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

Chapter 94 Stealing Gods and Demons, the Great Immortal in the Temple

late at night.

At Lingguan Temple, the devout men and women gradually dispersed, and the temple, which had been noisy for several days, returned to its usual tranquility.

Incense and candles flickered before the hall, and banners and parasols fluttered in the wind.

In the center of the main hall, a red-faced, bearded deity, Lingguan, sits high on a throne adorned with cloud patterns.

Clad in golden armor and a red robe, with three angry eyes, his left hand forming a jade pivot and his right hand holding a golden whip, he appeared exceptionally fierce under the glow of incense, as if he might come to life at any moment.

To the left and right of the Lingguan statue are many other deities, such as the God of Wealth and the Huaguang Emperor.

After inquiring with several fireworks bureaus, they were unable to find out who set off the 'Thunder and Fire Golden Whip'.

The old temple keeper, dragging his weary body, closed the temple door, returned to his quarters, and went to bed to rest.

In any case, we've finally gotten through this hurdle this year.

No near misses.

The night grew darker, and the sound of snoring filled the air.

The bamboo grove rustles under the moonlight, and the statue of the spirit official in the hall also rustles as it turns its head.

Click,

Click...

The gold paint peeling off the spirit official's head twisted and turned slowly, bit by bit, until the head and body separated, revealing a slit of pitch black.

As a rustling sound rang out, a pair of guillotines, like guillotines opening and closing, emerged from the gap in the statue's neck.

Then came the mouthparts, a ferocious scorpion head, and then the interlocking segments of the body covered with barbs.

Its tail, several feet long, curved like a bow, and its venom sac bulged, casting strange shadows on the wall.

"The number of worshippers this year is even greater than in previous years, making our stay here for several days worthwhile."

A silent divine thought was transmitted, and the green scorpion, only slightly smaller than the spirit official statue, coiled on the top of the statue's head, its mouthparts moving as if breathing, and its face showing a human-like focused expression.

"Great Immortal Kongqing, I wonder if I could receive an extra ten percent of this year's incense offerings?"

Suddenly, a toad covered in colorful spots jumped out from the gold ingots held by the God of Wealth. Its bloated belly throbbed from time to time, making a dull sound.

“Pan Hu, these unclaimed incense sticks are of no benefit to us immortal cultivators. Forcibly refining them may even damage our foundation. They can only be used to refine foolish insects for the purpose of absorbing qi and keeping the people ignorant. Your territory is limited. What is your intention in demanding so many incense sticks?”

The chest of Emperor Huaguang split open, and a giant centipede with an iron back and silver hook, nearly the length of a human body, crawled out.

The toad said in a muffled voice, "I have a mortal enemy who is about to enter the capital. I want to poison him with incense."

The Iron-Backed Centipede sneered: "Well, you have quite a big face. If you want an extra ten percent, then I'll want an extra ten percent too."

The majestic Lingguan Temple is filled with the smoke of burning incense.

Three demons dwell atop the statue of the god who receives offerings from the people.

They divided up the offerings and seized all the profits.

"okay!"

The large green scorpion impatiently twitched its pincers and said,
"Sure. But you'll have to trade it for a 'divine seed'."

The toad and the iron-backed centipede hesitated for a moment.

"Row."

"can."

"Let's call it a day then."

Just as the giant green scorpion was about to leave, the toad suddenly called out to it.

"Great Immortal Kongqing, should we intervene in the recent uproar over the hibiscus oil craze?"

The iron-backed centipede's eyes narrowed.

Upon hearing this, the giant green scorpion's stinger gleamed faintly with a black light, sending chills down one's spine.

It laughed heartily.

"Why bother with anything else? When something is already in our mouths, why wouldn't we swallow it? As for other matters, the higher-ups will take care of them. If things don't get out of hand, we won't have any room to maneuver!"

“What the Great Immortal Kongqing said is absolutely right.”

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

As soon as he finished speaking, three dark figures flew silently out of the window and disappeared.

Inside the main hall, the statue of the deity stands majestically, exuding authority without anger.

