Chapter 627: Chapter 627

In recent years, the imperial court had been cracking down more strictly on the unauthorized slaughter of plow oxen. In many places, beef was becoming increasingly hard to find and ever more expensive, but Lingbo remained entirely unaffected.

The Daoist did not go to visit the family that had once helped him deliver a letter. Instead, he found an inn in the city and stayed for the night.

That evening, he ate beef, which was a satisfying meal. The beef in Lingbo was still just as delicious as ever.

Yet as he wandered through the streets and alleys of the small town, he had assumed that back then, he had only passed through in a hurry, and that after thirteen years, his memories would have grown vague.

And while indeed his memories had blurred, what surprised him more was that the town itself had hardly changed at all. As soon as he stepped onto the streets, memories from that time surged up all at once.

The Daoist back then was not the same as he was now, and Lady Calico back then was not the same as she was now.

Back in his room at the inn, the Daoist took out his ox-horn comb, running it distractedly through his hair. Images of who he was back then, and the memories that accompanied them, surged up again and again. It felt as if it had been a long time ago, and yet also like it had just happened not long ago.

It was as if it were only yesterday that he had arrived here with the jujube-red horse and Lady Calico. Unfamiliar with the roads, they had wandered around at dusk, asking for directions until they finally found Ganzao Alley, where they met the merchant named Chen Han. After delivering the letter, Chen Han, in tears, had insisted on hosting him.

But just as night began to fall, there came the sound of hoofbeats outside. It had been a woman, her face wrapped in cloth, tall in stature, riding a short southwestern yellow-maned horse, carrying a long blade with a wooden handle and wooden sheath. She was also there to deliver a letter.

The streets he walked that day were the same ones he'd once walked with an old friend. Even the idle conversation they'd shared back then seemed to echo in his mind.

Ganzao Alley hadn’t changed.

Beneath the old tree at the mouth of the alley, there were still people telling stories at dusk. Children still lay on the tree branches listening, only, the listeners were a new generation.

Even the ox-horn comb in his hand was bought back then, in this very town. And in the thirteen years since, it hadn’t broken, hadn’t been lost, and was still in use now. It was almost exactly as it had been when first purchased. This was the strangest thing of all.

The town had barely changed. The Daoist felt he hadn’t changed much either. But suddenly, it had been thirteen years. It truly felt as though the time had been stolen.

The next morning, the Daoist once again bought two jin of beef before setting off. He left the county town of Lingbo, following the official road along the river, and before long, arrived at that temple.

The temple wasn’t large, and it was similar in size to the one dedicated to Virtuous Duke Wang beside the road in Jinyang, and also not too different from Lady Calico’s second temple.

Inside stood a stone statue, from which one could vaguely discern it depicted a Daoist. But since it was carved based on verbal descriptions, the likeness was naturally off. What’s more, during the sculpting process, the artisan had added decorative elements to match what people imagined an immortal should look like. Some parts of the robe were even painted in color.

Standing before the statue, the Daoist found that neither he nor the statue could easily recognize the other as being the same person.

Behind the stone statue stood a horse, carved smaller, and roughly the size of a donkey. At its feet crouched a cat, also carved, though the workmanship was not very lifelike. One could barely tell it was a small animal, and it was not even as tall as a person’s knees.

The Daoist stood in front of the statue, looking into its eyes. The little girl stood in front of the cat statue, craning her neck to get a closer look, staring unblinkingly as she studied it.

“Is this supposed to be us, meow?”

Song You recalled that moment years ago, just after leaving Xuzhou and arriving in Pingzhou. While cultivating one night on Mirror Island Lake beneath Yunding Mountain, the first wisp of incense-powered power of prayer that drifted to him had, unsurprisingly, come from this very place.

“It looks nothing like me.” The little girl tilted her head up. “Not like me at all.”

“Yours looks even less like you!”

“Oh really?” The Daoist lowered his head to look at her. “Then, Lady Calico, please tell me, is that a cat, or a dog?”

The girl looked up at him and stared. After a moment of glaring, she spun around and stormed off.

Outside, it sounded like someone else was arriving, and voices drifted in.

The Daoist paid them no mind. He simply took out three sticks of incense, intending to offer one to himself. Before others could come closer, he gave the incense a light shake.

“...” Smoke naturally curled up from the tip.

Though the Daoist wore a faint smile, there was nothing perfunctory about his manner. Holding the incense with reverence, he bowed three times respectfully before placing it into the stone censer.

The incense smoke spiraled lazily upward.

“How interesting...” He stared quietly at the statue for a moment before finally turning to leave.

Outside the temple, a family of three had arrived, carrying incense and candles. They were chatting as they walked. Their child, dressed in a colorful outfit of three hues, was standing beneath the tree outside the temple door, up on tiptoe, left arm stretched high to pluck leaves from the branches.

The Daoist had originally intended to leave immediately. But he had barely taken two steps out when he saw that his own little one had frozen mid-motion. She was tiptoeing and reaching for the leaf, and she was clearly close enough to pick it, yet not moving at all. Instead, she had turned her head and was now staring intently at the approaching family.

“At first, I also thought that Daoist's story was made-up,” said the young man in plain clothes, chatting casually. “But the next day, as we were walking door-to-door with your grandfather, we ran into that Daoist again. We even greeted him. And then, the calico cat he was traveling with suddenly opened its mouth and spoke. That’s when I realized... the story was true. That divine cat he spoke of? It was the one right beside him.”

“Do you know who that Daoist was?”

“He’s the one enshrined in this temple...”

