Unintended Immortality

“I wonder, how many people live in this Leiqing Temple, and which deities are worshiped there?” Song You asked.

The man scrutinized Song You for a moment, perhaps reassured by his polite and humble manner. Even the man with the sword, leading a black horse and possessing a noble, heroic bearing, appeared to be merely his guard. This eased the man’s guard somewhat, and he slowed his pace, cupping his hands in greeting. “My name is Xu Mu.”

“Ah, Mr. Xu, a pleasure to meet you.”

“To answer your question, as far as I know, there are only three people in Leiqing Temple—a master and two disciples, not a large number. As for the deities worshiped...” Xu Mu looked a bit awkward. “I’ve been there a few times but haven’t seen everything. They have the Great Emperor Chijin and several celestial gods from the Heavenly Palace, though they mainly worship various Thunder Gods.”

“Only three people?”

“That’s right, I believe just three.”

“With several Thunder Gods worshiped?”

“Exactly.” Song You squinted slightly.

Xu Mu, apparently knowledgeable, added thoughtfully, “You see, sir, the north has long been plagued by wars, with demons and spirits running amok. Though we’re in the prefecture of Angzhou, it’s only about fifty li to Hezhou, and tales of monster activity are common here. So, compared to the south, our temples here tend to worship the Thunder Gods more frequently.”

“I’ve been to the capital on business.”

“I see,” Song You replied.

He had once met Duke of Thunder Zhou, and while their encounter had been brief, he sensed that Duke of Thunder Zhou was a straightforward and righteous being. Even though he knew that the Daoist resided in the temple on the mountain and that the temple mainly worshiped Thunder Gods, Song You didn’t rush to conclusions. Instead, he asked Xu Mu another question, “What brings you here, then?”

“Ah, to be honest,” Xu Mu sighed, “my household has recently been troubled by some strange occurrences, so I thought I’d come to Leiqing Temple to ask the temple owner for help.”

“Is this temple known for being effective?”

“Well… Effective might be stretching it, but the temple owner is skilled in cultivation, especially in dispelling evil and exorcizing demons.” Xu Mu paused, a hint of helplessness on his face as he opened one hand and weighed it lightly. “But to request the help of an expert… Well, it’s not cheap.”

“I see.” After a pause, Song You smiled and continued, “It feels like fate to meet you here. I’m grateful for your insights, as they’ve answered some questions of my own. As it happens, I know a bit of magic myself and am skilled in exorcism and demon-slaying. If you don’t mind sharing, what strange occurrences have you been experiencing at home?”

“You know magic as well, sir?”

“Just a little.” Sensing Xu Mu’s skepticism, Song You added, “If it happens that I can solve your problem, it might save you the offering fee for incense and donations. If I’m unable to help, then it’s simply my own lack of skill, and you may proceed to seek out the temple owner of Leiqing Temple.”

Xu Mu’s suspicions eased somewhat.

After thinking it over, he said, “It’s not a major issue, but my elderly mother at home has lately, well… for some reason, started talking to what seems to be an unseen presence.”

As he said this, Xu Mu’s voice dropped, as if he didn’t wish to discuss matters of ghosts and spirits too openly. He was avoiding certain sensitive words altogether.

“Sometimes, she’ll say someone is calling her—telling her to get up, to eat, to go outside and pick peas, harvest rapeseed, or wash clothes. Occasionally, she’ll invite someone to eat with her, and when she’s lying in bed, she’ll say there’s someone standing at the foot of her bed, watching her.

“But each time, there’s no one there. When we ask who it is, sometimes she can tell us, but it’s always a different person. Sometimes she says it’s our father, who passed years ago; other times, she says it’s her sister, or other elderly women from the village who have already passed. Sometimes she can’t name them, just saying it’s a stranger. We’re all quite frightened...”

“I see.” Song You considered this, avoiding a hasty conclusion. “I’d need to take a look to determine anything for sure.”

