Water elemental became a god, ultimately becoming the master of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers

Chapter 249 Great Victory in Slaying Demons!

Two days later.

Chen Shunan sat cross-legged inside the shed of the Crouching Tiger Well, his breathing long and even. With each breath, the pores of his body seemed to open and close, drawing the moist steam from the well, as if drawn by an invisible force, into a thin mist within three feet of him.

"Gulu...Gulu..."

A low, rumbling sound, like the surging of an underground current, emanated from within him.

This is his blood rushing faster, initially like a babbling brook, gradually surging like a mighty river.

His exposed skin began to turn slightly red, like a cooked shrimp shell. Wisps of white steam rose from his pores, mingling with the mist from the well, making him appear indistinct and adding to his mystery.

"hiss……"

Outside the well shed, several people who had returned with carts to refill their water tanks were joking and laughing, but once they entered the Wohu Well area, they subconsciously became quiet.

In the perception of the group of Shui San'er, the person staying in the well shed did not seem to be an old man who was over fifty or nearly sixty years old. Instead, he seemed like a silent volcano about to erupt, or some strange creature lurking in the well, emanating a chilling aura.

So, on this huge Wohu Well side, apart from the sounds of twisting the hemp rope and drawing water, all the water buffalo spontaneously held their breath, not even whispering.

All that remained was the rustling of the wind through the leaves and the increasingly clear, thunderous sound of blood surging within his body.

"Sure enough, after regaining the authority of the [Water Dividing], cultivating near the spring's source always brings a sense of tranquility and joy, like being bathed in a spring breeze. Even the speed of cultivation has subtly increased..."

"Moreover, my mind can faintly perceive the misty water vapor emanating from the well, which contains some kind of mysterious Daoist charm. Is this what is called spiritual energy? It's just a pity that I don't have the roots of immortality. I can only perceive it, but I can't draw it in and absorb it to transform it into magical power."

After a long while, Chen Shunan finished his practice, exhaled a long breath, and his breath was like an arrow, condensed and not dispersed, shooting straight out three feet away.

He slowly stood up, his bones and muscles cracking and popping.

Step out of the well shed.

Seeing that Chen Shunan had finished practicing his skills, the group of Shui San'er gradually returned to their usual lively state.

"Master Chen!"

"Manager Chen, when would you have a moment to give us some pointers?"

"Old Chen, you're getting scarier and scarier. You probably can't capture me with one hand now, can you?"

The speaker was Liu Daoba, and his face was filled with astonishment and envy.

Yet there was not a trace of jealousy or even a longing to take her place.

There's no other reason than that when Chen Shunan and Liu Daoba were both at the third-rate level, Liu Daoba was able to be inspired by Chen Shunan and work hard, even if he felt ashamed, to become brave.

But now the gap between the two is too big.

The figure was so large that Liu Daoba couldn't even see Chen Shunan's back, so naturally, he couldn't feel any motivation or jealousy.

Old Chen is such a person, how could I possibly compare to him?

If I cultivate for another ten years or so, I can reach the mid-stage of second-rate cultivation, and then I'll be lucky to retire and go back to be a grandson!

Chen Shunan exchanged a few casual pleasantries with everyone, then went to the water vat and scooped up a handful of well water for himself.

It has a crisp and refreshing taste, and is fairly smooth.

However, the water quality is still slightly inferior to before. If you look closely, you can see faint residue and flocculent matter suspended in the water.

However, judging from the appearance, by the end of this month at the latest, the damage caused by digging the well and moving the water-suppressing stone rhinoceros will be restored to its original state.

After all, the highest good is like water, and springs and streams inherently possess a certain self-healing ability.

"Old Chen, there are a few big customers on Xiguan Street who want to buy our drinking water. Should we sell it to them?"

San Dezi hurried over and took out several papers, all containing detailed information about these customers and their financial situation.

"No. Just keep the current business going; it's not advisable to expand our customer base further... How's the business with those customers who offered you low-price or free water delivery going?"

"It went fairly smoothly. If you include the people you delivered blessed water to when you were at the gravel well, there were 23 households and a total of 89 people."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shunan nodded slowly.

Although the three major academies of Aoshan, Yueshan, and Fengchi were secretly fighting tooth and nail to gain the upper hand in the Grandmaster Records, cultivate their own martial arts talents, and hope to produce Grandmaster seeds.

But on the surface, everyone is a respectable person.

Zhu Tao, the transport captain of the Shishi Temple in the canal gang, gave Chen Shun'an some face and stopped demanding the Five Treasures Immortal Water from the ancient wells such as Wohu Well and Shali Well.

However, the other eight companies under the same owner, Gujing, were naturally not so lucky.

The water quality has deteriorated, becoming turbid and bitter, making it difficult to drink.

Therefore, many customers who originally belonged to other wells went to find other wells and found Chen Shunan, Manager Li and others.

However, after a period of rapid and unregulated growth, Chen Shunan has decided to stop expanding.

Be content with what you have.

Now, the daily profit from selling water at Wohujing has almost doubled compared to before.

As expected, the annual profit was over 30,000 taels.

The well that spawns blessings and lucky charms associated with it provides Chen Shunan with an average of over 400 wishes every day.

That should be enough for Chen Shunan to process for a while.

If they show their true colors again, they risk offending colleagues and undermining internal unity.

Having received Chen Shunan's order, San Dezi left without question, accompanied by two Shui San'er, politely declining the customers.

