Madam, please respect my profession.

Chapter 180: Lu is just an ordinary person among the common people

Lu Zhan smiled: "Old gentleman, are you asking me why I don't worship the river god?"

"Appreciate further details."

"It's not a profound truth." Seeing Xiao Que'er peeling a handful of lotus seeds, Lu Zhan snatched a few from them and said, "If you want to worship, then worship. If you don't want to worship, then don't worship. Besides, there are no gods in the world, otherwise there would be no Demon Suppression Bureau."

Mr. Hong was slightly surprised: "But there are some things that the Demon Suppression Department cannot handle."

"Is that something you can control, sir?" Lu Zhan said with a faint smile, "No matter who you are, if you do good things, you will be praised. If you force people to do good things, you will be punished."

Old Hong looked at Lu Zhan quietly. He was not angry at his words. Instead, he looked thoughtful.

There was a "crunching" sound coming from the side. It turned out that Xiao Que'er had stuffed a handful of lotus seeds into her mouth, making her mouth bulge out. She looked at Lu Zhan curiously and felt that Lu Zhan's temperament suddenly changed. This guy was obviously a bad guy, but now he had the domineering attitude of a hermit.

Actually, it’s not a change.

People are complex and diverse. We should be naturally relaxed and easy-going with our friends, but be more diplomatic with our superiors.

He is serious in public when he is with his sweetheart, but unrestrained in private; he can also make frivolous remarks to pretty girls, but stop when he gets it right.

But when dealing with a stranger who appears to be discussing Buddhist scriptures and philosophy, one should naturally act like a hermit.

These changes may seem complicated, but in fact, everyone will undergo subtle changes when facing different people, but many people have not noticed.

Lu Zhan is not a true hermit, and he can be reckless when he meets girls. In the final analysis, he is just an ordinary person among the common people.

It took Mr. Hong a while to come back to his senses. He sighed and said, "What the young man said makes sense, but people in the world are prejudiced against foreign races. Many people are grateful in words but not in their hearts. The incense has become a kind of certification."

"Whether human or demon, they all have countless faces. It is not uncommon for people to look at others with prejudice. I still think that we should follow our heart in everything. Do it when we are happy and don't do it when we are unhappy. It is not to seek recognition from others, but to seek recognition from ourselves." Lu Zhan looked at him with a smile: "Besides, in many cases, the so-called good and evil are just different standpoints. If you have any questions, you might as well be frank."

From the moment he got on the boat, Lu Zhan recognized the other party's true identity, but the other party had no ill intentions and was not a dangerous creature, so he just thought he was an ordinary old man.

Since the other party took the initiative to ask, Lu Zhan was happy to chat with him.

After all, the journey is long, and chatting for a while is also a way to pass the time.

Elder Hong stroked his graying beard and said after a while, "I just want to ask, sir, did you look down on the river god because you didn't offer sacrifices just now? After all, in the eyes of cultivators, it is just a monster."

After hearing these words, Lu Zhan burst into laughter.

Even the old boatman who had been listening silently to their conversation couldn't help laughing.

He just listened to the conversation between the two and found it unfathomable.

The old customer's words were even more mysterious. I thought he wanted to ask some profound questions, but I didn't expect that he was so persistent about this.

"Brother, whether to worship the river god or not is entirely up to you, why bother?" The old boatman said with a smile: "If you want to worship, then worship. If you don't want to worship, then don't worship. Regardless of worship or not, the river god's achievements are in front of him, so there is no question of whether he looks down on you or not."

Lu Zhan smiled without saying anything and lowered his head to peel the lotus pods.

He had slain demons and monsters many times, but this was the first time he encountered such a stubborn demon... Its true form was a turtle. People said that turtles were slow-tempered and steady in their actions, but the one in front of him was actually a little too stubborn.

Now, not only him, even the old boatman next to him understood it better than the old turtle.

"This..." Mr. Hong was slightly stunned and fell into deep thought.

Lu Zhan put the lotus seeds into his mouth, bent down to wash off the green stains on his hands, and said, "I don't worship the river god because I don't like to worship him. But the river god protects the area, so I naturally admire him in my heart, but admiration does not mean that I must worship him. Why bother yourself? If there is no worship, does it mean that the river god will not bless me?"

Old Hong shook his head: "Of course not... Doing good deeds to bless a region not only blesses humans, but also blesses aquatic creatures."

"Why bother about a stick of incense?"

Mr. Hong fell silent and looked at the young man in front of him.

The old boatman looked at this scene, shook his head helplessly, and continued to row forward while shouting.

It was not until the breeze blew up Mr. Hong's gray beard that he suddenly raised his hand, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to Lu Zhan: "Sir, don't think I'm stubborn. There is a reason for this."

