Chapter 23

Lin Yu lost her balance and slammed into the carriage wall, her weight pitching hard to one side as the compartment threatened to overturn!

She gripped the window frame on the opposite side with all her might. The Sun-Chasing Horse was too fast; she tried her best to stabilize her center of gravity, keeping the carriage in a half-tilted, about-to-topple state.

The horse ran faster and faster. Suddenly, one wheel lifted off the ground, and the other, unable to bear the full weight, nearly sank into the soil. The Sun-Chasing Horse bolted toward a narrow path, ready to charge down it!

The road ahead was extremely tight, paved with uneven stones. If they went down it, the carriage would surely flip!

The Sun-Chasing Horse's legs were almost flying as it prepared to leap onto that small trail. Lin Yu maintained her balance, ready to jump from the carriage, when she caught a glimpse of a familiar snow-white figure.

It was that divine beast from the illusion!

The fierce white tiger with the hanging forehead appeared on the country lane, blocking the horse's path. The Sun-Chasing Horse, terrified, tried to turn back, but the beast stomped a paw at the still-galloping stallion!

The Sun-Chasing Horse passed out cold, and the teetering carriage began to fall toward the ground. It was about to smash apart!

Just as the compartment was about to hit, the divine beast raised its claws and steadied the tilting carriage. Lin Yu let out a sigh of relief. As she climbed out of the carriage, Zhang Yulin's grinning face appeared before her.

"Little Lin Yu, did you miss me?" Zhang Yulin caught Lin Yu, who nearly stumbled from unsteady footing. "Why didn't you call me when you went to Jiangnan?"

Lin Yu's eyes crinkled with a smile. "I haven't seen you these past few days. You didn't come to the Grand Sacrifice either. I thought you'd left Heaven's Mandate Tower for training."

"I've been shut in for days trying to tame this divine beast. It's too fierce..." She clung to Lin Yu's arm, fake-crying, and Lin Yu couldn't help but laugh.

The divine beast let out an angry roar before plopping down, its weight making the ground tremble. Zhang Yulin jumped at the sudden commotion, then raised her hand and absorbed the beast back into her bracelet.

"Xiao Ta was trapped in that broken illusion for years. After leaving, it's been inexplicably irritable. Must not be used to the outside world. Hard to tame."

"Xiao Ta?"

"Yeah." Zhang Yulin smiled. "That's the new name I gave it."

The two chatted as they walked up the path, and once past the lane, Zhang Yulin's carriage finally came into view.

Zhang Yulin suddenly remembered to ask, "Why did your horse suddenly spook?"

Lin Yu shrugged. Out in the middle of nowhere with no one around, yet the horse had inexplicably bolted and run wild—any fool could tell it was deliberate.

Lin Yu glanced into the distance. "There must be others here, hiding in the shadows where we can't see."

Same old story. Someone didn't want her reaching Jiangnan safely. Which meant something was definitely going on there.

...

The carriage carried Lin Yu and Zhang Yulin southward.

Zhang Yulin was still shaken. "You're our Heaven's Mandate Tower's Divine Maiden now. Who'd dare block your path? Are they tired of living? Wait until the Xianzun hears about it—he'd flay them."

"Yulin," Lin Yu said, her expression suddenly serious, "what exactly is the Xianzun's goal?"

Zhang Yulin had studied beast-taming under the Xianzun since childhood. Few disciples learned to command divine beasts, and Zhang Yulin was gifted, so the Xianzun had always valued her greatly.

Zhang Yulin's lips parted slightly. She seemed unsure how to describe the Xianzun, and finally just said, "Lin Zhao's death... don't blame him. Now that you hold the title of Divine Maiden, he'll protect you with his life. He'd never harm you."

Lin Yu looked at her with confusion. "The Xianzun and I only met a few days ago. Why does he value me so much as a Divine Maiden?"

Zhang Yulin didn't know how to explain it, stammering, "You already know his last disciple—A Si. He trained her for over a decade, spent half his own lifespan seeking her a chance at Ascension. But after she ascended, she vanished without a trace. Decades of the Xianzun's effort went down the drain."

Zhang Yulin didn't know A Si was dead. Of course, she wasn't alone—no one at Heaven's Mandate Tower knew A Si had died, except for the Xianzun himself.

To Heaven's Mandate Tower and the world at large, A Si was simply missing.

Zhang Yulin continued, "As long as you go along with him on the surface, don't defy his wishes, no matter how unambitious you are, he'll see you through to Ascension."

Lin Yu narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "What good does a Divine Maiden's Ascension do him?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Lin Yu suddenly realized something vital. The image of the Xianzun's suddenly aged face flashed before her eyes, and she touched the mending stone in her sleeve, the one imbued with the Xianzun's power.

He had poured his own cultivation into that stone, which was why half his hair had turned white overnight.

And mortal cultivation was itself a path to longevity. The Xianzun of the Li Kingdom was already an old man in his eighties. But in the Yu Kingdom, the Xianzun had been in power for twenty years, still looking like a man in his thirties.

How old was he really?

