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"Thank you, River God, for blessing me."

He paused, his right hand unconsciously clenching as a look of resolve appeared on his face:

"I—I'll offer different three-course meals to... Lord River God every day from now on. As long as it's within my means, Lord River God can eat whatever he wants. So, can I pray—pray for Lord River God to bless my grandfather too?"

Though he was clearly speaking to the "River God," Qi Xiaoyuan stared straight at He Qinglan.

He did not know what identity the young man before him had, or even what kind of being he was.

Whether he was some strange internet celebrity trying to make a name for himself, some extraordinary person with special powers hiding among ordinary people, or even if he... perhaps was not truly this appearance or this sort of existence—what did any of that matter?

He was already at the end of his rope. This lifeline had appeared before him; even if it were wrapped in deadly poison and covered in thorns, he would still seize it fiercely and pull himself and his grandfather... up!

As though afraid He Qinglan would refuse, Qi Xiaoyuan anxiously added, "At the breakfast stall before, you—you said you could bless my grandfather!

"And—and my grandfather and my dad both loved the Qinglan River very much. When Grandpa was little, he even told me stories about how people in ancient times worshipped the River God of the Qinglan River!

"My dad—my dad also made an environmental protection proposal for the Qinglan River! He had originally planned to invest one hundred million to restore the Qinglan River here..."

In his desperation, Qi Xiaoyuan blurted out everything he could use as bargaining chips or to earn goodwill. Just as he was about to say that his mother had been a very gentle environmentalist, he finally saw the emotion ripple through the eyes of the otherwise expressionless young man.

"Your father planned to restore the Qinglan River?"

Qi Xiaoyuan nodded sharply. "Yes! My family is very wealthy, one of Bicheng's prominent wealthy families! Since both my grandfather and father loved the Qinglan River so much, my dad—"

"Then why is the Qinglan River still like this?" The River God's gaze turned cool once more. He did not like creatures who only talked without acting, tossing out promises carelessly.

Qi Xiaoyuan's mood abruptly sank. "My parents... died two years ago because of falling objects from a height."

At the time, his grandfather had forcefully stopped him from seeing his parents' bodies. Yet he still remembered the agonized, deathly pale expression on his grandfather's face—a face that had always been resolute and unyielding. His grandfather's health had also rapidly declined from that moment on.

Though two years had passed, whenever he thought of those events, it was like falling into an unimaginable nightmare. No matter how hard he tried, he could not understand—

"That day, my parents were actually going to have dinner with Uncle Zheng from the Environmental Protection Bureau, to discuss the Qinglan River restoration plan. But they were just walking along the road, only a few dozen steps from the car to the restaurant! They—they were hit by two stones that fell from the sky!"

As Qi Xiaoyuan spoke, he could not help revealing a pained, somewhat twisted smile. "Not early, not late. Not more, not less! That exact place! Those exact two people! Hit by two stones at that exact moment!!"

"Winning the lottery... probably doesn't have odds that high, does it?"

Yet his parents had been struck just like that. They had died on the spot.

So many people had said that Heaven wanted to take his parents' lives, that this was simply their fate.

Qi Xiaoyuan had been trapped in that nightmare for too long. Even recalling it now brought unbearable pain that he could not untangle. Because sometimes, he would ask himself in his heart—not early, not late, not more, not less. Was this really... fate?

Seeing that Qi Xiaoyuan seemed about to sink into his emotions and be unable to emerge, He Qinglan lightly flicked a finger. A cool droplet of water landed between the tall young man's brows.

"That car today was also neither early nor late, neither off nor astray. It drove straight at you."

The coolness between his brows and the young man's words abruptly jolted Qi Xiaoyuan back to his senses. Then he thought of the young man telling him that he would die today, of the sedan that had crashed toward him without warning, of the terrifying threat of death during the collision, and of the "water" that had protected him in the end. In a flash of lightning and flint, his face became filled with shock and fury.

"...It wasn't an accident?" His voice was so hoarse that even he barely recognized it. "M-my parents' deaths, my car accident... and Grandpa—it wasn't an accident?!"

"Do you know something?! Who wants to harm our family—"

By the end, Qi Xiaoyuan's expression was savage, and he even tried to reach out and grab He Qinglan by the collar.

Naturally, He Qinglan would not allow him to touch him. But someone moved even faster than he did: the precise rain arrived again. This time, it was nothing like the light drizzle from before. Instead, it was a crackling, head-on downpour that slapped Qi Xiaoyuan right in the face; just hearing it was enough to know how much it hurt!

He Qinglan: "..." He cast a glance at Shui Wuyuan, who stood nearby with narrowed eyes and a cold sneer on his face.

This time, Boss Water did not hold back at all. Instead, he directly lashed out: "Don't touch him with your filthy, lowly hands. You will never be worthy in this lifetime."

That was the god he intended to defeat and then take in as his underling. How dare a mortal disrespect him.

Though Shui Wuyuan did not say that last part aloud, He Qinglan somehow understood his meaning when he saw the cold, arrogant look in his eyes.

He was so speechless that he wanted to roll his eyes again, but Lord River God held it in. He looked at Qi Xiaoyuan, whom the face-slapping downpour had thoroughly drenched awake. "Calmed down now?"

Qi Xiaoyuan, soaked from head to toe and with his face still hurting badly, said, "...I've calmed down. I'm sorry. I lost control of my emotions for a moment. Please don't be angry, Lord River God, and don't hold it against me."

He Qinglan wanted to say he was not angry, but the far-from-gentle precise downpour made it impossible for him to say that.

He could only turn and frown as he glared at Shui Wuyuan again. Boss Water looked up at the sky, then down at the ground. This time, at least, he was no longer staring at the Down-and-Out River God.

He Qinglan sighed. Just as he was about to expend what little Spiritual Power he had left and deal with it himself, the person who had noticed him preparing to act immediately stopped the rain.

"Tch, you're a pauper without Spiritual Power yourself, yet you're still worrying about others." Boss Water muttered and cursed under his breath. "Serves you right for picking up trash."