Immortalis

White Dog 8

"Almost every dynasty's ancient texts contain records of white-skinned people," Song Lan explained methodically. "During the Crimson Gold era, there was a seven-year-old child outside the capital whose hair and body were completely white, skilled in divination, who died at nine. During Northern Xiang times, there was a village in the northern mining area where several people had eyebrows and hair as white as old men's, becoming dizzy-eyed and unable to see when exposed to light."

Zhou Huai frowned. "So you're saying these completely white people have appeared many times in the past? Is it some kind of illness?"

Song Lan nodded. "Although not extremely common, historical records do confirm this condition. These people are born completely snow-white. While not life-threatening, they cannot be exposed to light throughout their lives. The ancients said that after five hundred years, one's color turns white, regarding white tigers and white deer as auspicious signs, and naturally the same for humans. These people are usually considered divine embryos from birth, skilled in divination with supernatural abilities."

Zhou Huai thought of that lightless room. Now it seemed that while it appeared to imprison White Dog, it was also protecting him.

He said, "So White Dog Village wasn't actually blaspheming against the gods. If he's just a patient, then he naturally couldn't be exposed to sunlight."

Yang Wujian chuckled upon hearing this. "Young master, you're being naive. Whether it's blasphemy depends on what the gods think. If White Dog was just an ordinary person who couldn't be in the sun, yet was imprisoned in a lightless ancestral hall his entire life, if it were you, would you be content?"

Zhou Huai choked up. "But at least they provided him with food and clothing."

Shen Qingshi said, "The officials just mentioned that when White Dog was first reincarnated, he didn't initially possess divine consciousness. Before that, he was just an ordinary farmer in the village who could only farm at night due to his light sensitivity, living in extreme poverty. However, after turning twenty, he suddenly claimed one day that White Dog had been reincarnated in him. Afterwards, he taught the villagers secret methods to gather Howling Whistle Flowers near the Meat Well and sell them to Medicine King Mountain, gradually making the village prosperous."

"So it was a mid-life reincarnation?" Yang Wujian couldn't help but laugh.

Previously he thought the stories Gu Yun told him about Longevity Palace were already outrageous enough.

But now it seemed that compared to Zhao Jian, the founding master of Longevity Palace who at least died once before comprehending the Longevity Heart Sutra after jumping into an earth fissure with his mother, this White Dog became a god as if by mere declaration - wasn't that treating divinity as child's play?

He said, "Well, the first White Dog did achieve the life he wanted. After all, though imprisoned after becoming a god, he indeed had food and clothing every day, which was much better than his previous life of only farming at night, never knowing when his next meal would come."

To this, Song Lan merely said, "The Spring and Autumn Annals record: sow wheat, reap wheat; sow millet, reap millet. The same applies to humans. If the father is white, the son will naturally be white. White Dog's offspring being born completely white wasn't divine reincarnation, but simply... inheriting the same illness as their father..."

Though Song Lan spoke euphemistically, the other three understood his meaning.

The first White Dog might have genuinely wanted to become a god, but what about his child born in captivity?

Imprisoned in the ancestral hall from birth, even if he didn't want to be a god, he had no other path. No wonder the original White Dog asked him to interact more with people before dying.

Probably only he knew that the reincarnation was nothing but a lie from the very beginning.Shen Qingshi said calmly, "The second White Dog developed spiritual awareness very early. It's said he learned to read at a young age and began meeting outsiders around seven or eight years old, offering them guidance. When County Magistrate Lu Hai first took office here, he also met the White Dog, who advised him to review old cases in the county archives. This unexpectedly helped Lu Hai capture a gang of bandits who had stolen official silver, earning him recognition ever since."

Yang Wujian remarked, "From this perspective, the White Dog doesn't seem malicious. But why did White Dog Village ultimately meet such a tragic end? Could it truly be related to the villagers' ignorant deification?"

Silence fell over the table. After a long pause, Yang Wujian seemed to recall something and refilled Song Lan's teacup.

"Didn't Medicine King Mountain investigate these matters back then? The White Dog was clearly human, yet Sect Leader Shan told us it was Longevity Palace that released a white auspicious beast that devoured the entire village."

Even Zhou Huai couldn't help but snort coldly at this.

Having traveled all this way, he had come to understand that Longevity Palace was merely a convenient scapegoat, and these completely unrelated incidents were ultimately pinned on them.

Zhou Huai couldn't help but think it was fortunate that White Rainbow Tower hadn't been implicated yet. Otherwise, when he publicly revealed the truth behind these events, it would be like lifting a rock only to drop it on his own feet.

Yang Wujian's tone was sarcastic, and Song Lan could only respond with a bitter smile: "After all, Yin Quer was brought into the sect by the sect leader himself. He probably found it difficult to explain, which is why he hastily closed the case. When we return, if the sect leader cannot tolerate me, I might as well descend the mountain. I can practice medicine among the common people, which wouldn't waste the medical skills I've acquired on the mountain."

With matters reaching this point, even if Yang Wujian wanted to cause trouble, he had nothing more to say.

Shen Qingshi then said, "This matter requires deeper investigation. We can't get more information from Lu Hai. He firmly believes that the White Dog Village people blasphemed against the deity, causing the White Dog to refuse rebirth in mortal form and return to the Meat Well. So he ordered a temple built beside the Meat Well and moved all the White Dog's former belongings there."

"So all the items from White Dog Village's ancestral hall are now by the Meat Well?"

