Chapter 204: The Gourmet Cat, Lady Calico

The door had already closed, and the flickering candlelight in the room cast shadows, illuminating the faces of the old Swallow Immortal and the young Daoist.

“Swallow Immortal, has the overseas search for the superior seeds gone smoothly?”

“It's mostly the young ones searching outside...” The old Swallow Immortal showed a look of shame. “Fortunately, most of them are clever. Although the overseas demons are wild and unruly, they haven't caused much trouble for the swallows. Most of the young ones haven't been injured. After three years of hard work, we’ve found a few superior seeds, especially those that you had mentioned.”

“Thank you for the hard work of your juniors.”

“Only a few superior seeds were brought today, and they’re all kept in the palace. Some are still on the way. When they arrive in Changjing, I’ll make sure to bring them for you to inspect.”

“...” Song You smiled and continued, “What did the Emperor and the State Preceptor say?”

“Thanks to your help, the Emperor and the State Preceptor were very polite. They said they would first try planting them in Anqing and gradually promote them.”

“What about the imperial decree?”

“That might have to wait until after the trial planting.”

“That makes sense.” Song You nodded.

Without trial planting, how could anyone know whether the seeds you brought back were genuine or fake? Without promotion, who could tell if they were suitable for the soil of Great Yan and whether they would truly benefit the people?

“Then I must congratulate you, Swallow Immortal,” Song You said. “Once the trial planting is promoted, your divine status will be established. From then on, all living beings in the world will benefit from your grace for generations, with immeasurable merits.”

“It’s all thanks to your guidance.” The old Swallow Immortal quickly replied, then added, “And the crops that you entrusted me to find back then, I have found them as well.”

As he finished speaking, he glanced back.

Several of the juniors each held a small cloth bag and walked forward, placing the bags neatly on the table in front of them. They opened the bags, revealing their contents to Song You.

By the light of the oil lamp, the bags were filled with peppers. There were peppers of various shapes.

“The young ones searched overseas for years and discovered a place with many low shrubs bearing spicy fruits. The locals have been eating them for many years. So, the young ones collected several varieties and brought them back. We're not sure if this is what you wanted,” the old Swallow Immortal explained.

Song You couldn’t help but rise from his seat, leaning in close to the oil lamp to examine the contents.

The fruits in the cloth bags were all dried—some long, some short, some thick, some thin, some red, some yellow. At least half of them could be identified as peppers.

“Exactly,” Song You said.

He turned to the old Swallow Immortal, “Thank you, Swallow Immortal.”

“I should be thanking you, sir!” the old Swallow Immortal responded.

“Is everything here?”

“Everything we've brought back is here.”

“I see...”

Song You thought for a moment, reached into each bag, and took a few peppers from each. “It’s enough to take just a few of each. Too much would be inconvenient to carry.”

“And the rest...?” the old Swallow Immortal asked.

“If you have the time, Swallow Immortal, you can plant the rest and distribute it to the people as seeds,” Song You suggested. “Once they bear fruit, it can be used in cooking, or dried for later use, much like cloves, ginger, or Sichuan peppercorns.”

He continued, “Especially in areas where vegetables are scarce, I've seen many poor mountain folk along my journey, trying every possible way to get something in their stomachs. With this, even when there is no meat or vegetables, it might make their lives a little easier.”

“Then I will do as you say,” the old Swallow Immortal agreed.

“Thank you, Swallow Immortal,” Song You smiled. “Perhaps before long, I won’t have to carry this with me anymore, and I’ll be able to buy it in various parts of Great Yan.”

“I will certainly do my best!” the old Swallow Immortal promised.

“This thing has quite a spicy taste. How about calling it 'chili pepper'?” Song You suggested.

“Chili pepper...” the old Swallow Immortal repeated.

The old Swallow Immortal thought for a moment and said, “Swallows can't taste spiciness, and after transforming, they don't enjoy spicy food either. But I can tell, it's a fitting name.”

