If You Do Not Disdain Me

"Care to join the feast?" Qi Yuan asked, looking at Qi Qi. Qi Qi froze slightly. Her mind couldn't quite keep up with his train of thought. "...I will," she answered earnestly after a moment's hesitation. Hearing this, Qi Yuan's expression changed. "What a schemer! Traveling thousands of li all the way from Tianfu to Qingshui Village just to eat pig head meat!" Qi Qi: "???" She was utterly bewildered. "I didn't come here for pig head meat." "Didn't you just say you wanted to eat at the feast?" Qi Yuan shot back briskly. "I..." "Then what did you come here for?" Qi Yuan cut her off. "I came for the thing inside the divine statue..." As she spoke, Qi Qi snapped to her senses. She had nearly been tricked into spilling everything. The man before her truly lived up to being a deity. With just a few simple lines, he had run circles around her, nearly coaxing her into revealing her true purpose. Yet, realizing that she had no need to conceal her purpose in the first place, she said, "Lord Deity, this humble woman came here for an item inside the divine statue." When Qi Qi finished speaking, the villagers of Qingshui Village looked at one another in dismay. The divine statue seemed to already be gone. "I'm waiting to eat. We'll talk later." Qi Yuan gave a kick. The pig pinned beneath his foot squealed as it was kicked straight into Wang Chongshan's hands. Qi Qi was left speechless. Beside her, the maidservant Xiaoxue was also holding on to a pig. There were too few villagers, so it had been handed to her to hold. She wore a thoroughly aggrieved look. "Miss, what do we do?" As an unmarried young maiden, this was the very first time she had ever wrestled a pig. "Follow them and eat at the feast." ... Inside the massive cauldrons, water boiled furiously, sending up towering plumes of steam. The rich aroma of thick slabs of pork wafted across the entire village. Qi Yuan waved a hand. "Wang Chongshan, go call over the mourning squad from Shijia Village. The folks here cry too timidly—there's no zest to it." Wang Chongshan blinked, then nodded hurriedly. "Right away, Lord Deity! I'll fetch them immediately!" Nearby, the shrine official Shentu couldn't help chiming in, "The people of our Qingshui Village know how to wail too!" Qi Yuan glanced at Shentu. "Forget it. You people from Qingshui Village sound too fake." Qi Yuan then turned to Chen Xifan of Chenxi Village, flashing an approving look. "Your village chef has great culinary skills. He knows how to throw a banquet—much better than Shijia Village." Hearing this, Chen Xifan bowed his stooped back. "I would gladly cook banquets for Your Reverence every day." Just today, this god of Qingshui Village had marched grandly into their Chenxi Village. The moment the god they worshipped saw all the prime meat approaching, it had eagerly rushed out to greet it. Its ending had been miserable—beheaded with a single sword strike. The shrine guards of Chenxi Village had transformed into divine abominations, only to be slain one by one by Qi Yuan. Aside from a handful of villagers who stubbornly resisted, most chose self-preservation. Their worship of the New God had been forced upon them anyway. Offering virgin boys and girls year after year had long brewed deep resentment in their hearts, but they had possessed no power to fight back. Toward Qi Yuan, the people of Chenxi Village felt both dread and gratitude. The feast began, carrying on in full swing. As savory, fatty pork was served, everyone's appetite was whetted. Village Chief Yulei and shrine official Shentu sat together, flanked by a fat man and a thin man. "Origin Celestial Venerable is our Qingshui Village's guardian deity, yet... those people from Shijia Village are far too obsequious," the thin man remarked, his voice tinged with jealousy. "Sigh, it's all my fault. Trying to sell the divine statue for money thoroughly offended His Reverence." The fat man wore a look of utter distress. Back then, after the battle with Shijia Village concluded, Qingshui Village had reached the brink of doom. The fat man—who had once truly been fat—had nearly starved to skin and bones. Keeping the statue in the shrine served no practical purpose, so selling it had been understandable. "Actually, shouldn't we, the flock, be the deity's arms and legs? Our village's guardian deity is a bit too... preposterous. No matter what happens, he charges in himself, grabbing his sword and going straight to work! Doing that is just too dangerous," the thin man said with trepidation. It was as if a kingdom's monarch embarked on personal campaigns every day, charging even faster than his soldiers. How could the villagers not be shocked? If anything happened to their deity, Qingshui Village would be completely finished. "Isn't it simply because we're too weak!" Village Chief Yulei puffed on his dry pipe, exhaling clouds of smoke. The men around him looked sheepish. It was true; they were far too weak to relieve the deity of his worries. If every one of them were formidable, why would they ever worry about not being valued? "Our strength won't do, our mourning won't do, and even our banquet cooking can't match Chenxi Village," shrine official Shentu couldn't help grumbling. The group wore helpless expressions. By all rights, they were Origin Celestial Venerable's direct followers, yet... all they did each day was feast. Feasting was