Chapter 174: The Village's Misfortune

Chapter 174: The Village's Misfortune

Qi Yuan looked at Qi Qi and asked, "Are you here for the feast?"

Qi Qi was momentarily stunned. Her mind was processing the question at a different pace.

"Eat...?" She hesitated before answering seriously.

Qi Yuan's expression changed upon hearing this, "Such deep schemes! You've come all the way from the Heavenly Capital just for pig's head meat!"

Qi Qi was utterly confused, "????"

She was completely bewildered.

"I didn't come here just for the meat."

"But you just said you wanted to eat," Qi Yuan quickly interjected.

"I..."

"Then why are you here?" Qi Yuan interrupted her again.

"I came for something inside the divine statue..." Qi Qi finally realized, having almost been tricked into revealing her intentions.

She was indeed a deity, capable of leading her astray with just a few simple words, almost causing her to disclose her true purpose.

However, Qi Qi thought to herself, there was no need to hide her intentions. She said, "Deity Lord, I came here for an item inside the divine statue."

Upon hearing this, the villagers of Qing Shui Village exchanged glances.

The divine statue seemed to have disappeared.

Qi Yuan kicked the pig he was standing on, making it squeal as it was sent flying into Wang Zhongshan's hands.

Qi Qi was speechless.

Beside her, the maid, Xiao Xue, also held a pig.

There were too few villagers, so she was tasked with carrying one.

Xiao Xue looked pitiful, "Miss, what should we do now?"

This was the first time she, a young lady, had to hold a pig.

"Let's go eat the feast," Qi Qi suggested.

...

In a large pot, boiling water bubbled, sending waves of heat into the sky.

Large chunks of pork filled the air with a mouthwatering aroma that spread throughout the entire village.

Qi Yuan waved his hand, "Wang Zhongshan, call the funeral procession from Shi Family Village over here."

"The people here are crying half-heartedly; it's not very convincing."

Wang Zhongshan, standing beside him, was taken aback but quickly nodded, "Yes, Deity Lord, I'll call them over immediately."

Shen Tu, seeing this, couldn't help but speak up, "We villagers from Qing Shui Village can cry too!"

Qi Yuan glanced at Shen Tu, "Forget it, your village's crying is too fake."

Qi Yuan then looked at Chen Xifan from Chen Xi Village, and his expression turned approving, "Your village's chef is skilled; he knows how to prepare a feast, much better than Shi Family Village."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xifan, bent over, replied, "May I forever prepare feasts for the Venerable."

On this day, the deity from Qing Shui Village arrived at Chen Xi Village in grand style.

The villagers, who had been worshipping this deity, were excited to see the arrival of fatty meat and eagerly welcomed it.

The outcome was tragic; they were beheaded by a single sword.

The temple guards from Chen Xi Village also transformed into divine abominations, only to be slain by Qi Yuan one by one.

Except for some villagers who resisted desperately, most chose to save themselves.

They had been forced to worship the new deity, offering maiden boys and girls annually, and their hearts were filled with resentment, but they were powerless to resist.

The people of Chen Xi Village felt both fear and gratitude towards Qi Yuan.

The feast continued.

Platters of fatty pork were served, and everyone present had their appetites piqued.

The village head, Yu Le, sat with the divine official, Shen Tu, accompanied by a fat man and a thin man.

"The Origin Heavenly Venerable was our village's guardian deity, but the people of Shi Family Village were too flattering," the thin man said, his voice tinged with jealousy.

"Sigh, it's all my fault. I wanted to sell the divine statue for money and ended up offending the Venerable," the fat man lamented, his face filled with distress.

Initially, after the battle with Shi Family Village, Qing Shui Village had already been on a downward spiral. The once-fat man was now emaciated.

There was no point in keeping the divine statue in the temple; selling it was a reasonable decision.

"Actually, shouldn't we, as the deity's subjects, be the deity's arms? Our village's guardian deity was a bit too much...overbearing.

He takes matters into his own hands, grabbing a sword and charging into danger without hesitation!

It's too dangerous," the thin man said with trepidation.

It was as if a ruler of a country personally led every battle, charging ahead faster than his soldiers.

The villagers were astonished.

If something were to happen to this deity, their village would be doomed.

"It's only because we're too weak!" Village Head Yu Le puffed on his tobacco pipe, exhaling smoke.

The others in the room felt embarrassed upon hearing this.

Indeed, they were too weak to help alleviate the deity's worries.

If only they were more powerful, they wouldn't have to worry about being overlooked.

"Not only are you incapable of crying at funerals, but even the feast you prepared is inferior to Chen Xi Village's," Shen Tu remarked, unable to hold back.

These few men looked embarrassed, for they were supposed to be the direct followers of the Origin Heavenly Venerable, but instead...they were being overshadowed by the villagers of Chen Xi Village.

While feasting was enjoyable, if they didn't improve themselves, they would inevitably be marginalized.

"Unfortunately, our strength is too weak, and we can't support the Deity Lord either," they lamented.

