She rarely looked this adorably dazed, and right now she seemed to be trusting him with her whole heart. The anger in Changtian’s chest couldn’t help leaking away by a sliver; he very much wanted to pull her into his arms and fiercely pinch and knead her smooth, tender cheeks until she cried out in pain. However, there were outsiders here at the moment.

He coughed once, his expression calm: "Whistle."

Whistle? What does this have to do with Brother Whistle? Eh, wait!

A flash of inspiration shot through her mind. She frowned and thought carefully, then her face finally showed a look of sudden realization: "Water God, so you’re actually that ancient demon from back then!"

Back in the Central Capital, when Whistle was escorting Spiritual Tea into the city, he had told her that when the merchant team camped by the lower reaches of the White Wave River, they saw countless Cultivators besieging an enormous ancient demon. At the time, Whistle also heard those Cultivators announce their affiliations, claiming they were from the King Jinghai Mansion.

Could this big fellow before her be that pitiful giant demon that was besieged back then? The people from the King Jinghai Mansion had clearly used some unknown method to condense Evil Qi into a tangible form and strike it into its body. They had probably intended to use this to force it into submission, not expecting its demonic power to be so profound that it could actually suppress the Evil Qi down into some corner of its body.

This fellow was impressive too, to actually make the people of the King Jinghai Mansion suffer a setback.

Seeing her remember, Changtian also nodded and said: "It’s a very rare kind of Demon even in the Ancient Times, called a Louse Whale. In fact, I saw it once as early as thirty thousand years ago, when it was still just a juvenile. Now it’s already grown this big. I’ll tell you the details when we get back."

Shijin Chi Ya had of course pleaded for his help. Changtian didn’t waste any more time, and just like Ning Xiaoxian, pressed his hand against the whale’s skin, sending Divine Power into it. His skill was on a completely different level from Ning Xiaoxian’s; as soon as his Divine Power entered the body, Chi Ya trembled even more violently. Clearly that Evil Qi inside it sensed Changtian’s Divine Power and struggled madly, making Chi Ya suffer all the more. But this fellow was indeed able to endure; he actually gritted through it without moving a muscle, only letting out long, horse-neigh–like cries of pain from his mouth.

Fortunately, though the pain was intense, it did not last long. After only a few breaths, Changtian had already withdrawn his hand. He stretched out his palm, and on his white skin, delicate as beautiful jade, a lump of inky black qi rolled about ceaselessly, as if still trying its utmost to break free. How could Changtian let it escape? He flipped out a Liu Li Bottle and sealed it inside. "Haven’t seen this stuff in years; I’ll take it back and study it carefully."

This mass of Evil Qi had been the size of a cartwheel inside Chi Ya’s body; in his hand it was compressed into a little pellet. With the calamity expelled, the Louse Whale’s pain vanished, and it immediately calmed down.

Knowing when to stop, Changtian took her back to the riverbank. The next moment, the two of them saw the Louse Whale’s body plunge sharply into the water. When it surfaced again, it had already taken Human form. This time, it was no Illusion.

That Evil Qi really was vicious. Ning Xiaoxian stuck out her tongue; it had only been a little bit of Evil Qi, yet it had tormented Chi Ya in a hundred different ways, to the point it couldn’t even take Human form. Just where had such a terrifying thing come from?

Chi Ya bowed respectfully to Changtian and said in a deep voice: "Many thanks, Divine Monarch. Chi Ya will now follow the water upstream and head for Hidden Stream." It was a Water Demon by nature and could roam freely through rivers, lakes, and seas, but bound by Heavenly Dao Balance, it had no ability to ride on a cloud or mist. Thus, traveling by Water Escape was actually much faster for it than going over land.

Aside from Dragons, Heaven’s pampered darlings who could freely traverse sea, land, and the Three Realms of sky, this was the natural limitation on most Water Demons: at best they could cultivate the ability to walk on land, but as for soaring through the skies by their own strength, they could forget it.

