Chapter 66: Yunshui River Prequel: Fusion
The plague in Yunshui Village began to spread.
Even if Yun Qiao had notified them quickly, the plague-inducing incense had already attracted the Plague Lord. Even if only one person had been infected, an outbreak was inevitable. Panic spread silently like ink dropped into clear water, quickly engulfing the entire village.
Facing this massive plague, I felt a wave of uncertainty. It wasn't the despair I felt reading a diary, but rather a sense of déjà vu. This shouldn't be the case. I've never seen a plague before... No, I must have.
But I can't remember.
No one noticed the temple keeper Yun Qiao's disappearance. The bodies of the dead villagers were carried to the Hexian Temple and burned completely. The stench of burning persisted for several days.
Later, staggering figures began to appear outside the Hexian Temple. They didn't dare get too close, kneeling in the mud from a distance, kowtowed toward the temple, and their hoarse, intermittent cries of pleas could be heard: "Goddess... please save us... Goddess Yunshui..."
Inside the temple, Goddess Yunshui stood quietly, her gaze piercing through the doorway, gazing at the villagers struggling with illness and fear. Her eyes, filled with compassion, seemed on the verge of tears.
Little Lotus looked at me and whispered, "Since she has agreed, why hasn't she made a move yet?"
Before I could reply, Goddess Yunshui turned. She didn't look at us, but slowly walked toward the compassionate statue. Her figure seemed vague in the interplay of candlelight and morning light.
"What will happen after I die?" Her voice seemed to be floating, so empty, and it disappeared in a flash.
I pursed my lips and said, "I won't let you die."
After the plague in Yunshui Village ended, Lian Can was merely weakened. The real murderous intent came from the high-ranking officials in the capital and the greedy villagers. Therefore, I concluded that this plague would not slay Lady Yunshui. As for the high-ranking officials in the capital, I pondered for a moment and already had a plan for what to do.
Goddess Yunshui stretched out her finger and gently scratched the edge of the incense burner, which had been accepting incense all day long but was now extremely cold.
"I have been worshipped for many years...why can't I become an immortal?"
I looked up, not sure why she said that.
There's really no necessary connection between offering sacrifices and attaining immortality. We're not neighbors; without incense, the deity will vanish. Ultimately, it comes down to a question of personnel. But Lian Can couldn't help but wonder. She had calmed Yunshuihe's "wrath." Yunshui Village considered her its patron saint, so it made no sense they hadn't already issued her personnel.
However, the little lotus beside him frowned slightly and asked, "Do you think that all gods are kind and generous, saving all living beings?"
Liancan looked at him, as if asking: What else?
I also looked at the little lotus.
Little Lotus hummed softly, her cold voice clearly audible in the hall.
"A true deity naturally punishes evil and promotes good! If one were simply kind and tolerant, one would be condoning the wicked and being cruel to the good!" He spoke each word, his gaze burning with fire. "Otherwise, why would there be Heavenly Laws? Why would there be the Underworld?"
"A true immortal, with his eyes closed, is like a Buddha, but with his eyes open, he becomes a demon!"
He spoke so forcefully that Liancan was trembling all over. She looked at the statue, as if she had finally found a clear direction after years of confusion.
But……
"My heart is never cruel enough..."
…
The long-lost scales had been used up, leaving only fresh ones on her body. As they were peeled off one by one, she felt as if she had lost all sense of pain, her face numb. Little Lotus's words were a crushing blow to her. In her blind submission, she had long forgotten what resistance felt like. But was she wrong? It seemed not. Perhaps divine punishment should have been meted out even when Yun Qiao was sacrificed.
The ground scales mixed with water formed a shallow bowl of medicinal soup shimmering with a strange azure-gold hue. The villagers who had received the "medicine" erupted in near-frenzied cheers. They had been coughing so hard they were practically vomiting their internal organs, but suddenly their convulsions stopped. The ominous black-gray hue on their faces faded at a visible speed. Though still weak, a faint light rekindled in their previously vacant eyes.