In the midst of the dramatic changes in the heavens and earth, it was difficult for deities to reshape their divine bodies..." Village Chief Yu Le spoke with hesitation.

After the upheaval, the ancient deities could no longer reshape their divine bodies and had to enter the True Deity Realm.

Hence, many ancient deities wouldn't seriously manage their dominions.

Otherwise, in ancient times, the stronger the citizens of a dominion were, the stronger the deity would become.

"You're saying that if we imitate the New Deities and allow the Deity Lord to assimilate us, he might become stronger?" The fat man couldn't help but bring this up.

The New Deities were stronger than the ancient ones for two reasons. First, the New Deities had an endless supply.

Second, the New Deities would assimilate their citizens, merging them into one.

Just like the divine abominations in Shi Family Village, if the Evil Deity were still alive, they would eventually become temple guardians, becoming a part of the Evil Deity and completely losing their consciousness.

"What nonsense are you talking about? That's the doing of the Evil Deity, and we don't have control over such abilities anyway," Divine Official Shen Tu said.

The group laughed and didn't continue the discussion on this topic.

However, they still had a trace of worry in their hearts, as if they were uncertain about the future.

On the other side, Qi Qi was eating pig's head meat, occasionally stealing glances at Qi Yuan, who was feasting.

"Xiao Xue, what do you think of him?" Qi Qi asked quietly.

Xiao Xue's mouth was greasy, and she hadn't eaten so much in a long time: "He's truly a great benefactor!"

Being able to provide her with delicious food and drinks made him a great and kind person in her eyes.

"He seems carefree and unconstrained, but his thoughts are meticulous. With just a few simple words, he almost made me reveal everything about my background," Qi Qi recalled their initial conversation, feeling that Qi Yuan was unfathomably profound.

If Qi Yuan knew what Qi Qi was thinking, he would definitely cry out in protest.

"Wisdom!" Maid Xiao Xue praised as she ate the pork.

Qi Qi continued, "I heard he single-handedly killed the New Deities from Shi Family Village and Chen Xi Village."

"He's so bold and powerful!" Maid Xiao Xue didn't hesitate to praise him.

The pork was so delicious that she couldn't stop eating.

"Do you think I should give him the Yinshen Stone?" Qi Qi secretly glanced at Qi Yuan.

Nowadays, it was difficult for ancient deities to break through to the True Deity Realm, and a Yinshen Stone could attract the attention of many ancient deities and even divine beings.

Only then did Maid Xiao Xue stop eating the pork and instead frowned in thought. After a long time, she looked at the fragrant pork and said, "Apart from him, we don't really have a better choice."

With the collapse of the Heavenly Capital, the Qi family was annihilated.

Over the years, Qi Qi had relied on Maid Xiao Xue for survival and rarely knew any senior experts.

As for those she could trust, they were even fewer.

Perhaps this deity from Qing Shui Village was truly someone she could rely on.

Qi Qi's thoughts turned over in her mind, and as she looked at Qi Yuan, she seemed to have made a decision.

On the other side, Qi Yuan felt his strength increasing as he feasted.

"I've reached level 21."

After killing two New Deities, he had risen from level 1 to level 21.

According to his cultivation realm, he was only at the Golden Core stage, but the two he had slain were at the advanced stage of Divine Infancy. That's why his experience bar had risen so quickly.

"If I kill more, I might reach level 90 and enter the Dark Deity Realm, right?" Qi Yuan thought to himself.

He felt that coming to this world was truly wonderful.

Here, it seemed like all the monsters were elite, and the experience bar increased rapidly with each battle.

The only drawback was that after each fight, they had to eat, or else they would get too hungry.

"I hope that in this world, I can condense my Divine Embryo," Qi Yuan sighed.

At that moment, Qi Qi approached with a determined expression: "Deity Lord, I came to Qing Shui Village with a very important matter."

"I know, let's eat the pig's head meat," Qi Yuan said, looking at the girl before him.

He couldn't help but marvel at her youthfulness and her Golden Core cultivation.

In the Canglan Realm, she could have joined the Eastern Soil Talents Ranking.

In the Mundane Heart Realm, everyone seemed like dragons, and talents were everywhere.

"Deity Lord, please don't tease a young girl like me. I've come with a gift for you," Qi Qi said with a charming smile.

Qi Yuan became interested: "What gift?"

"Can the senior bring me to see the divine statue in Qing Shui Village's temple?" Qi Qi asked.

"Is it the thing you mentioned at the beginning, inside the statue?"

"Yes, that's right," Qi Qi nodded.

"Okay, let's go take a look," Qi Yuan waved his hand, "You all continue feasting, I'll be back soon."

Those feasting saw Qi Yuan leave and breathed a sigh of relief.

As they continued eating, the atmosphere became even more cheerful.

A flash of light descended upon the temple in Qing Shui Village.

"Where's the divine statue?" Qi Qi looked at the empty temple with a surprised expression.

"These fragments on the ground..." Qi Yuan said, "Maybe my dazzling appearance was too overwhelming, and the statue couldn't handle it, causing it to shatter.

