Back To When The Demon Lord Was A Beggar - Chapter 32

Perhaps heaven took pity on him, for as soon as the words left his lips, a figure appeared by his side. Turning his head, he saw a woman dressed in blue, trailing a faint, delicate fragrance. She frowned at the dried-up seabed before her and sighed softly. She knelt, lightly touching the parched earth, and within moments, the sea surged back to life.

According to the stories, if a god manifests, one must perform three kowtows to show respect. Zhi Shiyi turned to face her, but just as he was about to lower his head for the first bow, the Sea Goddess stopped him. He looked up into her sea-blue eyes. She smiled, shook her head gently, and helped him up with both hands. Together, they sat down on the shore.

“You look like a mere lad, yet I didn’t expect you to be like those elderly folk, putting your faith in gods and Buddhas,” the Sea Goddess said, looking straight ahead.

Zhi Shiyi was taken aback. He replied, “I didn’t believe in them originally, but when there is truly no other way, one has to believe. Fortunately, you appeared. The fishermen in the village will be grateful to you, and from now on, they will surely be your most loyal believers.”

He had heard the elders in the village say that gods require the incense of mortals; the more believers they have, the stronger their power, and the more likely they are to manifest. Consequently, almost every household kept a small Buddha statue, except for his master’s house. During these recent days, the fishermen had been praying daily, though it had all been in vain.

Hearing this, the Sea Goddess paused and couldn’t help but let out a low laugh. “You certainly aren’t shy,” she smiled. “Gods like us don’t need the incense of mortals, nor do we need you to kowtow three times. What you asked for today is my responsibility. However, the mortal world has been strange lately. All the sea areas I manage dried up, but there are so many waters in this world that I can’t look after them all at once. I can only wait for people like you to call for me at the shore.”

“That sounds exhausting,” Zhi Shiyi asked curiously. “Are other gods like you?”

The Sea Goddess smiled, propping herself up with her hands and tilting her head back. “It is a bit tiring, but seeing the people of this world living well makes it feel like less of a burden.” At his last question, a blush crept onto her cheeks for some reason. “Some gods have been idle since birth, but others pretend to be busy every day, creating work where there is none.”

Zhi Shiyi looked at her for a long time before saying, “I suspect he must be your sweetheart, Goddess.”

“You are quite clever,” the Sea Goddess said with a smile. “How did you tell?”

“You blushed. Back in the village, whenever a bride mentioned her groom, she would blush, and she would blush again whenever she looked at him.”

The sea breeze brushed against his face. He paused, then added, “The person who caught your eye, Goddess, must be extraordinary. He is likely the most handsome young man in the world.”

The Sea Goddess nodded in agreement. “The one I love is indeed the most handsome young man under the heavens.” She turned to glance at him and added, “Just as handsome as you.”

Zhi Shiyi offered a rare smile and looked down. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I surely cannot compare to the one in your heart.”

The Sea Goddess replied, “True. For a young lad to say such things, I imagine the person who will capture your heart isn’t far off. When that time comes, you’ll want to stay by their side every day, and your eyes won’t have room for anyone else.”

Before he could speak again, a familiar voice drifted from behind them. The moment the Sea Goddess turned and saw his master, she froze. She stood up even faster than Zhi Shiyi and gave a respectful bow.

Zhi Shiyi said in surprise, “Master, why are you here?”

Normally, his master wouldn’t step a foot out of the house unless there was an emergency. Today, he actually felt like coming out.

Ignoring him, his master kept his hands behind his back and addressed the Sea Goddess. “Are you that idle? If you are”

“I’m not!” the Sea Goddess waved her hands frantically, shaking her head. “I’ve been so busy lately I can’t catch my breath! There are still many dried-up seas in the mortal world waiting for me!”

The master gave her a cold, sweeping glance. “If you aren’t leaving now, are you waiting for me to keep you for dinner?”

The Sea Goddess seemed terrified of him. Panic flashed across her face at his words, and she turned, sprinting toward the ocean. In an instant, she had vanished.

The master walked over and patted Zhi Shiyi’s shoulder lightly, saying with deep meaning, “The path I have chosen for you is one that others cannot reach. Love is something you simply do not need.”

At this point, Zhi Shiyi stopped his story.

The master’s words had piqued their curiosity. A path others couldn’t reach, what kind of path was that?

Chu Nanzhen leaned in and asked, “Where is your master now? Maybe we can ask him for help.”

From the story, this master was clearly no ordinary person. He might be the leader of a sect or a reclusive immortal. If he could make Zhi Shiyi live for a hundred years, the master must have lived much longer. If they could get his help, solving this mess would be effortless.

Zhi Shiyi lowered his eyes and pursed his lips. “Master and his sweetheart are somewhere in the mortal world, but I don’t know where. The last time I met him was ten years ago.”

Chu Nanzhen’s mouth twitched. He had thought the master was someone devoid of emotion, but as it turned out, the master could have a sweetheart while the student couldn’t! Was he a teacher or a professional relationship-wrecker?

Even Lin Fengye, who never believed in such things, leaned over cautiously. “May I ask how old City Lord Zhi is?”

“A hundred or so.” Having lived so long, he didn’t remember his exact age, only that it was over a century.

Lin Fengye sat up straight and hissed in disbelief, “That’s so old”

Zhi Shiyi: “?”

The voice wasn’t quiet, and everyone heard it. Suddenly, a wave of low laughter broke out.

Zhi Shiyi tried to defend himself, staring at Chu Nanzhen. “But I know how to cherish someone.”

Lin Fengye curled up a leg and scoffed, “Cherish someone? Your partner will probably ditch you for being too old first!”

