The Great Calamity of Tan River

Uncle Cai smiled, then suddenly seemed to remember something and frowned.

"By the way, Xiao Mo, have you heard about Xiao Man?"

Uncle Cai was an honest man without too many schemes in his heart. Aside from avoiding idle chatter on the road out of professional ethics while working, he usually said whatever was on his mind.

Li Mo froze when he heard that.

"What happened to Xiao Man?"

"Over half a month ago, plague struck the village, and her mother died of illness. I heard they didn't even have money for treatment or a coffin, so they hastily buried her without even announcing the death or holding a funeral. Then a few days ago came the flood. Several Zhao households at the western end of the village were inundated, their homes swept away. More than a dozen people had no choice but to move into the Land God Temple for shelter. I heard the River God Temple needed a boy and a girl as sacrifices to the River God. After discussing it, the Zhao family sold Xiao Man to the River God Temple. Ah, that poor little girl..."

For a moment, Li Mo felt as though five thunderbolts had struck his head, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

His face turned deathly pale. Only by leaning against the wall did he remain standing, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Xiao Mo, Xiao Mo, are you all right?!"

Li Mo let out a hysterical cry and, ignoring the rain outside, ran toward the River God Temple. As he looked out along the way, the floodwaters of the Tan River surged in violent waves, sweeping away vast stretches of woodland, farmland, and houses on both banks.

Ignoring the mud beneath his feet, Li Mo finally arrived before the River God Temple.

The area around the River God Temple was filled with the sounds of gongs, drums, firecrackers, and suona horns. The place was packed with people, all continuously worshipping and praying toward the Tan River. The ritual seemed to be nearing its end.

"Xiao Man! Xiao Man!"

Covered in mud, Li Mo shouted over and over from the riverbank, drawing considerable attention.

"Eh, isn't that Doctor Li?"

"Doctor Li, the ritual is almost over. Why are you only arriving now?"

Over the past half year, Li Mo had become a familiar face in the nearby villages as a Traveling Doctor. Many people recognized him and greeted him on their own initiative.

"Where is Xiao Man? Have any of you seen Xiao Man?"

An old farmer from Stone Village looked surprised. "Who is Xiao Man?"

Li Mo hurriedly said, "The girl who was sold here as a sacrifice!"

This old farmer from Stone Village had a kind and honest face. Li Mo remembered that three months ago, the man had suffered from poisonous sores on his back and had been in such pain that he could not get out of bed. After Senior Brother Ding Jie had drawn out the poison and cured him, the man had paid Senior Brother Ding Jie an extra ten copper coins for the consultation. He was a simple, kind-hearted old farmer.

"Oh, her."

The old farmer smiled. "Around the second quarter of the hour of the Dragon this morning, Her Ladyship of the temple ordered people to escort that boy and girl to the River God Palace. From now on, they could live without worries, never lacking food or clothing, enjoying every blessing. Her Ladyship said the River God was very pleased, and then, in less than half an hour, the heavy rain turned to light rain. She said that once the ritual was over, the rain ought to stop... Eh, the rain has stopped!"

Tens of thousands of common folk before the River God Temple erupted into cheers at the same time.

Seeing this, the old Stone Village farmer before Li Mo hurriedly raised both hands and shouted as he worshipped.

"The River God has revealed his divine power!"

"The River God has revealed his divine power..."

"What is that?!"

"Heavens..."

Someone suddenly cried out in alarm and looked toward the distant sky. A rumbling thunderstorm rose, as though a terrifying mass of thunderclouds was drawing nearer from afar.

Within those roiling thunderclouds was a fierce gigantic bird. Its wings spread more than three zhang wide, carrying the force of thunder and wind. It flew at an unbelievable speed, appearing above the River God Temple in the blink of an eye. With an ear-splitting, piercing cry, the giant bird spat out a pillar of lightning that plunged into the floodwaters before the temple.

The surging river exploded with a thunderous boom, and vast sheets of water splashed toward both banks of the Tan River.

"Heavens, it's a demon beast!"

"Run!"

The common folk praying on both banks all looked terrified. No longer caring about their prayers, they fled into the distance.

Only a small number remained nearby, trembling as they watched.

The colossal creature in the river seemed to have been enraged. Two columns of water shot into the sky, transforming into two water serpents that surged toward the giant eagle in the thunderclouds. Almost in an instant, the sky nearby became covered in dark clouds again, and a torrential downpour began.

