Chapter 185: Lady Calico Turns Another Year Older

In a second-floor room on Willow Street in Changjing City, the Daoist was gently setting the cat down on the floor.

It was morning, and the room wasn’t too hot. Bright sunlight streamed in through the open window, and a gentle summer breeze blew inside, offering a completely different sensation from the world within the painting.

He glanced around the room.

The window was wide open, with footprints on the window ledge and the floor. Some were going in, others going out. A piece of fabric was even caught on the window’s edge, suggesting the intruder had left in a hurry.

The reason Song You dared to leave the painting here and walk away unbothered was that he had made preparations beforehand. He had placed a spell on the painting so it couldn’t be removed. It was impervious to blades, fire, and water, and even breaking through the walls wouldn’t work.

Additionally, the one-year curse, which originally activated upon touching the painting, had been altered to trigger upon entering the room without permission. So, most people likely ran off in a panic the moment they stepped inside.

That was why the footprints were mostly concentrated near the window, with only one set making it to the center of the room, near the wall. It was clear that Changjing had its share of skilled individuals, adept at handling such curses. However, while they managed to avoid the spell, they still failed to take the painting.

Judging by the footprints, not many had come by during his absence. Perhaps after some more time, no one would come at all.

“Daoist Master, is today the Beginning of Autumn?” the cat asked.

“Tomorrow,” he replied.

“Tomorrow!”

“What do you want to eat?” he asked.

“There’s a lot!”

“Take your time.”

“Little birds, little fish, shrimp, the essence of eggs—I’d like these as side dishes to go with the mouse.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Did we just come out of that painting?”

“Yes.”

“Then why don’t we go back in and play?” Lady Calico’s gaze shifted toward the painting of the Daoist and herself amidst the apricot blossoms of Mount Chang.

“We can’t enter that painting.”

“Why?”

“Perhaps throughout history, there has only been one painting that can be entered.”

“Why?”

“Because Sir Dou's painting skills are extraordinary.”

“And what about this painting?”

“It's excellent as well.”

“Then why can't we go inside?” Lady Calico tilted her head, staring at the painting of apricot blossoms on Mount Chang without blinking, then looked back at the Daoist.

“...” This question stumped Song You.

Firstly, this painting was a gift, a symbol of fate and sentiment. Secondly, he was quite fond of it, so it wasn't easy to say that it was far inferior to the other one beside it.

After some thought, he could only respond, “It's hard to say.”

“You're not very smart.”

“...”

The Daoist silently nodded, as if he'd expected this answer. He stopped paying attention to the cat and instead walked around the room, inspecting it.

The money was still there, and everything was as it should be.

It seemed that the skilled master who had evaded the curse hadn’t rummaged through the room or moved anything. After realizing that taking the painting was impossible, they must have left.

After a while, Lady Calico came over, carrying a letter she found near the pillow.

Indeed, the cat was thoroughly familiar with everything in the house, and any new addition was quickly noticed.

The Daoist opened the letter. It was left by the very master who had evaded the curse.

The gist of the letter was an admission that the writer had been attracted by the rumors circulating in the

jianghu

and wanted to experience firsthand the curse that had caused several masters to lose their arms. They had come uninvited but, while able to avoid the curse, couldn’t take the painting.

Realizing that the abilities of the master here far surpassed their own, they left this letter to apologize and express their regret, asking for forgiveness and hoping no further action would be taken.

The cat, curious, asked him to sit down so she could read alongside him. However, since many of the characters were unfamiliar to her, she soon asked him to read it aloud.

The letter was filled with a humble tone, laden with compliments.

“...”

The Daoist chuckled. Waving the letter, he caused it to instantly burn to ashes, which were carried away by the wind.

The behavior of these martial artists, their actions and words, often amused him.

Just then, there was a knock on the door from outside.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

“

Knock, knock

...”

Lady Calico immediately turned her head to look down, then looked at the Daoist and said, “It’s that woman!”

“I know.” The Daoist stood up, went downstairs, and opened the door.

Sure enough, standing outside was Heroine Wu.

“Heroine, greetings.”

“You’re back?”

“We are back.”

“I thought something might have happened to you.”

“Thank you for your concern, Heroine.”

“Not at all.” Heroine Wu waved her hand. “You’re back just in time. I wanted to let you know that I’ll be going on a long trip. It might be at least a month, or it could take three to five months before I return. So don’t think that just because I’m not around, I’ve died out there. But if I haven’t returned in half a year, then I’m probably dead.”

