59: The City God of Fengyang was so angry he fainted! He was then tempered by incense offerings!
Jingyue River.
The vast river surged with waves, and wooden boats shuttled across the water. Fishermen cast their nets, catching fish from the river.
Whenever they had a good harvest, the fishermen, while joyful, would sincerely recite the River God's name.
Strands of green Qi then sank to the riverbed, gathering in the Immortal Cave at the bottom of the river.
Suddenly.
A cold wind blew, and the fishermen felt a chill run through their bodies, but they didn't know why.
At the same time.
Under the river, at the bottom.
In front of the Jingyue River God's Immortal Cave.
A black shadow appeared, rapidly condensing.
The Fengyang City God, dressed in official robes and corpulent, appeared before the Immortal Cave.
His expression changed, quite complex.
Emotions like nervousness, joy, worry, and doubt intertwined.
For the past few decades, he had barely eaten or slept, constantly in a state of high tension and panic.
If anything happened to the Jingyue River God, he, the City God, could forget about holding his position.
The moment he heard the news of the River God's appearance, he couldn't wait any longer and rushed directly to the Jingyue River, wanting to know what exactly happened!
For nearly a month, what exactly had the River God been doing!?
Had that snake demon in the Taihang Mountains... been dealt with or not!
Harboring many doubts, the Fengyang City God knocked on the Immortal Cave's door.
"River God? River God, are you there? It's me, the Fengyang City God."
He called out a few times.
No sound came from inside the Immortal Cave.
The Fengyang City God knew the River God must be inside. Calculating the time, the River God should have just arrived at the Immortal Cave not long ago.
Why isn't she speaking?
A hint of doubt flashed in the Fengyang City God Huang Yushu's eyes.
Inside the Immortal Cave.
The River God held a Vermillion Fruit, took a fierce bite, and looked at the Immortal Cave's door with a fierce gaze.
"You, Huang Yushu! You still dare to come looking for This Young Lady!"
Her big eyes darted around. She stuffed the fruit into her mouth and walked over with puffed cheeks.
The water flowed, and the Immortal Cave's door opened.
Huang Yushu was stunned to see the River God chewing on the fruit. He suddenly felt that the River God seemed a little different.
But he couldn't quite pinpoint what was different.
Then, he reacted.
"River God, you're back!" The Fengyang City God hurried forward. "Why did it take so long, a whole month!"
The River God said nothing, merely scrutinizing him from head to toe.
The Fengyang City God didn't mind and continued to ask, "What happened?"
Recalling the scene in the mountains, the River God couldn't help but curve her lips, revealing a faint smile.
"Was that snake demon killed?" the Fengyang City God asked.
Upon hearing this, the River God's smile instantly vanished.
She stared coldly at the Fengyang City God, shook her head, and said, having already thought of what to say, "No, I didn't meet him."
"Didn't meet him?" The Fengyang City God frowned.
"Otherwise, why would This Young Lady have spent a month?" The River God took out another fruit.
That shouldn't be right!
Doubt surged in the Fengyang City God's heart.
Where could that snake demon have gone?
Moreover, a month's time, even if she was just aimlessly wandering, she should have found the other party by now, right?
Could it be that this River God just found a place to play for a month and didn't even think about taking action?
The Fengyang City God couldn't understand, but he also couldn't directly ask.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Since that's the case, could I ask the River God to make another trip sometime soon?"
"Sure!" The River God immediately nodded, extending her hand. "Hand it over."
"What?" The Fengyang City God was stunned.
The Jingyue River God glared, "The reward, just like last time. Not a single cent less."
Upon hearing this, Huang Yushu's face flushed red, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Logically speaking, since he gave so much reward and the other party didn't complete the task, she should either return it to him or find a time to continue the task!
Now, she was even asking for another reward. This was simply too much.
"Also, this matter of yours has delayed me for too much time. I've been traveling for a whole month, it's been very hard..."
The Fengyang City God raised his hand and said, "River God, what do you mean?"
The River God rubbed her fingers together, "What I mean is... I need more money!"
Hiss---
The Fengyang City God gasped a mouthful of cold river water. He never expected the seemingly innocent River God to say such a thing.
"If you don't give it to me, I'll go to the Prefecture Government!"
The Fengyang City God trembled with anger, casually threw out some jade and jewels, gave the River God a deep look, then turned and left.
"Farewell!"
He left at the fastest speed, his face extremely gloomy.
"That dead fatty is so stingy." The River God happily collected the jewels and began to sort through them.
On the other side.
The Fengyang City God returned to the Underworld Office.
When the Underworld Officials saw him return, they all stepped forward to inquire.
The already agitated Fengyang City God was furious, and thinking of the reward he had given earlier made his heart ache even more.
"Scram! All of you, scram!"
He roared, scaring the Underworld Officials into retreating... Taihang Mountains.
After Xu Qing saw off the River God Girl, he immediately returned to the Taihang Mountains.
On the way, he happened to meet Bai Ling and Liu Mei, who were strolling together.
"Did she go back?" Bai Ling asked.
Xu Qing nodded and recounted the River God's request.
Liu Mei indicated that she would inform the Fat Protector to deliver fruits every three days.
Afterward, Xu Qing brought his two wives back to the mountain peak.
After sending them back to their nest, he went to the other side of the mountain top.
He opened his mouth and spat out three jade bottles, from which thick green Qi emanated.
One of the jade bottles contained the Incense Offerings from nearly a hundred villages at the foot of the Taihang Mountains. They all believed in the Mountain God, and the Incense Offerings were exceptionally pure.
The other two bottles contained the Power Of Will from the Incense Offerings of people in other parts of Fengyang County.
The quantity was relatively large, but in terms of purity, it was significantly inferior to Xu Qing's own.
The Fengyang City God hadn't done much proper work over the years, and the people's trust in the City God had decreased significantly in recent years.
Xu Qing looked at these two bottles of Incense Offerings and fell into deep thought.
Previously, the River God had told him many things about divine Dao cultivation.
Many divine Dao Cultivators lacked a Physical Body, possessing only a soul spirit.
Incense Offerings were the foundation of their existence. Losing this Power Of Faith from Incense Offerings would, at best, cause their cultivation to regress, and at worst, lead directly to their death and the dissipation of their Dao.
However, Incense Offerings had many other uses. They could be used to cast certain Spells, refine Magical Artifacts, and temper the Physical Body, among other effects.
Using Incense Offerings for these purposes, there was no need to worry about anything.
With a thought, Xu Qing took out the Incense Offerings from his bottle, carefully controlled them with his magic power, and began to temper his Physical Body little by little.
Immediately, Xu Qing's flesh, bones, and Bloodline began to slowly change.
The power of Incense Offerings continuously washed over him, making his Physical Body even stronger.
At the same time.
In the System panel, his Bloodline points began to slowly increase.
After a long time, the sun set and night fell.
"Crack..." A crisp sound came from Xu Qing's body, and fine cracks appeared on his scales as he began to shed his skin... (The idea that Incense Offerings are poisonous seems to come from Xian Ni. Ours are proper Incense Offerings, without so many complications... Experts, please go easy on me. Also, the next chapter opens Tushan.)