Unintended Immortality

Song You plucked a few newly-sprouted spring blades of Pacific island silvergrass[1], which were still short, fine, and tender, and casually wove them into a hollow ball. After examining it from all angles and finding it unsatisfactory, he discarded it and wove two more as he felt bored walking. Only then did he select one he liked and put it into his bedding bag.

Leisurely picking fruits and grasses like this didn't actually delay his journey. Instead, it added much enjoyment to walking. While distracted, it felt as if he had returned to his childhood. Back then, no matter where he went, no matter how long the road was, there was endless joy to be found in the fields beside the road and up the trees in the forest. At that time, walking was never just for walking.

Gradually, he found himself ascending higher and higher until he reached the mountain peak. The calico cat stopped, turned her head, and gazed into the distance. Song You also stopped. He didn't know where this place was, only that from this vantage point, the mountains and rivers lay beneath his feet, and the scenery was splendid.

This place was planted with a great deal of sugarcane. The land between the hillsides was flat and orderly, dyed densely green by the sugarcane forest. Small paths in between led to places he would never go, and large trees quietly grew beside the paths, their age unknown.

At the end of his line of sight, a village and houses could vaguely be seen. No one knew how long they had existed. Everything was clear, quiet, and beautiful.

Song You couldn't help but wonder if the scenery had been like this hundreds of years ago. Perhaps it would remain the same hundreds of years in the future. But whose hometown was this? What kind of people lived here? What kind of lives did they lead?

Song You appeared calm, but his heart surged with a desire to go down and see this land up close, to get to know its people, and to hear their stories. Yet he also knew that there were boundless mountains and rivers. Even immortals couldn't see them all. The world was vast, human lives were short, and regrets were inevitable. Perhaps regret was the norm.

“Sir.” A swallow landed on the horse's head at that moment and turned to look at him, “Where are we going?”

“Yan An...” Song You didn't answer immediately but instead asked, “Have you ever flown south for the winter?”

“I grew up at my ancestor’s side and didn't need to fly south for the winter. Later, I gained cultivation skills, became enlightened, and also transformed, so I needed to go even less.”

“I see.”

“You seem very interested in things regarding the south and overseas?” The swallow stared at the Daoist with his dark eyes, sensing some regret in his tone upon hearing him say that he had never been to the south. “I grew up hearing many stories about the south and overseas from my ancestor. If you wish to hear them, I can tell you.”

“It's not that.”

“Then...”

“I just think flying south for the winter is quite extraordinary.”

“How so?”

“I've heard you all have to fly thousands of li, the farthest being tens of thousands of li, crossing countless mountains, rivers and countries, seeing countless different sceneries. That journey must be fascinating,” Song You said with a sigh.

“In this world, even immortals are often bound by faith to their land and never know the true face of the world. Most people can't even dream of such vast realms, yet you all were born to migrate south, to naturally witness a vast world most people could never see in their lifetimes. I wonder how you all feel about it. In short, many people envy you all.”

Hearing him say this, the swallow indeed felt it was quite extraordinary and began to feel some regret too. “I have never gone...”

“You can go anytime.”

“Is it dangerous outside?”

“Hard to say.”

“Oh...”

Song You thought for a moment before saying, “When I was young, I also asked my master if the world below the mountain was dangerous. She told me that this world is vast, spanning over a hundred thousand miles. Countless people die from unexpected calamities daily, and many don't meet a good end. ℟ÅNỐ𐌱Ëṣ

“However, some stay in one place, never going anywhere or doing anything special, and still die of illness or hunger halfway. Some live to old age but do so in a muddle headed and ignorant way. All of these, you will have to see for yourself and decide for yourself. What you see and experience in this life is closely-related to your choices.

“However, her Daoist name is ‘Daoist Duoxing’ and she loved traveling the world most in her youth. This is just her perspective, naturally. You and I should have our own views and choices.”

The swallow pondered for a long time before nervously saying, “I've always wanted to ask you a question.”

“Ask away.”

“You travel the world like this without a destination. What are you doing it for?”

“What do you think?”

The swallow thought for a long time before cautiously saying, “I thought it was to punish evil and promote goodness, to vanquish demons and eliminate devils.”

“Along the way, I have punished evil and promoted goodness, vanquished demons and eliminated devils, but I didn't descend the mountain specifically for doing that,” Song You said, shaking his head with a smile. “Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't.”

“Don't you accumulate merit?”

“No, I don't accumulate merit, just peace of mind.”

“Not to become a god?”

“Not to become a god, nor a Buddha.”

The swallow was stunned for a moment. He was used to seeing his own ancestor go to great lengths to become a god. Now, hearing this light remark, “Not to become a god, nor a Buddha,” all of a sudden he didn't know how to respond instead.

“Then... is it to become an immortal?”

“What is an immortal?”

“An immortal is... eternal youth?”

“Those who seek longevity cannot live long. For those who do not seek longevity, longevity is without meaning.”

“Then it is for freedom and ease.”

“Does becoming an immortal allow one to be carefree? Or is it that only by being carefree can one become an immortal? But if one is already carefree, how much difference does it make whether one becomes an immortal or not?” Song You asked mildly.

