The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

Midnight, beneath Donglin Waterfall.

Two figures approached together, calling out softly to the River God.

A moment later, the snake's head emerged from the river, its gaze filled with its usual scrutiny.

"What is it?"

Li Yi respectfully said, "This river has never had a name. Now that it has an owner, why don't you, Immortal, personally name the river so that the villagers can talk about it?"

Xiaoqing's eyes lit up. "This is important!"

The green snake pondered for a moment, then a smile appeared on its face. It glanced at the river, then looked up at the waterfall:

"This river is named after the spirit treasure of this deity, and is called 'Azure Dragon'; as for that cliff, it is called Falling Tiger Cliff."

"What a wonderful name!" Li Yi exclaimed. "The name Qingchi River will surely spread far and wide, becoming renowned throughout Qifeng County!"

Xiaoqing raised her snake head slightly, waited a moment, and then said calmly, "Is there anything else?"

Li Yi had thought about it for a long time, but in the end, it was Zhang Junyi who came up with the idea.

To break this bad habit in Li Family Village, the River God must intervene. Only by appealing to their emotions and transforming the issue from Li Yi's false pretense of power to the "true intention of the tiger," can the matter be accomplished.

Li Yi solemnly said:

"Immortal, are you aware that the village's incense offerings have been damaged for many years?"

Li Yi had long understood that the Green Snake, being a deity, was inherently indifferent to other races.

If you want to persuade the Green Snake, you must start by offering incense.

Sure enough, Xiaoqing tensed up, waiting for what would happen next.

Li Yi forced a smile, "Miss Junyi is aware of this matter, but she cannot speak at the moment, and her spiritual acupoints have been sealed by Zhang Lingbao..."

Green Snake chuckled indifferently, "You're quite clever."

The water vapor in the river surged and rushed into Zhang Junyi's body. She looked intoxicated, and in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, her oral cavity and spiritual acupoints were opened.

The green snake withdrew its water energy and said calmly, "I have helped you recover your mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation. Now, speak."

Zhang Junyi coughed twice, first testing his voice, and then said in a slightly hoarse voice:

"Reporting to the Immortal, Li Family Village is located in a remote area with scarce resources. They can only rely on purchasing young women to continue their lineage. According to the laws of the Wu Dynasty, anyone who buys a free woman shall be exiled or hanged."

The village head and the county clerk were in cahoots, and things were still manageable. But now that the immortal is the River God, officials from the Investiture of Gods Bureau will come to visit. If they learn of the village's corrupt practices, it will be beyond the control of a mere county clerk.

When it comes to matters of great importance like continuing the family line, the Green Snake is indeed cautious.

After thinking for a moment, he asked:

"If I, the Venerable One, were to intervene and prevent this from happening, how would the villagers continue their livelihood?"

Zhang Junyi was prepared and respectfully replied:

"The land around the Qingchi River is flat, but wild animals always roam here. Now that the immortals are protecting us, the villagers can cultivate fertile land here. As long as we have enough money, there will always be women willing to marry into our family."

Li Yi quickly added:

"For ordinary families, being able to eat their fill every day in this world is already a great blessing. With the protection of the gods, Li Family Village has no worries about a lack of produce, and the incense offerings will only get better than they are now."

The green snake nodded slightly. "In that case, I will personally appear in Li Family Village tomorrow morning to vouch for you."

Then, he said meaningfully, "I thought you were trying to use my power to satisfy your own selfish desires."

Li Yi paused, but did not refute.

He can no longer distinguish between what is a great virtue and what is selfish desire.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Meanwhile, in a corner of Mount Dahan, beyond the clouds and mist.

A group of three stood atop the mountain. The leading man was dressed in black, with a silk ribbon tied around his waist and a jade knot in front of him.

He pinched his thumb and forefinger into a circle and placed it on his left eye socket, whereupon a thin film of wood energy adhered to the circle.

The entire situation of the Qingchi River can be seen in this circle of fingers.

