Chapter 617: Chapter 617

They circled the lake once more, passed through Xianning again, but didn’t linger. They only spent one night lodging at the Three Pagodas Monastery, then set off westward.

For the first three hundred li, the scenery remained familiar. Many locals still understood the official tongue, and although the temperature was slightly lower than in Xianning, it wasn’t drastically different. There were still quite a few travelers along the road.

But after those three hundred li, the scenery gradually began to shift into that of high plateaus and mountains. Winter grasses yellowed, forests grew sparse, lake waters turned an almost unreal shade of blue, and snowcapped peaks were reflected within them. Meanwhile, fewer and fewer people could understand official speech. Most of the locals were herders; only a few nobles or officials could converse fluently in the central tongue. The temperature dropped sharply, and the number of travelers along the way dwindled as well.

They continued until they reached the border between Yunzhou and Great Yan. This area was near the Snowy Plains and Yizhou.

Of everything seen along the journey, the most unforgettable were the lakes. Various plateau lakes and streams shone like gems or jade ribbons upon the highlands, no matter their size. Each was a different color, all either crystal-clear or incredibly deep, and they were so beautiful they seemed unreal.

At the same time, the temperatures plunged. Occasionally they encountered tea and horse traders on the road, all wrapped in layers like bears. It almost felt like retracing their previous winter trek through the Western Regions.

Once they had seen their fill of the scenery, they turned back and headed south.

Winter deepened. Yet this southern journey was completely different from the westward one.

The further west they went, the higher the altitude and the colder it got. But the further south they went, the lower the elevation and the warmer the climate.

The roadside scenery also began to change markedly.

At first, the plateau landscape shifted into more familiar mountain and water scenery. But as they continued southward, that scenery gradually gave way to tropical rainforest. The roadside vegetation visibly became richer and more unfamiliar, with many new varieties. Plants grew at all levels of height, with no clear vertical layering. This was unlike typical forests elsewhere, where you mostly saw tall trees and ground plants, but the space in between was empty.

Along the road, there were often many ferns. The large trees often had buttress roots or aerial roots.

Even Song You, who had seen many strange places, found it novel, let alone Lady Calico, who was always curious.

Wherever she walked, whenever she came across a strange plant she’d never seen before, she would go up to sniff and examine it. Whenever she saw a tall or peculiar tree, she’d turn her head to stare at it until her neck grew sore, then reluctantly look forward, only to immediately fix her gaze on the next new tree.

The weather grew warmer, and the number of familiar trees grew fewer. It felt like they had entered a whole new world.

But not everything was unfamiliar. Lady Calico could at least recognize three common “trees”: bamboo, banana, and sugarcane.

Even though... None of those were technically trees.

Yes, they saw many banana plants in this region, and many looked like they grew wild on mountaintops or along the roadside. Those closer to the road rarely bore ripe fruit, likely picked clean by passersby. But farther up the mountains, ripe bananas were more plentiful. Whenever they camped or rested, if she spotted one, Lady Calico would go pick some—sometimes by herself, sometimes with the jujube-red horse—and bring them back to feed Song You.

And they also passed through regions where sugarcane was widely grown. People would often plant whole fields of it. Lady Calico was simply overjoyed.

Many times, when the Daoist walked ahead with his bamboo staff, she too would transform into her human form and follow behind, not with her small bamboo cane, but with a long piece of sugarcane.

She would walk and eat at the same time.

Every time she peeled off a bit of the sugarcane’s skin, she wouldn’t carelessly throw it on the roadside. Instead, she’d treat it like a throwing dart, picking a random target, aiming, and hurling it with precision.

This southern journey was warm, full of snacks, and let her play while she walked. The wildlife along the roadside also became much more diverse. Birds and squirrels in the trees, snakes, lizards, and even mice on the ground were all plentiful. Insects too were everywhere, so finding food was effortless. For Lady Calico, this kind of joy ranked just below the seaside and Lanmo.

“We’ve already reached the southernmost prefecture of Yunzhou, and we’re almost at the southern edge of Great Yan’s territory,” the Daoist said, flipping through his Yudi Jisheng, then lifting his head to observe the surrounding landscape. He could roughly gauge their location, but didn’t know exactly where they had arrived.

In fact, they might have already left Great Yan’s borders without realizing it.

The little girl tore off a strip of sugarcane peel, took aim at a strange wild grass by the roadside, and flung it with a swish. She even made a sound effect with her mouth.

The sugarcane peel spun through the air and struck the wild grass, which bent over from the hit, then bounced back up, trembling wildly.

The girl nodded to herself, clearly pleased, as if in her mind she had imagined the grass as a fearsome monster, and her sugarcane peel as a divine weapon—one that had neatly decapitated the beast with its spinning strike.

She then raised the sugarcane to her mouth—

She bit off another piece. Hand and head moved in unison as she peeled another strip, ready to repeat the game.

She seemed to have completely ignored what the Daoist had just said.

The Daoist looked up again at the sky.

The breeze was gentle, the clouds light. Though it was midwinter, the climate was about the same as midsummer in Yizhou, only it was far more comfortable than the peak of summer. A swallow was darting around wildly overhead, flying wherever it pleased.

