Unintended Immortality

In the few months spent in Changjing, there had indeed been a considerable harvest.

In fact, the tasks done in Changjing were often similar to those performed at Yin-Yang Mountain. Cultivators were naturally required to expel evil spirits and exorcize demons; this was independent of their level of cultivation—no matter how high their skill, it remained a necessary task. At Yin-Yang Mountain, they would also respond to villagers' requests to alleviate some disasters and give them a bit of peace of mind.

However, the money earned at Yin-Yang Mountain was never as much as it was here.

Changjing was prosperous, and money flowed abundantly. Even the poor in the city had a steady stream of income far exceeding that of the self-sufficient villagers at the foot of Yin-Yang Mountain. Sometimes, they would receive no money at all, only a small bag or half a basket of grains.

Fortunately, they were experienced and would bring sacks when descending the mountain. Otherwise, if they used the villagers' baskets to carry things up the mountain, they'd have to return them next time.

At times, they couldn't even receive grains, only rice stalks or wheat chaff. They would have to wait until the summer or autumn harvest, when the villagers would leave a bundle at the edge of the fields for them to harvest themselves.

To be honest, Hidden Dragon Temple wasn't lacking in grains, but Song You still had to go and harvest them every year.

Besides money, there were other gains from being in Changjing.

Yin-Yang Mountain was surrounded by farmers and poor families. Although each person had their own mindset, they were not as diverse as those in Changjing.

Changjing had both rich and poor, and one could encounter a botanist in a single-room residence from the Housing Bureau, discuss matters with generals in government-assigned residences, or meet officials from the court, such as the minister, and various unusual people.

But today's greatest gain was still that painting.

Regardless of who painted it, in terms of skill, it was already rare in the world. Even the court painters would not surpass it. It was a pity that he could not admire it for longer.

Under the blazing sun, Song You thought about this as he walked back to Willow Street in the Western District.

From a distance, he saw a small head peeking out from the second floor and glancing at him, and then quickly retreating. The Daoist chose to ignore it.

Upon returning home, the door was open. Going upstairs, he did not see the little girl, only the calico cat. The sandbox on the desk was neatly arranged, with the willow branches placed beside it, and even the orientation was the same as before.

The cat was quite smart.

“Have you been practicing calligraphy secretly while at home?” the Daoist asked the cat, who was lying by the window with half-closed eyes.

“Meow...” The cat yawned, stretched out its limbs, and then turned its head to look at the Daoist. “What did you say?”

“It seems that you haven't practiced calligraphy at home. Considering your talent, you’re already impressive enough without practice. You don’t need to practice further,” the Daoist said, sitting down on the long couch by the window.

He pondered for a moment before asking, “Since you have to cultivate, catch mice, and learn to write, you must be quite tired, right?”

“I’m not tired!”

“You’re not tired?”

“I’m not tired!”

“It seems you really have boundless energy,” Song You said, nodding. “That's great. Besides learning to read, you'll also need to learn arithmetic. I thought you would be exhausted if you had to learn another subject, but now I realize I underestimated you. In that case, how about I teach you to count tonight?”

“...” The calico cat maintained its lying position, merely lifting its head to gaze at him. After a moment, it spoke up, “Did you catch any ghosts?”

“Not ghosts.”

“Demons?”

“Not that either.” Song You shook his head. “It was just a painting that was so lifelike it frightened people.”

“Did you capture the painting?”

“I only used magic to isolate the painting's spiritual resonance and vitality so it wouldn’t stare at people in the middle of the night,” Song You answered truthfully. Ȑ

“Did you make any money?”

“Yes.”

“How much?”

“Two taels of silver.”

“How much is that?”

“Five of two taels of silver will be about the same as the money earned from catching ghosts by the river that night.”

“That’s very little.”

“Well, it’s enough for us to live on for a month.”

“That’s a lot!”

The calico cat suddenly sprang up as if it had remembered something. “Oh, right, when you went out earlier, someone came to our home. I turned into a human to go downstairs and talk to him. He said he came to ask for our help to catch mice somewhere unknown.”

“Where did he want to catch them?”

“Somewhere unknown.”

“And where is he now?”

“He left.” The calico cat stood up and looked at him, “I talked to him, but he wouldn’t talk to me. He asked where you went, and I said you went to catch ghosts. He said he would come back later to talk when you returned.”

“I see.”

The calico cat’s explanation wasn’t very clear, but it conveyed the general idea. Song You couldn’t help but pat the cat’s head and said, “You’re quite responsible.”

“Yes!”

“But that person was a bit rude. How can he not tell you just because you’re a tiny human?”

“Yes!”

“I’ll take a nap now.”

“Okay!”

The Daoist lay down on the nearby bed.

The calico cat glanced at him, then at the sandbox on the desk. She hesitated for a while, and then lay down. The cat slept by the window while the Daoist slept on the bed.

After an unknown amount of time, there was a knock on the door downstairs.

“Knock, knock, knock...”

