The Water Thieves

Although there was no rush, given the situation, Yin Yunze was thinking of coming up with a plan as soon as possible.

But as always, there are only two things to do, but when you actually get to them, time flies by.

By the time Yin Yunze found a skilled sculptor who also took on anime-style sculptures, almost the entire day had passed.

Seeing that finding a construction team would have to be postponed until the next day, Yin Yunze could only sigh helplessly.

After having dinner at a restaurant, Yin Yunze went home and entered that world again to check the recovery of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and to begin his second talisman-making session of the day.

However, to Yin Yunze's surprise, he found himself back at that wretched Fox Immortal Temple once again.

In that instant, Yin Yunze recalled once again that unlucky rat-fox spirit statue.

However, there were quite a few people standing Fox Immortal Temple at this moment.

Upon seeing Zhao Wan standing next to Sun Qin, Yin Yunze realized that something must have happened.

With a quick glance, Yin Yunze noticed that besides Sun Qin and Zhao Wan, Song Ran was also in the crowd, along with a large group of indignant villagers.

And two people kneeling on the ground, their faces bruised and swollen, looking like pigs that even their own mothers might not recognize.

Not only were there hand and foot injuries, but the two men's hair and clothes also had multiple burn marks from the flames.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that it has been burned with numerous blisters.

No one knows what terrible things these two did, but the villagers not only beat them with their fists and feet, but also burned them.

The two pig-headed men were kneeling listlessly on the ground, and it was unclear how long they had been kneeling. Yin Yunze only saw that the blood flowing from their bodies had already begun to congeal and turn black on the ground.

It's safe to assume they've been kneeling for quite some time now.

The atmosphere at the entire Fox Immortal Temple was so heavy it was almost frightening.

"Mother, the Lord Fox Immortal has arrived!"

As Yin Yunze was observing, he heard Zhao Wan whisper something to Sun Qin.

Upon hearing this, Sun Qin nodded, then got up and went to the statue of the fox spirit.

"Silence!" After deliberately waving her whisk, Sun Qin shouted, "Lord Yi Yun, the villagers have something to ask you. Please show yourself!"

Although she had gained more, Sun Qin became increasingly respectful towards Yin Yunze, especially in front of outsiders.

Knowing in advance that Yin Yunze would be arriving in the afternoon, Sun Qin did not call out to him directly, but instead led everyone to wait there for an unknown amount of time.

Indeed, if Sun Qin, as the spokesperson, doesn't set a good example, others will likely be even more careless.

Maintaining respect for Yin Yunze is itself an act that benefits Sun Qin.

Look at that Spirit Medium Wang, before she turned her back on everyone, she still acted all respectful in front of others.

However, when he recalled that what Sun Qin was actually worshipping in front of was that giant rat-like thing, Yin Yunze almost lost his composure.

It's a wonder Sun Qin was able to respectfully worship that thing every day and hold back her laughter; it was truly remarkable.

What is it?

With that thought in mind, Yin Yunze asked a question.

Upon hearing this, Sun Qin flicked her whisk and pointed at Song Ran, saying, "Song Ran, as the village chief of Clear Creek Village, you are responsible for managing all affairs of the village. You should explain the matter to the Lord Fox Immortal!"

"Yes!"

Despite Sun Qin's commanding tone, Song Ran wasn't annoyed by her imperious manner; instead, she glanced at Sun Qin with some fear.

This look in his eyes was different from before; it wasn't out of fear stemming from Sun Qin's feigned power.

It was a deep-seated fear!

This small detail, combined with the burns on those two pig heads, is striking.

Yin Yunze could easily deduce that Sun Qin had probably taken this opportunity to subtly show off in front of others.

Yin Yunze didn't seem to have much of a reaction to this.

The items were given to Sun Qin, and as long as she doesn't misuse them, it's not Yin Yunze's business.

Moreover, if Sun Qin doesn't take action, how will the villagers know that Sun Qin is no longer the same person she used to be?

The higher Sun Qin's status in the village, the more Yin Yunze, as the person she worshipped, naturally rose in status as well.

The relationship between deities and their representatives is inherently one of mutual benefit and harmony.

"Here's what happened: these two are villagers from Upper Creek Village. This afternoon, they came to steal water from our Clear Creek Village..."

As Song Ran recounted the story, Yin Yunze finally understood what had happened.

Simply put, there are several other villages surrounding Clear Creek Village.