“Now you understand why, after we bought the boat, the very first place we came to worship was here, right?”

“You met a real immortal!”

“Dad, how old were you back then?”

“A bit older than you are now. Seven or eight, maybe.”

The three of them chatted as they walked toward the temple.

Lady Calico turned her head and moved in sync with them, eyes fixed intently on the family. Naturally, the family also noticed the little girl standing beneath the tree and the Daoist nearby, who looked like he was about to leave. The child’s unwavering stare drew their attention, and they couldn't help but glance back at her.

The Daoist Master, holding his bamboo staff, stepped onto the main road. The girl finally plucked the leaf and followed behind him.

“That kid was staring at us...”

The young man waved his hand, though he found it odd too. But as soon as he stepped into the temple and took out incense to make his offering, something didn’t feel right. He hesitated, then stepped back out and looked down the road at the receding Daoist figure.

A strange sense of familiarity washed over him.

“I thought that man looked kind of familiar, but also kind of not.” The girl rubbed the leaf in her hands until it crumbled. “Feels like I remember, but also like I don't.”

“Maybe he’s an old friend.”

“How come they all grew up so much, but I only grew a tiny bit?” The girl looked up at the Daoist Master, clearly sensing something odd.

“Maybe it's because they live shorter lives, and if they didn’t grow up quickly, they wouldn’t have time to finish growing at all.” Song You replied offhandedly. “But Lady Calico, you have deep cultivation, at the very least, you'll live for hundreds of years. There's no need to hurry and grow up.”

“But you said before, when a demon becomes human, to grow up, their heart has to grow first. However big the heart gets, that's how big their human form becomes.”

“Lady Calico, your memory is truly exceptional.”

“Then why hasn't my heart grown?”

“Because you have a pure heart of a child.”

“Something I just made up.”

“So... does that mean I’m dumb?”

“No, quite the opposite.” Song You’s expression turned serious. As they walked, he looked sideways to meet her gaze. “Many people, and many demons too, would envy you . Many years from now, even you will feel the same. So don’t change it lightly.”

“Have I ever lied to you, Lady Calico?”

The bell around the horse’s neck jingled softly, echoing between the mountains and the riverbank. The mountain path twisted and turned as the group traveled farther and farther.

Listening to the bell’s chime, watching the familiar winding trail and the clustered green hills beside it, and the emerald river reflecting the mountains like a painting, there were moments when the Daoist felt dazed.

He kept thinking he might suddenly hear another set of hoofbeats and a bell behind him. Maybe a jianghu woman riding a yellow-maned horse would come galloping past, pause in surprise upon seeing him, then pull her reins sharply to a stop.

But whenever he came back to his senses, there was only himself on the road.

They continued toward Anqing. The mountains layered endlessly, and the river twisted gently. Even in the afternoon, the mist on the water and in the hills never lifted.

They encountered mountain bandits three times. Compared to years ago, these bandits had grown far more unruly. Only thanks to Lady Calico’s protection did they make it through safely. They also came across several groups of merchants and travelers, exchanged some conversation, and heard them talk about the last Great Liujiang Gathering in Anqing, the increasingly popular temple of the Swallow Immortal, and the story of the shepherd boy from Lingbo who met a divine immortal.

This time, the journey seemed faster than before.

By dusk, they had arrived just outside the city. Song You didn’t enter the city right away. Instead, he first visited a Daoist temple just outside the gates.

The temple doors were still tightly shut. Above the entrance hung a plaque with gilded characters flowing like dragons and snakes, Zoujiao Temple.

On either side of the gate, the same old couplet still stood, “The Heaven and Earth are impartial, doing good brings blessings naturally;

Sages have taught, by cultivating oneself, one can govern the family.”

It seemed nothing had changed.

The Daoist raised his hand and knocked on the temple gate. Soon, footsteps could be heard from within.

The mountain gate opened.

A young Daoist boy appeared; he was much younger than the one who had opened the door years ago. He looked at Song You curiously. Perhaps it was because this wasn’t during the Great Liujiang Gathering, so there weren’t many travelers from the martial world passing through. Or maybe the temple had changed its ways. Either way, the boy didn’t treat him coldly. Instead, he asked, “Where do you come from, Daoist Master? Who are you looking for?”

“My name is Song You, a Daoist from Hidden Dragon Temple in Yizhou. I’ve come to visit an old friend,” Song You replied. “May I ask if Daoist Qingyangzi is still here?”

“Grandmaster? Grandmaster passed away long ago... He ascended to the heavens.”

“...” The Daoist pursed his lips. He had experienced this many times before; though he still felt a touch of emotion, he was no longer surprised. He simply asked, “When did it happen?”

“Many years ago... I don’t even remember exactly,” the young Daoist replied.

“Many years...” That must’ve been not long after he had parted ways with his old acquaintance.

The Daoist shook his head and smiled faintly. Then he said, “In that case, we won’t trouble you further. We’ll take our leave.”

“Wait a moment...” The young Daoist widened his eyes and wouldn’t let them go.

Since this visitor had known his late grandmaster and had come all the way to the gate, he was a guest. Whether one cultivated the Dao or lived as a common person, once a guest arrived, even if the master had passed on, there was no reason to send them away so casually.

So he warmly insisted they stay and invited them into the temple.

Fortunately, there was still an old acquaintance in the temple. It was the personal disciple of Qingyangzi, the one who had opened the door for Song You all those years ago. Back then, he had only been a boy in his teens. Now, in his thirties, he had made great progress in his cultivation and had become the new owner of the temple.