Lanke Chess Edge
Chapter 190: The Righteous Gods of the Two Rivers Arrive

This Land God was quite knowledgeable, and understood the meaning behind Ji Yuan’s casual words, provided that the immortal was telling the truth. After all, it was difficult to conceive that this truly wasn’t mere bragging.

Moreover, although some mountain gods failed in turn, there were still some who had achieved the status of True Mountain Gods. Although there were no such individuals in Dazhen, there had to be some in such a vast world. This was essentially the consensus of the Taoist divinities.

However, Wandering Gods had not been seen for many years. To be more precise, no one had ever heard of a living one. They seemed more like a legend, even for the divinities of the Tao.

And now suddenly along came a master of immortal cultivation, who essentially told a newly dead ghost, in front of the Land God, “you actually have another path forward. You can try to become a Wandering God, or you can take a path that will eventually lead you to becoming a Wandering God.”

The Land God simply felt like he had his three views¹ completely overturned.

Perhaps in an attempt to take the Land God’s feelings into consideration, upon hearing his lightly stunned and awkward words, Ji Yuan further explained.

“The Lord Land God is actually correct. According to rumor, those who can become Wandering Gods need the luck and opportunities of Heaven and Earth to align. It’s no easy feat. The key is that the most difficult step is the first. Even the method I mentioned is extremely difficult to achieve.”

Ji Yuan thought about the idea the author of “Bright Strategies” wrote down.

“To use the power of a Lord of Water to transform extreme Yin into positive Yang, not only must the deity’s own cultivation be excellent, but they must also possess an inestimable amount of willpower and incense power. I’m afraid it might greatly damage the deity’s vitality. Few would be willing to contribute to this.”

Fortunately, he figured that he might be able to invite at least two major gods of the water.² These were the River Gods of the first and second major rivers.

“In fact, the Lord of Water’s presence is secondary. Most crucial is Doctor Qin’s own condition. This might be difficult to explain to you.”

At this point, Ji Yuan didn’t explain any further. The ghost did not understand, and the Land God still could not believe it, but he was not speaking further. The key was still Qin Zizhou. Ji Yuan looked at Qin Zizhou’s confused soul once again.

“I believe Dr. Qin has heard what I mentioned to the land God. This is an opportunity for you to become a Wandering God. Although there is a high possibility of failure, it is worth a try. Even if it fails, it can only benefit you, and will not harm you. I will ensure that your ghost body is safe. If you agree, I will go to the underworld of Desheng Prefecture to explain the situation.

“Of course, if Dr. Qin is very satisfied with the arrangements of the underworld, and you just wish to protect your descendants and enjoy your offerings in peace, that is fine too!”

After Ji Yuan finished speaking, he essentially left the choice up to Qin Zizhou. As for requesting the doctor’s soul be freed from the underworld of Desheng Prefecture, as long as this matter was explained, the entire underworld would be shocked. If it was confirmed to be true, how could they dare not release his soul?

Qin Zizhou, who was quite cheerful in life, now seemed a little overwhelmed. There were ghosts and gods all around him, and he wasn’t even all that familiar with his “old acquaintance” Ji Yuan. For a moment, it seemed as though he needed to make an unfamiliar but extremely important choice, and he was very uneasy.

“Uh…this…I…”

Seeing Qin Zizhou like this, obviously very hesitant, the Land God couldn’t stand it anymore. He grasped his short cane tightly outside in the courtyard, wondering if he wanted to hit him over the head to wake the ghost up.

But Ji Yuan didn’t dare overstep the line. Regardless of whether his words were true or false, he had already completely intimidated the Land God. As for the veracity of his words, it would be revealed when they went to the underworld of Desheng Prefecture together.

“Mr. Qin, Mr. Qin!”

In the end, the Land God couldn’t bear it anymore. He stepped into the house, strode to Qin Zizhou’s side, and spoke through divine mental transmission.

“If Lord Qin has any concerns, you can go to the underworld and then make your decision. By then the Lord City God will be by your side, so you won’t have to worry about whether these words are true. However, you must not refuse at the moment. As long as there is a slight possibility that this matter is true, it is an opportunity that all the ghosts and gods of the world will envy. If you were lucky enough to succeed, you would be able to go anywhere in the world in the future. You must not refuse!”

