Unintended Immortality
Chapter 466: The Bold Man

Chapter 466: The Bold Man

“Flap, flap, flap...”

A swallow swooped back into the courtyard, perching on the eaves to preen its feathers.

Outside, the dark sea of heads stretched endlessly, blending together beneath the glow of lanterns and torches. Firelight flickered, casting shifting shadows across the crowd. Some people stood inside the courtyard, while others remained outside the gate. Some bowed deeply, others fell to their knees—all raising their voices in gratitude.

“Please, everyone, rise at once. There is no need for such formalities.”

The Daoist stood at the front, quickly gesturing for the kneeling people to stand, especially an elderly man who had suffered deeply under the sinister curse. He personally stepped forward to help him up.

“Since you all sought me out, and since there truly was a demonic disturbance, there was no reason for me to ignore it. I merely offered some assistance and a few suggestions—it was no great effort. Your gratitude is noted, but such grand gestures are unnecessary.”

“We are truly indebted to you, sir...”

“The courage you all showed in fighting against the demon was just as crucial in its capture. If anyone deserves thanks, it is you yourselves.” Song You smiled before asking, “How is everyone now?”

“Thanks to Mr. Liu San, who took the risk first and tore off his cursed plaster, we all followed suit. Now, we are completely unharmed.”

The man surnamed Li glanced at a frail-looking elderly man beside him, then hesitated before speaking again. With a trace of hope in his eyes, he turned to Song You.

“However, my second uncle has lost his sight. I wonder if you have a cure, Immortal Master...”

“I am no Immortal Master,” Song You shook his head. “I don't know about others, but I have no such means.”

“Ah...” he let out a sigh of disappointment.

“What about the demon?”

“In our fury, we beat it to death.” The man surnamed Li’s voice carried an odd tone—whether excitement or lingering fear was unclear. “What’s strange is that after we killed it, the beggar transformed into a large, pitch-black stone. When the firelight hit it, it even had a faint translucence.”

“A stone...?”

“Exactly!” the name surnamed Li confirmed.

“While we were trying to subdue it, hitting it with sticks felt like striking a sack full of rice. But when blades and axes struck, it was like chopping solid stone. Small fragments even chipped off. That thing was in excruciating pain as well,” another person standing beside the man surnamed Li added.

He continued, “At the time, everything happened so fast, and it was dark, so we didn’t see what had fallen off. But later, when we checked with lanterns and torches, it was all black stone fragments.”

“How exactly did you kill it?”

“With your bamboo staff, sir. Two strikes were enough to finish it off. Of course, we also hacked at it plenty with blades until it was utterly destroyed.”

“I see.”

Then it was certainly dead.

This bamboo staff had been with Song You since the spring of the second year of the Mingde era—eight years in total. Over time, he had often used it as a medium for his techniques. Naturally, it carried the power to dispel evil and subdue demons. Few ordinary creatures could withstand even a few blows from it.

Still, Song You frowned slightly and asked, “Before you killed it, did you ask where it came from and why it was causing trouble in the city?”

“Of course we did!”

The man surnamed Li quickly stepped forward again, cupping his hands and saying, “Though we were furious, we were not so reckless as to kill it without asking questions. Before we beat it to death, we interrogated it. That thing said it had existed since ancient times, sleeping underground outside the city.

“It wasn’t until my father and second uncle accidentally kicked it while walking the night road that it woke up in a daze and followed them into Yangdu City. And the moment it arrived, it started harming people! Truly detestable!

“After hearing this, the townspeople couldn’t hold back their rage any longer, and we killed it on the spot!”

Even as they recounted the story, the surrounding crowd was still seething with anger, their teeth clenched in frustration.

“That’s... good.” Song You let out a breath of relief.

He had feared that they had acted purely out of blind rage and killed the creature on the spot without learning anything. At least they had managed to ask a few questions first.

“We even brought some of the stone fragments with us for you to examine. The largest piece is still lying in the alley—ice-cold and brimming with evil qi. Since it’s late at night, we dared not move it recklessly. Eldest son of the Liao family, the constable, said he would transport it to the yamen tomorrow.”

