Lonely Immortal of the Mortal World

Tonight, River Court was destined to be anything but peaceful.

First, an immortal had burned the river and forged the Poison God's Golden Toad with fire; then, a single sword had severed the river, split the waters, and slain the mountain god.

Then the Gu God of Prince Jian's Estate emerged. Half the estate and all of Yuande Square were reduced to ruins and a vast crater. The earth shook and the mountains trembled; the entire River Court, within and without, could feel it.

By the river, Golden Pearl Tower had remained closed today, yet its top floor blazed with lights, splendid in gold and jade.

A lone graceful figure danced upon Golden Pearl Tower, taking in every scene upon the river and all that had happened in Yuande Square with perfect clarity.

"A sword severs mountains and rivers, smoke and flames fill the sky!"

"What a sight—an immortal comes with sword in hand, banishing demons between heaven and earth!"

The Five Gods Cult's leader wore a luxurious opera robe, her face painted in elaborate makeup, glamorous and regal. Yet compared to before, one could now vaguely make out that she was a woman. As she watched this grand spectacle, she was beside herself with delight.

It was as though what burned away in that great blaze was not her Five Gods Cult, but some wholly unrelated thing.

"True Lord Xuanzhu Huode, once this matter is settled, it will be time to head for the Capital City." She drew out the final word for a long while, spinning several circles through the air.

At that moment, the Golden Spider—who had lain atop Golden Pearl Tower for countless years without moving, looking like nothing more than a decorative statue—began to stir.

Golden dust cascaded from the pavilion roof with a rustling sound, while everyone below in Golden Pearl Tower had no idea what was happening.

The Golden Spider leaped into the air, as though climbing invisible threads straight into the clouds.

Yet countless spider threads hung down from the sky, connected to the top floor of Golden Pearl Tower.

That entire floor was hoisted up and carried into the distance, landing neatly atop a great ship by the river. It joined seamlessly with the vessel, as though it had always been one of its decks.

Everything had been prepared long ago. Xuanzhu Huode had relied on the power accumulated by the Five Gods Cult over a hundred years to ascend to this state, while the cult leader had merged with him and gained the power of immortality.

One figure after another, like marionettes on strings, emerged from above under the command of a pair of twins.

The great ship set off, raising its sails.

It traveled upriver, heading toward the Capital City.

The Five Gods Cult's leader still did not stop. Within the resplendent pavilion, gleaming with gold and jade and bright with lamps, she continued to dance lightly, as though she knew no fatigue.

Or perhaps only this could make her feel that she was still alive.

Yet this moment differed from all the days before. What her sweet operatic voice sang now was endless vicissitude.

"I, too, was once young and innocent, yet worldly affairs rarely grant perfection."

"Birth, age, sickness, and suffering—a life no more than an ant's; resentment, hatred, parting, and separation—calamity coils around the body."

"Spring goes, autumn comes, and a rosy face grows old; half a life adrift, while white hair presses close."

"You—"

"Lonely Immortal of the Mortal World, Heartless, Free, Carefree Immortal!"

"How could you understand—"

"Life holds much bitterness and little joy; my hatred stretches endlessly like the river."

The ship and the opera lyrics drifted away along the river, vanishing into the darkness.

At daybreak, everyone throughout Jiangting Commandery was spreading word of what had happened the night before. Even those who knew none of the details had been stirred by such a tremendous commotion and gone everywhere asking about it.

"The gods of the Five Gods Cult were all monsters! You don't know—yesterday, immortals rescued over a hundred people from Prince Jian's Estate. Every one of them... what a sin!" A vegetable-selling auntie on the street could not help chatting with an acquaintance buying vegetables.

"I know about it. They say each of those monsters had to eat that many people every year. Just think—over all these years, how many people must they have eaten?" The old man buying vegetables had learned of it long ago.

"So many monsters had been living right beneath our feet. Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl." A large crowd immediately gathered in the street.

"Little Six from next door to my house disappeared before, and we never found him. Those monsters must have harmed him." People began speculating whether all those who had vanished from the city had been eaten by those monsters.

"How could that prince do something like this! It's simply..." The speaker did not dare finish, but the meaning could not have been clearer.

Heroine Hong Yuan, Tang Yao, went out to Tianxiang Tower for breakfast. Everything that had happened the night before had left her so excited that she had failed to sleep all night, only dragging herself out of bed when the sun stood high overhead.

The moment she entered, she saw that Tianxiang Tower's owner had already arranged for a storyteller to recount the tale of the Gongzhou Sword Immortal.

Tang Yao took her seat and discovered that the storyteller had not only finished telling the tale of what had happened in River Court last night, but had now begun recounting the legends of Great Immortal Kongchenzi in Gongzhou and the surrounding villages.

"The immortal rode out upon a donkey, clouds overhead, ten thousand people looking up in reverence. How many in all of Gongzhou City came to see him off..." The storyteller lifted his head toward the heavens, his words filled with boundless admiration.

This was the tale of Gongzhou City and the demon of Silver Flower Palace. The entire hall shouted their approval and applauded again and again.

The storyteller struck the table once more, his face full of sighs and emotion. "The immortal saved all the villages roundabout, yet sought neither gold nor silver. He merely asked the villagers to do more good deeds, then departed alone."

This was the tale of the Sword Immortal slaying the River Demon in the surrounding villages.

At the mention of the immortal's lofty righteousness—refining pills to save people, taking not a single coin, and even leaving without sparing time for a banquet—many in the audience had already soaked their robes with tears, choking back sobs without end.

"Then he came to our Jiangting Commandery and rid us of the great scourge that was the Five Gods Cult!"

Someone below immediately shouted, "Those Five Gods Cult bastards were beasts! This is a true immortal, saving the common people from fire and flood. Wherever he passes, tens of millions revere him!"

An old man rose to his feet, tears streaming down his aged face. "That's right! My nephew from afar came to seek shelter with relatives. I wondered why he vanished halfway here. Only yesterday did I learn from the people rescued by the immortal that he was harmed by that prince."

The crowd was filled with righteous indignation, and many young wandering heroes slapped the tables and sprang to their feet.

"This was all thanks to the Great Immortal!"

"If not for the immortal, who knew how much longer those monsters and the Five Gods Cult would have plagued us?"

"I truly hope the immortal can remain in River Prefecture forever."

"Immortals descend the mountain to slay demons and exterminate devils. Wherever demons and devils are, immortals will appear."

This scene was unfolding not only at Tianxiang Tower, but throughout the city.

Watching from below the stage, Heroine Hong Yuan, Tang Yao, suddenly felt countless emotions surge into her heart.

After last night's events, and after witnessing everything that had just occurred, Heroine Hong Yuan suddenly felt that although her name was famous throughout Jiangnan, she had always merely been regarded as someone who sought attention through sensationalism. People liked her when they mentioned her, yet no one had ever truly considered her a great hero. Never had so many people felt grateful to her, nor had the mere mention of her name made them feel as steady as Mount Tai's stone.

They felt that Heaven's Way was bright and clear: if one committed evil, evil retribution would surely follow.

In the past, she had written fabricated tales and romantic storybooks. Though she had earned plenty of silver and gained what was called fame throughout the martial world, Heroine Hong Yuan knew exactly what sort of person she was in everyone's eyes.

Only by being like Great Immortal Kongchenzi—upholding justice and righteousness, receiving the gratitude and reverence of countless people—could one truly be remembered.

Even after a thousand years, people would still sing of them.

At this moment, Heroine Hong Yuan vaguely began to change. Perhaps she could write storybooks capable of changing hearts and guiding people toward goodness—stories that truly existed among the common folk, stories that happened among ordinary people.