Chapter 21: The Land Temple (3)

  Su Qi blinked rapidly, as if in doubt, until she was sure that "Hao Zi" was bowing to her. She then learned from Hao Zi's example and returned the courtesy, saying "You're too kind, you're too kind." However, she couldn't help but think to herself, what era is this? Are they still stuck on feudal society? Hasn't this land lived for hundreds of years? Can't their thinking turn a corner?

  The land god Su Qi looked gentle and courteous, not a difficult person to get along with. With that, his heart was no longer nervous, but his tone remained respectful and polite. "I am the local land god, but since there has been little incense for decades, I couldn't transform into a mortal form, so I had to find a substitute to meet the superior god. Please forgive me for any disturbance."

  Su Qi Ruo carefully compared the memory, feeling that the animal attached to the land was not like a hamster, but more like a miniature version of a small panda. The nose and mouth were surrounded by a circle of bright white fluffy fur, which was particularly eye-catching compared to the dark skin elsewhere on its body, adding a few points of cuteness and adorability. The ears were round and small, buried in the thick fur, not very prominent, but occasionally moving back and forth when speaking; the fluffy tail like a squirrel's had grown much longer. Looking at the land's tiger-like, fluffy, and adorable appearance, Su Qi Ruo suddenly couldn't help but love it, wishing to take out her phone to capture its extremely cute expression.

  "Polite, polite, actually nothing." Su Qiye also wouldn't say anything about the scene, and could only casually respond. Actually, she was more concerned about what kind of animal the land spirit had attached itself to, and whether such a cute animal could be sent back for her to raise.

  "What about Muzhen?" She Ruiwen asked coldly.

  The land saw that although they were demons, they didn't have any malicious intentions and were even accompanying Su Qi Ruo. In his heart, he had more admiration for Su Qi Ruo, after all, there weren't many gods who could tame demons now. Therefore, when Shu Rui Wen asked about the whereabouts of the wood god, the land didn't hesitate or hide anything, "The upper god came a few days ago and hasn't come again since."

  "Huh?" Si Ruiwen raised an eyebrow with a disbelieving expression, "He's not coming, what does he want us to do here?"

  "What did the superior god say?" The land's tense and fluffy round ears moved slightly.

  Shi Ruwen stood with his arms crossed, looking down at the land with an intimidating gaze, as if to say "you'd better confess or else". The land was clearly intimidated by Shi Ruwen's fierce aura, hanging its head in shame like a child admitting fault in front of their parents. Its pitiful appearance even tugged at Su Qi's heartstrings - such a lovable land should be cherished and pampered.

  Lu Ke secretly observed Su Qi for a long time, seeing her staring intently at the ground with an uncomfortable feeling in his heart. This fool can't tell that this is just a stinky ferret? She even wants to go up and touch it, how is her brain wired? Are all gods fools?

  "What's the point of the Tree Spirit bringing us here?" Lu Ke didn't want to waste any more time, he was worried that if Su Qi said another two sentences, she would really go up and touch the land. If she dared to touch it, when they got back, he would stuff her into the washing machine and spin her a few rounds.

  The land fell silent for a moment, then unexpectedly crawled forward and knocked its head to Su Qi, saying: "The little god has been the land god in this place for decades, enjoying the offerings of humans, but due to limited magical powers, it cannot protect the local area. Just recently, a new mine was opened nearby, piercing through the water vein, and I'm afraid that soon the water source here will dry up, and there may even be danger of land subsidence. Therefore, I dare to respectfully request the Water God to cast a spell to change the water vein in this place and protect the people of this region."

  "Ah?" Su Qi Ruo never thought that the land would suddenly bestow such a great gift, nor did he think that the land would have such a request. After all, Su Qi Ruo was a water god who only knew how to use the "Yushui" technique, and changing the underground water veins was something of extremely high difficulty - how could it be done? Su Qi Ruo didn't even dare to think about it, as the underground water veins were tens of meters deep, and he found it difficult to change the course of a river on the surface. How could he possibly use his spiritual power to affect the underground water veins from over ten meters away? "This..." Su Qi Ruo pretended to be deeply thoughtful, thinking of how to come up with a reasonable excuse to reject the land's request. He couldn't just say that his magical powers were insufficient and that he couldn't do it, could he?

  The land lay motionless on the ground, waiting for Su Qi's response. Although he knew it was a difficult task, Mù Shén told himself that as long as he asked her, she would not refuse. The water god, being an ancient deity, did not seem to care about the mortal world, and saving the local people would bring no benefits; besides, the ancient gods had always been arrogant and would not bother with human suffering. Even if the water god refused, the land would not be surprised. However, the land was betting on Mù Shén's confidence.

  Su Qi furrowed her brow and thought for half a day before finally squeezing out a sentence, "Against the will of heaven..." At the end, she even dragged out a long tail tone, trying to put on an air of profundity.

  The land humbly let out a sigh and its small body slightly trembled, still trying to maintain composure as it replied, "The little god has overstepped."

  Shi Ruiwen looked at Su Qi with a calm gaze, smiling lightly and saying, "It's strange that you're helping out, the ancient gods have always ignored the lives and deaths of humans."

  "Not of my kind." Although there was a moment of confusion, Su Qiruo quickly understood the meaning behind Lu Ke's words. "Not of my kind" meant demons, and in the eyes of the gods, allowing demons to destroy themselves was an act of mercy. How could they possibly help them? Lu Ke's words made Su Qiruo's heart tremble - was he mocking himself? Did he really think she was that heartless? If it were Si Ruiwen who said something like this, Su Qiruo wouldn't have minded, but hearing these words from Lu Ke made her feel especially stung. Su Qiruo hadn't forgotten the time when Lu Ke had stolen her spiritual energy, nor had she forgotten his gentle care towards her in daily life. This complicated relationship of both friendship and enmity left Su Qiruo unsure what kind of bond they shared, but for now, she just didn't want Lu Ke to think she was a cold-blooded person, nor did she want him to think she was arrogant.

