Chapter 637: Chapter 637
Under the yellow plum tree, the ground was covered with scattered stones.0
On the stone platform sat an ancient qin with golden strings. A stunning woman dressed in white stood beside it, followed by a maidservant. Both of them bowed simultaneously to the Daoist in front of them.0
“Thank you both,” the Daoist said as he bowed.0
“We are here to guard the Ghost City for the Daoist. You gave us the Longevity Pill as a fair exchange. No need to thank us,” the woman replied.0
“I thank you for your three years of qin music, and for the care you gave to Lady Calico,” the Daoist said sincerely.0
“Playing the qin was just a whim, something we were willing to do when the mood struck. It has nothing to do with you, Daoist Master,” the woman explained. “The one who accompanied Lady Calico to play was actually my maid; that has nothing to do with me. I have my own duties and cannot abandon my post despite our exchange.”0
“...” Song You shook his head and didn’t press further. Instead, he asked, “Now that the underworld has been formed and our agreement fulfilled, where will you two go next?”0
“It’s too stuffy here. Wait, we’re not even in the mountains anymore. Still, it’s so dark and confined, no sun or stars to see. We’ve stayed too long and just want to leave,” the woman replied gently and calmly, her voice soft.0
“Not only stuffy, but full of yin and ghostly energy. We may be monsters, but we are creatures of the living world,” the maid added. “Daoist Master, you have no idea how we’ve endured these years.”0
“I am sorry for the hardship you’ve suffered.” The Daoist finished speaking and waved his hand.0
“Then let’s go outside and talk.”0
In an instant, as if crossing a great distance, the Daoist and the woman sensed changes in the spiritual rhythms and rules of heaven and earth. Their vision blurred briefly, and then they found themselves outside.0
In the distance, the setting sun cast a golden glow over the clouds. The mountains and earth below grew darker in contrast, with golden sunlight streaming through crevices and treetops like visible strands of light. The lakes reflected the remaining blue sky or the golden clouds and light. The grass was dyed entirely gold.0
“...” The woman took a deep breath.0
The air was filled with the scent of fresh grass and fruit trees, closest being the subtle, sweet fragrance of pear blossoms.0
The autumn sunset still held warmth, and foxes love to bask in the sun. The world’s spiritual energy was alive—the sun and moon’s essence shining, life stirring everywhere, mountains and waters imbued with their own spirit. This was truly a world for living beings.0
The woman stood on a sloping hillside, motionless, facing the sunset. The evening breeze naturally lifted her clothes and hair. The sunlight made her translucent clothing shimmer, yet she said nothing. She simply took a deep breath, savoring the scent carried by the wind. The frustration of ten years stationed in the Ghost City seemed to vanish silently in that moment.0
“How much time remains of your twenty years, Daoist Master?” she asked, tilting her head toward the setting sun.0
“Almost three years left,” he replied.0 Read complete version only at novel⚑fire.net
“Have you traveled all over Great Yan?”0
“I have roughly traveled all of it.”0
“Now that the underworld is established, where will you go next, Daoist Master?”0
“I still have other matters to attend to.”0
“...” The woman seemed to understand what he meant. She turned her head back and continued gazing toward the sunset. “Then Daoist Master, you’d better make the most of your time.”0
“To have formed the underworld, Daoist Master, you must have great merit and surely great fortune as well, but doing it alone is still difficult,” the woman said after a long pause. “You really ought to find some helpers.”0
“I will do my best.”0
There was silence in the mountain valley for a while.0
Only the girl-child tossing the stone she held was making a sound.0
“Daoist Master, you still don't want to ask us for help, huh?” The woman smiled slightly. “That’s good too. Even if you did ask, we’d hardly find the time. So this spares us the trouble of being asked and having to refuse.”0
“You each have your own matters to handle,” Song You said calmly and sincerely. “Besides, you are demons, and have already found the path to greater power. You really don’t need to risk yourselves in worldly affairs.”0
“That’s reasonable.” The woman nodded in agreement.0
If ten years ago, this Daoist had asked them for help while at Mount Ye in Fengzhou, they might have spared some time from their cultivation and spell inheritance of the Yuzhou fox clan, even if it was a mortal affair and indeed dangerous. She couldn’t say whether she would have refused or, as she once said, risked her life to help. But now, it was difficult to make any other choice.0
Time truly made decisions for people.0
Foxes were passionate but also practical and rational.0