The Daoist woke up groggily, feeling a thin layer of sweat on his face. It was already the season where he would sweat while sleeping.

He got up, exchanged a glance with the calico cat, and went downstairs.

The door downstairs was still open. Standing at the doorway was a middle-aged man dressed as a steward. Despite the door being open, he did not enter but stood outside, knocking on the door frame.

He was accompanied by a few attendants.

When he saw the Daoist and the cat coming down, he finally cupped his hands in greeting.

“Sir, greetings.”

“Please, come in.”

“My surname is Liu, and I am the steward of the Grand Commander's residence.”

“My apologies.”

“No need for that. I’ve heard that you have a divine cat named Lady Calico who can catch mice, no matter how formidable they are.” Steward Liu glanced at the calico cat behind Song You, briefly astonished by the cat's beauty, then turned his gaze back to Song You with a smile. “I didn’t know that you can exorcize demons too.”

“Catching mice is Lady Calico’s talent. My responsibility is exorcizing demons and vanquishing evil spirits,” Song You explained. “We each have our own duties.”

“I’m curious, where do you practice your cultivation?”

“In Yizhou, Lingquan County.”

“Yizhou? May I ask which celestial mountain or immortal abode?”

“It’s neither a celestial mountain nor an immortal abode, just a small temple where only my master and I reside. It’s not very well-known.”

“I see.” Steward Liu’s eyes flickered a few times. “That’s quite far. How did you come to Changjing?”

“I’m traveling the world,” Song You said, also observing the steward. He added with a smile, “I heard from my child that you came here to ask for help with catching mice?”

“Exactly!”

“And it’s for the Grand Commander’s residence?”

“Yes!” Steward Liu occasionally glanced at Song You and then at the cat behind him. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

He displayed a look of helplessness as he said, “It seems the mice in the Eastern District are especially troublesome. My master has been disturbed and unsettled by them recently, and he is often disturbed while reading at night. Despite trying various methods, we can’t get rid of them. A certain official mentioned that your divine cat can catch even the most stubborn mice cleanly overnight.”

“Honestly, those who have previously asked for Lady Calico’s help had similar problems to what you described.”

“Then I’m at the right place!” Steward Liu said with a smile. “My master is generally generous. If you can truly solve our problem, we are willing to pay not just five hundred qian, but even five taels of silver or fifty.”

Upon hearing this, the calico cat’s expression immediately stiffened. Although Song You hadn’t taught her counting yet, having been transformed for a while, she knew that five was more than two. Naturally, five taels of silver was more than two taels.

“When would you like to go?”

“Are you available at this moment?”

“Very much so.”

“Then let’s proceed.”

“Please allow me to close the door.”

The Daoist stepped outside, and the cat immediately followed. Steward Liu, seeing this, was further convinced of the cat’s rumored abilities.

After the Daoist locked the door, they set off.

The Grand Commander was the highest military officer in the court, the commander-in-chief of all military forces. However, in practice, there could be discrepancies.

Often, dynasties or emperors would find the Grand Commander’s power too great, either not appointing one or appointing one without real power. For example, the emperor in the current dynasty, being a martial emperor himself, would never delegate the military power and maintained tight control over it.

Additionally, above the Grand Commander, there was the prime minister. Above the prime minister, there was a highly trusted and influential State Preceptor, reducing the actual power further.

Moreover, it was said that this Grand Commander was quite old and in poor health, and it might not be long before he passed.

Nevertheless, being a top official, his residence was naturally in the best part of the Eastern District. The residence was vast, with both mountains and water.

As Song You and Steward Liu entered the Grand Commander’s residence, he stopped and said to Steward Liu, “I will only deliver Lady Calico here. She will handle the mice in the residence and generally finish within five days. I will return tomorrow morning to pick her up, and for the next four days, I will drop her off every evening and pick her up in the morning.

“Please take good care of my cat and ensure she is not mistreated.”

Steward Liu said, “Of course.”

“Thank you.”

The Daoist looked at the cat before him, who wore a red rope necklace and appeared very well-behaved and endearing. He couldn’t help but smile and reached out to pat her head. “Sorry to trouble you, Lady Calico. The Grand Commander’s residence is large, so you might have to work harder than before. Please be extra cautious.”

“Meow!”

“I’ll be on my way.”

The Daoist and the steward both cupped their hands toward each other, as did the Daoist to the surrounding servants and attendants. Others from the residence came over, seemingly curious about the famous Lady Calico, and looked at her. Only after they had seen her did he turn and leave the Grand Commander’s residence.

The evening was cool and pleasant, making it a leisurely walk.

The cat remained where she was, watching the Daoist leave. Although she was happy to be invited to catch mice, this meant she wouldn’t be able to sleep next to the Daoist at night.

Moreover, she had recently been learning to write. If she was too busy at night, she would surely have to sleep during the day, which would affect her practice time. If she didn’t practice enough and her writing wasn’t good, might the Daoist think her once-brilliant talent had diminished?

“…”

The cat was troubled.