The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Upon hearing the cries for help, Wang Zhenhuan was immediately startled and rushed upstream. The people along the riverbank followed suit. When he arrived at the place where the sound had come from...

Then they saw a group of people surrounding a woman who was soaking wet. The river was icy cold after winter, and the woman was sitting on the bank shivering, with a woman sitting next to her, holding her in her arms.

Judging from her appearance, she should be the woman's mother. Seeing the woman rescued, Wang Zhen nodded and was about to turn and leave when suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

He stood around the woman who had fallen into the water, looking around at the surrounding crowd. Although there were at least twenty or thirty people gathered there, apart from the woman who had fallen into the water, not a single person was wet.

Who rescued this woman?

Wang Zhenhuan was surprised, so he turned around, patted a middle-aged man next to him, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Brother, who is this person who fell into the water? I live nearby and I've never seen him before."

The middle-aged man was initially wary of Wang Zhen's unfamiliar face. He only relaxed his guard after hearing that Wang lived nearby, and whispered, "Oh, isn't this the daughter of the tofu seller in town? I wonder how she fell into the water."

"Oh, so it's her family's. I couldn't tell from the water. Brother, who rescued her daughter? I heard her mother shouting and ran over. I didn't expect her to have already been rescued. You're a good swimmer."

Wang Zhenhuan spoke to the middle-aged man in a familiar tone. The middle-aged man didn't suspect anything; after all, Xiayi was a large place, and it was normal not to have met before. He patted Wang Zhenhuan on the shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"I heard from people nearby that it seems to have been sent up by the river god of the Huai River."

"No wonder, I was wondering why I didn't see anyone going into the water to save people. Turns out they were brought up by the River God. Hey, brother, what does this River God look like?" Wang Zhenhuan asked.

"Oh, who knows? We've never seen him. But I heard from Granny Wang that the river god looks... oh my god, he's unbearable to look at..." The middle-aged man waved his hand, looking disgusted.

No sooner had he finished speaking than waves suddenly surged in the calm river. Amidst the turbulent spray, a ripple crashed towards the shore. Those nearby recoiled at the sound, and Wang Zhenhuan, seeing this, quickly pulled the old man back.

But to everyone's astonishment, the surging wave seemed to have a mind of its own. Instead of stopping them, it veered off course and crashed into the middle-aged man, soaking him completely from head to toe.

"Pfft—haha..."

Wang Zhen was initially suppressing a laugh, but when he saw the water splashing in the air and turning, he suddenly couldn't help but burst out laughing. It seemed the middle-aged man was right; the one who had just saved the person was indeed the river god of the Huai River.

However, this river god didn't seem to be very magnanimous. Wang Zhenhuan's curiosity about this river god grew even stronger. Judging from his behavior, he didn't seem to fit the image of the evil god who forced people into marriage as described by the innkeeper.

The middle-aged man shivered, and amidst the laughter of the crowd, blushed and fled, covering his face. The woman who had fallen into the water and her mother had also vanished without a trace.

And so, amidst laughter and chatter, the crowd gradually dispersed. Wang Huanzhen stood on the bank, surveying the Huai River before him and the Chen residence opposite. No matter what happened on his side, the Chen residence remained tightly shut.

He had seen the layout of the Chen residence from afar while in his room at the inn. It was a four-courtyard complex. A four-courtyard complex is an extension of a three-courtyard complex along its length.

A typical four-courtyard house adds a row of rear buildings behind the three courtyards. However, the Chen residence is different; it adds a garden at the back. From a distance, it looks quite magnificent. This type of four-courtyard house is a typical example of a grand and secluded mansion.

These large, secluded courtyard houses typically have only one main entrance and one back entrance. Therefore, the main gate is usually left wide open, symbolizing the welcoming of good fortune and auspiciousness.

There's a saying: "If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear." I learned the general outline of the matter from the innkeeper. This Chen family, by all accounts, should be considered victims.

But now the victims' homes are all locked up tight, while the river god that persecuted other families is frequently appearing, calming the floods, and saving people from disaster. The more you think about it, the more interesting it becomes.

And then there's Chen Shanren's daughter, whose grievances have a cause and whose debts have a debtor. Even though her parents forced her to marry, it was because of the river god. The wronged spirit of his daughter, who died unjustly, doesn't seek revenge on the river god; instead, she cries mournfully at her own doorstep every day.

Thinking about it this way, there must be some hidden story unknown to outsiders… With that thought, Wang Zhen shook his head, got up, and prepared to return to the inn. What did any hidden story have to do with him?

He was just a passerby, staying in this small town for a day before continuing his journey south at dawn. Winter had already arrived, so he needed to quicken his pace.

On his way back, Wang Zhenzhen stopped by a street stall and bought enough dry rations for the next month. The sudden war and years of banditry had begun to gradually affect the livelihoods of the people.

This bag of grain cost him a whole string of cash!

You should know that back in Jeju, he bought more than a dozen steamed buns for only a few dozen coins. He is currently in Hae-eup, located southwest of Jeju and south of Tokyo.

The area where Yingtian and Huainan East Road meet was unaffected by the chaos of war, so it should theoretically be cheaper. However, the opposite is true; prices have not only not decreased, but have actually increased.

There's only one reason for this situation: the number of people fleeing south gradually increased. Large quantities of rice were purchased, causing prices to rise.

Wang Zhenhuan sighed. It seemed the Song Dynasty's fate was sealed. The soaring prices and the monstrous creatures he had encountered along the way were signs of this.

When Wang Zhen returned to the inn, it was almost dusk. The inn's lobby was still deserted. He guessed that the innkeeper had gone home to rest after finding the inn empty.

He didn't take it to heart. After returning to his room, he put down the dry rations and sat on the bed, preparing to begin his first meditation. Although his method of practice allowed him to control his internal energy.

However, the speed of passive and active meditation is definitely different. Moreover, meditation can not only gather energy, but also cultivate the mind, keeping him in a state of tranquility at all times, so that he will not develop inner demons as before.

Cultivation is not difficult to begin once you grasp the method, but perseverance is key. Wang Zhen was personally instructed by the Purple Qi Immortal, so he naturally understood this principle deeply. He sat cross-legged on the bed and just closed his eyes.

Suddenly, there was a series of urgent knocks on the door...