Unintended Immortality-Chapter 452: Jile God

“Jile God?” The waiter looked at Song You with surprise.

“What is it?”

“Why are you inquiring about this deity?”

“I have heard of this god’s name before,” Song You replied, “but I also heard that there are no longer any temples dedicated to him in the city and that the authorities have abolished his worship. I was curious as to why, so I wanted to ask.”

“What you said is true,” the waiter admitted, “but I don’t dare say too much about it.” He looked uneasy. “Disrespecting the gods can bring misfortune.”

“Simply discussing the matter isn’t the same as slandering or defaming a deity, is it?” Song You smiled at him. “Besides, we are not in a temple, nor is there a statue of him here. No matter how powerful a god may be, surely he cannot hear the words of every single person in the world.”

“That’s not necessarily true!”

“Oh... is that so?” Song You reached into his robe and pulled out a few copper coins, neatly arranging them one by one on the table.

“Clink...”

With a casual flick of his hand, the waiter swept the coins into his palm.

“This Jile God was truly something—immensely powerful, with divine abilities beyond measure. A few years ago, many people in Yangdu worshiped him. Whenever there was a grand offering ceremony, the incense smoke would rise so thickly it could gather a cloud overhead.” The waiter simply sat down across from Song You.

He added, “But later, later... Later the authorities said that the deity was unpredictable—erratic, narrow-minded and petty. Instead of blessing the people, he used his divine powers to harm those who did not worship him. So, last year, they put up notices all over the city, banning his worship. His temple was torn down. But there are still quite a few people who worship him... in secret.”

Unpredictable—erratic, narrow-minded and petty.

This waiter was clever—rather than speaking his own opinion, he borrowed the words of the authorities.

Song You thought for a moment. Instead of directly asking how exactly Jile God was unpredictable, narrow-minded, and petty—lest he scare the waiter again—he chose a different approach.

“And what kind of powers does this deity possess?” he asked.

“What kind of powers?”

“For example, the Duke of Thunder is known for banishing demons. Those who worship him are protected from evil spirits and treacherous beings.” Song You lowered his head, absentmindedly stirring the grains of rice in his bowl with his chopsticks, particularly those small diced bits of green and red. “Or take the Swallow Immortal, who was newly enshrined in temples a few years ago—those who worship him are said to have good harvests.”

“They say that if you worship Jile God, you'll get rich.”

“Get rich?”

Song You pressed his lips together thoughtfully.

Whether or not any deity could truly govern wealth, he didn’t know. But from what he had heard, those who presided over financial fortune—be it in the previous dynasty or the current one—were almost always great gods.

And for good reason—

The incense offerings were simply too abundant.

Everyone loved wealth. Especially in Great Yan, where commerce was highly developed, the desire for fortune was universal. People were constantly striving to make money; no one would willingly turn away from it.

A deity in charge of wealth was bound to be popular.

Even those who never burned incense or worshipped any gods in their daily lives would bow their proud heads before the God of Wealth.

Thus, throughout history, across all dynasties, no matter who the God of Wealth was, they were always one of the most revered and welcomed deities among the common people.

Hearing the waiter mention that Jile God was associated with wealth, Song You immediately understood—this deity must have once enjoyed immense popularity in Yangdu. But that also meant its influence was likely confined only to Yangdu.

“Does worshiping him really bring wealth?” Song You glanced down at his cat.

She was sitting upright on the bench, not even touching her pan-fried fish anymore. Instead, she had straightened her posture, lifting her head just enough for her eyes to rise above the tabletop. She stared unblinkingly at the waiter, as if scrutinizing him.

Seeing this, Song You asked on her behalf.

“That... I can’t say for sure,” the waiter lowered his voice. “But if you don’t believe in him, you definitely won’t get rich. Worse yet, you might even lose your wealth.”

“Oh?”

“If you simply don’t believe, that’s one thing. But if you make him angry...” The waiter hesitated, his gaze shifting between the Daoist and the cat sitting beside him—who was still staring at him with those strangely human-like eyes.

Feeling unsettled, he hesitated for a moment before leaning in closer.

“A few years back, there were many nobles who offended the deity, and their family treasures mysteriously vanished. Some common folk woke up to find their silver and savings flying out their windows—coins scattering in all directions, clinking and clanking all over the streets. There were even farmers whose crops simply wouldn’t grow, no matter what they did.”

“Oh?” The Daoist's expression shifted slightly, a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

Even the cat’s pupils shrank—a clear sign that she, too, had comprehended the weight of the words and was equally shocked.

The waiter blinked, momentarily dumbfounded at the cat's reaction.

“Are you telling the truth?”

“Why would I lie?” The waiter widened his eyes. “Everyone in Yangdu knows about this! Plenty of people have even picked up money off the streets thanks to Jile God. Sir, if you ask around, you’ll find out soon enough.”

“I see...”

Now, Song You fully understood why Jile God was said to be unpredictable, erratic, and petty.

For a moment, Song You found himself lost in thought.

Although Yangdu was the second-largest city in the world and even more prosperous than Changjing, it was not a place of auspicious feng shui, nor was it rich in spiritual energy or imbued with spiritual resonance. In these crowded streets, rare treasures of nature could not possibly grow.

Yet, Yangdu was as bustling as a dream, teeming with merchants from all directions. People from various provinces of Great Yan would naturally gather rare treasures of nature and precious medicinal herbs, bringing them to this commercial hub—Yangdu.

Thus, this Jile God was fundamentally different from other local deities of Yangdu.

Its methods must have been similar to that monk from Yidu—extracting treasures not from nature, but from the wealthy and powerful of Yangdu.

Coincidentally, their abilities were nearly identical. Both relied on theft.

