Unintended Immortality

In the quiet hours of the night, a deity visited his dreams. It wasn’t about anything trivial but rather concerning the matter of Duke of Thunder Fu.

In the Heavenly Palace, the Thunder Division held a high status. Although Duke of Thunder Fu had long lost his followers and his position as chief officer had become more nominal than substantial, he was still technically in charge of the Thunder Division and wasn’t considered a minor deity.

Now that he had been slain, the Heavenly Palace naturally had to send someone to investigate, to clarify the reasons behind his demise.

However, the Heavenly Palace and its deities were not quite as imperious and untouchable as common folk believed. The relationship between the human and celestial realms was unique; the relationship between deities and humans, and between the Heavenly Palace and the mortal world, was equally intricate.

Simply equating it to the relationship between a royal court and its subjects would be imprecise. If a deity was slain by a mortal, it was one thing if the deity was without fault. But if the deity was unworthy or actively causing harm, the Heavenly Palace had no grounds to pursue the mortal responsible.

In fact, if there was blame to be placed, it should rest on the Heavenly Palace itself.

Deities were born from the will of the people, and it had never been the case that, upon losing a god due to misconduct, the Heavenly Palace would blame the mortals involved rather than reflecting on its own failings.

After all, occurrences like this were not new to Hidden Dragon Temple. Considering Duke of Thunder Fu’s misdeeds, Song You didn’t believe the Heavenly Palace could have been unaware. The issues among the current gods ran deeper than he had anticipated.

After a brief conversation, he sent the divine official off. The dream dissipated, and slowly, reality returned.

When Song You opened his eyes, the room was dimly lit. Only the faint light behind the window screen hinted at dawn breaking outside.

He withdrew his gaze and looked down beside him. The calico cat lay steadily, nestled with her front paws tucked inward against her body, but she wasn’t asleep. Noticing that he was awake, she opened her wide eyes and tilted her head to stare at him.

“You're awake?”

“Yes...”

“What are you looking at?”

“The sky’s about to brighten.”

“That’s right.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“I slept wonderfully,” the calico cat said, stretching her head back with a wide yawn before asking, “When are we leaving here?”

“In a few days.”

“A few days!”

“We’ll stay a bit longer to observe before we head off.”

As Song You spoke, he lifted the blanket, naturally tucking it over the calico cat. He then turned around and got out of bed.

The calico cat didn’t resist at all, letting herself be wrapped up snugly. From under the blanket came her muffled voice, repeating Song You’s words. “Observe before we head off...”

After washing up, he opened the window, letting the morning light filter in. Under Lady Calico’s watchful gaze, Song You reached into his bag, took out an oiled paper package, and set out ink, brush, and paper.

He spread a fresh sheet on the table, invited Lady Calico to take human form and help grind the ink. In the dim, barely visible morning light, he dipped his brush and began to write carefully.

Lines of text appeared on the paper, carrying the scent of ink. The process was quiet and slow.

Outside, the sky gradually brightened. A little girl in a three-colored outfit sat upright across the table, intently staring at the paper beneath Song You's brush. This was a silent understanding between her and Song You.

Ever since she learned to read, Song You had been reluctant to let her watch him recount his travels and experiences. However, the cat's curiosity was so strong that she couldn't control it herself, let alone him. After much back and forth, they slowly established boundaries that suited them both.

The cat pretended to sit across from him and look at the words upside down, while Song You feigned ignorance, pretending not to notice that she could read them even in that position. Both their feelings—human embarrassment and feline curiosity—were respected.

“...” Once Song You finished the last character, he lifted the brush and set it down, then picked up the paper and placed it aside to dry.

The little girl sat upright across from him, her hands resting on the table, her loose sleeves revealing her slender white arms. As she watched him, she lifted her gaze and said, “You’re writing on more and more paper.”

“Indeed.” Song You nodded; it was a valid point.

The bag had limited capacity, and even though he tried to keep his accounts concise, the countless mountains and rivers and the myriad of experiences accumulated over the years made the oilcloth bag increasingly thick.

He should have known better and left some behind in Changjing initially, as well as ask the City God for help in storing it.

“When you grow a little older, you can try to recount your own experiences and what you’ve seen along the way, just like I do,” he said.

“What’s the use of that?”

“When you look back later, it will be very interesting.”

“Very interesting?”

“Very interesting.”

“...” The cat pondered for a moment. “But we’ll need too much paper.”

“That’s fine.” Song You thought for a moment. “We can try to select some suitable places to store it, or bury it somewhere safe. We can mark it down, and once we finish our travels, we can link these places together and come back to find them one by one.”

“Why do it that way?”

“This way, we won’t have to worry about running out of space for the paper.”

“...?” The little girl tilted her head, looking at him in confusion. After a moment, she said to him, expressionless, “Paper costs money. It’s very expensive.”

Upon hearing this, Song You was momentarily taken aback and then fell silent.

“I misunderstood you.”

“It's fine.” The little girl still wore a serious expression as she stared at him.

“Let’s go eat.” Song You folded the paper and turned to head outside.

