Licentious Worship and the City God

A little boy led the way, one hand still clutching half a steamed white-flour bun. He hadn't been able to bring himself to finish it, planning to take it home to his family instead. He'd held on to it tightly the whole way.

Every so often, he looked back at them.

Afraid the people behind him might fall behind.

And afraid the immortal might run off.

This was an immortal! In all his years, he'd never seen anyone so powerful. Even the City God of the county had bowed and paid his respects to him.

He'd seen the immortal wave his hand. All the things they'd brought along—the several big horses, the carriage, the jars, pots, and boxes—had vanished.

He had no idea where they'd gone.

The village boy's heart thudded wildly the whole way.

After walking along the mountain path for over an hour and turning several times, they arrived at the Fourth Young Master Temple.

The Fourth Young Master Temple was quite imposing.

It was hard to imagine such a magnificent temple tucked away in a small ravine in Ru Prefecture. The temple caretaker must have put a great deal of thought into it. Its pillars were tall and straight, and its main hall solemn. The whole place was painted black and red, unlike most temples and Taoist monasteries these days. Stone bricks covered the floors, and flames were used as the overall decorative motif.

Jiang She noticed that every flame design had been painted with gold dust, each one intricate and exquisite.

This one...

was doing pretty well for himself.

As they stepped over the threshold, they saw the incense burner before the temple packed with burning incense, pale smoke curling into the air.

The wisps of smoke mingled with the lush green of the mountains.

The child leading the way spoke much more quietly now.

He was deeply reverent.

In a very, very small voice, forgetting that an immortal was right beside him, he whispered, afraid someone might hear:

"This is the Fourth Young Master Temple."

The little cat sniffed, too. She had the sharpest nose. Her whiskers quivered, and her nose wrinkled. Clutching Jiang She's robe, she scrambled up it.

She didn't like the smell of the incense.

Jiang She picked her up and asked, "If it's such a grand temple, why is it in the mountains of Ru Prefecture?"

The boy looked at the pretty little cat and scratched his head. How would a village child know? All he knew was that one day, a temple had appeared in this unremarkable place. Quite a few people from the village went to worship there in secret, and their prayers were answered.

He also knew that people from other prefectures came all the way to worship at their temple.

After that, they started charging a lot of money—even gold. The boy's family could barely spare five copper coins, so they'd never gone.

The child thought for a while.

"When people want to get rich, they don't care how far they have to go."

"They'll walk here no matter how far it is. Even dozens of li won't scare them off... My dad's just like that."

Jiang She smiled. "That's a clever way to put it."

The boy tilted his head, not quite understanding what was so clever about it. He looked at the cat, black from head to tail, with lovely fur. Curled into a ball, she was tiny—such a very, very small cat.

He wanted to pet her, but worried he might get her dirty.

His fingers itched.

The boy mustered his courage and asked, "How old is she?"

"About two months."

"Does a cat eat much?"

"Compared to a person, I imagine not."

"Then I can eat a little less and give some to her." The boy gazed at the cat, curled into a ball. "It'd be enough if she were half as pretty."

Jiang She didn't answer for a moment.

After looking around for a while, the boy remembered the steamed white-flour bun these people had given him. He was a boy who kept his word, so he led them along, feeling his way through the halls.

He'd never been here himself, but luckily the immortals hadn't been here either, so they hadn't noticed.

Jiang She and the others wandered around the Fourth Young Master Temple for a few circuits before reaching the main hall.

Neither Jiang She nor Old Deer Mountain God, Li Bai, or Yuan Danqiu pointed this out. They tacitly followed the boy, letting him lead them in circles like flies blundering about, even though they'd spotted the main hall not far away.

"We're here!"

The boy let out a sigh of relief.

As if he'd accomplished some great feat, he turned to look at them.

"This is the main hall."

He hesitated, then looked around. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he whispered:

"If it's a good temple, can the immortals not punish them?"

The boy vaguely understood that the immortals didn't seem to like this temple, and that they'd even reported it to the City God. But everyone in the village liked coming to the Fourth Young Master Temple.

The villagers didn't know what an illicit temple was. They only knew this temple was magnificent, cost a lot of money, and was very effective.

Jiang She softened his tone as much as he could.

