Zhu Yang had initially taken the stories he'd heard about such evil gods existing in the world as nothing but tales. He had never imagined that something like this would one day happen to his own family.
"This evil god has usurped another's place, and an evil spirit has entered our home! Everyone, run! Save whoever you can, or we'll all become Blood Food in its belly!"
High above the nine heavens, beyond the reach of mortals, the divine apparition that had illuminated the entire city vanished without a trace after only a dozen breaths. The evil god that had been possessing the tiger-headed, human-bodied statue had now transformed into a mouse-headed, human-bodied god. Its eyes still held traces of shock and terror.
"An Emperor's rank... Damn it, how could a little place like Great River City have such a powerful being? I can't stay here any longer. Fortunately, an existence like that won't casually inspect the entire city, much less take ants like us seriously. Otherwise, even with strength comparable to a High God of the Fourth Realm, this ancestor of yours would be killed on the spot by a single glare from that being."
The uproar of people wailing and crying out jolted it from its thoughts and drew its attention. When its gaze fell upon the Zhu family members fleeing in all directions, the mouse-headed, human-bodied evil god's eyes darted about as greed welled up inside it. But then it thought of the divine apparition it had just seen, and its whole body turned cold. "This ancestor would have needed a few more months to devour all the Incense and Fire Prayer Power. Who would've thought I'd be scared off by that mighty being's manifestation? Such fine Blood Food, too. What a pity, what a pity..."
With a trace of reluctance, it stamped its foot. In an instant, the mouse-headed, human-bodied figure sank into the earth and disappeared.
Where the mouse-headed, human-bodied evil god had stood, its flesh-and-blood body had already turned into the stone statue that the Zhu family had previously worshipped. A faint cracking sound rang out. Hairline fractures spread across the statue, all the way from its brow, and with a crash, it shattered into pieces.
Leaving aside the many upheavals caused by the strange phenomenon above Great River City, Huang Huai gathered himself, pushed open the door, and left the courtyard. He crossed the hall and saw the same waiter as before, busy wiping down the tables and chairs.
At the sound, the waiter looked up. He was startled when he saw Huang Huai, but quickly recovered and hurried over with a smile. "Honored guest, how have you been resting these past two days? Is there anything this humble one can do for you?"
Huang Huai nodded slightly. "Quite well. Your inn certainly lives up to its reputation as a century-old establishment."
As he spoke, Huang Huai pulled a silver ingot from his sleeve and handed it to the waiter. "This is for the room. Keep the extra on my account for now."
The waiter's eyes lit up as he accepted it. "Rest assured, honored guest."
Huang Huai waved a hand and walked outside with his hands behind his back. "I'm going out for a walk. I'll be back this evening."
The waiter saw Huang Huai to the entrance and said respectfully, "Take care, honored guest!"
Only after Huang Huai had gone far away did the waiter hurry to the counter and speak to his third uncle. "Third Uncle, put this in the ledger right away. Looks like this noble guest plans to stay with us for a while. Even a High God like him has praised our Ping'an Inn. If word gets out..."
The innkeeper glared at the waiter. "You'd better not go spreading rumors, you brat. Aren't you afraid of offending this High God?"
The waiter's eyes darted about, and he gave an awkward grin. "This High God is so polite to people. I figure he must have a good temper..."
Just one look at the waiter's reaction made the innkeeper's heart sink. He stared at him. "You little rascal, don't tell me you've really been gossiping about that High God behind his back!"
The waiter shook his head vigorously. "I haven't been gossiping. Even if I had the nerve of a hundred men, I wouldn't dare gossip about a High God behind his back. I just... just bragged to people that our inn has a mysterious, unfathomable High God staying here..."
"You... you little rascal!"
The furious innkeeper pointed at the waiter and scolded him. "You really have some nerve! It's one thing if the High God doesn't care, but what if he doesn't want his identity exposed? With that loose tongue of yours, are you trying to get us killed faster?"
Seeing his third uncle's anger, the waiter was clearly frightened too. His face paled. "Third Uncle, I really didn't mean anything by it. You know what I'm like..."
The innkeeper snapped, "I know, but does the High God?"
The innkeeper took a deep breath and stared at the waiter. "Remember this: as soon as the High God comes back, you go apologize to him at once. Whether you live or die is up to your fate!"
Huang Huai had no idea that his presence had caused such a stir at Ping'an Inn.
The bright sunshine warmed his whole body, and as he breathed in the fresh air, the main street was as lively as ever.
After walking a few steps, Huang Huai instinctively looked toward the alley where he had seen those terrifying eyes in the darkness that night. The alley was long and quiet, and apart from the occasional passerby, there was nothing unusual about it.
As Huang Huai stared at the alley, he suddenly heard a woman's voice. "You little brat, get back here this instant, or I'll break your legs!"
Before Huang Huai could react, a small figure darted out of the alley. It was clearly a child of about seven or eight.
The child wore his hair in two little buns and was missing his two front teeth. As he sprinted away, he looked back at the woman chasing him out of the alley and shouted, "Mama's lying! If Little Treasure doesn't run, she'll break his legs..."
Huang Huai heard the child's words, blurred by the gaps in his teeth, and nearly laughed. But his expression quickly changed, and he dodged as he shouted, "Kid, watch out..."
Thump! Huang Huai felt a force strike his waist, followed by a burst of pain. He couldn't help letting out a muffled groan, then staggered back several steps before managing to regain his balance. The child had barreled straight into him.
One was a tall, grown man; the other, a child of seven or eight. Under normal circumstances, the child would have been the one knocked to the ground. But now Huang Huai was swaying unsteadily, while the child stood firm, looking him over with curiosity.
"Huh? Big brother, are you hurt? Little Treasure isn't hurt at all..."
Huang Huai was enduring the discomfort in his abdomen. Hearing the child's utterly innocent words, he couldn't help baring his teeth. He really didn't know why the people here were so physically strong. A seven- or eight-year-old child was built like a little calf.
By then, the woman chasing the child had reached them. When she saw that her son had carelessly run into someone—especially someone whose clothes made it clear he wasn't an ordinary person—her face filled with fear. "This young master, I'm terribly sorry. Bao'er is young and knows no better. If he offended you in any way, I beg you to forgive him!"
Seeing the woman's frightened expression, anyone who didn't know the truth might have thought he was the one bullying the mother and son.
Yet some passersby were looking at him strangely and pointing.
"He looks tall and strong, but who would've guessed he'd be all show and no substance? He nearly got knocked over by a child. His vitality must be terribly depleted!"
"Yeah, my nine-year-old son could beat this guy half to death with one punch!"
"Tsk, what a waste of such a fine face. With a build like that, he probably can't even satisfy his own wife..."
Though these people weren't speaking openly, Huang Huai heard every word. For a moment, he truly didn't know what to say.
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