Unintended Immortality

The fog was thick at the foot of the mountain, and the room was damp. The old quilt felt cold as iron, so Song You didn't sleep very well.

He was accustomed to going to bed early and rising early. If the bedding was comfortable, he could laze a bit longer. However, with a cold quilt, there was no reason to stay in bed. It was better to get up and head up the mountain early.

So he got up decisively.

As he stepped out, he encountered the temple owner leading the young disciples for their morning lesson. The diligent disciples had already boiled hot water. After exchanging morning greetings, Song You washed up simply. Then he respectfully thanked them and bid farewell to them. He had intended to offer some money to cover expenses for the food and lodging, but the temple owner declined, so he didn't insist.

This was the difference between the Buddhist temples and Daoist temples in Great Yan.

It was convenient to lodge at a Buddhist temple, but it was customary to offer money. Staying at a Daoist temple was harder, but if the owner liked you and agreed to your request, they wouldn't accept money most of the time. They would even entertain you with good food and drink.

Song You was actually more accustomed to the former.

He asked the temple owner for directions to Fuqing Palace. After getting the answer, he set off with Lady Calico up the mountain.

The road was a small stone-paved trail. It was lightly frosted, and he left footprints with each step. He brushed aside dew and cobwebs as he walked. Before noon, he had already found Fuqing Temple.

In this era, there were no phones, and Song You didn't know the trick of sending messages by paper crane, so he had to visit in person.

Ascending the steps, he could already hear pensive Daoist singing. He knocked lightly with the ring door knocker, and soon a young boy opened the door. He saw that Song You was wearing a Daoist robe but he did not recognize him. The young boy greeted him respectfully. “You seem unfamiliar, Daoist Master...”

“I am Song You from Hidden Dragon Temple, disciple of Daoist Duoxing. I'm here to visit a friend.”

“May I ask who you are visiting? I'll go inside and inform them.”

“Senior Daoist Brother Guanghuazi.” Song You stated, “You can just say that Song You from Hidden Dragon Temple has come to visit.”

“Senior Daoist Brother?”

The young boy blinked.

Guanghuazi was the current owner of Fuqing Temple, and he was already over sixty years old. He usually interacted with temple owners and teachers from the other major temples on the mountain, all white-haired masters. The young boy found it surprising that this young Daoist priest who was at most in his twenties would address the temple owner as “Senior Daoist Brother.”

The young Daoist boy was very young and had probably just entered the temple. Although he hadn't heard of Hidden Dragon Temple before, he didn't dare to slight the visitor. He told Song You to wait for a moment and hurriedly ran inside.

Not long after, the Daoist singing inside stopped.

Then came the ear-splitting sound of the welcoming bell. “Dong…”

Lady Calico trembled with each ring.

Very soon, there was the sound of chaotic and hurried footsteps from inside. When the door was opened again, a group of Daoists stood before him.

Lady Calico looked up and stared.

Leading the group was Guanghuazi who was white-haired but had a rosy complexion with no wrinkles. He led a group of middle-aged Daoists to welcome Song You. Upon reaching him, he first bowed, then smiled broadly. “Long time no see, Daoist friend.”

“Senior Daoist Brother, you look healthy.”

“I’m getting worse year by year…” Guanghuazi hurriedly welcomed Song You inside. “Come in quickly, it's very cold on the mountain.”

“It is indeed somewhat chilly.”

“There's a fire inside.”

“Perfect.” Song You tried not to stand on ceremony in order to maintain the friendship passed down through two or three generations.

The party walked inside the temple together.

Behind them were about a dozen middle-aged Daoists and even more younger ones. The young disciples were at the back, so it was hard to tell how many there were. Overall, it seemed that Fuqing Temple was gradually flourishing. Other than the young disciples, the others knew the name of Hidden Dragon Temple. Some showed respect and some showed friendliness towards Song You. Some constantly stole glances at him or Lady Calico.

The older ones stayed silent, and the younger ones didn't dare speak up, so only Guanghuazi and Song You chatted as they walked.