wonderful, but if they failed to improve themselves, they would inevitably be cast aside. "Alas, we are too frail to give back to Lord Deity. And with the great changes in heaven and earth, it is nearly impossible for gods to reshape their divine bodies..." Village Chief Yulei said with hesitation. Following the great changes in heaven and earth, Ancient Gods could no longer reshape their divine bodies to step into the True God realm. Because of this, many Ancient Gods no longer bothered to diligently manage their fiefdoms. Otherwise, in ancient times, the stronger a fiefdom's subjects were, the more powerful their deity became. "Tell me, if we followed the New Gods' way and let Lord Deity assimilate us, would he become stronger?" the fat man couldn't help asking. New Gods surpassed Ancient Gods for two reasons: first, New Gods emerged in an endless stream. Second, New Gods assimilated their subjects, fusing them into one. Just like the divine abominations of Shijia Village—had the evil god lived, they would have eventually become shrine guards, becoming part of the evil god and completely losing their self-awareness. "What nonsense are you spewing? That's what evil gods do, and besides, that sort of power isn't something we can control," shrine official Shentu chided. The others chuckled and dropped the subject. Still, a wisp of unease lingered in their hearts, an unspoken confusion about what the future held. On the other side, Qi Qi nibbled on her pig head meat, stealing glances at Qi Yuan as he feasted. "Xiaoxue, what do you think of him?" Qi Qi asked softly. Xiaoxue's lips glistened with oil; she hadn't eaten her fill like this in ages. "He's truly a great philanthropist!" Anyone who let her feast on good food and drink was a great philanthropist and a wonderful person. "He looks wild and unconstrained, but his mind is remarkably meticulous. With just a few simple lines, he nearly got me to reveal my entire background." Recalling their earlier exchange, Qi Qi felt Qi Yuan was unfathomably deep. Had Qi Yuan known what she was thinking, he would have cried out that he had been deeply wronged. "Brilliant!" the maidservant Xiaoxue praised between bites of pork. Qi Qi continued, "I heard he slaughtered the New Gods of Shijia Village and Chenxi Village all on his own." "Courageous and mighty!" the maidservant Xiaoxue praised without a second thought. The pork was simply too delicious; she wished she could eat it every single day. "Tell me, should I give him the Yin-Birthing Stone?" Qi Qi stole another glance at Qi Yuan. Nowadays, Ancient Gods struggled to break through to become True Gods; a single Yin-Birthing Stone was coveted by many Ancient Gods and divine creatures alike. Only then did Xiaoxue pause her eating. Furrowing her brows in thought, she pondered for a long while before glancing at the fragrant pork. "Aside from him, we really don't have a better choice." Tianfu had collapsed, and the Qi Clan was annihilated. For years, Qi Qi and Xiaoxue had depended on each other, barely knowing any senior experts. As for those they could trust, the number was virtually nonexistent. This god of Qingshui Village might truly be someone they could rely on. Thoughts raced through Qi Qi's mind as she watched Qi Yuan, seemingly arriving at a decision. Meanwhile, Qi Yuan felt his strength swelling. Slaying New Gods and holding feasts was truly exhilarating. "Level 21." After killing two New Gods, he had leveled up from Level 1 to Level 21. This was because, in terms of cultivation realm, he was merely at the Golden Core stage, whereas the two he had slain were both in the late Divine Infant stage, which was why his experience bar filled up so quickly. 'If I kill a few more, I'll reach Level 90. Will that... be the Yin God realm?' Qi Yuan pondered. He felt that coming to this world was truly wonderful. Everything here seemed to be elite monsters, offering rapid exp progression. The only slight flaw was that he had to eat after every fight, or he would starve. "I hope I can condense my Divine Infant in this realm," Qi Yuan mused with emotion. Just then, Qi Qi walked over with a resolute expression. "Lord Deity, the truth is, I have a very important matter in coming to Qingshui Village." "I know: to eat pig head meat." Qi Yuan looked at the young woman before him. He couldn't help sighing in admiration. So young, yet already at Golden Core. Back in the Canglan Realm, she would qualify to participate in the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll. In this Mortal Heart Realm, everyone truly seemed like dragons, and prodigies were everywhere. "Why must Lord Deity tease this humble woman? I came here to present a gift to Your Honor." Qi Qi smiled radiantly. Qi Yuan's interest was piqued. "What gift?" "Could Senior take me to view the divine statue of Qingshui Village?" Qi Qi asked. "Is it that thing inside the statue you mentioned earlier?" "Yes." Qi Qi nodded. "Alright, let's take a look." Qi Yuan waved a hand. "You all keep eating; I'll be back shortly." The feasting crowd breathed a sigh of relief as Qi Yuan left. With that, their feasting grew even merrier. Streaks of light flashed across the sky, landing before the shrine of Qingshui Village. "Where is the divine statue?" Qi Qi asked, startled as she looked into the empty shrine. "Well... that powder on the ground is what's left of it," Qi Yuan said. "Perhaps my grand