Changtian wasn’t surprised by this request; clearly the two had discussed it long ago. He tossed out a Token before finally saying thoughtfully: "If you find the rivers in the Bashe Forest too narrow, you can go to the Endless Sea on the forest’s left side to dwell. The Louse Whale’s body is too big, just like the True Form of Ba Snake. If it can’t stretch out its True Body for long periods, it’s extremely uncomfortable."

Chi Ya said joyfully: "That would be excellent. Chi Ya will go at once. If I run into some old friends in the water along the way, I’ll invite them to go to Hidden Stream together!" By nature, it seemed disinclined to drag things out; after bowing to Changtian, it seemed to think for a moment, then also gave Ning Xiaoxian a formal bow, only then plunging into the water, never to be seen again.

That bow, however, held deeper meaning. Ning Xiaoxian’s face flushed slightly; she hurriedly shifted aside, refusing to accept the salute. In the next instant, the great monster was gone. The surging waves it raised when it sank battered the embankment again and again, and only after a long time did they slowly calm.

She silently glared at the pitch-black river surface. "The Water God just left like that?"

"You think he was willing to serve as Water God here?" Changtian had already turned to go. Upon hearing this, he gave a soft, derisive snort. "The people of the King Jinghai Mansion caught him off guard. Chi Ya was heavily wounded and fled all the way from the White Wave River to this place. By then he was exhausted, and even shrinking his body was difficult. The waters up ahead are all too narrow; with a body that large, he couldn’t swim through and had no choice but to remain here."

She quickly caught up, suddenly enlightened: "So the one you said you were looking for was him? Eh, then what’s the story with the previous Water God?"

"By coincidence, after you stayed in this town, I sensed the demon energy he was leaking." This town was too small; after Chi Ya was seriously injured, he couldn’t fully suppress his demonic power, making it easy for Changtian to detect. He followed the trail and discovered that the one wounded was actually an old acquaintance. "In the Ancient Times I saw him once; back then he was only a little monster the size of a flea, and now he’s grown this big."

She blurted out: "The size of a flea?" For a viviparous beast, how could it be born that tiny?

He shot her a sidelong glance. "So ignorant. This kind of Demon is born so small it’s almost invisible to the naked eye, and only after living a few years does it reach the size of a flea. Its growth afterward is still slow, but its body will keep getting bigger with age, with no upper limit. Though it’s tiny at birth, in the end it grows larger than a giant whale, hence the name ’Louse Whale.’ Since it’s managed to survive thirty thousand years, it’s no surprise it’s reached its current size."

"I checked: the previous Water God of this river was a Lumang Spirit with six hundred years of cultivation. It was the spirit monster here with the highest cultivation. After Chi Ya swam here, he treated it as tonic and swallowed it in one gulp, and ended up inheriting its Water God position." Devouring one another was nothing rare among demons, especially when Chi Ya was severely wounded and urgently needed a great supplement. "The Lumang by nature is lustful. Once it became the town’s guardian spirit, it couldn’t openly force women, so it probably sent dreams to the townsfolk; it’s no wonder they came up with that gimmick of drawing the Water God’s Talisman to choose a bride."

By calculation, the last time the Water God chose a bride was three years ago, which just happened to match the time when Whistle saw Chi Ya by the river. From this angle, Chi Ya hadn’t lied, and he had no reason to. Thus, the matter of the Water God choosing brides really couldn’t be laid at his feet. For great monsters, not coming to make trouble for Humans was already pretty good; why would they go out of their way to clear up some minor issue like the Water God’s Talisman?

Chi Ya originally had no fondness for Humans at all, but after taking over the Lumang Spirit’s Water God seat, he discovered that receiving Mortal World Tribute also brought some benefits to his body. Only then did he deign to squat in the river, occasionally showing some spiritual power and doing a few things that were beneficial to the townsfolk. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)