Chapter 432: Origin is Remarkable

Li Jinlai shivered on the boat for quite some time. The woman on board, in a panic, tried to care for him, but she clearly didn't know how to properly handle the situation. It wasn't until another boat came alongside and the boatman offered help that the man finally received proper assistance.

They removed his wet clothes, wiped him down with a cotton towel, and wrapped him in clean garments. They also pinched his philtrum, attempted to drain water from his abdomen, and even poured two mouthfuls of ginger soup into him. Only then did Li Jinlai finally regain his breath.

This night, originally filled with anticipation, had turned into one of lingering shock. Li Jinlai was immensely grateful to the boatman who had rescued him, giving him half a *guan* of coins as thanks. He knew this was a genuine life-saving act.

The boatman, naturally in high spirits after receiving a *guan* of coins, had his crew row their boat alongside while he helped Li Jinlai steer the pleasure boat back to shore. In Li Jinlai's current condition, he certainly couldn't have managed the oars himself.

As Li Jinlai's pleasure boat docked, the helpful boatman left in high spirits. After all, he hadn't even had to enter the water to rescue anyone; the man had simply climbed aboard, exhausted and chilled. Receiving half a *guan* for such minor assistance was truly a bargain.

Li Jinlai lay on the pleasure boat's soft couch, wrapped in two blankets, while the woman attended to him. Both had now composed themselves, and their actions were no longer panicked or absurd.

At that moment, Chunhui Prefecture's pier was relatively quiet, as most of the flower boats, multi-decked vessels, and smaller pleasure boats had already departed from the shore.

As soon as the helpful boatman departed, Li Jinlai, who had been shivering and dispirited, immediately perked up. He first peered outside, then looked at the woman beside him.

"Xiaoyu," he asked, "that man said I climbed onto the boat myself. What did you tell him?"

The woman replied, still shaken.

"I… I told him I was too scared at the time, thinking you were going to drown, and by the time I collected myself, you were already on the boat."

The woman was telling the absolute truth, but upon hearing her, Li Jinlai clapped his hands.

"Excellent! That's exactly right!"

Li Jinlai knew his own condition well. He reached up and touched his forehead; the spot where the stool leg had struck him was red and swollen and throbbed painfully to the touch.

"Hiss..."

Seeing this, the woman couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"Young Master Li, I didn't mean to..."

"Oh, no, it's fine, it's fine. Perhaps if you hadn't hit me, things wouldn't have worked out!"

Li Jinlai waved his hand, his face alight with excitement and showing little blame. He loosened the blanket he had been clutching, pulled out a red brocade pouch hanging around his neck, and then carefully untied it, revealing the talisman inside.

As the woman watched on curiously, Li Jinlai unfolded the talisman and saw a faint green light flicker across its surface.

"It worked! Hahahaha..."

After laughing for a while, Li Jinlai suddenly fell silent. He glanced around, then peered out the pleasure boat's window, realizing he shouldn't be celebrating on the boat—he should at least go home first. He quickly tucked the talisman back into the brocade pouch, though the elation on his face was impossible to conceal.

"Hehe, Xiaoyu, you've been a great help to me tonight. In a couple of days, I'll buy your freedom and bring you home as my concubine."

The woman's face lit up with surprise. While women like her might appear refined and graceful, they were ultimately courtesans, and escaping their lowly status as soon as possible was almost every one of their dreams.

"Really?"

"Of course it's true! When have I ever lied to you?"

Li Jinlai rubbed the woman's small hand, his lips curved in a cheerful smile, though his mind was on other delightful prospects.

Beside the small pleasure boat where Ji Yuan and Bai Qi were, the Big Green Fish had already returned, stirring circles of ripples in the water beneath the bow.

"Big Green Fish, you're so amazing! You saved another person!"

Hu Yun reached out a paw to paddle, his eyes and voice filled with praise. Although Hu Yun sometimes disliked people, or rather, certain types of people, having been influenced by Ji Yuan for so long, his sense of right and wrong was now very clear. The Big Green Fish was truly commendable.

"Blub blub blub..."

The Big Green Fish in the water responded with a majestic string of bubbles, swaying its body and fins in the ripples, as if to convey that it was no big deal.

"What do you make of it, sir?"

Bai Qi hadn't initially found anything special about the man who fell into the water; he was, in fact, more amused by the woman's "miraculous handling" of the situation. However, as the Big Green Fish carried the unconscious man ashore, Bai Qi noticed a faint spiritual light flicker on the man's body, revealing he had clearly come prepared.

Ji Yuan looked at Bai Qi and replied.

"Mr. Bai is the True God of Chunmu River; naturally, you are in charge of matters that occur on the river."

The next morning, Li Jinlai, carrying the brocade pouch, excitedly made his way through the streets and alleys of Chunhui Prefecture City, heading towards the sorcerer's residence.

Soon, Li Jinlai arrived at the secluded Willow Leaf Alley and found an exquisite grand residence. Unlike other homes whose gates were typically painted vermilion or other colors, this one featured two simple paintings on its main gate: one depicting a peculiar animal with tusks, and the other, a bird with minimalist lines.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Li Jinlai knocked on the door. After a short wait, he heard footsteps approaching, followed by the sound of the bolt being drawn inside. The door was opened by a tall boy of fourteen or fifteen, dressed in a sky-blue silk shirt with cloud-patterned cuffs. He wore a small cap adorned with a fine jade hairpin, and his fair complexion, red lips, and white teeth gave him a remarkably ethereal appearance.

