He changed Tiwat

Shen He remained silent.

“Let’s rest here for a bit. By the way, since we’ve already said we’d like Mr. Han to help us with the new script for ‘The Goddess Splits the Temple,’ I might as well tell you the story here,” Yun Jin said.

Han Fu glanced at Shen He, and Shen He did not object.

"This story is about... a young girl who becomes a hero," Yun Jin began her narration.

"This is the earliest legend circulating in Tianheng Mountain. It is said that there was once a prosperous village here. In the village, there was a couple who were very much in love. One day, a terrible monster suddenly appeared. The wife was out gathering herbs when she was captured by the monster. The husband was heartbroken and soon went insane as well."

The monster arrogantly told the villagers, "If you want to save your lives, offer the village children to me!"

"The villagers were afraid of the powerful monster and could only obey its demands. Just as they were discussing which family's child should be offered to the monster, a little girl suddenly stepped forward. She carried an exorcism sword and pretended to be very scared as she walked to the monster's lair. Then she boldly attacked and, after a fierce battle, finally defeated the monster."

"In the end, she was taken in by the immortals because of her extraordinary talent, which became a beautiful story. It is a pity that the immortals and mortals are forever separated, and she will never be able to enter the mortal world again. 'Cause and effect in the mortal world are fleeting and vanish like smoke' is the ending of 'The Goddess Splits the Temple'."

Upon hearing this, Shen He's expression clearly changed.

Han Fulai remained silent and looked at Shen He.

Shen He stepped forward and spoke to Yun Jin: "I really like this story."

Yun Jin was pleased to see that Shen He, who was usually so serious, had expressed his appreciation for the story. However, she then heard Shen He say, "But in my opinion, perhaps the little girl in the opera... wasn't as brave as everyone says. She probably... doesn't deserve such praise."

Logically speaking, the script of "The Goddess Splits the Temple" was written by Yun Jin's father with painstaking effort, and the little girl in the story was also the protagonist created by Yun Jin's father with great effort. Suddenly being told that the female protagonist was not worthy of the world's praise, even if Yun Jin was very cultured, she could not help but be angry.

Yun Jin glanced at Shen He but did not refute him. Instead, she lowered her head and pondered.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Yun Jin said.

“The creation of traditional opera involves interpretation and performance, and it is inevitable that real people and events will be adapted. When my father wrote this play, he probably wanted to use the ‘goddess’ in the opera to inspire more people.”

Shen He nodded.

"Yes, I think it's a great story, the kind of story I've always wanted to hear."

Han Fulai understood what Shen He hadn't said—it was a good story, but not the truth. The girl became a hero in the story, but in reality, she was forced to become a hero.

This girl may have thought the same thing: if only she were a hero who stood up for the villagers.

But in reality, it was all just a tragedy.

"After hearing Mr. Yun's story, I have two questions," Han Fulai said.

"Oh? Mr. Han, please speak. Yun Jin is all ears." Yun Jin was full of anticipation for Han Fulai's opinion.

"One of the questions comes from the demon in the story," Han Fulai said. "At the beginning of the story, the demon kidnaps the wife of a couple in the village, which shows that this man-eating demon is not picky about its victims; adults are fine too. So why does it later ask the villagers to accept only children as sacrifices? If the demon has a penchant for eating young children, then it should have kidnapped a few children at the beginning to better highlight the demon's cruelty, right?"

"Moreover, this demon clearly possesses the ability to destroy the entire village, and no one can stop it, which is why the villagers are afraid and willing to offer up their young children as sacrifices. So, if the demon wants to eat someone, shouldn't it just catch them itself? Why must the villagers be sacrificed? There are many contradictions in the demon's actions in the story."

"The second question comes from the girl who becomes a hero in the story," Han Fulai continued. "The story doesn't elaborate on this girl's background. What is her relationship with the village? Did she live in the village from the beginning, or was she just passing through? She has the ability to slay demons, so why didn't the villagers know? If she concealed her abilities from the beginning, why? And where did her demon-slaying sword come from?"

"At the end of the story, the girl was taken in by an immortal and left the mortal world, which means that she should have originally been a mortal. But her behavior was not like that of an ordinary person. Not only was her background mysterious and she had outstanding talent, but she was also brave and fearless, and she went alone to raid the lair of demons. She was simply a born hero. It would be completely reasonable to say that she was an incarnation of an immortal."

"As Shen He said, the story doesn't tell us why this girl stepped forward to become a hero. This girl seems to have fallen from the sky, born to slay demons. Indeed, if given the chance, everyone would want to be a hero, but people also cherish their lives. This choice between the two is what makes us human. The girl in the story, however, lacks a bit of humanity."