Just like always.

……

Zheng Shicheng died, sixty loads of incense and miraculous heart-clearing ointment were burned, the Guolu Society retreated, and the outlaws of the Jianghu were either beheaded or fled in disarray.

The entire Wuqing County has returned to its former tranquility.

The next morning, the San Dezi and Liu Daoba families bid farewell to Chen Shunan and then went home with their bedding.

When Lin Shouzhou came to pick up Dou Dou, he stared at Chen Shunan for a long time with a complicated expression and even a hint of envy.

Lin Shouzhou left in a sullen voice only when Chen Shunan felt a chill run down his spine.

The list of managers has just been drafted, and the boss has instructed that it should not be leaked or circulated yet.

Lin Shouzhou could only leave with this good news to himself.

Thus, Chen Shunan's life returned to normal.

As usual, he pushed a cart to deliver blessed water, sacrificing his appearance to earn wishes and practice martial arts.

Occasionally, I would visit the Li family to learn martial arts (to greet the nearly dead old man Li), and in my spare time, I would sit in a teahouse and listen to storytelling.

If you want to eat fish, go to Jindu; if you want to increase your wisdom, go find Scholar Ma.

Be methodical.

Chaodou Hutong has undergone some changes.

Xiao Jichang would visit Li Dongyang and his mother every few days, and later even took Li Dongyang as his apprentice and taught him martial arts.

The other children, having heard the news, came over and eavesdropped.

I figured it was the same whether I was herding one cow or a herd of cows.

Xiao Jichang simply found a vacant piece of land behind Chaodou Hutong, built houses, made connections, invited local gentry to endorse him, and opened a small martial arts school.

The name was chosen very casually.

In Chaodou Hutong, there is a martial arts school called "Chaodou Martial Arts School".

They didn't recruit students from outside the area; they only taught a dozen or so children and teenagers from Chaodou Hutong and the surrounding villages.

Chen Shunan could often hear the sounds of enthusiastic martial arts practice coming from the Fried Bean Martial Arts School from across the courtyard.

However, Xiao Jichang learned that Li Dongyang's neighbor was actually a second-rate water carrier from the water pit.

He came to pay his respects with great trepidation, bringing gifts and hosting a banquet. In the end, he even wanted to invite Chen Shunan to be his instructor and guide the group of martial arts students.

Chen Shunan naturally declined the offer, refusing the gift and invitation, and closed the door behind him.

You, Xiao Qingchou, can do whatever you want!
I, Chen Shunan, want to see what kind of medicine you, Xiao Qingchou, are really up to!

……

The startled wind blew away the sun, and the light flowed westward.

In the blink of an eye, nearly two months have passed.

On a small road not far from Wusheng Street, a group of people dressed in coarse linen clothes gathered around Chen Shunan.

Two months have passed, and Chen Shunan's appearance seems unchanged. He wears a blue cloth jacket and black cloth trousers, is thin, and always has a smile on his face. He looks like a kind-hearted person who doesn't compete or fight, which makes him very easy to like.

On Chen Shunan's waist hung a cricket jar the size of a palm.

The Golden-Headed Tyrant lay obediently inside, without uttering a sound.

"Master Chen, have you eaten? If you haven't, I'll just have a couple of bites at my house... By the way, do you still have any sweet water? Please, sir, have the mercy to give me some more. My child has just recovered from a serious illness and is all skin and bones!"

"Master Chen, you've come to deliver my family's blessed water? No, no, I'll take anything you bring! I suffered a serious health problem from practicing martial arts in my younger years, and now I'm plagued by hidden ailments. Master Chen, please have pity on me..."

"Sir, I beg you, please give me a few more drops of this sweet water. I'll do anything you ask, even go through fire and water without batting an eye!"

Faced with the crowd's pleas, Chen Shunan looked helpless and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.
"Everyone, this 'chicken head pearl' can only condense seven or eight drops of sweet water every three or four days. If we give it to you, what will happen to the poor children in the orphanage? You adults can still endure it, but if these children can't endure it any longer, they will die."

