

The scale of the sacrifice and his position in the sacrifice should be another necessary condition.

As the chief officiant, leading a thousand people to stand up and kneel, vast and mighty, it was probably more majestic than the Emperor's morning court.

If he became one of the thousand people, he estimated he wouldn't have that effect.

The quality of the sacrificial offerings also had to be counted. It didn't have to be a mountain spirit monster, but at least it had to be the three livestock.

These three elements were estimated to be the three key factors for gaining favor.

If he were the chief officiant, leading ten thousand troops, sacrificing three Entering Zhen Xiang-level great demons, the favor would at least be a 1, right?

Liang Qu didn't think that if he set up two small broken tables, killed two chickens, and worshipped secretly in a corner by himself, he could gain the favor of the Huaihe. That would be too cheap.

But he could try. Trying didn't cost money. Another day, he would prepare two chickens, an incense burner, and sprinkle chicken blood into the river.

First choice: a hen that had been raised for two and a half years.

Liang Qu rubbed his chin, lost in thought. He walked out of the boat tent, stood at the bow, and looked to see what was different about gaining favor.

The long wind was vast, the oars struck the river water, rolling up swirls.

Chen Jiechang felt strange. He was also a good fisherman, and rowing was not a problem, but today rowing was exceptionally easy, as if the heavens and earth were helping him, and with a light slide, he darted out.

Was it because it wasn't his own boat, the weight was different, or was he out of practice because he hadn't fished for two months at the martial arts hall?

Wait, why did the boat speed slow down again?

Chen Jiechang rowed, feeling his hand feel stranger and stranger, as if rowing in paste. Fortunately, it returned to normal before long, neither easy nor strenuous, the same as usual.

Today's river flow was so strange, he had never seen it before. Had he passed through an undercurrent?

He couldn't figure it out, couldn't figure it out.

Liang Qu squatted at the bow, letting go of his water control ability.

0.0001 favor was too little; it couldn't evolve the innate skill Water Leap at all.

However, his water control ability had increased slightly, from about eight hundred *jin* to one thousand *jin*!

The physical exertion when controlling water became less, and the flexibility was higher.

He just didn't know why, but blood control was still difficult. He couldn't even feel the blood flow in Chen Jiechang's body. Up to now, he could only control the blood of ordinary people.

When he went back, he had to look at the two volumes of *Yu Guanxiu, Ming You Gan*. There might be an answer inside.

In the past few days, Liang Qu had been reading the *Annotated Edition of Haomu Hall Miscellaneous Notes* to increase his knowledge and experience, but he had neglected the macro description of the martial path.

There was no way; *Jade Official Cultivation, Understanding the Dark* was too boring, far less vivid and interesting than the *Annotated Edition of Haomu Hall Miscellaneous Notes*. The knowledge inside was told in the form of stories, and there were many unexpected twists, which were very relieving to read.

The covered boat passed through the winding river and brushed past several passenger ships.

Nanshi Bridge passed over his head. Liang Qu glanced at it and saw a pedestrian walking across the bridge in a hurry.

Eh, Zheng Xiang!

Liang Qu looked a few more times until the Zhao mansion steward turned into a corner and disappeared.

At the beginning, Zheng Xiang came to the door to take him as Master Zhao's adopted son. That scene was still fresh in his memory.

He didn't expect to see him again today. Speaking of which, it was also strange. Lin Di knew about him becoming Master Yang's disciple. The Zhao mansion was much larger than a small fishing family. Zheng Xiang actually didn't come to the door to express anything.

Cold treatment?

Liang Qu couldn't figure it out. He saw the covered boat pass through the river and could see the Yang mansion from afar, so he stopped thinking about it.

He no longer put such small characters in his eyes; it wasn't worth wasting his energy.

Stepping on the reef, he climbed onto the two banks. Chen Jiechang stayed on the boat to watch the boat, and Liang Qu stepped forward to knock on the copper ring.

The gatekeeper saw it was Liang Qu, naturally knew his identity, called out "Ninth Young Master," and opened the gate.

Liang Qu was led by the servant through the courtyard. He didn't see Master Yang, only Master Yang's wife, Lady Xu, sitting on a grandmaster chair supported by Nandi.

Liang Qu hurriedly greeted: "Greetings to the Mistress."

Lady Xu leaned slightly on the back of the chair and smiled: "Little Nine, how do you have time to come to me? I don't even see a shadow on weekdays. I want to find you for a meal but can't find you.

Among the nine boys, you, Little Four, and Little Five are the best-looking, but Little Four has a strange temper, and Little Five is cold. I just want you to come and accompany me, but I don't see you all day. Sigh."

It turns out the Mistress is a face-control.

Liang Qu was ashamed: "There are really too many things, I didn't have time. I have to study, practice martial arts, and go out on the boat to fish. In a few days, when I'm free, I will definitely come to greet the Mistress every day."

"Fishing? Is it because the silver is not enough? I just said that Old Man Yang is stingy. What is ten taels enough for? And he is afraid of spoiling your character. You are a top-notch child. A little silver, how could it spoil your character? Nandi, go to my box and get a ingot of treasure silver."

Liang Qu was embarrassed to hear the front, and shocked to hear the back.

An ingot of treasure silver!

That was fifty taels of silver!

The Mistress was too generous.

But he wasn't here to ask for silver.

Liang Qu hurriedly told his intention of coming, fearing that it would be like receiving a relative's red envelope if he was late.

Lady Xu heard and beckoned: "Little Nine, come here."

Liang Qu obediently stood up and squatted in front of Lady Xu.

Lady Xu leaned forward and smelled: "No wonder there was a smell of medicine when you came in. Your blood smell is still spreading. Are you injured?"

"Minor injuries, no problem."

Lady Xu directly pulled open Liang Qu's collar, frowned at the thick white cloth: "This is also called a minor injury? Nandi, don't go get the treasure silver, go to my second box and get a bottle of flesh-repairing pills."

"Mistress, really no need. I grew up rolling in the mud. It's just a little flesh wound, a small fight. The villagers are waiting, and they are quite anxious."

"It's useless to be anxious. Your master is not in the mansion at all." ===== CHAPTER 70 =====