Why Does Baijia Town's River God Look So Much Like Big Brother?

Two years,

It's neither long nor short.

But for Zhang Qingyan,

In the past two years,

It's like reliving a person from head to toe.

The dandy boy who used to be well-dressed and well-fed, and who relied on his family's power to run rampant in the capital, has long since disappeared.

Now he,

He wore Thousand Commander, well-tailored official's uniform as a Pacification Investigation Office, with an embroidered spring knife at his waist.

Her face had shed its ostentatious makeup, and her eyes now held a more composed and stern expression.

His every move exuded the air of a high-ranking official in the imperial court.

From a lazy, idle young master to Thousand Commander of the Pacification Investigation Office,

Only he himself knows how difficult this transformation was.

Zhang Qingyan knew perfectly well what was going on.

His achievements today, from a ridiculed playboy to a powerful and respected Thousand Commander of the Pacification Investigation Office, are all due to his own efforts.

With his father, the powerful Minister of the Ministry of War,

And there's also the powerful, almost otherworldly, Immortal brother behind him.

They have absolutely no connection.

That afternoon,

An urgent official document was delivered to his desk.

Zhang Qingyan opened the package and his brows furrowed slowly.

The official document was sent by the Jingcheng Town Investigation Office.

Taian Prefecture, Baijia Town

They dared to openly worship and offer sacrifices to other deities, disregarding the imperial decree that Azure Profound Immortal Venerable was the sole supreme being.

The superior's message was clear: he was to immediately lead troops to destroy the shrine and intimidate the rebellious populace.

Anyone who disobeys the imperial decree shall be executed without exception.

Zhang Qingyan held the official document in his hand and remained silent for a moment.

During this period,

He has handled many cases like this.

But every time he was ordered to demolish temples and shrines according to that imperial decree, he always felt uneasy.

He knew that most of the people who burned incense and worshipped the gods were just seeking peace of mind, and did not necessarily intend to oppose the imperial court.

But an imperial edict is an imperial edict, and there is no room for ambiguity.

"Prepare for war."

He put away the official documents, his voice calm.

"Go to Taian Prefecture, Baijia Town."

Five days later,

Outside Baijia Town, banners and flags covered the fields.

Hundreds of Pacification Investigation Guards, clad in bright armor, rode tall horses.

The more than two thousand soldiers dispatched from Taian Prefecture lined up in the fields, blocking all the small paths leading from Baijia Town to the outside of the mountains.

The entire town of Baijia was completely surrounded.

Zhang Qingyan reined in his horse and stood at the front of the battle, looking up at the small town.

Baijia Town is not large.

Scattered along the river bend are Hundred Commander houses, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys.

At the entrance of town stands a temple with upturned eaves and a thin layer of snow on its green tiles.

In the incense burner in front of the temple gate, the ash was piled high, and a few sticks of incense were still burning.

That's the River God Temple.

Zhang Qingyan's gaze lingered on the temple gate for a moment, then he raised his voice, which carried far across the open field:

"Listen up, people of Baijia Town! The imperial court has decreed that only the Azure Profound Immortal Venerable revered throughout the land."

Since you are subjects of the Liang Kingdom, you must obey my decree. If you voluntarily demolish this River God Temple today and instead worship the Immortal Venerable, I will forgive your previous offenses of disobeying my decree.

Then his tone softened a bit:

"I do not wish to make things difficult for the people. Do not jeopardize yourselves."

Silence fell over the front lines.

A moment later, a group of people appeared on the earthen wall of the town.

It wasn't just the young and middle-aged; there was also a group of elderly, weak, women, and children.

They were carrying hoes, machetes, and carrying poles; some were even holding stones.

A beautiful woman dressed in a red wedding gown and holding a scepter stood at the very front.

He raised his head and looked at Zhang Qingyan, who was dressed in official robes and sitting high on his horse. His clear eyes revealed a fervent determination that no one could take away from him.

"Sir,"

The woman's voice was clear and crisp, each word distinct:

"Lord River God is a legitimate true god."

"The people of Baijia Town have personally witnessed the River God's divine intervention."

"Back then, Demon Beast wreaked havoc on the Canglan River, threatening to wreak havoc on the world. It was the River God who appeared, displaying his divine power, and slew the Demon Beast with a single sword strike, thus saving the lives of our entire town!"

The woman slammed her scepter on the ground, her voice suddenly rising in pitch:

"The River God saved our lives! Anyone who wants to demolish his temple will have to step over us first!"