"Hmph!"

Vaguely, someone saw that there was actually a figure standing atop the giant eagle. He gave a cold snort.

"You dare cause trouble within the borders of my Da Gan Kingdom? Die!"

That figure descended from the sky with six streaks of sword light, plunging headfirst into the roiling river. Immediately afterward, the floodwaters nearby completely boiled, seemingly about to sweep away the River God Temple as well.

Seeing this, the River God's followers all knelt and prayed.

Li Mo saw the old woman among those followers. She was the Her Ladyship of the River God Temple, the person responsible for presiding over the ritual. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

"I'm going to kill you!"

His blood rushed to his head, but someone grabbed him.

"Xiao Mo, it's me!"

It was actually his neighbor, Brother Zhang Qin, holding him back. Zhang Qin's face was filled with anxiety. "Lord Inspector is killing the evil spirit over there. Are you trying to throw your life away by going there now?"

Li Mo looked at Zhang Qin, and his eyes immediately grew wet. Pain and grief filled his face, while his lips trembled incessantly.

"Brother Zhang Qin, they... they gave Xiao Man... I have to kill them!"

"Don't act rashly."

Zhang Qin desperately held Li Mo back. Naturally, Li Mo's strength could not compare with his.

"A few days ago, under orders from the Xiangyue Yamen, I went to the county office in Baian County and reported this matter to the Heaven's Mandate Bureau. We are citizens of the Da Gan Kingdom now. The Heaven's Mandate Bureau won't ignore us. Primitive sects everywhere that do not conform to Da Gan Kingdom law have already been abolished. Those remnants of the River God Temple actually want to rise from dead ashes—wishful thinking!"

Zhang Qin gritted his teeth.

"It's just that I never expected Xiao Man to become the sacrificial girl. I didn't make it in time to save her. The Zhao family was far too vicious. They'll suffer retribution for this, but you absolutely must not act rashly. You cannot rely on a moment of courage. Those temple remnants know sorcery; we can't beat them. Let the Heaven's Mandate Bureau deal with them!"

Li Mo wiped the rain from his face.

"Then why didn't he come sooner? If he had, Xiao Man might have..."

Seeing that Li Mo had calmed down somewhat, Zhang Qin let out a long sigh and pulled him to a relatively safe spot.

"It wasn't only Hua'an Town. Several other nearby towns were hit by disaster too, and great chaos broke out. The county's Heaven's Mandate Bureau also happened to be undergoing an administrative upgrade. The prefecture meant well and paid even greater attention to our area, but something went wrong during the handover. Liu, Deputy Chief Banner Officer had only just been transferred away, while Jiang, Chief Banner Officer had not yet had time to settle in when this happened. I heard Chief Banner Officer Jiang was so anxious that day that she went looking for her master. I'd say this Inspector is most likely Chief Banner Officer Jiang's master. Ah, there are simply too few cultivators capable of cultivation, and even fewer willing to become Heaven's Mandate Bureau Inspectors and uphold justice for people like us. Otherwise..."

At that moment.

A streak of sword light shot out from the river, smashing the enormous altar on the bank.

Millstone-sized chunks of rock flew in every direction. Some ignorant common folk who had been bewitched showed terrified expressions and no longer dared to remain and pray. They fled for their lives into the distance.

Zhang Qin looked terrified as well and quickly dragged Li Mo away.

Only those followers of the River God Temple, led by Her Ladyship of the temple, continued praying on the bank.

After reaching a safer place, Zhang Qin gestured for Li Mo to crouch down.

"They're all remnants of the River God Temple. Our Da Gan Kingdom's Heaven's Mandate Bureau won't let them go, so rest easy, Xiao Mo."

About half the time it took for an incense stick to burn later, the torrential rain in the sky gradually ceased.

Boom!

The corpse of a massive catfish flew out of the surging floodwaters and landed on the shattered altar.

The giant catfish was more than five zhang long. Revolting slime continuously flowed from its body, and it was covered in shocking wounds. Its fishy, putrid blood reeked to high heaven. Her Ladyship of the temple, who had presided over the ritual, and the River God's followers were instantly frightened out of their wits.

A figure shot into the sky from the river and returned to the back of the giant bird.

"Lord Inspector, spare us!"

"This lowly one will never dare again..."

