Ah-Help!

At that moment, the Sea God reached out and poked his soft little belly, smiling gently:

"Lord Water God, you're not ugly. This one is very cute."

"If you're worried, I can massage your stomach to help ease the discomfort."

As he spoke, he actually placed his hand on it and began to massage it with just the right amount of pressure.

The Water God was initially tense, intending to firmly refuse.

But the Sea God was kneading him so comfortably that he kept feeding him new pastries, gently coaxing him, "Just one last piece."

How could he possibly resist temptation?

A moment later, it opened its mouth and started eating again.

One bite after another, she completely forgot about her Goddess of Beauty and her little belly.

After some time, the Water God became rounder overall.

Her once slender figure became soft and plump, her belly bulged out, and her cheeks became much fuller.

Until one day, he inadvertently passed by a water mirror.

With just one glance, it was as if struck by lightning; the entire deity froze on the spot.

Who is that chubby little boy in the mirror?

He leaned closer in disbelief and rubbed his eyes.

--Oh, it was me.

--ah!

The Water God let out a scream, and the water mirror shattered into a shower of water.

That day, he became completely withdrawn.

He curled himself up into a tiny ball, huddled in a corner, his back to the Sea God, ignoring everyone who called him.

In the end, it took the Sea God a long time to coax him, hugging and rubbing him, and making a bunch of promises before he was finally appeased.

The Sea God looked sincere and made a solemn vow:

"I'll definitely control myself next time and never feed him again."

The Water God sniffed and believed him.

But that statement is clearly a lie.

The Water God touched his belly and laughed again and again.

He gained a little weight again shortly after waking up this time.

As he kneaded it, he couldn't help but laugh.

It's soft and squishy, and it feels quite nice to touch.

Oh well, I guess I'll just be fat.

Even Sea God said it's cute, so maybe I really am cute?

The Water God was waiting for the Sea God to come and feed him, but unexpectedly, the wait turned into...

Twenty days!

A full twenty days!

Twenty days ago, the Water God came to the Sea God Palace, intending only to ask for some pastries and, incidentally, to tell the Sea God that he was going to seek the Goddess of Beauty soon and probably could no longer help him.

Unexpectedly, this wait lasted a full twenty days.

Time flew by, and when he came to his senses, he realized that he had been waiting for twenty days.

A plate of pastries sat on the bedside table, as exquisite as ever, untouched.

He didn't seem... that interested in eating.

So, what is the purpose of my coming here?

Habit.

That's right, it's just a habit.

He had grown accustomed to having a god who doted on him, favored him, made him laugh, fed him, and focused his gaze solely on him. He had grown accustomed to the Sea God always being there whenever he turned around, smiling gently and reaching out his hand to him.

I'm used to it...

The Water God sat up from the Sea God's bed, feeling a strange tightness in his chest. He rubbed his face, got up, and left, returning to his Water God Temple.

But as soon as they stepped into the palace, they froze.

Inside the hall, a group of gods had gathered.

They were discussing something, their expressions varying.

The moment the Water God appeared, all the noise in the hall abruptly stopped. Good heavens, they hadn't managed to call back the Sea God, but they had actually summoned back the Water God.

What were you talking about just now?

The Water God had just caught the key word "Sea God" in his ears.

The Gods looked at each other in bewilderment, and after a moment someone spoke:

"Lord Water God, we're saying that Sea God seems to have disappeared."

After all, according to usual practice, the Sea God would visit the Water God Temple every few days to solve some problems for them. But this time, a full twenty days had passed without a single sign of him.

This is truly unusual.

The Stream God, wrapped in a blanket, poked its head out and said quickly:

"Brother Sea God said he'll be back soon."

After saying that, he darted back inside.

The Dew God sat beside him, no longer wearing her large cloak, and looked much better than before.

The method the Sea God gave us last time was indeed very effective.

"Huh? How did you know?" a god asked.

The Stream God stayed with them the whole time, so how did he know the Sea God would be coming back?

The Water God was equally curious.

For a moment, Gods' eyes fell on the quilt of the Stream God...

The blanket trembled.

The Dew God stood up, shielding the Stream God behind him, and explained on his behalf:

"Xi just sent a message to Brother Sea God."

Upon hearing the words "message," the Gods finally understood.

I see.

They all naturally possess the ability to send messages.

They rarely used it in daily life, and over time, they forgot about it. Besides, communication had prerequisites; the other party's consent was required to establish contact. Since the Sea God was always around, they were used to it and hadn't thought about these things at all.

The Water God also secretly remembered this.

When the Sea God returns, he'll make one too.

The Gods waited a while longer, and then the temple doors were suddenly pushed open.

Wuma Xiu stepped in and waved his hand:

"I'm back."

Just as the Gods in the hall were about to respond, they suddenly noticed two more figures following behind him.

Oh, so the Sea God went to see a friend.

But after seeing the two people's faces clearly, their calm expressions began to crack little by little, first with confusion, then with horror, and finally the entire Water God Temple exploded.

"Ah--Help! I'm still young, I don't want to die!"

"Ah--Lord Water God, we're here to protect you! Run! It's the God of God of Poverty and the God of Misfortune!"

"Oh no, oh no! Was I too close to them? Am I starting to have bad luck?!"

In an instant, the hall was filled with wailing and howling, and chaos reigned.

The God of Poverty and the God of Misfortune, who had been in a rare good mood because of Wuma Xiu, dimmed their eyes upon seeing this scene.

They knew this would happen.

It was only because the Sea God was there that a sense of anticipation arose unconsciously.

The scene before me was nothing more than waking up from a dream.

"Calm."

Wuma Xiu uttered only two words.

The gods who had been fleeing in panic instantly fell silent.

They looked at the Sea God, and then it dawned on them.

Oh right, I almost forgot about Sea God.

They rushed over, intending to carry him away, only to find that he was already firmly held in the arms of the God of Poverty.

Wuma Xiu took the Lucky Star from his waist, then pointed to the Lucky Stars that were also tied to the waists of the God of Poverty and the God of Misfortune, and gently comforted them:

"Don't worry, everyone. With Lucky Star around, everything will be fine this year."

The Gods' expressions softened upon hearing the words "Lucky Star".

I see.

With the Lucky Star suppressing it and the Sea God guaranteeing it, it's unlikely I'll really get tainted by those messy, unlucky things. But even though I've rationally accepted it, the fear I've carried for years can't be dispelled overnight.

The Gods can stay as far away as they can.

Suddenly, the Water God pushed aside the Gods and walked towards them.

His gaze fell on Wuma Xiu's waist.

There, the hands of the God of God of Poverty are wrapped around.

I glared, I glared...

Those hands are such an eyesore, they're uncomfortable, they make me uncomfortable everywhere!

"Sea God, I want to eat."

As the Water God spoke, his form shrank, and he raised his hands toward Wuma Xiu.

--This means she wants a hug.