The heart of Madam Xu waged a fierce battle. It had been a long time since anyone had drowned in Baiyu Stream, and the specters passing through were exceedingly rare. Within the River God Shrine, besides herself, the River God, there were no other offerings; not even a single attendant god beneath the dignified River God.
"Alas..."
She sighed mournfully, indulging in self-pity once more. If only she had been more resolute in the past, she wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.
Suddenly, a yelp echoed from Baiyu Stream. A young boy, unsteady on his feet in the water, was swept away by the strong current and fell headlong into the river.
"Hmm?"
Madam Xu looked up. Opportunity was before her. With just a flick of her finger, she could stir an underwater current to drag the boy’s body to the bottom. Then, no one could save him, and he would inevitably become a water ghost in Baiyu Stream, a spirit worshipped in the River God Shrine.
"Xu Dongdong!"
A group of boys in the shallow water cried out urgently.
This boy named Xu Dongdong was a student from Hefeng Academy, identified by Gu Lingyu and the young tutors as a "seed of scholarship." It was said he could already recite several chapters of the Analects from memory. Such a seed of scholarship, once it became a water ghost and a spirit enshrined in the River God Shrine, would be quite formidable.
"Alas..."
Madam Xu watched the boy struggle in the water, her own heart in turmoil. If this boy, Xu Dongdong, drowned on his own, Madam Xu might be blameless but could still incur displeasure. However, if Madam Xu herself had a hand in his drowning, the consequences would be far more severe.
She glanced in the direction of Hefeng Academy. Like the Mountain Summit Villa, it radiated an aura of righteousness, making it difficult for Madam Xu, a mere yin spirit with shallow cultivation, to gaze upon it for long.
She frowned. If Xu Dongdong truly drowned, what would Gu Lingyu do?
Over a hundred years ago, the rage of a scholar named Qin Suihan by Snow Region Heavenly Lake had almost led to her demise. Now, Gu Lingyu was almost identical to Qin Suihan. If he were to fly into a fury, she, the River God, might not be able to hold her position.
Thinking of this, Madam Xu couldn't help but sigh.
She couldn't kill him, yet she couldn't stand idly by either. Wasn't this forcing her to accumulate merit and do good deeds?
Finally, Madam Xu raised her hand, her light golden sleeves swaying gently in the water, stirring up ripples that carried the boy, who had water in his mouth and nose, towards the shore. He was immediately rescued by his companions.
The boy coughed up a mouthful of water with a yelp, then got up and laughed, "It's fine, it's fine... Quickly surround the fish. Whether we have a good meal today depends entirely on this."
Xu Dongdong was the ringleader of the children in the small town. The other boys nodded and used branches to corral the fish, pushing them towards the shallow bank.
...
Evening.
As the children who had fished in the rising spring tide returned home, the stone bridge of Baiyu Stream became deserted and silent once more.
Just as the sun was about to set, a new guest arrived in the town. Dressed in white, with a sword on his back, his demeanor was one of utter laziness and ease. It was Han Xin, the Soldier Immortal.
Han Xin stepped onto the stone bridge. The last time he had visited was over a hundred years ago, when he had traveled the mortal realm with Ding Muchan, the God of War. This time, Ding Muchan was guarding the Investiture Platform and could not come. Thus, only Han Xin could oversee the grand affairs of the human world.
He squatted by the stone bridge, unfastened his wine gourd, took a sip, then looked down at the water and poured some of the wine from the gourd onto the surface of Baiyu Stream, saying with a smile, "A toast for mobilization from the ancestral home of the military. Taste its flavor."
In the water, the River God looked at the young Soldier Immortal on the stone bridge in disbelief, unable to believe he had truly returned to the human world.
She used her divine abilities to draw the wine on the water into her mouth. A pungent spiciness burned her throat. The wine drunk by military cultivators was indeed stronger than that of others.
"Not bad..."
Han Xin sat by the bridge, as if chatting with an old friend, and said, "Your state of mind over these past hundred years has been acceptable. You did not harm the child's life, and your state of mind has improved greatly. This is the right way."
"Mm..."
Madam Xu's golden form slowly emerged from the water, and she bowed deeply to Han Xin, "Exalted Immortal... why have you returned?"
"To attend to some matters."
Han Xin smiled, "I have been dispatched by the ancestral home of the military to look after things in the human world. I will be staying at the Mountain Summit Villa for some time and will not be leaving soon."
"Oh."
Madam Xu pursed her red lips and said, "My River God Shrine is too small, and there is not much incense offered here, so... I have nothing to offer you."
"No need."
Han Xin frowned, "As long as you take care of the local populace, how can incense be scarce?"
As he spoke, he saw a group of people approaching in the distance. It was Xu Dongdong, accompanied by his parents and grandfather.
"Dongdong!"
His father affectionately ruffled the child's hair, "The place where you were fishing was really near the River God Shrine? And after you fell into the water, you really felt a current carrying you ashore?"
"Mm."
Xu Dongdong rubbed his backside. He had been spanked when he got home for talking about fishing, but when he spoke of almost drowning, his parents and grandfather became extremely anxious.
He blinked his eyes and said, "Dad, it felt like something in the water was protecting me. Otherwise, I would have been swept far downstream by the river."
"Oh!"
His father nodded, took the incense and candles from his wife, and the family walked towards the River God Shrine. His father entered first, then offered incense, knelt on the ground, and said, "River God Mother, thank you for protecting my Dongdong. Thank you truly... From now on, our Xu family will offer incense on every festival and holiday. We implore you to protect our Xu family in the future."
