12 Chapter 12 Land Deity_1

Yibai stared at the magnificent estate before him, truly astonished.

In these wild mountains and ridges, how could an estate have suddenly appeared out of nowhere?

This fellow.

Is not human.

Yibai turned around and took a deep look at the short old man beside him.

He was pondering whether this fellow was some Great Demon trying to lure him in and eat him.

After all, who would believe in such a beautiful estate appearing in the deep mountains and forests?

"Dragonkin, why not enter?"

The elder still had a smile on his face.

Having said that, he took the lead and stepped into the estate.

Yibai, peering through the crack of the door, saw the courtyard behind, which made him wonder whether this was indeed a Great Demon trying to trick him into entering.

After much thought, he still decided to go in for a look.

If he really encountered danger, he could just run to the Red Moon World.

Yibai steeled himself, twisted his serpentine body, and entered the estate.

Upon entering the estate, he arrived at a spacious courtyard, large enough to accommodate his serpentine form.

However, he couldn't go any further to other places. His serpentine form was too large, and other areas wouldn't allow him to enter.

The elder also knew that he couldn't go any further and just stood in the courtyard.

"It seems the gentleman has plenty of leisure time to keep the courtyard so spotless."

Yibai commented, looking at the clean courtyard.

"A clean heart keeps the courtyard naturally pristine, why bother cleaning it?"

The elder said with a chuckle.

"May I know why the gentleman brought me here? What is the matter?"

Yibai didn't want to beat around the bush anymore, not even knowing whether the other party was a demon or ghost and preferring not to quibble so much.

"It's nothing important, really. I just didn't want you interfering with the villagers' lives and was also afraid they might offend you, so I brought you away."

"Also, Dragonkin, did you appear here because of the Hu Family's wedding affair?"

The elder continued to smile.

"The Hu Family's wedding?"

Yibai was stunned.

"Isn't it so? The Hu Family near Li Family Village is marrying off their daughter and has invited demons from all directions. You are an outsider demon, appearing in this region—are you not here by invitation?"

The elder asked with curiosity.

"No, I came here seeking refuge from elsewhere. As for the Hu Family's wedding, I have never even heard of it."

Yibai denied it.

Hearing this,

the short elder smiled and looked at Yibai with a hint of profound meaning in his eyes. He slowly spoke again, "Seeking refuge? From Dayin Mountain's demons?"

Yibai was greatly startled.

He had not expected the short elder to guess his background so quickly.

"Who doesn't know about the Mountain Lord of Dayin Mountain who killed a Mountain God, an act that angered both gods and men? Who isn't aware that you're smart to know that staying on Dayin Mountain would bring you troubles?"

The short elder shook his head as he spoke.

When he mentioned "the Mountain Lord killed a Mountain God," his eyes clearly flashed with indignation.

"May I ask your honorable name?"

Yibai was somewhat surprised by the man's sharp judgment and was eager to know who he was.

"Huang Bo."

The elder replied with a smile.

"Then may I inquire, Old Master Huang, about your background?"

Yibai was very keen to know the man's details.

"Background? Does an official title count? If we're talking about titles, I certainly have one—I was a Scholar in the seventh year of Kaiyuan!"

Old Master Huang suddenly showed a very proud expression on his face.

"No, I'm talking about a follower…"

"Right, right, right, the Scholar who succeeded in the seventh year of the Kaiyuan era, you have no idea how glorious I was back then."

"I'm trying to say…"

"Actually, becoming a Scholar isn't that hard, if you study hard, you can do it too, oh, alright, you are a Demon, truly can't become a Scholar, what a pity indeed."

"Wait, that's not what I'm talking about…"

"You know, at that time I had a question, my approach was not wrong, but at the last moment, I changed my mind. If I had stuck with my original idea, perhaps I could have become a Scholar of the next level."

"..."

Yibai looked at the Old Master Huang in front of him, who seemed to have triggered some sort of button and began to talk on and on, and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Who could understand this? The old man was talking to a Great Serpent Demon about the imperial examination in the dead of night.

And yet, he had no way to stop it, forced to endure the old fellow's rambling.

As Old Master Huang kept talking, he suddenly stopped.

He turned his head to look outside the mansion, smiling at Yibai, and said, "Spending time with you, a descendant of dragons, has truly been enjoyable. Alright, dawn is breaking, and you should be on your way."

After finishing his words, Old Master Huang paused for a moment, as if he had just thought of something, reached out to grab something, and a scroll appeared in his hand, which he tossed onto Yibai's head.

He continued, "Since we are now acquainted, I'll give you this item."

Upon hearing this.

Yibai was stunned, wanting to say something.

But the scenery around him shattered like glass, falling apart layer by layer.

Yibai felt himself being pushed by an invisible force, the world around him spinning wildly.

By the time he regained his senses, he was surrounded by grassland already.

A large mansion disappeared just like that?

Yibai found it incredible.

He looked around and quickly spotted something different.

In front of him stood a small temple, located by the side of the road, with several plates of pastries and fruits offered on it, and the three characters 'Land Deity' inscribed above.

Yibai took another look at the clay sculpture inside the temple and was deeply shocked.

Wasn't this clay sculpture of the Land Deity none other than Old Master Huang?

Old Master Huang was the Land Deity?!

At that moment, Yibai finally understood everything.

No wonder he couldn't see his true form; it turns out that he was the Land Deity.

The Land Deity must have appeared to search for him because he was nearing that village.

A Mountain God is in charge of mountains and rivers, while a Land God takes care of a certain piece of land; they have similar responsibilities.

Just like Mountain Gods, Land Gods vary, some governing a stretch of land, others a village or two.

Old Master Huang yesterday, he was the Land God of this nearby village.

Thinking back to the realization that he had encountered a Land God, Yibai felt a shiver run down his spine.

He was merely a Demon who had recently transformed; to have met a Land God was too risky.

Yibai didn't think that he could defeat this Land God, even if the deity only governed one or two villages.

'Perhaps, he didn't attack me because my Monster Qi is very pure,' Yibai figured out the key point.

He had no doubt that if his Monster Qi contained even a trace of the malevolence from harming humans, this Land Deity would have struck him down, eliminating him, a mere Minion.

Buzz!

Yibai was still contemplating when the sun began to rise. The sunlight forced him to abandon his thoughts, and he twisted his serpentine body, ready to depart.

Just as he was about to leave.

From inside the Land Temple, a voice echoed in his ears.

"If you have nowhere to go, head east. That land belongs to the Hu Family, rarely frequented by anyone."

It was Old Master Huang's voice.

Upon hearing this, Yibai pondered thoughtfully…