The figure looked down upon the River God's followers, who were kowtowing on the ground as though pounding garlic.

"I am Lu Qi, Thousand-Household Officer of the Lingmu Sect stationed at the Heaven's Mandate Bureau. You remnants of a primitive sect dare spread demonic words and deceive the masses, bringing harm upon this region. Your crimes are unforgivable!"

Six flying swords descended from the sky. Her Ladyship of the temple and the River God's followers screamed, seeming to want to resist. Yet the six sword lights crisscrossed, and those followers were instantly cut into pieces by a rain of blades.

The giant eagle then soared away into the distance.

Zhang Qin and Li Mo were both stunned by the sight.

Only after quite a while were the two jolted awake by the nauseating stench. They looked toward the corpse of the giant catfish atop the shattered altar.

Black smoke continuously rose from the catfish, as though it were melting away and vanishing. During the process, it left behind great amounts of slime. The slime hissed with fierce corrosion wherever it touched stone. Even from hundreds of meters away, it was enough to make one feel sick.

"Blech!"

Zhang Qin was nearly unable to stop himself from vomiting.

"It's corpse stench. It was actually a great evil spirit. As expected of a Thousand-Household Officer from the Heaven's Mandate Bureau—this was no ordinary monster that an ordinary Inspector could deal with easily!"

Li Mo clearly had a much higher tolerance for the stench of corpses.

He noticed that many strange hairless rats were crawling out from the great evil spirit's fatal wound. These rats were pale red, and after leaving the giant catfish's corpse, they took only a few steps across the ground before dying one after another. Their corpses then melted and evaporated as well.

Li Mo asked, "What are those?"

What Zhang Qin did not notice was that although Li Mo's voice was hoarse, it was strangely calm.

"I heard that after an evil spirit dies, its corpse quickly evaporates and disperses. I'm guessing this plague was most likely spread by these strange rats. No, we need to leave this place quickly. We absolutely can't catch any misfortune or bad luck."

With that said.

Zhang Qin actually hoisted Li Mo onto his back and hurried toward Shanbei Village.

He moved as swiftly as if walking on air. Clearly, years of strengthening his body had given him physical abilities far beyond ordinary people, already reaching the level of a third-rate martial arts expert.

After returning to Shanbei Village, Zhang Qin placed Li Mo on the bed, breathing a little heavily.

"Xiao Mo, about this... don't be too heartbroken. The Zhao family went too far. Sooner or later, they'll suffer retribution. Everyone is watching."

Li Mo nodded with difficulty.

"Brother Zhang Qin, I'm fine."

Zhang Qin patted Li Mo on the shoulder.

"I need to go into town and report this to the Xiangyue Yamen. There's definitely something wrong with those rats!"

"Brother Zhang Qin, go take care of your work."

"Mm. Take care."

After Zhang Qin left, Li Mo simply leaned against the head of his bed and stared silently at the opposite wall. Until the sun gradually set and night fell, he did not move or speak a single word.

The next day.

Li Mo came to the stove and lit a fire to cook.

Following the way his mother had done it, he put coarse grains into boiling water, then added some coarse salt and wild vegetables. After the fire died out, he found several lotus leaves, cut the cooled coarse-grain rice into pieces, and wrapped each piece in a lotus leaf. He left only one piece for breakfast and held it in his hand as he chewed.

Li Mo's cooking was clearly lacking. Some beans had not been fully cooked, making crunching sounds between his teeth.

Yet he seemed not to feel it at all. His expression remained calm as he continued chewing in silence.

Only after finishing all the coarse-grain rice in his hand did Li Mo rise and drink some water. He then stood before a bronze mirror and meticulously straightened his clothes, looking once again like that positive, ambitious Traveling Doctor.

After making sure everything was in order, he gently shut the door.

Several Zhao households at the western end of the village had already been submerged by the floodwaters.

Li Mo stopped. He heard noisy arguing in the distance and looked toward it. It came from the direction of the abandoned Land God Temple. He remembered Uncle Cai saying that more than a dozen members of three Zhao households had moved there for shelter.

The Land God Temple stood on steep terrain directly below a cliff.

Many years ago, people had often come here to worship. But after Hua'an Town was incorporated into the Gan Kingdom, everyone strove to see themselves as citizens of the Da Gan Kingdom. Fewer and fewer people came to worship here, until the place was completely abandoned.

