The Otherworldly God I Serve Is Actually a Demon - Chapter 6

Ruan Jiao was grateful that her parents were still working overtime when she got home.

She plugged in her phone to charge, filled the bathtub with warm water, and then collapsed into it as if all her strength had drained away.

Everything that had happened today felt too bizarre to her, completely overturning the worldview she had built over her past eighteen years.

While feeling bewildered, Ruan Jiao also felt an inexplicable excitement in her heart. Today, she had seen a god. A real deity, a mythical being that existed only in legends.

And the god was so gentle, so beautiful…

At the thought of Jun Gongyu, Ruan Jiao couldn’t help but blush.

How strange.

Burying her slightly flushed face in the warm water, Ruan Jiao carefully washed herself before leisurely climbing out of the bathtub.

Tomorrow was Sunday, and she had no morning classes, so she didn’t need to go to school. She could sleep in, so there was no rush.

By the time she finished tidying up and lay down in bed, wanting to play a couple of rounds of a mobile game before sleeping, she was already so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. Soon, she drifted into a deep slumber.

…

Hot…

Ruan Jiao shifted restlessly, her mind muddled as she wondered why it was so hot when it was clearly autumn. This heat burned across her body, making her struggle uncomfortably to get up, but her limbs felt weak and heavy.

She felt as if she were being scorched to death, yet she couldn’t rise, letting out a pitiful whimper from her lips.

Suddenly, a cool sensation descended over her body, and a cold figure pressed against her. The bone-chilling coldness washed over her, yet it brought a soothing relief from the heat.

Instinctively, she reached out to embrace the source of this coolness. As their bodies pressed tightly together, a familiar fragrance drifted upward into her nostrils.

Cold hands trailed up from her ankles, kneading and caressing along the way.

Ruan Jiao let out a soft, helpless moan from her throat. She opened her eyes to see who was on top of her and found herself gazing into a pair of familiar, deep eyes.

“Divine One…”

Ruan Jiao felt so ashamed she wished she could bury her face in the ground. She had actually dreamed of Jun Gongyu, and in such a dream.

Since this was a dream, Ruan Jiao naturally assumed it was her own subconscious desires at play.

Did she actually harbor such a longing for a god?

“Jiaojiao.”

She heard Jun Gongyu calling her name, her voice so enchanting that it seemed to wrap her name in layers of tenderness and intimacy. Fingers stroked her face, carrying infinite gentleness and an indescribable, sticky warmth.

Holding her face in both hands, Jun Gongyu leaned down, pressing her forehead against Ruan Jiao’s, and whispered her name over and over again.

“Jiaojiao.”

“Jiaojiao.”

“Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao…”

Every bone in Ruan Jiao’s body seemed to melt under the repeated calling of her name. Since this was just her dream, could she allow herself to indulge a little more boldly?

She tightened her embrace around Jun Gongyu, lifting her waist slightly to nestle more obediently into the other’s arms. Then, gazing into those seemingly emotionless eyes, she whispered with trembling lips.

“Divine One, could you… kiss me?”

Ruan Jiao’s heart leaped with excitement. Even though she had never been in a relationship in her eighteen years, she could still utter such brazen words. Even if this was just a dream, it was still far too bold.

Yet, instead of feeling ashamed, she felt a thrilling sense of sacrilegious excitement.

Perhaps from the very first moment she laid eyes on her, a seed of wicked thought had already been planted in her heart.

“Hah.”

Ruan Jiao watched as Jun Gongyu smiled again, her heart pounding wildly, as if she had witnessed a barren land suddenly bursting into bloom with flowers.

“Jiaojiao…”

Jun Gongyu leaned down, her lips drawing close to hers, letting out what seemed like a sigh. A bewitching allure flickered in the corners of her eyes and brows.

“So obedient, Jiaojiao.”

“Mmm…”

Ruan Jiao felt as though she were floating among the clouds, her mind ablaze and unable to think. In her daze, an untimely doubt arose in her heart.

Jun Gongyu… why did it seem like she had many hands?

But soon, she had no time to dwell on such trivial thoughts.

The next day at noon, Ruan Jiao slowly woke up, her eyes dazedly fixed on the ceiling as her consciousness remained somewhat muddled.

Then she fully came to her senses, covering her face in shame. What on earth had she dreamed about last night!

“Ahhh.”

Ruan Jiao rolled around on the bed, clutching her pillow, excited yet somewhat wistful as she recalled the dream. It had felt so real, and her sensations had been incredibly vivid.

Patting her cheeks, she surprisingly didn’t linger in bed and got up instead. Today, she still had to bring Jun Gongyu home, she couldn’t afford to be lazy.

After getting dressed and stepping out of her bedroom, the house was, unsurprisingly, empty. Only a note and some cash on the table served as proof that her parents had returned last night. Both of them were busy with work, often working overtime, leaving only money for their daughter to manage on her own.

After washing up and rummaging through the fridge for something to eat, Ruan Jiao dug out a shovel from the storage room that hadn’t been used in a long time.

The midday sun wasn’t particularly intense, autumn was always like this, with gloomy skies and no warmth to be felt.

