Unintended Immortality
Chapter 468: Another Invitation to Battle

Chapter 468: Another Invitation to Battle

“It's a good thing we're out enjoying spring now. If we waited a few more days, summer would be here.”

The grass by the riverbank was lush and green, like a soft carpet spread across the land. Wildflowers of various colors blossomed, giving the place a grassland-like feel—though the grass wasn’t nearly as deep as on the vast grasslands of Yanzhou.

Behind them, an irregularly shaped cloth was laid out on the ground, with a few rough wooden plates holding sliced braised meat, mantou, pastries, and some wild fruits they had picked along the way.

A Daoist stood nearby, speaking to his cat.

“That’s right.”

The little girl sat on a stone by the river, wearing a straw hat, holding a fishing rod, as motionless as a meditating monk. She stared at the water’s surface, answering without even turning her head.

“...” Song You shook his head and turned back.

As he walked, he took deep breaths, sensing the world around him.

Something felt... off. He focused, trying to grasp it—but there was nothing. The sensation was elusive, impossible to pin down.

Since arriving in Yangdu late last year, he had spent the first half of his time there in the dead of winter. The extreme cold, coupled with the presence of the Jile God, meant he hadn’t left the city. As spring gradually arrived, he found Yangdu bustling and lively—just the city alone was enough for him to leisurely wander through for quite some time.

Not to mention, he had other priorities: sleeping, cultivating, cooking, reading, and, of course, coaxing Lady Calico. Naturally, he never left Yangdu.

Yangdu was prosperous, peaceful, and teeming with life. Being inside the city, he hadn’t noticed anything strange.

But now that he had stepped outside—something felt... off.

“...” Behind him, the bamao reeds and other reeds were all fresh and new. There was a narrow path running parallel to the river, and along its edge stood a large white fig[1] tree. Not far beneath the tree lay an earthen pit.

Song You walked over to the pit’s edge and bent down to look.

It was merely an ordinary pit—there were no rune-inscribed stone slabs, no rotted wooden blocks, no shattered seals as one might have imagined—only a dense aura of yin and malevolent qi.

This was the spot where that demonic evil had burst forth from the earth.

It was also the place where the second uncle and elderly father of the man surnamed Li, while walking at night, had inadvertently kicked it awake and forced it out.

From this, it seemed that the demonic evil had never been sealed here by anyone, only to be awakened now as its seal loosened with time. Back then, it had merely been sleeping on its own—whether naturally slumbering, hiding from something, or temporarily avoiding the thriving world. And now, with the changes in the world, it had naturally revived.

When lifeless things became sentient, evil specters emerged into the world. This was no good omen at all.

In the future, such occurrences might become increasingly frequent.

“Thriving world...”

Song You shook his head and averted his gaze. Glancing at the riverbank, he noticed that his own child had also turned around to look at him; once the child saw that he hadn’t gone far, the child felt reassured. With that, she averted her gaze and resumed fishing.

Then, Song You walked back, sat down on a cloth, picked up a slice of braised meat and put it into his mouth, and then grabbed a mantou and began munching on it.

“Do you want to eat?”

“I will eat in a little while.”

“Shall I bring it over to you, Lady Calico?”

“I want to eat.”

“...”

Song You then brought the braised meat over to her, after which he sat back down, musing as he continued eating his mantou snack, occasionally plucking a few berries and popping them into his mouth.

Nearby, his horse nibbled on grass, favoring wildflowers.

After a while, lost in thought and growing too lazy to ponder further, Song You leaned back and lay on the cloth.

The sky was filled with endless blue, dotted with white clouds, while the scent of fresh grass lingered at the tip of the nose.

From time to time, the sound of water splashing could be heard, followed by the plop of fish landing in the bucket, then the struggle as they thrashed against the wooden sides.

This place was indeed perfect for fishing.

***

After Song You woke up from the nap, Lady Calico had also put down her fishing rod. She now sat by the riverbank, hugging her knees. She sat still, seemingly deep in thought—perhaps contemplating the meaning of a cat’s existence.

It was only upon walking over that he realized the bucket was already full of fish.

“Let's head back,” Song You spoke casually and began packing up.

The little girl quickly grabbed the bucket and stood up.

A tall figure and a small one, accompanied by a jujube-red horse, made their way back to the city at a leisurely pace.

On the way, they encountered a crowd of jianghu wanderers gathered in clusters. Among them were two somewhat familiar faces—people he seemed to have seen the night before.

Song You initially intended to go over and ask them something, but before he could approach, the two men spotted him first. They immediately straightened up and respectfully came forward to greet him with bows and salutations.

Taking the chance, Song You inquired about Huo Erniu again.

These two happened to be acquainted with him. As they recounted his life story, they spoke of him as a fool, cursing his stupidity—how he had the audacity to steal an immortal master’s artifact.

Song You merely smiled and bid them farewell.

However, instead of heading straight home, he first accompanied Lady Calico to a few taverns and restaurants to sell fish. Some accepted them, others declined; some bought a lot, while others only a few. As usual, he kept two fish for himself.

But as he approached his doorstep, he noticed several figures gathered outside.

Just like that group from yesterday, they glanced around cautiously while pacing in circles—anxious at heart, yet hesitant to knock on the door.

As soon as Song You saw them, they saw him as well and immediately lit up with joy.

“He's back! He's back!” They were filled with excitement as they hurried toward him.

“...”

Song You first turned back to exchange a glance with Lady Calico before stepping forward and asking, “What brings you all here?”

“We heard that you possess great power and divine abilities. We humbly beg you to help us exorcise a demon!” The group cupped their hands and bowed, their voices filled with urgency.

Upon hearing this, the little girl’s expression immediately stiffened. Her grip on the wooden bucket and fishing rod unconsciously tightened, her fingers turning even paler from the pressure.

