Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 186 What a great business!

"Is this true?"

The old man's eyes lit up, and he even stopped breathing, almost unable to believe what he was hearing.

"If they have not yet been reincarnated, there should be a way for you to meet them."

"I... this... if I could really see my wife and daughter... this old man really doesn't know what to do."

"Thank you, City God!"

The old man hurriedly thanked him in a trembling voice, never doubting Chen Ji's abilities, before suddenly realizing something.

"The City God just said that he came to the village this time because of the River God?"

"Exactly."

"Then be careful, City God, this River God is different from before."

"How to say?"

The old man paused for a moment before speaking cautiously.

"That day I happened to overhear the temple keeper of the river god temple and the village headman saying that the river god is no longer an ordinary deity. He has found the path to immortality and will soon be able to achieve immortality together with the temple keeper and the village's guardian soldiers."

"Immortality?"

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

All cultivators in the world desire longevity, but longevity is not something that can be easily obtained.

Even the Taoist Xuanshan dared not say it openly, and the records in the Strange Tales were even erased.

Even a true mortal like the old abbot doesn't have this ability.

A river god from a tributary of the Xidu River actually claimed to have found the path to immortality—what an arrogant statement!

Furthermore, it was said that the temple keeper and the village's guardian soldiers could be brought along.

That would be even more ridiculous.

The idea that "when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" has been unheard of since ancient times.

I'm afraid this river god has acquired some evil magic and thinks it's a way to achieve immortality.

As expected, the world has fallen into chaos; swindlers are even targeting gods and ghosts.

only……

Chen Ji then thought of something and asked the old man.

"If what you say is true, sir, and the river god has only started getting married in recent years, do you remember the exact year?"

"fifteen years."

The old man blurted it out without the slightest hesitation.

"How do you remember so clearly, sir?"

"There's no need to memorize this; just look at the rope on the tree and you'll know."

The old man pointed to a large tree in the distance within the village, with red ropes tied to its trunk in sequence, the oldest of which had faded and turned white.

“In the early years, when offering sacrifices of three kinds of animals, there was no need to tie ropes. Later, after marriage began, the villagers started tying ropes to commemorate the occasion.”

"If you do the math, it's been over fifty years."

Why has it taken so long?

Chen Ji was puzzled; if it were only once a year, it shouldn't have taken this long.

"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but in the first few years, the River God did not marry so frequently; he would only marry once every few years."

"Then it gradually increased, from one every three years, to one every two years, and now it's one every year."

“The villagers are worried that if this continues, it will soon become a matter of every six months or even every few months.”

"By then, there probably won't be many women and children left in the village."

Why not move away?

"The City God is no ordinary person, so naturally he cannot understand our thoughts."

The old man shook his head.

"Our ancestors have been buried here for generations, and it's hard to leave our homeland. Besides, we don't have any other skills, and we make a living from this river. Leaving here to go somewhere else might not be any better than we are now."

"Moreover, some people in the village don't want to move away."

"Why?"

"They felt that the river god's marriage wasn't all bad..."

The old man stopped speaking halfway through his sentence, pursing his lips.

It wasn't that I didn't want to talk, but I heard laughter coming from next door.

"Honey, why are we so unlucky this time? Our fourth daughter is ten years old, of marriageable age, so why didn't the River God choose her?"

"If you ask me, once you're done with today's work, you should talk to the temple keeper again tomorrow."

“Our family has already formed a marriage alliance with the River God three times. The auspicious saying goes, ‘Three Yangs Bring Prosperity, Four Joys Arrive at the Door.’ We’ve been enjoying these good days for several years now, so we absolutely can’t let them end!”

……

Chen Ji's eyes turned cold, realizing what his father-in-law meant.

It seems there are indeed people in this village who don't want to move away.

To improve their own lives, some people sell their children to the river god like commodities; such people are worse than demons and ghosts.

Chen Ji looked at the big tree in the village.

The faded red and colorful drapes resembled mourning cloth, while the still-visible ones were fresh, pulsating flesh and blood.

This world is truly absurd!

I looked away, having already made up my mind.

After finding out the Wang family's address, he bid farewell to his father-in-law and rushed off to investigate the situation, giving one last reminder before leaving.

"No one else knows that I have come here, not even the River God. Old man, please don't let it slip and let others know, lest they hold a grudge against you."

The old man was taken aback, then understood Chen Ji's meaning and hurriedly knelt down.

"Your Majesty, you underestimate me. I dare to speak without fear of such things. If something really happens, I'll just consider it a trip to reunite with my wife and daughters. I hope Your Majesty can issue me a document to go to the underworld."

"You still know this?"