No one did things that brought no benefit to themselves. What did a Divine Maiden's Ascension mean to him?

Could it truly just be the bitterness of wasted effort?

Lin Yu chose her words carefully. "The Xianzun... how many years has he lived?"

Zhang Yulin thought for a moment. "At least a hundred, I'd say. Why do you ask all of a sudden?"

The Xianzun's cultivation was the strongest among mortals, so maintaining a youthful appearance was easy for him. Ordinary people wouldn't bother pondering his age—they just assumed he was young and accomplished. Zhang Yulin asked, "Did he grow old again?"

Lin Yu seized on the key detail. "He's aged before?"

Distant memories surfaced in Zhang Yulin's mind. "It was a long time ago, shortly after I first became his disciple. He always looked like a man in his mid-thirties, and we all assumed that was his true age."

"But one night, his hair turned white, and he became a withered old man in his seventies. It scared the other disciples half to death."

Zhang Yulin looked horrified. "He went mad and killed every disciple present. The only reason I survived was that I was the sole disciple learning beast-taming. Maybe he thought people like me were too rare to waste. Anyway, he didn't kill me."

Zhang Yulin seemed reluctant to continue that topic. The atmosphere fell quiet for a moment.

"By the way, who's supposed to receive you in Jiangnan?"

Lin Yu likewise chose not to press further about the Xianzun. "The senior disciple of Heaven's Mandate Tower is in Jiangnan. I don't know the rest—the Xianzun didn't say. The Imperial Preceptor leaves tomorrow. They're taking the water route, so they should arrive the same day we do. And also..."

"The Imperial Preceptor? You mean Yu Jia?" Zhang Yulin suddenly cut her off.

Lin Yu paused, then nodded.

"If Lin Zhao hadn't died, you'd have met Yu Jia long ago." Zhang Yulin turned to look out the window at the blur of passing grass and trees, a pang of melancholy in her voice. "He was basically your brother-in-law."

The fact that Lin Yu was Lin Zhao's sister seemed to be known only to Zhang Yulin in the whole world. If Lin Zhao had lived, perhaps Yu Jia would have known too.

The words hit Lin Yu like a thunderclap. She didn't know how to describe what she felt; she sat there stunned, unable to speak.

"What?! Him?" Lin Yu nearly jumped to her feet.

"Him." Zhang Yulin nodded, pressing Lin Yu back down. "You think he wasn't good enough for Lin Zhao either, right? But Lin Zhao was stubborn—she always chased after him. It's a long story..."

"He only became Imperial Preceptor less than a year ago. Before that, he was also a disciple of Heaven's Mandate Tower. Then somehow he got into a huge fight with the Xianzun, defected from the Tower, entered the court, and cut off contact with all of us."

"I mean, if he had a falling out with the Xianzun, fine. But we disciples hadn't done anything to him. One day he was fine, the next he wouldn't talk to us. We'd been fellow disciples for years, had real bonds, and when we went to find him, he chased us off."

Lin Yu propped her chin on her hand, listening. "So how did he keep in touch with Lin Zhao?"

"That's what pisses me off. He cut ties with all of us juniors without a word, but with Lin Zhao, he stayed just like before. He even kept trying to convince her to leave Heaven's Mandate Tower."

As she said this, Zhang Yulin rolled up her sleeves, looking like she wanted to punch someone. "He betrayed the Tower himself, and then tried to drag our Lin Zhao into it too. Lin Zhao wasn't like him—she had immortal destiny. She was half-immortal, destined to ascend and become a true god..."

At that, both of them fell silent. Unfortunately, there was no 'destined' anymore. Lin Zhao was dead.

Outside, grass and trees flew past, the wind howled fiercely, and the carriage carried the two of them southward.

...

The next night, Lin Yu and Zhang Yulin finally reached the edge of the Grand Canal. A short distance ahead lay their destination.

Near the canal meant near the flow of wealth—water giving rise to money was common wisdom among Jiangnan merchants.

Not far from the canal, many shops had opened. Lin Yu and Zhang Yulin picked one at random and went in to rest. As soon as they sat down, a shop assistant swiftly poured tea for them, saying enthusiastically, "Please have some tea, honored guests. Let me know if you need anything!" No sooner had he said the words than he was gone.

The assistant was a teenager. It was just getting dark, the shop was packed full, and he was the only server, so he was run off his feet.

"Honored guests! Honored guests! Would you mind sharing a table with these two?" The proprietor called out to them.

Lin Yu looked up. At the door stood a weary man and woman, the man carrying a bundle on his back, the woman following behind him. They looked like a married couple.

Lin Yu smiled and nodded in agreement. The two sat down, thanking her repeatedly.

The woman asked politely, "Are you two young ladies from Jiangnan? Could you tell us how much farther it is to the Rain Goddess Temple? My husband and I heard the Rain Goddess has returned, so we came specially to pay our respects."

The two exchanged a glance. Zhang Yulin spoke first. "There are Rain Goddess Temples everywhere. Why make a special trip all the way to Jiangnan to worship?"

