Are River Gods Real?

In front of the village, dozens of Sheepskin Raft and small boats were linked together.

The boatmen used poles to pull the villagers out of the water one by one and chased away the rats that tried to climb onto the bamboo rafts.

"There's someone over there! It's Aunt Zhang! Uncle Zhang! Aunt Zhang is over there!"

"Old Zhang, stop crying and looking all messy! Come here and see, your wife is alright!"

"Oh my!"

Old Zhang Toad leaped off the boat like a toad, stepping on the edge of the boat to jump from the sampan at the back to the bamboo raft at the front. However, he ran too fast and couldn't stop in time. Fortunately, the boatman used the pole to stop him from falling into the water.

"Hongmei, Hongmei! Come up quickly!"

Old Zhang was so excited that he squatted down and leaned over the edge of the raft, reaching out most of his body to pull his wife out of the water.

Unexpectedly, once on the bamboo raft, the woman was both crying and laughing, grabbing Old Zhang's head and hitting him repeatedly.

"Ouch, ouch, Hongmei, stop hitting me! What happened? Don't scare me!"

"It's all because of your shady friends! I told you to stay away from them! Stay away from them! But you still bring them home! Why is my life so miserable? I married such a heartless, uncouth man like you!"

Villagers nearby quickly advised, "Aunt Zhang, please talk things out. We're all here. If you've been wronged, we'll help you get justice!"

"Yes, yes, did something happen?"

Hongmei's pent-up grievances erupted, and she began to sob and tell her story, which aroused the indignation of the villagers.

"I told you from the start that those three bastards weren't good people!"

"Old Zhang, you're so stupid! How can someone who spends all day eating, drinking, and having fun be a good person? You think you'd open your heart to someone just because they give you a piece of candy?"

"He deserves to be beaten, he deserves to be beaten!"

"Hongmei, where's the boat? If you have a boat, why are you carrying a door plank over here?"

"It was covered in blood, how could I dare to sit on it?"

"Then hurry back and look for it, at least it's a ship!"

"Yes, yes, yes."

"Aunt Zhang, do you remember where it is?"

Following Hongmei's guidance, the group held up torches and quickly found the sampan drifting in the grove of trees at the edge of the village.

The pole was used to poke the water, startling away the small fish that were feeding on the headless carcass.

The entire sampan was filled with Blood Water, which mixed with Rain Water and turned pink, with red and white substances floating on it.

The torchlight shone on it, giving it a glossy sheen.

Several women with weak mental fortitude vomited by the side of the boat.

Two daring young men stepped forward and pulled the headless corpse, which had been submerged in the water, from the edge of the boat.

The complete disappearance of the head from the neck was something that a woman like Hongmei could not possibly accomplish.

"Is there really a water monster saving people?" A young man pulling up the body asked, half-believing, half-doubting.

"Foolish!" The Village Elder struck the young man on the back with his cane. "How could a water monster save people! That Crab Monster must be the incarnation of the River God!"

The young man winced in pain, rubbing his back and muttering, "The River God River God is responsible for both the flood and the rescue? What kind of nonsense is this?"

The Village Elder was furious. "What do you know, young man? The Black Water River is an evil river, and there is an evil god in it. It flooded, which angered the river gods of the Jiang Huai River God! They are going to punish the Black Water River God!"

"The Black Water River God is an evil god? I've never heard of him before," the young man questioned.

"How old are you? There are so many things you don't know! If I don't tell you, how would you young people know?"

The Black Water River God was originally a capable subordinate of the Jiang Huai River God, but he became increasingly arrogant because he felt he had made great contributions. One day, he openly flirted with the Jiang Huai River God's personal maid, so he was demoted to the Black Water River!

The Black Water River God was demoted and harbored great resentment. He often smashed things in the palace, which caused the Black Water River to flood frequently!

Compared to the Yangtze and Jiang Huai River, the Black Water River is but a drop in the ocean! In my opinion, with the Jiang Huai River God around, this flood will surely recede soon! Faster than ever before!

The Village Elder spoke with conviction and in a strong voice.

Young people still felt something was off.

Why haven't I heard anyone say this in the past twenty years?

The other villagers believed that the Village Elder was highly respected and knowledgeable, and they firmly believed in the account of the Black Water River God's experiences.

Many villagers, knowing they were blessed by the Jiang Huai River God, were in much better spirits, and the somber atmosphere gradually faded.

Thump, thump, thump! The Village Elder, knowing that most of the villagers had believed him, slammed his cane against the boat plank.

"Alright, alright, two people come and wash the boat. The rest of you, take the elderly, women, and children to the Back Mountain Ancestral Hall! Once they're settled there, come back. Let's go see if any other villages need our help!"

No one dared to disobey.

