Ferocious Beast River God

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

This was the first time Shen Qing had seen a ferocious beast since coming to this world. The hand gripping the wolf's head steadily tightened.

Gradually, his strength reached the realm of the Xiantian Realm.

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

Shen Qing raised a brow. There was no true qi or internal force within the wolf's body, yet its flesh alone possessed the strength of the Houtian Realm.

The term ferocious beast truly suited them.

Though savage, they were not particularly intelligent. Even after their companion was so easily crushed to death by Shen Qing, the other wolves showed not the slightest fear.

Instead, the scent of blood drove them even madder as they pounced on Shen Qing like lunatics.

Shen Qing narrowed his eyes. Including the wolf that had just died, there had been five in total; now, four remained.

He did not even have the slightest desire to personally deal with things that could not even speak.

He waved his hand, and the sound of arrows tearing through the air rang out all around them. Several arrows shot straight toward the four wild wolves, most of them aimed at their waists and bellies.

Though these wild wolves could no longer be considered ordinary beasts, they still fit the common folk's description: copper heads, iron bones, and tofu waists.

Sure enough, arrows that struck their waists and bellies pierced through with ease, while those that hit their heads could only scrape a little skin.

"Cast the nets!"

A Banner Officer shouted from the darkness, and several Imperial Guards threw out four great nets, tightly ensnaring the four wild wolves.

This time, Shen Qing had only brought a single Banner Officer squad to Lijia Slope. The Banner Officer leading them was Pang Xiyuan, the man who had previously delivered Ma Kui's report, and these Imperial Guards had also formerly served under Ma Kui.

However, with knowledge of their enemies' weaknesses and the advantage of an ambush, one Banner Officer squad was more than enough to deal with four Houtian Realm ferocious beasts.

What was more, this squad of Imperial Guards hacked at the wolf demons like madmen, not even sparing attention for defense.

Their eyes were bloodshot as they swung their blades at the wolves.

The reason was simple: they had only just been released from prison, and while they had been inside, they had heard of Shen Qing's exploits.

At the same time, they realized just how ignorant they had been before. They had actually opposed Shen Qing, only to become inexplicably embroiled in the affair of murdering a Hundred Households Officer.

Had there been no unexpected turn of events, being stripped of the uniforms on their backs would already have been the best possible outcome.

Yet now they had somehow been given the chance to carry out a mission alongside Shen Qing. They immediately realized that this might be the only opportunity of their lives.

They had to seize this chance and perform well.

The blades of several Constables struck wolf bones and sent sparks flying.

[Your subordinates have slain a Houtian Realm ferocious beast. Successfully plundered trait: Tough Bones (Green)]

Shen Qing raised a brow. A drop!

It seemed that this world did not only drop traits from killing people. As long as one killed a living creature, it should be possible to obtain them.

Shen Qing did not dwell on it. He walked toward the old farmer, intending to learn more about the wild wolves.

There were definitely more than five wild wolves. Otherwise, the local yamen would not have needed to seek help from the Imperial Guards.

The old farmer had also guessed that the man before him was no ordinary person and hurriedly bowed.

"This commoner greets you, my lord."

"Old man, do you know where these beasts came from? And do you know how many there are?"

"Reporting to you, my lord, the town yamen runners came to investigate and said they came from across Red Date River. As for their numbers, this commoner does not know. Everyone in the village who saw the wild wolves has died. Some people said there were ten, others said twenty. This commoner truly does not know."

Shen Qing nodded. Whether there were ten or twenty, there were definitely more than five.

Before leaving the Hundred Households Office, Shen Qing had glanced over the maps of this region and remembered the surrounding terrain clearly.

After crossing Red Date River from Lijia Slope, there were no more villages or towns. But after traveling several dozen li farther ahead, one would reach Bailu Marsh.

That pack of wild wolves had most likely come out of Bailu Marsh.

However, once they crossed Red Date River, the territory beyond was vast. Finding that pack of wolves would be another problem.

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

"How wide is Red Date River?"

The old farmer froze. Why was he asking that? Still, he quickly answered.

"The narrowest parts of Red Date River are around five or six zhang wide. At its widest, it may be more than ten zhang."

"Do you know where in the village I can find incense used for ancestral offerings?"

"There is a shop at the eastern end of the village. It is inconvenient for us to travel back and forth to town, so whenever we need anything, we buy it there. We left in a hurry this time, so we likely did not bring any."