The little girl also turned around, and with a rustling sound, she transformed back into the calico cat. Her face was expressionless, but she happily trotted along beside him.

The pair, one person and one cat, descended the stairs. The swordmaster followed them down as usual.

The tavern's staff seemed to have heard about last night's events and appeared somewhat unsettled, forcing a smile as they greeted them.

“Is there still donkey meat available today?”

“Yes, sir, we still have some.”

“Then I'll have a donkey meat pancake, and as usual, add a plate of donkey meat, just as much as yesterday,” Song You said with a smile. “The tripe bun from yesterday was also quite good; let’s have one of those too.”

“What would you like, sir?”

“Just a few more buns,” the swordmaster replied, glancing at the Daoist. “And also a plate of donkey meat for me.”

“Of course! What else would you like, sir?”

“Meow!”

“…...” Song You glanced at the calico cat on the table and helplessly turned to the staff to ask, “Do you know if our horses have been fed?”

“Rest assured, they were fed early this morning, with the best quality feed. You won’t find anyone in all of Jingyu City who takes better care of horses than we do. After serving you, I’ll go find a brush to give both fine horses a good grooming.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“I’ll take my leave now.”

“Thanks.”

The staff quickly left to relay the message to the kitchen. However, he soon returned, wandering back and forth in the lobby. He often glanced toward Song You's table, his face showing signs of hesitation.

Song You naturally noticed and turned to ask, “Do you have any concerns?”

“Oh!” The staff seemed to have received the “permission to gossip” signal and hurried over, saying, “Do you know, sir, that something remarkable happened last night?”

“What happened?”

“I heard—well, I’m just passing along what I heard—the Xuanlei Temple outside the city was somehow wrecked. Oh, that’s not something a mere person could do! They say entire walls were toppled, the stone bricks and slabs on the ground were all lifted and piled down the mountain. The whole temple was destroyed, and many of the statues in the main hall were shattered,” the staff described vividly.

“What’s even more terrifying is that the two towering guardian statues in the temple's backyard have also disappeared, with only two piles of broken bronze found far away. People say you can vaguely discern the shadow of the guardian statues.

“And on the mountain, there’s a large area marked with signs of lightning strikes and fire burns; apparently last night, one Thunder God statue of each temple in the city also shattered.”

“What are you worried about now?”

“A lot of people are saying it’s because Immortal Yongyang and the Thunder God had dealt with too many demons before. Last night, an extraordinary demon king came, said to be a powerful one from the north. And in the end, the Xuanlei Temple was shattered. Most likely, the Thunder God in the sky was also...” The staff couldn’t continue, as if reluctant or afraid to say more.

He added, “No one knows what happened to that demon. Many are worried that, after some time, Jingyu will once again suffer from demon attacks.”

“But isn’t the commandery magistrate still in Jingyu? Why are you in a panic?”

“How can I not be worried?” The staff quietly glanced at Song You. “Sir, you visited the Xuanlei Temple last night. Do you know what happened there when you left? Did you hear any hidden truths?”

“There’s no need for you to worry.” Song You replied calmly, “I believe this morning the authorities will post an announcement. The magistrate was able to liberate Pu Commandery from the grip of demons and restore stability, so he is a good official. You just need to check the government’s announcement in a little while.”

“Let’s hope nothing has happened...” The staff could only comfort himself in this way.

Before long, shouts came from the kitchen. The staff hurried over and brought back steamed buns and pancakes.

As Song You and the swordsman ate, they chatted—not about the Xuanlei Temple or the demon gods—but about the donkey meat and tripe buns of Jingyu, the fields of Pu Commandery, and the drought in Hezhou. After finishing their meal at a leisurely pace, they went out again to stroll around and see if there was anything worth buying.

This morning, the city was truly filled with worries and rainstorms.

Everyone was discussing the events at the Xuanlei Temple last night, the missing Immortal Yongyang, and the many enlightened beings in the temple, the shattered Thunder God statue, and the imagined great demon.

Only a few people were in the know, aware that last night the magistrate led a group out of the city after dark and brought back many hooded individuals.

This morning, soldiers received orders to enter the city. The people's hearts were unsettled.

It wasn't until the morning that the government posted announcements at the county office, several city gates, and in the bustling market, informing everyone about last night's events.

The notices detailed the numerous crimes of Immortal Yongyang and the other Daoists of the Xuanlei Temple, stating that the Thunder God had been slain on the spot by a divine immortal for protecting demons. They also announced that there would be a public trial of the demonic cultivators from the Xuanlei Temple at the county office this afternoon, revealing all evidence.

The townspeople were further agitated.

Song You, however, was taken aback.

Based on what he had heard from Constable Luo and other sources during his time in Yidu years ago, and his understanding of Magistrate Liu, if he were to declare such matters as the slaying of a deity, he would likely take precautions and personally inquire with him to determine how to phrase it. Yet now, it was written so decisively.

It seemed that during his three or four years in Hezhou, Magistrate Liu had gained a lot of courage.

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