After leaving the River God Temple, Ji Yuan and the other two came to a tea stall by the river.
He bought several bowls of hot tea for the waiter, as a token of his gratitude, but neither of them drank it themselves.
Most mortal things are undifferentiated between pure and impure. Excessive consumption can lead to the accumulation of turbid energy in the Dao body and physical body, which is troublesome to expel.
Once turbid energy accumulates too much, it can even affect one's cultivation and future Dao path, so they could not afford to be careless.
"You two look like outsiders."
There were few customers at the tea stall at this time, so the old man, the stall owner, stepped forward and greeted them.
Ji Yuan turned his head and looked at the old man, who was in his fifties or sixties. He nodded with a slight smile.
"Outsiders visiting the mountains and rivers must also pay attention to local customs, otherwise, it is easy to get into trouble."
The old man sat down at the next table, holding a long, gray-white rag, and seemed quite enthusiastic.
He told the two that it was fine to visit the mountains and rivers, but the mountains and rivers had their own rules, and one should not make casual appointments, otherwise, it might bring disaster, and even the Water God would not be able to protect them.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan's heart stirred, and he asked, "He is clearly just the River Earl, why do you all call him the Water God?"
Most of the time, "Water God" is just a general term. Deities like the River Earl and River Grandmother are, strictly speaking, only considered auxiliary deities.
Those who truly deserve the title of Water God are generally deities of the River God level or higher.
This rule is known to most mortals, and few would overstep it, as it is disrespectful to the gods.
If auxiliary deities like the River Earl are often referred to as Water Gods, it is due to the interference of unseen destiny, and it is very easy to incur the dissatisfaction and wrath of the higher gods.
"What is the difference between a River Earl and a River God?"
The waiter, who was drinking hot tea, interjected, "Originally, the court wanted to upgrade the River Earl Temple to a River God Temple, and even issued a decree. However, the Water God himself appeared and told the envoy that he only wished to remain a humble River Earl, contributing his meager efforts for the people."
There were many rumors at the time, and they are still circulating today. Most of them say that the River Earl refused the court's upgrade because he did not want to burden the people and waste their money, and only wished to be a small River Earl.
Otherwise, they would have to call him Master Water God now. Although the upgrade was not successful, the common people had already regarded him as a Water God in their hearts.
As generations passed, it became deeply ingrained in people's minds.
As soon as this River Earl was mentioned, the waiter's chatterbox was completely opened, and he unreservedly spoke of the deity's various deeds with respect and affection.
The old man, who was feeling bored because there were no other customers, listened with great interest, even though he had heard these stories countless times.
Ji Yuan and Jiang Yunzhou did not interrupt, but sat quietly and listened, occasionally posing their questions in a few places.
"It's getting late, you should go back to the inn first."
An hour later, Ji Yuan glanced at the darkening sky and said to the waiter, who was moistening his throat with tea.
The waiter was hesitant at first, but after a little persuasion from Jiang Yunzhou, he left without any further reservations.
"Young sirs, although Lin Fu County is relatively peaceful, traveling at night is still somewhat dangerous."
Seeing the waiter leave, the old man by the side reminded them.
Hearing this, the two men exchanged glances, a hint of a smile in their eyes, and then looked at the old man beside them.
"With the Water God here, how can there be any danger?"
Ji Yuan raised his gaze and said with a half-smile, his words carrying a hint of mockery.
It was both a mockery of the improper title and a jab at the old man's actions.
As the biggest source of trouble in Lin Fu County, it was indeed not safe to be near him.
The old man's gaze flickered, and he maintained his smile, seemingly unfazed by his identity being seen through.
Instead, it would be truly surprising if a cultivator of at least the third realm of the Divine Dao could not see through him.
"You two young sirs are not just here for sightseeing, are you?"
He flicked the rag in his hand and hung it on his shoulder.
As he spoke, gentle breezes stirred around them, carrying a chilling,阴 cold aura and a sense of bone-chilling intent.
Seeing that the other party made no attempt to conceal himself, Ji Yuan smiled slightly. It was good to have fewer riddles and not waste each other's time.
"After seeing the situation here, I really have no interest in sightseeing."
He glanced in the direction of Lin Fu County, then his gaze fell on the river not far away.
His meaning was clear: he was pointing out the matter of the City God's Pavilion in the county, and also letting the old man know that he was aware of the situation at the bottom of the river.
In fact, the River Earl had not made any effort to conceal his actions. Even a cultivator in the Enlightenment Realm would have noticed the abnormality in the river, let alone those above the second realm who had cultivated magical power and could see with their spiritual eyes.
"Listen to an old man's advice, go back where you came from, and it's best to forget everything about this place."
The old man glanced at his rough hands, then said earnestly.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan looked at him with a half-smile. "Otherwise, I'll face the wrath of death?"
The atmosphere at the tea stall seemed to freeze, and a heart-pounding aura emanated from it, as if some fierce beast were awakening.
Suddenly, everything around them returned to normal. The river breeze that blew was still cold, but the chilling murderous intent was gone.
The old man smiled, looking rather honest and kind. "That's not something an old man like me would know."
As his words fell, he got up, cleared the tea bowls from the table, and returned to the stove, skillfully adding firewood to keep the tea in the copper stoves warm.
A moment later, there were countless pedestrians on the road back to the city. Many of them, unable to withstand the chilling aura from the river, bought several bowls of hot tea at the tea stall to warm themselves.
Ji Yuan and Jiang Yunzhou watched everything unfold, then disappeared into the crowd, their destination unknown.
Less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Mo Yiyan led a few people back to the Water God Temple at full speed and quickly entered the main hall, which was no longer frequented by pilgrims.
"Master, we have gathered all the information."
He presented a map of the area around Lin Fu County, on which were densely marked over twenty locations, the lairs of many mountain spirits and monsters under the River Earl's command.
Most of them were of the first rank, with only eight monsters comparable in cultivation to the second realm.
However, even so, with their current manpower, it was still somewhat difficult to exterminate them all simultaneously.
Fortunately, Ji Yuan's initial plan was not to expect to solve all the mountain spirits and monsters at once. Now, his gaze fell on the map, and he quickly made a decision.