Chapter 174: If You Don’t Mind

Chapter 174: If You Don’t Mind

“Are you here for the feast?” Qi Yuan looked at Qi Qi and asked.

Qi Qi was slightly stunned, her thoughts unable to keep up.

“...Yes.” After a moment's hesitation, she answered seriously.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan’s expression changed: “Such deep cunning! You traveled all the way from Tianfu to Qingshui Village just for some pig’s head!”

Qi Qi: “???”

She was completely bewildered.

“I didn’t come for the pig’s head.”

“Didn’t you just say you wanted to eat at the feast?” Qi Yuan quickly retorted.

“I...”

“Then why are you here?” Qi Yuan interrupted her.

“I came for something inside the statue...” Qi Qi began, but suddenly caught herself.

She almost let it slip.

This man in front of her, as expected of a god, had almost tricked her into revealing her purpose with just a few words.

But then, realizing that her purpose didn’t really need to be hidden, she said, “My lord, I came here for something inside the statue.”

After she finished speaking, the villagers of Qingshui Village exchanged glances.

The statue seemed to be gone.

“I’m here to enjoy the feast; we can talk later.” Qi Yuan kicked the pig under his foot.

The pig squealed and was kicked over to Wang Zhongshan.

Qi Qi was speechless.

Beside her, the maid Xiaoxue was also holding onto a pig, looking very aggrieved: “Miss, what should we do?”

It was her first time holding onto a pig, and as a young lady, she found it very embarrassing.

“Let’s join the feast.”

...

In a large pot, water was boiling, and the steam was rising.

Large chunks of pork were simmering, and the aroma spread throughout the village.

Qi Yuan waved his hand: “Wang Zhongshan, call over the mourning band from Shijia Village. The people here cry too half-heartedly; it’s no fun.”

Wang Zhongshan was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded: “Alright, my lord, I’ll call them right away.”

Nearby, the priest Shentu couldn’t help but say, “Our people in Qingshui Village can cry too!”

Qi Yuan glanced at Shentu: “Forget it, the people of Qingshui Village cry too fakely.”

Qi Yuan then looked at Chen Xifan from Chenxi Village and nodded approvingly: “Your village’s chef is quite skilled, better than the one from Shijia Village.”

Chen Xifan, hunched over, replied, “I’m willing to cook for the venerable one every day.”

Just today, the deity of Qingshui Village had come to Chenxi Village with great pomp.

The god they worshiped had excitedly rushed out to greet them, only to be swiftly beheaded by a single strike.

The temple guards of Chenxi Village had also turned into demonic creatures, all of whom were slain by Qi Yuan.

Most of the villagers, except for a few who resisted, chose to protect themselves.

They had worshiped the new god out of necessity, offering sacrifices of boys and girls each year, harboring resentment in their hearts but lacking the power to resist.

The people of Chenxi Village both feared and were grateful to Qi Yuan.

The feast continued.

As the fatty pork was served, everyone’s appetites were whetted.

Yulei, the village chief of Qingshui Village, and the priest Shentu sat together with a fat man and a thin man.

“The Origin Heavenly Lord is our village’s guardian deity, but... the people of Shijia Village are too obsequious,” said the thin man, his voice tinged with jealousy.

“Sigh, it’s all my fault. I wanted to sell the statue to make some money, and I ended up offending the venerable one,” the fat man said, looking distressed.

After the battle with Shijia Village, Qingshui Village was on the brink of collapse.

The once-fat man was now so starved that he was almost unrecognizable.

With the statue in the temple serving no purpose, selling it seemed reasonable.

“In theory, aren’t we supposed to be the arms of the deity? But our guardian deity is a bit too... extreme.

He handles everything himself, charging into battle with his sword!

It’s too dangerous,” the thin man said nervously.

It was as if a king were personally leading his troops into battle every day, charging ahead of his soldiers. The villagers were naturally shocked by this.

If anything happened to the deity, Qingshui Village would be doomed.

“It’s because we’re too weak!” Village Chief Yulei puffed on his pipe, exhaling smoke.

The others looked embarrassed at his words.

Indeed, they were too weak to assist the deity with their problems.

If they were all powerful, they wouldn’t fear being sidelined.

Qi Qi glanced at Qi Yuan, not fully understanding his words.