"Exactly. Lu Hai didn't dare to tamper with those items randomly, and feared that keeping them in White Dog Village would further anger the deity, so he had them all removed. I've already spoken with him, and we can investigate there later."

After some discussion, the four decided to visit the Meat Well early the next morning.

After all, Meat Wells anywhere in the world were considered ominous places. Exploring at night posed too great a risk, so it was better to rest properly at the inn overnight and make plans when daylight came.

With nothing else to do, Yang Wujian lay in his room and swallowed a Blood Replenishing Pill he had obtained from Gu Yun, intending to sleep for a while. Suddenly, the young master's voice sounded outside his door.

"Miss Yang, let's go stroll through the streets. If there's anything you like, I'll buy it for you."

Since discovering that Shen Qingshi might be "cut-sleeve," Zhou Huai had been clinging tightly to him these past few days. His voice now brimmed with eagerness; if he had a tail, it would probably be wagging nonstop.

Yang Wujian sighed, truly unsure how to handle this situation.

Having traveled the martial world for so long, there had indeed been a few occasions where he accidentally revealed his true form, but all those people had died.

Now he was caught in a dilemma - he couldn't tell Zhou Huai the truth, nor could he simply kill him.Should he just let this misunderstanding continue like this?

Yang Wujian felt utterly overwhelmed. His first instinct was to pretend to be asleep, but then he thought about Zhou Huai's naive, blank-slate personality wandering the streets alone. If he encountered any shady characters, he'd likely get sold off while still helping count the money. With no other choice, Yang Wujian reapplied his makeup and went out with him.

What surprised Yang Wujian was how bustling Baiqian Town's night market turned out to be.

Though the sun had already set, the streets were still filled with vendors selling snacks and jewelry. Seizing this rare opportunity to stroll alone with Yang Wujian, Zhou Huai bought every treat they came across, completely unconcerned about overstuffing his companion.

Zhou Huai marveled, "Just thirty years ago, this was a mining district where people struggled to survive. I thought the streets would be full of nothing but stones."

Yang Wujian subtly loosened his Golden Rings with a bit of internal energy, thinking that since following this young master around, he'd been eating well every day—so well that he'd even reduced his intake of Blood Replenishing Pills... Truly, fortune and misfortune are intertwined.

He remarked, "Back then, the emperor of Northern Xiang mined everywhere, not for the benefit of the people or the state. Many places had no ore deposits, yet he insisted on wasting lives and resources to dig anyway. That's what caused such widespread public discontent."

The two wandered until sunset before heading back. Just as their inn came into view, Yang Wujian glanced sideways and noticed Shen Qingshi standing alone at a vendor's stall just a few steps away, staring blankly at several rabbits in a cage.

"Is Young Master Shen not out with Elder Song Lan?"

Zhou Huai's tone clearly implied he saw them as a pair.

Yang Wujian rolled his eyes and was about to approach when he saw Shen Qingshi say something to the vendor, who then took a rabbit out of the cage and handed it to her.

She seemed to really like small animals like this.

Yang Wujian held back Zhou Huai and waited. After a moment, Shen Qingshi hesitated, then carefully brought the rabbit up to her face and gently nuzzled its fur with her cheek.

"Wow..."

Zhou Huai stared, dumbfounded.

Shen Qingshi was slender and had delicate, refined features. When she kept a cold expression, it was one thing, but now, suddenly cradling a rabbit like this, he blurted out without thinking, "Why does Young Master Shen suddenly seem like a girl..."

How could anyone be this blind?

Yang Wujian's eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head.

Unlike him, Shen Qingshi hadn't been deliberately hiding her identity—she wore men's clothing out of habit from her time in the Zhaoming Division.

Now that she was beginning to understand her own feelings, it was natural for her to suddenly develop a fondness for cute little creatures. After all, Yang Wujian knew better than anyone that Shen Qingshi's childhood had been spent in cages at the Longevity Palace.

And there, aside from corpses, rabbits were the last thing she'd ever see.

The two finally walked over. When Shen Qingshi noticed them, a hint of fluster crossed her face. She didn't know whether to keep holding the rabbit or put it down, until Yang Wujian stepped in to ease the tension.

"Young Master Shen, if you really like the rabbit, just buy it. It's not any trouble—you can keep it at the inn and just feed it leaves twice a day."

"I..."

Shen Qingshi was still hesitating when Song Lan approached from nearby and asked, "Thinking of buying a rabbit?"

"If you're buying, hurry up and decide! I'm about to close up here!"The rabbit vendor grumbled when he saw four people blocking his stall. Song Lan smiled and said, "If you like them, let's buy them all. I'll make the purchase and give one to Young Hero Shen. As medical practitioners, we often need rabbits to test herbs when traveling."

With that, Song Lan bought all four rabbits from the vendor and finally placed the one Shen Qingshi had been holding into a cage, handing it to her.

"If Young Hero Shen has never raised rabbits before, I can teach you later."

Song Lan smiled as he picked up the other three rabbit cages. The group turned to head back to the inn when, suddenly, shouts of abuse came from the street not far away.

"Unlucky creature! You've already bought it, why are you still loitering here?"

All four turned around and saw a person wearing a bamboo hat quickly disappear into the crowd.

Seeing this, the rabbit vendor shook his head and said, "Every month when the day to worship the White Dog comes around, they show up. What bad luck. Even the White Dog won't accept them, yet they still linger here unwilling to leave."