Chapter 10: Knowing Heaven's Will
Trust between people depends on many factors, but strength is undoubtedly one of the most important.
Slaying gods is a very straight forward form of strength.
Whether the world slanders or praises god-slayers, one fact is universally recognized: god-slayers are people of their word. If they speak, it counts; if they don't, nothing matters.
Luo Hao said the Rainbow Bridge Earth Deity Temple might hold something, yet Hikigaya found nothing. There was only one reason for this—something had been hidden.
Thus, Hikigaya temporarily settled in Yangzhou.
Whether as a god-slayers or as Luo Hao's esteemed guest, either identity was enough for the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains to treat him like royalty.
His daily routine in Yangzhou was simple: stroll through the Rainbow Bridge Earth Deity Temple before heading out, and again on his return. He had plenty of time.
Put in a more literary way: in the presence of the power of time, nothing could remain hidden.
Moreover, although this version of China shared language and culture with the one from his previous life, the existence of magic had taken it down a completely different path, making it highly entertaining to explore.
For instance, the "square-dancing aunties" had become a different kind of spectacle—they didn't dance, they practiced martial arts.
Martial arts here thrived like never before; dojos were everywhere, and counting money would make one's neck ache.
People from Yomi often said that martial arts were declining in the present era, but from a certain perspective, that wasn't true. Martial arts weren't declining; most dojos simply focused on fitness. In a normal country, the general populace's demand for martial arts differed entirely from those wanting to watch or practice lethal techniques.
Watching martial arts films or learning deadly techniques firsthand were completely separate matters.
Immersed in this magically altered version of China, Hikigaya stayed in Yangzhou for over half a month.
Over that time, he even got familiar with the aunties. Besides other factors, he could punch quite well, earning unanimous praise. Sometimes they even invited him to teach.
Moreover, it wasn't just aunties at the public practice sessions—there were uncles, young men, and plump folks of all ages, as well as young, attractive women with good figures.
In public, looking good mattered. Truly.
Yet, one day, over half a month later, as Hikigaya left the Rainbow Bridge Earth Deity Temple and headed to his usual small square, he was stunned. He seemed to have found the "clue" Luo Hao said he could discover in Yangzhou.
It was a young man, bare-chested, with flushed skin, huge eyes, and a pair of deer antlers growing from his head.
Yet the people around him seemed oblivious—or perhaps they simply couldn't see him. He sat on a small wooden stool, smiling as he watched people in the square go about their activities.
His aura was faint but not weak, and it radiated warmth.
Hikigaya considered for a moment, then obscured the vision of those present and approached.
The deer-antlered youth glanced at him but then returned his gaze to the square. Following his line of sight, Hikigaya saw nothing but young, toned, beautiful legs.
He reached the youth and, raising his right hand, caused a small square stone platform to rise from the pavement, sitting down on it.
If one asked which immortal was known to all Chinese women and children, the answers could vary. But if one asked which folk deity was universally known among the Chinese, the range narrowed considerably. Ask who the commonly recognized weak folk deity was, and many would immediately answer—the Earth God.
This was also the answer Luo Hao gave Hikigaya.
Yes, the same old little men perpetually abused in Journey to the West.
However… the Earth Gods weren't weak, at least initially.
As a product of earth worship, these beings, originating from ancient tribal gods, were revered and feared for a long period. Even by the late medieval era, when they had fully become folk deities, Zhu Yuanzhang, founder of the Ming Dynasty, was also considered a reincarnation of an Earth God.
As for the one Hikigaya encountered now, judging by its appearance, it likely gained form during the Qin-Han transition in China. These "young" Earth Gods, strong and robust, no longer possessed the imposing grandeur of pre-Qin times but were by no means weaklings.
They also retained many abilities of later Earth Gods, including an almost "bug-like" ability to precisely foresee the future.
In other words, the Earth God was also a messenger of Heaven's Will.
With such abilities, it naturally knew the whereabouts of Mariya Hikari.
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