"Oh, thank you, young master, for opening the door. I, Li, apologize for disturbing you again!"

Li Jinlai dared not presume, and quickly bowed to the boy in greeting.

"Yes, come in. Master is inside."

The boy nodded at Li Jinlai, then stepped aside from the doorway. Once Li Jinlai was inside the courtyard, the boy closed the door again.

Although the residence lacked pavilions and towers, it featured both a front and back courtyard, along with several buildings. Upon entering the back courtyard, a faint scent of sandalwood wafted through the air.

Inside a room in the back courtyard, an elderly man with an ethereal, almost divine presence, dressed in a long robe, sat cross-legged on a futon with his eyes closed. Before him lay a small table holding an incense burner, a teapot, and teacups. A stick of sandalwood incense had already been lit, and he appeared utterly serene and tranquil.

The moment Li Jinlai saw this scene, his excitement heightened. He longed to quicken his pace but continued to follow the unhurried boy, not daring to walk ahead of him.

Soon, the two arrived at the house. The boy stood outside and respectfully addressed the interior of the room.

"Master, Mr. Li is here."

"Mm."

The old man slowly opened his eyes and looked at the beaming Li Jinlai.

"It seems, Mr. Li, that you have succeeded?"

Li Jinlai's joy could no longer be contained, and a smile spread across his face.

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this spell upon me. Last night, I feigned drowning on Chunmu River and almost made it real. But I believe I finally attracted that divine fish, which rescued me and pulled me onto the boat. Here is the talisman."

As he spoke, Li Jinlai pulled out the brocade pouch hanging from a red string, took a few steps closer to the old man, and presented it with both hands.

The old man smiled, took the brocade pouch, then untied it to examine the talisman. Seeing a faint green light truly flowing within it, his expression also showed surprise.

'There really is a divine fish that rescues people?'

However, the surprise in his eyes was fleeting, and because he was looking down at the talisman, Li Jinlai did not witness this.

"Indeed, it has absorbed spiritual energy. If you find a skilled craftsman to carve a fish statue, then hide this talisman inside its belly and offer numerous prayers, the divine fish will be able to sense it."

As he spoke, the old man handed the talisman back to Li Jinlai, who, upon receiving it, repeatedly bowed with cupped hands.

"Thank you, thank you, Master, for your guidance. Thank you, Master. This small token is a humble expression of my gratitude!"

From a hidden pocket in his sleeve, Li Jinlai produced a silver note from the local Datong Bank, with a denomination of ten *liang* of silver.

"Yes, disciple."

The old man prompted, and the boy at his side quickly came over to accept the silver note on his behalf, placing it in a small box nearby. He then led Li Jinlai, who was eager to return home and find a craftsman, away.

As soon as the two departed, the old man with the ethereal presence immediately rose from the futon, bumping the table and causing the teapot and teacups on it to clink softly.

He walked to the small box, opened it, took out the silver note, and examined it carefully. He verified the red seal and signature, as well as some almost imperceptible patterns on the note, confirming its authenticity.

While he was relieved to confirm the silver note was genuine, an inexplicable pang of sadness welled up in his heart.

'Sigh, if I hadn't been forced to leave the capital, ten *liang* of silver wouldn't even register in my mind!'

"Sigh..."

His thoughts translated into a deep sigh.

"Heh heh, this Master has just received a considerable sum of silver, so why the sigh?"

A strange voice sounded, causing the old man to instinctively flinch before instantly regaining his composure. He turned around, a calm expression tinged with slight anger on his face, to see a middle-aged Confucian scholar in a brocade robe standing outside the room.

"I sigh for the people of this world, still so consumed by greed for gold and silver. They give money today only to gain more tomorrow, alas..."

Shaking his head and sighing, the old man scrutinized the newcomer, then inquired.

"Who are you, sir? Although I, Du, was aware of your presence in the courtyard, entering so silently is still rather impolite, wouldn't you agree?"

The man outside the room nodded and said with a smile.

"Indeed. My name is Bai Qi, and I am the True God of Chunmu River. May I ask your esteemed name?"

Bai Qi had long realized that the person before him had shallow spiritual cultivation. And seeing his attitude towards money, it was even less likely that he was any kind of esteemed master.

"Ah, hahahahaha... The True God of Chunmu River? Hahahaha... Young man, don't make an old man laugh!"

The old man laughed heartily for a while before straightening up. He could clearly see that the middle-aged man in the brocade robe before him was just a mortal, at most a martial artist, yet he dared to impersonate the True God of Chunmu River.

Bai Qi watched him with a faint smile, waiting for the old man to continue.

In truth, the method the old man had just advised Li Jinlai to use was not harmful to the Big Green Fish; it even provided some benefit, albeit minor due to the old man's greed. However, for Li Jinlai, it offered no real advantage, perhaps only some psychological comfort that might make him bolder. Thus, Bai Qi was neither rushed nor annoyed, simply waiting for the old man to speak.

The old man observed Bai Qi's demeanor, surmising he was someone who relied on his martial prowess. He thought to himself that he needed to be careful in dismissing him.

"Hmph, hmph, this old man is a disciple of Ji Yuan, the Immortal Venerable from beyond the world, and was enfeoffed as a Heavenly Master by the former Emperor of Dazhen. My name is Du Changsheng!"

Bai Qi's face showed unconcealable surprise, and he blurted out.

"A disciple of... Mr. Ji?"