The sun gradually sank below the mountain’s edge, and the western clouds turned redder and redder. Mount Ye, relying on its height, was still bathed in sunlight, but the light gradually moved upward, passing the travelers’ feet and toward the mountaintop.0
A mist rose over the mountain lake, settling close to the ground.0
“When will you leave?”0
“And where will you go?”0
“Remember what we once said on the river?” The woman turned to look at him. “Naturally, we should follow your example, ‘Wash away the dust of the world, leisurely roam across the rivers and mountains, and become the master of the land and its beauty’ Although it was just casual talk back then on the boat drifting along the river, it wasn’t a lie.”0
“The falsehoods we’ve spoken over hundreds of years are far fewer than those of most mortals,” the maid said with a rare serious tone, smiling.0
“May you fulfill your wishes.”0
Song You recalled that day outside Changjing City, on the Yuqu River, listening to the rain on the boat while the qin played, pushing the boat forward.0
The landscape and moonlight, after all, had no permanent masters. The idle ones were the true masters.0
Now the foxes no longer had clan blood feuds, nor did they need to laboriously seek immortality or pursue the path of ancient great powers. Their duty guarding Mount Ye's Ghost City had been fulfilled, and they were truly unburdened. The only real task left was to pass down the cultivation and magical traditions of the Yuzhou fox clan, but given their long lifespans, there was no urgency.0
When life was at ease, the world naturally became beautiful.0
“Where does the river below lead?” Seeing that dusk was falling, the woman looked down below. Among thousands of mountains and lakes, she spotted a small river, like a jade ribbon.0
“I don’t know,” Song You answered truthfully.0
That river hadn’t existed three years ago.0
Beside him, Lady Calico was reaching out to catch an insect. Her hand was already stretched out when she heard the question. She withdrew her gaze from the insect, looked at them, then followed their gaze and said to the two, “It leads to the great river outside.”0
“This river only appeared last summer when heavy rains caused the water to rise. At first it was just a small creek, but this year it has grown larger,” Yan An added. “It connects to the Yin River.”0
“Connects to the Yin River...”0
The woman smiled faintly before saying, “They say that Wanjiang[1] comes from the river at dusk, and now that it is dusk again, I’ll return to the river.”0
“It’s about to get dark, and it won’t be good to travel in the dark. Lighting a lantern will help. I have a lantern I’ve carried for many years. I offer it to you, hoping it will illuminate your path ahead.”0
Nearby came the sound of bells. A horse walked across the mountainside, carrying saddlebags with a lantern hanging on each side.0
One lantern was simple and rustic, almost without style. The other had a red wooden pole, gilded with carved patterns; the lantern itself was shaped like a little horse, and it was quite exquisite.0
The Daoist took down the simple, rustic one.0
“This was given to me by a kindred spirit at a ghost market deep in the mountains in the second spring after we descended the mountain. It has no special magic, but ordinary wind and rain cannot harm it. It has accompanied us for many years. Ordinary water and fire can hardly damage it, just right for traveling.”0
Song You handed it to the woman. 0
“This lantern doesn’t have a place for a candle,” she said, taking the wooden handle.0
“Just a bit of spiritual light is needed.” Song You reached out to the sky, pinching a handful of the sunset’s afterglow from the void, and placed it inside the lantern.0
The lantern immediately lit up with a red-yellow glow.0
“Thank you, Daoist Master.”0
“I will escort you to the riverbank.”0
The group slowly walked down the slope together.0
The sky dimmed, the grass was like silk, and the woman in white walked through the grassy mountains. Carrying only a lantern, she did not seem like a mortal, untouched by the mundane world.0
They walked all the way to the lakeside. The lake water was clear, reflecting light and shadow.0
Finally, the woman bowed respectfully to the Daoist. “Farewell.”0
The maid also followed suit and bowed.0
Lady Calico stopped hopping about wildly and instead walked back to the Daoist’s side. She held an insect in her hand, her face serious, locking eyes especially with the attendant. After a long while, the joy of seeing the lively Daoist again gradually subsided, balanced by her seriousness.0
“Lady Calico, it’s time to say goodbye.” The attendant smiled and said to Lady Calico.0
Lady Calico stared seriously at the attendant and asked, “Will we meet again?” 0
“If fate wills it, you will!” The attendant replied with a smile, “I’m just a tail after all. I can’t even decide where I go, so how would I know such things?”0
“We will meet if it is fate!” Lady Calico’s voice was light but resolute.0
“Did you learn that from the Daoist?”0