“Where are you going?”

“To Fengzhou.”

“Fengzhou...” Song You repeated the name and then asked, “Is there something you need to do?”

“It’s the arrangement of my financial backer, so I can’t disclose any details.”

“Mount Ye is also in Fengzhou.”

“Exactly, I’m going to Mount Ye.” Heroine Wu smiled and continued, “If there’s anything you’re concerned about, you can tell me now, and I’ll look into it for you.”

“There’s nothing I’d trouble you with,” Song You said. “However, Mount Ye has Ghostface Grasses that are quite strange. I’ve also heard from ghosts that Fengzhou often experiences night processions of a hundred ghosts, so please be careful.”

“Don’t worry, ordinary minor ghosts can’t harm me.” Heroine Wu laughed. “Moreover, I’m just working for my financial backer, not putting my life on the line for her. I’ll be careful.”

“Since you’ve wandered the

jianghu

for many years, you’re naturally more vigilant than I am. However, matters involving yin ghosts are not really a martial person’s forte,” Song You replied. “I happened to draw a few talismans a while back, so I’d like to give them to you for emergencies. Please accept them.”

Saying this, he glanced back at Lady Calico.

Lady Calico looked up, her clear eyes meeting his as she curiously asked, “What are you looking at me for?”

“I’m asking you to help me get the talismans.”

“Where are they?”

“In the drawer upstairs.” Song You reminded her, “Please transform into a human to get them; don’t let them get wet with saliva.”

“Is it the yellow paper?”

“Exactly.”

“Got it!” Lady Calico immediately turned around and ran upstairs.

Retracting his gaze, he noticed Heroine Wu was smiling at him. “It seems like your young Daoist apprentice doesn't often act like one, huh?”

“Lady Calico has her own abilities,” he replied.

“How amusing...”

Not long after, the sound of thumping footsteps came from the staircase behind him. A little girl came running down.

She held her right hand high, and her loose, soft sleeves naturally fell back to her elbows, revealing a delicate little arm that was white and tender. In her hand, she grasped a handful of talismans folded into triangular or square shapes.

“I’ve got them!”

“Thank you, Lady Calico.”

The little girl handed the talismans to the neighboring woman.

Though she had grasped a handful, her small hands meant there were only a few—there were only so many in the drawer altogether.

Song You explained clearly, “The triangular ones are fire talismans, perfect for burning ghosts, and the square ones are thunder talismans. If you encounter great demons or ghosts or skilled cultivators, these are the best to use. Since you’re not a cultivator, simply use a drop of blood from your tongue to activate them.

“Once blood touches the talismans, they will glow, and after one breath, they will activate. They won’t harm the person holding them, so please remember this.”

“Thank you very much!”

“Wishing you a safe journey, Heroine.”

“Also, please keep an eye on the house for me. If anyone from the Housing Bureau comes to my place to inquire, you can just ignore them. If they come to your place to enquire, just say that Chen Guangfa asked you to stay here.”

“Alright.”

“I’m leaving.” The woman didn’t say much, giving a cupped fist salute to him and nodding to the cat at her feet before turning to leave.

The Daoist returned the gesture and stood at the door to see her off.

The cat also stood at the door, stretching its neck to watch her.

Heroine Wu entered the room, and shortly after, she came back out, now carrying a heavy satchel. She had stuffed many things into her clothing, and it was faintly discernible that they were daggers and short swords. Even her long sword was wrapped in cloth, and she was taking more items than when she had left for Mount Beiqin.

Turning to greet them, she departed. The streets were bustling in the morning, filled with people, and that figure quickly disappeared from sight.

The Daoist and calico cat exchanged glances before returning to their respective rooms.

The sun grew larger, and the heat in the house intensified. By afternoon, the Daoist was feeling quite drowsy. He barely managed to stay awake until dusk before heading to bed.

It seemed that the world within the painting was not entirely pleasant; aside from the spiritual resonance fading over time and being unable to last forever, there were no day and night cycles or seasons, which posed significant issues for their routine.

The next day, he woke up to the arrival of the Beginning of Autumn. However, it was still the middle of the night when he awoke.

The Daoist didn’t want to open his eyes; he wished to snuggle in bed for a little longer to reset his sleep schedule. But the cat was already awake. Not only was she awake, but she had also been waiting for a while. Once she realized he was awake too, she crept over to his side of the bed, peering at him from the left and right, both able to feel each other's breath.

