He'd been minding his own business at home, doing his part to help the catfish family grow.
Then a bunch of people suddenly showed up, not only tearing his house down,
but now they wanted to cook him into a dish. It was downright barbaric.
"Uh, little brother, didn't you say you had something to discuss?
This River God—no, This Minor God has time now. Let's talk!"
The Fish Head River God stood on the water, yet his legs felt even softer than the river beneath him.
Especially with Zhang Tianxian's gaze roaming over him, sizing him up.
The River God felt as though a sharp divine weapon
was slicing pieces off his fish body one by one and dropping them into a pot of boiling oil.
"Heavenly Court?"
Chen Fan was taken aback. Did this world have a Heavenly Court too?
"That's right! The Heavenly Court of the Celestial Realm!"
The Fish Head River God puffed out his chest, confidence returning to him.
Chen Fan blinked and raised an eyebrow.
"Then do you know what kind of organization the Heavenly Court is?"
This world's waters ran deep. It even had a Heavenly Court.
He just didn't know what sort of Heavenly Court this one was.
There was no helping it. Across the myriad worlds, there were at least eight or ten thousand factions called the Heavenly Court.
Who knew what this one was all about?
"The Heavenly Court is the Heavenly Court. What else could it be?"
The Fish Head River God opened his bulging dead-fish eyes and looked at Chen Fan with an air of great wisdom.
Chen Fan said nothing.
He'd seen enough. This guy was illiterate too!
"Forget it. The village chief will be here soon. Cooperate later, and there'll be something in it for you. Got it?"
Chen Fan couldn't be bothered to argue with this ignorant fish. He waved a hand.
Only then did Zhang Tianshou put away her sword and stand silently to one side.
Zhang Tianxian lowered her sleeves, looking terribly disappointed. Her beautiful eyes lingered on the Fish Head River God, full of reluctance.
Killing and eating a River God really wasn't right. But what if they didn't kill him?
The Demon Race had tough bodies. A piece or two of meat wouldn't hurt, right?
The Fish Head River God felt a chill down his back and hurriedly agreed.
"What the young master says is right. This Minor God will cooperate!"
"If you're going to call him 'Sir,' then call him 'Sir.' Why add 'young'? And who gave you the right to call him 'Sir'?"
Zhang Tianshou's eyes turned sharp. An invisible aura of authority rolled off her, making the Fish Head River God tremble with fear.
He was terrified Zhang Tianshou would cut him to pieces with a single stroke.
"Yes, yes! This Minor God was wrong. I won't dare again!"
The Fish Head River God lowered his head, a flash of resentment in his eyes.
You nasty woman! Once I get through this, I'll make sure you suffer for the rest of your life!
Daring to threaten and beat up a River God of the Heavenly Court—once he reported this, heavenly soldiers would surely come to punish her.
Cruel, venomous thoughts churned in the Fish Head River God's mind.
Thinking of his superior's appetite made his heart bleed.
He'd probably have to hand over more than half the stores in his own treasury now.
Just then, a noisy crowd of men and women, young and old, came rushing out of the village.
"Chen Fan, you little bastard! Why did you bring out the ancestral offering table from the ancestral hall?"
Chapter Fifteen: The Whole Village Turns Out, and a Mysterious Old Man!
"Chen Fan, you little bastard! How dare you touch the ancestors' things!"
The village chief, already past fifty, was now striding along at a brisk pace.
The Old Master, the most senior member of the village, waved his cane, his face fierce.
The other village elders were being carried over on the backs of their younger relatives.
The men and women, young and old, of Zhao Family Village had all rushed over.
The whole village hadn't been this united since last year, when they'd fought with the upstream village over water.
"Chief, don't get so worked up. Come pay your respects to the River God!
Old Master, don't get worked up. The offering table's right here!"
Chen Fan hurriedly gave the village chief a look. Hadn't the chief promised to help keep those stubborn villagers in line?
The village chief glared at Chen Fan. He hadn't understood the look,
but he couldn't very well let Chen Fan get beaten to death by the villagers.
Though there probably wasn't any need to worry about that now.
The village chief cast a strange look over the Fish Head River God and the other monsters.
The other villagers had also seen the Fish Head River God's towering frame, over ten feet tall, and didn't dare approach.
Only the Old Master remained undaunted. He raised his rosewood cane and strode forward aggressively.
"Old Black, what do you mean by this?
Luring the children of my village into setting up a private sacrifice?"
"Zhao Dagou, don't you dare slander me! I haven't even settled accounts with you yet!
Look at what your descendants have done to my home.
They even killed my top lieutenant! I'm telling you, you mangy dog, you have to pay me back!"
The Fish Head River God was hopping mad at the Old Master's words.
He pointed at the Old Master and cursed furiously, leaving Chen Fan stunned.
The Old Master was the most senior person in Zhao Family Village.
They said he was nearly two hundred years old, a rare old man who had lived from the Sui Dynasty to the present day.
Chen Fan had never known the Old Master could be so fierce.
None of the village's young men dared approach, yet the Old Master alone dared to trade insults with the Fish Head River God.
When the Old Master heard what the Fish Head River God said, his eyes shifted as he glanced around.
He'd rushed over in such a hurry that he hadn't had time to take a proper look. Now that he did, he understood at once.
The light faded from the Old Master's eyes, and his straight back bent.
His cloudy eyes wandered as he groped around, his voice frail with age.
"Oh, getting old really does make a man useless. I can't handle all this excitement.
Little Lin, Little Stone, hurry and help me back to rest!"
The Old Master, who had been full of vigor just moments ago, now looked frail and feeble.
The two village elders twitched their mouths, but didn't dare go against his wishes.
They hurried over to support the Old Master, both wanting to speak but holding back.
They were already in their seventies or eighties themselves.
If not for the rich Spiritual Energy of this world and the long lifespans of its people,
ordinary folk who lived long enough to reach a hundred were rare, but there were some.
Only because the Old Master outranked them by generation could he address them that way.
"Third great-granduncle, Chen Fan's gone too far. You—"
The white-haired village elder Zhao Shitou supported the Old Master and muttered in discontent.
The Old Master only shot the elder a sideways glance, silencing him before he could say another word.
The Old Master was a tough man who had led the villagers, young and old, through the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty.
Before you continue