Chapter 20

The water gathered here, making it look even murkier than the river near Bicheng College of Arts.

"Hehe, let this filthy water carry away my pure self and take me far from this filthy world!"

After saying that, Xia Youyu jumped straight into the Qinglan River. The water only reached his thighs. But that did not matter.

With a cold laugh, he leaned backward, determined to drown himself lying down.

Then he suddenly realized he could not fall over.

He stood there tilted at a forty-five-degree angle, like a fish skewered diagonally on a grill.

Xia Youyu: "...???"

He struggled and flailed in every direction twice.

He remained tilted at the same forty-five-degree angle.

Suddenly, a gust of eerie wind swept through the surroundings. The trees rustled, and the water mosquitoes by the river buzzed incessantly beside his ears.

Xia Youyu was a little numb.

Then, filled with boundless grief and indignation, he pointed at the heavens. "Thieving heavens! You won't even let me die?! Don't go too far!!"

As soon as his words fell, he heard a faint voice answer him, its disgust entirely undisguised:

"If you want to die, go die somewhere else."

"Don't dirty my river."

Xia Youyu: "...?!"

Xia Youyu: "!!!!"

Xia Youyu: "Q皿Q!"

"I'm fucking about to die, and you still care about this filthy river that's about to run dry!"

"Do you even have a heart—!!"

Author's note:

He Qinglan: Smiling, the River God has no heart.

Liu Dalong: Oh, the River God's second male consort has appeared.

Shui Wuyuan: Hmm?

Liu Dalong: Grandpa, I was wrong! That's the River God's Second Potato! You're the River God's eternal principal consort, ahhh!!

River God's male consort (crossed out) follower requirements: Good-looking, elegant, sweet-tongued, able to speak well, pure-hearted, steadfast in temperament. Smarter would be even better. Really, there were only the tiniest few requirements.

Chapter 20

The River God had no heart.

But the River God was willing to give this human a little time.

Originally, the River God had been basking in the moonlight, still worrying over whether his requirements for followers were truly too high and whether he should reluctantly lower his standards a little when choosing someone. But upon seeing the young man before him, the River God's eyes lit up slightly. Perhaps his troubles could be resolved—

This person was wrapped in a rather dense Corrupting Miasma, yet his Divine Soul had not been excessively tainted. Its core was even exceedingly pure.

That showed that aside from being terribly unlucky and pure-hearted, this person's temperament was also remarkably steadfast. Otherwise, how could he still preserve his true self even while trying to commit suicide?

And after looking at his face and figure, the River God grew even happier.

Xia Youyu possessed the handsome looks of a high-class elite, along with a good figure. Paired with the silver-rimmed glasses he wore, even though he currently looked bedraggled and downcast, he still did not look unpleasant. Judging by his appearance alone, he counted as a potato of rather good quality.

Though he seemed to have the flaw of not being sweet-tongued and not knowing how to speak properly, the vastly experienced River God declared that this was no problem at all—

If someone did not know how to speak properly, a few more beatings would teach them!

Even that most troublesome, hot-tempered little brat from before had been beaten by him until he could not say a word, hadn't he? Humans would be no exception.

So at first glance, this young man attempting to commit suicide in the Qinglan River actually had great potential to become his follower.

Thus, the River God was willing to give him a little patience, a little hope, let him regain his love for life, and then have him offer up a phone.

But Xia Youyu, the prospective follower, refused from the very beginning.

"Who are you? Why did you suddenly appear here? I'm jumping into the river to drown myself, so don't hold me up."

Although Xia Youyu was somewhat stunned by this young man's excessively beautiful appearance, to someone on the verge of death, even if a celestial immortal appeared before him, it would be useless.

He even directed some of his resentment at him. "Has no one ever told you not to meddle in other people's business? I'm the one who can't get over it and wants to kill myself. Don't stop me, and don't try to persuade me. I absolutely won't listen!

This world is too filthy! This human realm is too dark! It cannot contain my noble and pure heart!!"

"So, I'm the one who wants to die. Hurry up and leave."

The River God clicked his tongue softly. He discovered that the Second Potato he had found not only could not speak properly, but probably was not very bright either.

"I never said I wouldn't let you die."

He Qinglan's voice was calm, even carrying a trace of gentleness.

"I also think this world is filthy, this human realm dark. There are too many evil people and evil thoughts, polluting beautiful and pure nature."

Xia Youyu found the young man's expression extremely sincere. Just as a faint feeling of having found a kindred spirit arose in him, he heard him continue:

"But you cannot die in the river."

"I hate every form of life that throws trash into the river."

Xia Youyu's mind reacted astonishingly quickly at this moment. "What do you mean? You're saying I'm trash?! You actually called me trash?!"

The River God seriously denied it. "I never said you were trash. I believe that anything that should not be in a river yet is thrown into one is trash."

Xia Youyu looked at He Qinglan's earnest expression and ultimately could not help pushing up his glasses.

At that moment, he did not even know how he should respond. Could it be that he had encountered an extreme environmentalist?

Only then did he recall that this young man had kept saying "my river."

Mm, perhaps this extreme environmentalist regarded this river as his private property.

That was a little awkward.

Although Xia Youyu felt that, as someone about to die, he had nothing left to fear, if he touched this young man's "trigger point," this person might become a lunatic even more terrifying than someone on the brink of death.

But dying in this river was the final destination he had chosen for himself, carrying considerable symbolic and mocking significance.

He did not want to back down either.

He was already someone about to die—why could he not have things go his way one last time?!