Unintended Immortality

The next morning, the group of bodyguards rose early. Following the customs of their trade, they wouldn’t wash their faces until returning home, so they skipped washing up. They had a quick bite, and prepared to leave.

“Gentlemen, we’ll be on our way!” Jiang Erfu, seemingly unaware of the young man’s actions from the previous night, rose to bid Song You farewell.

He also offered a final word of advice, “It’s best if you stay in the town up ahead tonight. Avoid provoking any rats you encounter on the road. If you don’t plan to stay in Lanmo County, set out early and keep your breaks brief. You can reach Linxun by evening if you stick close to your horses.”

“Thank you for the advice.” Song You returned the gesture. “It seems you came from Linxun yourselves?”

“Yes.” Jiang Erfu paused before adding, “If you’re heading north, you’ll surely pass through Linxun. Our town is relatively safe. Just don’t stray into Mount Chongbie—simply passing through should pose no risk.”

“Mount Chongbie...” Song You muttered to himself.

It seemed the northern region was indeed fraught with danger.

“Thank you.”

Though they had shared little more than a night’s conversation, Jiang Erfu had offered a casual warning before taking his leave with his men.

The swordsman had already gone outside to gather firewood. He started a small fire within the temple, set a pot over it, and began boiling water.

Once the water boiled, he broke the dry biscuits into small pieces and tossed them in to make a thick porridge, adding some fresh spring greens and a bit of their own dried meat. It looked like a haphazard mix, but the aroma wasn’t half bad.

“Would you like some?” Song You turned to look at the calico cat.

“I already ate my fill last night,” the calico replied softly, licking her paw delicately. “This really is a lovely place.”

“Lady Calico, be careful. According to what that escort leader said last night, the rats here hold grudges. If you kill or eat one, they’ll come looking for revenge.”

“...?” The calico stopped licking her paw. “Rats would come looking for me themselves?”

“That’s what I heard.”

“This really is a wonderful place.”

“Perhaps.”

“Do we still have much salt left?”

“Not much.”

“What a shame...” The calico resumed licking her paw.

The swordsman next to them listened in confusion, not quite understanding the connection between rats and salt. But, being a man of few words, he simply handed a bowl of porridge to Song You without comment.

After breakfast, they resumed their journey.

The road toward Lanmo County stretched for dozens of li, lined mostly with rural villages and farmland. Many village houses lay empty, and much of the farmland was abandoned. Most strikingly, the route was teeming with snakes and rats.

They saw snakes eating rats, and rats gnawing on snakes. Not far from the temple, they even encountered a swarm of rats.

Perhaps it was because Lady Calico had hunted quite a few rats the night before. Whether it was her scent or some other marker, the rats had come seeking revenge.

At least a hundred rats, each the size of a half-grown cat, gathered in a dark mass—a sight enough to make anyone uneasy.

But neither the calico cat nor the swordsman showed the same fear and reverence toward these rats that the locals had. The rats, for their part, didn’t seem to realize they were facing a Cat God. When Lady Calico heard the commotion and poked her head out of the pack, she gave them a single sleepy glance. Yawning as she did so, the rats scattered in all directions.

They presented their ordination certificate to enter the city. Compared to Zhijiang County, Lanmo County was even more desolate, with only one or two stalls selling meat. They asked around, making inquiries.

The residents here had been so tormented by the rat demon that even mentioning it caused a visible reaction. Most people shook their heads and refused to talk when asked.

A few, however, shared some information—some out of kindness, lowering their voices to explain taboos and ways to ward off the demon. While others, righteously indignant, saw that he was a Daoist and angrily described the rat demon’s harms, urging him to exorcize it if he had the skill.

Interestingly, some people had even enshrined statues of the Rat Immortal in their homes, praying for protection, and it was said to be quite effective. Voices varied, and opinions differed.

“It seems I’ll need to consult a deity.” Song You shook his head and made his way to the temple in town.

The city temple was a general-purpose temple, housing various deities under one roof. At the center were statues of Duke of Thunder Zhou and Lady Willow Immortal, along with a few other gods. Compared to the smaller temple outside the city, this one contained several more statues of Thunder God and the principal deities of Buddhism and Daoism.

The Land God, considered a minor deity with low status, had been relocated outside. He was enshrined in a small, half-human-height shrine for offerings.

Song You made a point of buying three sticks of incense.

The Celestial Emperor and Buddha held noble statuses and were not easily accessible for communication. The official deities of the Heavenly Palace governed too broadly, so consulting them likely wouldn’t yield any specific answers. It was better to approach a local deity.

He stopped at the small shrine outside. The swordsman, having never witnessed a Daoist priest summoning a deity, watched from behind while holding his sword with keen curiosity.

Holding the incense, the Daoist priest waved it in a circle. Immediately, the three sticks ignited on their own, releasing wisps of blue smoke. He then placed the incense into the earth and chanted, “I call upon the God of Prosperity and Virtue of Lanmo County in Hezhou to appear.”

“Whoosh...” The blue smoke rose and gathered without dispersing, forming faint, mysterious tendrils in the twilight. It created an eerie and mystical atmosphere. Amid the smoke, an elderly figure suddenly appeared.

The old man, with snow-white hair and beard, wore simple clothes and had a face full of wrinkles. Leaning on a cane, he stood tall and slender; despite a slight stoop, he was nearly as tall as Song You.

