Chen Jing walked down from the statue of God.

  He looked at the bookish man in front of him, whom he had only met three times including this time, and couldn't help but recall their first meeting in the forbidden area of Xianfu Sect's back mountain. He also remembered the second time they met in the mountains, when the other person treated him as a friend. Chen Jing felt an urge to cover his face and run away.

  "The first time we met, you gave me a stealth amulet. The second time, I was in danger and you saved me. The third time, I brought back the bones you lost in the mountains, and at that moment, I thought to myself, 'I want to let you live well, then come back and kill you with my cultivated skills.' Later, after returning, I thought for a long time and felt that you had already died once, your life had dissipated on the Dragon Slaying Slope, and now you are actually given by Ye Qingxue. Today, I came here to invite you to drink a barrel of Drunken Immortal's Dream, which is what I promised to treat you to back then. You have many enemies, and I'm afraid there won't be another chance in the future."

  Chen Jing looked at him, and in the blink of an eye, more than a decade had passed. His face had matured, but back then, he was sitting by the fire with a radiant aura that couldn't be concealed, even though his clothes were tattered and worn out from traveling through the mountains and encountering many dangers. Now, that scholarly air had settled, replaced by maturity and tolerance. The years of hardships hadn't turned him into a vengeful person consumed by hatred, but instead, had elevated his thoughts to a height that few people could reach.

  "The vengeful spirits that haunt me are growing stronger, but for now they're being suppressed by my incense and faith. They're still dormant, but if one day I feel like I can no longer hold them back, I'll cut off my own head and bury it deep in the ground. By then, I only hope you can come here and bring me a jar of wine to sing with." Chen Jing said seriously.

  Zhao Yuban smiled and said: "I will hold a Drunken Immortal's Dream ceremony for you at Qingqiu Mountain."

  "I came here today for three reasons: first, I was worried that you wouldn't pass this test; second, to untie the knot in my own heart and yours; third, to take Yu Yan back with me."

  Chen Jing knew that the Yu Yan he mentioned was the woman outside the temple who wanted to overthrow the temple, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "You'd better let her stay here. If you take her back with you, she'll hate you for life, and it's also possible that she'll become possessed by evil spirits because of this. She's now trapped in her obsession, and if she's not careful, she might go mad. It's better to leave her here, nothing will happen."

  Zhao Yubai sighed and said, "I must take her back. I've heard that no matter who it is, as long as they harbor resentment and strike the temple or statue of a god, it's like whipping oneself for that deity. You don't need to alleviate your guilt in this way."

  "Last year, she scolded me severely and then ran out. I knew she must have come here." Zhao Yubai looked at Zhao Yuanyan, who was digging the soil with a hoe as if nothing had happened, and walked to her side. He stuck a talisman on Zhao Yuanyan's body, and she immediately fell softly into his arms. Zhao Yubai picked her up and said, "My wife has been pregnant for one year and six months but still hasn't given birth. I don't know what the baby will look like when it's born. When my child is born, I'll invite you to Qingqiu Mountain to drink wine."

  Chen Jing readily agreed, but in his heart he was filled with mixed emotions. He didn't know if he would still be alive when Zhao Yuxi's child was born, and even if he were, he didn't know if he could make it there.

  Zhao Yuyan did not lose her senses, apparently she could hear but couldn't speak, only to see her tearfully looking at Chen Jing, with a deep resentment in her eyes.

  A cloud appeared under Zhao Yubao's feet and flew up to the ninth heaven. Chen Jing looked at a woman with a slightly raised belly in the high sky, who was looking at Zhao Yubao, her smile of relief made Chen Jing happy for both her and Zhao Yubao. The heart that had been chilled by slaughter finally felt a warmth.

  People outside saw Zhao Yubai come out safely, and they were all surprised in their hearts, but no one dared to ask. Because by now everyone knew that he was from Qingqiu Mountain, Qingqiu Mountain was unfamiliar to many younger disciples, but there were also seniors who, after asking around, got an answer of four words - mysterious and unpredictable.

  This battle was not long, ending quickly, but the outcome was exceptionally tragic. The disciples from various sects of Heiying State were almost all killed or wounded, and Chen Jing had thus made a deep vendetta with Heiying State. According to Chen Jing's thoughts, there should still be many people who would take action, but after Zhao Yuxian left, no one else entered the White Mist. He didn't know that this battle had almost chilled the hearts of those who wanted to seize the treasure that day, and everyone became even more convinced that Chen Jing had in his possession the thing of legend.

