Chapter 46: Passing Immortal Sect 4 Part 2

“Brother Fan, you just got married yesterday. I shouldn’t disturb you and your wife, but…”

The visitor was a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy named Tie Niu. He scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, but soon a serious look appeared on his youthful face.

“The dam on the Luo River is severely damaged and won’t hold much longer! If we don’t figure something out soon, when the dam collapses, the entire Ku Xian Village will be flooded!”

Fan Tian’s core was now Lu Yun Ting, who was unclear on the situation, so he probed, “Severely damaged?”

“Yeah!” The boy’s eyes flashed with anger. “It was those two immortals fighting on the dam that day—they wrecked it! Those high-and-mighty gods don’t care about our lives at all!”

If powerhouses from the Cultivation World fought, forget a mere dam—moving mountains or leveling seas was nothing. But to a mortal boy, even a Qi Refining Stage cultivator who had just learned to fly on a sword was an immortal who soared through the skies.

“The Village Chief and the others discussed it for a long time without deciding, so they sent me to ask Brother Fan. Brother Fan is strong and capable. After coming to our Ku Xian Village, you’ve helped us build bridges, pave roads, plow fields, and plant crops. Everyone trusts you and is willing to listen to you.” Tie Niu said, holding up two fingers. “Right now, there are two options.”

“First is to rebuild the dam, but that would be time-consuming, laborious, and extremely dangerous. If the dam collapses during repairs, everyone will die.”

With mortal flesh and blood, it was indeed hard to withstand the power of mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas. Lu Yun Ting asked, “What’s the second method?”

Tie Niu hesitated, clearly reluctant to mention the second option.

“The second… is to demolish the Snake Girl Lady Temple!”

“No!” A woman’s sharp rebuke entered their ears. Tie Niu and Lu Yun Ting both turned to look at Xun Ji.

Xun Ji stared back at them with wide eyes. After a moment, he stammered, “Uh… actually… I didn’t mean that…”

That “no” had slipped out involuntarily—it wasn’t his own intention, but the will of this body’s owner, Qingming.

It seemed he and Lu Yun Ting hadn’t fully merged with the illusion. One had to restart from time to time, while the other got possessed occasionally.

“Sigh, I completely understand Sister-in-Law’s feelings.” Tie Niu sighed like an old man. “The Snake Girl Lady is the goddess our Ku Xian Village has worshiped for generations. She’s protected us for ages. How can we just demolish her temple?”

“But a few years ago, the sorcerers sent by the imperial court surveyed the village’s feng shui. They said rerouting the river is the only way to completely eliminate the floods and ensure peace for future generations. And the best spot for the new dam is right at the Snake Girl Lady Temple!”

Tie Niu looked at Lu Yun Ting with a face full of worry. “Brother Fan, which method do you think is better?”

Lu Yun Ting didn’t hesitate at all, answering resolutely, “Naturally, the second one.”

The sorcerers supported by the mortal dynasty were generally low-level cultivators who had stalled in their cultivation and sought opportunities in the mortal world. Though low-level, they were more than capable of surveying feng shui.

“The old dam is on the verge of collapse. Repairing it rashly would do more harm than good. Building a new dam requires only demolishing one temple—a small price.” Lu Yun Ting reasoned clearly. “If you’re worried about the worship, just rebuild the temple elsewhere.”

“A temple guards its land. How can it be moved lightly!”

Xun Ji’s mouth kept moving, but his eyes frantically signaled to Lu Yun Ting: It wasn’t me saying that!

Unfortunately, they had no tacit understanding. Lu Yun Ting thought his two objections meant he had some discovery he couldn’t mention in front of Tie Niu, so he gave him an affirming look: Junior Sister Su, I trust you.

Lu Yun Ting patted Tie Niu’s shoulder and said gravely, “But faith is paramount. If we anger the Snake Girl Lady, building a hundred dams would be useless.”

Tie Niu’s eyes lit up. “As expected, Brother Fan thinks the same! I’ll go tell the Village Chief right now—we’ll go with the first option!”

The sun rose and set, stars wheeled across the sky.

Xun Ji woke up on the bridal bed to the familiar fiery red once more. They were back at the wedding night. He turned his head and met Lu Yun Ting’s speechless gaze.

“We can’t choose the first option.” Lu Yun Ting frowned. “A lot of people will die.”

In Ku Xian Village, when they chose the first plan, something went wrong on the first day of dam repairs. The riverbank collapsed, killing all the repairing villagers. The river was filled with floating corpses, like a purgatory on earth.

“I wanted you to choose the second one from the start.” Xun Ji felt utterly defeated. “We picked wrong, so we looped back to the illusion’s beginning.”

In the original text, Fan Tian had analyzed the pros and cons just like Lu Yun Ting and decisively chosen the second option, demolishing the Snake Girl Lady Temple.

“Then why did Junior Sister object twice?” Lu Yun Ting was puzzled.

“Because… forget it.” Xun Ji was exhausted. “We have to choose right this time!”

Another night passed with them sharing the bed. Perhaps knowing it was pointless this time, Lu Yun Ting didn’t place teacups between them.

Xun Ji woke once more in a warm embrace, watching as Lu Yun Ting calmly moved his lips from his neck, calmly dressed, and calmly got off the bed. Only his ears, red enough to drip blood, vaguely betrayed his mood.