"You can shelter here, but if you want to tear down the Land God Temple and build brick houses instead, I'll be the first to object!"

"Exactly! This is the Land God Temple, where the Earth God lives. Our Shanbei Village was spared disaster before precisely because of the Earth God's protection."

"You Zhao people have gone too far! Not only did you sell Xiao Man to the River God Temple for one hundred taels, you even want to use that money to demolish the Land God Temple and build houses here. You'll suffer retribution for this!"

Several women from Shanbei Village were gathered around the Land God Temple, shouting.

But the Zhao family's Third Aunt and Fourth Aunt were clearly not easy people to provoke either.

"Our family kindly took in that mother and daughter for so many years, keeping them from ending up on the streets. Now that disaster has struck, isn't it only natural for them to repay us? Why are you sticking your noses into this?"

"Exactly! You're not the Her Ladyship of the Land God Temple, so what are you making such a racket for? We're citizens of the Da Gan Kingdom now. If you keep making trouble without reason, I'll report you to the authorities and have all of you arrested as remnants of the Land God Temple's followers, so you can accompany that Her Ladyship of the River God Temple!"

Upon hearing this, the Shanbei Village farm women surrounding the Land God Temple all revealed frightened expressions.

They were merely country women who had seen little of the world. Thinking of what had happened at the River God Temple yesterday, they were immediately startled. Shouting that the Zhao family would suffer retribution, they left.

"Xiao Mo?"

The Shanbei Village farm women who were about to leave all changed expression when they saw Li Mo approaching.

After exchanging glances, one of them stepped forward.

"Xiao Mo, you mustn't do anything foolish. You have such a bright future ahead of you. There's no need to fight them until the fish dies and the net breaks. We all know about Xiao Man. Ah, they're a pack of heartless wolves and dogs, nothing but beasts!"

"That's right, Xiao Mo. Sooner or later, they'll suffer retribution. Just wait and see..."

"Aunt Zhang, Aunt Zhao, Aunt Wang, Aunt Zhou, you've misunderstood."

Li Mo smiled gently. "Xiao Man visited me in a dream last night. She said she's enjoying every blessing in the River God Palace, with food, drink, and clothes. I'm happy for her before I can even help it. Why would I seek revenge? If anyone is to blame, it's myself for not having the ability to give her a good life before."

The women looked stunned.

Aunt Zhao was the first to react and hurriedly replied with a smile, "Right, right, Xiao Man went to enjoy every blessing. Xiao Mo, don't blame yourself too much. You're already very impressive. Once you become a chief physician in the future, you'll be an important figure in our town!"

"Right, right!"

The others echoed her, slowly making their way down the mountain.

Li Mo's smile faded as he arrived before the Land God Temple.

He raised his head toward the steep cliff beside it. It had been a long time since he had come here. He remembered that the last time had been when he followed his mother here to worship on their own.

Sighs rose from within the Land God Temple. Only when the dozen or so people inside saw Li Mo arrive did they all lift their heads.

"It's Xiao Mo."

Zhao Siman's Third Uncle put down his smoking pipe, looking somewhat awkward and uneasy.

"Uncle knows you liked that girl Xiao Man. When your mother was alive, she even sent a matchmaker to ask about it. Uncle absolutely never meant to oppose you two. To tell the truth, Xiao Man was a good girl, and Uncle liked her too. She would surely have enjoyed a good life with you in the future. But as you can see, the Zhao family suffered disaster. Once this heavy rain is over, no one knows how so many of us are supposed to survive. So we could only do it for the greater good. Ah, Uncle has wronged you..."

"Uncle Zhao, you've misunderstood."

Li Mo smiled. "I came to tell you that Xiao Man visited me in a dream yesterday. She said she's enjoying every blessing in the River God Palace, with food, drink, and a place to live. She told me not to worry about her. I just heard people say you were here, so I came to share the news with you."

"So that's what happened!"

The Zhao family members all breathed sighs of relief, revealing smiles as though a heavy burden had been lifted.

Li Mo nodded and smiled. "All right, uncles and aunts, if there's nothing else, I'll return to town first. If Xiao Man comes back to visit her family someday, you must let me know promptly."

"Of course! Rest assured, Xiao Mo. If Xiao Man comes back to visit her family, you'll be the first one we tell!"

Li Mo walked away amid the Zhao family's laughter.