entrance was a bit too dazzling, and the statue couldn't handle it, so it blew up." Qi Qi fell silent upon hearing this. After a long pause, she said, "The divine statue of Qingshui Village was forged by my Qi Clan. It is exceptionally resilient—even a peak divine creature would find it difficult to destroy." "Maybe it's just because I was too dazzling." Qi Qi glanced at Qi Yuan, not entirely understanding his words. Yet, linking them to what he had said before, she believed there must be profound meaning behind it. Gazing at the powder on the ground, she said slowly, "Back when the Qi Clan forged this statue, they buried a Yin-Birthing Stone inside it." As she spoke, she watched Qi Yuan's reaction, but found him completely unperturbed. She was inwardly astonished. A big shot truly lived up to the name—remaining calm even upon hearing of a treasure like the Yin-Birthing Stone. This only strengthened her resolve to invest in him. Origin Celestial Venerable had a promising future. "Now that heaven and earth have undergone great changes, Ancient Gods cannot break through their bottlenecks to step into the True God realm. Yet the Yin-Birthing Stone can help an Ancient God enter the True God realm." Qi Qi bent down, scooping up a handful of the statue's remains. "Though the statue is shattered, I can still extract the Yin-Birthing Stone from these fragments for Your Honor to break through to the True God realm." Qi Yuan fell into contemplation. He counted as a player. Did the restrictions of these great changes apply to him? Back on the Wangyue Continent, the Great Sun seemed to have laid down rules forbidding all beings from breaking through past Level 100. Qi Yuan had seemingly been affected by it as well. In that case, this Yin-Birthing Stone would be useful to him too. "One should not accept rewards without earning them. Speak—what quest are you giving me?" Qi Yuan treated Qi Qi like an NPC giving out a quest; this was just the trigger. And the Yin-Birthing Stone was simply the quest reward. "Lord Deity, why make such fine distinctions between us?" Qi Qi's face flushed slightly as she spoke. She continued, "When my ancestor forged the statue, he made a pact with its spirit: the god who walked out from the statue would... with this humble woman... this humble woman..." Qi Qi's delicate earlobes turned translucent crimson, her tone tinged with coy shyness. Qi Yuan's eyes widened. "Don't tell me you have a marriage contract with me, you're my fiancée, and you came today to break off our engagement?" Countless thoughts flashed through Qi Yuan's mind. If she was breaking off the engagement, should he shout that classic line: 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—do not bully a youth just because he is poor'? But what if she wasn't breaking it off? Should he seize the upper hand first? Astonishment flickered in Qi Qi's beautiful eyes; Qi Yuan's words completely baffled her. "The pact my ancestor made with the statue's spirit was that... this humble woman would take Lord Deity... as her foster father." Qi Yuan froze. He had just gained one daughter, and now another? "Even though we both share the surname Qi, having you call me 'godfather' is a bit much. Who knows which of us is older?" Qi Yuan had always considered himself very young. Suddenly acquiring such a grown daughter would easily cause misunderstandings. "This was the pact between my ancestor and the statue's spirit," Qi Qi said hesitantly. "If Lord Deity does not acknowledge it, we can drop the matter." Saying so, she produced a token. It was a yellow silk cloth with the ancient pact recorded in writing. Looking at the shattered statue on the ground, Qi Yuan finally murmured, "The statue shattered to welcome me into this world. I'll remember this kindness. Today, I'll take a bit of a loss and accept you as my daughter." Qi Qi was overjoyed upon hearing this, though a trace of blush remained on her cheeks. "Foster Father!" Hearing this, Qi Yuan felt odd. "You'd better just call me 'Godfather.'" For some reason, hearing "Foster Father" reminded him of Lü Fengxian. "Godfather" sounded much better. His associations with it were far more proper. Qi Qi blinked, but ended up calling out sweetly, "Godfather!" Addressing an Ancient God as "Godfather" didn't cause Qi Qi much psychological burden. Almost all Ancient Gods were heroic spirits who had died in battle in ancient times. These senior spirits had fought in the ancient... Hongtang Great War, sacrificing their lives for the Mortal Heart Realm; every single one of them commanded Qi Qi's utmost respect. The years they had lived far exceeded hers. Having become his foster daughter, Qi Qi quickly embraced the role: "Godfather, now that you have obtained the Yin-Birthing Stone and have hope of stepping into the True God realm, you can no longer act as you do now, caring only about boosting your own personal cultivation and taking the initiative to fight whenever you face enemies." "Oh?" Qi Yuan looked surprised. He couldn't see how that was related. "Does Godfather know that a True God's might stems not only from oneself, but also from one's people?" Qi Qi said. "Mm." Qi Yuan had fought the evil gods of Shijia Village and Chenxi Village. Bolstered by their villagers, their strength had surged considerably. Meanwhile, the villagers of Qingshui Village were too weak, and Qi Yuan hadn't asked them to bolster him.