But recalling what Qi Yuan had said earlier, she thought there must be some deeper meaning.

She looked at the fragments on the ground and slowly said, “When my ancestors forged this statue, they embedded a Yinsheng Stone within it.”

As she spoke, she watched Qi Yuan’s reaction but saw that he remained unmoved.

She was surprised—this big shot was truly unfazed, even upon hearing about the Yinsheng Stone.

This only strengthened her resolve to invest in him.

The future of the Origin Heavenly Lord was full of potential.

“Now that the world has changed, ancient gods can no longer break through to true gods.

But the Yinsheng Stone can help an ancient god ascend to the realm of true gods.”

Qi Qi bent down and cupped her hands around the fragments of the statue.

“Even though the statue is broken, I can still extract the Yinsheng Stone from these fragments, so you can break through to the realm of true gods.”

Qi Yuan was deep in thought.

He considered himself a player.

Would this world’s restrictions apply to him?

In the Moonlit Continent, it seemed that the Great Sun had once set a rule prohibiting all beings from breaking through to level 100.

Qi Yuan felt he had been affected as well.

So this Yinsheng Stone might be useful to him too.

“I can’t accept something for nothing. Just tell me, what quest do you have for me?” Qi Yuan was treating Qi Qi like an NPC giving him a quest, with the Yinsheng Stone as the reward.

“My lord, why must we be so formal with each other?” Qi Qi said, her face turning slightly red.

She continued, “When my ancestors forged the statue, they made a pact with the statue’s spirit. The god who emerged from the statue would... would...”

Qi Qi’s ears turned a translucent red, and her voice took on a shy tone.

Qi Yuan’s eyes widened: “Are you telling me you’re betrothed to me, and you’ve come to break off the engagement?”

A flood of thoughts crossed Qi Yuan’s mind.

If she wanted to break off the engagement, should he utter that classic line, “The river flows east for thirty years, then west for thirty years—don’t underestimate a poor young man!”

But what if she didn’t want to break off the engagement?

Should he seize the initiative?

Qi Qi’s beautiful eyes showed surprise. Qi Yuan’s words left her confused.

“Back then, my ancestors made a pact with the statue’s spirit that the god who emerged from the statue would... would be my adoptive father.”

Qi Yuan was stunned.

He had just gained one daughter, and now he was gaining another?

“Even though we both share the Qi surname, it’s a bit much to ask me to be your foster father.

Given our ages, who knows who’s older?” Qi Yuan always thought of himself as very young.

But suddenly having such a grown daughter was bound to raise some eyebrows.

“This was the pact between my ancestors and the statue’s spirit,” Qi Qi said hesitantly, “If my lord doesn’t wish to acknowledge it, we can just forget it.”

As she spoke, she took out a yellow cloth inscribed with the original agreement.

Qi Yuan looked at the shattered statue on the ground and finally murmured, “The statue shattered to bring me forth. I’ll remember this favor. Today, I’ll take a small loss and accept you as my daughter.”

Hearing this, Qi Qi was overjoyed, though her face still held a slight blush: “Father!”

Qi Yuan felt a bit strange hearing this: “You should call me ‘Dad’ instead.”

For some reason, the word “Father” reminded him of Lü Bu.

“Dad” sounded much better.

It felt much more proper.

Qi Qi was momentarily stunned, but then she sweetly called out, “Dad!”

Calling an ancient god “Dad” didn’t trouble Qi Qi much.

Most ancient gods were the spirits of heroic souls who had died in ancient times.

These heroic spirits had fought in the great war of the distant past, sacrificing themselves for the Fancun Realm. Each one was worthy of Qi Qi’s respect.

They had lived far longer than Qi Qi.

Having become his adoptive daughter, Qi Qi quickly embraced the role: “Dad, now that you have the Yinsheng Stone and the potential to reach true godhood, you should no longer focus solely on your own strength. When facing enemies, try to avoid taking action yourself.”

“Oh?” Qi Yuan was surprised.

He didn’t see the connection.

“Dad, do you know that a true god’s power is not only related to their own strength but also to their followers?” Qi Qi explained.

“Hmm.”

Qi Yuan had fought the evil gods of Shijia Village and Chenxi Village.

They gained power from their followers, significantly boosting their strength.

The villagers of Qingshui Village were too weak, so Qi Yuan hadn’t had them boost his power.