Immortalis

White Dog IV

“Miss Yang, what exactly did you say inside?”

All the way down the mountain, Young Master Zhou, who had been expelled from the mountain gate for the first time in his life, remained utterly astonished.

In all his previous visits to Medicine King Mountain for treatment, he had never witnessed these gentle and refined medical practitioners turn hostile so abruptly.

Yang Wujian sneered inwardly, thinking that driving them out simply because they couldn’t win the argument only proved their guilt.

He said with a laugh, “Sorry to have dragged you into this, Young Master. But I doubt Medicine King Mountain would sever ties with your father over such a matter. Your treatment should continue as usual, though Young Master Shen and I will likely never set foot on this mountain again.”

As dusk approached, the three of them took a brief rest in the town at the foot of Medicine King Mountain. Fortunately, the mountain’s influence in the area wasn’t so overwhelming that they couldn’t find an inn to stay in.

During dinner, Yang Wujian noticed that Shen Qingshi had been looking unwell ever since they descended, aware that she was still troubled by the matter of Yin Quer. He said, “Young Master Shen, don’t dwell on it too much. We’ll head straight to White Dog Village to investigate. The truth will come out sooner or later.”

Zhou Huai, still unaware of what they had learned from Song Lan, was on the verge of another jealous outburst. Yang Wujian sighed and laid out everything—except for the fact that Shen Qingshi was a woman. Zhou Huai’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“So… Yin Quer might have been with him…”

Zhou Huai glanced at Shen Qingshi’s pale face, hesitated for a moment, then called for the waiter and ordered an extra plate of pork liver for her.

He grumbled irritably, “We’ll be traveling to that White Dog Village soon. You’d better take care of yourself so you don’t hold us back on the road.”

The meal passed in near silence. After agreeing to set off the next day, the three retired to their respective rooms. Lying in bed, Shen Qingshi felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

For so long, she had never experienced such emotional turbulence as she had these past few days. When skinning a rabbit, she couldn’t bring herself to make the cut; when sparrows took flight, she found herself unable to look away.

Before this, only during sparring matches had Shen Qingshi’s usually unshakable composure ever wavered slightly, which was why she particularly enjoyed sword duels.

Why had she never cared about these fluffy little creatures before? Why had it never occurred to her that their fur could be so soft, or that they looked like little white balls when taking off?

Why had she become like this?

Was it because of the Blood Cleansing Pill?

Shen Qingshi stared at her palm, suddenly feeling a surge of resentment toward Yang Wujian.

If he hadn’t meddled unnecessarily, she wouldn’t be like this.

But…

If he hadn’t rescued her back then, she wouldn’t be here either.

Yang Wujian was from Longevity Palace, but he was also Shen Qingshi’s benefactor.

Later, if she were to uncover Longevity Palace’s secrets for Brother Cao, what would become of Yang Wujian…?

“Indeed, you are the most suitable for this mission.”

Just as Shen Qingshi was drifting into a daze, Cao Zhao’s voice echoed in her mind like a splash of cold water, jolting her awake. Drenched in cold sweat, she pushed herself up and heard a knock at the door.

“Young Hero Shen? Are you staying in this room?”

It was Song Lan’s voice.

“Elder Song Lan, do you intend to take us to White Dog Village?”Yang Wujian and Zhou Huai had not yet come downstairs. Song Lan poured Shen Qingshi some tea from the bamboo tube he carried with him and said, "This is a homemade herbal tea of mine. Since you can't eat hot food, Miss Shen, have this instead. It contains medicinal herbs and sugar water, which is beneficial for your health. The young ladies who come to me for treatment all like it very much."

"Thank you."

Shen Qingshi took a tentative sip. It was indeed light and refreshing, much more palatable than bitter cold tea.

After a moment's thought, she said, "This tastes very good."

Song Lan smiled. "I'm glad you like it. I brought some of the recipe with me, so we can drink it regularly on our way to White Dog Village."

Just then, Zhou Huai and Yang Wujian finally came downstairs together. From a distance, they could see Song Lan checking Shen Qingshi's pulse.

Zhou Huai was taken aback. "So it really is the one from the Medicine Furnace before. The Four Seas Alliance is indeed small."

Meanwhile, Yang Wujian noticed the obvious confusion on Shen Qingshi's face. He walked over and said with a smile, "Elder Song Lan, what brings you here?"

"Miss Yang, Young Master Zhou, I apologize for coming so suddenly and disturbing your rest."

Song Lan invited them to sit and poured them some herbal tea as well. "I've already learned about what happened on the mountain. The sect leader and the others... In any case, I know you've been wronged, and I want to lend you a hand."

"Elder Song Lan is very thoughtful."

Yang Wujian said this, then sniffed the tea and set the cup down.

He then asked, "You mentioned wanting to lend us a hand. Forgive my bluntness, Elder Song Lan, but why go to such lengths? We've fallen out with Medicine King Mountain and been expelled. Helping us at a time like this offers you no benefit, does it?"

He was quite direct, but Song Lan sighed upon hearing this. "That's true. However, I've thought it over and over, and I simply cannot stand by and do nothing. After all, Yin Quer was once my apprentice. All these years, I've carried guilt in my heart for her. I wanted to uncover the truth but never dared to defy the sect leader's wishes... It was the arrival of you three young heroes that rekindled my hope. So tonight, I told the mountain that I was going down to gather herbs."

"Well then..."