"If it were a live performance, Mr. Yun might be able to overcome the flaws in the script with his brilliant acting. But if we only talk about the script, some of the plot developments in this story seem rather abrupt," Han Fulai concluded.

Han Fulai's evaluation was quite scathing, criticizing both the female lead and the main villain in the script.

However, this is exactly the kind of comment Yun Jin needs.

"Mr. Han's critique is insightful, which is also my original intention for revising 'The Goddess Splits the Temple.' For me, the play is about breathing and living like the characters, with my emotions swayed by their every smile and frown, and their fates intertwined to create a world of love. That is the kind of play I want to tell, the kind of story I want to tell. But even after performing 'The Goddess Splits the Temple' hundreds of times, I still haven't been able to understand the goddess in the story."

“Just now, Miss Shenhe said that the girl in the play wasn’t that brave, which gave me a new idea. Perhaps making the goddess less like a goddess is the best interpretation of this story—but…” Yun Jin stopped and frowned.

"Because this script was adapted by Mr. Yun's father based on real people and events, right?" Han Fulai added with a smile, "The couple living in Tianheng Mountain, the demons who demand children as sacrifices, the goddess who carries a precious sword to slay demons, and the immortal who appears at the end are all things that actually happened in history. 'The Goddess Splits the Temple' is adapted from real history, so even if there are flaws in the plot logic, the parts involving real history cannot be changed."

“That’s right.” Yun Jin nodded. “That’s why I thought that coming to Tianheng Mountain, where the story takes place, might help me find some new clues and make the goddess’s image more vivid and relatable.”

"Moreover, we also need to search for clues about the 'Secret Flower Stone' in the villages of Tianheng Mountain," Han Fulai said with a smile. "Now that we've rested enough, let's continue our journey."

The three crossed a mountain ridge, and in the valley not far away, there was a village shrouded in mist. Yun Jin's Eye of God shone brightly, telling everyone that there was a "Shattered Star Iron Ore" at the foot of the mountain.

After collecting the "shattered star iron ore", the group headed to the village.

The village was deserted, with abandoned fields, dilapidated houses, and no sign of human life. It had clearly been abandoned for many years, but the three of them spotted an elderly man with white hair in the village.

The old man held a bouquet of flowers, stood in the center of the village, closed his eyes and prayed, but it was unclear for whom he was praying.

"Hello, sir!" Han Fulai stepped forward to greet the old man, but the old man closed his eyes in thought, ignored him, and didn't even turn his head.

Seeing this, Yun Jin walked around to the old man and bowed, saying, "Hello, sir, we were just passing by and wanted to ask you for clues about the 'Secret Flower Stone'."

This time, the old man finally didn't ignore it. Instead, he raised his finger and pointed ahead. In the direction he pointed, there were only a few abandoned houses.

"The old man means we should go to the village to find clues ourselves. Let's go."

Just as Yun Jin was about to lead the group forward, Shen He suddenly stepped forward a few paces and said, "Excuse me. You guys go ahead and look for him. I want to say a few words to him."

She walked up to the old man and said with nostalgia, "It's been a long time... Uncle Mingjun."

The white-haired old man suddenly looked up, staring at the white-haired girl in disbelief: "You are...!"

"Shen He".

The elderly man, addressed as Uncle Mingjun, showed a look of surprise and joy. He raised his hand to hug Shen He, but then stopped, his voice trembling. "Ah He... you're still alive? Are those rumors true? All these years..."

Shen He didn't rush to reminisce with the old man, but instead pointed to Han Fulai and Yun Jin beside him and said, "I brought them here today to find the 'Secret Flower Stone'."

The old man looked somewhat embarrassed and quickly explained to the group, "I'm sorry, I was a little distracted just now, I didn't mean to ignore you. Gentlemen, I'm not quite sure how to find the 'Secret Essence Stone,' but there should be some records in the village. This place has been abandoned for a long time, you can search through them at your leisure."

Han Fulai hesitated, but Yun Jin bowed to Uncle Mingjun without hesitation to express her gratitude.

"Thank you, sir. We will find the 'Secret Essence Stone' ourselves."

She walked over to Han Fulai and whispered, "That Uncle Mingjun has no ill intentions towards Shen He. Miss Shen He will be in no danger, don't worry."

Han Fulai smiled wryly – I'm not worried about Shen He being in danger, I'm worried that if they don't have a good talk, the old man's life might be in danger!

