Who knew Chen Fan would reveal a faint, triumphant smile and say mysteriously,
"If he cooperated honestly and even shared some of the profits with the lesser demons,
that would be the real problem. Tianshou, you have to understand: sometimes even villains have their uses!"
Chen Fan thought to himself that if the River God didn't exploit the lesser demons so ruthlessly,
they wouldn't grow resentful, and there'd be no way to draw outside forces into the game!
Only when the various factions kept one another in check would he become someone they all wanted to win over.
Otherwise, they'd be thinking of taking him out in secret and monopolizing all the profits!
"What do you mean?"
Chapter 20: Completing the Merit, the Dragon King of Clear Water!
"Since you know the River God is up to no good, why let him run his mouth?
If you're worried about the Heavenly Court, Tianshou can take care of it for you.
Even if the celestial officials of the Heavenly Court come to demand an explanation, Tianshou can hold them off!"
Though Zhang Tianshou was clever, her identity as a princess of the Heavenly Court meant she hadn't seen much of the darkness in the world.
So, in her view, the River God deserved to die.
When merit descended, Chen Fan's mortal eyes couldn't see the wretched, resentful spirits or the sins that burdened them.
But Zhang Tianshou could see it all clearly.
And the River God was able to live so freely thanks to the divine seal bestowed by the Heavenly Court.
But in the end, wouldn't all those sins bring retribution upon the Heavenly Court?
It was because there were too many celestial officials behaving lawlessly that her father was so overworked.
A glint of murderous intent flashed in Zhang Tianshou's eyes.
Chen Fan gently patted Zhang Tianshou on the shoulder and reassured her.
"Don't worry. The River God won't meet a good end!"
Chen Fan kept speaking in riddles, leaving Zhang Tianshou thoroughly exasperated.
Chen Fan's eyes flickered. From Zhang Tianshou's tone, he could tell
that even a cultivator from the Zhang Clan of Qinghe could show such disdain for the Heavenly Court.
It seemed the Heavenly Court in this world wasn't very powerful!
No matter how Zhang Tianshou pressed him after that, Chen Fan showed no sign of explaining.
"Don't worry. You'll find out why soon enough!"
Chen Fan smiled mysteriously. He couldn't exactly tell her that he had no idea what would happen to the River God either.
After all, who knew what kind of backing the River God had?
If his backers were powerful enough, he might just escape unscathed.
But there was no chance he'd be allowed to stay here.
The factions coveting the profits here wouldn't pass up such an obvious weakness as the River God.
The question was whether the forces behind him would protect him.
"If you can't talk about that, then what about the Old Master in your village? Can you tell me about him?"
Zhang Tianshou asked curiously.
The Old Master of Zhao Family Village gave Zhang Tianshou a strange feeling.
He was clearly a mortal, yet he carried a hint of divinity.
It was the aura of a mortal who held a divine office.
But aside from those who ascended to the Immortal Realm and were appointed by the Heavenly Emperor,
mortals could only become gods through the merit they had accumulated in life.
Their deeds would be recorded in the underworld, then reported to the Heavenly Court by the Yama Kings.
The Heavenly Court would review the matter and grant them divine offices.
Most of these celestial officials returned to their hometowns to serve as local gods, City Gods, and the like.
Of course, if the Son of Heaven spoke with the authority of Heaven and issued an appointment,
the Heavenly Emperor wouldn't reject him over a few minor divine offices like those of local gods and City Gods.
But the Old Master of Zhao Family Village clearly fit none of these circumstances.
His body still showed signs of life, yet he possessed a celestial seal and remained a mortal.
"The Old Master? I don't know much about him either. I only know he's lived for nearly two hundred years.
He's been alive since the previous dynasty, and even the commandery governor pays him a visit from time to time."
At that moment, in a large residence on the eastern side of the village, the Old Master stared blankly at his palm.
"Treasure, you really didn't lie to me!"
Two village elders watched the Old Master, who was lost in thought, then glanced at his empty palm.
One of the elders, a burly man, gritted his teeth and turned to leave.
A glint flashed in the Old Master's eyes. He asked coldly,
"Stop. Where do you think you're going?"
Hearing the Old Master's question, the burly elder turned around with an irritated expression and said,
"You came back and immediately started staring at your palm. You think you'll see flowers growing there?
That's the River God, after all. I'm going to take a look..."
"Stone, enough!"
The other, thinner elder immediately scolded him, cutting off his complaints.
The Old Master was the backbone of Zhao Family Village and was held in great esteem.
As long as the Old Master was around, even the county magistrate treated him with respect.
So whether or not the Old Master had grown senile, they had no choice but to humor him.
"Third great-uncle, it's not that your great-grandnephew is trying to find fault with that kid Chen Fan.
It's just, why did he have to go stirring up trouble with the River God, of all things?"
"Hah! You're saying that as if you agreed with Ah Fan when he started making fertilizer!"
The Old Master shot the burly elder a look, shutting him up so thoroughly he nearly choked.
A glint flashed in the Old Master's cloudy eyes.
The two village elders couldn't see the seal in his hand, but the Old Master could.
The only reason he'd lived this long was the fragment of a broken seal in his hand.
But just moments ago, he'd heard Chen Fan's voice beside his ear.
The next moment, a golden light flew over, and the symbols on the seal were instantly repaired.
In an instant, the Old Master also learned how to use the seal in its entirety.
From that moment on, he knew that Chen Fan was no ordinary man.
"Local God, City God!"
The Old Master closed his hand, and the seal instantly merged into his palm.
The next moment, the Old Master turned a stern gaze on the two village elders and said sharply,
"From today on, Chen Fan is the biological grandson of me, Zhao Dagou.
I'd like to see who in Zhao Family Village dares bully my grandson!"
The two village elders turned ashen at the Old Master's words.
If Chen Fan was your grandson, what did that make us?
They were already in their seventies or eighties, and had only just outlasted most of the old-timers above them.
Now, with just one word, the Old Master had given them a great-uncle to deal with?
"What? Do you have a problem with that?"
"N-no, not at all!"
The two village elders lowered their heads, swallowing their frustration. They didn't dare contradict the Old Master again.
Otherwise, if the Old Master gave Chen Fan another generation or two, wouldn't they end up with a grandfather?
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