Qin Zizhou had visited the Land God Temple in Deyuan County many times over the course of his life. He was much more familiar with this Land God, who was almost identical to the Land God’s Statue in the temple, than he was with Ji Yuan and the underworld’s messengers.

Hearing the Land God’s words, Qin Zizhou made up his mind and bowed to Ji Yuan.

“Thank you for your kindness, Lord Immortal. At this moment, my family is currently preparing for my funeral. Besides, I know nothing about this matter. Would you allow me to give you an answer after I reach the underworld?”

Ji Yuan nodded, realizing that he might have been a little too hasty, and smiled at the Land God.

“Land God, I must disturb you and ask you to accompany Doctor Qin throughout this whole process, and explain to him the gravity of this matter. I will take my leave first. I will see you in the underworld of Desheng Prefecture!”

After he finished speaking, Ji Yuan walked out of the house.

“Um, where is the Lord Immortal headed now?”

The Land God subconsciously asked. Ji Yuan actually paused and turned around to answer.

“Naturally, I am going to go ask the Lord of Water to help us, so as to save time and trouble.”

Ji Yuan was confident about which choice Qin Zizhou would make in the end. The old man had been practicing medicine all his life, and was known as a miracle doctor. He was no fool. How could he refuse after understanding the significance of this opportunity?

After answering the question, Ji Yuan directly left the Qin family compound.

Ji Yuan first flew directly to the Tongtian River. As this matter would consume a lot of power from any Taoist divinity, it would not be appropriate to merely send a letter, so he had to go in person to ask for this favor.

Naturally, the individuals Ji Yuan wanted to invite were Ying Ruoli, the Dragon Daughter of the Tongtian River, and Bai Qi, the River God of the Chunmu River. Both of them were aiming to become true dragons. The aid of the water divinities was just auxiliary; it didn’t matter how much power each lost compared to the other, they would both be willing to help.

After flying for a full five hours, from sunlight to dusk, Ji Yuan finally arrived at the Zhuangyuan Ferry once more. However, it was not currently busy at this time of day.

The waves on the river reflected the moonlight. Ji Yuan, who had now learned quite a few water-controlling techniques, walked directly into the river and controlled the water to push him downstream, towards the River God’s underwater palace. Several patrolling Yaksha holding steel spears blocked the way.

“Who goes there?”

Ji Yuan used a water-repelling technique, so his clothes and long hair did not flow with the waves. In this situation, even if the Yaksha could not see through Ji Yuan’s nature, they knew he was no water being.

Ji Yuan bowed with cupped hands and spoke the truth.

“I must trouble the Yaksha to inform Goddess Jiang that Ji Yuan has come to ask for a favor.”

Ji Yuan?

It was Ji Yuan!

“Immortal Master Ji!?”

Several Yaksha screamed in surprise and looked the visitor up and down.

“I am Ji. I don’t think anyone would dare lie about that, right?”

Ji Yuan joked. Several of the Yaksha were startled, and quickly put aside their spears and bowed.

“Master Ji, please come in quickly. I will go and inform Goddess Jiang right away!”

Several Yaksha invited Ji Yuan into the private wing of the Underwater Palace, while another swam quickly and headed straight for the main hall of the palace.

At this moment, the Old Dragon was in the main hall, sipping wine while watching the dancing. The Dragon Son was not present, and no one knew where he had gone. The Dragon Daughter was meditating and cultivating in another palace.

Although Ji Yuan had specifically requested for the Dragon Daughter to come, the Yaksha naturally had to inform the Dragon Lord first, so he rushed into the main hall shouting loudly, heedless of anything else.

“Report… Reporting to the Dragon Lord, Immortal Ji has arrived outside the Underwater Palace. He said he came to ask Goddess Jiang for a favor!”

All the dancers froze. The Old Dragon stood up, wine glass in hand.

“Mr. Ji is here! He’s looking for Ruoli? Not me?”

“To answer the Dragon Lord, Immortal Ji truly did say that he was here to find Goddess Jiang.”

The Old Dragon was stunned for a moment. He waved his hand to let all the dancers retreat back out of the hall, then said to the Yaksha.

“Go and call Ruoli. I’ll go outside to escort Mr. Ji!”

“Yes!”

Putting down his wine glass, the Old Dragon strode out of the hall, muttering to himself.