“No rush, speak slowly.”

“It’s like this—” A middle-aged man stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.

“My surname is Mr. Liao. My family runs a bookstore in the eastern part of the city. Business had never been great, and we often ran into troubles. But after the New Year began, something strange happened—my father had a dream. In his dream, the old crooked tree in our courtyard spoke to him at night, claiming it could bring us wealth. At the time, we never expected it to be something sinister.”

“What happened?” Song You asked.

“What happened?” the little girl echoed.

“...” Mr. Liao glanced at her, then at Song You, before cupping his hands.

“At first, my father didn’t believe it. But for several nights in a row, he kept having the same dream. Every night, that old crooked-neck tree would reveal the same plump face, chatting with my father about different things, as if engaging in casual conversation. After a few days, my father grew suspicious and ordered us to dig up the tree to investigate.”

“Go on.”

“Go on!”

“We dug two chi down and found square bricks. Removing them, we dug another chi and uncovered the tree’s roots. Beneath the roots, we discovered a box—surprisingly well-preserved despite its age. Inside was a golden toad statue.” Mr. Liao paused, licking his lips.

He continued, “They say a golden toad brings fortune. Remembering the dreams, my father immediately brought it into our home and enshrined it. That very night, he dreamed again—a plump, big-bellied man appeared and thanked him, even teaching him how to properly worship it.

“Our whole family followed the instructions. And sure enough, starting from the first month of the year, our business flourished. It was as if wealth had truly come to us.”

“And in reality?”

“And in reality?” The little girl was still imitating Song You but was clearly very invested in the story. She even added a question of her own, her voice soft and clear. “Did the wealth really come?”

“At first, we thought we had stumbled upon a treasure and were enjoying good fortune,” Mr. Liao admitted, looking ashamed. “Only later did we realize—the reason our business improved was because the other bookstores in town were mysteriously suffering misfortune.”

He sighed. “But we didn’t know that at the time and only found out later on. Back then, we were completely immersed in the joy of our prosperity, indulging its every request. Whatever offerings it wanted, we provided. However it wanted to be worshiped, we followed exactly.

“But then, a few weeks ago, my family members began growing weaker and weaker. That’s when we finally realized—something was wrong. That thing... it was draining our life force.”

“A wicked entity.”

“A wicked entity!”

“Most likely, yes.” Mr. Liao let out a bitter smile. “Once it realized we had seen through its tricks, it stopped pretending altogether. Now, it won’t leave even if we beg it to, and we can’t get rid of it either. Even fleeing the city and going into hiding wouldn’t make a difference.”

“It’s just a golden toad?” Song You asked.

“A golden toad, yellow-orange in color, about the size of a palm.” Mr. Liao gestured with his hands. “Ugly-looking thing.”

“You never considered other ways to deal with it?” Song You raised an eyebrow, his tone casual. “Like throwing it into a cesspit, melting it down, or placing it in a city temple, face-to-face with the central deity inside?”

“Uh...” Mr. Liao was momentarily stunned.

The others around him also looked taken aback. Even Lady Calico widened her eyes and turned to scrutinize her own Daoist priest.

Each of those methods was more ruthless than the last. Was this really something her Daoist priest came up with?

“We hadn’t thought of such... ingenious methods before,” Mr. Liao admitted, his expression somewhat complicated. “However, my father did curse at it, threatening to smash it to pieces. But that very night, the toad disappeared. Yet, it still appeared in our dreams, demanding offerings. It warned that if we refused or tried to flee from Yangdu, we would vomit black water and suffer unbearable pain.”

“What a pity...”

Hearing this, Song You sighed and shook his head. “If humans were truly heartless, truly merciless, there would be little in this world that could stand against us. Your father had the courage and insight—but he lacked just a bit of ruthlessness.”

“Do you have a solution?” Mr. Liao and the others turned to Song You, eyes filled with expectation.

The little girl also turned her head to look at Song You.

“How did you all manage to find me here?” the Daoist, however, asked in return.

“I have a distant relative who works as an official in the city yamen. I happened to run into him on the street today, and during our casual conversation, he mentioned last night’s strange incident. Coincidentally, I was already troubled over this matter, so I asked him for your address, Immortal Master. As soon as I bid him farewell this afternoon, I hurried over to seek your aid,” Mr. Liao explained.

He continued, “I hadn’t expected you to be out, so we had no choice but to wait here.”

“Ah, so it was Liao family’s eldest son?”

“Exactly!”

“Then, have you heard how the townsfolk dealt with the demon last night?”

“I—I have heard a little...” Mr. Liao suddenly seemed somewhat uneasy.

But the Daoist only smiled and said, “Ordinary people, after all, cannot match the power of demons and spirits. I would not dare ask any of you to take such risks. However, I can provide some guidance—some strategies to help you track down this demon and fight against it. But you must have the same courage as old Mr. Liao, the resolve to stand against the creature and threaten it.”

“Could we trouble you to come with us in person, sir?”

“I still need to make dinner.”

“May I ask how much we should offer as a token of respect, sir?”

“...”

Song You merely smiled and shook his head.

The world’s Dao was shifting, and in the future, such demons and spirits would only become more frequent. Great demons and powerful ghosts wouldn’t appear as often, and even if they did, the gods and celestial beings would handle them. But these minor spirits and lesser ghosts—those were the most troublesome ones.

Even if he had three heads and six arms, or the ability to split himself into countless clones, he couldn’t possibly eliminate them all.

Besides, he wouldn’t be staying in Yangdu for much longer.

1. White fig is a medium-sized tree which grows to a height of 24–27 metres In dry areas and up to 32 metres tall in wetter areas. ☜