It is said that on the nineteenth day of the eighth month of the seventh year of Chenghua, the waters of the river in Yiling City flooded. In an instant, golden light flared along the horizon, and the abbot of the Ancient Buddha Temple declared it an auspicious sign.
And it was indeed a sign of good fortune, though not for the reason anyone expected: He Jiangsheng had ascended to immortality.
He had once been a finless porpoise in the river. By a twist of fate, he heard a monk on the riverbank, Miyuan, preach the sutras, and gained spiritual awareness. From then on, he devoted himself to cultivation, hoping only to spend a few carefree days among humans. Unfortunately, on the tenth day of the eighth month, while undergoing a heavenly tribulation, he saved a young man and failed his own tribulation, leaving him half dead. To make matters worse, a man fished him out of the water and was about to butcher him for meat.
By another stroke of luck, that same monk happened upon him, rescued him, and released him back into the river.
So, several days later, on the nineteenth, he ascended to godhood and became the Water Lord of Yiling.
Grateful to his savior, the Lord disguised himself as an unlucky young man who'd fallen into the water and let Miyuan take him in, hoping to help the monk find his chance to become a Buddha.
He stayed for half a month. He found no such chance, but did drink several jars of some ghastly medicinal soup.
Just as he was getting frustrated, someone from the Zhou family came to ask Miyuan to treat an illness. Their young master, Zhou Hexiang, had contracted a strange disease, his body rotting and covered in fishlike scales. Suspecting a water ghost was responsible, the Lord secretly followed them. From then on, he was swept up in a series of strange events...
At first glance, they seemed unrelated. In truth, they were intricately intertwined.
What lay behind the evil Guanyin and the destruction of altars and temples? What had set these suspicions in motion...
Theme: Say no to cults, starting with yourself.