Chapter Eighty-Six: Spider Silk in Vain, Soul Banner Fluttering

Han Fulai and Yun Jin searched the village and soon found a clue—not about the "Secret Flower Stone," but about the "Goddess Splitting Temple."

On a dilapidated stone tablet in the village, the two saw several lines of records carved by the villagers before they moved away:

"In the east of the village, there was a branch of a family specializing in exorcism. However, within just over ten days, the wife died of illness, the young daughter went missing, and shortly after, the husband hanged himself from a tree in the courtyard. An investigation revealed the presence of remnants of a demon within the village. Unsure whether these remnants still exist, the villagers are filled with fear and have been forced to relocate. Anyone who comes here later, please be extremely careful."

“It seems that the legend of ‘The Goddess Splitting the Temple’ took place in this village. The timing also matches up…” Yun Jin carefully read through the records left by the villagers several times and said to Han Fulai.

Han Fulai noticed the hesitation in Yun Jin's eyes and immediately understood.

"Mr. Yun, you must have guessed it by hearing Shen He say that 'the goddess wasn't that brave,' right? The goddess in the story is Shen He," Han Fulai said.

"...Miss Shen He has an ethereal quality, and her age is also appropriate. When she talked about that goddess, she spoke as if she were talking about her own situation, and that's when I started to have doubts."

Yun Jin nodded gently.

"And Mr. Han, you really don't look like Ms. Shen He's brother."

Han Fulai smiled but remained silent.

"But isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to delve into the secrets of her past? Perhaps such secrets shouldn't be known to outsiders," Yun Jin asked with some concern.

"Do you remember Shen He's reaction when she heard about Tianheng Mountain? Shen He already knew we would eventually find this village before she came. She also said that she liked the story of 'The Goddess Splits the Temple.' I think Shen He was hoping that someone could truly understand the goddess in the story and understand her feelings," Han Fulai replied earnestly.

“Then… let’s go look for it at the east end of the village mentioned on the stone tablet.” Yun Jin made up her mind.

Han Fulai and Yun Jin searched eastward and finally spotted a detached house perched on a high point, complete with walls and trees. Although it had fallen into disrepair over the years, it was clear that it must have been a fairly nice house in the village back then.

The two knew that was Shen He's hometown.

Most of the things in the house were decaying, having been neglected for nearly twenty years, but there were still quite a few books on the bookshelves that had undergone preservation treatment. Although most of them were also dilapidated from sun and rain, some were relatively well preserved.

Han Fulai and Yun Jin searched the room separately. Han Fulai flipped through the books on the bookshelf one by one and soon found an ancient book called "Miscellaneous Talks on Mountains and Rocks".

He found a record about "Secret Flower Stone" among them—

"The spells engraved on the 'Secret Flower Stone' can usually last for a long time, and some people believe that it has the power to communicate between the yin and yang. However, it is not easy to find the 'Secret Flower Stone'. It requires a special 'time' and 'place'. Legend has it that if you stand in the center of the lake in the southern part of Tianheng Mountain and search in the direction of the sunset at dusk, you may find something."

"The Miscellaneous Talks on Mountains and Rocks...the power to communicate between Yin and Yang..." Han Fulai murmured to himself.

Meanwhile, Yun Jin discovered a diary.

Although much of the diary was missing, some of the handwriting was still barely legible. Yun Jin searched by date and quickly found the key part, which she then read aloud to Han Fulai in a low voice:

"The doctor said you are very ill. Don't worry, even if it costs me all my money, I will definitely save you."

"Seeing you grow more and more haggard, beyond the reach of medicine, my heart feels like it's bleeding. If I could, I would truly wish to suffer in your place..."

"You said you had no regrets in this life, and your only wish was for me to take good care of Ahe. But if you have no regrets, why are you crying? I don't know what I've been doing lately. I've been living in a daze every day. I've searched through ancient books, trying to find a way to save you, but I've found nothing all day long."

“I found it! It turns out that Mingjun had been hiding the book that could save you! I took the book back, and as it said, I summoned the gods and offered sacrifices… The gods appeared, and I told them that I was willing to give my life to bring you back. The gods did not speak, but simply pointed to our daughter, Ahe.”

"The gods say she's a cursed star, destined to harm those around her even if she lives. Perhaps you too will be killed by her curse. In that case, perhaps..."

"I left her in the cave the god had spoken of. Three days passed, and still no news came. I waited anxiously, and a bad feeling began to creep into my heart..."

The diary had been turned to its last page, where only two lines of hastily written text remained.

"I'm so sorry, Ah He, I'm so sorry. I was out of my mind! Let me... go and apologize to you in person."

