Unintended Immortality

The distant mountains were as dark as ink, layer upon layer. They were shrouded in mist, with ancient pines bent low. The grass on the ground was like silk, blowing to one side in the wind.

Two people and a cat sat by the roadside, around a small fire. A few thin wooden sticks held sausages and steamed buns, slowly roasting at the edge of the fire, with the sausages sizzling and oozing oil.

Two horses, one black and one red, grazed nearby.

“Do you still remember the Swallow Immortal of Anqing?” the swordsman asked, eyeing the sausages while speaking to the Daoist.

“Of course, I remember,” the Daoist replied.

“I have received word in Changjing. It seems that the Swallow Immortal of Anqing has brought back some superior seeds from overseas. They say they have a higher yield than the Eastern rice introduced by He Xiang decades ago. The people of Anqing worship the Swallow Immortal like a deity, and many have already begun planting it.”

“I've heard the court has also gotten wind of this and is paying great attention, planning to try planting it in Anqing. If the results are good, they'll promote it heavily,” said the swordsman in gray. “But whether it’s true or not, who knows?”

“We'll know in the future,” the Daoist replied.

“I’ve also heard that the State Preceptor, to reward the Swallow Immortal of Anqing’s contribution, has suggested naming it Swallow Rice, Swallow Potatoes, or Swallow Beans,” the swordsman said with a smile.

“At present, the common folk can barely sustain themselves, so if the seeds brought back by the Swallow Immortal really have such high yields, it would be an immense blessing. But if it’s fake, then the people of Anqing might starve this year.”

“The State Preceptor suggested that?” the Daoist asked.

“I’ve heard so,” the swordsman answered.

Song You smiled. Whether it was a rumor or not, if it was really the State Preceptor’s suggestion, it showed a lot of goodwill.

The swordsman in gray rotated the sausages and steamed buns over the fire.

Glancing up, he noticed the calico cat by the Daoist was staring at him without blinking. Its eyes were clear and pure, like that year when it had been hiding in the bedding, watching him during the Jingzhe.

“It's done.” Shu Yifan took down the roasted sausage, handing the first skewer to Song You, who then passed it to the calico. Shu Yifan then offered the second skewer to Song You. The sausage with the steamed bun wasn’t bad.

People of the jianghu eat quickly, and the gray-clad swordsman soon finished his meal. He picked up his water pouch and drank a few mouthfuls, but when he realized the pouch was empty, he kept his head tilted back, holding it up, waiting for the last drop of water to fall.

“I’ll go fetch some water.” He casually picked up Song You’s water pouch as well.

There was a mountain spring nearby, and the water was clear.

The swordsman quickly returned with the water, but when he did, he noticed that the calico cat had disappeared, replaced by a little girl.

The girl wore a tri-colored outfit, looking extremely bored but lively. She kept pacing back and forth in front of the Daoist, her legs seemingly unable to bend. She had to lift them high with each step, kicking at the stones on the ground and then slamming them down straight. After walking a few paces, she would turn and walk back.

Every now and then, she would glance at the two horses nearby, as if comparing which of them was taller.

“…” The swordsman in gray was momentarily stunned.

He watched as the little girl turned, tilted her head, and stared directly at him without saying a word. With just that one gaze, he immediately recognized who the little girl was.

“Sir.” Shu Yifan brought over the water.

“Thank you.” Song You took the water pouch and smiled at him. “Let’s rest for a bit, then we’ll continue on our way.”

“Alright.” Shu Yifan said nothing more and sat down again.

The little girl continued pacing back and forth, but no matter which direction she walked, she would always turn and stare at him. He too would quietly glance at the girl, and the exchange of looks between the girl and the cat was curious.

Once they had rested enough, they resumed their journey. Having a swordsman along made things much easier.

This was an official road, so while there might be strong individuals or bandits here and there, people trying to take advantage of the weak existed everywhere. However, there were no large groups of mountain bandits in this area.

Still, having the swordsman with them saved a lot of trouble in scouting and gathering firewood.

They soon left the boundaries of Changjing. Ahead, it started to rain.

At this moment, the group arrived at a riverside plank road.

On one side was the emerald green river, with fine ripples forming as the rain stirred the water. On the other side was a nearly vertical cliff face. Yet, on this stone wall, a wide plank road had been carved out.

The plank road was about a yard wide and nearly a yard high, situated very close to the water's surface. It appeared to be half-natural, half-man-made, though it was hard to imagine the scale of the work required to create it.

“The rain looks like it won't stop anytime soon,” Shu Yifan said to Song You.

“At least not until it gets dark.”

“Dark?”

Shu Yifan looked up at the sky, not doubting Song You's words, then said, “In that case, we probably won’t be able to continue our journey.”

“Indeed.”

“Fortunately, this riverside stone path might not protect us from the wind, but it does offer shelter from the rain,” Shu Yifan remarked. “It’s a pity there’s no firewood here, or we could have started a fire.”

“Looks like it can’t be helped.”

“Mm.”

Shu Yifan, being a traveler of the jianghu, was no stranger to enduring the elements. He wasn’t too concerned himself; he had only been worried about Song You earlier.

Since Song You didn’t mind, Shu Yifan said nothing more.

Just then, someone approached from a distance. Their footsteps were quick.

“…” Shu Yifan’s keen hearing made him turn his head instantly.

A figure was approaching from the riverside plank road, from the direction they had come. He was wearing grayish cloth and hemp clothing, appeared to be about thirty years old, with an ordinary appearance. But what was strange was that his pace was incredibly fast—his steps not only fast, but long, covering nearly a yard with each stride. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of them.