Lu Zhan took the cup of tea, took a sip and put it down, smiling and saying, "I'm all ears."

When Mr. Hong saw Lu Zhan drinking tea, he showed a happy expression on his face. He knew that Lu Zhan did not look down on him. He looked at the endless abundant land and asked what was on his mind.

"About eight hundred years ago, in a deep mountain thousands of miles away from the East China Sea, there was a hidden river. A turtle gained spiritual wisdom in the hidden river."

Hearing this, Xiao Que, who was squatting on the deck playing in the water, immediately came over, sat side by side with Lu Zhan, and listened to the story with great interest.

"You must know that if a snake wants to transform into a dragon, it must walk into the river. If the turtle tribe wants to go one step further, it must travel through mountains and rivers step by step to the East China Sea. Even if the turtle has cultivated for hundreds of years, it is trapped by fate. If it does not use magic, it will be extremely difficult and dangerous to reach the East China Sea."

Mr. Hong paused for a moment here, leaned back on the cabin, took a long breath, and then continued speaking.

"The turtle practiced asceticism for decades and finally reached the shore of the East China Sea. At that time, the East China Sea was hit by a flood. The old turtle took advantage of the flood to swim into the swamp and saved hundreds of lives. The people bowed down to him and worshipped him. His whole body was shining, which showed that he was undergoing a transformation. Transformation is difficult for the turtle clan, but it is much easier to ask for a title from people."

"After lying dormant for hundreds of years and practicing asceticism for decades, the old turtle can hardly wait for this opportunity. He has saved many people, so it is not difficult for him to be awarded a title. But who would have thought that something unexpected would happen at this point."

Recalling the past, the old turtle's eyes were filled with emotion. He smiled bitterly, "I still remember that day when it rained heavily. The old turtle followed the water into the village and met a woodcutter who was returning home from cutting firewood. The old turtle recognized him at a glance. This woodcutter was one of the people he saved. He was so busy that he stretched out his huge turtle head and asked the woodcutter for a reward."

Hearing this, the old boatman's expression changed as he looked at Mr. Hong, and a solemn look appeared on his face.

The old boatman's son, on the other hand, looked very interested, thinking that the old man was just telling some rumors or stories.

"What is asking for a title?" Xiao Que'er asked curiously.

Old Hong stroked his gray beard and sighed, "Humans are the leaders of all spirits. If a demon can get affirmation from humans when undergoing a tribulation, it will have fewer tribulations. It needs to transform into its original form and ask humans what it looks like. If humans say it looks like a human, then it can survive the tribulation. If it says it looks like a turtle, then it will most likely fail."

"When the woodcutter saw the turtle's head sticking out, he seemed to be frightened and even forgot the life-saving grace. He looked at the old turtle and said, 'What a big turtle head, turtle!' Then lightning struck down, and the old turtle failed to survive. It was beaten back to its original form and was forced to stay in this fertile land."

At this point, Mr. Hong's aura grew stronger, as if he was still upset.

Lu Zhan said nothing, but just looked at him quietly.

Under Lu Zhan's gaze, Old Hong felt somewhat uncomfortable. He quietly retracted the aura he was emitting and said:

"The old turtle saved hundreds of people. Those people were so grateful, but they didn't even think about repaying the old turtle. They destroyed most of the old turtle's hundreds of years of practice. How can the old turtle not have a grudge? It's useless to just talk. If they don't even want to worship, how can we know that they are really grateful for the protection of the river god in their hearts?"

Little Bird blinked: "But the old turtle is a turtle, he is not wrong."

Mr. Hong frowned, seeming a little unhappy.

Lu Zhan finished the tea in the cup, looked at the old man in front of him, and shook his head: "At this point, you still don't understand? Although my sister is a little naughty, she is also very sharp. Asking for a title depends on fate."

"What kind of karma?"

“In other words, not only seeking a title, but even for human cultivators, achieving great success also depends on fate.” Lu Zhan looked at him, still calm and composed: “It’s difficult to seek a title, but it’s also simple. You need to meet someone who understands this.”

Mr. Hong narrowed his eyes and said, "I'd like to hear the details."

"If you meet someone who knows what's going on, and knows that you're asking for a title, and that you've saved his life, I think he'll be willing to help you. But if he doesn't know how to ask for a title, he won't understand why you're asking for it, and how can he give you the answer you want? Not to mention him, if you meet my sister, I'm afraid she'll get the same answer, but she doesn't mean any harm, she just doesn't understand."

"Sir, what you mean is that the old turtle's opportunity did not come that day?"

"That's right." Lu Zhan looked at the old man in front of him and said, "Can you imagine what that man did after you were struck?"

Old Hong fell into deep thought. He had obviously never thought about these issues before, but now after hearing them, he racked his brains to think about them.

