You, a monster, still want to travel to the West?

As soon as he entered the store, he took out a copper coin from his sleeve and handed it to the waiter. As soon as he sat down, Qingxin and Xia Zhiming immediately noticed something strange.

In the past, whenever he came, not only would the people in the store be chased away, but the way they pointed and talked about him seemed to be intimidating and fearful, which was really a bit unsatisfactory.

But today is different. There are still people whispering around, but there are no more hurtful words behind people's backs as in the past.

Qingxin seemed to be interested in this and was about to talk to Xia Zhiming, but she found that the white snake on her shoulder was unmoved. It just glanced at it and didn't take it to heart.

The girl suddenly said with some concern: "Zhiming, are you getting stuck in a dead end?"

Xia Zhiming shook his head: "If you mean the attitude of these people, I never care."

"why?"

"Just an outsider."

"I always feel that you are more like an immortal than I am."

"Please say more nice things like this, I love to hear them!"

"Except when I'm making such wisecracks!"

After a brief chat, Qingxin no longer worried about Xia Zhiming's state of mind. At least for now, she only had to receive guidance.

Raising his hand, he called the waiter and asked for a bowl of tea and dried fruits. Qingxin and Xia Zhiming sat at the table and waited quietly for the storyteller to arrive.

Generally speaking, wild tea stalls like this do not have fixed storytellers. Anyone who is willing to tell a story can come up, and the shop owner will not embezzle people's tips. The emphasis is on mutual support.

Not long after sitting there, a middle-aged man in a white robe and holding a folding fan approached.

Before entering, I saw the gentleman walking in with his folding fan open. He greeted everyone at each table as he passed by, and even stopped by when he came to Xia Zhiming's table.

When they reached the footstool at the far end of the store, the gentleman stepped forward, bowed, waved his fan, and said with a smile, "Have you heard about what happened in the government office last night?"

"I know!"

"The young Taoist priests are all here."

……

Someone in the store responded quickly, and soon the scene became lively with everyone talking.

"Okay! Okay!" The gentleman smiled and raised his hand to calm the atmosphere, and when everyone was almost quiet, he spoke again:

"Let's not talk about the Xu couple's wanton fabrications and their attempts to accuse good people of being bad. The young Taoist priest is here too, and if we talk too much and say something wrong, we'll just end up being laughed at."

"Today I will tell you about a mystery that has been unsolved in the county for many years..."

The storyteller closed his folding fan and nodded to Qingxin, who was sitting in the audience. "This matter is somewhat related to this young Taoist priest..."

(It’s the beginning of the month, please support me with a monthly ticket.)

Chapter 18 tells you a story about an immortal.

Inside the tea stall, the storyteller on the platform recounted stories whose truths were unclear, occasionally adding a witty remark that drew laughter from the audience. Sometimes, when he reached a crucial point, the crowd fell silent and listened attentively, their emotions fluctuating as they experienced a scene of human nature...

In the corner of the tea stall, Xia Zhiming leaned quietly on the girl's shoulder, just watching the stories on and off the stage.

Xiao Qingxin, on the other hand, seemed very interested. She sat at the table listening to the storyteller's stories, and from time to time she picked up some dried fruits and put them in her mouth to taste.

What the gentleman on the stage said was disorganized, but the general story line could still be sorted out——

The county town under everyone's feet is named Anshui, which is naturally because there is a river nearby, just on the north side of the city. The old people in the county call it Yong'an River.

This river is not wide but deep. Hundreds of thousands of people in Anshui County rely on it for their livelihoods, whether it's carrying water, fishing, or irrigation...

However, despite all the advantages, there is one thing that can never be avoided - if you live by the river, you will naturally die by the river.

Despite numerous warnings and instructions, a few children always go missing in Anshui County during the hot summer solstice. The people in the county have witnessed countless tragedies of young people dying before their elders, and almost all of them are related to the Yong'an River.

Originally, the people in the county had accepted their fate and could only ask each family to discipline their own children. However, they did not expect that the situation would suddenly take a turn a few years ago.

The turning point occurred with the Wang couple, the original owners of the "Qingxin Courtyard" where Xia Zhiming and Qingxin now live.

Since that year, many children in Anshui County still disappear every year, but the difference is that the bodies of most of those children cannot be found.

Since then, all kinds of rumors have been circulating in Anshui County, including rumors about human traffickers, ghosts, and even the Dragon King in the river.

……

The story was roughly based on this template. The gentleman then rambled on, giving some examples whose truth or falsity was unclear, and Qingxin stopped listening.

After a while, Qingxin picked up the last walnut from the table, crushed it, and put it into her mouth bit by bit. As she ate, she muttered, "Zhiming, what do you think?"

Xia Zhiming didn't take it seriously: "Ghosts are controlled by the City God, and the river is watched by the Dragon King. It should be a monster, but I'm more inclined to think it's a human trafficker."