“Why didn’t you come to see me?”³

A little while later, back in the main hall, the Dragon Daughter, Ji Yuan, and the Dragon Lord had all taken their seats. Ji Yuan gave a brief explanation of the situation.

At this very moment, the Old Dragon seemed even more excited than his daughter.

“Mr. Ji actually wants to confer a position of Wandering God? Interesting, very interesting, I have never seen anything like this before in my whole life!”

“Mr. Ying, the word ‘confer’ is too strong.⁴ I merely wish to see whether this method of creating a Wandering God is feasible.”

To say that it was conferred would be to imply that it was something that could be accomplished overnight. Ji Yuan could not possibly say that his method deserved such a term.

“Hey, it’s almost time, let’s go, let’s get going!”

The Old Dragon couldn’t sit still anymore. He seemed even more anxious to get going than Ji Yuan.

“But what about Goddess Jiang?”

The Old Dragon glanced at his daughter.

“How could she dare to object? She has already opened her True Dragon heart, how could she be reluctant to give up a couple hundred years of incense power?”

Seeing her father like this, the Dragon Daughter pulled up her sleeve to cover the amused smile on her mouth, and stood up.

“I will follow Uncle Ji’s instuctions!”

The three hurried out of the underwater palace. The Old Dragon took on the responsibility of steering the cloud, bringing Ji Yuan and the Dragon Daughter to Chunhui Prefecture.

The process of inviting the River God of Chunhui Prefecture was even simpler. Ji Yuan called out to him with spiritual energy in a sound wave outside the River God Temple. The white flood dragon, who was dozing, heard the call and rushed over immediately.

He was even more overjoyed when he heard Ji Yuan’s request, as if he himself were going to become a Wandering God. He was worried that he would never find an opportunity to show off in front of Ji Yuan.

The end result was such that, as they rode the cloud back to Desheng Prefecture, Ji Yuan and the Dragon Daughter were still relatively calm as they flew, while the Old Dragon and the Bai Qi chatted animatedly, obviously in a good mood.

‘Strange things happen every year, but this year there were quite a few…’

Even though he knew the reason why, Ji Yuan still felt a little baffled and amused.

Because of the hot weather, it was not advisable to leave a body out for a long period of time, so the Qin family held the funeral one day later. Qin Zizhou followed the ghost messengers to the underworld of Desheng Prefecture later that day. Naturally, the Land God went with him.

Sure enough, after hearing about the events, the entire underworld of Desheng Prefecture was in an uproar. As the City God and the gods of the various divisions learned more about the situation, Qin Zizhou gradually realized how rare an opportunity this was.

Around evening of the next day, outside of the City God Temple of Desheng Prefecture, the ghost guarding the Ghost Gate checkpoint at the entrance to the underworld was almost frightened to the point of losing his body. After going back to give his report, the City God of Desheng Prefecture led the heads of various departments to the Ghost Gate to welcome them.

The Goddess of the Tongtian River, the largest river in Dazhen, had come in person, as had the God of the Chunmu River, the second largest river in Dazhen. Even the legendary Dragon Lord had come in person.

The divine aura of the Lords of Water colored half of the sky outside the City God Temple.

Ji Yuan, standing next to them, was naturally highlighted and rendered even more extraordinary. No one doubted his words now.

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T/n: If you think about it, this complete stranger basically just rolled up to QZZ’s funeral after breaking into his house like “sup, we met like once several years ago for about 10 minutes but you’re cool” and QZZ is all “who even are you what is going on I’m literally dead and a ghost help” to which stranger responds “nah, forget the fact that you’re dead, that’s old news now, wanna be a ridiculously powerful God” which freaks all the other crazy powerful spirits around out, and QZZ promptly goes “WTF” which is RELATABLE. And THEN this madman just rolls up outside what’s basically City Hall with literally the three most powerful people around who could squish the rest of them like bugs, all of which clearly want to impress this lunatic, and decides to just YOLO it.

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1. Opinions/perspective life, values, and the world
2. T/n: just, you know, casually. For tea.
3. T/n: LOL
4. Once again, they’re using edict/decree – 敕封 (敕封): to appoint a post/confer a title, by imperial order, tying the subtext to Ji Yuan’s “Edict” powers without explicitly stating that he’s using them