Fierce Beast River God

The wild wolf thrashed in his hands, but it was utterly useless.

This was the first time Shen Qing had encountered a ferocious beast since arriving in this world. The hand gripping the wolf's head tightened its hold.

Gradually, his strength reached the realm of Xiantian.

A sound of flesh and blood exploding rang out, and Shen Qing crushed the wild wolf's entire head.

Shen Qing raised an eyebrow. The wild wolf had no True Qi or Internal Energy within its body, but its physical strength alone was equivalent to the Houtian Realm.

The term "ferocious beast" truly suited them.

Although they were fierce, their intelligence was not high. The other wild wolves showed no fear when their companion was so easily crushed by Shen Qing.

Instead, they became even more frenzied by the scent of blood, pouncing on Shen Qing like madmen.

Shen Qing narrowed his eyes. Including the one that had just died, there were four wild wolves left.

For creatures that couldn't even speak, Shen Qing didn't even consider fighting them himself.

He waved his hand, and the sound of air breaking echoed around him. Several arrows shot towards the four wild wolves, with most of them aimed at their waists and bellies.

While these wild wolves couldn't be considered ordinary beasts, they still fit the common saying: "Iron bones, bronze head, tofu waist."

As expected, the arrows that hit their waists and bellies pierced easily, while those that hit their heads only managed to scrape the skin.

"Cast the net!"

A Lieutenant shouted from the darkness, and several Imperial Guards threw out four large nets, tightly ensnaring the four wild wolves.

This time, Shen Qing had only brought a Lieutenant's squad with him to Lijia Slope. The leader of the squad was Pang Xiyuan, who had reported to Ma Kui earlier. This squad of Imperial Guards was also previously under Ma Kui.

However, with the Lieutenant's squad aware of the opponent's weakness and the advantage of a surprise attack, dealing with four Houtian Realm ferocious beasts was more than enough.

What's more, this squad of Imperial Guards was hacking at the wolf demons like madmen, disregarding their own defense.

Their eyes were bloodshot, and they swung their sabers at the wild wolves.

The reason was simple: they had all just been released from prison. While incarcerated, they had heard of Shen Qing's deeds.

At the same time, they realized how ignorant they had been before, to have opposed Shen Qing. It was even more inexplicable how they had become entangled in the plot to murder a Centurion.

If nothing unexpected happened, losing their current positions would have been the best outcome for them.

Yet now, they had the opportunity to undertake a mission with Shen Qing. They immediately realized this might be the only chance they would ever get.

They were determined to seize this opportunity and perform well.

Sparks flew as the sabers of several Colonels struck the wolves' bones.

[Your subordinate has killed a Houtian Realm ferocious beast, successfully plundered the trait: Tough Bones (Green)]

Shen Qing raised an eyebrow. Loot dropped!

It seemed that in this world, traits dropped not only from killing people but from killing any living being.

Without further thought, Shen Qing walked towards the old farmer, needing to gather more information about the wild wolves.

There were definitely more than these five wild wolves, otherwise, the yamen wouldn't have requested help from the Imperial Guards.

The old farmer guessed that the identity of the person before him was extraordinary and quickly bowed.

"This humble one greets you, my lord."

"Old man, do you know where these beasts came from, and do you have any idea of their numbers?"

"Reporting to my lord, the yamen runners from the town investigated and said they came from the other side of the Red Date River. I don't know the exact number. Everyone in the village who saw the wild wolves is dead. Others said there were ten, some said twenty. This humble one is also unsure."

Shen Qing nodded. Whether it was ten or twenty, as long as it was more than five, it was fine.

Shen Qing had glanced at the map of the area before leaving the Hundred Households Office and remembered the surrounding terrain clearly.

After crossing the Red Date River from Lijia Slope, there were no more villages or towns. However, a few dozen miles further on lay Bailu Marsh.

Therefore, it was highly likely that this pack of wild wolves had emerged from Bailu Marsh.

However, the territory became vast after crossing the Red Date River, and finding the pack of wolves was another problem.

Suddenly, Shen Qing thought of something and turned to look at the old farmer.

"How wide is this Red Date River?"

The old farmer was taken aback. Why was he asking this? But he quickly replied.

"The Red Date River is about five or six zhang wide at its narrowest, and perhaps over ten zhang at its widest."