Lin Yu had been wondering the same thing. Both their gazes turned to the couple. As long as they kept quiet and still, the two of them looked like innocent, naive young girls—easy to let one's guard down around.

The man, seeing their friendly faces, spoke without reservation. "Our village hasn't had rain for nearly half a year. We've tried every method to pray for it, but nothing works. Jiangnan has the largest Rain Goddess Temple, and everyone says only this one's prayers are answered." He patted the bundle on his back, which clinked—the sound of copper coins and silver colliding.

He looked a bit embarrassed. "Our village is remote. We only recently heard the Rain Goddess had returned and that followers should offer money to show devotion. To show our sincerity, my wife and I collected silver from everyone in the village and made the trip specially to worship the Rain Goddess on their behalf."

Lin Yu frowned, her fingers unconsciously swirling the teacup. "Funny, we're also heading to worship the Rain Goddess. Why don't we go together?"

The woman beamed. "That would be wonderful! We country folk don't know much about proper worship—we just fumble through and hope for good fortune. With you two with us, my husband and I won't offend the Rain Goddess with our lack of manners."

Lin Yu smiled but said nothing. Her smile was a bit stiff, because she herself was the one who knew the least about propriety...

These people worried about which gesture they'd get wrong, where they might offend the gods. Lin Yu, on the other hand, didn't believe in gods at all. She'd never worshipped anything her whole life. Kneeling was already a stretch for her, let alone all those elaborate rituals.

Lin Yu took the chance to press further. "You two came from the north? What village is it that's gone half a year without rain? How have you all managed this past half year? You—"

She didn't finish asking. She understood—for farmers, no rain meant the sky was falling. No harvest, no income. Yet they'd still scraped together a full bag of silver to offer to the so-called "Rain Goddess."

"Ah, we came from the very end of the canal. No rain anywhere in that area. If it weren't for the canal, we probably wouldn't have survived."

"Every day, folks head out before dawn. They walk over a dozen li of mountain paths with their whole families to haul water back..." Their voices grew softer and softer.

The woman quickly rallied, her tone bright and cheerful. "But who knows—maybe after we worship the Rain Goddess on behalf of the villagers, she'll feel our sincerity and bring rain to our area. Then everyone's hard days will be over!"

Lin Yu and Zhang Yulin exchanged a look, both feeling uneasy. On the way to Jiangnan, Lin Yu had told Zhang Yulin about the Rain Goddess's death. They knew the Rain Goddess had been gone for a long time. Worshipping her was useless.

Their hope was just a fantasy—and all those hard-earned coins from the villagers would be wasted.

They finished their meal hastily, then the group walked along the riverbank. Passing a dock, the crowds thinned. Another quarter hour or so and they should reach the Rain Goddess Temple.

At that moment, coincidentally, a massive merchant ship drew close to the shore. When Lin Yu made out the insignia on the ship, a hint of a smile finally crept into her eyes.

Fu Ming appeared before her with Yu Jia in tow. Originally, Fu Ming had wanted to travel with Lin Yu, but he still had a mountain of matters to wrap up.

And with the Xie family having been murdered on the road to the capital, Lin Yu knew someone would try to kill her on this journey. If she'd brought Fu Ming along, it would have been far too dangerous. So she'd suggested that Fu Ming and Yu Jia leave a day later.

The winter night wind blew cold and sharp against them. Lin Yu wasn't wearing much, so Fu Ming casually unhooked the cloak from his shoulder and draped it over hers.

The moment Zhang Yulin saw Fu Ming, her skin crawled. She'd spent her days at Heaven's Mandate Tower surrounded by divine beasts, rarely going out, never attending any of the rituals or ceremonies. So she'd never laid eyes on the current emperor—she just assumed Fu Ming was some rich young master from the Imperial City or a wealthy merchant.

Why was this guy clinging to Lin Yu like that? And following her all the way to Jiangnan...

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Yu Jia beside Fu Ming. Zhang Yulin's look of disgust deepened. Anyone who could be friends with Yu Jia couldn't be any good.

Lin Yu was murmuring something to Fu Ming when Zhang Yulin suddenly slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her away from him.

Fu Ming stood in the cold wind, watching the two leave with a puzzled expression, but said nothing. He quickened his pace to catch up.

...

Late at night, the stars in the sky brightened, twinkling one by one. Under their watchful gaze, the group stepped into the Rain Goddess Temple.

The moment she entered, Lin Yu couldn't help marveling. The cultivators had undersold it. This wasn't just collecting money...

This Rain Goddess Temple was a veritable nest of gold!

The statue of the Rain Goddess was newly cast from gold, the floor was white jade, jewelry was scattered everywhere—you could slip just walking in. Even the temple's pillars were pure gold. Before the massive altar, gold and silver were piled up, jewels stacked into little mountains...

The entire temple reeked of wealth, the golden glow blinding to the eyes!

Lin Yu picked up a pearl necklace from the altar. The pearls were nearly half her palm in size, their luster interweaving with the other jewels in a display of extreme opulence. As she studied the reflection in the pearl, she suddenly saw the glint of light shift.

Someone else was hiding here!

"Careful!"