“Haha, thank you, sir, but since I’m already here, I’ve gathered the funds and plan to go up the mountain to see the temple owner. I just want to resolve my mother’s troubles as soon as possible, so there’s no need for you to go out of your way.”

“You’re a devoted son.”

“Haha, as the saying goes, ‘Among all virtues, filial piety comes first.’ My family was poor when I was young, and I lost my father early on. My mother endured countless hardships to raise us, so how could I not honor her?”

Song You nodded, saying nothing further.

Thus, they made their way up to the temple’s entrance together. The temple was modest, its wooden doors painted red.

Knock, knock…

Xu Mu took the lead, knocking on the door. Footsteps echoed from within.

Lady Calico, already aware that the grave-digging Daoist was her foe, knew that today they were here to confront him. Though puzzled by her Daoist priest’s friendly conversation with a stranger, it didn’t lessen her resolve to remain alert and protect him, prepared for any sudden moves.

The swordsman, too, extended his hand slightly, readying his grip on his sword.

Creaaak…

The door was opened by a young novice Daoist.

“...?” The calico cat tilted her head, staring at him in surprise.

The swordsman frowned slightly but didn’t make any sudden moves.

The young Daoist, appearing to be in his teens, looked at them and asked, “Who are you here to see?”

“My name is Xu Mu,” Xu said respectfully. “My mother seems to be under some sort of curse, so I’ve come to ask the temple owner for help in relieving her troubles.”

“Oh...” The young Daoist nodded, then looked at Song You.

“And you, sir?”

“I’m a wandering Daoist,” Song You replied with a friendly smile. “I saw the temple here and thought I’d pay a visit. Would that be convenient?”

The young Daoist looked him up and down. “It’s not that we don’t welcome visitors, but our temple is small. Aside from the hall where we worship the gods, there are only two rooms where we live, so there’s really no place to accommodate you and the gentleman with you.”

“We’re not here to stay, just to take a look around.”

“I see...”

The young Daoist looked a bit uncomfortable. “But my master had a mishap in his cultivation yesterday and isn’t feeling well. I’m afraid he may not be able to receive guests...”

“Would your master happen to be a slender, bearded Daoist, around my height?” Song You asked.

“Huh? How did you know?”

“We’ve met once before, though I didn’t catch his Daoist title.”

“Well then...”

“Perhaps, young Daoist, you could let us enter and then inform your master. If he is willing to see us, I would like to have a good talk with him. If he’s truly unwell and unable to receive guests, we’ll simply leave.”

“That sounds reasonable.” The young Daoist nodded and opened the door. “Then, please, come in.”

“Sir, I’ll stay outside and watch the horses,” said the gray-clad swordsman to Song You.

“Thank you.” Song You understood his intent.

He followed the man named Xu Mu into the temple, with the young Daoist leading them to the main hall.

The young Daoist asked if they would like to offer incense. Xu Mu spent a few wen to buy three sticks of incense, while Song You politely declined. The young Daoist then suggested they wait in the main hall and asked that the cat remain outside to avoid any disrespect to the deities. With that, he went to inform his master.

The calico cat stared directly at the young Daoist as he walked away.

After a moment’s thought, she saw that her Daoist and their traveling companion had already entered the hall. She then sat down, quietly licking her paws and deciding not to enter.

Inside the main hall, a steady light came from oil lamps rather than candles. Several sticks of incense were already burning, likely offerings from the temple’s priests.

Song You stood with his hands behind his back, observing each of the statues.

At the center was indeed a statue of the Great Emperor Chijin. The statues to the left and right were unlike those in most temples, but they represented significant deities of the Great Yan Daoist faith. Alongside them were statues of several Thunder Gods.

Judging by the incense and offerings, it was clear that this temple primarily worshiped the Great Emperor Chijin and the major officials of the Thunder Division. In Daoism, he was respectfully known as the Exalted Thunder Supreme of the Celestial Heavens. Among the common folk, simply mentioning “Thunder God” referred to him. In recent generations, the successors of Hidden Dragon Temple usually referred to him as Duke of Thunder Fu.