"That's how it's written in the play script. I even saved some money to buy travel permits."

"It's best if we don't have to go."

Chen Ji smiled and nodded his thanks, then went to the Wang family's house according to the route he had given him.

Although Shanghe Village is quite large, it is not difficult to find.

The house with the heaviest red and colorful decorations on its door, and the house from which the sounds of suona horns and weeping mingled, was the one.

Outside, there were mule carts and horse-drawn carriages, all decorated with large red "double happiness" characters, making it clear at a glance that they were there to transport betrothal gifts and pick up the dowry.

When Chen Ji arrived at the door, he happened to see a group of people coming out of the house.

The leader had the strongest incense scent, several times stronger than the soldiers from before.

Judging from his appearance, he was the temple keeper of the river god temple.

Behind them, a woman dressed in red and green, also exuding an air of religious significance, was likely the matchmaker arranging a marriage for the river god.

Behind them were the rest of the Wang family. Judging from their ages, the two in front were Lu Xiaoyou's older sister's parents-in-law, and the man behind them should be her husband.

Chen Ji did not rush forward to greet them.

Instead, he used his fossil-making skills to hide in the wall and listen to them talk.

You can't tell if someone is good or bad just by looking at them; you can only find out their true thoughts by listening to them in private.

“I say, Uncle Xi, your wife is going to serve the River God, which is a good thing. What’s with you two looking so gloomy? If others see you like this, they’ll think you’re unwilling.”

"I'm willing... how could I not be!"

Old Man Wang quickly responded.

"Being able to become in-laws with the River God is a blessing our family has accumulated over many lifetimes, how could we possibly be unwilling, but..."

"Just what?"

“This Lu family girl has been married into our family for several years but has not yet given birth to a child. If she is infertile, and we give her to the river god, we are afraid that we will offend the river god and he will blame us. Our small family cannot afford to bear that responsibility.”

Old Wang pursed his lips and spoke nervously.

The matchmaker, upon hearing this, immediately understood his meaning and snorted coldly. "You can only say such things to me; if it reaches the ears of the River God, you'll be in big trouble!"

"The River God's marriage was not for the kind of thing you're thinking. Stop talking nonsense. If I find out there's more spreading rumors, your good days will be over."

"No, no, I certainly wouldn't dare to say such a thing."

The Wang family members bowed and scraped, their faces full of obsequiousness.

The matchmaker then looked away and said nothing more.

The temple keeper glanced at the sky and frowned.

"Time is running out. You should pack your dowry as soon as possible. I need to go to the River God Temple and the riverbank to make some arrangements, so I won't stay here any longer."

"Keep an eye on the time yourselves. Set off after Shen Shi (3-5 PM) and complete the ceremony before You Shi (5-7 PM). If anything goes wrong, don't blame the River God for turning on you without mercy."

"No, no, I'll definitely be on time!"

"besides……"

The temple keeper stopped and turned to look at the Wang family members.

“Your wife has a really fiery temper. You’d better watch out, or your joyous occasion will turn into a tragedy. If the river god gets angry, no one can save you.”

"Don't worry, sir, there won't be any problems. He's already tied up with rope and his mouth is stuffed with a stick."

“Biting off one’s tongue, hanging oneself, hitting one’s head against a pillar, throwing oneself into a well, jumping into a river… there’s not one that can be done.”

"If she jumps into the river, maybe the adults won't have to go through the trouble of escorting her to the wedding. Heh, heh..."

Old Wang fawned and flattered the temple keeper, only to find that his expression remained unchanged, and even his eyes turned cold. He quickly shut up, opened his mouth awkwardly, and then fell silent.

"Please forgive me, sir. I was just saying it casually, just joking... I had no other intentions."

"Remember, some jokes are not to be made."

"My lord, you're being too serious. We're now related to the River God by marriage..."

Old Mrs. Wang muttered something, and then she heard the temple keeper speak coldly.

"Don't think that just because you've become the River God's in-law, you can't distinguish between superiors and inferiors. The emperor has hundreds of concubines in his three palaces and six courtyards. The death of one or two in-laws is no big deal."

"Although the River God hasn't married that many people, he doesn't need one or two more in-laws, understand?"

"If you continue to be disrespectful, you will all have to go down with the bride to take care of the river god."

"No, we wouldn't dare."

The Wang family members immediately knelt down and shook their heads repeatedly.

He kowtowed repeatedly, respectfully seeing off the temple keeper and the sorceress, before finally standing up and glaring fiercely at his own son.

"Go and see how your... River God's bride is doing now."

