Guardian Deity

Zhang Yan, letting out a drunken burp, had already stood up. As he walked out, he said, "Your senior brother, the sect leader, has already ordered people to make arrangements for what you mentioned."

Reaching the doorway, his steps paused slightly. Zhang Yan turned back to look at Wei Yang and said solemnly, "Although my senior brother, the sect leader, and I suspect the other party may have already infiltrated Great River City, it's just a guess. Perhaps the other party is truly hiding somewhere outside the city, so all of you be careful on your trip."

Hearing the concern and care in Zhang Yan's words, Wei Yang's face showed a hint of a smile. He cupped his hands towards Zhang Yan's retreating back and said, "Brother, please rest assured. This junior brother will be cautious."

As night fell, inside the Du Family eatery by the roadside, Du Wu, the owner who had been busy all day, was tidying tables and chairs while enduring his wife's nagging.

"You, why on earth did you give that person such a precious incense candle during the prayer this afternoon? You know, that one incense candle is worth an ounce of silver. We work ourselves to death for three days just to earn enough to buy one such candle."

As she spoke, Madam Du saw that her husband was just packing things and not paying any attention to her, so she anxiously said, "I'm telling you, you need to change this habit of yours, being unable to stand seeing others suffer and always giving away money and charity. If it happens again, I'm not done with you..."

Listening to his wife's nagging, Du Wu couldn't help but smile. He gave a couple of "mm-hmms" in response. He had heard this nagging countless times. Although his wife looked insistent now, whenever he truly gave something away, she never objected in front of outsiders.

"Boss!"

Just as the couple was about to close the door, a figure suddenly appeared at the entrance. In the lamplight, Mr. and Mrs. Du recognized the person immediately.

"Oh, it's you, little brother. Coming at this hour, is something the matter?"

Standing at the doorway was none other than Huang Huai, who had unknowingly returned.

It was already nearing evening, and thinking about the encounters of the day, Huang Huai couldn't help but feel emotionally stirred.

Now that he had come to find Du Wu, it was naturally to repay Du Wu for gifting him the incense candle earlier that day. Huang Huai had also overheard many of the townspeople's discussions throughout the afternoon.

From their conversations, Huang Huai finally dispelled his worries. The High God's blessings were a tradition of thousands upon thousands of years in this world, even touching the foundation of the High God cultivation system. The common people and the High Gods each got what they needed, with no tricks involved. For ordinary people, there were only benefits and no drawbacks.

Reassured, Huang Huai felt quite grateful to the eatery owner.

If Du Wu hadn't given him that obviously extraordinary incense candle back then, he probably would have, like some unprepared people, only received a meager blessing. He wouldn't have gained such great benefits as he had now.

Huang Huai had even inquired that such an incense candle was worth at least an ounce of silver, and an ounce of silver in Great River City was enough for a family of four to cover their ordinary expenses for half a month.

He had received a favor from Du Wu for nothing, and even got a free meal. If he didn't offer any return, how could he face himself?

Looking at Mr. and Mrs. Du, Huang Huai immediately took out a silver ingot about the size of a walnut from his pocket and handed it to Du Wu. "This afternoon, I received the incense candle from Boss, which allowed me to seize the opportunity of the High God's blessing. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it, Boss."

Looking at the silver ingot Huang Huai handed over, Du Wu was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. "It was just a small incense candle, nothing valuable. Little brother, you are traveling alone and need money to get by. I absolutely cannot accept this money."

Madam Du, who had been nagging Du Wu just moments ago, also waved her hand. "They say 'poor at home, rich on the road.' It's not easy traveling. Little brother, quickly take your money back."

Clearly, both husband and wife had seen the bundle on Huang Huai's back and noticed he had no companions, so they guessed he was traveling alone.

Seeing that they insisted on refusing, and their pushing and shoving even attracted the attention of some passersby, Mr. and Mrs. Du invited Huang Huai into the shop, making it clear they would not accept the silver ingot.

Huang Huai pondered for a moment, put the silver away, and then took out a palm-sized mirror from his bag, handing it to Madam Du. "Since you two are unwilling to accept money, please accept this item."

When he came to this world, Huang Huai had prepared adequately. A silver ingot, a gold bracelet, a small glass mirror, a bag of salt wrapped in yellow paper taken from the Xunzhen Temple kitchen, a handful of about a dozen pieces of rock sugar, and a string of top-quality artificially cultured pearls. Though not many items, in almost any ancient world, they could be considered quite valuable, enough to handle most situations.

"Oh, isn't this a Glass Mirror sold by the Wanbao Tower of the Great River Sect? A piece this size costs several ounces of silver!"

Mr. and Mrs. Du had clearly seen glass mirrors before, so they were not overly surprised by the glass mirror Huang Huai produced.

Huang Huai's heart stirred. It seemed this world already had glass, and it was even being sold normally. Although its value was as he expected, tens or even a hundred taels of silver, it was still somewhat valuable. If he were here to profit from the price difference between worlds, just the glass mirror alone would be enough to make him a fortune.

Du Wu glanced at Madam Du, who was looking at the mirror with anticipation, and said to Huang Huai, "Little brother..."

However, this time, Huang Huai didn't wait for Du Wu to speak. He put down the glass mirror and turned to leave. Outside the shop, he said, "It's just a mere Glass Mirror. Compared to the High God's blessing I received with your help, what is it? If you two don't accept it, won't I feel uneasy?"

By the time Mr. and Mrs. Du reacted, Huang Huai had already hurried away, his figure disappearing into the night.

The couple exchanged glances. Madam Du, affectionately stroking the Glass Mirror, said to Du Wu, "This young brother is truly someone who knows how to repay kindness. Husband, this mirror..."

Du Wu looked at the gradually thinning street and said with a worried expression, "Since that young brother insisted on leaving it, wife, you should accept it."

Madam Du then noticed that Du Wu's expression was a bit off. Following Du Wu's gaze, she looked outside and couldn't help but say, "Husband, what is it..."

Du Wu withdrew his gaze, closed the shop door first, and then whispered to Madam Du, "Didn't you hear people talking during the day? Over a hundred lives in Niujia Village were wiped out overnight. It's said to be the work of a High God who had fallen into Mo. If that person enters the city..."

Madam Du's face changed drastically upon hearing this. The mirror in her hand almost fell. Her eyes were filled with panic. "Husband, don't scare me. If this is true, how many people will die! That young brother just now..."

Du Wu looked regretful. "That young brother looked like an outsider. He left in a hurry, and I forgot to remind him. Now, I can only hope he'll be vigilant and find a safe place to stay."

Madam Du clutched the Glass Mirror and comforted him, "Husband, don't worry. That young brother is blessed by heaven and will surely be fine."

As she spoke, she seemed to have thought of something and grabbed Du Wu. "Quick, come with me to burn incense and pray to the Guardian Deity we invited, asking for protection for our household's peace and to ward off disturbances from gods, demons, and Malevolent Spirits."

Du Wu followed Madam Du towards the backyard, seeing the unease in her eyes, he comforted her. "Don't worry. In the past few years, there have been High Gods who have harmed people in the city, but those who were truly harmed were almost all vagrants who stayed out all night, or households without a Guardian Deity or household gods to protect them."

As they spoke, the two entered the backyard and soon arrived at a specially prepared room. As the door was pushed open, a faint scent of incense wafted out.