No Pain, No Gain

Zhu Yang had initially dismissed tales of such Evil Gods as mere stories, never imagining that one day such a thing would happen to his own family.

"This is an Evil God's Magpie's Nest, Dove's Occupancy! A Malevolent Spirit has entered the home! Everyone, flee quickly! Save who you can! Otherwise, we will all become its Blood Food!"

High above the mortal realm, invisible to ordinary people, the divine phantom that had illuminated the entire city vanished in mere moments. The Evil God, which had previously possessed a statue of a tiger-headed, human-bodied deity, had now transformed into an Evil God with a rat's head and a human body. A trace of shock and terror still lingered in its eyes.

"Imperial Sovereign! Damn it, how can such a powerful being exist in this insignificant Great River City? I can't stay here any longer. Fortunately, such an existence wouldn't casually patrol the entire city, nor would they bother with lowly ants like us. Otherwise, even with my strength comparable to a Fourth Realm High God, I would be instantly killed by a mere glance."

A clamor of cries and shouts startled it, drawing its attention. As its gaze fell upon the fleeing members of the Zhu family, the rat-headed, human-bodied Evil God's eyes darted around. Greed surged, but then it recalled the divine phantom it had just witnessed, and a chill ran down its spine. "It would have taken me several more months to completely consume the Incense and Fire Prayer Power. I never expected to be startled by the phenomenon of that mighty being. Such prime Blood Food! What a pity, what a pity..."

With a hint of reluctance, it stomped its foot fiercely. Instantly, a rat-headed, human-bodied figure burrowed into the earth and disappeared.

Where the rat-headed, human-bodied Evil God had stood, its former fleshly form had already transformed into the stone statue previously worshipped by the Zhu family. A faint cracking sound echoed as the monolithic stone statue began to be covered in dense cracks, starting from its forehead. With a crash, the statue shattered into pieces on the ground.

Leaving aside the various changes triggered by the phenomenon above Great River City, Huang Huai composed himself and pushed open the door. Stepping out of the small courtyard and through the main hall, he saw the same waiter from before diligently wiping tables and chairs.

As if hearing the movement, the waiter looked up and was initially stunned to see Huang Huai. He quickly recovered, a smile spreading across his face as he hurried forward. "How has our esteemed guest rested these past two days? Is there anything this humble servant can help you with?"

Huang Huai nodded slightly. "Very well. Your inn truly lives up to its reputation as a century-old establishment."

As he spoke, Huang Huai reached into his sleeve and produced a silver ingot, handing it to the waiter. "This is for the room. Please keep the change at the counter for now."

The waiter's eyes lit up as he took the ingot. "Esteemed guest, please rest assured."

Waving his hand, Huang Huai walked out with his hands behind his back. "I'm going out for a walk. I'll be back in the evening."

Escorting Huang Huai to the entrance, the waiter said respectfully, "Safe travels, esteemed guest!"

Only after Huang Huai had gone did the waiter run to the counter and say to his uncle, "Third Uncle, quickly record this. It seems our noble guest plans to stay with us for a while. Ping'an Inn has even earned the praise of a High God like our guest. If this gets out..."

The innkeeper glared at the waiter. "Don't you go spreading rumors, you brat! Aren't you afraid of offending this High God!"

The waiter's eyes darted around, and he chuckled sheepishly. "This High God is so polite to people, he must have a good temper..."

Seeing the waiter's reaction, the innkeeper's heart skipped a beat. He stared at the waiter. "You little scamp, you didn't actually gossip about that High God behind his back, did you!"

The waiter repeatedly shook his head. "I didn't gossip! Even if I had the courage of a thousand men, I wouldn't dare gossip about a High God behind his back. It's just... it's just that I was bragging to people that our inn is hosting a profound and unfathomable High God..."

"You... you impudent brat!"

The exasperated innkeeper pointed at the waiter, his voice full of anger. "You are truly audacious! It's one thing if the High God doesn't care, but if the High God wishes to conceal his identity, and you speak so carelessly, are you tired of living?"

Seeing his uncle's anger, the waiter was clearly a little scared, his face turning pale. "Third Uncle, I truly had no other intentions! You know me..."

The innkeeper retorted angrily, "I know, but does the High God know?"

Taking a deep breath, the innkeeper stared at the waiter. "Remember this: when the High God returns, you will immediately go and apologize to him. Whether you live or die depends on your fortune!"

Huang Huai, of course, was unaware that because of him, such a commotion had erupted at Ping'an Inn.

The bright sunlight warmed his body, and he breathed in the fresh air. The long street was as bustling as before.

After walking a few steps, Huang Huai subconsciously glanced towards the alley where he had seen those terrifying eyes in the darkness of the night. The alley was narrow and quiet, and apart from people occasionally entering or exiting, there was nothing unusual about it.

As Huang Huai stared at the alley, he suddenly heard a woman's voice. "You little brat, stop right there, or I'll break your legs!"

Before Huang Huai could react, a small figure darted out of the alley. It was clearly a child, about seven or eight years old.

The child had his hair in two buns and was missing two front teeth. He was currently running wildly, shouting back at the woman chasing him from the alley, "Mommy's lying! If Little Bao doesn't run, his legs will be broken..."

Huang Huai almost couldn't help but laugh at the child's slightly slurred shouts due to his missing teeth. However, his expression quickly changed. Dodging to the side, he called out, "Kid, watch out..."

With a thump, Huang Huai felt a force hit his waist, followed by a sharp pain. He couldn't help but let out a muffled groan and stumbled back several steps before regaining his balance. It was the runaway child who had run headfirst into him.

One was a tall adult, the other a seven or eight-year-old child. Under normal circumstances, a collision between them would surely send the child tumbling to the ground. However, the result this time was Huang Huai swaying unsteadily, while the child stood firm, looking at Huang Huai with curiosity.

"Huh? Big brother, does it hurt a lot? Little Bao doesn't hurt at all..."

Huang Huai, enduring the discomfort in his abdomen, couldn't help but grin at the child's innocent words. He truly wondered how people here had such strong physiques. A seven or eight-year-old child was as strong as a little calf.

At this moment, the woman chasing the child also arrived. Seeing her son carelessly bump into someone, especially noticing Huang Huai's attire which suggested he wasn't ordinary, her face became filled with apprehension. "Young sir, I am truly sorry. Bao'er is young and ignorant. If he has offended you in any way, please forgive him!"

Seeing the woman's fearful expression, an uninformed observer might think he had deliberately bullied the mother and son.

However, passersby were now looking at him with strange expressions, pointing and whispering.

"This person looks quite tall and strong, but I didn't expect him to be all show and no substance. He was almost knocked down by a child. How weak must his qi and blood be!"

"Hmph, my nine-year-old son could beat this person half to death with one punch!"

"Tsk, with this physique, it's a waste of a good face. He probably can't even satisfy his own wife..."

Although these people weren't speaking openly, Huang Huai could clearly hear their discussions. For a moment, Huang Huai didn't know what to say.