In the upstream region of the Embroidered Flower River 100 or so kilometers west of Red Candle Town, there rested a small and lone mountain in the middle of the river. This was Steamed Bun Mountain, and it only received a passable amount of offerings and incense.

A short man "walked" out from the clay god statue that was suffering from a severe case of peeling paint. After landing on the floor, he reached over and plucked a red-clothed child from the censer. This child was only as tall as a palm, and he was the only remaining incense boy in this mountain lord temple. The man placed this boy on his shoulder before leaving the temple and directly striding across the churning river.

Lying on the man's shoulder, the sleepy boy in red immediately let loose a torrent of abuse. "Fucking hell, why did you disturb my sleep?! You've been acting a bit strange ever since coming back from that failed battle. Are you feeling frustrated because you saw those seductive boat hostesses in Red Candle Town yet were too poor to spend a night with them?"

In a rare turn of events, the short man decided against teaching the incense boy a lesson. His voice was deep and solemn as he said, "We went to Red Candle Town and found that carp spirit. We gifted him a snake gall pebble from Jewel Small World, and he'll soon become the river god of the Rushing Tranquil River. If you want to, you can stay with him in the future. A river god shrine will definitely receive more offerings and incense than a tiny mountain lord temple like mine..."

The incense boy was dumbfounded at first, but this quickly transformed into rage. He jumped up and started to furiously slap the short man's face. However, he was only as tall as a palm, while the short man was a genuine mountain lord, after all. Thus, his slaps were nothing more than tickles to the short man. The incense boy stomped around and roared, "Fucking hell, don't try to insult me like this!"

In the end, the incense...