Dragging the shovel behind her, Ruan Jiao made her way up the back hill. Yesterday, walking backward up the slope hadn’t felt tiring, but today, walking normally, she realized just how steep the mountain path was.

By the time she reached the summit, panting heavily, someone had already arrived before her.

It was an elderly woman from the nearby village who hadn’t moved away. She had brought offerings and incense candles and was kneeling on the ground in worship. However, she wasn’t facing the small pagoda but an empty patch of land.

Ruan Jiao patted her head. She had been so focused on coming quickly to bring Jun Gongyu home that she had completely forgotten to prepare offerings like fruits.

To avoid suspicion about why a young girl was dragging a shovel up the mountain, possibly for some mischief, Ruan Jiao guiltily hid the shovel in the grass before walking over.

Seeing Ruan Jiao, the old woman, perhaps finding it unusual for a young person to visit this place, struck up a conversation with her.

“Young lady, are you here to pay respects to Master Zhengnan too?”

What master? Ruan Jiao wondered. Was that another name for Jun Gongyu?

“Grandma, is Master Zhengnan a deity once worshipped here?”

The old woman nodded, then shook her head. “Master Zhengnan isn’t a deity. She was a Taoist nun, specializing in exorcising ghosts and demons.”

With that, she seemed a little disappointed, having thought she had met a younger believer in the master. But then again, people nowadays emphasized not being superstitious, so it was normal for the younger generation not to know about such things.

Ruan Jiao’s mind stirred slightly as she asked, “Grandma, do you know the name of this Taoist nun?”

“It seems to be the surname Zhong.” The old woman squinted her eyes, thinking for a moment. “I only heard about it from my elders when I was young, so I don’t remember clearly. My ancestors received kindness from the Zhengnan Celestial Master, so it became a family rule that the younger generations must live here and worship the Celestial Master from generation to generation.”

Thinking of the younger members of her family who didn’t believe in ghosts or gods, the old woman shook her head inwardly. Once she was gone, she feared no one would continue to follow this tradition.

Zhong? That didn’t seem right.

Ruan Jiao thought the old woman might have misremembered, or perhaps they were talking about different people. It wasn’t uncommon for a temple to house multiple deities.

“Very few people remember her now. I can only come occasionally while my legs still allow it. In a few years, I probably won’t be able to climb up here anymore.” The old woman seemed somewhat wistful. “Young lady, if you have time, come visit her often. She was a very kind person in her lifetime.”

Not wanting to dampen the old woman’s spirits, Ruan Jiao nodded, thinking that since she lived nearby, she could come by often. Once she earned enough money to build a temple for Jun Gongyu, she could also burn some incense for this Celestial Master.

The old woman’s legs weren’t very steady, and after exchanging a few more pleasantries with Ruan Jiao, she made her way down the mountain.

Once the old woman was gone, Ruan Jiao crept over to the small pagoda like a thief and softly called for Jun Gongyu. Of course, she remembered Jun Gongyu’s instructions and didn’t call her by name directly, instead using “Divine One.”

After calling for a long time with no response, Ruan Jiao felt a bit disappointed. She really wanted to see Jun Gongyu, especially after the dream she had last night, which had intensified her longing to meet her again.

Why did she feel like a lovestruck maiden? How sinful.

Rubbing her slightly flushed cheeks, Ruan Jiao dragged the shovel hidden in the grass over to the small pagoda and began digging with great effort.

She worked diligently, motivated by the thought of soon being able to take Jun Gongyu home.

Under her relentless digging, the already shaky pagoda, now lacking the support of the soil, began to wobble even more. Ruan Jiao watched the swaying structure closely and stopped when she felt the time was right.

She first searched the hole she had dug but found nothing except mud.

It seemed she would have to topple the pagoda. Fully aware that she was doing something wrong, Ruan Jiao guiltily glanced around to see if anyone was nearby. Then, gritting her teeth, she kicked the teetering pagoda.

With a loud crash, the small stone pagoda fell to the ground, the noise startling the birds in the mountains. A flock of black birds shrieked sharply as they flew through the trees above Ruan Jiao, as if heralding something ominous.

Ruan Jiao hugged her shoulders and shivered. She suddenly felt the temperature around her drop significantly.

But she didn’t dwell on any negative thoughts. After all, she was standing in the dwelling place of a deity, any ghosts that came here would only be vanquished.

The small pagoda shattered into many pieces, completely losing its original form. The last remaining structure of the Zhengnan Celestial Master Temple had been destroyed.

Ruan Jiao began digging again at the spot where the pagoda had fallen. This time, she didn’t have to dig for long before her shovel struck something hard.

After clearing away the surrounding soil, the object’s full appearance was revealed. It was a pitch-black jar, its mouth sealed with a yellowed piece of paper. Due to its age, the writing on the paper was no longer legible.

Ruan Jiao had an intuition in her heart, this was Jun Gongyu’s body.

She had thought it would be something like a statue, but she never expected it to be an urn. The urn wasn’t large; she could take it back with her.

The moment she reached out and touched the black urn, Ruan Jiao caught a familiar scent, the same one she had been smelling all through her dream last night.

Yes, inside this urn was the “deity” she was looking for.