After a long while, he said, "He called the villagers to clean me, carried me and put me in Fengze."

Lu Zhan smiled but said nothing.

Old Hong didn't say anything else. He stared at Shuize with his piercing eyes for a long while. He suddenly stood up and bowed to Lu Zhan: "Sir, what you said is very good. It's me who is too picky."

"Mr. Hong, you don't have to worship me. I am just giving you a different perspective. Only Mr. Hong can feel the real situation. But looking at Mr. Hong now, he should have successfully transformed."

In a sense, the transformation of turtles is a bit like 'evolution'.

Even if an ordinary turtle has cultivated itself into a human form, its actions and speech cannot change its turtle habits and it is always slow.

Only after going through the transitional catastrophe and transformation can one become and look just like a human being.

Old Hong said with emotion, "Yes, since that incident, most of my foundation was destroyed. I became depressed and no longer focused on the East China Sea. I stayed in Fengze to practice. Until ten years ago today, I encountered another opportunity to transcend the tribulation. It was also a rainy day, and the girl I met this time was a delicate and pretty girl."

"The girl was very young, about six or seven years old. I was disappointed, but I had to ask for a title from the first person I met along the way, and I couldn't change it. I had to bite the bullet and ask for it. I thought I would fail again, but the girl helped me. From then on, I protected this area and was honored as the river god."

"Later I learned that the little girl was a disciple of a nearby immortal sect, and she came to give me a ride. But now that I think about it, it was my chance to meet someone who knows what's going on. If I had met someone who doesn't, I would have made the same mistake again."

Having said that, Old Hong suddenly glanced at Lu Zhan's hair.

"I still remember the girl's hair in the past, there was only a plain hairpin like this."

Now it was Lu Zhan's turn to be a little surprised. The plain hairpin on his hair crown was obtained from Ling Jiaoyue last night. It was jade-green in color, but without any fancy details. It was just made of a special kind of bamboo. It was very simple, so he used it just for convenience, and also wanted to imitate Fairy Ling's elegance.

No wonder the old turtle said all this to him, it might be because of this hairpin.

This situation was quite interesting. Lu Zhan couldn't help laughing: "See, this is fate."

"Sir, do you have a close relationship with that girl?"

"It is."

"It's really admirable. She is an admirable girl. She has such courage at the age of six or seven. She helped me along. It's a great blessing for you to be friends with her."

"That's wrong." Lu Zhan leaned back, curled up one leg, and said lazily, "How do you know, Mr. Hong, that it's not because she is so blessed that she can have an friendship with me?"

These words were said very calmly, but the arrogance in them made the old turtle speechless for a long time.

After a while, Elder Hong personally brewed a pot of tea and poured it for Lu Zhan again: "It is a blessing for me to meet you, sir."

"It's a good thing for me, let's have two cups of tea together." Lu Zhan said with a smile.

These ordinary words made Old Hong slightly excited. He poured himself a glass and clinked glasses with Lu Zhan.

The sun was high in the sky but it did not feel scorching. The water on the lake was a little cool. The black-sailed boats were sailing with the wind. There were strange stories in front of him and patches of lotus flowers in the distance. To Lu Zhan, it was really interesting.

The old boatman's son, however, felt helpless.

He originally thought it was just a strange anecdote, meant for fun, but as he listened he felt something was wrong. This old man actually began to call himself the river god and had a pretentious conversation with this young man.

He stuck his head out and said earnestly, "Old man, it's okay in other places, but this is in Fengze. You call yourself the God of Fengze River. Are you really not afraid of the anger of the God of River? If the boat is overturned by the God of River, it will implicate the young man and the young lady."

"Don't worry, the river god won't be angry." Old Hong said with a smile.

The old boatman's son said, "No matter if he gets angry or not, we should respect him. Please stop talking about it. Besides, how can a mortal understand the river god? If the river god gets angry, won't we be in trouble?"

Old Hong threw his head back and laughed.

The old boatman glared at his son and said, "You better stop talking. The two guests are here and they are in a good mood to chat. Why are they interfering with your business?"

Compared to his young son, the old boatman has been sailing on this river for most of his life and has seen all kinds of people. He can see that Mr. Hong is extraordinary. Although he doesn't know the other party's identity, it is obvious that he is like this young man and is not easy to offend.

Poor silly son, he still insists on getting into trouble.

The man said, "Dad, I'm just afraid that the river god will get angry and harm innocent people."

"Don't worry, the river god is not so stingy." Old Hong bowed to Lu Zhan, walked to the bow of the boat, and jumped in front of the man.

*

PS: I wanted to set the timer to 12 o'clock, but I forgot... I clicked the wrong timer... Fortunately, it was not too far off