Unintended Immortality

The oil lamp flickered in the room, its wick glowing red.

Lady Calico paced around on top of the wooden table, seemingly aimless, before suddenly sitting down at the edge. Her tail naturally wrapped around her little feet, and she said to Song You, “Daoist priest, you felt very cold while cultivating today.”

Song You wasn’t surprised. The little cat always acted freely, doing whatever she pleased and saying whatever she wanted. He simply answered softly, “It’s because I was drawing upon the spiritual resonance hidden in winter, which has a stillness in it.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Hmm…” The calico cat lowered her head to lick her body, not interested in hearing more. She just said, “I only need to practice breathing exercises by myself.”

“Not everyone can be like you.”

“Do you cultivate quickly?”

“Some people are fast, and some are slow. Even for me, I’m sometimes fast, and sometimes slow,” Song You said. “Back at the Daoist temple, my cultivation progress was average. However, the world opened up after descending the mountain, and I made rapid progress.”

“It’s quite mysterious. However, you are a demon and not human, so you don’t need to learn this. You only need to practice your breathing exercises as usual.”

“I see.”

Song You smiled.

Maybe because he had lived two lives, or maybe for other reasons, he increasingly disliked complicated things and preferred simplicity. Although the Daoist priests at Fuqing Temple were all very friendly, he still found conversing with Lady Calico more relaxing and interesting, even if the conversation lacked substance.

“Lady Calico.”

“Hmm?” The calico cat was licking her fur, but immediately looked up when she heard him.

“How about we go back the day after tomorrow?”

“You can decide.”

“We’re traveling companions. I should discuss such a big decision with you.”

“The day after tomorrow…”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…” The calico cat stared at Song You for a while before saying, “You don’t seem to like them much.”

“Why do you say that?”

“There’s meat to eat here every day, but you don’t like it here.”

“I just find having fun with them less amusing than being with you,” Song You shook his head. “Besides, we can’t eat other people’s meat every day.”

“That’s true.”

“So, what do you think?”

“Let’s go back tomorrow!” The calico cat immediately responded very decisively.

“That’s not good either.”

“Why?”

“I have to help them solve some Daoist arts problems tomorrow. It’s our repayment for their hospitality these few days.”

“Oh…” The calico cat seemed to be pondering.

“Let’s sleep.” Song You blew out the oil lamp, the sparks scattering like stars.

The next morning, Chuyun and Yingfeng came to look for Song You again. They did their best to entertain him. However, they weren’t fated to be together like their predecessors decades ago after all. While their forced interaction was fine, it was hard to form the camaraderie like their predecessors had decades ago within a short time.

Song You just helped the Daoist priests solve their problems and then informed Guanghuazi in the evening that he planned to return the next day.

Despite their efforts to persuade him to stay, he remained resolute.

Chuyun and Yingfeng admired him immensely. They more or less already revered him as an immortal on earth in their hearts. They wanted to follow him in wandering the world, but he told them they were not fated to be together.

The following day, Song You descended the mountain early in the morning while it was still dark.

The bright moonlight shone on him as he traveled with only the cat for company.

Walking from early in the morning to dusk, he was already near Yidu by sunset. Considering that it was already winter and staying outside overnight was cold, Song You decided to continue walking by moonlight until he reached Yidu. Coincidentally, he arrived just before the city gates closed for the night. Upon entering his courtyard, the sound of singing arose and brought a sense of peace to his heart.

***

The weather in Yidu grew increasingly colder.

Song You led a leisurely life. Besides going often to the market to listen to stories, he mostly stayed home, warming himself by the fire, cultivating, and chatting with the cat. He lived a cozy life with warm fires and a felt blanket, not venturing out with his cat.[1]

Occasionally, people came seeking talismans or consecrated amulets based on his reputation. Though he had no consecrated items, drawing a talisman was easy for him, and he always obliged. He could more or less earn some money to buy meat for Lady Calico to eat.

Sometimes he went out to observe the winter scenery in Yidu, watching people braving the cold for their livelihoods while hurrying around in unlined clothing. He saw how the cold weather stripped away the facade of prosperity, yielding some insightful observations.

The yellow plum tree in the courtyard gradually sprouted flower buds.

Song You often sat under the tree, looking at it and wondering when it would bloom. When he leaned in close and sniffed lightly, he could already smell a delicate fragrance.

“Knock, knock, knock…” There was a knock on the courtyard door.

When Song You opened it, he found Constable Luo standing outside.

Despite the wintry twelfth lunar month, Constable Luo still wore his black uniform and boots, only dressed in somewhat thicker clothing underneath. His cheeks were red from the wind, and he held a small fish strung through its cheeks on a river vine. “Greetings, Mister.”

“Aren’t you cold, Chief?”

“A martial artist who is always moving doesn’t feel the cold.”

“Please come in quickly.”

Constable Luo followed Song You into the courtyard, closing the door behind him with familiarity. He said as they walked, “My wife’s younger brother is idle and recently obsessed with fishing. Today, he fished for half a day and came back shivering, having only caught this small fish. It’s less than two fingers wide, yet he claimed it would make good soup for us. Haha, so I brought it here for Lady Calico instead.”

“You’re very considerate.”

“Lady Calico…” As Constable Luo spoke, he unstrung the fish. Instead of throwing it on the ground, he placed it on the clean stone table.