"Yes! Step over us!"

The people at the town entrance shouted in unison, their voices crashing against the open fields, carrying a touch of tragic grandeur.

Zhang Qingyan listened, his brows furrowing even more deeply.

He had seen this scene far too many times.

Whether it's the mountain god appearing, the City God appearing in a dream, or the water god bestowing blessings, the ignorant people in various places all use the same excuse.

Upon closer inspection, most of them turned out to be nothing more than Shaman Priest who fabricated supernatural tales to deceive the villagers into offering incense.

He didn't believe it.

"Stubborn and unyielding."

He uttered four words in a low voice, raised his hand, and the command flag fell.

"Attack!"

Instead of riding out, the Pacification Investigation Guards and soldiers surged towards the town entrance like a tide.

However, this battle left Zhang Qingyan somewhat incredulous.

The people of Baijia Town,

They resisted with extraordinary ferocity and courage.

Those elderly people who were just moments ago using canes and women holding babies now seemed like completely different people.

The able-bodied young men formed ranks, blocking the alleyways and bridgeheads. The hoes and machetes they wielded were even more ferocious than the swords and spears of the government troops.

The women hid behind the wall and poured boiling water and red-hot stones down from the roof.

Even the children, barely grown up, were crawling under the horses' legs, clutching bundles of firewood.

After attacking for half a day, dozens of government and soldiers were wounded, but they couldn't even step into the first alley of the town.

Zhang Qingyan immediately looked up, his face gradually darkening.

He had been ordered to besiege many villages and towns that defied imperial orders, but he had never seen such a strange situation before.

Were these local soldiers too incompetent, or were the people of Baijia Town too formidable?

Besides,

Are the people of Baijia Town really not afraid of death?

So he summoned a local soldier and asked in a deep voice:

"What is the origin of the River God in Baijia Town?"

The officers and soldiers lowered their voices, their faces showing a hint of awe:

"My lord, this River God has been worshipped and believed in by the Baijia Town for hundreds of years. Originally, the people around here didn't believe in him."

But just two years ago, Demon Beast suddenly appeared in the Canglan River, devouring livestock crossing the river and people who fell into the water, causing panic throughout the town.

Then, on the day of the River God Ceremony, the River God of Baijia Town truly manifested. Dressed in a green robe, young in age, he stood on the riverbank and merely raised his hand; the river Demon Beast was instantly shredded into a bloody mist by countless rays of light.

From then on, not only in Baijia Town, but also in Taian Prefecture, many people believed in the River God. They not only raised money to rebuild the River God Temple, but also hired painters to paint images of the god for worship.

Strangely enough, ever since the River God Temple was rebuilt, the Canglan River has never had any trouble, and the weather has been favorable year after year.

After listening to the soldiers' words, Zhang Qingyan said coldly:

"So this is why you're not putting in the effort? Do you really think I can't see through it?"

Upon hearing this,

The officers and soldiers realized they had let something slip and turned pale with fright.

But Zhang Qingyan ignored him at the moment, his expression somewhat strange.

A blue robe.

So young.

With a wave of his hand, white light shredded the Demon Beast.

These fragmented words, one by one, bombarded his mind, gradually piecing together a figure he knew all too well.

The doubts in his heart grew bigger and bigger, and an inexplicable sense of familiarity slowly crept up his spine.

"Go,"

He turned his head abruptly, his voice slightly strained.

"Bring me the statues and paintings of the gods from that temple!"

Not long after,

Several Pacification Investigation Guard carried a scroll out of the River God Temple and carefully unfurled it in front of Zhang Qingyan.

On the scroll,

He was a man in a blue robe, standing with his hands behind his back on the riverbank, his robe fluttering in the wind.

He had a handsome face, with delicate features, and his eyes were fixed on the distant river.

His expression carried an air of superiority and detachment, as if he were untouched by worldly affairs.

Zhang Qingyan stared at the painting.

He was struck dumb, frozen in place.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't make a sound for a long time.

The person in the painting—their eyebrows, their expression, that innate, aloof air...

He bears a striking resemblance to his elder brother, with five or six points of resemblance.

The wind blew from the river, stirring up the banners in front of the battle.

Zhang Qingyan stared blankly at the painting, her mind a complete blank, with only one thought swirling around in her head.

The River God of Baijia Town,

How could she... look so much like my older brother?