“Have you left to travel?”

“My master finally drove me out.” Song You laughed. “I happened to pass through Yidu, and am staying there for a while. I thought I would come over to visit your cave dwelling before winter.”

“Hahaha…” Guanghuazi laughed and then sighed suddenly. “Time flies. I remember the first time I saw you, you were still in your swaddling clothes. The first time I followed my master to Yin-Yang Mountain, your temple only had Daoist Elder Duoxing and Daoist Elder Heiyu. I was only in my twenties then, and now so many years have passed in the twinkling of an eye.”

“Time waits for no one.”

“And this is…” Guanghuazi seemed to have finally noticed the calico cat following Song You. He showed no sign of disdain although she was only a cat.

“This is Lady Calico, my traveling companion.”

“So you’re Lady Calico, greetings.”

“Meow…” Lady Calico stood on her hind legs and returned the greeting.

The temple entrance still had couplets on it.

They read:

“Virtue is the greatest treasure, it is inexhaustible for a lifetime;

Treat the heart as a fertile field, it can be cultivated for more than a hundred generations.”

Song You stood at the door and silently read the couplets once through as usual.

Once inside, they gathered around the stove to make tea.

Guanghuazi called over all the Fuqing Temple Daoists in their twenties and thirties to introduce them to Song You one by one. These people will take over Fuqing Temple in the future, and Song You was the sole heir to Hidden Dragon Temple. Therefore, the continuation of this relationship will be dependent on these young people.

Guanghuazi then instructed people to fetch meat, kill chickens, catch fish, buy lamb, pick vegetables, and buy wine. He even called a few young disciples to go and pick some of the Chinese gooseberries[1] on the mountain that had just ripened.

The Daoist priests were quite skilled at cooking, probably because they usually had plenty of leisure time to hone their culinary skills in.

After lunch, they played and sang Daoist songs.

The Daoist songs of Qingcheng Mountain were very famous. They were sung in the local dialect and had already formed their own distinct style. Song You sat and quietly enjoyed the performance. Lady Calico had trouble enjoying it though and fell asleep on her prayer cushion.

After appreciating the Daoist songs, they sat together and chatted.

Don't assume that monks only debate scriptures when they gather or that Daoists only discuss Daoism when they get together. It's like two students discussing their studies when they get together. It happens, but not often. Most of the time, they chatted about light-hearted topics like ordinary people.

“How long did it take you to walk from Yidu?” Someone asked.

Song You replied honestly. “I set out early yesterday morning and reached the foot of the mountain by nightfall. The temple owner of Luqing Temple at the foot of the mountain kindly let me stay the night, and I came up this morning.”

Immediately, someone opposite remarked. “You’re a good walker.”

Song You looked up and saw a familiar Daoist priest. He was Guanghuazi's disciple and had been visiting Hidden Dragon Temple the past few years. He was probably one of the contenders for the position of the next temple owner.

At this time, someone else said, “Daoist friend Song is the heir to Hidden Dragon Temple. Walking more than a hundred li a day is naturally nothing difficult.”

This was another Daoist priest who had visited Hidden Dragon Temple.

In Daoism, seniority was not strictly observed between Daoists from different temples, and Daoists were generally very casual anyway. As long as there was no significant difference in age or status, it was fine to address one another as Daoist friends. Thus they could address Song You as “Daoist friend” and not treat him specially as a senior even though they were Guanghuazi's disciples.

“I was lucky and met a group of traveling merchants who gave me a lift,” Song You said honestly.

“No matter what, you must be tired from the journey. I've already asked Chuyun to prepare the best room for you. Please rest here for a few days,” said the first Daoist priest.

“Senior Brother is right. You have never been to Qingcheng Mountain before and you should let us show you our hospitality,” another Daoist priest added. “Please do not hesitate to stay, and tomorrow I'll have Yingfeng take you up Qingcheng Mountain and show you around. It’s also nice to appreciate the autumn scenery.”

Song You thought for a moment and looked at Guanghuazi.

