74: Chapter 74 The Green Snake is not the Green Snake Lady
"Have you heard? A River God Temple has been built on the West River!"
"You know Cheng Li from the west end, right? After worshipping the River God, he went fishing in the West River and didn't encounter a single evil spirit even once!"
"..."
Such news began to spread through the villages along the West River.
At first, not many people believed it.
But when Cheng Li started returning with baskets overflowing with fish, no one doubted it anymore.
They all approached Cheng Li to ask for details.
Cheng Li was an honest man and told them everything exactly as it happened.
In these times, life was hard for everyone.
He didn't think about hogging all the fish in the West River for himself.
If another family could survive, then so be it.
"Hey, hey, hey, Cheng Li, what does that West River God look like?"
"Is she as beautiful as a Fairy?"
The third son of the Wang family asked Cheng Li.
"The West River God has only appeared in snake form; it's a large green snake with jade scales all over."
"However, the temple attendants are all beautiful fairies. I think it must be the Green Snake Goddess—beautiful in form and kind in heart."
Once Cheng Li said this, the surrounding fishermen became even more excited.
Yet they didn't dare be too disrespectful toward the "River God," only imagining the "River God's" peerless beauty in their hearts.
"Does that River God Maiden really oversee a prosperous fishing industry?"
As soon as the Wang Family's Third Son spoke, the crowd around Cheng Li fell silent again.
Everyone along the West River lived by fishing.
Believing in anything was less important than believing in the River God.
Although Cheng Li's full catch of fish already spoke for itself,
they still hoped to hear it with their own ears to feel more at ease.
"It's not just fishing; believing in the Green Snake Goddess can also cure illnesses and disasters."
"If you have an incurable disease, you can go to the Green Snake Goddess's temple to plead with her!"
"As long as your heart is sincere, the Goddess will manifest her power!"
Cheng Li hurriedly repeated the words he had heard from the temple attendants.
By now, Cheng Li had become Xu Qing's number one promoter.
And in his heart, he was already certain that the green snake was definitely the Green Snake Goddess, not a Green Snake Grandpa.
As a result, everyone around him became convinced that the one in the River God Temple was the Green Snake Goddess.
"The West River Maiden oversees so much!"
The people around him marveled.
They didn't care if the object of their faith was a snake or a human, as long as it worked.
Bountiful harvests and medical healing.
As long as it could truly handle those two, they would believe even in a dung beetle.
Let alone the beautiful "Green Snake Goddess"!
"I'm going to worship right now!"
"Brother Cheng, is the incense money expensive?"
Hearing this, the surroundings fell silent once again.
They were all ordinary commoners and didn't care about much else.
How much money they had to pay for a miracle to happen was what they cared about.
"Sincerity is all that matters."
"Offerings are just a formality. As long as you sincerely believe in the Green Snake Goddess, she will manifest her power."
"Incense and offerings can be brought by yourselves."
When Cheng Li said this, everyone felt much more relieved.
For such a simple River God Temple, that River God Maiden must truly be beautiful and kind-hearted.
All the fishermen rushed home to prepare incense and offerings, then hurried toward the River God Temple.
Word spread from ten to a hundred, and within a few days, the previously desolate River God Temple saw a never-ending stream of visitors.
After all, this Green Snake Goddess was truly efficacious.
After making an offering, when they entered the West River again, there were no evil spirits to be found.
A large stretch of the West River around the River God Temple momentarily regained its former vitality.
The news spread further.
Some fishermen thought the West River had simply returned to normal and that it wasn't some Green Snake Goddess manifesting her power, so they went into the West River to fish.
Without exception, they were all snatched away by evil spirits.
Only then did the skeptical fishermen realize that only the section of the West River near the River God Temple was safe for fishing.
Now, they all believed the stories of the Green Snake Goddess.
They all began preparing to relocate to the villages near the River God Temple.
Meanwhile, at the River God Temple.
The "Green Snake Goddess," Xu Qing, was so angry he was slapping the ground with his tail.
"Why is it Green Snake Goddess and West River Maiden!"
"Exactly which part went wrong!"
Everything was going more smoothly than Xu Qing had expected.
Perhaps the wars had made it impossible for these people to survive, so when a glimmer of hope appeared, they grabbed onto it desperately.
Furthermore, Xu Qing had cleared out all the evil spirits from the riverbed in the vicinity, so it naturally seemed very miraculous.
In just one week, the surrounding fishermen and commoners all believed in this River God.
The only thing he hadn't anticipated...
...was which bastard had actually spread rumors that he was the Green Snake Goddess.
Why would everyone believe such a thing?
And by now, with everyone calling him Green Snake Goddess and West River Maiden, there was no way to change it.
Everyone believed you were the Green Snake Goddess.
So he could only be this Green Snake Goddess.
Aside from that,
as more and more people worshipped him, that strange sensation Xu Qing felt became stronger and stronger.
Vaguely, he seemed to feel a connection between himself and the West River.
He could see the conditions of the nearby section of the West River.
It felt as though if he wanted to, he could control a small section of the West River nearby.
However, when he actually tried to control it, he couldn't do it, as if it were just an illusion.
The statue he had refined of himself also began to change bit by bit as the number of believers grew.
It became more lifelike.
Moreover, as long as Xu Qing concentrated and thought of the statue, he could connect with it and obtain its perspective.
From the statue's perspective, each believer glowed with a faint green light.
Some green lights were dense, while others were dim.
Among them, the denser the green light on a believer, the thicker the golden aura that drifted from the incense they offered.
Xu Qing speculated that the deeper the green light, the deeper their faith in him.
"At this rate, I won't actually become the River God of the West River, will I?"
Xu Qing had originally only intended to pose as the River God.
The purpose was to gain the trust of humans.
If he really became the River God...
...wouldn't that be wonderful!
However, Xu Qing was very cautious. Before he understood this Power Of Faith, he did not integrate it into his Dao Cultivation.
Instead, he stored the Power Of Faith within the statue.
Power Of Faith was the name Xu Qing had given to this mysterious energy.
"Green Snake Goddess!"
Xu Linger called out excitedly.
"..."
"Green Snake Goddess, shall we discuss the Way of the Sword?"
"Green Snake Goddess, where do you think our master is now?"
"Green Snake Goddess, I don't quite understand this Spell."
"Green Snake Goddess..."
Xu Qing was about to explode.
This Xu Linger truly lived up to being a Sword Cultivator.
She was quite skilled with her sword.
When it came to discussing swords, no one Xu Qing knew was better than her; he was willing to call her the strongest.
With a flick of his tail, he swatted the sword-wielding Xu Linger aside, and Xu Qing left the River God Temple in a huff.
He then flew toward the West River.
Just now, while connecting with the West River, he had sensed a strange aura at the bottom of the river.
As the Power Of Faith gradually increased, Xu Qing's connection with this small section of the West River deepened.
That was why he hadn't sensed it through the West River before.
He submerged into the river water.
Ignoring the surrounding fish and shrimp, Xu Qing swam toward the depths of the West River's bed.
If he were a Frog, it might be a different story.
As he went deeper, the river water became darker.
Finally, he discovered a narrow cave at the bottom of the river, with a faint light shining from within.