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Passersby: Gasp!! So he even had a fortune-teller persona? But this Immortal Pretty Boy had picked the wrong person! Even if that young master had been oppressed by his family and could only come out to sell pancakes, he wasn't someone who could be fooled so easily!

"No amount of bad luck can take my life." Qi Xiaoyuan snorted coldly, preparing to ignore this good-looking but brainless young man.

But the young man's next sentence nearly made him burn his hand.

"...Fine. Anyway, when you die, your grandfather will go with you. I wish you a reunion."

He Qinglan looked regretfully at this not-too-noticeable young man. He could only go find another believer.

But just as he turned around, the tall stall owner reached out to grab his arm. Of course, he couldn't catch the River God himself, but he did catch He Qinglan's sleeve.

"What did you just say?"

Seeing the sudden tension and caution in the man's eyes, He Qinglan turned back around. "Offer one pancake, and I'll keep you safe for a day."

The River God paused, then added, "If you make an offering every day, I'll keep you safe for life. Natural aging, illness, and death are covered. Actively courting death isn't."

Qi Xiaoyuan stared at He Qinglan, seriously considering whether this person was truly stupid or pretending to be stupid. But when he met those excessively calm, clear eyes, he realized that their color was a deep blue, nearly black. The longer he looked, the more it felt as if even his Divine Soul was being tugged away.

He abruptly pulled back his hand and said hoarsely, "If I offer two, can you keep my grandfather safe too?"

The moment he said those last words, Qi Xiaoyuan felt like he had gone completely mad.

He had actually believed someone who looked like nothing more than a con man. But perhaps the worry and hope weighing on his heart had lasted too long, until he was willing to believe anything.

He Qinglan examined the bad luck hanging over his head, then finally nodded. "It hasn't reached a fatal calamity yet, and your family is local to Linhe. It should be possible."

Qi Xiaoyuan didn't understand what being a Linhe local had to do with anything, but the moment He Qinglan nodded, he let out a heavy breath of relief, as though the shadow that had long weighed on his heart had finally lifted a little. He carefully added all kinds of ingredients to the jianbing guozi, looking as though he were genuinely preparing an "offering."

"Do you eat spicy food?"

"A little."

"What about scallions and cilantro?"

"No scallions. And arrange it neatly."

The young man's voice was like clear flowing water, pleasant to the ear, as though it could soothe the anxiety in people's hearts.

"You... since you're protecting me, ahem, what's your name?"

The curious passersby and talent scouts who had quietly gathered nearby stretched their ears and craned their necks. This was the great Immortal Pretty Boy's name!

Standing beside the stall, He Qinglan looked at the river just across the street. It was somewhat cleaner than the previous stretch, yet still dried up and desolate. His voice was extremely soft.

"My surname is He. My given name is Qinglan."

As he spoke his true name, a sudden wind rose around them. The dried-up river across from them seemed to sense something as well, and the tiny trickle of water faintly leaped.

"He Qinglan?"

The people around them found the name somewhat familiar, as though they had heard it somewhere before.

Not until the young stall owner stopped adding ingredients, neatly cut the pancake in two, slipped it into a paper bag, and handed it to him did someone ask, "Is it the He Qinglan of the Qinglan River?"

The onlooking passersby then saw the Immortal Pretty Boy holding the "offering pancake" curve his brows and eyes, revealing an exquisitely beautiful smile. "Yes."

"I am the He Qinglan of the Qinglan River."

He was this river, and this river was him.

"Holy shit!!" Someone cried out in a low voice, overwhelmed by that excessively beautiful smile. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, is he seriously a real immortal? Is it really okay for someone to look like that?!"

"...This is the second time I've been completely stunned by someone's smile. I thought no one could ever compare to my ultimate male idol, but! Starting today, I have another ultimate immortal male idol!!!"

"Isn't your ultimate male idol Boss Water? You're comparing this guy to Boss Water? Sure, he's really good-looking, but there's no way he can surpass Water God, okay!! He's nowhere close! Boss Water is rich! Filthy rich! Tall with long legs! His aura is off the charts! Even being the Trash-Talk King doesn't diminish his charm one bit. How can this guy compare to Boss Water?!"

Before long, the people around them began discussing the topic of "male idols," while the several talent scouts who had already been itching to make a move finally stopped waiting. They rushed toward He Qinglan, competing to shove business cards into his hands.

"Mr. He Qinglan, is it? I'm a professional talent scout from Watermelon Entertainment! Mr. Qinglan, are you interested in developing a career in the entertainment industry? Our artists at Watermelon Entertainment receive the best treatment among companies of the same tier, and all our contracts are transparent and notarized. We're absolutely the best choice for newcomers entering the industry!"

"Little River, don't listen to this melonhead's nonsense. His company is just some third-rate outfit. What good is decent treatment if they have no resources? Come to Banana Entertainment! Banana Entertainment is a first-rate entertainment and talent agency. If you come, you'll get an A-level contract! First-love goddess Ji Xiaoyu and popular star Liu Rufeng were both launched by Banana Entertainment. You'll be the next one of them!"

"Banana Entertainment has far too much shady dealing. An artist was even suing them a few days ago. Mr. He, come to Strawberry Entertainment instead. We're an established talent agency, and King Zhou is one of our artists!"

"I'm dying laughing. How long has Strawberry Entertainment been declining? All you ever talk about is King Zhou. Why not mention how you haven't produced a single impressive artist since him? Qinglan, don't go to Strawberry Entertainment. Big Pineapple is the reliable choice!"

At least six or seven talent scouts of different ages and genders, dressed in different styles, surrounded He Qinglan with business cards in hand, chattering nonstop. The sight left the surrounding passersby and students dumbfounded.

They knew that talent scouts sometimes appeared near the school gates to look for artists, but to avoid being hounded, the scouts usually didn't reveal their identities outright and would disguise themselves a little. After all, there were many people who wanted to become artists, but few who actually had the qualifications. Most of the time, one person would catch a single talent scout's eye, receive a business card, and that would be the end of it.