Initially, he hadn’t brought gifts for Lady Calico during his visits, only bringing some items for Song You. However, by chance when he came seeking advice about nightmare ghosts one day, he suddenly saw a pretty, fair-skinned little girl in the courtyard. He had never seen the little girl there before. Over subsequent visits, sometimes he saw the cat, sometimes the little girl, but never both at the same time. With time, he gradually realized what was happening, connecting the dots with Lady Calico’s usual demeanor and actions.

Having been a constable in Yidu for many years, he’d encountered various supernatural occurrences, including dealing with cases of animals becoming demons. Frankly, they weren’t that mysterious. These creatures just gained some intelligence when they became demons. They were already terrifying if they could speak like a human and didn’t have the ability to transform into humans as stories suggested. A martial artist could still kill them easily with his saber. At most, they could plead for mercy in various ways when facing death.

It was the first time he had seen a demon that could transform.

Constable Luo felt both momentary surprise and inevitability.

He felt surprised because there was a demon who could transform living right across from him, and he hadn’t noticed for so long. However, on second thought, it seemed very normal for her to be with a master like Song You.

After all, what master in stories didn’t have a child servant who wasn’t a mortal or a mount that was actually a demon?

Naturally, Song You should have one too.

From that point on, he brought some gifts for Lady Calico every time he visited. In return, she ensured his home was free of mice and that his food was safe.

Seeing the calico cat had already started eating, Constable Luo watched for a while before turning to Song You, “Mister, the Yuewang Temple[2] Fair is in a few days.”

“In a few days?”

“In three more days, on the third day of the month.”

“Ah…” Song You only realized then that it was already the twelfth lunar month.

“The area around Yuewang Temple is already bustling with people, but it will only be liveliest after the third,” Constable Luo said. “Do you want to buy anything? This temple fair has crooks mixed in with the honest folk. Do you need me to guide you? I have a team of subordinates who can help you.”

“We’ll see when the time comes.”

“If you need anything, just knock on my door.”

“Thank you in advance, Chief.”

“You’re welcome, Mister.”

After chatting for a while, Song You saw Constable Luo off.

Song You’s face now bore a smile.

The temple fair, also known as the temple market, originated from religious gatherings. Especially during major festivals or religious holidays, large numbers of worshippers would gather. Where there were people, there was business. In this era where transportation is inaccessible and shopping is inconvenient, people still need to purchase goods. Thus, people started setting up stalls at temple fairs. As more merchants gathered, more customers came, creating a positive cycle. Eventually, temple fairs evolved beyond just serving worshipers and became major shopping festivals, one of the liveliest spectacles of the year.

Temple fairs actually varied in size.

Smaller ones just attracted people from nearby villages or the same county, while larger ones were significant events. The largest could even draw people from several prefectures. It’s hard for modern people to imagine, but some would travel a thousand li over half a month just to offer a stick of incense, enjoy the fair for a few days, and then spend another half a month returning home.

During this period, people could broaden their horizons, make substantial profits, form lifelong friendships, meet potential partners by chance, or come and return alone after being robbed.

The Yuewang Temple Fair was the most influential fair in Yizhou. Although it didn’t draw people from multiple prefectures, it attracted visitors from remote areas within the prefecture and even some street performers and traveling merchants from outside the prefecture.

The fair was held on the third day of the twelfth lunar month because it was reputedly the birthday of the Yuewang deity. Such large-scale fairs had long outgrown the Yuewang Temple’s confines. It just started on this day and usually extended a few more days before this lively spectacle ended.

Song You had long anticipated this fair.

After wandering around, he confirmed Constable Luo’s words. Many traveling merchants and street performers had already arrived in Yidu that day. They gathered in the streets and alleys near Yuewang Temple, creating a lively, chaotic scene.

Lady Calico noticed his excitement but she was somewhat puzzled. “Daoist priest, is the temple fair very fun?”

“I don’t know.” Song You replied, adding, “I hope it’s interesting.”

“You seem to like temple fairs a lot.”

“They’re very lively,” Song You told the calico cat. “Have you seen lively scenes before?”

“The city is very lively.”

“No…” Song You shook his head. No matter how populous Great Yan was or how prosperous Yidu was, they were constrained by the times. The city population was likely smaller than the crowd at a modern New Year’s Eve gathering at a provincial landmark or even the daily number of guests at a popular tourist spot during Golden Week. Only the temple fair was truly lively.

It was the grandest human spectacle in this age, comparable to the liveliness of the modern era.

Song You’s eyes sparkled, but he didn’t explain further to Lady Calico. He only said, “There are many things at the fair we can’t usually see, like street performers who know tricks, exotic flowers and rare herbs, as well as rare birds and animals. We can not only enjoy a few days of excitement but also buy a lot of tasty food. Hmm, and buy a horse or mule.”

“A horse?”

“Yes.”

“We? Buy a horse?”

“What’s the matter?”

“We’re buying a horse?”

“Or maybe a mule,” Song You said to her. “It’ll make traveling the world in the future easier.”

“Great!”

Lady Calico’s eyes sparkled.

Song You stared at her, puzzled.

This cat seemed unusually excited.

1. Allusion to Song Dynasty poet Lu You’s “November 4th Wind and Rain Composition No. 2.” ☜

2. Temple dedicated to famous Southern Song dynasty general and patriotic hero Yue Fei. ☜

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