Amidst the bustling crowd, only the Village Elder, leaning on his cane, stood in the middle, like a rock in flowing water.

As far as the eye could see, there was only a vast expanse of water, with only willow branches and house corners visible.

River God.

River God.

He lived to Live Seven -two, having survived countless floods.

Every year the sacrifices are held, and every year the practice becomes excessive.

Do River God really exist?

But this was just one strange occurrence during the flood.

The Fist hidden in the shadows shook its eyelids, reported the results to the gods, and silently went to a distant place, concealing its merits and fame.

"The further out you go, the more chaotic it gets..."

Liang Qu made a note on the page.

In the minds of his subordinates, beauties are only meant for the strong, and regardless of whether you agree or not, they would never take the initiative to save someone.

The actions of Fat Catfish and Fist were all instigated by Liang Qu.

The towns and villages near Lord Qiu's Dyke were the first to be affected by the disaster, but the level of chaos was not as severe as in the areas outside Hua Zhu County that were still suffering from the disaster.

The most common method of abducting women was to threaten them by not allowing them to board the boat if they did not comply, or throwing them into the water to feed the fish. This method was usually successful.

Besides that, there was robbery. Some people survived the first wave of floods, but their first priority was not to save people. Instead, they took advantage of the chaos to rush into wealthy people's homes and loot and vandalize them.

Such actions are extremely difficult to prosecute afterward, as floods can bury most of the evidence.

Without evidence, they naturally escape justice.

Lu Xinqing, at the bow of the boat, stared at Liang Qu and drew circles on the water, not knowing what to write. He looked around and saw that everything was the same, nothing new, so what was there to remember?

Little did they know that hundreds of miles away, Liang Qu had several pairs of "eyes" that could provide real-time feedback.

After recording his observations, Liang Qu put away the inkwell and looked at Lu Xinqing.

Lu Xinqing lowered his eyes and cautiously approached Liang Qu: "Is there something you need, sir?"

"I'm going to join the Sand River Gang. Is there any information about that?"

Liang Qu opened the water bag and drank a few sips of the brewed tea.

He obtained more detailed information about the Sand River Gang from Yu Dayi, knowing that the current Gang Leader of the Sand River Gang was the former Third Gang Leader, whose strength should not be underestimated. He was also Wolf Smoke Expert and might be the only one in Hua Zhu County who was known to be so.

However, the current decline of the Sand River Gang is not due to the invasion of the Ghost Mother Sect, but because the Instructor's Office wiped out most of them.

Yu Dayi had tried to recruit the Sand River fleet before, but was refused each time.

Yu Dayi's intention in pointing out this route to Liang Qu was quite clear: want a boat? Then go and tackle this tough nut yourself!

Liang Qu simply didn't care; his teeth had always been in excellent condition.

Moreover, with such a large organization Sand River Gang and so many subordinates, it must have Treasure Vault and wealth!

There will be plenty of aquatic Treasure Plant, and you might even have some unexpected gains.

"Statement?"

After thinking for a while, Lu Xinqing's eyes lit up, realizing that the time had come to demonstrate his value.

"Sir, you've come to the right person! When I was eleven or twelve, I also ran errands for the Sand River Gang, so I know the ins and outs of the place better than anyone!"

"Oh? Tell me about it."

Lu Xinqing beamed. "The headquarters of the Sand River Gang is built on a small hill! Floods won't reach it. There's a mansion-style building on the hill, with three main halls and two side halls!"

This means there are three buildings along the central axis, with the front lower than the back, separated by a courtyard, and two side rooms arranged horizontally on either side of the courtyard.

Once inside, the front building is the foyer, and the middle building is the main hall. As an adult, you can go directly to the main hall.

Once inside, you'll see the plaque commemorating loyalty and righteousness. Go up and kowtow three times... cough cough, and the adults can offer three sticks of incense.

After you offer incense, a waiter will come to brew you tea, and this tea is quite special!

The teacup lid represents heaven, and the saucer represents earth. Humans nurture these elements together to create a teacup!

Since the adults are borrowing the boat, they need to remove the tea lid, take off the teacup, and then put the tea lid and saucer back on to show that they have something to ask of the adults. It would be even better if the teacup could be placed on the tea lid, meaning that the help would not be in vain.

At this point, the waiter will call out "Hang up the sign," and place a pair of chopsticks horizontally on your teacup. The meaning of these chopsticks is...

Lu Xinqing talked on and on, as if he wanted to scrape out all the knowledge he had to offer in order to demonstrate his value.

Sitting upright in the boat, Liang Qu nodded. "I understand."

Got it?

Lu Xinqing, who was about to repeat himself a second time, was taken aback.

You can memorize such a complicated process just by hearing it explained once?