"Do you know if there is any incense for ancestral worship in the village?"

"There's a shop at the east end of the village. Since it's inconvenient for us to travel to town frequently, we usually buy it from that shop when needed. We left in a hurry this time, so we probably didn't bring any."

Shen Qing nodded, his mind already calculating. He turned back to look at the Imperial Guards still hacking away at the wild wolves.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop chopping. If you keep going, you'll be able to make dumplings."

The group of red-eyed Imperial Guards finally stopped.

"Pang Xiyuan, send one man with the old gentleman to get some incense, and then escort the old man to town."

"Scholar, take a few men and find some live chickens in the village."

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a large group of people arrived at the bank of the Red Date River.

Everyone was completely bewildered.

The Scholar, holding a chicken in his left hand and a bundle of incense in his right, was also utterly confused.

"Boss, aren't we supposed to be looking for wild wolves? What are these for?"

Shen Qing smiled mysteriously, offering no explanation.

"No need to ask, I have my own plans."

"Scholar, light these incense sticks. Light one every three meters, for a total of five."

"Black Dog, go slaughter the chickens, put their blood into the river. After the blood runs dry, throw the chickens in as well."

Black Dog didn't hesitate or doubt for a moment. He took a chicken and walked towards the riverbank, thinking, whatever Shen Qing says is right.

The Scholar also lit all the incense sticks.

The Imperial Guards were confused.

"What are we doing here? It looks a bit like ancestor worship."

"Are your ancestors in the river? From what I see, Lord Shen must be summoning a deity."

Pang Xiyuan glanced at the two of them. "You two, shut up."

While everyone was arguing, Black Dog calmly slaughtered chickens.

One chicken, two chickens...

It wasn't until the fifth chicken that there was movement in the river, with bubbles the size of a person's head gurgling to the surface.

"Hey, look, there's movement in the river! Something seems to be surfacing!"

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Did Lord Shen really summon a deity?"

Black Dog gripped his saber hilt, took a few steps back, and stared intently at the river's surface.

Under the moonlight, the shimmering river slowly revealed a shadow, which then rapidly expanded.

With a splash, a colossal object emerged from the water.

When the water spray subsided, everyone could clearly see the situation on the river's surface. It was a giant red carp, its size easily five to six meters long.

"What is that thing!"

"A monster! It must be a monster!"

Shen Qing looked at the red carp and said calmly.

"Are you the River God of this place?"

The red carp glanced disdainfully at the Imperial Guards before replying.

"I am indeed the River God of the Red Date River. You may also call me Li Yu. Did this lord not explain the matter of the River God to these lowly men before summoning me?"

As soon as Li Yu spoke, everyone's jaws dropped, feeling as if thunder had struck their heads.

It wasn't just because this red carp could speak, but even more astonishing was that the voice it emitted sounded like that of a teenage girl.

In modern terms, a loli.

Shen Qing smiled. "Explaining is troublesome. It will be much more convenient to explain after I've summoned you."

Afterward, Shen Qing briefly explained the matter of the River Gods.

After the Great Wu dynasty was founded, ferocious beasts were rampant throughout the land. The beasts on land were easier to deal with; the army could suppress them. No matter how powerful a beast was, it couldn't withstand the sheer numbers of the dynasty. If ten men weren't enough, then a hundred; if a hundred still weren't enough, the army would be deployed.

However, dealing with creatures in the water was more troublesome. The combat effectiveness of warriors in water was somewhat reduced. Forcibly killing them was not worth the effort.

In the end, they chose to recruit them. They specifically selected powerful, intelligent ferocious beasts for recruitment. Of course, the court didn't just make empty promises; there were definitely benefits involved.

Every year, the court would provide these River Gods with precious medicines. Similarly, these River Gods had a merit system.

Thus, the River God system continued to be passed down, and River Gods now exist throughout the dynasty.

However, due to their beastly nature, commoners and low-ranking officials were unaware of the existence of these ferocious beast River Gods.

As for eating people, there was even less to worry about. How long could eating people last? Putting aside the fact that people would run away, if they ate too many, the court would come to slay them.

By submitting to the court, they received precious medicines annually, and there was also a merit system to exchange for more medicines. Which was more beneficial, even a foolish beast could see.

Intelligent ferocious beasts were not fools.

They knew the difference between a full meal and a constant struggle for survival.