Chapter 22

Xia Youyu stared at the black-screened phone that refused to start, unable to believe it. He couldn't resist giving it two hard smacks, only to watch his shockproof, waterproof phone spit out what seemed like endless tiny sprays of water from every hole.

Xia Youyu: "..."

He turned his stiff face toward Shui Wuyuan.

Boss Water clicked his tongue twice with great solemnity. "Why are you showing off such a piece of junk that isn't even waterproof?"

Shui Wuyuan pressed his index and middle fingers together and drew his globally limited custom Vegetable Phone from the pocket of his suit.

His fair, slender fingers took on an indescribable beauty against the black phone case. Then he sauntered over to He Qinglan, brazenly squeezed Xia Youyu aside, raised a hand after some thought to condense a water chair, and sat down beside He Qinglan.

Then the tycoon held his phone up before He Qinglan.

The moment it powered on, his face-filling selfie appeared, his collar still open. He Qinglan couldn't help leaning back.

Shui Wuyuan clicked his tongue. "Stunned by my beauty? Then wouldn't you blush scarlet if you looked at my private album?"

He Qinglan: "...Why would I look at your private album?"

Shui Wuyuan ignored him and tapped open the "Krypton Treasure app" with his index finger.

"Didn't you want a phone? Look."

"Spend whatever you like. Spend hard."

Author's note:

Shui Wuyuan:

When others bare their chests: Shameless scoundrels, may heaven strike them with lightning!

When he bares his own chest: Stunned by the beauty under the covers?

Xia Youyu: How the fuck do you still have the nerve to say you two are rivals?! What kind of fucking rivals are those?!

The Krypton Treasure app had everything, so much so that even the River God, who had little worldly desire, nearly lost himself amid the seemingly endless manual scrolling, various demonstration livestreams, and pictures.

As he scrolled, the River God somehow went from phone pictures to displays of various phone cases, then phone charms, phone charger recommendations, and finally... unique globally limited jewelry watches, superb sports cars, and strange books such as "The Art of Language," "The Complete Guide to Roasting People," and "Humans Are Such Idiots."

This turn of events left the River God utterly bewildered.

He only wanted to buy a phone. Why had he ended up being recommended a book like "Humans Are Such Idiots"? At which point had things gone wrong?

He Qinglan cast a suspicious look at a certain tycoon, who remained utterly natural and unpretentious. "Oh, Krypton Treasure is just like that. It tirelessly pushes all kinds of products based on its owner's wealth level and personal style.

Top-tier clients like me are especially the subjects of their frenzied research. So don't mind it. Just know that there's nothing on Krypton Treasure that I can't afford. Go ahead, spend."

Still unaware of "big data analytics," the River God half-believingly accepted Water Gourd's words.

But Second Potato, Xia Youyu, was desperately holding himself back from shouting the complaints in his heart—

What the fuck did he mean, recommendations based on the owner's wealth level and personal style? It was obviously big data compiled from the phone owner's personal preferences! And no matter how top-tier a client was, Krypton Treasure wouldn't assign a whole team specifically to study one person!

So those top-tier jewels, luxury sports cars, and recommendations like "Humans Are Such Idiots" were all nothing more than Boss Water's per! son! al! preferences!

Xia Youyu took another deep breath. He truly had never imagined that Boss Water was this sort of existence behind the scenes. Just from the types of books alone, it was obvious that he was an irritable god who thought humans were idiots from the bottom of his heart and felt uncomfortable if he didn't roast someone.

Presumably, every time he roasted someone, he did so with complete sincerity, following his own nature.

In the end, He Qinglan bought a phone with same-city delivery through Krypton Treasure.

But Shui Wuyuan wasn't the one who paid. Even though he had said to spend whatever they liked and spend hard, Xia Youyu still trembled beneath Boss Water's gaze, colder than icy rain, as he logged into his own account and spent his own money to make an offering to the River God.

This was a believer's final stubbornness.

Cold, icy rain slapped wildly across Xia Youyu's face as Shui Wuyuan tilted his head to glance at Xia Youyu's account page.

"Tch—"

"Poor, short-lived unlucky bastard."

Xia Youyu, whose related recommendations were all mystical life-saving talismans, the strongest curses, bulletproof vests, and instant noodles: "..."

"Still, may the Rain God bless you." The man curled his lips in a perfunctory yet malicious smile. "From now on, you'll bid farewell to a short life and become a poor but long-lived unlucky bastard. Aren't you happy?"

Xia Youyu: "..." Why did poverty and bad luck have to accompany me for my entire life?!

And I worship the River God! The River God!

Not the Rain God!!

"Enough. Don't toy with people so casually." He Qinglan finally spoke when Xia Youyu's face was about to freeze stiff. A cool, translucent droplet of water condensed at his fingertip and shot straight into Xia Youyu's brow.

That cool sensation instantly cleared Xia Youyu's mind considerably. The Corrupting Miasma that had constantly coiled around him also dispersed a little because of it, allowing Xia Youyu to experience, for the first time in nearly two years, a kind of bodily

lightness

again.

Thus, with immediate effect, He Qinglan received the steadfast Faith Power flowing from Xia Youyu.

To He Qinglan, who had previously cultivated only Origin Power, this floating power that arose because of people and would vanish with human death had never mattered. The ancient gods understood more clearly than humans the importance of "one's own power."

Lean on a mountain, and the mountain may collapse; lean on water, and the water may run away.

Gods condensed through faith would ultimately perish and be lost to faith as well.

Nothing in heaven and earth lasted forever. How could one rely only on living beings flourishing for a time?

Those gods and Buddhas of the heavens born from faith, when faith ran dry, could not even protect their own "selves."

However, humanity was now flourishing, as fortune dictated, and the Down-and-Out River God had no room to be picky.