Shu Yifan narrowed his eyes slightly. The cat, on the other hand, was filled with curiosity.

“Haha!” As soon as the man saw them, he stopped and looked up, smiling. Then he said, “Finally, I’ve found someone!”

Shu Yifan saw that he didn’t seem to mean any harm, but he remained alert and asked, “Who are you?”

“Don’t be alarmed, sir. I am Xing Wu, just passing by. I stopped here to avoid the rain and thought I’d ask—where exactly is this place?” The man cupped his hands in greeting and smiled.

“This is outside the borders of Changjing, the riverside plank road along the Yuqu River.”

“Ah, so we’re almost at the Changjing boundary.” The man smiled again, then asked, “If I may ask, sir, is Changjing in this direction?”

“Changjing?” Shu Yifan turned to look at the direction the man had come from. “Isn't Changjing behind you?”

“Behind?”

“Indeed.”

“Really?” The man seemed quite surprised.

“We set off from Changjing, going in the same direction as you—how could it be a mistake?”

“Smack!” The man slapped his forehead in frustration and said, “How did I go the wrong way again?”

“Where did you come from?”

“I came from Jingzhou, on my way to Hezhou. I had planned to stay in Changjing today, but I didn’t expect to end up here by accident.” The man sighed, then looked up at the rain outside. “I didn’t expect it to rain today either. It’s difficult to turn back now.”

“Jingzhou?” Shu Yifan's brow furrowed slightly, sensing something was off.

At almost the same moment, Song You, sitting on the ground, spoke up as well. He said, “You came from Jingzhou, planned to stay in Changjing, but ended up here—seems like you’ve taken quite a detour.”

“I was only focused on the journey.”

“May I ask where you started from today?”

“Didn't I already tell you both?” The man seemed a little surprised.

“Did you depart from Jingzhou today?”

“Yes, from the border of Jingzhou and Angzhou.”

“Even if it’s from the border of Jingzhou and Angzhou, to reach here, you’ve traveled at least a thousand li.” Song You cupped his hands. “You certainly have some impressive skills.”

“Heh...” The man merely waved his hand and smiled, then cupped his hands and said, “I possess some skills passed down through my family. Covering hundreds or even thousands of li in a single day is no challenge for me.”

“I see.” Song You nodded and smiled but didn’t say more.

Shu Yifan furrowed his brow slightly but also remained silent.

There were countless strange people in the jianghu. Not only the martial artists who roam the jianghu, but even ordinary people living by their wits often encounter strange individuals with unique abilities. It was a frequent occurrence, and they’ve long since grown used to it.

Then the man spoke again, “Right now, it's raining outside, and I have no idea when it will stop. If I were to run, my clothes would probably get soaked in just a few steps. I don’t think you two are bad people, so I was wondering if I could stay here with you two to avoid the rain for the night? It would be nice to have some company.”

Shu Yifan said nothing, just looked at Song You.

“Of course, you may.” Song You smiled and nodded.

“Thank you!” It was clear that the man was a talkative person. After thanking them, he immediately looked back in the direction he had come from. “When I was running here earlier, I saw many dead branches over there. Since it has just started raining, the ones at the bottom might not be wet yet. I’ll go gather some and bring them back to make a fire and warm up.”

“That's not necessary.”

“Don’t be shy!” With that, the man turned and ran. He was still running at an incredible speed, as if he wasn’t tired at all.

The gray-clad swordsman turned his gaze away and glanced at the long box on the back of the jujube-red horse. He said to Song You, “Sir, there are all sorts of strange people in the jianghu, with all kinds of methods. It’s hard to defend against them, so please be cautious.”

“It’s fine. If someone heard about my business outside Changjing and still dares to come and seize treasures, they must be incredibly bold,” Song You said with a smile. “Besides, from the way I see it, this person’s eyes are open and honest. He doesn’t seem to have malicious intentions. Don’t worry, there might be very few people in this world who can take this painting from me.”

“As you wish, sir.” Shu Yifan, holding his sword, thought for a moment, then said, “Since that's the case, while he's off gathering firewood, I can't just sit idly by. I’ll go to the river and catch a few fish, so we can treat him later and not take advantage of him.”

“You’re quite thoughtful, but it's raining outside.”

“It won’t be a problem.”

“Then, thank you.”

Shu Yifan nodded and stepped out the door.

It wasn’t long before Xing Wu returned. He was carrying a large bundle of dry firewood. “Eh? Where’s the hero?”

“He went down to the river to catch some fish.”

“I see.” Xing Wu placed the firewood down. He seemed to have caught a chill, shivering a little before turning to look at Song You. “Do you happen to have a flint?”

“No,” Song You replied, “But there are other ways to make fire.”

“What methods?”

“My cat is good at starting fires.”

“Hmm?” Xing Wu looked over at the cat next to Song You, puzzled.

Song You also turned his gaze to the calico cat.

“…” The calico cat gave its head a little shake, took a couple of steps forward, and walked over to the dry firewood. It opened its mouth slightly.

“Whoosh…” It seemed to exhale a breath.

With a loud puff, the dry firewood immediately ignited by itself.

The calico cat retracted its head and continued to curl up beside Song You, glancing at him and then at Xing Wu.

Xing Wu’s eyes immediately lit up, clearly surprised. He then bowed to Song You. “I didn’t expect you to also be a master with cultivation skills, my apologies, my apologies...”

“It’s all the work of Lady Calico.”

“Meow!”

“Don’t be too proud, Lady Calico,” Song You said, looking down and advising, “Remember, humility leads to progress, while pride leads to stagnation.”

“Meow?”

“Even cats should know this.”

Xing Wu, watching from the side, found it all quite fascinating.

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