Chapter 5

Even when He Qinglan had walked the human world in a mortal body, finding food had been easy—

His river had all kinds of delicious freshwater delicacies. He could casually catch some fish and shrimp to fill his stomach. Or there were grains of flowing gold in the riverbed's silt, along with uncut gemstones and jade; taking those things into the human world could buy plenty of food.

But now...

He Qinglan looked at the garbage-filled river before him, took a deep breath, and clutched his chest again.

He suddenly wanted to flood humanity again.

Then the penniless, fishless River God thought of the dozens of plastic bottles that could have been sold for money, which he had given away for free to the elderly scavenger woman, and clutched his chest again.

"...How had I fallen this low!"

But he was human now. Humans were iron, food was steel; skip a meal and you'd be starving.

The River God needed to eat too.

So the wise River God thought seriously for a while, then touched his own face.

That girl had said he possessed peerless beauty. Perhaps he could go find a "face fanatic" and have that human offer him some food as tribute.

Hmm, that did not count as selling his face. River Gods had always been able to protect the living beings dwelling by their rivers. He was merely collecting some offerings in advance. Perhaps he could even recruit a few followers who looked pleasing to the eye and have them pick up trash with him.

Thus, the River God carried the fruit-can jar and headed toward a place with food while listening to Black Carp explain money and food to him.

Bicheng College of Arts was located in Bicheng's southwestern district and was Bicheng's most renowned top-tier arts school. The college covered a vast area, its architecture was beautiful and fashionable, and even its landscaping was quite distinctive.

If there was anything bad about Bicheng College of Arts, it was probably that it bordered the Qinglan River. When the arts college had originally been built, its designers had hoped the clear river would add another scenic touch to the school. But who could have expected that in less than thirty years after its founding, the Qinglan River would decline into this state?

Now, let alone adding to Bicheng College of Arts' scenery, it was already good enough if it did not affect the college itself.

Because of the arts college, many shops and vendors had appeared around it, lining both the streets and the river. Added to that were the talent scouts and those hoping to be discovered by them who lingered outside the college gates year-round. Although the Qinglan River had not added a scenic touch to the college, there were still plenty of people outside Bicheng College of Arts.

But early that morning, the atmosphere on the breakfast snack street outside the arts college was somewhat different.

Even though everyone was still buying breakfast, and many people were hurrying to work or class, nearly everyone's gaze had been drawn to the young man carrying what appeared to be a glass fish tank.

Although the young man wore nothing but a rather plain and cheap gray short-sleeved shirt and pants, material poverty could not conceal his temperament and beauty in the slightest!

Basically, anyone who saw him would instinctively gasp—where had this Immortal Pretty Boy come from?!

At that moment, this Immortal Pretty Boy ignored the open and covert gazes sizing him up. His eyes swept across the various breakfast stalls, and then he turned and walked over to a tall young man's stall selling jianbing guozi.

Then he spoke his first words as an Immortal Pretty Boy:

"Offer me a pancake, and I will keep you safe today."

He had stood there for a while already. Since no face fanatic had approached him, he would find a follower first.

Everyone secretly watching: "...???"

Was something wrong with this Immortal Pretty Boy's brain?

Author's note:

I revised the young man selling pancakes a little.

He Qinglan: This stall looks the cleanest and most pleasing. So does the pancake. Also, why has the face fanatic not come to pay yet?

Shui Wuyuan: Soon, soon, soon!

Black Carp: ...Koi really aren't good things!!!

When the elegant Immortal Pretty Boy solemnly spoke of offerings, the students and passersby watching around him fell silent for a moment.

But they were only silent for a moment. Once they came to their senses, they looked around in every direction for someone secretly filming with a phone or camera. This was probably another person trying to become famous through "bizarre appearances and exaggerated words." People at Bicheng College of Arts had long grown accustomed to that—

After all, people wearing strange costumes and wandering around the entrance appeared almost every day. Some even wore two ears on their heads and tied a tail behind them, claiming to be fox spirits. And fox spirits and snake spirits were nothing much. The most famous viral incident involving a passerby at Bicheng College of Arts had been a young man wearing only a grass skirt, practically naked, who claimed to be the Mountain God of Wushan. He said Mountain Pillar had been stolen, so he had no choice but to come out and seek help.

Though that young man had indeed looked tough and his muscles had been quite impressive, he had ultimately been seriously hauled away by the police and detained for five days.

But this self-proclaimed Mountain God had also become quite popular. He was now a well-known online... fitness and outdoor hiking blogger. As a result, even more "strange people" hoping to go viral had come to Bicheng College of Arts afterward.

Therefore, everyone's suspicion toward He Qinglan lasted only a moment before they began wondering what sort of persona this Immortal Pretty Boy with peerless looks was trying to create for himself.

He held a lively Black Carp in his hand and spoke of offerings. He was probably related to some kind of god?

And after pausing for several seconds, the young stall owner of the beautiful, clean jianbing stand that He Qinglan had chosen quite knowingly put on a cold, fake smile. "My lord, this is a small business. Compared with safety, I need money more, so I can't offer tribute. One pancake is five yuan, six with an egg. Want one?"

The River God slowly drew his long, slender brows together.

"But the evil aura around you is heavy, and you already bear the look of death. If you do not offer tribute, you may not live through today. Do you truly not want to live?"

Qi Xiaoyuan's hand, which had been adding sauce, abruptly stopped. His lowered brows lifted, and his gaze shot toward He Qinglan like blades.

Qi Xiaoyuan stood 1.86 meters tall, with thick brows, narrow eyes, a high nose, and thin lips. Even an apron could not add the slightest hint of approachability to him. He was fierce and handsome. Usually, it was fine when he showed no expression, but whenever those narrow eyes fixed on someone, they always made people feel a little afraid.