“For what purpose has Your Excellency summoned this humble deity?” The old man looked over Song You, the calico cat, and the swordsman standing behind, finally resting his gaze on Song You.

“My name is Song You, from Lingquan County in Yizhou. I’m traveling the world and happened to pass through here. Hearing that a rat demon is wreaking havoc, I was curious, so I summoned the Land God to ask about the situation.”

“Lingquan County in Yizhou...” The old man furrowed his brow as if the name was familiar.

After a moment of thought, his eyes widened. “Could it be that you are Immortal Master Song from Hidden Dragon Temple?”

“Oh?” Song You was a bit taken aback.

The status of this local Land God was likely similar to that of Virtuous Duke Wang by the roadside shrine in Jinyang Road. However, this place was nearly ten thousand li away from Yizhou. Although the local god was highly respected by the locals, he still held a relatively low status within the deity system of the Heavenly Palace.

The Land God knowing about Hidden Dragon Temple was already a surprise to him, but he hadn’t expected it to even call out his surname.

“You know me?”

“It’s by mere chance,” the Land God replied with even more deference. “It was about a year or two ago when Duke of Thunder Zhou and Duke of Thunder Chen of the Thunder Division came to Lanmo County to exorcize a demon. They summoned me to ask a few questions, and afterward, I overheard them discussing Immortal Master Song.”

The Land God glanced at Song You, then hurriedly added, “Duke of Thunder Zhou didn’t say anything critical of you. He only mentioned that something on Yunding Mountain seemed related to you, speaking highly of you...”

Behind him, the swordsman listened quietly, though inwardly, he was far from calm.

Thunder God was one of the deities most commonly invoked by the people, and Duke of Thunder Zhou’s reputation among them was especially grand, his following even surpassing that of the Thunder Division’s major officials…

As for the tale of encountering an immortal on Yunding Mountain, it had already spread widely among both the common folk and those in the jianghu.

The swordsman had long known his master’s Daoist skills were profound, yet this revelation felt like a new depth to his understanding.

“I see.” Song You smiled and nodded. He didn’t much mind how Duke of Thunder Zhou discussed him; instead, he seized the opportunity to inquire further.

“May I ask, which demon were the two Thunder Gods attempting to exorcize a year ago?”

“It was indeed the rat demon outside the city.”

“Since the two Thunder Gods attempted to exorcize this rat demon over a year ago, why is it still causing trouble in Lanmo?” Song You asked in puzzlement.

“Immortal Master, you may not be aware...” The Land God glanced around, seeming hesitant, then lowered his voice, adopting the tone of a village elder sharing gossip. “The rat demon is difficult to eliminate. Though the two Thunder Gods wield boundless power, there are limitations even for them.”

“Please, elaborate.”

“Is it your intention to exorcize the demon as well?”

“That is correct.”

“Then I shall explain in detail.”

Just then, the temple caretaker stepped out, glancing around and asking Song You’s group what they were doing there.

The Land God immediately fell silent, saying no more.

The swordsman casually responded with a few words. The temple caretaker soon left again.

Only then did the Land God resume speaking, “Firstly, this rat demon is exceedingly skilled at hiding. Lanmo County spans over a hundred li, and it’s swarming with rats. Even for Thunder God, locating its precise whereabouts is challenging. And even if they pinpoint the general area, it’s impossible to identify which rat it is.”

“Rat demons are generally adept at concealing themselves,” Song You nodded, recalling that the nimble demon of Lingmin from Southern Art County was similar in this regard.

“Immortal Master, you’ve surely encountered far more demons and spirits than this humble deity has,” the Land God offered a compliment.

He continued, “Secondly, though Thunder God wields the force of ten thousand bolts, the nature of Divine Thunder is such that while it can smite a hundred-year-old demon with a single strike, it would also only take one strike to eliminate a malevolent human or a single rat. Yet, there are millions of rats here, and so Thunder God often relies on rain to strike down a large area at once.”

“Hmm...”

“Moreover, rats tend to burrow deep underground, and this rat demon conceals itself in layers far below. Even with the power of Heavenly Thunder, it cannot reach so deep.”

“That makes sense.”

“Thirdly, the northern lands are in chaos, and countless malicious demons and spirits have emerged,” the Land God explained. “This rat demon, though troublesome and vexing, is cowardly and restrained. Additionally, Lady Willow Immortal here keeps it in check, preventing any large-scale calamity. Compared to the great demons up north, it’s relatively harmless.

“And with only nine legitimate gods in the Thunder Division, all struggling to quell the chaos in the north, they simply don’t have the resources to spare. To make matters worse, several demon kings in the north have risen to power, with some even establishing demonic kingdoms on earth.

“Even if Duke of Thunder Zhou were to exorcize this rat demon, it would take considerable time and effort. Right now, how can the Thunder Division afford to expend so much effort on a mere rat demon?”

Song You listened thoughtfully.

The Land God, meanwhile, watched his expression, as though trying to gauge his thoughts.

Sensing the deity’s gaze, Song You thought for a moment. He maintained a neutral expression, and suddenly asked, “You mentioned the nine Thunder Gods striving to exorcize demons, but may I ask—what of the Thunder Division’s chief officer?”

At this, the Land God’s face instantly changed, alarmed.

“Haha.” Song You chuckled softly and quickly reassured him, “It was just a casual question, just a casual question. No need to take it to heart...”