Chapter 57: River God

Linjiang County, Shuiyun Village.

Live off the mountains if you’re near them, live off the water if you’re by it—along the riverbank, the fish market was bustling.

The carriage slowed to a stop; Li Xiaoer got out and led the horse toward the local government office.

Shen Yi stood between two rows of fish baskets, breathing in the fishy dampness; beside him were fishermen with rolled-up pant legs, chatting and laughing as if the several Town Suppressing Office captains were invisible.

Whether it was an illusion or not, occasionally someone glanced over casually, their eyes hiding a faint hostility.

“This is how places like this are—it saves us the trouble of disguising ourselves,” Liu Xiujie chuckled. “Elsewhere, when demons appear, people rush to the government office. Here, they go to worship the River God.”

“Worship a god?” Shen Yi unexpectedly recalled the broken, dilapidated statue in Liuli Temple Village.

Li Mujin yawned, teasing: “Demons who don’t want to be on the Imperial Bounty List but won’t hide deep in the mountains naturally give themselves a title.”

“Four hundred years ago, when Shuiyun Village was still just a fishing hamlet, they lived off the River God.”

Liu Xiujie sighed helplessly: “Minor sacrifices every June, major ones every three years—it’s become tradition. Minor sacrifices offer livestock, fish, and rice; major ones offer boys and girls. It’s never stopped.”

Hearing this, Shen Yi clenched his fist slightly and murmured: “No one intervenes?”

Though his expression was calm, a faint unease welled up instinctively in his heart.

“How do you intervene? If you speak disrespectfully, these villagers will rise up tomorrow with their fishing spears and storm Qingzhou City. Are you going to kill them all?”

Liu Xiujie shrugged: “All we can do is send a few captains during the major sacrifice to keep watch—just enough to intimidate the River God, remind it the Town Suppressing Office is still watching, and keep it from getting too bold.”

“Even that, they treat like we’re thieves.”

Under Li Xinhan’s lead, the group left the fish market and soon reached the riverside village.

This remote place was even livelier than the town they’d just left—expensive silk was cut into strips and hung from poles; bamboo River God statues adorned every rooftop; occasionally, firecrackers popped, as if it were New Year.

As the group drew near,

an old man in a white tunic leaned on his cane at the village entrance, smiling without warmth: “Are you gentlemen here to observe the sacrifice?”

“The village chief in charge of the major sacrifice—his words carry weight, even the Shuiyun Village government office treats them with caution,” Ma Tao whispered.

Li Xinhan scanned the village, then slowly lowered his gaze: “Where are the Town Suppressing Office officers who came here previously?”

At this, the chief turned back in shock: “Aren’t you the ones here to observe this year’s sacrifice? I was wondering why you were so late.”

Seeing his reaction, Li Mujin’s eyes flashed with coldness.

She stepped forward, smiling: “I’ll remind you—worship whatever you like, but if you lay hands on Town Suppressing Office captains, you know what the consequence will be.”

“You’re joking.”

The chief bowed his head, leaning on his cane, forcing a smile: “We wouldn’t dare. Besides, how could a few broken fishing spears do anything?”

Li Mujin said nothing, simply walking calmly into the village.

Young men on either side, gripping fishing spears, stared at her curvaceous figure with cold expressions, licking their lips.

“...”

Shen Yi observed the scene with indifference.

It was hard to equate these people with the numb villagers from the outskirts of Baiyun County.

In Liuli Temple Village, those people had no hope, huddling in fear, trembling, even lacking the thought to flee.

Here, these ordinary people openly stared at Town Suppressing Office officers with greedy eyes.

Such an absurd contrast stemmed from the “god” giving them confidence.

For a moment, Shen Yi’s resolve wavered.

Did the people truly see demons as superior to the Town Suppressing Office?

The River God Temple stood at the village’s center.

Inside the spacious hall stood a gilded statue of a woman in her thirties or forties, her face gentle, draped in a flowing water-wave robe, palms pressed to her chest.

On either side stood boy and girl statues with topknots, one holding a fish basket, the other a flower basket, both smiling with innocent charm.

“This statue is wrong.”

Ma Tao shook his head. Under the others’ gazes, he reached out and sneered: “One pair every three years—four hundred years, and there are only two child statues? There should be rows of them stretching all the way out of the village.”

Li Xinhan withdrew his gaze: “Do you think the people outside are fools, really believing their children are given to the River God as attendants? They know better than you—this is all about profit.”

Li Mujin sat cross-legged, closing her eyes as if napping.

Soon, Xiao Er returned from the government office, his face grim: “No news. Everyone says they never saw them. The badge wasn’t delivered to Linjiang County—could those captains really have been ambushed by demons on the way?”

“Linjiang County officials say the badge was left at the office gate at dawn. It’s hardly likely demons deliberately sent it as a provocation,” Li Xinhan frowned tightly.

Li Mujin opened her eyes, glancing at Shen Yi, who stood silently before the statue, and said softly: “If you could gather the fish schools together beneath the Yangchun River’s turbulent flow, casting your net would yield a full catch—they’d worship you as a god.”

“Some things are better left unmeddled with.”

She keenly sensed the faint dissatisfaction beneath his seemingly indifferent exterior.

She was merely curious—he’d grown up in poverty, surely he’d seen worse. Why would this disturb him?

Time passed swiftly.

Dusk had fallen.

Everyone fell silent. By custom, when the Town Suppressing Office came to observe the sacrifice, the River God would appear.

Yet now, it remained utterly absent.

“Could it have been killed by another demon?” Li Xinhan raised his gaze.

Generally, each demon has strong territorial instincts. With a River God here, as long as it didn’t want to be on the Bounty List, it wouldn’t dare act recklessly—and it would also deter passing demons.

“If so, it’s probably gone,” Li Mujin smiled. “Otherwise, how could we still be sitting here peacefully?”

Records show that three hundred years ago, the River God was already a low-level Jade Fluid demon. Now, so much time has passed—even if demons cultivate far slower than martial cultivators, it should at least be late Jade Fluid by now.

Moreover, it’s a water demon, and the Yangchun River is vast. Once it dives into the river, even demons of higher realm couldn’t touch it.

“Gentlemen.”

The chief arrived at the door, leaning on his cane: “We’ve been busy preparing for the major sacrifice and have no spare rooms. Why don’t you each pick a house you like and make do?”

Liu Xiujie rolled his eyes.

Only in a place like this would anyone dare make Town Suppressing Office officers sleep shoulder-to-shoulder with villagers.

Fortunately, none of them cared much for such trivial comforts—they rose and walked out, pairing off to enter villagers’ homes.

Li Xiaoer had been Li Xinhan’s lifelong personal servant; Liu and Ma were long-time partners.

Li Mujin was welcomed inside by a woman, who waved her hand: “Traveling away from home, don’t be so formal—come along.”

“I’ll just take a walk.”

Shen Yi deliberately lagged behind, strolling slowly through the village.

He wasn’t tired—just a faint irritation stirred inside him.

He wasn’t truly angry; after all, it was just a few casual words. He’d heard far worse stories in his past life.

In times of great famine, tales of parents swapping children to eat were common. In this demon-ridden age, survival itself was hard—holding ordinary people to high moral standards was just self-torment.

Just then, a faint quarrel reached his ears.

“Where the hell are you touching? Put your hands back or I’ll cut you open!”

Shen Yi lifted his gaze, curious, and looked over.

(End of Chapter)