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

Chapter 47 Human World is Like a Burning House

The old man's blind eye looked as if it had been gouged out by some sharp instrument, leaving only a deep hole with a twisted, worm-like mound of flesh growing outside, which was somewhat eerie to look at.

Upon hearing Ahua's words, the old man's expression changed drastically. He put down the unfinished statue and stood up.

"Child, what happened?"

Ahua didn't say a word, rushed into the house, climbed over walls and overturned cabinets, overturned beds and tables, and finally rushed towards the shrine, reaching out to grab the incense burner.

The old man immediately stood in front of the shrine, stopping Ahua, and said sternly,
"The Li Tan Flag is a legacy passed down from our ancestors; it is ominous rather than auspicious. I have said this many times: it should not be used lightly!"

Ahua stared intently at the old man, veins bulging on his temples and bloodshot eyes, seemingly becoming increasingly insane.

Seeing this, the old man's eyes showed pity, and his tone immediately softened.

“Son, no matter what, we can’t do anything against our conscience! Your father has worked as a farmhand on the ice for decades and has never embezzled a single copper coin.”

The old man, fearing that Ahua had taken the wrong path, almost pleaded with him.
"It doesn't matter if we're poor or tired, as long as we can endure hardship! Just keep delivering water honestly, and you'll get through it sooner or later!"

This old man is Ahua's father.

He used to be a long-term ice worker at Baoquan Ice Cellar.

There's a saying that goes, "Don't take your hands out of your pockets during the first and second nine-day periods, but you can walk on ice during the third and fourth nine-day periods." In the Beijing area, the ice cellars are busiest during the third nine-day period.

Ice cellars were established for officials, mansions, and merchants, with sections of the river divided, sluice gates opened to store water, and ice was collected and stored.

However, the ice used in official ice cellars and mansion ice cellars was all sourced from sweet-water rivers such as Beihai and Yuhe.

It is clear and pure, like jade, and has a delicate fragrance. It was exclusively used by the royal palace, nobles, and various government offices.

As for ice cellars like Baoquan Ice Cellar, which were used by merchants and civilians, they could only use ice from turbid streams such as the North Canal. The ice was light gray and mottled, and when it melted, it had a fishy smell.

Each ice worker has to spend several months in the icy and snowy landscape, walking on the ice and using specially made ice-splitting tools.

They started by clearing land from a very far distance, row by row, and then dragged the logs to the ice cellar entrance on the riverbank.

Therefore, ice skating workers are the most dangerous job in the entire ice-making process.

It's not only arduous but also extremely dangerous; every year, people fall into the icy river and drown.

The old man had worked as a farmhand for most of his life. Although he had survived by sheer luck, he had been blinded in one eye by an ice hook.

The cellar owner was kind and gave the old man a large sum of money.

The old man was quite sensible and took the initiative to resign, doing odd jobs such as mounting paper effigies of deities on his days off.

The old man didn't want Ahua to repeat his mistakes, so he took over his job.

But they also felt that as long as the water supply continued, they would always have food to eat.

So, being Shui San'er is great.

Even the most powerful man in the capital only had to push a cart to deliver water within the city. He could find shelter from the heat and add clothes when it was cold, without having to suffer in the freezing cold.

Perhaps it was the word 'suffering' that provoked Ahua, for Ahua grabbed the old man's collar, lowered his eyelids, and his eyes disappeared into the darkness.

His voice trembled slightly.

"Father, I've toiled for five years, and I'm still just a temporary worker, a nominal water carrier! I eat stale food, drink swill, and run through stinking alleys. How much longer must I suffer like this..."

"Father, you've suffered your whole life. Mother ran away, you went blind, you lost your livelihood... Father, give me the things."

"Ahua, that thing is too dangerous! Once it's discovered, we won't be able to hold it!"

"father."

Ahua loosened his grip on the old man's sleeve without saying anything more.

The old man sighed deeply, and his once straight back gradually hunched over.

He bent down and stroked the shrine from behind for a while, then took out a piece of wood used to suppress the shrine.

It is rectangular in shape, about the length of an arm, with the four characters "万鬼咸听" (meaning "All Ghosts Listen") engraved on the front, and the four trigrams Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li at both ends.

It looks like an old item.

The old man pushed the altar wood again, and it turned out to be hollow inside, with a triangular black command flag lying quietly inside.

Seeing this, Ahua snatched the altar-suppressing wood from the old man's hand, took out the command flag, put it in his pocket, casually stuffed the altar-suppressing wood back to the old man, and went out the door without saying a word.

"Before the throne of the Venerable Spirit Officer and Dharma Protector, my son is young and of pure nature. I humbly beseech the Venerable Spirit Officer and Dharma Protector to protect my son and keep him safe and sound..."