"Master Chen, thanks to your heroic efforts in saving the great demon of the Funiu Marsh, my hometown is right over there at the crossroads... I will never forget your great kindness!"

A young woman, her voice choked with emotion, her eyes reddening, and her hands trembling, handed over a cloth bag. It contained ginseng and polygonatum, which she had dried herself and prepared using a method involving nine steamings and nine boilings. While they might not be particularly valuable, they showed great care and attention.

Chen Shunan took the cloth bag; it felt heavy in his hand. He smiled and patted the man's shoulder, saying, "It was nothing, don't worry about it. Go on with your work..."

"Yes Yes Yes!"

Since returning from Sanchahe, Chen Shunan has been living a very regular life, going back and forth between Mianyizhai and Wohujing, never staying out overnight, and always checking in and off duty.

Selling water, cultivating the [North Star] method, and using the 'Stubborn Iron Essence' to become familiar with the malevolent energy.

The reason for this was twofold: firstly, to avoid being ambushed and assassinated again; and secondly, to retire gracefully while still at the height of his career.

Just because...

The government declared that they had slain the demon and achieved a great victory!

The great demon that caused the demonic scourge in Wuqing County, which was hiding in the Funiu Marshland, is no longer a threat to the people of Wuqing!

The Wuqing County government office displayed a red flag announcing the victory, which was relayed by express courier services over a hundred miles, and the announcement was made with almost the highest honors due to a military victory.

From Sanchakou to Wuqing County, there are only two post stations and the east gate of the county. At each station, horses are prepared and waiting, with gongs and drums beating loudly. As soon as the bell rings, riders put on their saddles and horses to receive the red flag and report the victory.

They sang all the way they went.

The report of victory was written in a flowery and incredibly detailed manner.

It describes how Lu Jing and his nine companions charged into battle riding their pig-like creatures, how they traversed the demon tides, how they subdued the great demon, where the great demon came from, what it looked like, and how many demons they ultimately killed and how much spoils they obtained...

Upon hearing this, Chen Shunan knew that the government had prepared this in advance, and that as long as there was even the slightest possibility of a 'triumphant victory,' they would immediately present it as a memorial.

In short, it boils down to one word—

win!
Big win!

As for why only Lu Jing and Chen Shunan returned, don't ask. The other seven heroes were all injured to varying degrees and are still receiving emergency treatment. They will not be able to appear in the near future.

Where is the corpse of that great demon?

Such important secrets cannot be leaked. The government will handle it; the people need not worry.

What? Why are there still water monsters at the crossroads, fighting for so long without retreating?

With the major threat eliminated, all that remains are mere fry and worms, perfect for honing the skills of Wuqing's martial artists!
For a time, the people of Wuqing were overjoyed. In addition to being grateful to the nine righteous men, including Lu Jing and Chen Shunan, they were even more grateful to Magistrate Kong and wished they could build a shrine for him!
On the streets, children ran around holding small red paper flags, shops hung red lanterns, and taverns were filled with laughter.

Even the old man stroked his beard and muttered, "Magistrate Kong is truly a just and upright official! Mr. Lu and Master Chen are even more righteous men!"

In the end, the government really didn't lie to the people.

It simply made good use of the artistry of words.

As long as things don't get worse, that's the best outcome.

The people didn't care about the truth of the matter; they only cared whether it would make them go hungry and miss out on food.

"Xiao Chen."

An aged voice came from behind.

As dusk deepened, the soft afterglow filtered through the thousands of branches of the old banyan tree, casting dappled golden shadows.

Under the banyan tree, Feng Lao sat cross-legged, his withered face flickering in and out of the light and shadow, his forehead etched with wrinkles like deep ravines.

"Lao Feng."

Chen Shunan stepped forward and bowed slightly.

Old Feng looked at Chen Shun'an with a complicated expression, and said quietly,
"I heard you're going to Xishan soon to participate in the Grandmaster's Record?"

"Thanks to Mr. Zhao's promotion, I was given this opportunity."

Chen Shunan told the truth.

Looking at the faint aura of malevolence emanating from Chen Shunan, Feng Lao knew perfectly well that Zhao Guangxi had probably used his 'channels' to give Chen Shunan special treatment.

Old Feng suddenly said,
"Old Chen, what do you think of Zhao Dongjia's treatment of you?"

"Of course, I will always remember the kindness of my employer."

"That's good."

Old Feng looked intently at Chen Shun'an and said,
"I don't have many years left. If I die, would you be willing to take over my responsibilities and take good care of Zhao Dongjia for me?"

Chen Shunan quickly said, "Old Feng, you're too serious. You're old and strong, a centenarian, how could something like this happen to you?"

"Alas!"

Old Feng laughed heartily.

"I know my own situation. I was too reckless back then. I really thought I had the potential to become a grandmaster. I rushed into the Grandmaster's Manual with endless pride, but I ended up suffering from qi deviation and being devoured by the backlash of corpse energy. I had no choice but to guard this banyan tree for decades."

At this point, Old Feng changed the subject and said,
“Young Chen, we’re getting old, it’s time to make way for the younger generation and pass on our legacy.” Old Feng stared intently at Chen Shun’an. “Otherwise, do you really think you can become a martial arts grandmaster?”

Old Feng is indeed dying.

Although he wanted to use this banyan tree to continue his lifeline, he believed that one cannot build something new without destroying something old.

But he was well aware of the chances of success.

To describe it as having very little hope would be an overestimation.

So, who will take over his position after he dies?
(End of this chapter)