Zhou Huai was about to drink the herbal tea when he suddenly felt someone gently pinch his knee. Instinctively, he set the cup down.

Yang Wujian took over the conversation with a smile. "Since Elder Song Lan is willing to help, that's naturally for the best. You should know, we don't even know where White Dog Village is."

"White Dog Village isn't far from here. Normally, it would take two days on horseback. However, Young Hero Shen is injured..."

"I'm fine. We can travel at a normal pace."

Shen Qingshi met Yang Wujian's gaze and understood that he didn't fully trust Song Lan. For some reason, she wanted to trust Yang Wujian's judgment.

She also set down her teacup. "Elder Song Lan, earlier on the mountain, it was said that the entire White Dog Village was massacred. Is that true?"

Song Lan's expression turned grave as he nodded. "The sect leader didn't hide anything about this matter. It's true that no one in White Dog Village survived. Moreover, many disciples from the mountain went to White Dog Village at the time—they saw it with their own eyes."

"How did those people die?"

"By the time they arrived, there was nothing left but scattered flesh and bones all over the ground. The villagers had been mostly eaten by wild animals, so the cause of death couldn't be determined."

"The entire village was really eaten?"

Zhou Huai tightened his grip on his prayer beads, his face suddenly changing. "What kind of wild animal could eat so many people?"Song Lan pondered for a moment, then carefully took out a plain handkerchief from his bosom. After unfolding it, a purple violet was embroidered in one corner, while the center of the handkerchief wrapped around some pure white hairs stained with black residue.

Yang Wujian frowned. "This is..."

Song Lan explained, "When those disciples arrived at the village, they found the entire place drenched in blood. Many vomited on the spot, and some were so terrified after returning that they left the mountain and never came back... At that time, they searched the entire village and found these hairs at the location with the most flesh fragments and bloodstains."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Huai immediately visualized the scene of a ferocious beast devouring human flesh and couldn't help but shudder.

He stammered, "So, there really was a white beast that ate these villagers in the village? Did they find any footprints or similar traces at that time?"

Song Lan nodded. "There were many animal footprints coming from all directions in the village, but none were particularly unusual—just ordinary wild animals."

Wild animals eating people?

Yang Wujian seemed to suddenly remember something and said, "But these beasts wouldn't just appear in the village to eat people for no reason. Could someone have driven them?"

"Miss Yang, I share the same suspicion."

At this point, Song Lan took out a dried white flower from the medical book he carried with him. Even though it had dried out, the flower still looked peculiar, with two upturned petals on the bud that, when viewed from the side, resembled the sharp-eared head of a beast.

Zhou Huai recognized the flower at once and said in surprise, "I've seen this flower too! It grows near the Hero's Tomb as well. In our area, we call it 'Sharp-Eared Grass.'"

Song Lan said, "This is the Howling Whistle Flower. It's not particularly rare and can be found in many mining areas. Although easy to find, it's difficult to harvest. If the Howling Whistle Flower is picked without the ancient preservation method, it will wither and rot within the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, making it unusable for medicine."

Shen Qingshi asked, "What is this flower used for?"

Song Lan replied, "If this flower can be preserved without withering, it can be dried and turned into Beast Luring Powder. However, the ancient method for preserving the Howling Whistle Flower has long been lost. Only White Dog Village still has people who know this method, which is why Medicine King Mountain sends disciples on rotation periodically to seek medicine there. Yin Quer wasn't her first time going to that place either."Beast Luring Powder—that's the legendary powder from Medicine King Mountain said to be capable of driving all kinds of beasts.""

Yang Wujian thought for a moment, seeming to find the matter suspicious. "The villagers were all eaten by wild animals, and Beast Luring Powder exists locally. In other words, this incident could be man-made, couldn't it?"

"Opinions are divided on this matter. Besides the possibility of human involvement, there's another theory."

Song Lan sighed. "White Dog Village is a rather isolated place, and there are many rules for seeking medicine there. For example, only specific disciples are allowed to go, and after gathering the herbs, they cannot disclose the local situation to outsiders. Before the incident, this place was never discussed on the mountain. It was only after the incident that some disciples who had been there mentioned that White Dog Village worships the White Dog. There's a legend that near the village, there is a Meat Well left from the Northern Xiang era. The Emperor Beixiang once ordered the White Dog to guard this well. Although the White Dog ranks above all beasts and has an extremely long lifespan, guarding this place generation after generation has been quite lonely. So, it came to their village, received offerings, and taught them how to harvest the Howling Whistle Flower."

"In that case, those white hairs might actually belong to the deity they worship?"Zhou Huai was taken aback, never expecting the matter to grow increasingly mystical, even involving deities.

Was it someone using Beast Luring Powder to attract wild beasts, slaughtering the entire village, or had they offended their own deity, incurring divine punishment?

Just as everyone sank into contemplation, Yang Wujian scoffed, "But if White Dog truly were a deity, why would it be foolish enough to leave its own fur at the scene?"

It was ironic—despite being a member of Longevity Palace, he did not believe in gods.

After all, if ascending to immortality truly required human lives, as it had fifteen years ago, how was such a deity any different from evil spirits?

At this thought, Yang Wujian stretched lazily, stood up, and said, "Rather than dwelling on these pointless thoughts, we should get some rest early. We'll set off for White Dog Village first thing tomorrow morning."

He chuckled, "Whether it's a ghost or a deity, we'll find out once we investigate."