Unintended Immortality

Chapter 53: No Need to Spell Everything Out

“There are still several dozen li of mountain road to Anqing. If we walk slowly, even if we make it, we might not be able to enter the city in time,” the woman said to Song You. “If we ride the horses and gallop, we actually would be able to enter the city, but we'd miss out on the scenery close to Anqing along the way. What do you choose?”

“I came out to travel the world and wish to enjoy the scenery.”

“A wise choice.”

The woman led her horse forward. “My master said that from Lingbo to Anqing, the last stretch before reaching Anqing is known as the ‘Ten Li Gallery’. The morning and evening scenery each has its merits. Besides, with so many jianghu people flooding into Anqing now, even though the city often has many tourists and plenty of inns and guesthouses, they might still be overwhelmed. Even the dilapidated temples outside the city could be full, and there might be no place to stay even if we get into the city.”

“That makes sense.” Song You replied softly.

Hearing the woman speak so seriously, including the time when she was negotiating with the mountain bandits yesterday, actually Song You could only picture her slicing through grass with her saber along the way.

Unexpectedly, the woman suddenly turned her head.

Song You was not startled and looked at her calmly.

“Also…” The woman’s gaze shifted to his horse. “You can ride horses, can’t you?”

“Then why don’t you use a saddle?”

“I like walking.”

“Maybe…”

The two figures conversed as they walked far away.

The road alternated between mountaintops, valleys, and midway up the great mountains. The sound of horse bells jingled as the journey spanned several dozen li of mountain roads beneath their feet.

The calico cat seemed oblivious to their voices, busily running around minding her own business. Sometimes she would go to the riverbank to watch fish underneath the water, other times she would go and peer over the edge of a cliff to see how high it was. She was busy with her own matters but always stayed close to Song You, never straying far.

The Ten Li Gallery under the twilight was indeed beautiful, like a landscape painted by a top-tier master artist, with the scenery looking like ink wash spreading. Enhanced by the twilight, and reflected in the river, it exuded a serene beauty.

Just as they reached the halfway point, night fell.

It was perfect timing, allowing them to see the dusk scenery that day and the dawn scenery the next day.

There was a pavilion there called the “Swallow Immortal Pavilion.”

On the left side of the pavilion was a stone sculpture of a swallow, and in front of it was a stone trough filled with soil. It was actually full of remnants of incense sticks stuck into it.

It seemed that the locals had built it to honor some swallow immortal.

The two stopped at the pavilion. They lit a fire, and took out a little pot to boil a pot of water. They had steamed buns and pancakes for dinner. Then they took out their own bedding before lying down around the fire.

With a blink of an eye, the bright moon and stars appeared.

The woman had lain down before him and spoke first. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll reach Anqing.”

“Yes.”

“Meeting you can be counted as fate, and traveling together has been interesting. In the jianghu, meeting means becoming acquainted. When we get to Anqing county, you can come look for me if you are free. Although I don’t know where we’ll be staying yet, you can definitely find out where the Xishan Sect will be after the Great Liujiang Gathering starts. Our sect might not be as wealthy as some factions, but we can still treat you to a good meal.”

“Alright.” Song You agreed.

The woman had a laid-back and active personality, and it was easy to get along with someone like her without feeling any burden. She was also interesting. She faced everything head-on, regardless of the size of the challenge. Traveling with her these past two days has been quite relaxing.

The fire crackled, providing a comfortable warmth. The calico cat snuggled into his felt blanket, making him feel ticklish.

Song You gradually closed his eyes.

Even the two horses were asleep outside.

The yellow-maned horse slept standing up, while the jujube-red horse lay down, indicating it felt very safe even in this unfamiliar place.

The moon set over the river, with distant peaks under the sky.

There was some movement in the night. The woman got up to add firewood to the fire. The temperature dropped in the middle of the night, and mist arose, making the cat snuggle closer into Song You’s bosom so they could share their warmth.

***

Early the next morning, birds chirped in the distance.

The cat seemed enticed by the sounds, and began to crawl out of the tightly-wrapped felt blanket to investigate outside.

This woke Song You up.

As he lifted the blanket, the calico cat abruptly jumped out, looking full of energy. She ran out of the pavilion, staring intently up at the trees.

The woman had woken early and she sat cross-legged at the side with her saber across her lap.

The fire in the middle had long since burned out.

Song You couldn’t help but sit up and greet her. “You’re up early.”

“I couldn’t sleep because it was too cold.” The woman glanced at him. “But you slept quite well.”

“Thanks to you adding firewood to the fire in the middle of the night.”

“Adding wood or not only makes a slight difference in warmth on one side...” The woman eyed Song You’s blanket. “I didn’t expect a Daoist like you to be quite wealthy.”

“A gift from a person I was fated to meet.”

“Seems like you know quite a few people whom you were fated to meet.”

“You’re joking.”