Upon hearing this, everyone seemed to realize something, their faces showing reluctance, and they sighed. "Of course, after a few days, I, Chen, will try to figure out if I can squeeze out a few drops each day so that we can all share them."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up, and they quickly thanked him and made way for him.

No one dared to harbor any evil intentions, or even try to stop them.

This is because many stinking ditches and latrines have already been filled with several corpses.

Chen Shunan continued pushing the cart, eventually stopping in front of an inconspicuous, dilapidated yard.

There were high walls all around, and many houses, but only one dark gate was tightly closed.

On one side of the main entrance, there is a cabinet embedded in the wall with a small wooden door that can be opened and closed, but its purpose is unknown.

The 'sweet water' that everyone was talking about just now was naturally produced from the chicken-head pearl squeezed out of the golden-scaled catfish's belly.

If placed in a damp place, and if there are precious herbs and medicinal plants nearby, sweet water will be obtained; if there are highly poisonous substances nearby, foul water will be obtained.

Turbid water can be used to identify highly toxic substances.

Sweet water nourishes essence and replenishes qi.

Many people now know that Chen Shunan, the third son of Shui San'er, who carries loads on Weiheng Street, has a chicken-head pearl on his body.

For ordinary people, drinking this sweet water can cure deficiencies in both qi and blood, and strengthen the body; even a third-rate martial artist can increase his strength and invigorate his essence and blood by drinking it.

As the saying goes, treasures are naturally formed, and those with virtue possess them.

Now, Chen Shunan has a lot of 'martial virtue'.

He casually revealed that he had broken through to the mid-stage of the second-rate realm in just two months, and then escaped from the clutches of a villain at the late second-rate realm with his lightness skill. He then led a group of Shui San'er back to take revenge and had the villain skinned alive.

Many of the noises and greedy glances disappeared.

In the past, Chen Shunan had been plotting and personally delivered blessed water to the door.

Now, people are eagerly begging for it, flocking to it, hoping that Chen Shunan will retrieve the pearl and distribute it to the water.

After all, the water he is now giving away is truly blessed water.

After setting up the waterwheel, Chen Shunan took an empty bucket, pulled out the stopper, and began to release water.

He looked up at the courtyard.

The courtyard was quite large, probably covering two or three acres, with faded stone lions at the entrance, and the tall gate plaque had long since disappeared.

However, on the courtyard gate, there was a crooked wooden board nailed to it, with the words written on it—

Rongyuan Infant Home

"Master Chen is here!"

"Quick, come out and fetch water!"

"Sir, no need for you to do it, we'll do it ourselves!"

As soon as Chen Shunan arrived, two little ones poked their heads out from under the door. Upon seeing Chen Shunan's familiar figure, their faces lit up with joy, and they howled into the yard before rushing forward.

Chen Shunan did not refuse, looking at the group of 'strange people' in front of him.

They are generally quite young, ranging from five or six years old to twelve or thirteen years old.

Some were lame, some were missing arms or legs, some were blind, and some even had physical deformities, with curved spines, walking like snakes.

If one were to paint their face with graffiti, wear the costume of a theatrical ghost soldier, and walk down the street, it would be enough to frighten a child into stopping their crying.

Chen Shunan ignored the inferior gazes of some people hiding in dark corners, who were neither human nor strange.

After the children finished collecting the water and poured it into the water vat under the eaves of the kitchen, they went into the orphanage.

The water was heavy, but despite the children carrying it shakily, not a drop spilled.

Upon entering the courtyard, one sees that it appears to have originally been a large garden, modeled after the Wu Gou Garden, with many trees, ponds, and wooden bridges.

It was simply demolished and rebuilt into an orphanage.

Walking into the kitchen, I saw smoke rising from the steamer, where people were steaming buns.

Chen Shunan happened to run into a figure carrying more than ten bags of flour on his shoulder, which were almost piled up like a small mountain.

This person has an unusual feature on their hands; they have white, connected fingers.

