Li Xuanxiao left Songyang Town.
As he passed by a river, the water was rushing fiercely, and he saw a child tumbling in the river.
People on the shore were shouting anxiously.
Li Xuanxiao was about to secretly cast a spell to save the child, but he saw a force lifting the child up from the river and throwing them back onto the shore.
The one who saved the child was a water ghost.
A water ghost is a malicious spirit that dies accidentally in water, or suicides in rivers, lakes, or seas, and cannot reincarnate.
They lurk under the water, luring or directly pulling living people down to drown and take their place, so they can be reincarnated.
But this water ghost was quite strange—it didn’t harm anyone, but instead, it had saved the person.
Cultivators accumulate merit, which manifests each time they undergo tribulations.
He landed on the opposite bank of the river.
With a light tap of his finger on the water's surface, he performed a summoning spell.
He forcibly called the water ghost over.
The water ghost was startled and quickly bowed, calling out, “Immortal Master!”
“You’re quite strange for a water ghost. Instead of finding a substitute to reincarnate, you’re saving people here.”
The water ghost forced a smile, “At first, I did think of doing that. I was eyeing a poor fellow.
He fell into the river, and I thought it must be fate for me to reincarnate.
But his daughter kept crying on the shore, and I couldn’t bear to push him in.”
Li Xuanxiao nodded, “How did you die?”
The water ghost answered honestly, “I passed through here many years ago, and there was a flood. I couldn’t get through and stayed to help the villagers rescue the water. Who would have thought I was swept into the water by accident?”
Li Xuanxiao asked for the water ghost's birthdate and fortune and calculated it. He said,
“You have some karmic virtue. After I report back to Mount Shushan, I’ll try to have you appointed as a river god. I hope you can remain true to your original intention.”
Upon hearing this, the water ghost hurriedly kowtowed in gratitude.
Before leaving, it stammered,
“I have one more request, I hope Immortal Master can grant it!”
“I was orphaned when I was young, and there’s no one left in my family.
Years ago, I was on my way to the capital to take the exam. I still had an unmarried wife waiting for me at home. I planned to succeed in the exam and then return to marry her.
But instead, I died here and couldn’t leave this river.
I just want to know how my wife is doing now. Is she happy? I ask Immortal Master to fulfill this wish.”
Li Xuanxiao was slightly stunned.
This story sounded so familiar.
“Is your wife named Su Xiao, and does she live in Songyang Town?”
“Immortal Master has met my wife!!”
Li Xuanxiao spoke truthfully, “Your wife has died, and she can’t leave the dry well at your home. Even if you become the river god, you won’t be able to leave the river domain, and as for when Mount Shushan will confirm this matter, it’s uncertain.
Your wife won’t be able to wait for that. If she stays in the mortal world any longer, her soul will scatter.”
The water ghost sighed, “I see… There’s nothing to be done. I’ve wronged her in this life. If she hadn’t followed me, a poor scholar, she wouldn’t have ended up .”
Everything is fate, not a single thing is in our hands.
Songyang Town, alley.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed, each step leaving a water-soaked footprint.
The person pushed the door open, and Su Xiao, in the dry well, glanced at the overcast sky.
Just as she was about to crawl back into the well, she suddenly froze.
She burst into tears, “You’ve finally come back!”
The first words weren’t a reprimand, but “You’ve finally come back.”
“I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”
“I couldn’t make it to the capital, I drowned in the water, became a water ghost, and couldn’t return.”
Su Xiao cried and said, “We’re both so foolish. I fell into the well, and I died.”
Su Xiao’s body began to dissipate, “I have to go now.”
“You… you, if you reach the underworld, and if there really is King Yama, just tell him your husband is becoming the river god, and ask him to show me some favor.”
“I understand. You take care of yourself. I’m leaving.”
“This life, I’ve wronged you.” The water ghost choked.
Su Xiao’s obsession disappeared, and she reentered reincarnation.
Li Xuanxiao exhaled lightly.
Looking at the broken magical artifact in his hand, he clicked his tongue and muttered,
“What a loss, what a huge loss. This little merit isn’t even worth the value of my magical artifact.”
He held the umbrella, and with the sound of his footsteps,
he walked toward the distance.
He suddenly remembered a niche game he had played in his past life.
The developer, who loved to cause frustration, had set up two possible endings.
The first ending was the easiest, where the protagonist saved the world, but everyone he cared about died, leaving only the crippled protagonist behind.
The second ending was the hidden one, where the protagonist perfectly saved the world and everyone else.
Li Xuanxiao tried again and again, starting from scratch countless times.
After three months of effort, he finally came up with the perfect strategy to clear the game.
Watching the protagonist finally get the perfect ending, Li Xuanxiao, lying in bed, smiled contentedly, as though the three months of effort hadn’t been in vain.
Thinking about this, Li Xuanxiao couldn’t help but smile.
After more than twenty years of cultivation, he still hadn’t changed.
And he was glad he hadn’t.
After this journey, Li Xuanxiao returned to Silver Sword Peak.
This time, after subtracting the sect’s small loan and interest, he probably earned around 40%.
Of course, Li Xuanxiao didn’t keep this 40%.
Instead, he bought spirit medicine and precious materials to continue refining pills.
After refining the pills, he would sell them again, and with the proceeds, buy more.
The more he repeated this process, the more his profit would grow, and his capital would increase.
Of course, all of this was based on the premise that the alchemist had the necessary skills.
Just thinking about how his days in cultivation could continue this peacefully, Li Xuanxiao dreamt sweetly.
In a few days, it would be the Mount Shushan sect’s once-in-ten-years disciple selection. He wondered what kind of new disciples would join Silver Sword Peak.
That night, Li Xuanxiao had a nightmare.
“If you dare harm her in any way for the sake of your disciples, I’ll slaughter your entire sect. If you dare harm her in any way for the sake of the world, I’ll kill everyone in the world!!”