Chapter 354: The Water-Splitting Blade and the Divine Being

Creak...

Song You pushed open the door, holding the girl’s hand. He let her step in first before following her inside.

The moment he entered, Song You sensed that something was off. The little girl seemed to pick up on it as well. Her expression grew serious, and she looked around cautiously, craning her neck.

Their gazes finally locked on the table. On it lay a dagger. Its hilt was wooden, and its blade was straight.

Whoosh!

White smoke suddenly rose within the room, resembling both clouds and mist. Within it, faint flashes of thunder could be seen, and a majestic figure emerged from the haze, radiating divine light.

“Here’s your Water-Splitting Blade. I’ve also investigated its origin,” the divine being within the cloud and mist said. The voice, though quieter than before, still carried a reverberating echo, as if it were repeatedly striking the listeners’ eardrums.

“This blade belonged to the River God of the Yin River. It was forged a thousand years ago but was lost to the mortal world about eight hundred years ago. Not long after its loss, the River God of the Yin River was punished for negligence and stripped of his title due to the loss of the ritual vessel and negligence of duty, leading to his gradual demise.”

“Yin River...” Song You murmured. He recognized the name of this waterway.

“The Yin River originates in Angzhou, beginning not far south of Changjing. The waters of the Yuqu River merge into the Yin River, which then flows through Fengzhou and Yaozhou before continuing eastward into the sea. The Yin River today remains a major waterway, though a thousand years ago, its flow was even mightier,” Duke of Thunder Zhou explained.

He continued, “All I could find for you is that the ritual vessel of the River God of Yin River did indeed inadvertently end up in the mortal realm. They were scattered along the banks of the Yin River in Zhengxi County, Yaozhou, and to this day, there are still local legends about them.”

He paused before continuing, “Although this is a divine relic and pertains to matters of the divine, my duty was limited to tracing its path and confirming its origin. My responsibility ends with retrieving it from the mortal realm to prevent further harm to living beings.

“Now that it has come into the hands of a successor of Hidden Dragon Temple, it is no longer considered part of the mortal world. As for how it traveled from mortal hands to the northern frontier, that is a matter of the mortal realm.”

“Understood,” Song You replied.

Song You cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. “Thank you, Duke of Thunder Zhou.”

“If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave!” Duke of Thunder Zhou tilted his head back and glared down at him from above. “After all, there’s no incense offerings for me here!”

“Duke of Thunder Zhou, please wait a moment.”

“What else?”

“Do you know of the events at Mount Ye in Fengzhou?”

“It's not my responsibility. I don’t know!”

“Then have you ever heard of Doctor Cai?”

“What does he have to do with the Thunder Division?”

“It’s quite a coincidence...”

Song You casually pulled a stool from beside the table, sat down, and turned to face Duke of Thunder Zhou. Picking up the dagger on the table, he handed it to the little girl. Then, as if making casual conversation, he began to recount a story.

He spoke of how Doctor Cai had condensed his life’s medical knowledge into

Doctor Cai’s Medical Canon

, intending to help people understand the nature of diseases and their treatments. He wanted to dispel the fear and blind guesses that plagued people when they fell ill, and to prevent them from resorting to desperate measures like praying to gods or seeking dubious cures.

However, the journey to complete the book was fraught with difficulties. Gnawed by rats and corroded by insects, it was painstakingly completed, only to endure several calamities—torrential rains, mudslides burying it, and theft by bandits.

Finally, he mentioned Dr. Chen’s fate...

Duke of Thunder Zhou furrowed his brows repeatedly as he listened.

“Storms in the mountains and shifting earth are natural phenomena, not the work of divine beings. Bandits breaking into homes is common in the mortal world. And in Changjing, where buildings are mostly wooden, dry weather often leads to fires. All these events you mention could very well be coincidences,” Duke of Thunder Zhou said after a long breath. “But if what you say is true, there are indeed an unusual number of coincidences.”

“Duke of Thunder Zhou, you’re known for being upright and impartial. That’s why I chose to share this with you,” Song You said. “What do you make of it?”

“Are you suspecting that some deity is acting against their nature or sowing chaos in secret?”

“Both are possibilities.”

“Most of these incidents happened two years ago, and some even as far back as ten or twenty years ago. Investigating them would be exceedingly difficult,” Duke of Thunder Zhou said gravely.

He continued, “The North has only recently stabilized, and outside the North, there are countless cases of demonic disturbances that have piled up. After the extermination of the Yuezhou bull demon, all white rhinoceroses have been listed for execution by the Heavenly Palace.

“Many of their kind escaped and are now missing. My department is tasked with finding them. Once I’ve dealt with these pressing matters, I’ll certainly look into this.”

“No rush, Duke of Thunder Zhou,” Song You said. “I’m not ordering you to make an investigation, nor am I suggesting this as an official investigation for the Heavenly Palace. I simply found the coincidences interesting and thought I’d share them with you.”

“Rest assured, I won’t leak this out!”

“...” The Daoist met Duke of Thunder Zhou’s gaze, momentarily lost in thought.

“Thank you.”

Song You cupped his hands and, no longer concealing his thoughts, said, “If you discover anything and fear it may stir trouble, simply inform me. There is a divide between gods and mortals, as well as the heaven and the earthly realm. Such troubles...”

The Daoist smiled faintly. “I’m not afraid.”

“Hidden Dragon Temple is blessed and protected by the Heavenly Dao—what do you have to fear?” Duke of Thunder Zhou replied coldly. “If there’s nothing more, I’ll take my leave!”

“If we meet again, I’ll be sure to light incense in your honor,” Song You said.

