Chapter 37

Just as Xia Youyu thought the two of them would remain locked in this awkward stalemate until dawn, the River God before him spoke.

"If you really want to die." He Qinglan glanced around, then pointed at the tall tree by the river—a tree that should have been flourishing, yet was half-dead from the polluted water. "I can hang you from it. I'll make sure to watch you die with my own eyes before calling someone to collect your corpse. What do you think?"

Xia Youyu looked at that towering tree, which should have been lush with leaves in summer but was half-dead from water pollution. A sudden sorrow welled up in him, and he no longer wanted to argue.

"Then let it die."

"What difference is there between this tree and this river? It should have been thriving and beautiful, yet human filth and selfishness turned it into what it is today."

"The good leave behind no bones, while the wicked gain wealth and long lives."

"Even if I die, I'll stay here with this great tree and watch. Watch and see what end those people come to. At worst, I'll outlive them. Once we become ghosts, we can fight another round!"

After finishing that last sentence with a dark expression, Xia Youyu straightened his slightly disheveled clothes and pushed up his glasses again. "All right. Find a rope and hang me up. Hang me higher, so I can see those villains more clearly."

Seeing how suddenly serious and composed he had become, He Qinglan found that he no longer had that hysterical, brain-dead air from before.

It was only that the resolve to die in his eyes had grown even stronger. It seemed he would have to let him witness the River God's power before he could continue recruiting him.

Thus, just as Xia Youyu waited for He Qinglan to find a rope and hang him, he suddenly discovered that his body had risen into the air. He flew straight toward a branch of that tall, half-withered tree. Then, a stream split from the slowly flowing river water, condensed into a ribbon, hung in midair, and finally wound itself around his neck!

It was clearly the weakest, most insubstantial thing, clearly a fragile thing that anything could sever. Yet when that watery ribbon tightened around his neck, Xia Youyu felt a terrifying power that could not be resisted at all.

As suffocation closed in, his body instinctively tried to save itself. Both hands clutched the filthy water ribbon tightly, but every time he easily crushed the stream, it condensed again between his fingers and reclaimed his life.

For an instant, Xia Youyu's body went rigid. Then, once he understood, he began struggling wildly!

Death was not the reason Xia Youyu struggled. Compared with the dull, lifeless darkness in his eyes just moments ago, there was now an excessively bright, almost crazed light in them.

Even as lack of oxygen made his face swell and turn purple-red, he struggled harder and harder, his eyes fixed fiercely on He Qinglan.

"Put... me... down!"

"You... help... me!"

"Anything... is... fine..."

"Anyone... is... fine!"

Anyone was fine, anything was fine. No matter what kind of power he had to use, as long as there was still a chance, he would try again!

If the power of ordinary people could not stop and punish those people, then what was wrong with praying to gods and worshipping Buddhas, borrowing unknown powers, even... using evil as they did?!

In that instant, the strength of Xia Youyu's conviction reached its peak. At the same time, the Corrupting Miasma surrounding him actually showed signs of directly tainting his heart.

This was a sign of falling into demonic madness.

He Qinglan's expression abruptly sharpened, and Sourcewater Power scattered outward from around him.

The gently flowing waters of the Qinglan River suddenly surged, and countless droplets formed a beautiful curtain of water, pelting Xia Youyu one by one as his face began to twist.

At the same time, the water ribbon tightly strangling Xia Youyu's neck burst apart, soaking his entire body.

He Qinglan rose into the air and stood quietly before Xia Youyu.

"I will lend you power."

"You will place your faith in me."

Xia Youyu looked at the young man before him, who seemed to be glowing all over. After coughing hard a few times, he laughed and pushed up his glasses. "All right."

As long as you give me power, you are my god.

*

The chaos lasted only an instant.

Ten minutes later, Xia Youyu, once again neatly dressed, stood respectfully before the luxurious desk Shui Wuyuan had left behind, while He Qinglan sat across from him.

Having regained hope—or rather, seen an opportunity—Xia Youyu seemed like an entirely different person. Standing there, he looked like the perfect elite, ready to accomplish something great.

"Perhaps I should first tell you my story."

Xia Youyu smiled.

"It is not really a special story. I was merely a little unlucky."

"I was born into wealth, and then my family fell into decline. Fortunately, before my father squandered everything, I received a good education and learned plenty."

"My mother was a very gentle person—beautiful, gentle, and strong, like the Qinglan River once was."

"Even though my father was a scumbag, my mother taught me to become a gentle and kind person..."

At this point, Xia Youyu paused. A trace of self-mockery appeared in the eyes behind his lenses. "She said life was precious, and the world was beautiful. Neither should be betrayed; both should be protected."

"But she died because of kindness."

"Thirty kilometers upstream from this river lies Linhe Village in Bishui County."

"Three years ago, all the land in that village belonged to my mother. She had originally planned to build a small Linhe resort village there. But the villagers believed a resort would not make money. Five representatives from the entire village came to my mother, weeping and begging. In the end, a Paper Mill was built there."

"A year later, the Paper Mill was making considerable profits. The villagers grew rich. But the pollution was severe, and that was when the Qinglan River's water began to turn murky."

"In the second year, my mother decided to demolish the Paper Mill and reclaim the land, but the people in that village refused."

"Shamelessly, they were unwilling either to buy back the land-use rights or to demolish the Paper Mill."

"Then they came to beg again... One old woman got into an argument with my mother and, by accident... killed her."