The Bitterwater Legend, the Monster

Wang Xian heard him, and a glint flashed in his eyes. He hadn't expected the innkeeper to suddenly tell him the secret of Bitterwater River.

He leaned forward. "Tell me."

The innkeeper sighed. "Actually... there's a monster in Ruoshui River. Nobody knows how many merchants and cultivators crossing the river it's devoured over the decades..."

Wang Xian was taken aback. So this river really did have a story behind it.

He thought it over, then couldn't help asking, "Isn't Dragon Valley just beyond Luoshui Town? Why don't they come here to subdue the monster?"

"Dragon Valley?"

The innkeeper shook his head with a sigh. "The people from Dragon Valley don't take this road at all..."

"Hundreds of years ago, a woman from Luohua Town fell for a cultivator from Liushui Town... But later, that cultivator seduced her and abandoned her, driving the woman to throw herself into the river."

"Afterward, the people of Luoshui Town went to Dragon Valley and asked the elders to judge the matter fairly..."

"But the cultivator caught wind of it and fled overnight. They say the man was a ruthless one. He ran straight south without stopping and escaped the Demon Realm!"

"After that, the women of Luohua Town swore never to marry men from Liushui Town, and Dragon Valley stopped crossing the river here. You've seen for yourself—my inn hardly has any guests."

Wang Xian stared at him, dumbfounded.

He hadn't expected the story behind "falling flowers and flowing water" to be so tragic.

So it really was falling flowers with love to give, and flowing water without a care. The bastard was a villain who'd brought misery to an entire town.

After a long silence, he gave a faint smile.

"What about the monster?"

The innkeeper smiled bitterly. "Anyone in Liushui Town with