  However, rumors are always only circulating among people with shallow knowledge. In the immortal mountains and mysterious gates, has there ever been a real move made because of such rumors?

  The people outside didn't leave, and the white fog didn't disperse either. It wasn't until several days had passed that the people surrounding the Qujiang River's Xiu Spring Bend section of the river gradually left, and the white fog dispersed as well.

  The people of Heqian Village had not woken up, and those who passed by Fenglin Ferry would enter the white fog when they arrived, but unknowingly walked out again, just like a leaf falling into the river and being carried back to the shore by the water. For several days, many ordinary people gathered outside the white fog, all of whom had come from far and near to see this strange phenomenon. No one knew what was going on, and after a few days, the white fog dispersed, everything returned to calm, and nothing changed. Someone came to Heqian Village and asked about it, only to find out that they had been asleep for a long time, unaware of the situation outside the white fog. After further inquiry, it turned out that the entire village of Heqian had collectively dreamed for several days, with gods gathering in the sky above Chunhua Bay, corpses floating in the river, and blood staining the surface of the river red.

  Someone immediately ran to the river dike in front of the River God Temple to take a look, but no bodies were found. The river water was still slapping against the dike as it had for thousands of years. However, the River God Temple had lost its roof, and the statue inside had faint sword marks. Everyone's heart was filled with questions, and for a long time afterward, rumors circulated that the River God had died. Some people even claimed to be the new River God, but were beaten up by the villagers and fled in disarray.

  After that, even the people of Heqian Village never saw the true body of the River God again, but they firmly believed that the River God was still alive. Some people came to Heqian Village to burn incense and worship the River God at home. However, the Temple of the River God was rebuilt after a grand festival, and although the statue of the River God did not move, several more statues were added in front of and behind it. In front, there were two statues: one was a maiden holding a green lantern, intently gazing at the lantern as if afraid that the wind would blow it out. The other statue was a young girl holding a green brick, looking tense and excited as she stared outside the door, as if enemies might enter at any moment and she had to defend against them with her brick. On either side of the gate were two stone pedestals: on the left pedestal was a quiet blue shell, while on the right pedestal was a giant red shrimp, its claws snapping menacingly, holding a sword in one claw and a large axe in the other. Behind the statue of the River God, in the shadows, there was another statue wearing a long black dress with a white flower on her head, looking elegant but having only a blank face with no features.

  The people of Heqian Village did not repair the wounds on the statue, but the wounds on the statue slowly disappeared, which made the people in front of the river god even more convinced that the river god was still there. Slowly, people from far and near came to worship the river god, and many people who were a little farther away cast their own statues and placed them in the temple to sacrifice for three days. After three days, the original ordinary and dull river god statue had a subtle spirituality.

  And every year during the festival, near and far families would burn incense and offer meat to worship the river god in front of their doors. It is unknown when it started, but every household had two paintings pasted on their door, one on the left was a blue shell floating in the waves with a layer of mist covering its body, looking very mysterious. On the right side was a large red shrimp standing on the waves, holding a sword in its left claw and an axe in its right claw, with a ferocious face. These are later stories, at this time, more than ten days had passed since that big battle when someone came to the river god statue.

  This person's real age cannot be discerned, outwardly appearing to be only between thirty and forty years old. He wears a simple green robe, holding a Taoist hair knot, with no jade pendants or other adornments on his body.

  The starlight spilled on him, as if it had been absorbed into his body. He didn't enter the River God Temple, but instead asked towards the temple, "Where did the sword mantra of the River God come from?"

  It was extremely impolite of him to ask about the origin of another's skills, and with his dignified appearance, it seemed like he was interrogating, as if Chen Jing had stolen his family's sword techniques. A figure flashed in the River God Temple, and Chen Jing appeared in front of the temple. He didn't hide or show anger, saying: "I learned from an old swordsman since I was young."

  "What is this old swordsman's name?"

  "I don't know." Chen Jing replied.

  The Taoist raised an eyebrow and said, "Then you should know what sword technique you're learning." Chen Jing still shook his head, saying he didn't know. The other man didn't believe him and said, "Don't tell me you don't know that what you're learning is the Trapping Immortal Sword Technique?"