  The survival of the human tribe is not a concern for Shuiwen, but now he hopes to take this opportunity to see how much power Su Qi has awakened. Moreover, he wants to know what kind of power the Water God, one of the six ancient gods, possesses. Change the water vein? Shuiwen snorted, wondering if it was the land that was foolish or the wood god that was foolish. Changing the water vein not only requires diverting water but also opening up a path. Diverting water is easy to say, but if one really wants to open up a path, the entire underground area within a hundred miles would have to be shaken three times. It's easier said than done, more difficult than ascending to heaven.

  Lu Ke's idea was identical to Xi Ruiwen's, but Lu Ke had a deeper plan. If Su Qi's spiritual power was damaged as a result, he could take the opportunity to break the Soul Binding Curse that was attached to his body.

  Lu Ke and She Ruiwen's harmonious conversation successfully stimulated Su Qiye, who immediately abandoned his perfunctory attitude. He gritted his teeth and said firmly, "Alright, I'll give it a try with all my might. Whether I can succeed or not, I dare not guarantee."

  "Thank you, God, thank you, God." The land rushed to Su Qi Ruo and bowed three times. Su Qi Ruo slightly turned her body to avoid the land's kneeling bow. Originally, the land that attached itself to animals was only playing with the idea of kneeling to her, without thinking about what should or shouldn't be done, or what was suitable or not. Now, although she had boasted and left herself some leeway, seeing the land's sincere and grateful appearance made her realize that the land's grand gift truly made her feel unworthy.

  "Where is the water source here?" Su Qi Ruo said with a hint of frustration, but she wasn't completely impulsive. If she wanted to reopen the water vein, she needed a water source. The South-to-North Water Transfer project was also about diverting water from one place to another, and she didn't have the ability to conjure up a new water source out of thin air, nor did she think any other gods had that skill. But even if she found the water source, could her current water control technique handle so much water? She still hadn't grasped the power of the transmission from last time's awakening of the creatures' obedience. If she had grasped it, she wouldn't be in such a passive state now.

  The land was managed by one side, and such trivial matters were naturally clearer than ever. "The people here are all digging wells to fetch water, and there is no large river or lake nearby to fetch water, so the little god asked the superior god to reopen the water vein, otherwise this place will be deserted soon."

  "The human race steals the creation of heaven and earth, but in the end, they are only doing things that harm others for their own benefit. In the end, it's just harming others and themselves." Lu Ke originally had no good feelings towards humans, and now, looking at the current situation, humans will ultimately end up like the gods and demons, what makes him angry is why such a human race can thrive?

  The land knew that Lu Ke was telling the truth, but as a land born from the thoughts of the people, it naturally wanted to protect the peace of the region. However, being pointed out by Lu Ke for the mistakes of the people, protecting them would be like helping a tiger, so the land didn't speak up and just stood silently with its head lowered.

  Su Qi felt uncomfortable when Lu Ke said that humans have a different perspective, having received ordinary education and not being like the demon tribe who had been awakened since childhood with a different view from ordinary people. However, with actual examples in front of him, he didn't know how to refute them, so he changed the subject: "Water source, water source, if there's water, there must be a source. The underground water veins here have been destroyed, but where did this underground water come from?"

  "The superior god said that this underground water vein is flowing from the northwest, if you want to reopen the water vein, you should start rebuilding it from the northwest."

  Su Qi nodded, "Is the water source in the northwest far from here?"

  "It's about a hundred miles away."

  "A hundred li!" Su Qi's heart secretly trembled, a hundred li wasn't that fifty kilometers? Farther than a marathon! These rugged mountains and wild ridges weren't like asphalt roads, walking till dawn might not even guarantee arrival!

  Shi Ruwen looked up at the sky, thinking that what was supposed to be a simple matter on the spot had suddenly become so complicated. He had originally planned to take advantage of the situation to settle scores with Mu Shen, but now Mu Shen was nowhere to be seen. Shi Ruwen suddenly felt like retreating. "It's getting late anyway, if we're discovered at dawn it'll be troublesome. Let's come back tomorrow night instead."

  Su Qi Ruo also thought that She Rui Wen's words made sense, the groundbreaking activity couldn't be done openly in broad daylight, right? Everything still had to be low-key. "Land, do you know where walking a hundred miles will take us? Let's meet there tomorrow night instead."

  The land didn't understand why the ancient great god couldn't shrink the earth to inches, or ride the clouds and drive the fog. Was it also limited by the Heavenly Way? After all, having a request for someone, the land didn't dare ask clearly, so he just replied, "That's exactly Yangliu Town's Zhengjia Village."

  "Alright then, let's meet at Zhengjiacun tomorrow night."

  Now that Su Qi Ruo had made the promise, the land retreated. After sending off the land, Su Qi Ruo couldn't help but worry about another thing - how to get back from this desolate wilderness? Su Qi Ruo stared straight at Xie Ru Wen, since you led the way here in the first place, shouldn't you be responsible for leading the way back now?

  Shi Ruwen unexpectedly didn't dodge Su Qi's gaze, instead he buried his head in his hands and said, "Ahh, headache!"

  "You..." Su Qi was about to refute Cui Ruiwen, but suddenly felt a pain in the back of her neck and lost consciousness in an instant.