"According to the old rules, a woman who is so unchaste should be drowned in a pig cage. But now, the River God has taken pity on our family and not only has he arranged a marriage between our families, but he has also sent us so much betrothal gifts."

"Make sure she doesn't die. Otherwise, it's a small matter if this thing is returned, but it's a matter of life and death if we anger the river god and we have no good days in the future."

The young members of the Wang family still looked distressed and refused to go over.

"Father, Mother, the Lu family girl is my wife. I don't want her to marry the River God again. If word gets out, where will I put my face..."

"Snapped!"

Before he could finish speaking, Old Man Wang swung his arm and slapped him hard across the face, his eyes red with anger.

"You idiot, what's the point of having a woman who can't lay eggs? She's not even that pretty, yet you're so infatuated with her. You don't listen to your parents, and you even dare to disobey the River God?"

"How many lives do you have waiting for the river god to claim?"

The young man stubbornly refused to accept it.

"But just now you were laughing and joking with the temple keeper and the matchmaker..."

"Pooh!"

Before she could finish speaking, Old Lady Wang spat out a mouthful of saliva.

"If we don't act like this, won't they just know we look down on that widow who has no children?"

"Everyone in the village knows that the River God's wedding is a money-making business. If you don't put on a show to entertain them, who will come to you next year?"

"what?"

The young man stood there, stunned, his eyes wide.

"Next year? But didn't she already get married this year?"

"You idiot, just like your father, you can't resist a vixen, you've lost your brain."

Old Mrs. Wang cursed angrily, but in the end she couldn't bring herself to slap him. She even touched his swollen face with heartache and said softly.

"Listen to your mother. After today, I'll use this to find you a better marriage tomorrow."

"When you have a grandson, you can marry the River God and get a new wife."

"As long as the river god is around, you'll have an endless supply of new wives to marry."

Having said that, the young man finally understood what his parents meant. He swallowed hard, and the last trace of reluctance in his eyes disappeared, replaced by intense anticipation and lust.

……

"Tsk tsk tsk, this is even more demonic than a demon or ghost!"

Chen Ji, transformed into a stone wall, waited to the side, and the mudfish demon and the bronze toad demon heard everything clearly.

At this moment, the mudfish demon was sighing softly.

Although the bronze toad demon did not speak, it nodded seriously, and after a while added a sentence.

"That's what the people who captured me that day said too. They're really more terrifying than demons and ghosts."

Chen Ji remained silent, unsure of what to say for a moment.

No wonder no one has mentioned that the river god has been married for so many years.

Nowadays, the people in this village, apart from the temple priests and matchmakers who are related to the river god, are either like the old man who can't leave the village or like the Wang family who completely treat the river god's marriage as a business.

Judging from their living habits and conditions, it is indeed a human village.

But judging from what they did, Chen Ji felt that this place was even more like a ghost town than Fenshan Town.

Even if a demon eats a person, it will still leave behind a skeleton.

People ate each other, leaving not even bones.

"Fellow Daoist, what do you plan to do?"

Although the mudfish demon was joking, it knew there was more important business to attend to. It crawled out of the gourd, perched on Chen Ji's shoulder, and asked.

"Let's go see this Wang Lushi first."

Chen Ji said slowly.

Having already promised Lu Xiaoyou that he would take care of his sister, he had to keep his word.

Besides, I just heard that the Wang family has already taken her into custody. If a strong-willed woman were to do something rash, it would be too late.

With this in mind, Chen Ji put down the mudfish demon and the bronze toad demon.

“Fellow Daoist, there’s no need for us to go together to save people; I will go.”

"You are all capable, so please try to follow those two to investigate the situation. If you can go into the water to discuss the true nature of the River God's Water Palace, that would be even better."

"Alas!"

As soon as Chen Ji finished speaking, the mudfish demon curled its lips.

"Fellow Daoist, you still say you people aren't hypocritical!"

"Why do you say that?"

"They've got their hands on us. Fellow Daoist Copper Toad has puppetry skills. He can transform into copper coins to hide and conceal himself, making him suitable for tracking."

"I am a member of the local aquatic species, naturally close to all kinds of aquatic monsters, fish, shrimp and crabs, and am obviously more suited to gathering information."

"You've already thought it through, but you won't just say so. You insist that we choose for ourselves. Isn't that hypocritical?"

"Since you understand, fellow Daoist, it means I haven't been hiding anything, so it's not hypocritical."

Chen Ji laughed and stopped arguing.

"Fellow Daoist, don't be so quick to judge. Saving lives is the priority. We'll talk about it when we get back!"

After saying that, he used his magic to transform into clouds and mist, passing through the walls and following the figure of the young man from the Wang family to the outside of a room.

(End of this chapter)