“In three years, I will return to the Daoist temple on Yin-Yang Mountain, in Lingquan County of Zhuo Commandery, Yizhou. If you pass by, you can come find her. It’s best if you come in two years, by then the whole mountain will be full of wild rabbits raised by me. That’s not learned from the Daoist.” Lady Calico paused, then corrected herself, “Ah no, you should come sooner.”0
She then muttered softly, “Better come sooner.”0
“Definitely.” The maid bowed to the girl.0
The girl awkwardly returned the bow, mimicking her.0
The maid then pulled from somewhere a carved wooden box, placed it on her palm, opened it, and searched inside. She took out a thumb-sized boat and tossed it onto the river.0
The little boat caught the wind and slowly floated onto the water. The river water parted slightly, ripples spreading.0
She grabbed a toad, tossed it onto the boat, and it transformed into a human. It looked just like the former carriage driver, and now turned into a boatman.1
“Will we meet again?”0
“In three years, if you wish, come to Yin-Yang Mountain in Lingquan County, Yizhou. The mountain gate of Hidden Dragon Temple in my generation will always be open to old friends. I hope good news will come from your journey, my friend, and don’t forget this idle soul by the riverside.”0
The sky darkened quickly; in just a short while, it was completely night. Stars appeared overhead, and a yellow moon rose over the mountain. On the small river floated a small boat. The woman holding the lantern and the attendant stood at the bow. The lantern’s light was yellow tinged with red; on the water’s surface, their reflections and the light flickered, indistinguishable whether it was the lantern or the mountain moon.0
The boatman gently rowed, and under the bright moonlight, the boat set off into the distance.0
The Daoist stood on the riverbank with two little demons. A jujube-red horse quietly waited behind them, watching as they departed.0
“Another farewell to an old friend...” a magnetic voice sounded nearby.0
Song You turned his head.0
Divine Lord Yuewang had come to stand beside him without Song You noticing and followed his gaze downstream, where the lantern light was growing more distant on the river.0
“Why do you also feel sentimental?”0
“Do you think I haven’t experienced such things before?” Divine Lord Yuewang said. “Luckily you are mortal. If you were a god granted immortality, the feelings would be even deeper.”0
“Do you really intend to fight against the Heavenly Palace?”0
“Do you think my resolve is not as strong as Grandmaster Fuyang’s?”0
“Grandmaster Fuyang is mighty and fearless, but he too follows the grand trend. He only replaced one Celestial Emperor with another,” Divine Lord Yuewang said. “The Heavenly Palace houses many ancient deities. If you want the palace to be free from unworthy gods, and want to change the path to Heaven, you will be crossing the bottom line of the gods.”0
“Hidden Dragon Temple is a major pain point for the Heavenly Palace; they themselves do not wish it to continue. Sooner or later, there will be a battle. I intend to be more skilled at this than the next generation.”0
“Your boldness is truly unparalleled! No wonder even the true dragon was won over by you!”0
Divine Lord Yuewang spoke like an old friend. “But no matter how skilled you are in fighting magic, the Heavenly Palace has many gods, including some powerful ones from ancient times, and others who are also masters of magic. The palace has secret rituals for war; how many can you possibly defeat?”0
“There are many unworthy gods in the Heavenly Palace, but there are also many worthy ones. I am not making enemies of the entire palace.”0
“That’s not so simple.” Divine Lord Yuewang closed his eyes and counted several great powers. “After all, you are mortal, with a mortal body. Even if the seasonal spiritual energy is boundless, it will eventually be exhausted. If your spiritual power and energy run out, what then?”2
“Then I simply won’t use it all.”0
“I’m running out of time. I must leave.” Song You bid farewell to Divine Lord Yuewang. “You focus on your own matters. If fate allows, we shall meet again.”0
“If fate allows, we shall meet again.”0
A breeze blew, and the god vanished instantly. Song You looked once more downstream along the river, and the lantern lights had already disappeared.1
He lowered his head and looked at the girl beside him. The girl also looked up and stared at him.0
Just as the Daoist thought she might feel sad, she tilted her head and said with focus, “They have a box, and inside there are carts and boats. How comfortable!”0
“...” It seemed that after all these years following him, Lady Calico had also grown accustomed to parting with old friends.0
The Daoist couldn’t help but stroke her head. “Our temple has similar things, but they’re all stored away.”0
“Why store them without using them?”0
“Because those are relics of the masters, things that accompanied them traveling the world for years, or gifts from old friends. Like your little horse lantern, they’re all very precious.”0
As the Daoist spoke, he began to walk away. The mountain moon followed them as they left.0