Chapter 506: Chapter 496: Stealing the Water of Time to Build My Own Realm!

After sitting down, the white-browed elder extended his trembling hand, picked up the hot tea on the table, took a gentle sip, and let out a long breath.

At this moment, the scene fell into silence and awkwardness.

After a while, the white-browed elder said with a smile: "What brings Fellow Daoist Su to visit so suddenly?"

When the elder smiled, it was obvious that he had only a few sparse teeth left in his mouth. The term "decrepit with age" was vividly demonstrated on him.

Hearing this, Su Mu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"Do you recognize me, elder?"

Out of courtesy, Su Mu still called him "elder", although he looked no different from a mortal old man, but Su Mu dared not underestimate him.

Upon hearing Su Mu’s address, the elder waved his hand and said: "I dare not accept the word ’elder’, Fellow Daoist Su, please don’t flatter me."

"My surname is Yang, just an old guy about to enter the soil."

Speaking, the white-browed elder paused for a moment and continued: "The name of Fellow Daoist Su is well-known, who doesn’t know it..."

"Moreover, I live here, and as Daoist guards this river, you are the landlord, and I’m just a lodger, how could I not know you..."

After hearing this, Su Mu did not pursue further, but instead asked along: "Fellow Daoist Yang, have you always lived here?"

Su Mu had guarded the Long River for so many years, encountering people living near the Long River could be counted on one hand, so he was very curious.

"Not for long, only lived here for a few decades... I don’t even remember exactly how long." The white-browed elder’s face showed a reminiscing expression.

Upon hearing this, Su Mu’s pupils shrank, and he was visibly startled.

From the start of crossing over onto this river, it had only been nine and a half years at most, yet this old man had been living there for several decades, which means... before he began guarding this river, this old man was already living here.

In some sense, can this old man be considered a pure-blooded native?

...

After a while, the white-browed elder quipped: "I’ve heard of Fellow Daoist Su’s rules, according to them, shouldn’t I pay you a residence fee?"

Hearing this, Su Mu waved his hand, laughed, and said: "There’s no need for that, although I guard this river, as long as you don’t disturb the river’s order, you can stay as long as you like."

This "you" refers to the mysterious headless man repetitively fetching water.

The white-browed elder also understood the implied intention in Su Mu’s words.

At this moment, the headless man just fetched two more buckets of water, came to the pond, and poured the water from the buckets into the pond.

"If I’m not mistaken, Fellow Daoist Su must be facing a big issue." The white-browed elder said slowly.

Upon hearing this, Su Mu raised an eyebrow, surprised, and said: "Then guess what big issue I’m facing."

...

"I’ve lived by the river for decades, though I don’t know much about it."

"But I like to observe, and in my observation, this river’s water level has dropped a lot, by over a meter, though exactly how much I’m not sure."

"Is this the issue plaguing Fellow Daoist Su?"

The white-browed elder looked at Su Mu seriously.

Hearing this, Su Mu was stunned, a gleam flashed in his eyes, and his gaze at the white-browed elder changed.

This old man indeed isn’t simple.

Though observing a water level decline isn’t a great skill, being able to guess that it’s troubling him is the true ability!

"Brother Yang is indeed prescient."

"Well-hidden indeed."

Su Mu said with a smile.

Hearing this, the white-browed elder waved his hand and said: "Brother Su overpraises, I was just guessing blindly."

"I’m an old guy half-buried already, what could I possibly hide....."

In his words, there was a trace of self-deprecating sadness in the white-browed elder’s tone.

At this moment, Su Mu looked towards the headless man resting by the pond and asked: "Is that person a family member of Brother Yang?"

Upon hearing this, the white-browed elder also looked at the headless man, his gaze becoming complicated: "More or less."

"He’s the only one by my side."

Then, the white-browed elder asked with a smile: "Fellow Daoist Su wouldn’t think that the water level drop is due to his non-stop water-fetching, would you?"

Hearing this, Su Mu waved his hand and said: "Of course not, this amount of water, compared to the river’s overall meter drop, is like a drop in the ocean, it has no impact."

After hearing this, the white-browed elder remembered something and awkwardly said: "Actually.....for this matter, I do owe Fellow Daoist Su."

"I transferred the river’s water into my pond without your permission...."

"However, I have already prepared compensation for Fellow Daoist Su."

As he spoke, the white-browed elder got up and walked inside the house.

After a while, he brought out a box made of bamboo and wood, placed it in front of Su Mu and said: "This is a small token of my appreciation for Fellow Daoist Su, I hope you won’t mind."

Seeing this, Su Mu was also taken aback, waving his hand, he said: "There’s no need." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"You just fetched a little water, no need to make it so serious."

"And I’m not as unreasonable as you imagine. Although I’ve been charging ferry fees over the years, I don’t levy arbitrary charges otherwise."

"You’ve been living here for so long, it’s like your home."

Su Mu isn’t someone heartlessly unreasonable; someone living by the river, fetching some water from it hardly warrants charges, right?

It’s like charging for fishing bait water at your own pond, wouldn’t that be too much?

Su Mu might be tough, but not to that extent.

"No, please Fellow Daoist, do accept it."

"No need, really."

"Fellow Daoist must accept it, otherwise I won’t be at ease!"

In this way, at Yang’s strong insistence, Su Mu finally "reluctantly" accepted it.

"How can I accept this graciously." After receiving the wooden box into his Dantian Space, Su Mu said with a smile.

Opening a gift in front of someone is rude, but judging from its weight, the contents should be good.

Upon seeing Su Mu accept it, the white-browed elder let out a sigh of relief, the heavy burden in his heart finally set down.

He had a premonition that one day Su Mu would visit, so he prepared treasures, just waiting for this day.

He was worried that Su Mu wouldn’t appreciate it, but unexpectedly... this Time River Guardian wasn’t as rumored; he was approachable and easy to talk to.

It seems the rumors of the harsh, relentless, and domineering River Guardian were somewhat exaggerated.