The remaining Thunder God statues were poorly crafted, making it difficult to distinguish who was who. They showed no signs of having absorbed incense offerings or gaining any spirituality or divine light. If they had shown even a hint of spirituality or divine light, Song You might have been able to recognize a few familiar figures, but as it stood, even he couldn’t tell them apart.

Naturally, the gods themselves wouldn’t be able to recognize each other in this temple.

The incense smoke drifted primarily in two directions. One was toward the Great Emperor Chijin, and the other toward Duke of Thunder Fu.

“You actually dare to receive offerings...” Song You muttered with a hint of amusement.

The worship of the Great Emperor Chijin might have been out of respect, as no temple would neglect to honor the ruler of the Heavenly Palace. But for the other deities, it was purely symbolic. Besides a gesture of respect, there was nothing substantial offered to them.

Leiqing Temple primarily honored the Duke of Thunder Fu, while the other Thunder Gods’ statues were merely symbolic placeholders with names written beneath, though no one could tell who was who.

As for why these statues lacked spirituality or divine light…

It was likely that these gods had already sensed that the temple owner had strayed into forbidden practices. Or perhaps, when the temple and its statues were initially established, there was no genuine intent to worship them.

With no sincerity and poorly crafted figures, it was only natural that the gods couldn’t sense the presence of their own deity’s statue here. And even if they did sense it, they simply wouldn’t care.

Beside him, Xu Mu respectfully lit incense, knelt in prayer, and then placed the sticks before Duke of Thunder Fu.

The incense smoke and power of wishes continued to flow solely toward those two deities.

“Excuse me...” The young Daoist returned, addressing them, “I woke my master and asked, but he says he’s not well and is unable to receive guests. He asks that you both return.”

“Oh?” Xu Mu looked surprised. “What about my elderly mother?”

“My master said you may return in a few days.”

“This...”

“I apologize for the inconvenience,” said the young Daoist. “If you return in a few days, you’ll be spared the fee.”

“All right, then,” Xu Mu reluctantly agreed and then looked over at Song You.

“Where do you live, if I may ask?” Song You asked with a smile. “Since I wander the world, I might find myself near your home someday. If you haven’t found another solution by then, I could try my hand at helping.”

“Thank you, sir!” Xu Mu replied, bowing deeply. Given the matter concerned his mother, he did not refuse but instead said, “I live in Zhijiang County, on Erqiao Street in the northern part of the city. A quick inquiry will lead you there. I’m not wealthy, but I can certainly offer food and drink if you visit.”

“Take care, then.”

“And you, sir...”

“I feel a certain connection to this temple and haven’t yet offered incense. I’ll burn a stick here before I leave.”

“How long will that take? I can wait for you.”

“No need, you go on ahead.”

“Alright...” Xu Mu hesitated, unsure of the reason. But having just met, he didn’t want to press. He finally nodded, smiling as he departed.

Song You then reached into his robes, glancing back at the calico cat who sat in the courtyard, watching him with intense curiosity. Under her watchful gaze, he pulled out a handful of coins, counted out a few, and handed them to the young Daoist.

Normally, when one Daoist visits another’s temple, they aren’t expected to pay for incense. Yet the young Daoist grinned broadly and quickly pocketed the coins without hesitation.

“...”

Song You took the three sticks of incense and blew gently. They ignited on their own as he placed them in front of the statue of Duke of Thunder Fu, the Chief Officer of Thunder Division.

“Daoist Master...” The young Daoist began to usher Song You out when a faint explosion was heard.

Boom!

The three incense sticks suddenly flared up in flames.

The fire was far larger than what incense should produce, and the statues, draped in embroidered robes and adorned with red cloths—excellent fuels—quickly caught fire, all of them blazing in moments.

If the gods didn’t manifest, then the temple deserved to burn.