The old Daoist beamed and changed the subject. “The temple owner of Luqing Temple was kind enough to host our honored guest. We should present a gift in return.”

The two middle-aged Daoists immediately agreed.

Song You felt a bit helpless. He turned and asked Lady Calico, “What do you think?”

“I think it's a good idea.”

Everyone's eyes brightened at the voice.

Those who had cultivated Daoist arts had naturally long sensed something extraordinary about the calico cat, but they had only vaguely noticed and could only judge from the details. Only when the calico cat opened her mouth and spoke, could they confirm that she was really a little cat demon. However, most of them were not overly amazed as they had seen various supernatural creatures before.

Only the younger disciples with inadequate experience stared wide-eyed.

Song You said, “Since Lady Calico also wants to stay a few more days, we will accept your hospitality.”

“Great!” Immediately, a Daoist instructed his disciples to go and catch more fish.

Thus Song You and the cat stayed.

The guest room was much better than the one at Luqing Temple last night. It was spacious, neat, and bright with new bedding etc. It wasn't that Luqing Temple had slighted Song You, they simply had limited resources. Fuqing Temple was far larger and much more powerful compared to Luqing Temple. The guest room they were staying in was the best they had, as was the one at Luqing Temple, so there was no difference on that point.

In the evening, two young Daoist priests came to look for him.

A male Daoist named Yingfeng and a female Daoist named Chuyun.

Yingfeng was tall, gentle, and courteous, with a bright and cheerful smile. His manner of speech exuded a mysterious Daoist charm. He was probably a prodigious talent in Daoist cultivation, likely to be well-liked by Daoists.

Unfortunately, Song You was a fake Daoist priest.

Chuyun was a slender woman with fair skin and delicate features. Her delicate beauty was accentuated by her Daoist robe.

Song You was not interested in forming such connections.

The two were disciples of those two Daoist priests from yesterday.

Song You understood the implications here.

It was very evident that those two middle-aged Daoists were strong contenders for the position of successor to the thriving Fuqing Palace. They both sought to establish a connection with Song You as a gentle way to enhance their competitiveness. Guanghuazi knew what they were thinking and doing, but he neither minded nor stopped them.

Song You didn’t mind this approach either.

Thinking from a different perspective, Hidden Dragon Temple and Fuqing Temple had maintained good relations for decades, with the Fuqing Temple visiting every year. If Song You were to like and befriend one of them and it would be perfectly fine to openly show it. If that person did eventually take over Fuqing Temple, he would be more at ease during future visits with a friend.

If someone else took over, it wouldn’t matter either. Song You was simply expressing his preference according to his nature without interfering in the succession of Fuqing Temple. They would continue to interact as usual in the future.

However, socializing with people felt bothersome to him.

“Daoist friend Song, tomorrow my Senior Brother Yingfeng and I will take you up the mountain.” Chuyun said as she sized Song You up. “My Senior Brother and I are both very familiar with this mountain. We will surely be able to show you a good time sight-seeing.”

“What time would you like to set off?” Yingfeng asked warmly and enthusiastically.

Judging by the way they interacted, these two seemed to get along well and their masters’ rivalry had not affected their camaraderie as fellow disciples at the temple.

“The weather will be bad tomorrow. I’m afraid it will be difficult to climb the mountain.”

“Oh? Can you predict the weather, Daoist friend?”

“Just an educated guess based on experience.”

“Then we’ll see tomorrow. If the weather is good, we will come to get you early.”

“I’m much obliged to both of you.”

“Don’t mention it, Daoist friend. Our temples have had good relations for generations and this friendship should continue.”

“You’re right.”

Song You saw them off.

The next day, the weather was bad as expected. There was cold rain in the morning and wind in the evening, with heavy fog in between. Song You ended up having three good meals there. It just happened to be Start of Winter which was perfect for cultivating in the mountains.

1. Kiwifruit originated in China and was known as “Chinese gooseberry” before it was rebranded as kiwifruit for marketing purposes. ☜

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