Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 206 Homeland Hard to Separate
The messenger ghost looked at Chen Ji trembling, ignoring the human demon, and knelt on the ground to explain to Chen Ji.

“I… I don’t know how I got here. It was the king who sensed the movement of the Soul-Hooking Talisman and sent me to… no, no, to check the situation.”

"Who knew that as soon as we got close, the immortals took us away and locked us in a dark room. We couldn't find a way out, and we were just released."

"Immortal, spare my life! I'm telling the truth!"

Chen Ji looked down at the messenger ghost.

"If it's the truth, why do you still want to escape?"

The messenger ghost froze for a moment, then fell silent.

He didn't even reveal his desire to escape, and somehow the Taoist priest discovered it.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ji smiled slightly.

"I just said it casually, but it seems I guessed right."

"No, no, no, Immortal, please spare me! I had no such intention! I just didn't expect there to be someone like you here who could see through my disguise."

The messenger hurriedly offered an explanation.

Chen Ji simply revealed his seal.

"Since you follow the Ghost King, do you recognize this thing?"

"Is Your Excellency a wandering deity of the underworld?"

The messenger's expression changed drastically.

Being by the Ghost King's side, he knew that what the Ghost King was doing was tantamount to rebellion in the underworld. He could only hope that Chen Ji was unaware of their affairs.

But Chen Ji's words startled him.

"The Ghost King set up a small underworld in the mass grave to gather ghostly energy. Now it seems you are either a judge or a soul-collecting messenger, is that right?"

"The little brat doesn't know what the adults are talking about."

The messenger knelt on the ground, gritting his teeth and insisting.

"Ah."

Chen Ji chuckled and looked at the messenger ghost.

“Even the demon has confessed everything. There’s no use in you denying it. You might as well confess honestly.”

"How dare you betray the King!"

The messenger ghost looked at the human demon and instantly flew into a rage, its face turning into a fierce ghost with fangs bared and its eyes turning bloodshot as it lunged at the human demon.

The demon dared not refute, and even had to dodge to the side when the messenger ghost approached.

But Chen Ji was faster; with just a slight shake of the seal, he restrained the messenger ghost's form.

"You dare to commit violence in front of me?"

The messenger ghost paused, then, as if remembering something, gritted its teeth and shrank back.

"I wouldn't dare! It's just that this little devil really doesn't know anything. If the immortal doesn't believe me, you can use the soul-searching technique!"

Chen Ji glanced at him and shook his head coldly.

"I'm afraid the Ghost King has already left a restriction on your soul. If you use a regular soul-searching technique, he will be able to sense it immediately, right?"

"You're quite loyal, still keeping an eye on him even at a time like this. But have you forgotten who I am?"

As soon as Chen Ji finished speaking, without giving the messenger ghost a chance to explain, Chen Ji shook the seal again, retrieved the souls of the human demon and the messenger ghost, and looked back at the River God of the Nine Bends.

The River God of Nine Bends still looked shocked.

"Does fellow Daoist have any doubts?"

"I am indeed puzzled."

Jiuqu paused for a few moments, then nodded earnestly.

"I never expected that you, fellow Daoist, would not only be the local City God, but also hold a position in the Underworld. This is truly an eye-opener for me."

"It was just a coincidence that the underworld needed it."

Chen Ji gave a brief explanation, and then added some further details.

"I will send the human demon's soul and the messenger ghost's soul to the underworld for interrogation. If there is any news, I will inform you, my friend."

“Excellent. Anyway, I won’t get anything out of you if you stay here. It’s perfect to hand you over to you.”

"Oh right, those villagers from earlier!"

Chen Ji suddenly thought of something and looked towards the river.

"I'll have to trouble you to escort them out."

"nature."

The River God looked towards the river and whispered a spell.

In a short while, the aquatic creatures surged back to the surface of the river, and all the villagers who had been swept away by the water also appeared, with women who had married into the water family over the past few decades by their side.

At this moment, the expressions on the faces of the villagers were particularly complex.

Some people were surprised to learn that the river god's marriage was actually real, and all the women were alive and well.

Some people felt ashamed, having thought of giving birth to a daughter to marry the river god for money, but now that they have seen him, they have lost all face.

Some people were terrified, seeing that they were surrounded by shrimp soldiers and crab generals, and didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

Regardless, when the aquatic creatures let go and the villagers landed back on the ground, they all hugged each other and wept bitterly.