Shen Qing nodded, calculations already forming in his mind. He turned back toward the Imperial Guards still hacking at the wolves.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop chopping. Keep this up and you'll be able to make dumplings out of them."

Only then did the blood-eyed Imperial Guards stop.

If you can't find a book by its title, try searching for the author instead. It may simply have been renamed!

"Pang Xiyuan, send one man with the old gentleman to fetch some incense. Then escort him to town."

"Scholar, take a few men into the village and bring back several live chickens."

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the group arrived at Red Date River in a grand procession.

Everyone was as baffled as a monk standing ten feet tall.

Scholar held a chicken in his left hand and a bundle of incense in his right, his face equally clouded with confusion.

"Boss, weren't we looking for wild wolves? What are we taking these things for?"

Shen Qing gave a mysterious smile and offered no explanation.

"No need to ask. This mountain man has his own clever plan."

"Scholar, light this incense. Place one stick every three meters, five sticks in total."

"Black Dog, slaughter the chickens and drain their blood into the river. Once their blood has run dry, throw the chickens in as well."

Black Dog did not hesitate or question him in the slightest. He took the chickens and headed for the riverbank. Whatever Shen Qing said was right.

Scholar also lit all the incense.

The Imperial Guards were puzzled.

"What are we doing? Why does this look a bit like an ancestral offering?"

"Are your ancestors in the river? If you ask me, Lord Shen must be inviting a god."

Pang Xiyuan shot the two of them a glance. "You two, shut up."

While the others argued, Black Dog simply slaughtered the chickens calmly.

One chicken, two chickens...

By the fifth chicken, the river surface stirred. Bubbles the size of human heads rose with a gurgle.

"Hey, look! Something's happening in the river. It looks like something is about to rise!"

"Fuck! Fuck! Did Lord Shen really summon an immortal?"

Black Dog gripped the hilt of his blade tightly and retreated several steps, staring fixedly at the river's surface.

A shadow slowly appeared beneath the river, its surface glittering beneath the moonlight. Then it rapidly grew larger.

Water exploded upward as a massive creature emerged from the river.

Once the splashing water settled, everyone clearly saw what was on the river's surface: an enormous red carp, perhaps five or six meters long.

"What the hell is that?!"

"A demon! It must be a demon!"

Shen Qing looked at the red carp, his voice calm.

"Are you the River God of this place?"

The red carp cast a somewhat disdainful glance at the Imperial Guards before answering.

"This servant is indeed the River God of Red Date River. My lord may also call me Li Yu. Before summoning me, did my lord not explain the matter of River Gods to this group of filthy men?"

The moment Li Yu spoke, everyone's jaws dropped. It felt as though thunder had exploded inside their heads.

It was not merely because the red carp could speak. What was even more shocking was that her voice sounded exactly like that of a teenage girl.

In modern terms, she was a loli.

Shen Qing smiled. "Explaining it is troublesome. It is far more convenient to explain after calling you out."

Only then did Shen Qing briefly explain the matter of River Gods.

After the Great Wu Dynasty was established, ferocious beasts emerged endlessly throughout the realm. Ferocious beasts on land were easy enough to deal with: send in the army. No matter how formidable a ferocious beast was, it could not withstand the dynasty's vast numbers. If ten men were not enough, send a hundred; if a hundred were not enough, then send the army to bear down upon it.

But things became troublesome in the rivers. Martial artists lost some of their strength underwater, and forcibly killing them was more trouble than it was worth.

In the end, they chose to recruit them into service, specifically selecting powerful and intelligent ferocious beasts for the task. Naturally, the court did not merely draw empty promises; there were certainly benefits to be given.

Every year, the court gave these River Gods some precious medicines, and these River Gods likewise had a merit system.

Thus, the River God system was passed down through the years. River Gods now existed throughout the dynasty.

However, due to their identities as ferocious beasts, commoners and low-ranking officials did not know that ferocious beast River Gods existed.

As for eating people, there was even less need to worry. How long could they keep eating people? Leaving aside whether people would flee, if they ate too many, the court would come slaughter them.

By submitting to the court, they not only received precious medicines every year, but could also exchange merit for more precious medicines. Any ferocious beast with eyes could see which option would last longer.

No intelligent ferocious beast was a fool.

They could clearly tell the difference between one full meal and being full meal after meal.