The Dragon Lord Strikes Terror

Unlike the other villagers, who were visibly exhausted after their excitement had passed, Sun Qin was still fairly energetic.

After all, once the rain began, there had been nothing left for Sun Qin to do. Yin Yunze had no perverse fondness for making his subordinate suffer alongside him whenever he worked, either. So, partway through, Yin Yunze had told Sun Qin to find somewhere to rest for a while.

Besides, Yin Yunze also needed Sun Qin to act as the host and preside over the final closing.

The rain had ended, but the matter was not yet entirely over.

If they left as soon as the rain stopped, it would be a bit like beginning with a tiger's head and ending with a snake's tail.

Most importantly, Yin Yunze still hadn't been paid!

At Sun Qin's words, everyone dragged their weary bodies over to the wooden platform.

"The rain-praying ceremony has ended. Please welcome Lord Fox Immortal!"

As Sun Qin called out, Yin Yunze created an illusion of a nine-tailed white fox behind her. But, limited by his stamina after a full night's work, Yin Yunze did not portray it in fine detail this time. Instead, he went for a hazy look.

After all, the finer the details, the more likely he was to make a mistake. It was better to create a rough outline and let them fill in the rest themselves.

At the sight of the nine-tailed white fox Yin Yunze had created, the crowd, having just endured a night of heavy rain, paid no heed to the muddy ground and knelt in a mass.

"I have obtained the rain you sought. Now offer up the gold you prepared!"

Although Yin Yunze was already exhausted, he had insisted on mustering his spirits to put on this final act.

It wasn't because he wanted to use the opportunity to display his divine power before the crowd. Yin Yunze really wasn't in the mood for that now.

What kept Yin Yunze going was collecting his payment!

If he didn't collect while everyone was gathered here, was he supposed to go after them one by one later?

Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself!

Yin Yunze didn't like owing other people money, so he likewise didn't want other people owing him money.

But when they heard Yin Yunze ask for payment, the joy on some of the villagers' faces vanished at once.

Owing money felt good for a while; owing it forever felt good forever!

Since they had been able to buy on credit at the time, the villagers hadn't thought much of it. But when the moment to pay actually arrived, they began to feel the pinch.

Two taels of gold-how much pork and how many bolts of cloth could that buy?

Once they started weighing the cost, some began to entertain crooked thoughts.

Yin Yunze no longer sold grain or supplied water, which meant they would have no reason to ask him for anything in the future.

What was more, Yin Yunze had already delivered the promised rain to the ground.

Spilled water could not be gathered up again. Surely Lord Fox Immortal couldn't take the water that had fallen on the ground and return it to the heavens?

With that thought in mind, some became determined to default on their debts.

"Lord Fox Immortal, could you give us a few more days?" A thick-skinned, bold villager stepped forward and said to the shadowy nine-tailed white fox, "We still need a little time to exchange our money for gold. Besides, the crops haven't grown yet! Why don't we wait until the crops have grown before discussing the gold?!"

"You wish for more time?" Yin Yunze was naturally prepared for this.

Yin Yunze never overestimated human nature, nor had he ever assumed that everyone was a good person who kept their promises.

Hearing the man's words, Yin Yunze immediately roused himself and deliberately sneered. "Why are you telling me this? The gold is not mine! Go and ask the Dragon Lord whether he agrees!"

As soon as Yin Yunze finished speaking, the man who had asked for more time saw a dragon's head emerge from behind the enormous nine-tailed white fox. The head alone was as large as a house.

Even the vertical pupils in its enormous eyes were as tall as the nine-tailed white fox, which stood taller than an ordinary person. Its body wound and coiled through the air, stretching for who knew how many dozens of kilometers.

What made the man's liver and gallbladder split with terror was that the giant dragon was glaring fiercely at him. It let out a furious roar: "You mortals dare break your word! I shall see that every member of your family dies a miserable death! I shall devour your flesh and blood raw! I shall cast your souls beneath the Nine Netherworlds, never to rise again for all eternity!"

"D-d-d-d-dragon..."

The man was so frightened that he seemed to seize up, stuttering over the first word, unable to finish what he was saying.