“Then we'll call it chili pepper.”

“Coincidentally, today when I met with the Emperor and the State Preceptor, I mentioned these few superior seeds. The State Preceptor asked me to name them, but I couldn’t think of a good name at the time, so I came to consult you, you.” The old Swallow Immortal spoke with a hint of hesitation, looking at Song You. “I wonder if you would be willing to come up with a few more names?”

Song You met the old Swallow Immortal's gaze. The old Swallow Immortal's eyes were murky and flickered with uncertainty.

Song You, too, had his own thoughts.

“Since the seeds were brought back with great effort by you and your descendants, how could I dare to name them?” Song You smiled and said. “I’ll let you choose the name, or even name them after the swallow itself, if you prefer.”

“Name them after the swallow?”

“Swallow Immortal, it's up to you.”

“Then as you say, sir!” the old Swallow Immortal immediately agreed.

The few swallows behind him, less calculative than he, were already delighted and smiling.

Faith was too mysterious and profound. In this world, doing good deeds didn’t necessarily mean one would be remembered or appreciated. People had short memories.

Although they had gone through countless hardships and dangers, bringing back superior seeds from tens of thousands of li away to benefit the people of the world, no one could guarantee how many people would still remember that these seeds were brought back by a group of swallows after decades or centuries.

But if they were named after swallows, it would be different.

“It’s getting late, I need to sleep early tonight. I must leave the capital tomorrow,” Song You said, looking at the increasingly frail Swallow Immortal. “You've worked hard, Swallow Immortal. If there’s nothing else, please rest early and return home.”

“You’re leaving the capital tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“I had planned to bring the seeds to show you in a few days.”

“Since the seeds you’ve brought back are genuine, I will eventually see them elsewhere. There's no need to rush,” Song You said. “I’ve already delayed my stay in Changjing waiting for you, and I can't linger any longer.”

“That’s fair...” The old Swallow Immortal thought for a moment before nodding.

His gaze flickered, and his movements were hesitant, as if there was something he wanted to say.

As soon as Song You saw this, he understood.

“Swallow Immortal, do not worry. I have already spoken clearly with the Emperor and the State Preceptor. Your merits will not be overlooked, and no one will take your credit,” Song You said. “Once you receive the imperial edict, you may ascend when the time comes, whether to transformation or to becoming an immortal. If something is wrong, come to me.”

“Thank you, sir!” The old Swallow Immortal immediately bowed, then looked up and solemnly asked, “Sir, I am deeply indebted to you. How should I repay such kindness?”

“What talk of repayment for things that benefit all living beings in the world?” Song You smiled slightly. “Moreover, Swallow Immortal, you are already advanced in age. How could you still help me with anything? If you truly feel indebted, wait until you achieve divinity and, with the blessings of the people of the world, gain extraordinary powers, then we can talk about it.”

Upon hearing this, the old Swallow Immortal was stunned.

His eyes flickered again, and after a while, he bowed once more, saying, “The Hidden Dragon Temple has already done me two great favors. In the future, should you have any tasks for me, I will carry them out without hesitation, even at the cost of my life!”

“That's not necessary, not at all.”

“Then I shall not disturb you further.”

“Safe travels, Swallow Immortal.” Song You stood up and saw him off.

The old Swallow Immortal called for his descendants to bring back a few bags of chili peppers, and then left.

Once the door was closed, the dim light from the oil lamp quickly narrowed.

The old Swallow Immortal had a conflicted look in his eyes.

Back in Anqing, he had also spoken to Mr. Song about repaying kindness. At that time, Song You's attitude was not like this. It was not that he was unwilling to repay the favor, but hearing such words from someone like Mr. Song was, of course, quite unusual.

A few swallows flew away into the night sky.

***

The cat finally withdrew its gaze from the door. It then jumped onto the table, leaned down, and sniffed the dried chili peppers. After a moment, it squinted its eyes, scrunched up its nose, and pulled back.