But it wasn’t just playing.

Thanks to the warm climate, insects were still abundant even in winter. The air was filled with bugs, providing a perfect feast for the swallow. Its erratic flight wasn’t just for fun, it was also hunting. As it darted this way and that, it filled its belly.

The Daoist patted the neck of the jujube-red horse. Just as he put away his Yudi Jisheng, a loud sound echoed from afar.

The sound was long and clear, echoing past the treetops and into the skies. In the distance, the dense rainforest began to shake. Then, a herd of elephants emerged, strolling calmly out of the jungle.

Lady Calico’s hand, which was just about to throw away the sugarcane peel, froze in place. She turned her head, and her fair, delicate face was blank with surprise as she stared at the massive herd of elephants slowly approaching.

There were dozens of elephants moving in an orderly fashion. Leading the way were strong, fully grown bull elephants. The females and calves were protected in the middle of the formation, and each elephant kept a respectful distance from the next as they made their way out of the rainforest.

When they spotted the two humans and one horse by the roadside, the herd grew slightly wary and paused to observe. But after a brief moment, they seemed to determine there was no danger, and continued forward.

As the elephants drew nearer, their enormous size became clearer and more overwhelming in the girl’s eyes.

Compared to them, not to mention herself, even their own horse looked downright dainty.

Then, one of the elephants let out another low call as the herd passed directly in front of them.

The Daoist stepped aside with his bamboo staff, showing no fear nor a hint of aggression. He simply stood quietly and met the elephants' gaze.

Curiously, it was as if they could sense his kindness and perhaps even the natural energy radiating from him. And they, too, showed no fear. As they walked by, both adult and baby elephants turned their eyes toward him.

Their eyes met, and it felt as though they could understand each other.

The young girl also followed the Daoist and stepped aside, craning her neck to stare up at the massive beasts. Her eyes held caution, yes, but far more wonder.

A long ivory tusk swung past her face as one elephant walked by. She wasn't even as tall as half of an elephant’s leg.

Eventually, the herd passed and disappeared into the distance.

One side offered goodwill, while the other gave trust. It was a rare, fated encounter.

Lady Calico finally let out a breath, and she gripped her sugarcane before turning to the Daoist. “These elephants are huge! Even the little ones are as big as our horse...”

“Haven’t you seen elephants before, in Changjing?”

“So that’s how it is.”

“And the elephants in Changjing didn’t have tusks!” Lady Calico continued marveling. “These ones were so big, they looked like monsters!”

“The world is vast,” the Daoist replied gently, “and full of wonders.”

“It’s so unfair. They get to grow that big, and cats stay so small.”

“Let’s keep moving...” The Daoist withdrew his gaze and stepped forward.

The girl quickly followed after him.

She chewed a couple bites of sugarcane, calming her lingering astonishment.

Up ahead was a small town nestled in the rainforest, by a great river. Most of the inhabitants were local people; although there was an official presence, governance was mostly by local customs and community.

When they arrived, the Daoist realized with certainty that they had reached the southernmost prefecture of Yunzhou. They had not reached Bu Commandery as he had initially thought, but Dai Commandery.

The people here were simple and hospitable.

By chance, Song You stumbled upon a household hosting a wedding and joined in for a feast. The locals had a tradition of eating insects, and the banquet included a “Hundred Insects Banquet.”

The Daoist tasted quite a few of the dishes, prompting Lady Calico to stare at him, wide-eyed and unblinking.

They also had a local delicacy called fragrant bamboo rice. Made from tender bamboo stalks filled with glutinous rice mixed with fruit, the bamboo’s inner membrane wrapped the rice tightly as it cooked. When ready, you peeled the bamboo’s outer layer, like unwrapping sugarcane or peeling a banana, to reveal the long, soft rice log inside.

The delicate bamboo aroma blended with the sweet fragrance of rice and fruit, and it was simple yet deeply satisfying.

What struck Song You most was how the flavor stirred childhood memories from his past life.

Due to the hot climate, people here often had poor appetites, so sour and tangy foods were favored. This suited Song You’s palate well.

They stayed for several more days. By the time they prepared to leave, winter was nearly over.

The Daoist set out again, following the southern edge of Yunzhou, this time headed toward Bu Commandery, which also lay in the south.

Once they left Dai Commandery, they entered Bu Commandery.

The tropical rainforest gradually gave way to different terrain. While not as hot or humid, occasional tropical plants still appeared. The region felt like a mix between Zhao Commandery and Dai Commandery; it was slightly cooler than Dai Commandery, yet still warm overall.

About two hundred li into Bu Commandery, which was roughly two days’ journey, the swallow returned from the sky to report that he had found the Red River.

Under his guidance, it didn’t take long before the Daoist and his companions stood before that very river.

“So that’s how it is...”

The Daoist looked out over the water, smiling in understanding.

He had imagined that the river itself might be red in color, hence why it could produce the distinctive red rice. He had even speculated about some mystical cause.

But in truth, the river water was perfectly normal, even crystal clear. It was the fine, cinnabar-red sand within the riverbed that gave the river its reddish hue.

And as the water rushed past, it surged straight toward Luchuan.