The family thus added considerable incense to the River God Shrine.
...
"How about that?"
Han Xin looked at Madam Xu in the river and smiled, "Good deeds are rewarded. Isn't this proof? If you were so stingy and ungrateful to everyone in the world, then naturally, no one would show you much respect."
Madam Xu's eyes lit up. At this moment, she seemed to understand how to be a proper River God.
"Thank you, Exalted Immortal, for your guidance."
Madam Xu bowed again.
"It's nothing."
Han Xin stood up, cupped his fists and bowed to Madam Xu, "It is I, Han Xin, who should thank you for the meal you gave me back then. But it is easy to be human, and difficult to be a deity. After thousands of years of suffering, your disposition has changed considerably, and you are no longer as kind as you once were. Therefore, Han Xin's feelings towards you have also..."
He paused, frowning, "Old Madam, please do not blame Han Xin for repaying kindness with enmity back then. All of this was merely to temper your disposition as a deity. Without it, your great Dao would likely have become even more barren."
"..."
On the water's surface, tears welled up in Madam Xu's eyes. In all the years since, she had never been so happy.
"Off I go."
Han Xin smiled, "It's true that there's not much to entertain me here with your sparse incense. I'm off to the Mountain Summit Villa to drink Lin Zhao's cheap wine."
"Yes."
Madam Xu smiled, "The Mountain Master is a good person. Go, go."
Han Xin cupped his fists again, then transformed into a wisp of pure wind, carrying the subtle aura of military might, and headed for the Mountain Summit Villa.
...
Tian Ran Ju.
When Han Xin arrived gracefully, Lin Zhao, Huang Tingyu, Wu Zhi, Tang Guangjun, and others were already waiting. In the living room, a large table laden with delicious dishes emanated an inviting aroma, awaiting the guests.
"Oh, you've arrived just in time!" Han Xin slapped his thigh. "Excellent!"
"Lin Zhao, we welcome the Soldier Immortal."
As the Mountain Master, Lin Zhao spoke formally.
Huang Tingyu, Wu Zhi, Chen Ben, Yu Wanning, and the others dared not be presumptuous, all greeting the Soldier Immortal with the deference of juniors. In reality, this was fitting. Han Xin had been ranked among the Four Saints of the Military for many years. In terms of seniority, he was far more established than Ding Muchan, the God of War, and certainly not comparable to the group at the Mountain Summit Villa.
"From the ancestral home of the military, Tang Guangjun, pays his respects to the Soldier Immortal!"
Tang Guangjun grinned, "Shall we have a good drink later?"
"Eh~~~"
Han Xin waved his hand and smiled, "If we're going to drink well, we can't just have a little. Mountain Master, Tang Guangjun, and everyone else at the Mountain Summit Villa, no one is allowed to use their cultivation to dissipate the wine's effect today. Shall we not return until we're drunk?"
"Agreed!"
Huang Tingyu chuckled heartily, "Since the Soldier Immortal graces us with his presence, we will risk our lives to accompany you, gentlemen. Dongcang, bring out all your apricot blossom wine and hide the Mountain Master's Dongting wine. I hear the Soldier Immortal can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, so it would be a waste for him to drink Dongting wine."
Tang Guangjun's heart pounded. This Soldier Immortal had a rather bad temper.
After all, his achievements in the mortal realm were comparable to the heavens, yet he still couldn't escape the fate of being discarded once his usefulness was over. Although he was enfeoffed as the Soldier Immortal by heaven and earth, regaining his physical body and cultivation, he harbored a deep resentment.
He disliked anyone in this world with the surname Liu, Lü, or Xiao.
Lin Zhujie frowned. It was his elder brother Huang who had guts. He dared to speak to a fourteenth-level Soldier Immortal from the ancestral home of the military like this. Unlike him, Lin Zhujie, who was so scared he couldn't even breathe, and didn't even want to sit at the table later, wishing he could just take a bowl of rice with some dishes on top and eat by himself outside the door.
"Alright, alright."
Lin Zhao smiled, "Let's be seated and have our meal and drinks."
"Good."
A group of people accompanied the Soldier Immortal, drinking to their hearts' content.
They drank until late into the night. Over ten jars of apricot blossom wine brewed by Dongcang were consumed. Fortunately, Dongcang was now an eleventh-level Apricot Maiden, and apricot blossoms were her life essence. Brewing wine was no longer as difficult as it used to be, and the resulting apricot blossom wine was even more mellow, so drinking freely was acceptable.
...
Everyone was drunk to their heart's content.
Lin Zhao had Liu Liying prepare an elegant and clean courtyard on the mountainside for Han Xin to stay in. A distinguished Soldier Immortal indeed deserved such treatment. Lin Zhao personally lit the lamps and opened the door to the small courtyard for Han Xin. Both were somewhat intoxicated and did not use their cultivation to dispel the effects of the wine.
That was the feeling of drinking.
"Brother Han Xin."
Lin Zhao frowned and asked, "What is the purpose of your trip to the lower realm this time?"
"Eh~~~"
Han Xin waved his hand and smiled, "This time, we're just here to drink, not to discuss serious matters. Don't ask me the purpose of my visit, lest it be suspected of revealing the answers. In short, for the sake of the human race, you, Lin Zhao, should put in more effort."
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao watched as Han Xin staggered, leaning on a rockery, and then vomited into the fishpond in the courtyard with a yelp. He then covered his face and left.
He looked up at the starry sky, feeling a sense of bewilderment.
To plan more for the human race, he understood this. But what did "revealing the answers" mean?