Upon hearing this, Qi Qi fell silent for a moment before speaking, "The divine statue in Qing Shui Village was forged by my Qi family, and its durability is extraordinary. Even a Divine Being at its peak would find it difficult to destroy it."

"Perhaps it's because I'm too dazzling," Qi Qi added.

Qi Qi glanced at Li Qi Yuan, not fully understanding the implications of his words. But recalling his earlier statements, she sensed there was a deeper meaning.

Looking at the shattered remains on the ground, she said slowly, "When my Qi family forged this divine statue, they embedded a Yin Birth Stone within it."

As she spoke, she observed Li Qi Yuan's reaction, only to find him unmoved.

She was surprised; he was indeed a formidable figure, remaining unperturbed even when hearing about such a precious treasure as the Yin Birth Stone.

This further solidified her determination to invest in him.

Origin Heavenly Venerable's future seemed promising.

"With the heavens and earth undergoing a great transformation, Ancient Deities are unable to break through their boundaries and enter the True Deity Realm. But the Yin Birth Stone can help Ancient Deities achieve this breakthrough," Qi Qi explained.

Qi Qi bent down and picked up a piece of the shattered divine statue.

"Although the statue is broken, I can still extract the Yin Birth Stone from these fragments and offer it to you, allowing you to advance to the True Deity Realm," she said with a hint of shyness.

Li Qi Yuan was deep in thought.

. He could be considered a player.

Would this restriction, brought about by the transformation of the heavens and earth, affect him? In the Moon Viewing Continent, the Great Sun seemed to have established rules prohibiting beings from reaching the 100th level.

Li Qi Yuan also seemed to be affected by this.

In that case, the Yin Birth Stone would be useful to him as well.

"No reward, no labor. Just tell me, what task do you have for me?" Li Qi Yuan regarded Qi Qi as an NPC who assigned tasks, and now he had simply activated one.

The Yin Birth Stone was the reward for this task.

"Why are you haggling with me, Deity Lord?" Qi Qi's face turned slightly red as she spoke.

"When my ancestor forged this divine statue, he made a pact with its spirit. The deity who emerges from the statue will..." Qi Qi's translucent red ears turned crystal-clear, and her voice carried a hint of shyness.

Li Qi Yuan's eyes widened in surprise. "You're not here to break off our engagement, are you? Are you my fiancee, and today you've come to call it off?"

Numerous thoughts flashed through Li Qi Yuan's mind.

If she were to break off the engagement, should he utter the classic line, "Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west, don't underestimate the youth's poverty"?

But what if she didn't break it off?

Should he seize the initiative?

Qi Qi's beautiful eyes flickered with surprise, as Li Qi Yuan's words left her confused.

"When my ancestor made the pact with the spirit of the divine statue, it was..." Qi Qi hesitated, "For the deity who emerges from the statue to become my..."

Li Qi Yuan paused.

Just as he gained a daughter, was he about to gain another?

"Although we share the same surname, calling me 'Foster Father' is a bit much. We don't even know who's older or younger," Li Qi Yuan said, always considering himself young.

Having another daughter this old could easily lead to misunderstandings.

"This was the pact my ancestor made with the spirit of the divine statue," Qi Qi stammered. "If you, Deity Lord, do not acknowledge this, then let it be."

As she spoke, she produced a token.

It was a yellow piece of cloth, inscribed with the pact made by her ancestor.

Li Qi Yuan looked at the shattered divine statue on the ground and muttered, "The statue broke to guide me. I've noted this favor, and today, I'll take a small loss and accept you as my daughter."

Hearing this, Qi Qi felt joy mixed with a hint of shyness, "Foster Father!"

Li Qi Yuan felt strange upon hearing this, "You should call me 'Foster Father' instead."

For some reason, hearing 'Foster Father' made him think of Lu Bu.

But 'Foster Father' sounded much better.

His thoughts became more serious.

Qi Qi was slightly stunned but eventually called out sweetly, "Foster Father!"

Calling an Ancient Deity 'Foster Father' didn't bother Qi Qi much.

Most Ancient Deities were heroic spirits who had fallen in ancient battles.

These heroic spirits from the past had fought in the Hong Tang War for the Mundane Heart Realm and lost their lives. Qi Qi held respect for each one of them.

They had lived through many more years than Qi Qi.

Now that she had become his foster daughter, Qi Qi quickly adapted to the role, "Foster Father, since you've obtained the Yin Birth Stone and have the potential to reach the True Deity Realm, you can't just focus on improving your own strength. When encountering enemies, try to avoid fighting as much as possible."

"Oh?" Li Qi Yuan was surprised.

He didn't understand the connection.

"Do you know, Foster Father, that the strength of a True Deity is not only related to their personal power but also to the strength of their subjects?" Qi Qi explained.

"Mhm."

Li Qi Yuan thought about the Evil Deity in Shi Family Village and the Evil Deity in Chen Xifan Village.

They had gained strength from the support of the villagers.

But the villagers of Qing Shui Village were too weak, so Li Qi Yuan hadn't allowed them to provide any support.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end