The village god who gave himself away

One day later, in Li Household Village Hundred Lands Mountain Range.

When Li Xi returned to Li Household Village with Subhūti, he was greeted with a scene of jubilation.

The old village chief, who had long since retired from worldly affairs, even made a special appearance to hold a grand celebration for Li Xi.

Of course, as the grandson, Lü Yan inevitably became a laborer.

Even the old village chief's daughter, who had always been at odds with him, made a rare return to the village.

As the lively celebration continued, Mountain Folk and deities from nearby areas inevitably joined in, their gazes towards Li Xi filled with respect.

However, after the fun, Li Xi, the protagonist, went alone to the downstream of the Mountain God Reservoir.

Today, the Mountain God Reservoir only retains the word "reservoir" in its name; in reality, it has long since become a hub connecting the Great Yunmeng Marsh. The floating island and floating mountain above the Mountain God Reservoir are home to the renowned Hundred Lands School.

The water god temple below, with its thriving incense offerings, is a dedicated temple for the Human-Faced Fish queen, Chi Fou.

Looking further into the distance, boats and airships of all sizes drift downstream, heading towards Yunmeng Marsh and Thread of Sky respectively.

Workshops rise from the ground, thousands of tributaries converge here, and golden wheat ears form terraced fields of varying heights... "It seems like it's been a long time since I've been here, hasn't it?"

As Li Xi walked step by step along the mountain river, a hint of pleasure appeared on his face.

Following closely behind Li Xi, Subhūti only frowned, until the two arrived near the original site of Li Household Village. Here, the original irrigation canal is still preserved.

The babbling brook originates here, symbolizing the first step in the rise of the Mountain Folk.

Looking along this irrigation canal, the ruins of the first textile factory established by Chen Yun and other villagers have also been preserved.

"You haven't been here for a while."

Slowly emerging from the water, a giant Ox-Head opened its mouth and took over Li Xi's topic.

Just by looking at its iconic Single Horn, you can tell that this is the Single Horn Si that is regarded as the "village god" by Li Household Village.

Did you come here specifically to see me?

Looking at the Single Horn Si with its calm and composed demeanor, Li Xi did not immediately speak to it.

Instead, she skillfully walked to his side and began picking lice off him.

Judging from Li Xi's precise and gentle technique alone, it was clear that this was definitely not the first time she had done something like this.

This time, however, the Single Horn Si didn't squint its eyes to enjoy the other's service as usual. Instead, it was immediately startled and quickly submerged its head in the water again.

"Hey, girl, let's talk things out, let's get down to business, don't give me this!"

Seeing the wary look on the Single Horn Si, Li Xi grinned and approached again, completely lacking the composure and authority he displayed in front of strangers. "Don't be like that, Old Ox!"

"You've watched me grow up, so why can't I come visit you to play whenever I want?"

The Single Horn Si sniffed loudly, completely unfazed by Li Xi's words, and instead stared at him with even greater vigilance.

"You little rascal, it's precisely because I've watched you grow up that I understand your personality so well."

"You're just like your brother, always saying you only come when you need something."

"Let me make this clear first, don't come looking for me if you're trying to trick me into revealing information."

"I know nothing, and I understand nothing."

Upon hearing this, not only Li Xi, but even Subhūti standing beside him couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

"What's the difference between this and admitting guilt without being asked?"

"The teacher hasn't even asked you anything yet, and you've already confessed to everything!"

Upon hearing Subhūti's complaint, the Single Horn Si fell silent, its gaze unconsciously drifting away.

"Just don't ask me anything, I don't know anything either."

"I'm just an honest water buffalo, all I know is taking baths and soothing babies all day long, I know nothing else." After his eyes darted around twice, Li Xi finally decided to let the Single Horn Si go.

Because she knew that no matter how much she pressed, the other person would never tell the truth.

Rather than forcing the other party to lie, Li Xi sensed something fishy from their current attitude.

"Um, Uncle Niu, do you know who I'm going to see next?"

When he heard Li Xi ask this question, Subhūti was clearly taken aback.

However, what surprised him even more was that the Single Horn Si, which had previously insisted that it knew nothing, actually revealed a sly smile.

How would I know who you're looking for?

"However, as far as I know, when you were a child, you would always ask Chi Fou about anything you didn't understand."

"Coincidentally, Chi Fou seems to have been preoccupied lately, so you could go and comfort her."

Li Xi blinked involuntarily, looking at the Single Horn Si with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"Uncle Niu, if I go to Sister Chi Fou first today, will she give me the same answer?"

Completely unconcerned, the Single Horn Si shook its head, maintaining its half-submerged posture, and laughed.

Who knows?

"Like you, you little brat, you already know the answer, but you still like to pretend and ask around."

After saying that, the Single Horn Si ignored Li Xi and dived directly into the water.

It left only a few bubbles in its wake before quickly disappearing from their sight.

"Uh, so we're going to find the Primordial Sovereign of the Water Abode next?"

Primordial Sovereign of the Water Abode, Arbiter of Fate Goddess, Queen of the Human-Faced Fish...

These are all names used by outsiders to refer to the Chi Fou.

As a junior, Subhūti naturally dared not address him by his full name, and could only choose a relatively neutral form of address.

In fact, according to Subhūti's knowledge, this Primordial Sovereign of the Water Abode might also be the most loyal Dao Proving One under the Dao Ancestor.

"I have a feeling... that old ox deliberately led us to find the Primordial Sovereign of the Water Abode?"

Li Xi glanced at Subhūti as if he had just realized something, and replied with a light laugh.

"It seems we're not alone; at least Uncle Niu is on our side."

Blinking blankly, Subhūti hadn't yet recovered from Li Xi's words when he saw the other party turn and walk towards the water god temple of the Mountain God Reservoir.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

He quickly jogged after him, not Subhūti to continue asking questions.

"So, what exactly do you want to know?"

"You've been acting all mysterious ever since you decided to go to the Heavenly Realm."

"Now that the great battle is over, you still won't tell me anything. Am I really your disciple?"

"I now seriously suspect that your willingness to help me clean up the mess left by Mahākāśyapa and the others was actually a ploy to uncover some secret?"

As Subhūti's voice gradually faded into the distance, the Single Horn Si that had sunk into the water rose to the surface again.

This time, however, his expression lacked the initial ease and nonchalance; instead, it conveyed a heavy sadness and anticipation.

"Girl, I hope you can stop him."

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