The swallow pondered deeply as he digested this, his confidence waning. “Then are you simply entering the secular world to cultivate?”

“Not for cultivating in the secular world either.”

“Then...”

“Why would there be so many reasons? Why would there be so many purposes?”

“Please enlighten me, sir.”

“It can’t be described as enlightenment. Human lives are bitter and short. Walking through the human world, I just want to see more scenery, see things I haven't seen before, taste more of the pleasures of this world, and add more interests into this short life according to my own preferences.

“So, at the end of this life, I can look back and say it was worth it,” Song You said with a smile. “Interestingly, when you don't think about anything, you unexpectedly gain quite a lot. This kind of unexpected gain is the most delightful.”

The swallow fell into silence and contemplation. If he had transformed into human form, he would surely have been frowning deeply. Not for becoming a god, not for becoming an immortal, not for cultivation, just to make life more interesting according to one’s inner aspirations.

What Song You said made it sound like he was just a mortal, but on deeper thought, how different was it from being an immortal?

Whether becoming a god, immortal, Buddha, or entering the secular world to cultivate, if it was pursued intentionally, how different was it from pursuing worldly position and fortune?

A voice suddenly said by his ears. “Let's go.”

“Go... where?”

“Down there.” Song You had already made up his mind. “If we hadn't encountered it, it would be fine. But since we have, we won't miss it.”

It happened to be afternoon already, perhaps they could find lodging down there.

Thus they followed the small path down. Before long, the world below the mountain lay before their eyes. They saw a small mountain village path, with evergreen cypress trees growing along it. They did not know where it led to. However, the path was smooth, suggesting it was often traveled.

The calico cat still ran ahead, lively as ever, only stopping to look at them when they reached a fork in the road. This was also for play…if she ran a bit faster, she could stop ahead to sniff the grass by the road, sometimes taking a few bites. Or she could catch insects beside the road to bring back and share with the swallow to eat. Or she could look at the distant scenery.

Gradually, it was nearing dusk. Song You looked up and saw cooking smoke rising from deep within the bamboo forest in the distance. There was quite a bit of smoke so there should be a village.

Perhaps they could find lodging there.

As he was thinking, the calico cat ahead suddenly stopped in her tracks. She stood motionless, and raised her head to stare ahead. She turned her head to glance at Song You, then continued looking forward.

Song You walked over leisurely. Following her gaze, he saw a child standing alone under a cypress tree by the road. It was a boy, about seven or eight years old, not crying or making a fuss, but he kept looking around, somewhat bewildered and dazed.

The wind by the riverside made him hunch his shoulders.

“A little person!”

“You have sharp eyes, Lady Calico.”

“Where's his mother?”

“Not here.”

“Then he's lost!”

“Possibly.” Song You surveyed the cooking smoke in the distance. Even with the bamboo forest blocking it, he could still see the corner of a village cottage. This child must have come from there.

“This is convenient.”

“What's convenient?”

“Finding lodging tonight will be easy.”

“Oh!” The calico cat turned her head and looked at Song You in surprise. She immediately realized. Then she ran toward the child taking small quick steps in a vivacious manner.

The child still looked confused, glancing around blankly, until the calico cat got close. He seemed attracted to the cat and began to stare at her.

But he still didn't move.

Song You also walked over. “Little one.”

“Huh?” The child looked up at him, expressionless.

Song You smiled, trying hard to appear more gentle. He also slowed his voice, “Where are you from? Why did you come here alone?”

The child looked around again and extended his hand as if to point. However, his finger wavered, and he couldn't discern the direction.

“What's your name?”

“Xiao Niuer...”

“Why did you come here?”

“Don't know...”

“Where is your home?”

“Home...” The child stared at him blankly. The wind blew, and he was lightly-dressed. He couldn’t help hunching his shoulders and shivering.

Song You moved to block the wind for him. The child immediately felt much better.

Suddenly, Song You tilted his head, seemingly hearing some voices in the wind. It seemed someone was calling for the child.

“Xiao Niuer.”

“Huh?”

“Do you hear someone calling you?”

“I think so...” The child nodded, answering dully.

“Where are they?”

“Don't know...” The child stared blankly at him.

Song You had no choice but to turn his head to look at the calico cat. “Lady Calico? Do you hear anything?”

“I did hear something.”

“What was it?”

“Someone is singing.”

“Singing?”

“Yes! It's a strange way of talking!”

“Is it coming from that side?” Song You pointed towards the direction where the cooking smoke was rising.

“It seems so.”

“Alright.” Song You then crouched down, looked calmly at the child, and extended his hand. “Let's go, I'll take you home.”

The child looked at him, then at the cat.

After hesitating, he seemed to find Song You quite approachable and decided to trust him in the end. Thus he reached out to hold his hand and followed him ahead along the path.

No one came looking for the child along the way.

Instead, the voices became clearer.

Actually, it wasn't singing, just that the tone was melodious. Each call had a long, drawn-out ending, different from the usual way people spoke or called out to others. Upon careful listening, there was a profound, simple charm in it.