“Hmph!”

With a snort, Duke of Thunder Zhou seated himself in the mist. Sitting upright with a straight back, he lifted his head high, exuding an air of overwhelming authority, like a statue of a deity in a temple.

Whoosh...

A gust of wind swept through, dispersing the mist.

The Daoist remained seated, lost in thought.

Duke of Thunder Zhou had a point. All these events could well be coincidences—natural disasters, human negligence, the whims of fate, or simply divine will at work. Moreover, the incidents spanned such a long time that investigating them would indeed be difficult.

Even the fire at Jishi Hall two years ago would be hard to investigate.

Changjing was full of wooden buildings, prone to fires in dry conditions. Why else would the city maintain so many fire brigades? In fact, these brigades were so advanced that they already had specialized equipment capable of precisely targeting upper floors with water from below.

In such an environment, even a small misstep could result in a blaze. Sometimes, fires even started spontaneously. If an otherworldly force were subtly involved and careful about it, even Changjing’s City God might not notice.

But the coincidences were far too many...

Song You had never seen the surviving half of

Doctor Cai’s Medical Canon

. He had only heard Doctor Cai speak of it—a book that could potentially upend how officials and commoners alike understood diseases. Even renowned physicians might find themselves deeply shaken upon reading it.

If people came to understand the true nature of illnesses and medical practice, it would be like an awakening. With collective effort,

Doctor Cai’s Medical Canon

could serve as merely the spark for even greater advancements.

Song You sat in a daze, lost in his thoughts.

“Daoist priest.”

The voice of Lady Calico snapped him out of his reverie. He turned to see her approaching, holding something in her hand.

It was a live rat.

Its tiny, beady eyes blinked at him as it squirmed in her grasp.

“For you to play with!” she said brightly.

“...”

Song You politely pushed her hand away.

“Your thoughtfulness is appreciated.”

“It’s really fun!” she insisted.

“Lady Calico, go take a nap,” Song You suggested. “Tomorrow, we’ll be heading out.”

“Where to?”

“To Mount Beiqin, to visit Doctor Cai and the Snake Immortal.”

“Oh, okay!”

“Now go to sleep.”

“Alright, but I’ll leave the rat here for you to play with,” Lady Calico said, stretching out her hand. “Here’s how you play with it: you throw it away, pretend you’re not looking, and it’ll sneak off. If it doesn’t move, you can nudge it a little. Once it starts running, you chase it!”

“I’ve got it.”

“Take it, then!”

“No need, thank you.”

“Why?”

“... Just leave it here.”

“Okay!”

The little girl obediently placed the rat down and went upstairs.

The Daoist sighed, waved his hand to let the poor little creature go, and began preparing tea.

To his surprise, not long after, his calico cat came back downstairs, this time carrying the same rat in her mouth. She dropped it at his feet, gave him a glance, and turned to go back upstairs.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the same rat.

***

A few days later, on Mount Beiqin...

The wind howled, and the snow fell relentlessly.

The Daoist, dressed in his robes, braved the snowstorm. Behind him, a calico cat trudged steadily through the snow, and high above, a swallow flew, reduced to a tiny speck in the sky.

The mountain peaks were entirely cloaked in white, making it hard to distinguish even the village huts nestled there. The snowy expanse had all but erased the roads. The swallow could only provide a rough sense of direction and was useless for finding Doctor Cai’s hut—it couldn’t tell where the path ended and where solid ground began.

Following his memory, Song You finally found Doctor Cai’s humble dwelling.

This was his third visit to the place.

Fortunately, from a distance, he spotted smoke curling up from the hut’s chimney. As he approached, though the door was tightly shut, there were clear signs of activity inside.

This time, he wouldn’t leave empty-handed.

“

Meow

?”

The cat turned its head to look at him.

The Daoist stepped forward and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock...

Footsteps quickly approached from within.

Creak...

The door opened with a slightly dry groan.

Standing there was a man in his late thirties or early forties—one of Doctor Cai’s disciples.

Upon seeing each other, the Daoist greeted him with a polite smile, but the disciple froze momentarily in surprise.

“Sir!” The disciple quickly turned and called into the house, “Master, Mr. Song is here to visit!”

He then swung the door open wide and gestured eagerly.

“The wind and snow outside are heavy. Please, come in quickly!”

“Sorry to trouble you.” Song You stood at the threshold, brushing the snow off his robes. The calico cat, waiting at the doorway, shook its body vigorously, sending snow and water flying everywhere. It then carefully lifted each paw and gave a few flicks to shake off the remaining snow and cold before following Song You across the threshold and into the hut.

The swallow landed on the windowsill beneath the eaves, staying outside.

The disciple quickly shut the door, locking out the howling wind and snow. Inside, the warm glow of a brazier filled the room, warding off the chill.

Two figures emerged from deeper inside the house.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

One of them was still pulling on his coat—it was Doctor Cai himself, accompanied by another disciple.

“Ah! It’s an honor to see you, sir!”

“Greetings, Doctor Cai...”

After exchanging greetings, everyone straightened up.

Doctor Cai’s face appeared even more weathered than before. He said to Song You, “Miss Ruan mentioned that you might visit. I’ve been expecting you for some time now.”

“I see.” Song You replied, glancing around the room. “When did that heroine leave?”

“Two days ago,” Doctor Cai said. “I was treating patients at the base of the mountain, and she waited in the heavy snow for several days.”

“I see.”

“Please, have a seat,” Doctor Cai said, motioning for him to sit near the brazier.

The two sat down, both sighing at the passage of time.