This person was Liao Qingming, an official of the Fengshen Division and one of the four inspectors of Qifeng County.

The two people beside him asked curiously, "Sir, is it truly the descent of a new god?"

Liao Qingming chuckled, "Not only did a deity appear, but there were also two interesting little fellows."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"No time, let's talk about it tomorrow morning."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next morning, Li Yi hurriedly asked his adoptive father to gather everyone from the previous day, not in his own courtyard, but in an open space at the east end of the village.

Many early-morning hunters stopped and watched curiously when they saw this spectacle.

Seeing that the crowd had gathered sufficiently, Li Yi addressed the men of the village in a loud voice:

"Dear uncles and aunts, dear brothers and sisters, last night the River God appeared to me in a dream and said only one thing—from this day forward, the village must sever all ties with human traffickers. Any young woman in the village who wishes to return home must be given travel expenses and must not be obstructed!"

These words caused an uproar among the villagers.

Li Yi smiled slightly, "Of course, if any older woman wishes to return to her hometown, she should not be stopped either."

Li Quan pushed his way through the crowd, his brows furrowed with menace, and retorted, "That's all nonsense!"

"Li Yi, in the end, you're just an outsider. What right do you have to criticize the village?"

Li Yi frowned, not understanding what was wrong with him, looking so bitter and resentful.

"My father is Li Dashan, a respectable villager. How could he not be qualified? Regardless of whether I am qualified or not, this is the will of the River God. Do you dare to disobey?"

"Pah!"

Li Quan spat and pointed at Li Yi, saying, "From beginning to end, it's all just your side of the story, Li Yi. If the River God is alive, why would he trust you, an outsider?!"

"That's right! The River God is a deity of Mount Dahan, of course he will protect us, what does it have to do with you!"

Li Yi looked at the person who spoke, who was none other than Li Quan's number one lackey, named Li Xue.

He said meaningfully, "Li Xue? She's probably getting married soon, isn't she?"

Li Xue, slightly embarrassed, retorted with a stiff neck, "None of your business!"

Li Quan shoved him aside and said coldly, "If there really is a River God in the Great Cold Mountain, I don't believe he favors only you. Fight me, and I'll see if that so-called River God will side with you!"

Li Yi sighed, "If I win, will you believe me?"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Li Quan took a step forward and closed in on Li Yi in two quick movements. He reached out with both hands to grab Li Yi's arm, then pressed against his armpit and threw him with force.

Li Yi remained expressionless, letting the other person grab his right arm. No matter how he tried to push against him with his back, he didn't budge.

After a long stalemate, Li Yi placed his left hand on Li Quan's shoulder and gave him a light push, causing him to stumble and his right arm to loosen.

"Brother Quan, we'll see each other again soon, why ruin our relationship?"

Li Quan jumped up, fist raised, and charged forward, yelling, "Go to hell!"

Li Yi smirked, grabbed his opponent's fist, and flung it behind him, sending Li Quan crashing headfirst into the crowd in a sorry state.

Li Shuan, Li Xue, and the others stared wide-eyed, forgetting everything except that Quan Ge'er was a ruthless man who had taken the heads of soldiers in the enemy ranks. How could he be toyed with like a child by Li Yi?

Li Yi was already impatient, but he wanted to maintain his composure and couldn't use the Investiture of the Gods to command Xiao Qing, which was such a trivial matter. So he had no choice but to wait patiently.

Li Quan pushed through the crowd and ran back to Li Yi. Just as he was about to step forward, he heard a commotion behind him, like a tidal wave.

Everyone looked up and saw a vast expanse of river stretching across the sky, with large plumes of water vapor condensing at the crest of the tide, forming a snake-like shape tens of meters long.

The "water snake" led the tide, lowering its head as if observing a swarm of ants, its eyes filled with indifference, its shouts like booming bells, striking the hearts of the villagers:

"Stubborn and incorrigible! Deserves to die!"