Linjiang County, Shuiyun Township.
Live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the water, eat by the water. The fish market along the river is quite lively.
The carriage slowly stopped, Li Xiaoer got off, led the horse, and headed towards the local government office.
Shen Yi stood between two rows of fish baskets, breathing in the fishy and wet smell. Beside him were fishermen with their trouser legs rolled up, chatting and laughing as usual, with no regard for the captains of the Demon Suppression Division in their eyes at all.
I don't know if it's an illusion, but occasionally someone would glance at me casually with hostility hidden in their eyes.
"This kind of place is like this, and it saves the trouble of disguising." Liu Xiujie smiled and said, "If you encounter monsters in other places, the first reaction is to go to the government office, but people here definitely go to worship the river god."
"Worship the gods?" Shen Yi inexplicably thought of the dilapidated and broken statue in Liulimiao Village.
Li Mujin yawned and said jokingly, "A demon who doesn't want to be on the imperial demon list, but doesn't want to hide in the mountains, naturally has to give himself a name."
"Four hundred years ago, when Shuiyun Township was still a fishing village, it relied on the river god for its livelihood."
Liu Xiujie was somewhat helpless: "A small sacrifice in June and a big sacrifice every three years have long been a custom. Small sacrifices include livestock, fish and rice, and big sacrifices include boys and girls. It has never been discontinued."
Hearing this, Shen Yi clenched his palms slightly and said softly: "No one cares?"
Although his expression was calm, a sense of discomfort subconsciously welled up in his heart.
"How can I manage it? If you dare to speak rudely, these people will dare to attack Qingzhou City with harpoons tomorrow. Can you kill them all?"
Liu Xiujie shrugged. "We can only send a few captains to help watch over the river god during the grand ceremony, to intimidate it and let it know that the Demon Suppression Division is still watching it, so it won't be too presumptuous."
"Even this, they are still guarding against it like a thief."
Led by Li Xinhan, the group left the fish market and soon arrived at a riverside village.
This remote place was even more lively than the city just now. Expensive silks were cut into pieces and hung on poles. Bamboo statues of river gods were hung on the eaves of every household. Occasionally, the sound of firecrackers could be heard, as if it was New Year's Day.
A few people just approached.
An old man in a white coat stood at the entrance of the village with a cane, looking at them with a fake smile: "Are you here to watch the sacrifice?"
"He's the village chief in charge of the grand sacrifice. Even the Shuiyun Township government has to be cautious with his words." Ma Tao introduced in a low voice.
Li Xinhan looked around the village and slowly withdrew his gaze: "Where are the people from the Demon Suppression Division now?"
Hearing this, the village chief turned around in astonishment and said, "Aren't you the ones attending the festival this year? I was wondering why I was so late."
Seeing his reaction, Li Mujin's eyes turned cold.
She stepped forward and said with a smile, "Let me remind you that you can worship anything you want, but if you attack the captain of the Demon Suppression Division, you should know the consequences."
"You are joking."
The village chief lowered his head and leaned on his crutches, smiling and saying, "How could we have the guts to do that? Besides, can we rely on a few broken harpoons?"
Li Mujin did not respond, but walked quietly into the village.
The young and strong men holding harpoons on both sides stared at her voluptuous body with a cold expression and licked their lips.
"…"
Shen Yi took in the scene in front of him indifferently.
It is really difficult to equate this group of people with the group of numb-faced villagers on the outskirts of Baiyun County.
In Liulimiao Village, those people were hopeless. They hugged their bodies and trembled humbly, without even the thought of escaping.
But here, this group of ordinary people could openly reveal their greedy eyes towards the police from the Demon Suppression Bureau.
Such an absurd contrast actually comes from the confidence given to them by "God".
Shen Yi was a little shaken for a moment.
Could it be that for the common people, demons are better than the Demon Suppression Division?
...
The River God Temple is located in the center of the village.
In the middle of the spacious room stood a gilded statue of a woman in her 30s or 40s, with a kind face, wearing a long skirt, and holding her hands to her heart. On the left and right were boys and girls with pigtails, one holding a fish basket and the other holding a flower basket, with naive smiles on their faces.
"This statue is wrong."
Ma Tao shook his head. Under the gaze of the others, he stretched out his hand and sneered, "We send a pair every three years. How come there are only two boys in four hundred years? The line should have stretched out to the outside of the village."
Li Xinhan retracted his gaze: "You think those people outside are all fools, really believe that they are sending their children to the river god as servants. They know more than you do, and they just want to make a profit."
Li Mujin sat cross-legged with his eyes closed and dozed off.
Soon, the waiter came back from the government office with a grim look on his face: "No news, they said they haven't seen it, and the waist badges were not sent to Linjiang County by them. Could it be that those captains were really intercepted by demons on the way?"
"People in Linjiang County said that the badge was placed at the gate of the yamen at dawn. It couldn't be sent by a demon as a provocation." Li Xinhan frowned.
Li Mujin opened his eyes, looked at Shen Yi who was standing silently in front of the statue, and said softly: "The Yangchun River is too turbulent. If you can gather the fish together in the water, you can throw the fishing net down and return with a full load. They will also worship you as a god."
"Some things are really hard to control."
She keenly captured the hint of dissatisfaction beneath the young man's seemingly indifferent appearance.
I'm just a little curious. Didn't he grow up in poverty? He should be used to it. Why would he feel uncomfortable with this kind of thing?
Time passes quickly.
It is evening.
Everyone fell silent. According to custom, when the Demon Suppression Office came to watch the sacrifice, the river god would appear.
Until now, there is no trace of the other party.
"Could it be that he was killed by another demon?" Li Xinhan raised his eyes.
Generally speaking, every demon has a strong sense of territory. With the river god here, as long as it does not want to be put on the demon list, it will not dare to cause trouble easily. At the same time, it can also deter passing demons.
"If that's the case, then it should have left too." Li Mujin smiled: "Otherwise, can we still stay here?"
According to records, three hundred years ago, the River God was a demon in the early Jade Liquid Realm. Now that so much time has passed, even if the demon's cultivation speed is much slower than that of a warrior, he should at least be in the late Jade Liquid Realm.
What's more, it is a water monster. The Yangchun River is so vast. If the monster dives into the river, even those with a higher realm than it will be unable to do anything to it.
"My Lords."
The village chief came to the door with a crutches and said, "We have been preparing for the grand ceremony these days, so we really can't spare any rooms. How about you all pick a room that's comfortable for you and rest there?"
Liu Xiujie rolled his eyes.
Only in places like this would people from the Demon Suppression Division be allowed to sleep among the crowds.
Fortunately, no one paid much attention to these trivial matters. They all stood up and walked outside, entering the villagers' houses in groups of two.
Li Xiaoer is Li Xinhan's personal servant since childhood, while Liu and Ma are brothers who have worked together for many years.
Li Mujin was also welcomed in by a woman, who waved at her: "When you are out and about, don't be too fussy, come here quickly."
"I'm just strolling around."
Shen Yi deliberately fell behind and walked slowly through the village.
He wasn't very tired, just feeling a little irritated.
It's not that he was angry. After all, they were just a few words in his ears. He had heard enough of even more disgusting stories in his past life.
There are rumors of cannibalism during the Great Famine. In such a chaotic world with demons and monsters, it is difficult to survive. It is only asking for trouble to have too high moral standards for ordinary people.
Just then, a faint sound of arguing was heard.
"Where the hell are you touching? If you dare to stretch out your claws again, I will kill you!"
Shen Yi raised his eyes and looked over with some curiosity.
(End of this chapter)