Chapter 493: Who Is Really at Fault?

De Ben looked at the crowd kneeling before him, which included not a few playmates he had grown up with since childhood and his own elders, gave a wry smile, and said, "Everyone, get up!"

This matter.

This has happened more than once; since he became the Lion Ridge Mountain God, with the Mountain God Token allowing him to appear in broad daylight, the villagers of Zhang Family Village who came to his home every day, regardless of seniority or status, would instinctively kneel before him upon seeing him.

Even though he said again and again that kneeling was unnecessary, these people just let it go in one ear and out the other.

He knew that people knelt before him out of respect for his identity as the Lion Ridge Mountain God; in their eyes, he was no longer De Ben, but the Lion Ridge Mountain God.

Once, twice, three or four times…

There was nothing he could do.

He could only stop worrying about it; let them kneel if they wanted to.

De Ben suddenly noticed a hostile gaze, as if someone were spying on him; he instinctively turned his head and saw Zhang Guilian looking at him with resentment. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, pretended not to have seen, got up, and strode toward the outside of the Mountain God Temple.

"Just going to ignore me like that?"

Zhang Guilian glanced at De Ben, about to sneer a few remarks, but saw De Ben quickly avert his gaze; she couldn't help but curse him inwardly, and the resentment on her face grew even stronger as she spat out:

"These days I've come to see you every day, yet you keep turning a blind eye, refusing to show yourself before me— is it just to get me to say a few kind words so the county officials will release my husband and son? They did wrong against you, but they know their fault and have been punished; how can you not forgive them? Are you trying to drive them to their deaths just to make yourself happy?"

Thinking of this, Zhang Guilian's face turned ferocious, her whole body like a beast ready to devour anyone; seeing De Ben rise and stride toward the outside of the Mountain God Temple without even calling out to her, she seemed to think of something and inwardly gloated:

"Just wait; it won't be long before you have a day to regret— I'll make you know the consequences of ignoring me!"

Zhang Chengyong watched Zhang Guilian like a ferocious beast, staring fixedly at his father's retreating back, startled and worried that Zhang Guilian might at this moment disrupt his father's divinization ceremony, he cautiously asked:

Zhang Chengyong looked at Zhang Guilian as if she were a ferocious beast, staring fixedly at his father's retreating back; he jumped in fright, worried that Zhang Guilian would at this moment sabotage his father's god-ascension ceremony, and cautiously asked:

"Do you really wish something would happen to me?"

Zhang Guilian gave a cold snort, stared icily at Zhang Chengyong, her eyes full of contempt, and jeered:

"Your father's divinization ceremony probably isn't welcoming me to attend; why aren't you participating? Are you worried I'll cause trouble in the Mountain God Temple?"

Thinking of how this brat once went to the county martial arts hall to train, she, as an elder, had even gone to watch a few times, which counted as a kindness toward this brat.

But this time, his uncle and cousin had done something wrong; he asked this brat to help plead for mercy, yet this brat not only didn't help, but instead mocked him there.

This time, however, his uncle and cousin had done something wrong; he asked this little beast to help plead for mercy, but the little beast not only didn't help, instead he stood there sneering and jeering.

During this period in the Mountain God Temple, this brat had practically kept him under constant watch, worried she would do something bad in the Mountain God Temple, and thought he was watching her well, yet hadn't realized that what he intended to do had already been done.

If it weren't for worrying that it would delay the mysterious person's affairs and affect the mysterious person's rescue of her husband and son, she really wanted to tell Zhang Chengyong this brat: "Old ginger is spicier!"

Zhang Chengyong didn't speak; he wasn't lacking the thought to placate Zhang Guilian with false words, but thinking of Zhang Guilian and the Du family father and son's deeds, he couldn't utter such false pleasantries, fearing he'd make himself nauseous enough to vomit.