Hearing this, Qing Xin drank the last bit of tea in the bowl in one gulp, looked at the storyteller on the stage who started to talk nonsense, and asked tentatively with his big eyes: "Do you want to go and take a look?"

Xia Zhiming spat out his tongue and said, "There's a way to communicate with the gods in the 72 Disha techniques. If you call out the land god, you'll know everything. You're simply looking for an excuse to go out and have fun."

Qingxin's face suddenly turned bitter and she looked a little unhappy: "I wish I wasn't so powerful."

Xia Zhiming turned around and looked at the pitiful little girl in front of him. After thinking for a while, he said, "My legs are on you, and I didn't say no."

"Ok!"

The young senior sister immediately smiled happily, nodded, left a few copper coins on the table and stood up from the table. The girl stretched out her hand and made a gesture, and her figure disappeared in the wild tea stall in a flash, leaving only screams on the ground!

……

Anshui County, north of the city, Yong'an River——

Since magic was used, Qingxin quickly brought Xia Zhiming to the destination.

It was still early in the afternoon, the perfect time for work, when the weather was cool. A man and a snake had just arrived at the Yong'an River.

As soon as I arrived at my destination, I saw a large group of people busy working by the river, with many people who looked like supervisors shouting and urging them to work. The leader was actually an acquaintance! It was Li Xiucai, the scholar who had been pounced on by the male fox in my dream.

After all, there were some idle people, and the people working on the riverbank soon noticed them. At the reminder of his men, Li Xiucai also walked over quickly and shouted from a distance:

"Gentlemen, please wait! Please wait!" When they got closer, this acquaintance, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, bowed and said with a happy face, "Gentlemen, it's been a long time since we last met."

Xia Zhiming lifted his snake body slightly and began to tease, "Master Gongzheng, it seems that the water diversion canal you mentioned earlier is ready to start construction? How much has been embezzled?"

"Forehead……"

Li Xiucai was choked by his words. After a long pause, he chuckled and shook his head, saying, "At least the remaining money should be enough to repair the canal."

Xia Zhiming nodded and said, "Just keep an eye on the back. If something goes wrong with the river diversion, many people will die."

Li Xiucai nodded and bowed solemnly: "Thank you for your advice that day, sir."

"No, please don't. If I point out a corrupt official, I'm afraid people will find out and stab me in the back." Xia Zhiming opened his mouth and made a joke: "If you get into trouble, don't tell anyone about Master."

Li Xiucai also knew that he was joking, and said with a smile: "That's right, I wonder what brings you here?"

Xia Zhiming was stunned and turned to look at Qingxin beside him: "What are you doing here?"

Qing Xin tilted her head: "Didn't the storyteller say that people always drown in this river? So I came to take a look."

Xia Zhiming immediately laughed at the girl: "Are you planning to call the Dragon King out and beat him up? Let him send back anyone who is about to drown?"

Qingxin's eyes lit up: "Is it okay?"

Xia Zhiming stretched out his tail and knocked on her head, then turned to look at Li Xiucai, who was sweating profusely because of the two of them singing and shouting.

"You've come to the wrong place. Go ahead and do your thing."

"Yes Yes!"

Xia Zhiming turned and said goodbye to the scholar before him. Xiao Qingxin also turned around and changed direction, slowly strolling along the river. Xia Zhiming just assumed she had nothing better to do and didn't bother to urge her...

The man and the snake walked further and further away. After an unknown amount of time, the white snake suddenly heard the voice of the young senior sister in his ears.

"Zhiming, you seem to like this Li Xiucai very much."

"He's clean."

"I don't understand, but I have another question."

Xia Zhiming turned his head to look at the junior sister beside him, but was surprised to find that the girl in front of him was smiling like a flower, with a golden light rising from her fingertips!

But in the Yong'an River before him, waves surged! Another earth-shattering dragon roar resounded!

Xia Zhiming was stunned for a moment, but then he saw the little sister in front of him smiling and asking:

"You only read and don't listen to stories from the human world, so why don't you listen to stories from the immortals?"

PS: This simulation will end soon.

Also, please give me a monthly vote. There is a monthly vote list for the original essay contest, and I would like to take a look at the front row.

Chapter 19 I Want to Hit You

But on the bank of the Yong'an River, while Xia Zhiming was staring in a daze, Xiao Qingxin issued an order to arrest the Dragon King of the Yong'an River.

But as soon as the Dragon King emerged from the water, he quickly noticed Qingxin looking up at him from the shore, but he paid no attention to her. Instead, he shook his head and tail and looked left and right. When he saw that there was no one else around, he suddenly realized what was going on and transformed into an old man.

The Dragon King, crowned with dragon horns, a golden crown and jade tassels, and clad in a golden robe, descended to the ground with extraordinary majesty. As soon as he landed and approached, he bowed his head and said, "Little Dragon greets the Immortal. I wonder why the Immortal calls me Little Dragon?"