Yun Jin looked up and exchanged a glance with Han Fulai, then nodded—this was the truth behind "The Goddess Splits the Temple".

"Judging from this diary, the goddess in the play is actually the daughter of the couple mentioned in the play," Yun Jin said.

"The goddess, on the other hand, grew up in that village from a young age and wasn't a born hero," Han Fulai added.

"So... she didn't volunteer; she was pushed into front of the monster by her own father." Yun Jin held the diary, her face full of bitterness.

Han Fu looked towards the door, his expression complex. In the distance, Shen He and Ming Jun were talking, but it was unclear what they were discussing.

Having read Shen He's father's diary, Han Fulai now fully understood Shen He's experiences—more importantly, the diary contained all the details he needed. The schemes and plans of the Liyue Immortals were no longer a secret to him.

For him, the key now is how to weave his own plans into others' plans in order to achieve the results he wants.

Yun Jin, unaware of Han Fulai's thoughts, simply shook her head and sighed, "The truth is indeed lamentable. No wonder she said the goddess wasn't as brave as portrayed in the play, because she was forced to face such a perilous scene. It seems my father's 'The Goddess Splits the Temple' truly needs some revision..."

“Well, now that we’ve got news about the ‘Secret Flower Stone,’ we should go find Shen He.” Han Fulai waved the book “Miscellaneous Talks on Mountains and Rocks” in his hand.

Shen He and Ming Jun's conversation had been going on for a long time. Shen He had been away from home for many years and no longer looked the same as he used to, while Ming Jun had also grown old. Time had left obvious marks on both of them.

Mingjun carefully examined Shen He now. The lively and adorable Ahe from his childhood kept flashing through his mind, but he could never connect her with the white-haired fairy in front of him.

“When I came back one year, I heard the story of the ‘White-Haired Fairy’ from a passing merchant, but I never expected it to be you.”

“Your father and I are close friends. I had the opportunity to stop him from holding the ceremony, but I let it go because I was soft-hearted, which ultimately led to a big mistake.”

Mingjun raised the bouquet in his hand and said slowly, "Every year I bring some flowers back, and I've always felt that I owe you an apology."

Shen He shook his head. "Why apologize? Even if you had stopped him back then, he would have found another way. He would do anything for his lover."

Mingjun's lips trembled, and after a long while, he asked softly, "Then... do you still hate him?"

“I don’t know.” Shen He lowered his head. “I was originally a Lonely Star Calamity. My master gave me a red rope to bind my soul, which helped me suppress my volatile nature and made my emotions as indifferent as an immortal. Now, when I talk about the past, it’s not so much about whether I hate it or not, but rather that I feel nothing.”

“Sigh…” Mingjun sighed, “You have indeed had a tough time these past few years.”

Shen He looked up at the sky.

"...A few years ago, I secretly went down the mountain and returned here once. At that time, this place was deserted, with only some clueless thieves. Familiar people and things had all left me, and only passersby surrounded me, praising my temperament as that of an immortal."

“I explained to them that I was not an immortal, but just an ordinary person born in this village, but no one was willing to believe me.”

"At that time, looking at the dilapidated houses, I felt a little lost. I felt like I could go anywhere in this vast world, but upon closer inspection, I realized I couldn't go anywhere..."

Mingjun sighed again: "So much time has passed in the blink of an eye, and everything has changed..."

Shen He shook his head and said, "I was actually very sad when I came last time, but I don't know why, I won't feel that way this time."

Mingjun smiled. "When you're alone, it's easy to overthink. But didn't you come with friends this time?"

“Friends…” Shen He lowered his head, “Yes, my…friends…”

Just then, Han Fulai and Yun Jin also arrived nearby.

“Shen He, Uncle Mingjun, we’re back.” Han Fulai held up the book in his hand. “The clue to the ‘Secret Flower Stone’ is right here.”

Mingjun glanced at Han Fulai and Yun Jin, then turned to Shen He to say goodbye: "Ahe, I'll be going now. Knowing you're alright makes me feel a little better. If there's a chance next time, I can tell you about the past again."

Seeing that Mingjun was about to leave, Han Fulai stepped forward and stopped him.

"Uncle Mingjun, I'd like to ask you, do you remember this book, 'Miscellaneous Talks on Mountains and Rocks'?"

“This…I’m afraid it’s not a book from the village. Shen He’s father searched for many ancient books back then, and perhaps this is one of them,” Mingjun replied.

"I see, thank you for your explanation." Han Fulai bowed and watched Mingjun leave.

Yun Jin stepped forward and said to Shen He, "Miss Shen He, I would like to discuss something with you."