Song You made a quick deduction—those lost treasures from noble households were likely not ordinary valuables, but rather rare materials and precious herbs, which in all likelihood ended up flowing toward Fengzhou.

However, both the monk of Yidu and this Jile God had gone too far in their actions.

The monk of Yidu, aside from stealing rare materials and spiritual herbs to offer to the State Preceptor, had also secretly hoarded a personal collection of ancient paintings, fine artifacts, and rare treasures. Moreover, to lighten his burden, he even trained a disciple to assist him—forcing him to expand his range of theft.

But this Jile God was even worse.

In these times, most nobles were oppressors. Given the State Preceptor’s temperament and ideals, with Great Yan’s internal conflicts growing increasingly tense, the fact that he hadn’t confiscated their wealth—or their heads—was already merciful.

For the State Preceptor, taking some treasures and rare materials from noble storehouses likely wouldn't have weighed on his conscience. Even if not entirely just, it wasn't entirely unjust either.

But this Jile God took it one step further. It quickly realized that it could profit immensely from this power. So, it began to demand offerings, forcibly extracting faith and incense tributes from the people.

And if someone refused to worship or angered it? It would use divine power to seize their wealth, strip them of their prosperity, and even ensure their land bore no harvest.

That—was truly wrong.

Ordinary families did not have the deep wealth of high-ranking officials. They were already at the bottom of society—if their money suddenly flew away or if their crops failed for an entire year, it wasn’t just a loss of fortune. They could starve to death.

“Has anyone lost their wealth recently?” Song You asked. “I mean... the kind where their silver and coins just fly away on their own?”

“Of course! But it happens less often now,” the waiter replied. “Unless someone publicly curses the deity or openly spreads criticism about it, I haven’t heard of anyone being targeted lately!” He weighed the copper coins in his hand. “If that weren’t the case, even if you loaned me a few extra guts, I still wouldn’t dare talk about this so openly!”

“Thank you for telling me.”

It seemed that Jile God was still present.

And with the incense offerings it had amassed under the guise of “bringing fortune,” its power had likely grown significantly over the years.

“The dish is ready!” a voice bellowed from the kitchen.

“Coming!” The waiter gave Song You a quick nod and bow before turning toward the kitchen.

Song You, however, remained seated, his head lowered as he idly prodded the rice grains and tiny diced bits in his bowl with his chopsticks.

The red ones were red carrots, which had likely only recently been introduced to Great Yan and were still rare in most places, not yet widely cultivated.

The light green cubes had a soft, glutinous texture with a faint sweetness—one of the superior crops brought back from overseas by Anqing swallows a few years ago. They were called Swallow Potatoes.

Truly, this was Yangdu—

Where everything new arrived first, and everything spread faster than anywhere else.

“Fragrant Tea Shrimp!” The waiter returned, setting down a bowl of steaming broth on the table.

“That's everything! Sir, enjoy your meal!”

“Thank you.”

In the bowl was a clear tea broth, with white shrimp barely visible beneath the surface. The shrimp had been cleaned quite thoroughly.

A soup spoon was provided alongside it.

Song You picked up the spoon, scooped up a sip of the tea broth, and then fished out a single shrimp to taste.

It was simply shrimp cooked in tea—nothing particularly elaborate.

Tea in this era was already rich in flavor, and this particular brew had been prepared using an older boiling method—it contained sugar and salt, plums for acidity, and ginger to remove any fishiness. The dish was as straightforward as it sounded—shrimp simmered directly in this seasoned tea broth.

The shrimp itself didn’t retain much distinct flavor—whether it was river shrimp or sea shrimp was unclear. However, paired with the tea broth, it carried a subtle tea aroma, making for an intriguingly unique taste.

After taking just a couple of bites, Song You methodically scooped all the shrimp from his bowl and placed them into the calico cat’s imperial bowl on the bench.

The calico cat was still growing, after all.

“Well? What do you think, sir?” The waiter had been watching him closely, eyes full of anticipation.

“It’s quite unique.” Song You smiled slightly before lowering his head to continue his meal.

The rice was well-cooked—soft, flavorful, and infused with the sweet fragrance of Swallow Potatoes.

“There’s one more thing I’d like to ask you.”

“Oh? What is it?”

The waiter's heart skipped a beat—

This Daoist had just asked about Jile God. If the deity were still as powerful as before, even if he dared to speak about it, he certainly wouldn’t have dared to tell the whole truth. Even now, it had taken quite a bit of courage on his part.

Now, what else did this man want to ask?

However, he only saw the Daoist pick up a small pale green cube from his bowl with his chopsticks and lift it toward him.

“Is this Swallow Potato?”

“Whew...” The waiter let out a relieved sigh before quickly offering praise, “Sir, you have a keen eye! This is indeed Swallow Potato. The government only introduced it to Yangzhou farmers a couple of years ago. Sir, you are truly well-traveled and knowledgeable!”

“Where can I buy it?”

“Cross the bridge, turn right—there’s a market in the morning. But you’ll need to wake up early! By noon, the vendors pack up and leave.”

“And this?” Song You picked up a small red cube next.

“It’s carrot. Not sure where it originally came from, but in recent years, quite a few people in Yangzhou have started growing them. The autumn harvest is just now ripening. We usually dice them into rice like this, or sometimes stir-fry them as a vegetarian dish. If you enjoy it, feel free to come back and try it sometime. Our cooking is no joke.”

“I certainly will.” Song You nodded at him with a smile, already mentally noting down several potential dishes.

With that, he stopped making conversation and focused on his meal.

Thankfully, his cat was not a picky eater—she ate both fish and shrimp, finishing off the two dishes in just a few bites.

With that, they settled the bill and left the shop.