Matching the child's words from before, he spoke in the same gentle manner: "If it's a good temple and they do good deeds, no one will cause them trouble."

"Of course they won't be punished."

As he spoke, Jiang She entered the main hall.

A few people dressed in silk were inside. When they saw someone come in, they paid no mind.

They held strings of gold and silver coins.

Their lips moved as they muttered prayers.

Jiang She listened closely. In their hearts, they were thinking:

"Fourth Young Master, protect me. I, your humble devotee, am willing to offer ten taels of gold. Please let my elder brother drown, so I can take over the family estate. I'm willing to raise my nephew..."

"Fourth Young Master, God of Wealth, protect me. Next time I go to the gambling house, I'll surely hit it big and win back what I lost before... If I can make a little extra, even better. If I succeed, your faithful devotee will offer up thirty percent of the profits to support the immortals..."

"Fourth Young Master, protect me. I'd like another two jin of incense ash. I used it to make talismans last time, and it worked wonderfully. Quite a few people got rich, and they've been pressing me to make more... Haha, Fourth Young Master really is miraculous. Even the Orthodox Gods in the City God's temple can't compare."

"I pray that a beauty will look upon me with favor. The Prefectural Governor of Ru Prefecture has a granddaughter as beautiful as a flower..."

The seven emotions and six desires, every kind of wish—

they were all here.

Jiang She listened for a while, then looked up at the gilded statue.

The statue's eyes were lowered, its wide sleeves fluttering as it stood atop the Flame Gold Platform. Patterns of longevity and peace were carved into it. The deep black and red blended with the flame motifs.

After looking it over for a while,

Jiang She spoke.

"I've listened for long enough. Won't you come out and meet me?"

After returning, the City God was still shaken. He immediately summoned the Civil and Martial Judges, along with the Day Wanderer and Night Spirit.

The Civil Judge was solemn and refined, dressed in a green official robe, with a long beard and a pale face. He held a writing brush in one hand and a dossier in the other. The Martial Judge looked fearsome and imposing, with an iron pen and chains in his hands, red hair and a blue face, and a face as hideous as a yaksha's. Just looking at him filled people with dread.

The Day Wanderer and Night Spirit followed behind the two judges, their bearing mysterious and elusive.

They held thin booklets, recording the good and evil deeds of mortals.

When they saw the City God, they all bowed, showing obedience and respect.

When the City God had been alive, he'd been an official in Ru Prefecture. After his death, his good deeds and the people's love for him had earned him a heavenly appointment as the god of that region. He carried himself with great authority.

He clasped his hands behind his back and asked:

"Have you heard of the Fourth Young Master Temple?"

The Martial Judge, red-haired and blue-faced, lowered his hideous head and glanced around.

The Civil and Martial Judges and the Day Wanderer and Night Spirit all replied:

"An illicit temple in our Ru Prefecture? This subordinate has never found any record of it."

"I know nothing of it either."

"Where in Ru Prefecture is it?" the Day Wanderer asked respectfully. "This subordinate will investigate at once."

The City God studied them closely and said slowly, "Today, I met an immortal. He commanded the vital energy of heaven and earth as freely as a man stretching out his limbs. His Daoist arts were profound, and I couldn't tell what kind of immortal or deity he was."

"The immortal spoke to me of the Fourth Young Master Temple. I'll give you one chance. Tell me again."

The Civil Judge was shocked.

"There really are immortals?"

The Day Wanderer and Night Spirit were likewise shaken.

"How can there still be immortals in this world?"

The City God recalled what he'd seen earlier and sighed. "There really are immortals in this world. Their Daoist arts are so profound that they surpass all the words and verses written by mortals, and even the legendary Guangchengzi and Chisongzi of ages past."

"If the immortal hadn't summoned me, I would have taken him for an ordinary person."

"I wouldn't even have recognized an immortal's face."

The Civil Judge suddenly passed through the desk and leaned forward without thinking.

"So that's how it is?"

The City God sighed, then returned to the immortal's instructions. He looked them over and asked sternly, "You truly know nothing?"

"If you keep hiding the truth, beware the immortal's punishment!"

Clang!

The iron pen fell from the Martial Judge's hand.