Although it was different from the singing voice of the female ghost in the Yidu's courtyard house, the calico cat couldn't tell what was singing. She only remembered Song You's words, found the voices strange, and thus called it singing.

“Xiao Niuer...” This voice was clear even across the river.

“Xiao Niuer...Xiao Niuer...”

“Come home...”

“Come back for your meal...”

“Come back for a nap...”

“Answer quickly...”

“Come back quickly…”

“Don't let your family worry anymore...”

A group of men and women, both old and young, were shouting surrounding the house.

Some stood on the roof, some on the hillside behind the house, and others on the earth ridge in front of the house, all with long, drawn-out voices blending into one.

Among them was an old Daoist with a long beard, holding a bowl of murky water. With each call, he dipped his fingers into the bowl and sprinkled water into the air. There was also a middle-aged woman whose voice carried a sobbing tone, adding an intense emotional flavor to this simple and ancient way of calling out.

Suddenly, everyone looked ahead.

They saw a young man in a Daoist robe walking over along the path. In front of him, a calico cat trotted slowly, and behind him, a jujube-red horse followed obediently despite using no reins.

There was also a swallow flying above in the sky.

This Daoist was already wondrous enough himself, but what was even more wondrous was that his right hand was slightly raised at his side, as if holding an invisible, short person by the hand.

By the time the Daoist reached the crowd, the previously-merged shouting voices had mostly ceased. They felt the scene before their eyes was so incredible that they didn’t know what to do for a moment and they didn't dare to speak either. As a result, the earlier clamor quickly gave way to a profound silence.

Song You nodded slightly to them, then looked down at the child holding his right hand. He smiled and said softly. “Go back quickly.”

With that, he released his right hand.

The woman, coming back to her senses, had no time to exclaim at this incredible scene. She wiped the tears from her face and turned to run into the house.

Soon, a shout came from inside. “He's awake! He's awake!”

Everyone rushed into the house.

A man took one look inside, then ran out again. He approached Song You again, bowed and cupped his hands non-stop, saying, “Thank you, Mister, thank you, Mister...”

“I was merely passing through and happened to see your son's soul standing by the roadside, looking dazed. Hearing your calls, I followed the voices and brought him back,” Song You paused and glanced at the old Daoist holding the bowl of water at the side who didn’t know what to do. “You should only thank this old Mister. It was only thanks to his method that your son's soul didn’t stray far.”

“Thank you both, thank you both...” The man was so moved that he was almost incoherent. He quickly extended his hand, “Please, both of you, come inside and sit!”

“After you, Old Mister.”

“After you, after you...”

“I couldn't possibly.”

“Then I'll go first...” Only then did the old Daoist walk into the house holding his bowl.

Song You also followed him in.

It was just a thatched house in the village, simple and crude but cool. The room in the center served as the main hall, with an old Eight Immortals table[2] and coarse bowls filled with tea. Both the table and the bowls had clearly been around for many years.

One bowl of tea was for the old Daoist, and the man hurriedly fetched another bowl, pouring tea for Song You too.

After taking a sip, Song You noticed the few people at the table were all looking at him but unsure how to start a conversation. He realized they were generally speaking simple country folk without much eloquence.

So he put down his bowl, cupped his hands, and said, “My name is Song You, and I’m a mountaineer from Lingquan County in Yizhou. I’m traveling the world and happened to pass by here. I was fated to meet your son so I brought him back in passing in return for a sip of tea.”

“Thank you, Mister, we were so worried.”

“There was no need to worry. With the old Mister here, perhaps a few more calls would have brought him back.”

This was just a polite remark.

In reality, this rustic method only worked if the soul had separated from the body but did not stray far from home. The child's soul had already wandered more than a li away, and calling like this wouldn't have brought him back. However, most of these Daoists among the people usually had experience and may have other ways.

In short, he was just there to find a place to stay and ask for a meal. Sometimes, a casual word could be as heavy as a thousand catties of gold, and he didn't want to undermine another's reputation.

“Where are you headed?”

“Pingzhou.”

“Where in Pingzhou?”

“I wish to see Yunding Mountain.”

“Yunding Mountain...” The man seemed embarrassed as he had never heard of it.

However, he said at once, “To reach the Pingzhou border, it's still nearly 200 li from here. Even riding fast on horseback, it would take a day, and on foot, at least two days. You've done me a great favor, and although I don't have much to offer, I would be honored if you would stay for dinner and rest here for the night.”

“I would be honored.” Having a place to stay and eating a proper hot meal was certainly better than eating in the wind and sleeping in the dew.

Inside, someone fed Xiao Niuer a little water and a little meat porridge. The child gradually recovered his senses. Though he was still frail, he was at least clear-headed and was able to speak.

When the adults asked him what had happened, he couldn't explain. When asked where he had gone, he couldn't say either. He only said he vaguely remembered standing by a path, surrounded by mist, unable to see anything. Later, a cat led a Daoist priest over to him. The Daoist priest spoke to him, then led him along the path and they reached the entrance of his home.

Everyone was extremely amazed for a moment.

1. Perennial grass native to parts of eastern and southeastern Asia and the Pacific islands. ☜

2. Old-fashioned square table seating eight people. ☜

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