“Go wash your face by the river, and clear your head.” The woman stood up. “I’ll start a new fire and boil some hot water. When you’ve washed your face and returned, we’ll have a warm meal, and then we should be on our way.”

“In that case, thank you.” Song You knew she disliked pretension, so he didn’t say much and headed to the river.

He took the water bag with him in passing.

The calico cat was captivated by the birds chirping in the trees, and didn’t follow him but remained behind, staring up at the trees.

“What’s up? Want to catch it?” The woman’s voice came.

The calico cat immediately lowered her head, and looked at her puzzled.

“I also like catching birds.”

The woman actually pulled out a slingshot from her bedding bag, and waved it in front of her as if showing it off. “Too bad you don’t know how to use this…”

She was indeed showing off…

After waving it around, she put it away again.

The calico cat tilted her head, even more puzzled.

The woman began to start the fire immediately.

The birds were still chirping incessantly.

The calico cat looked up at the birds, then down at the woman, seeming conflicted. Ultimately, she gave up on the birds and ran to the woman's side to watch her light the fire.

However, the firewood and kindling were both somewhat moist due to the heavy early morning mist, making it difficult to ignite with just tinder.

“Clink, clink, clink…” The heroine tried repeatedly, striking the flint again and again.

“Damn it…” She muttered under her breath. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the cat squatting beside her, staring intently at her efforts, her neck stretched out long, almost as if she was about to crawl in to get a closer look.

She seemed to find her struggles to start a fire very interesting.

“Aren’t you going to look at your birds?” The woman chuckled and continued her fruitless efforts.

The calico cat turned to look at her for quite a while, thinking deeply. Then, she suddenly took two steps forward and approached the firewood.

“Whoosh…”

It breathed out a bright yellow flame.

The flame lasted only a moment, barely long enough to snap a finger, and was insufficient to set the firewood ablaze. However, it swiftly dried and ignited the kindling.

The woman was greatly shocked.

“Clank!”

She instantly stood up, her saber half-drawn, and stared warily at the calico cat with wide eyes.

The calico cat backed up to her original spot and tilted her head to stare at her.

She glanced at the fire, then back at her.

That look in her eyes also seemed like a display of pride.

“Hmmph…”

The woman slowly sheathed her long saber and sat back down.

As if she had remembered something, her eyes flickered as she contemplated. After a moment, she nevertheless bent down to tend the fire, casting a few glances at the cat before continuing to stoke it, lost in thought.

By the time Song You returned, the fire was blazing.

The woman said nothing, simply took out the steamed buns, and they ate breakfast. Then the two continued their journey as before.

The Ten Li Gallery had half a li left.

At dusk, the dimming light made the scenery serene. In the morning, with the mist swirling around, it was fresh and ethereal like an immortal’s realm. It was a beautiful scene that was rarely seen even in paintings.

After winding through the mountains for a while, a small city gradually appeared ahead.

Before they reached the city gate, they first saw a stone monument.

“Anqing County Boundary…” Song You read aloud the characters on the monument.

The two then walked toward the city gate.

There were officials checking people at the gate.

Song You presented his ordination certificate, and the woman had her travel pass as well.

After all, she was from a famous major sect. Even though it was not favored by the court, it still had its ways. Traveling the jianghu was usually fine, but attending the Great Liujiang Gathering without a travel pass would have been very inconvenient.

Inside the city gate, it was indeed filled with people carrying swords and sabers. In contrast with the simple and unadorned eaves and tiled roof corners, the small city was brimming with the atmosphere of the jianghu.

“Sir…” Song You heard the woman's voice and quickly turned around.

The woman said to him, “Every journey has an end, and it's time for us to part ways.”

“Indeed.”

“Since we are parting, I have a question that's been weighing on my mind and causing me great discomfort.” The woman furrowed her brows, indeed appearing as if she couldn't restrain her curiosity. “I wonder if you could answer it?”

“Please go ahead and ask.”

“The story you told in Lingbo about meeting that Cat God on Jinyang Road…” The woman glanced at the calico cat. “Was it also a calico cat?”

“It was.”

“That's all.”

“Do you still have other questions?”

“No.” The woman pointed to the left and then to the right. “I’m going this way, and you go that way. I’m off to find my sect, and you should also find a place to stay. Good luck.”

“If it’s fated, we’ll meet again.”

“See you in the jianghu.”

The two exchanged bows and parted ways quite freely.

The street was narrow and crowded.

Jianghu people often brought horses, mules, and sometimes donkeys. However, donkeys, being frail, were favored by the literati and Daoists but not by jianghu people. Adding the fact that these jianghu people also carried weapons, the street that was narrow to begin with became even harder to navigate, with horses brushing past or being bumped by swords and sabers.

The crowd here rivaled the temple fair in Yidu.

Perhaps this was a temple fair for the jianghu people.

With so many people, Song You couldn’t help but wonder…

Where could he still find a place to stay in the city?

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