Song You also picked up a chili pepper, thoughtful. He absentmindedly broke it in half, held it up to his nose, and took a deep sniff. He then extracted the seeds.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The calico cat crouched nearby, watching him.

“...”

Suddenly, Song You turned his head and glanced at the corner of the room. There, a clay jar was placed.

“...”

Song You then shot a quick glance at the calico cat. The calico cat stared back at him.

After a moment...

In an open area of the Western District, a little girl stood at the side. She was holding a small lantern, motionless, lighting the way for a Daoist.

The lantern was irregular in shape, and the light it cast was uneven, but the little girl found it to be extremely beautiful.

In front of her, a Daoist was squatting down, digging the soil. The dirt that was dug up was all placed into a nearby clay jar. The bottom of the jar, for some unknown reason, had several small, smooth, perfectly round holes, as though they had always been there.

“All done.” The Daoist picked up the clay jar and returned to the house.

He chose a plump chili seed, buried it in the soil, watered it thoroughly, and placed it at the front gate. Only then did he gather the remaining chili seeds, bringing them upstairs with the calico cat to sleep.

The cold night stretched on, and the north wind howled. However, the chili seed sprouted quickly, breaking through the soil without any sunlight, continuing to grow.

By midnight, the plant had fully grown, and flowers bloomed, swaying gently in the night breeze. By morning, as the sky brightened, the chili plant had borne fruit—small yellow peppers, bright and uniform in color, glistening with dew, looking stunningly beautiful.

Creak

...

The Daoist pushed open the door and picked up the pot of chili peppers. Almost simultaneously, the door to the next room opened. Heroine Wu stepped out, turning to stare at him.

Song You paused and turned his attention to the Heroine. “How coincidental.”

“Leaving today?”

“I’ll leave after packing up,” Song You said to the heroine, handing her the pot of chili peppers. “I happened to get these yesterday. They're quite interesting. I thought I'd give them to you as a souvenir. Didn't expect you'd come out just in time, so I don't need to carry them out again.”

“What is this? It's quite beautiful.”

“Chili peppers.”

“Chili peppers? What's that?”

“An ingredient, also used as a seasoning,” Song You explained. “The yellow ones are the fruit. You can eat them like this, or dry them for later. They're spicy, and after you get used to it, they have a unique flavor. If you can't get used to it, they're also nice to just look at.”

“Chili peppers...”

“I hope you'll take good care of it.”

“Thank you!” Heroine Wu had already taken the clay jar in her arms. Though she couldn't cup her hands with it in her hands, she still gave him a respectful thank you.

Song You smiled and returned to his room.

The room had already been tidied up, neat and clean. Aside from a pile of gifts that others had given him for the New Year, it looked nearly the same as it had last spring.

A jujube-red horse stood inside the room, with a saddle bag already placed on its back. Song You went to the kitchen, took down some cured meats, sauce-cured pork, and air-dried meats from the rafters, wrapping up what could be taken and putting it into the saddle bag. What couldn’t be taken, he asked the neighbors next door to help with, so as not to waste them.

The calico cat was also organizing its things.

Song You had his saddle bag, and the cat had a special pouch, which could be attached to the saddle bag. The pouch had two layers—one for the cat, and the other for its little belongings.

“I’m done packing.” Song You placed the last item into the saddle bag.

The little girl hurried in from outside, carrying a few items and putting them into her pouch. “I’ve finished packing too.”

“What did you just put in?”

“...”

“What did you just put in?”

“Let’s go.”

“Alright.” Song You nodded, then continued asking, “What did you just put in?”

The little girl furrowed her brows, staring at him for a moment, then scratched her head. In the end, she felt it would be impolite not to answer and said, “I put in some cured meat...”

“What kind of cured meat?”

“...” The little girl stopped speaking, turned her head, and her lively eyes met his. After a moment, she finally said, “You don’t eat it.”

“...” Song You fell silent for a long time.