Qing Xin raised her head and pretended to be serious, then said, "I want to hit you!"

"This...this..." The Dragon King was suddenly shocked, the jade pendant in front of him swaying with his movements, and he said anxiously: "I wonder how Xiaolong has offended the Immortal?"

Qing Xin put her index finger to her lips, looked at the old Dragon King in front of her, who was wearing gold and jade, and said with sparkling eyes: "I don't know, I wanted to hit you, but now I want it even more..."

"Pfft~"

After hearing Qingxin's incoherent words and noticing the girl's fixed gaze on the old Dragon King's golden and jade clothes, Xia Zhiming, who was hanging on her, finally couldn't help laughing out loud.

The Dragon King, hearing the laughter, glanced at the person in front of him, but found that it was just a white snake that had not yet transformed. He paid no attention to it, turned his eyes to the little fairy in front of him, bowed his head and said:

"Xiaolong has guarded the Yong'an River for hundreds of years and has received tribute from Anshui County. He believes he has acted righteously, ensuring the winds and rains flow smoothly. If there are any faults, please enlighten me, Immortal."

"But..." Qing Xin tilted her head with a slightly bewildered look in her eyes: "People in the county say that children are always drowning in the Yong'an River. I've heard them talk about you."

The old Dragon King was stunned. He looked at the little immortal who finally started talking about business and said suddenly:

"This is truly unfair. People have drowned in every river, lake, or sea in this world, especially children, who are so unruly. Every time the water rises during the summer solstice, whirlpools form in the flow, and drownings are even more common..."

Qing Xin was immediately furious and asked, "How can you not care about it since you have accepted the incense donations from this county?"

The Dragon King was not angry at her but sighed instead, "My Yong'an River stretches for nearly a hundred miles. Little did I know that my little dragon is so weak. How could he possibly manage all the things that happen on the river?"

Qing Xin was stunned for a moment, and after looking at the Dragon King carefully, he nodded - this Dragon King was indeed quite weak.

Seeing that the little fairy seemed to have listened, the Dragon King looked relieved, but suddenly he heard a somewhat abrupt voice interrupting him -

"What about the shrimp soldiers, crab generals, and patrolling yakshas?"

The Dragon King was stunned for a moment, and then he found that the white snake hanging around the little fairy's neck was raising its head as if with great interest.

Looking at the white snake in front of him that looked like his pet, the Dragon King glanced at Qing Xin and found that she had no objection. Then he reacted and bowed again:

"This immortal doesn't know that we, the Dragon Kings of the Rivers, are in charge of controlling the clouds and rain. Most of our shrimp soldiers and crab generals guard the key river passages to prevent monsters from flowing upstream and downstream. We also have patrolling Yakshas to prevent the monsters from the wilderness from sneaking in."

"If someone falls into the water, a Yaksha might come across them and lend a hand, but the river is vast, and there aren't many coincidences in the world."

After saying this, the old Dragon King sighed, "How could I know that my heart is willing but my strength is insufficient?"

Across from him, Xia Zhiming finally understood after hearing this: "Then according to what you said, Dragon King, you really can't do anything about this matter."

The Dragon King nodded, then shook his head. "Since I've received offerings, how can I really just ignore it? Whenever someone drowns, I always send my men to find a boatman or fisherman to bring the body back intact."

Xia Zhiming then asked, "Then why are there always children going missing in recent years but their bodies are never found?"

The Dragon King looked puzzled. "This river flows downstream, and anyone who drowns must reach the river mouth below. How could there be a gap? Have the immortals confirmed that the child fell into the water?"

Well, it seems that there is really no...

Thinking of this, Xia Zhiming turned to look at Qingxin beside him, and found that the little girl had turned her head away with a slightly red face.

Xia Zhiming was speechless for a moment and could only say to the Dragon King in front of him: "It is we who are rude. I would like to trouble you, Dragon King, to come out and see us. Please don't blame me."

"No blame! No blame!" The old Dragon King smiled and shook his head, then bowed and said goodbye: "I hope we will meet again if we are lucky, Masters."

After he finished speaking, a dragon roar was heard, and the old Dragon King leaped up, transformed into a green dragon, soared into the air, swam a circle, and then fell into the Yong'an River...

Seeing that the matter was over, Xia Zhiming turned to look at Qingxin in front of him. Just as he was about to say something to her, he found that the little girl had already spoken first in a pitiful voice: "What should we do next?"

Seeing her like this, Xia Zhiming recalled what the girl had said before, stretched out his tail and patted her head, humming and laughing, saying:

"Didn't you say you wanted to tell me the story of the immortals? Since the Dragon King doesn't know, then arrest the Earth God! If the Earth God doesn't know, then arrest the City God! Since we've done it, then don't leave any one behind!"

Qing Xin smiled immediately, then nodded vigorously. Just as he was about to raise his hand to cast the spirit-exorcising technique again, he suddenly heard a powerful voice beside his ear.