Then he failed to catch his breath, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

The sudden turn of events left everyone looking at one another. They instinctively glanced at the sky, but saw nothing.

Fortunately, it had just rained, so water was the one thing in no short supply.

Someone scooped up a handful of muddy yellow water from the ground and quickly splashed the man awake.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the Dragon Lord still glaring at him from the sky.

No longer caring that the ground was wet and muddy, the man scrambled onto his knees and kowtowed repeatedly. "Dragon Lord, spare my life! Dragon Lord, please spare my life! I wouldn't dare do it again! Please let me go, Dragon Lord. I'm willing to offer twice the payment! Please spare my life, Dragon Lord!"

Seeing the man's deranged state, the people around him couldn't help taking a step back, fear appearing on their faces.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"What Dragon Lord?"

"Why are you acting crazy?"

"He has merely seen the Dragon Lord's true face."

Hearing everyone's questions, Yin Yunze offered an explanation at just the right moment. "I said from the start that all this gold was to be given to the Dragon Lord. If you do not pay, you are snatching gold from the Dragon Lord's hands!

"If any of you do not wish to keep your promise, I can let you discuss it with the Dragon Lord yourselves. But let me warn you beforehand: the Dragon Lord is already extremely angry, and I have no wish to get involved. So, if the Dragon Lord swallows you in his rage, I shall not intervene."

Yin Yunze's words sent a shudder through the crowd.

After a whole night of rain, there was no one who dared disbelieve Yin Yunze's account of the Dragon Lord.

Still, someone asked in confusion, "But why can't any of us see the Dragon Lord?"

"With your mortal eyes and flesh, how could you perceive the Dragon Lord's true form?" Yin Yunze deliberately gave a derisive laugh. "That man could see him only because I opened his heavenly eye. Do you, too, wish to meet and speak with the Dragon Lord as he did?"

"No more! No more! I'll never see him again!"

Right on cue, the man whose wits had been scared out of him by the Illusion Technique began howling.

The man's state did an excellent job of putting an end to everyone's curiosity.

He looked utterly deranged. There was no telling whether he would return to normal after today.

After all, there were no legendary investigators in this village, only a group of normal people. No one wanted to drive themselves mad out of curiosity.

Just then, Sun Qin stepped down from the wooden platform and removed her fox mask. Her delicate brows rose as she shouted, "Breaking your word before a true god-even if you aren't afraid of heavenly punishment yourselves, think of the wives, children, and elderly in your families!"

When Sun Qin mentioned their families, the greedy villagers belatedly realized that this was a debt they really couldn't evade!

Trouble shouldn't befall one's family?

In those storybooks and supernatural tales, angry immortals had never cared about that!

When truly enraged, some would even punch a hole through the heavens.

At a time like that, the immortals paid no heed to the common people of the world, much less anyone's family!

The clearest sign of the change in the villagers' attitude was that the Incense of Faith, which had diminished when the rain stopped, came surging forth once more.

It was even much stronger than it had been during the prayers for rain.

But compared with its clarity during the rain-praying ceremony, the Incense of Faith now seemed tinged with a faint blackness, as though stained by fear.

What more could Yin Yunze say to that?

He could only sigh once again that they were all people who feared power but felt no gratitude for kindness!

In most cases, giving someone a good meal was less effective than giving them a beating!

When the Incense of Faith surged over Yin Yunze and enveloped him, he felt his mind wander for a moment and involuntarily withdrew from that world. Before his eyes was once again the mountain forest of reality, where there was no sign that it had rained.

Sensing the Gate of Incense again, Yin Yunze saw that it had once more shut tight.

At this, Yin Yunze was both startled and delighted.

He was startled because the Gate of Incense had closed again, but delighted because this was not the first time.

And when it had reopened after closing last time, Yin Yunze had gained quite a few new abilities.

The first time was unfamiliar, but the second brought experience. Yin Yunze wasn't as flustered this time as he had been before.

He shook his head to rouse himself and prepared to go home for a good sleep.

For all he knew, by the time he woke up, the version update would be over.

Then he wouldn't have to endure the same agonizing wait as last time.