"I'm fine... I'm fine!" They shouted hoarsely, struggling to get up and kowtowed towards the temple gate, "Thank you, Goddess, for saving our lives! Thank you, Goddess, for saving our lives!"
This miraculous scene was like a spark splashing into a frying pan.
Instantly, the crowd outside the temple erupted in excitement. All the desperate, fearful, and humble pleas instantly transformed into an even more frantic desire.
"Medicine! Miracle medicine!"
"Give it to me! Give me a bite!"
People surged forward like a tide, their faces flushed with longing. The altar was in disarray, and facing life and death, they had long lost their fear.
Little Lotus stood outside the door, watching the frenzied and frenzied scene inside the hall, her cold eyes a layer of ice forming. He covered my eyes, "Don't look."
We stopped looking at the scene in Hexian Temple and returned to Yunshui River with the extremely weak Liancan.
Then, just as they entered the river, Liancan suddenly said, "Why... did you come to pick me up now?"
I was startled by the familiar words: "You——"
All my doubts were finally solved. My reincarnated soul was not my sister, but Liancan, the goddess Yunshui...
No wonder the vortex brought us here...
But upon learning this truth, I felt no joy. Reclaiming the remaining soul would mean Lian Can's death. I had previously accepted Madam Yu's remaining soul without resistance simply because she was already dead. But Lian Can was different. She was still alive before me, just a little frail.
She grabbed my hand and said earnestly, "Accept me!"
This time, I was the one chosen.
…
I didn't accept Liancan.
When Little Lotus asked me about it, I just said, "There are still some things she hasn't seen yet."
We have to let her see it first.
The scales on the body were used as medicine, and the plague in Yunshui Village was brought under control. Soon, the villagers became full of life again.
Another month passed, and people really came from the capital.
There wasn't a large group of people, just a small, blue-wool sedan chair that landed silently by the Yunshui River. A middle-aged man with a pale face and no beard, wrapped in a brocade robe, stepped out. His eyes held the scrutiny and indifference of someone who had long been superior. The village chief followed behind him, bowing and nodding, his face filled with cautious flattery.
"Sir, this is the Yunshui River. The goddess' true body... is in this river." The village chief's voice was low and trembling with an imperceptible sound. It was unclear whether he was in awe of the gods in the river or in fear of the powerful people around him.
The official stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes sweeping across the calm river. A barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, a hint of pity, yet also mockery. "Oh? Is it the Goddess Yunshui who can heal the plague? I've never heard of any righteous deity called Goddess Yunshui..."
In the water palace at the bottom of the river, Lian Can's breath was still weak. I sensed the movement on the shore and whispered to Lian Can, "Look, they're coming."
Her eyes moved, but soon fell silent.
"I'll go and see for you." I held her down as she struggled to get up. "Just watch."
I surfaced silently, vanishing from the water, and stood above the river. The official was telling the village chief, "Since that's the case, please ask the goddess to appear, so I can see her beauty and grace."
The village chief looked embarrassed and hesitated.
I condensed water vapor and transformed it into a fish tail. Almost no one in Yunshui Village had seen Lian Can, so I didn't need to deliberately transform myself into Lian Can.
A flicker of surprise flashed across the official's eyes, then turned into deeper greed. He stepped forward, feigning authority. "I've come here by imperial decree. I've heard you possess the ability to cure illnesses and prolong life. Follow me back to the capital, and serve His Majesty. You'll enjoy endless glory..."
Before he could finish his words, I interrupted him. My voice, ethereal yet cold, carried across the ripples of the water. "You want to take me away?"
"All under heaven belongs to the king. It is your blessing to serve His Majesty." He said as a matter of course, as if he was just here to collect a tribute that should have belonged to the royal family.
"Blessing?" I repeated softly, my ethereal form swaying slightly in the water. "Is it my scales you're after? My blood? Or my flesh, which can prolong your life?"