"Don't worry, although your father is no good, I've been asking him for help these days, but he turns a blind eye; it's just a matter of saying a few words, yet he won't even do that—I see that since he became the Lion Ridge Mountain God, he no longer has any regard for me as his sister."

"Don't worry, although your father is good-for-nothing, I've been asking him for help these past days, but he turned a blind eye; it's just a matter of saying a few words, yet he won't even do this small thing. I think he's become the Mountain God of Shizi Ling, and now he has no place for me, his sister, in his eyes!"

Indignantly, she thought: if her husband or son snatched the Mountain God Token and, relying on becoming the Lion Ridge Mountain God, became the Lion Ridge Mountain God, what right would De Ben have to act arrogantly before her?

Who knows how De Ben or the Zhang family might end up kneeling before her, begging her to do things.

Zhang Guilian said expressionlessly:

"Although he no longer regards me as his sister in his eyes, no matter what, he is my older brother; having become the Lion Ridge Mountain God, I'm still happy for him— even if he became the Lion Ridge Mountain God and refuses to lend even a small hand, I still wouldn't go so far as to ruin his divinization ceremony this time."

Having said that, Zhang Guilian didn't linger in the Mountain God Temple, but quickly walked toward its exterior.

She hadn't forgotten what Li Ping had just said: this time De Ben's divinization ceremony would bring a divine rain; if she could accept the baptism of that divine rain, she could be free of illness and disaster and live a long life.

No matter how much she despised De Ben or the Zhang family, when it came to such a windfall delivered to her doorstep, she lived by the saying:

"To pass up a bargain is to be a bastard!"

At that moment.

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De Ben's nonsense should be over; she went out, just in time to receive the baptism of the divine rain.

"Damn, how could she have the nerve to say something like that?"

Zhang Chengyong stared wide-eyed, speechlessly watching Zhang Guilian's retreating back; he had thought long and hard, yet couldn't fathom how she could have the nerve to say those words, and silently cursed:

"It's clearly your family that's at fault, and you've done something worse than pigs and dogs— no, not just one thing, who knows how many— how dare you shift the blame onto my father?"

If it weren't for this being his father's divinization ceremony, besides Zhang Family Village, villagers from all the settlements near Lion Ridge would have come to participate; he really wanted to tell Zhang Guilian, let's see whose fault it really is.

If it weren't for this being his father's god-ascension ceremony, besides Zhang Family Village, the nearby villages around Shizi Ling would have had villagers coming to participate; he really wanted to talk it out with Zhang Guilian to see who was at fault.

Zhang Guilian walked out of the Mountain God Temple and saw De Ben hovering in midair, going on and on with his speech; she couldn't help but complain sarcastically:

"It's just good luck, a fluke, becoming the Lion Ridge Mountain God; if it weren't for a few meddlers who dealt with the monster that had occupied Lion Ridge, nobody would even know how he died, and yet he has the nerve to boast about it in front of everyone."

"It's just good luck, got dog-shit luck, became the Mountain God of Shizi Ling; if it weren't for running into a few nosy guys who dealt with the monster occupying Shizi Ling, I wouldn't even know how I died—how could I still have the nerve to brag in front of everyone?"

As soon as the words were spoken, pairs of angry eyes turned to Zhang Guilian; among them, the more hot-tempered people wanted to rush forward and deal with Zhang Guilian, but were held back by the nearby Zhang Family Village folks, who quietly reminded them of Zhang Guilian's identity, causing them to stop; nevertheless, they all stared angrily at Zhang Guilian.

Zhang Guilian's words were not spoken softly on purpose; Zhang Deben was not far away, so he easily heard Zhang Guilian's words. Originally he had wanted to tell everyone his philosophy for governing Shizi Ling, but upon hearing this, he changed his tone and said:

"I won't say much more; I will summon a divine rain, hoping everyone accepts the baptism of the divine rain, so that we may be free of illness and disaster, and live to a ripe old age!"

(End of chapter)