As the name suggests, Clear Creek Village got its name because a stream flows through it.

And this river, called Clear Creek, flows through more than just Clear Creek Village.

Downstream, there is a Lower Creek Village, and upstream, there is an Upper Creek Village.

These two villagers were the ones from Upper Creek Village who came to steal water.

Although the rain that night only affected Clear Creek Village, it was so significant that it was known to both the surrounding villages.

You can hide other things, but how can you hide the water in that river?

Although both villages still have wells where people can draw water if it's just for food and drink, so it's not to the point where people are dying of thirst and can't survive.

But the drought shows no sign of ending, and nobody likes the feeling of sitting around and watching their resources dwindle.

Furthermore, Upper Creek Village has the largest population of the three villages.

What are usually advantageous have become disadvantages in the face of such a disaster.

After all, with more people, more water resources are consumed.

However, the underground water resources are not given any preferential treatment just because Upper Creek Village is located upstream.

Now that Clear Creek Village has gained a river, both villages are naturally envious.

In fact, it wasn't just Upper Creek Village; people from Lower Creek Village also came to steal water.

However, since Lower Creek Village is located downstream, their purpose was merely to obtain water.

If you don't give them a few sips of water, they might just dig up the river channel that Clear Creek Village just blocked.

By then, the water resources lost by Clear Creek Village will be far more than just a few mouthfuls of drinking water.

Secondly, Lower Creek Village and Clear Creek Village still have a considerable relationship.

In the past, when Upper Creek Village controlled the upstream water source, the two villages often joined forces to force Upper Creek Village to open the sluice gates and release water.

Over time, while it wasn't exactly a case of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold," there was a sense of mutual support.

After all, no single family could gain an advantage over Upper Creek Village on its own.

So, although the villagers of Clear Creek Village were unhappy about the people from Lower Creek Village stealing water, they turned a blind eye. As long as they didn't go too far and actually tried to dig up the riverbed, they didn't interfere.

But Upper Creek Village is different. The two villages have had countless conflicts over water resources.

After the drought occurred, Upper Creek Village immediately shut off the water supply.

Later, it was only through the combined efforts of Clear Creek Village Lower Creek Village that Upper Creek Village was forced to open for a short period of time, but as the rain failed to come, it was soon shut down again.

As the drought worsened, conflicts broke out in the three villages more than once, nearly resulting in deaths.

Finally, the matter escalated to the point that officials from the county government had to come before the three villages were allowed to sit down and talk.

Although all three villages had representatives in the county government, Upper Creek Village, with its advantageous location, clearly had more leverage in its arguments.

The final result of the adjustment was that Clear Creek Village and Lower Creek Village would have to pay Upper Creek Village to buy water.

Everyone except the people of Upper Creek Village was naturally Qi Ingestion with this result.

But since the county officials had spoken, Clear Creek Village and Lower Creek Village had no choice but to grit their teeth and bear it.

The matter only came to an end after the drought worsened and the water source in Upper Creek Village began to dry up.

But even now, the men and women of Clear Creek Village have not forgotten how they were harassed back then.

Now, the tables have truly turned, so it's no wonder that the people of Clear Creek Village see the villagers of Upper Creek Village as ruthless and heartless.

Since Upper Creek Village is located upstream, it's impossible to prevent water from downstream from flowing back into Upper Creek Village.

With the protection of the Divine Ability fox spirit Yin Yunze, the small water source was no longer a worry for the people of Clear Creek Village.

Therefore, without any scruples, they would naturally beat anyone they caught to death.

Originally, all of this had absolutely nothing to do with Yin Yunze.

However, a very clever person suddenly had a very amazing idea.

Sun Qin couldn't make the decision herself, so she brought people here.

The stated reason is that the rain was, after all, brought by Yin Yunze. If people from other villages steal water, they are stealing from Yin Yunze, so the villagers want to hear what Yin Yunze has to say about it.

But in reality, it was because although the two were a bit thin, they were still young and strong men, and considered excellent food.

Yes, that brilliant strategist's idea was to sacrifice these two unlucky bastards to Yin Yunze!

"Get lost! I don't eat human flesh!"

When Yin Yunze heard Song Ran utter this outrageous suggestion, his nose nearly crooked.

Why should I, a perfectly good Orthodox God deity, abandon my post and become an evil god by consuming blood offerings?

Moreover, are you planning to use someone else to do your dirty work?!

You little brats, how dare you tarnish my good name!