The official's expression changed slightly, as if he hadn't expected me to be so blunt. He then snorted coldly, "Prolonging your majesty's life is the most natural law of heaven and earth! Don't refuse a toast and drink a penalty!"
The followers behind him came forward quietly, holding chains and jade bottles engraved with talismans in their hands, obviously coming prepared.
No wonder Lian Can was completely powerless against them.
The next moment, I no longer maintained that gentle illusion. My gaze was like a biting cold wind, and the river surged silently, forming a whirlpool under my feet.
The official finally realized something was wrong and snapped, "You're not... what are you?!"
"It's going to kill you," I said.
Before he could finish his words, a water arrow shot out from the river, so fast that only a streak of cold light remained, and it accurately pierced the jade bottle in his hand. With a "crack", the jade bottle shattered.
Immediately afterwards, countless water droplets rose into the air and turned into cold and hard chains, instantly wrapping around the hands and feet of the followers, dragging them to the ground. The talisman chains fell to the ground with a clang and sank into the river.
The official was horrified and turned to flee.
But it was too late.
A tentacle formed from the current gently yet cruelly wrapped around his neck, yanking him away from the riverbank and dragging him toward the center. He struggled in vain, a gurgling sound emanating from his throat, his face flushed purple, and his eyes, always filled with greed and calculation, now only contained immense fear.
"Monster...monster..." He squeezed out broken syllables.
"What are you talking about? I am the God of Yunshui River appointed by the Jade Emperor himself!" I said softly.
The water flow suddenly tightened.
A clear sound of bones breaking was heard.
His struggle came to an abrupt end, his head tilted to one side at an unnatural angle, his eyes still staring, retaining the fear and disbelief before death.
The water that bound him loosened, and the body that just represented supreme power sank to the bottom of the deep river like a piece of rag, without even a few bubbles emerging.
The village chief on the bank had already collapsed on the ground with fear, his mouth soaked, shaking like a sieve, and crawling away from the river.
The river quickly returned to calm, as if nothing had happened. Only a faint trace of blood lingered beneath the surface, quickly washed away by the current.
I returned to the river bottom.
Liancan lay there quietly and saw the whole process.
She said nothing, but a tear slipped from the corner of her eye, blending into the water and disappearing. The complex emotions contained in those tears finally gave way to a dead, silent understanding.
After a long time, she spoke very softly, her voice hoarse:
“…So this is what it means to become a demon as soon as you open your eyes.”
I stood beside her, silent.
The river flows calmly, swallowing up all sin and greed without reflecting the slightest ripple.
If you only killed one, what kind of demon would you be?
Even though only one was killed, the others might not be able to escape...
…
The fusion with Lian Can was extremely smooth, like a drop of cold water falling into a warm palm. At first, there was a clear and extremely cool feeling, which then silently melted away and seeped into the skin, making it difficult to distinguish between the two.
At that moment, countless tiny, glimmering fragments, like sand startled from the bottom of a river, slowly surged up and gently enveloped my consciousness.
That was when she had not yet transformed into a human form, she was just a big carp with spiritual intelligence.
The yellow river water struggled to swim upstream, the water hitting her body, she felt tired but persistent, as if an invisible force was pulling her to a destined place... Finally, she stopped at this relatively flat river bend, where the water plants were lush and the undercurrent was gentle.
However, the flashing cold hook broke the peace. Even though she escaped in the end, the fear of facing the threat to her life still remained in her soul.
Her experience was not as thrilling as Lady Yu's, but it made me want to cry.
Although they are both from Yunshui Village, the treatment they receive is completely different.
The newly formed scale on my wrist felt slightly hot, then quickly cooled. Judging by the arrangement of the two scales, I suspected a remnant of the soul hadn't yet been retrieved.
I opened my eyes, and a hint of light golden water flowed across them.
Little Lotus watched quietly from the side and asked softly, "How do you feel?"
I slowly exhaled, the breath seemed to carry the fishy smell of the Yunshui River, and whispered:
"It's cold... and it hurts."
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