He put the flour into a small hut, came out, saw Chen Shunan, paused for a moment, then stopped, bowed, and said...

"Master Chen."

Chen Shunan nodded and said, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness."

Yi Yan smiled and said, "I came from here myself. Helping my younger siblings is like helping myself."

Yi Yan is the illegitimate son of Yi Wen Zuo Ling. He grew up in an orphanage and spent many years in the Cai Men.

He is also the person who is doing best at the orphanage today.

Unfortunately, he didn't rely on a clever mind or good character.

They rely on the blood flowing in their bodies and their innate talent for martial arts.

Yi Yan put down the white flour, covered her face, and hurriedly left.

They seemed afraid of being discovered.

"The great philanthropist Chen has arrived."

"Master Chen!"

"That boy Yi Yan, why is he sending flour again? If his mother finds out, she'll scold him again."

At this moment, a man and a woman rushed in from the kitchen. Seeing the room full of white flour, they were both happy and worried.

These two people are the managers of the maternity and infant clinic, and they are also a married couple.

The man had an honest and timid appearance; the woman had almond-shaped eyes, which gave her a shrewd look.

Chen Shunan didn't say much, took out the chicken head pearl, and put it into the water tank.

The chicken-head pearl floated on the water's surface, with wisps of white mist swirling around it.

Then the previously murky water turned a milky white and emitted a faint fragrance.

Chen Shunan casually asked, "How is it going? Is the Jin family opera troupe willing to take people now?"

The man shook his head bitterly: "Master Jin is still standing in the fire pit. The troupe is leaderless. Let alone picking up people, the troupe is about to collapse!"

Chen Shunan frowned and said, "Didn't I tell you to pull some strings and raise money to ransom them?"

The woman shook her head helplessly.

“The county magistrate has spoken, demanding at least three thousand taels of silver to ransom the person! Where are we going to get that much money? In desperation, we can only bribe the yamen runners guarding the fire cage at the guard post and place three thick bricks under the feet of the troupe leader, thinking that with the troupe leader’s martial arts skills, he can hold out for a few more days.”

The woman gave a pitiful laugh and said, "That boy Yiyan said he'd try to find a way. But he's in a bind, caught between a rock and a hard place. It's really tough on him..."

Chen Shunan frowned slightly.

This "fire cage" is a type of cangue where prisoners are locked in a wooden cage that is longer in the front than in the back, with a fire pit underneath. They are forced to stand there day and night, sometimes with their heads hanging in the air and their bodies suspended, slowly dying bit by bit.

Even second-rate martial artists would find it unbearable, and even those with golden skin and jade-like meridians would struggle to withstand the constant roasting of charcoal fire day and night.

The severity of the suffering and the length of life depend entirely on how much brick is removed, that is, how much money is stuffed in.

Two months ago, members of the Guolu Association impersonated the Jin family opera troupe and intercepted the group. Whether it was out of necessity or unexpected, it was all part of the plan.

The Jin family opera troupe suffered an undeserved disaster.

The county government said, "If we can't deal with the 'Guo Lu Hui's' knights-errant, can't we at least deal with you troublemakers?"
Not only was the troupe leader arrested, but the Jin family opera troupe's signboard was smashed, and they were ordered to suspend operations for repairs.

As for how to repair it, it all depends on Magistrate Wang's attitude.
For many children who came out of the orphanage, the best way out was to join the Jin family's opera troupe.

Although learning a craft inevitably involves hardship and beatings, some were even beaten to death.

But at least they had enough to eat and a sense of purpose, and the troupe leader would even teach them some basic martial arts.

Therefore, some conscientious children, after achieving something, will donate money and effort to give back to the orphanage.

Yi Yan is the best example.

The two phases form a complementary and mutually supportive cycle.

Now that this incident has occurred, not only has the opera troupe suffered, but it has also cut off the source of funding and livelihood for the orphanage to some extent.

"Alright, alright, line up and get your food according to the rules."

The men beat drums and gongs, while the women and some older children carried steamers and cooked mung bean porridge with diluted sweet water.

(End of this chapter)