“Victimized” was written all over Zhi Shiyi’s face.

Seeing this, Chu Nanzhen felt a strange surge of panic. He gripped Zhi Shiyi’s hand tightly and snapped back at Lin Fengye, “Shiyi doesn’t look old at all! He’s just lived a long time. For all you know, you might not even make it to a hundred!”

That was a straight-up curse on his longevity! Just as Lin Fengye was about to retort, he heard Zhi Shiyi speak in a weak, soft voice.

“Xiao Chu, it’s fine. Young Master Lin probably just finds me eyesore. It doesn’t matter, I won’t hold it against him.”

Lin Fengye was genuinely stunned.

He thought to himself: You weren’t like this the first time I met you! Back then, you said you’d take my head with one sword strike! Why are you acting like a fragile flower now?!

Zhi Shiyi let Chu Nanzhen hold his hand and turned back to the main topic. “However, I have a new discovery. I didn’t know the Sea Goddess’s name before, but I found out today.”

“So she is?”

Almost everyone asked at the same time.

“Ji. Chu. Shan,” Zhi Shiyi said, enunciating every word.

For those in the know, this was an unexpected answer; for those who weren’t, it was just a name.

Back then, Zhi Shiyi had found the scent on Ji Chushan familiar, as were her eyes. At the time, he had only thought she was an old acquaintance, but he hadn’t been certain. Now, it was clear: Ji Chushan was the Sea Goddess.

Wu Xiang was visibly shocked, but also slightly relieved. If that were the case, did every part of the array belong to Ji Chushan’s…

Chu Nanzhen’s thoughts mirrored Wu Xiang’s. “If that’s true, then Ji Chushan must have met with disaster, and her body was dismembered…”

“I think the same,” Zhi Shiyi mused. “Using a god’s life to fuel this array proves the demon behind this is a formidable force.”

Gods were meant to live as long as the heavens, possessing spiritual power far beyond the reach of cultivators. Only another god should be able to harm one. Still, it was puzzling. If the perpetrator was already a god, why go through all this trouble?

Just then, there was a light knock on the door. The group exchanged glances before Chu Nanzhen stood up to open it.

Chu Sunshui stood outside, looking rather restless. Before Chu Nanzhen could speak, he asked, “You didn’t come here for the Mountain God, did you?”

It seemed he had been listening at the door for a while. Chu Nanzhen nodded slowly, wondering why he was asking. Chu Sunshui stared at Chu Nanzhen with a troubled expression for a long time before saying, “Can you… spare her life?”

Chu Nanzhen: “?”

Whether it was the townspeople, the Yunshan Sect, or their own group, everyone intended to eliminate the Mountain God to end the trouble. This man, who had been so desperate to stay alive back in the Middle City, was now willing to risk his life to protect a wicked demon. What was he playing at?

Everything happens for a reason. Chu Nanzhen frowned and asked, “Why?”

“No reason,” Chu Sunshui looked down and smiled bitterly. “If it’s truly impossible, you could at least leave the stone statue to me…”

“Why don’t you come in and talk to us?” Chu Nanzhen stepped aside. If there truly were no reason, he wouldn’t have been eavesdropping, let alone pleading for the Mountain God.

The commotion wasn’t small, and from the moment the door opened, everyone’s attention had been fixed on them. Every word of their conversation had reached the ears of those inside.

Chu Sunshui glanced inside, hesitated for a moment, then nodded and followed Chu Nanzhen in.

“Why are you so insistent on keeping something related to her?” Zhi Shiyi was the first to ask.

Chu Sunshui stood to the side, his head bowed, refusing to look at anyone. After a long silence, he said softly, “I love her, and I want something to remember her by.”

“?”

They had imagined countless reasons, but they never expected this one.

The atmosphere in the room turned subtle. Some looked at him with strange expressions, bordering on shock, though upon reflection, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal.

Wu Xiang said, “Hey, hey, hey, don’t just lose your heart like that! She already has a sweetheart! You should give up early, especially since a god’s lifespan is nothing like yours…”

Besides, the Sea Goddess had long since perished.

“I know that!” When Chu Sunshui looked up, there were tears in his eyes. He seemed angry, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. “I fought so hard to escape that soul-eating Middle City just to come here for that statue!”

He turned his head and gave a mocking laugh, talking to himself. “Do you know why I left so urgently that day? Do you know why I was trapped in the Middle City? Do you remember me saying the townspeople said a ‘wicked demon is coming’? Actually, many things are wrong! It’s been wrong from the very beginning!”

By the end, he was almost screaming.

“I was placed under a spell. My body was controlled by the one who cast it. Every move I made was planned from start to finish, and the words I wanted to say could never leave my lips. Like the little beggar, I wanted to leave that place, but I couldn’t. The people in that city died years ago! The story of the wicked demon is true, but it didn’t happen recently, it was the lived experience of the Middle City folk years ago.” He tried to calm himself, tears streaming down as he took several deep breaths. “I left in a hurry that day because my body was no longer under his control. I wanted to see her as quickly as possible. He originally wanted me to die with the Middle City, but unfortunately for him, I didn’t die as he wished…”

The words he wanted to say could never leave his lips…

He was likely under a restriction, just like Sect Leader Yun. The thought that the stall owner they had known for years was a puppet deliberately placed there made Chu Nanzhen’s skin crawl.

“Since the restriction is broken, do you know who cast the spell?” Yun Guitu asked.

Chu Sunshui looked at Chu Nanzhen and shook his head slightly, feeling guilty for being unable to help. “Some of the restrictions remain, but the one who cast it… wants your life. I’ve told you everything I can. If you must destroy her, I only beg that you leave one of her stone statues for me.”

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