After Ahua left, the old man knelt before the shrine, his expression devout.

Ahua borrowed Litanqi twice, and nothing happened.

This time, it will probably be the same, right?

The old man had a vague idea that Ahua might be up to something bad, but how could he bear to actually refuse to punish the child?
He could only pray silently, eat vegetarian food and make offerings to the gods, hoping to cleanse Ahua of his sins.

"The world is a burning house, and coolness is no more. If there is any sin that deserves punishment, I am willing to take it in my place. Let the caning be done to me, let the illness and suffering be mine. I only pray that my son will be free from all misfortune and disaster."

If there truly are gods.

...Just after 7 PM, the setting sun cast its golden rays as the city gates closed.

A figure wearing a straw hat and a cloak, carrying some dried mountain goods, sneaked into Wuqing County.

Zhuang Kun looked around warily before pretending to be a mountain villager going to town to sell his goods. He went to the warehouse first and sold his mountain products.

He then changed into inconspicuous clothes and headed west of the county.

With the burning of the Tianzihao rice granary and the loss of Qinggang matches, Zhuang Kun originally planned to leave and never return to Wuqing County.

But after calming down, Zhuang Kun realized that he couldn't escape, and there was no way to escape!
The Qinggang match was said to be a divine gift; how could it possibly escape from the palm of a celestial being?

Although Zhuang Kun didn't know who the immortal was, where he was, or what supernatural powers he possessed, he had never encountered one before.

Zhuang Kun guessed that those immortals were probably staying in some deep mountains and forests, or in some blessed land.

After all, that's what they say in biographies and storytelling.

Therefore, Zhuang Kun decided to make amends by finding the Qinggang matches.

Needless to say, the culprits who raided and burned the warehouse at night were undoubtedly that group of Shui San'er!

Zhuang Kun thought of the time a few days ago when he led his men to fight Weiheng Street and suffered a crushing defeat.

Zhuang Kun spat out a mouthful of phlegm viciously.

"I remember, Ahua's house seems to be near Lingguan Temple?"

First it's that brat Ahua, then it's that old bastard Chen Shunan!
Lin Shouzhou... Never mind, I'll just have to bear with it a little longer.

Zhuang Kun thought to himself, "I am in the dark, and my enemy is in the light."

We'll find useful intelligence sooner or later!
Upon arriving at Lingguan Temple, Zhuang Kun easily found Ahua's house.

boom!
The door was kicked open again.

Zhuang Kun's eyes flashed coldly as he strode inside.

They found only an old man inside the house; Ahua was nowhere to be seen.

At this point, Ahua should have finished his shift and gone home long ago.

The old man quickly scrambled to his feet in front of the shrine, grabbed an axe, and said warily...
"Who are you looking for?!"

Zhuang Kun said impatiently,
"Old man, tell me quickly, where is Ahua?!"

The old man sensed that Zhuang Kun's approach was hostile and assumed it was an enemy that Ahua had made outside. He couldn't help but want to turn hostility into friendship and resolve the situation peacefully.

"Young man, what grudge do you have against my son? Does he owe you money? Do you have a receipt? I'll pay it back!"

"I'll ask you one more time..."

Before Zhuang Kun could speak, a cricket chirped from his arms, its sound exceptionally clear and melodious, not muffled at all even through the purple gourd and his clothes.

Zhuang Kun was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.

Do you have a baby at home?

Zhuang Kun's cricket is called "Golden-Headed Overlord". It is an unusual species of insect that has gradually developed spirituality and has the ability to recognize treasures.

Moreover, it doesn't even look at ordinary treasures!
The last time I called for it was when I encountered a pair of blue-and-white matches!
Upon hearing this, the old man instinctively blocked the shrine and said in a panic,

"no no……"

"You old fool, you're still not behaving yourself at this age!"

Zhuang Kun used brute force to shove the old man aside and kicked the shrine to the ground.

His eyes lit up, and he picked up a piece of wood used to suppress the altar.

He soon discovered that the altar was not solid; upon opening it, he found it to be empty inside.

"Chirp chirp..." the Golden-Headed Tyrant chirped again, as if urging him on.

Zhuang Kun's face revealed greed as he asked, "Where's the treasure inside? Did Ahua take it?! I've always suspected that kid is cunning and dishonest..."

The old man, who had been pushed into the corner, suddenly understood something upon seeing this scene. He didn't know where the courage came from, but he swung his axe and rushed forward.

"If you want to find Ahua, kill me first!"

"Go to hell!"

Zhuang Kun kicked the old man in the chest.

He was only a second-rate martial artist, and now that he had launched a fierce attack, the old man was no match for him.

He immediately flew out like a tattered sack, landed on the ground, thrashed around a couple of times, and then died.

"Ahua, Ahua, where did you go?"

(End of this chapter)