Finally unable to resist, she stretched out her paw and carefully touched the Daoist's face with her soft pads, gently probing his nose but remaining silent.

“...”

The Daoist finally spoke, “Lady Calico, please don’t put your paw on my face.”

“You're awake!”

“Mm...”

“Today is the Beginning of Autumn!”

“Mm...” The Daoist's voice was very soft as he added, “Happy birthday, Lady Calico. You've grown another year older.”

“Happy birthday!”

“Mm...”

“Another year older!”

“Mm...”

“So how old am I?”

“You don't even know how old you are, so how would I know?”

“Oh, right...”

“Since you’ve already transformed and are quite gifted in practicing the yin-yang arts, there’s no need to worry too much about age. In the future, whether it’s living for a thousand years or a few hundred, it won’t be a problem.”

“No need to worry too much about age!”

“But sometimes, mortals are like this.” The Daoist continued to lie there, seemingly in a half-dream, half-awake state. “You only need to remember where you’ve been, what you’ve done, what you’ve learned, and what gains you've made over the past year. If there was a year where nothing was accomplished, just treat it as if it never happened.”

“I’ll remember!”

“Thank you, Lady Calico...”

“For what?”

“Thank you for remembering, Lady Calico.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Can I sleep a little longer?”

“You’re already awake.”

“Well then...”

The Daoist sighed and lay in bed, speaking softly with the cat as they both endured the wait for dawn.

As soon as it was light out, Song You got out of bed, went out to buy fish, shrimp, and pigeon, and even picked up some eggs for the next few days at the door. He bought a chicken and some fragrant mushrooms to stew, intending to prepare a meal for himself.

When everything was ready, it was still morning.

The aroma of the stewed chicken wafted down the street, and many vendors had risen before dawn to head into the city. The neighboring shops opened their doors even before sunrise, bustling around in the early hours, making it the most hunger-inducing time of the day. The smell of the Daoist's pot of stewed chicken was quite the temptation.

Soon, he and the cat closed the door, leaving only a small gap, and sat across from each other inside the room. The table was filled with dishes.

The fish and shrimp were half-cooked, half-raw, each served in different plates for Lady Calico to choose from. The pigeon was half made into soup and half raw, placed in a small bowl. Closest to Lady Calico was a small bowl containing a cooked egg yolk. On Song You's side was a large basin of mushroom-stewed chicken, casually topped with some side dishes. He hadn’t cooked any rice, so he used this as the main dish.

“Congratulations, Lady Calico.” The Daoist repeated this, sounding more serious than in his half-dream state the night before, then smiled and said, “I’ll peel the shrimp for you, Lady Calico. You just need to enjoy it.”

“Congratulations, Lady Calico!”

Song You picked up a nearby river shrimp and began to peel it slowly. He needed to peel both the raw and cooked ones.

Having spent a long time with Lady Calico, Song You had grown accustomed to the sight of raw meat on the table. As long as she didn’t serve any mice, he could maintain his composure and simply pretend not to see it.

The little girl beside him focused intently on her meal. From her expression, it seemed she was even happier than usual eating the same food.

However, while she was eating, the light at the door suddenly dimmed. The little girl paused her movements and looked up toward the entrance.

“...” The Daoist caught a faint scent of powder.

He still held a half-peeled raw river shrimp in his hand, his fingers covered in fishy residue. Turning around, he noticed that the small gap in the door had been pushed open by the wind. A woman, accompanied by a maid, was standing at the entrance.

“Daoist Master...” The woman slightly bowed and greeted him with a helpless expression. “I apologize for intruding; I didn’t realize you were dining...”

Song You also felt a bit helpless.

He guessed the visitor had made a point to avoid mealtimes when arriving. This was no easy task, especially nowadays when people had different dining schedules. Some had breakfast early, while others ate later; at this hour, those who ate two meals probably just finished breakfast, and those who had three meals likely hadn’t eaten lunch yet. Any earlier or later, and they might have coincided with the dining hours of the people in Changjing.

It was quite the coincidence.

Fortunately, Song You was only peeling shrimp for Lady Calico and hadn’t touched his own chopsticks yet, which was a small comfort for her.

“Forgive my lack of proper hospitality.” The Daoist stood up and wiped his hands with a cloth.

Lady Calico, unaware of the customs, followed his lead. She put down her chopsticks and food, standing up to face the guest, but her eyes looked down, seemingly lost in thought.