A burly man in the crowd stepped forward, reaching into his pocket and pulling out several dark stone fragments. Under the flickering torchlight, the stones were indeed pitch black. The others around him were afraid and hurriedly stepped back. But once he mustered the courage to pick it up and hand it to Song You, the others immediately gathered around again.

“If you wish to inspect the large stone, we can bring it to you before taking it to the yamen tomorrow morning.”

“...”

Song You lowered his gaze and examined the fragments carefully.

The combined size of the pieces was no larger than a palm. Though predominantly black, they weren’t entirely opaque. Under the firelight, they had a faint translucence. In broad daylight, under the brightest sun, they would likely appear dark gray or deep brown. Only a significantly larger piece would take on a fully jet-black color.

He couldn’t immediately identify what kind of stone it was, but its spiritual resonance was dense, and the presence of yin qi and malevolent qi was overwhelming. Even the robust man full of blood and lifeforce holding it shuddered slightly, instinctively shifting the stone in his grip as if it were freezing cold to the touch.

It was undoubtedly a dead object that had become sentient.

“A dead object turned into a demon...” Song You narrowed his eyes, murmuring to himself.

It was incredibly rare for inanimate objects to develop sentience. The conditions for such a transformation were extremely demanding—it required an environment saturated with rich spiritual qi, imbued with spiritual resonance. Furthermore, it had to endure an exceptionally long period of time, slowly absorbing the fortune of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon.

Even after all his years traveling since leaving the mountain, Song You had encountered very few inanimate objects that had successfully gained sentience.

An ancient being... only now awakened...

He did not suspect the creature had lied in its final moments. In fact, its story aligned with his own deductions.

“Though the creature is dead, its lingering yin qi and malevolent qi are far too strong. Prolonged exposure could harm the body. It must either be buried deep underground or burned continuously in a kiln used for firing tiles and pottery.”

“Ah—!”

The burly man was so startled that he nearly dropped the stone on the spot. The rest of the crowd also instinctively stepped further away.

Song You pondered for a moment before speaking, “It is truly commendable that you all had the courage to stand against the demon tonight. You must understand—whether it be ghosts or demons—they are not as terrifying as they seem.

“When people stand united, they can break through even the strongest obstacles. If strange occurrences happen to you or around you in Yangdu in the future, you must not act recklessly, but neither should you succumb entirely to fear. If seeking help from others proves futile, you must rely on yourselves.”

“We understand!”

“We will follow your teachings, Immortal Master!”

“Thank you for your guidance, Immortal Master!”

Song You smiled. “Since you all are so courageous, I will leave you with a few words of advice. Should you ever encounter another demon or ghost, you may find these useful.”

“Please, Immortal Master, tell us!”

"Those with strong vitality and great courage are feared even by demons and ghosts. Every demon, ghost, or wicked spirit has its strengths, but also its weaknesses—its nemesis and vulnerabilities. You must not act recklessly, but you can find ways to fight against them."

As Song You spoke, he swept his gaze over the crowd before continuing, "If it is a demon or spirit, then blades and spears will pierce it. If they seem ineffective, it’s not because they are invulnerable, but because your strength is insufficient or you haven’t struck the right spot. If it is a ghostly entity, then the blood of young men and warriors, or other pure yang substances, applied to your blades will allow you to cut them down."

“We will remember your words!”

“And most importantly...”

“We are all ears!”

Song You said, “The construction of the Duke of Thunder’s temple is nearly complete, and Duke of Thunder Zhou is diligent in his duties. If you ever encounter a ghost or demon that you truly cannot defeat, do not overestimate your own abilities. Instead, go to the temple and offer incense while making a formal plea.”

“When you make your request, be clear and detailed—state the location, the type of entity, how it harms people, and how many it has harmed. Repeat this three times. If no response comes, then continue repeating it every day.” Suddenly, Song You chuckled. “This is the best course of action.”

“We will keep it in mind!”

The crowd immediately agreed.

At that moment, the man surnamed Li gestured behind him. A younger man, bearing a strong resemblance to him, stepped forward, holding a tray covered with a red cloth.

“Over these past days, we have spent much money trying to deal with the demon, yet we were powerless against it. We had no choice but to seek you out for aid. Without you, we do not know how much longer we would have suffered.”

As he spoke, he lifted the red cloth, revealing several ingots of silver and an assortment of loose coins.