Jiuqu didn't rush them, and waited until they had all stopped before speaking.

"In order to punish the evil spirits in this place, I didn't have time to explain before I swept you all into the water, which frightened you."

"It's not the River God's fault!" "We are extremely fortunate that the River God saved our lives, we dare not hold a grudge!"

"Besides, they just mentioned the River God's righteous deeds underwater. We were blind and wronged the River God."

"The River God has saved our lives many times. Even if we were to be his ox or horse in our next life, we could not repay his kindness."

The villagers quickly shook their heads and apologized.

Upon hearing this, Jiuqu nodded slightly and said no more.

He is the river god, a deity who protects this place. It's already a favor that he explained something to these villagers.

Besides, this matter is related to the temple keeper he chose, so there's no point in saying more, lest he hold a grudge against him.

After this incident, Jiuqu no longer dared to trust these people and things easily. Chen Ji, on the other hand, looked at them and slowly spoke.

“This place is under the jurisdiction of Xidu. Today, there were evil spirits that wanted to flood the village, but fortunately the river god appeared and stopped the flood in advance, which saved you.”

"Thank you, River God! Thank you, Immortal Master!"

The villagers knelt down and hurriedly expressed their gratitude.

"Wait a moment to thank me."

Chen Ji waved his hand.

"However, what happened today was not done by the Xidu River God. The Ghost King of Fenshan Town was also involved. Even if you are lucky enough to escape with your lives, you will inevitably be resented in the future."

"I won't be staying here often, and the River God will soon be returning to the Northern River. What are your plans?"

"What should I do?"

The villagers understood Chen Ji's meaning, but they were unable to make a decision for the time being.

They exchanged glances, wanting to hear what others thought, but found that most of them had the same opinion, and some even looked away nervously.

The He family hesitated for a few moments before bowing to Chen Ji.

"Lord City God, is it alright once that Ghost King is gone?"

Everyone looked at Chen Ji and their eyes lit up.

Chen Ji shook his head slightly.

"If it were a matter of demons and ghosts, the City God could still manage it, but this matter is governed by humans, and even the City God has no good solution."

"Is the City God not suitable except for that Ghost King?"

Chen Ji couldn't help but sigh.

“The Ghost King can be eliminated, but the River God is difficult to control. Today’s actions have already offended the River God of Xidu. If he is unwilling to bring rain here in the future, there will be nothing you can do.”

"That would be difficult."

The villagers looked worried, but the He family members seemed to realize something and looked at Chen Ji respectfully.

"Since the City God has brought it up, is there a solution?"

The villagers were taken aback, then they all realized what was going on.

"Yes, the City God is even more powerful than the River God, he should be able to resolve this matter, right?"

"If the City God can help us, I will definitely offer incense and pray for you day and night!"

"Please, City God, save us!"

Chen Ji remained silent for a while before slowly looking at them.

"There is a way, but we need to ask you if you are willing to give up your homeland."

"This……"

Everyone was taken aback, then understood what Chen Ji meant.

Staying here will only bring the river god's revenge. If you want to live a carefree life, you have no choice but to leave this place and find another place.

But when everyone looked to the left and right, their eyes were still full of reluctance.

It's hard to leave a poor home, hard to leave one's native land; this is something deeply ingrained in one's blood.

Even though Shanghe Village is in this state now, they are still unwilling to give it up.

Chen Ji knew that this was a difficult decision for them as well, so he did not urge them, but only looked at Jiuqu.

"Fellow Daoist, there is something else I need to trouble you with."

"Fellow Daoist, please speak. There is no need for such formalities between us."

Chen Ji nodded before continuing.

"Although there is no worry about flooding in this section of the river, we still need to notify the upstream and downstream sections of the river. I will have to trouble you to take Fellow Daoist Qian Qi with you."

"nature."

The nine bends nodded in response.

“Even if you hadn’t told me, I would have arranged for my men to inform you and dredge the river in advance to avoid causing any bloodshed. The old Dragon Lord left a water talisman before he left, which can resolve this matter.”

"So good!"

After Jiuqu finished speaking, he looked into the distance, his expression turning cold.

"Fellow Daoist, you should be careful of that priest; he doesn't look like a benevolent deity!"

"I understand, fellow Daoist, please rest assured."

Chen Ji nodded, looked at the priest, and made a decision in his heart.

(End of this chapter)