“Every household contributed—those who could afford more gave more, those who struggled gave what little they could. This is both a token of our gratitude and a humble offering of reverence. We ask you to kindly accept it, Immortal Master.”

The young girl standing beside Song You, still holding the dishes in her arms, remained motionless. However, she tiptoed slightly to get a better look at the tray. In that instant, her eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat.

“Please, Immortal Master, accept it...”

The crowd echoed similar pleas, their voices overlapping in a chorus of sincerity.

Song You glanced at the offering before finally speaking, “You say this is both an expression of gratitude and a gesture of reverence. I can accept gratitude, but I cannot accept reverence.”

After a brief pause, he continued, “So, I will accept only half.”

“...”

The man surnamed Li froze upon hearing this, his face instantly clouded with regret. The elderly men beside him all turned their heads and glared at him.

The Daoist simply extended a hand over the tray—

“Clatter...”

The silver automatically split into two equal halves from the center.

Behind him, the little girl—so beautiful she seemed almost otherworldly—immediately placed the dishes back onto the stone table. Then, in a flash, she dashed forward and swiftly scooped up exactly half of the money, cradling it in her arms.

It was precisely half. Though she clearly wished she could take more, she wouldn’t dare to leave even a copper piece behind.

The Daoist then smiled and asked, “Where is my bamboo staff?”

The man surnamed Li hesitated before answering, “Your artifact was given to Huo Erniu earlier.” As he spoke, he straightened up and glanced left and right. Then, realizing something was off, he turned around and searched through the crowd.

Everyone else also turned their heads, scanning the courtyard.

“...?”

The man surnamed Li’s face suddenly stiffened.

Huo Erniu was strong and robust, with a striking appearance, so he shouldn't have been hard to find. Besides, when they arrived, he had agreed without issue to follow closely behind. He should have been there—so why was he missing now?

The firelight from countless torches and lanterns merged into a sea of flickering light, illuminating the courtyard and the space beyond the gate. Shadows danced across the crowd, but there was no sign of Huo Erniu.

“Huo Erniu!”

“Where is Huo Erniu?”

People called out repeatedly, but no response came. The young girl, who had just accepted the money, immediately tensed.

A faint breeze stirred the air. At that moment, a swallow swooped down from the eaves where it had been perched, landing on a closer rooftop.

Then—it opened its beak and said in human words, “That man took Mr. Song You’s bamboo staff and fled out of the city.”

The entire crowd froze. Every single person’s eyes widened in shock.

This was something no one had anticipated. They were so stunned by the revelation that, for a moment, they forgot to even be shocked by the fact that the swallow could talk.

“This is bad!” The man surnamed Li stood there, dumbfounded. Then, he immediately fell to his knees in panic.

“Huh?”

“How dare he?”

“Has Erniu lost his mind?”

“These reckless men from the jianghu never think before they act!”

“Mr. Li! Just look at yourself! The Immortal Master entrusted the artifact to you—how could you carelessly hand it over to someone else?”

“Immortal Master, please forgive me...!”

“What’s the point of asking for forgiveness? We need to go after him!”

The crowd was filled with shock and anger, erupting into heated discussions.

“Immortal Master, please forgive me! You previously instructed that the magical artifact be entrusted to someone skilled and courageous, so I gave it to Huo Erniu. He is bold—he once spent the night in a graveyard and a haunted house for just a hundred wen. After we defeated the demon today, I intended to take the artifact back, but he claimed that I was too weak to suppress its power.

“So I let him hold onto it and follow behind. But who would have thought his audacity would go this far? He must have taken advantage of the darkness tonight to steal your sacred artifact!”

His voice trembled with fear. As he spoke, he anxiously lifted his head.

But all he saw was the little girl standing with a serious expression, while the swallow on the eaves lazily preened its feathers. Meanwhile, the gentleman himself approached him and gently helped him to his feet.

“It’s fine. No one could have foreseen this—it is not your fault.” The Daoist smiled slightly and continued, “There is no need for you all to worry. You have already worked hard today and suffered a fright. Go home and rest well.”

Then, he added, “I enjoy dealing with people of peculiar character. For him to be so daring, he must not be an ordinary man.”

“But... What about your artifact, Immortal Master?”

“It will return on its own.”

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