Chapter 223: The Small Temple in Lanmo County

“Sir,” the swordsman, now back in his original gray cloth robe, led his black horse along the main road. The path stretched almost perfectly straight ahead, disappearing into the lingering morning mist. Despite his usual brisk pace, today he walked slowly, the morning calm settling over him.

The Daoist, the swordsman, a calico cat, and two horses—one red, one black—made up the early morning scene.

“I asked the shopkeeper in town while buying a saddle bag,” the swordsman said, “and he mentioned that the next county, Lanmo County, is being troubled by a fierce demon. When he heard we were heading north, he insisted we avoid Lanmo County and take another route.”

“Lanmo County...” murmured Song You.

“Yes, sir.”

“Did he say what kind of demon it was?”

“They said it’s a mouse demon.”

At these words, the calico cat immediately turned her head, staring intently at the swordsman.

Noticing her gaze, Song You chuckled and said, “Well, then, let’s go and see this mouse demon for ourselves.”

“Let's go and see this mouse demon!”

A county wasn’t far, and by early afternoon, they'd crossed from Zhijiang County into Lanmo County's territory. By late afternoon, they reached the boundary marker.

The road stretched on, gently sloping hills on either side, their shadows lengthening in the setting sun. Ahead, they finally saw a person.

“

Clang, clang, clang

...”

An elderly man, hunched and pulling a rickety cart, made his way slowly along the main road. Without Song You and his group, he would have been the only one on this path at sunset.

The bumpy road caused the cart to shake and rattle, revealing a few empty buckets inside. As they drew closer, the buckets showed remnants of water, indicating he had likely been out watering his fields. A worn ladle used for scooping water lay among the buckets, clanging with each jolt of the cart.

Song You and the swordsman stepped to the side, leading their horses to make way for the old man, while the calico cat stretched her neck, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the figure.

“Good evening, sir,” Song You called out to him.

“Hm?” The old man stopped and turned his head, his cloudy eyes scrutinizing them.

Seeing Song You in a Daoist robe and smiling kindly, he then glanced at the swordsman, who respectfully turned slightly to show his goodwill. The elder’s gaze returned to Song You before he asked, “What do you need?”

“Could you tell us how far Lanmo County is from here?”

“Where are you folks coming from? And where are you headed?”

“We’ve come from Changjing, making our way north to the border,” Song You replied earnestly.

“Heading into the city?”

“Yes, sir.”

“It’s still a good several dozen li; you won’t reach it today...” The elder’s voice was thick and gruff, dragging out his words.

“Several dozen li,” repeated Song You thoughtfully.

“Ah! It’s several dozen li!” the elder confirmed emphatically.

“Is there a place nearby where we might stay the night?”

“You can’t just stay anywhere!” The old man gave them another once-over and cautioned, “If you sleep on the roadside or in the hills, be careful—monsters might eat you...”

“Does sleeping outdoors mean we’ll be eaten by monsters?” Song You asked, curious. “Are there really that many here?”

“Who can say for sure...”

“I see,” Song You replied, half-smiling to himself—it seemed that it wasn’t guaranteed to happen, at least.

“Just follow this road straight ahead, no turns, and about twenty li along, there’s a temple where you can stay.”

“May I ask which temple?”

“It’s a temple for the Thunder God and the Willow Immortal.”

“Ah, the Thunder God...” Song You pursed his lips, then asked, “And who might the Willow Immortal be?”

“The Willow Immortal is amazing!”

“Oh? In what way?”

“You’ll know when you get there. The sun’s already setting, so I won’t say more. If you’re going, you’d best hurry; ride quickly to make it before dark.”

“Thank you, elder.”

The old man waved them off and continued on his way, pulling his cart along. The setting sun stretched his shadow long across the path.

Song You watched the elder walk off into the distance before turning his gaze back to the surrounding fields, then continued onward.

The sound of horse hooves echoed steadily, neither hurried nor slow.

“This year’s been so dry,” the swordsman commented, walking alongside Song You. “The land in Hezhou is fairly level and, while not the richest, is still good soil. It’s usually one of Great Yan’s main granaries, but I heard it barely rained at all last year. This year’s a bit better, but it’s still not like before.”

“The people suffer,” Song You remarked quietly.

“When the heavens don’t bring rain, who can do anything about it?”

“True.”

“Hezhou’s still managing. I heard that in the northwest, in Danzhou, some places didn’t see a single drop of rain all year, not even a blade of grass growing.”

“Danzhou...” Song You sighed, shaking his head slightly.

The sun sank closer to the mountaintop on their left, and the light dimmed rapidly. The world shifted from gold to a deep red as the shadows stretched long, reaching from the road between the mountains to the base of the hills on the right.

Twenty li wasn’t far on such a flat road. Riding swiftly, they could likely cover it in less than a quarter of an hour. But the group continued at the same pace as they had all day, watching as the sun dipped below the mountains to the left, drawing the light away. In the blink of an eye, only the last glimmer of twilight remained, and they’d covered only a few more li.

Night descended, and stars began appearing, one by one, above.

Lady Calico relished the darkness and the wide-open fields, where mice scurried freely. At some point, she’d shifted into her human form, carrying her little horse lantern as she trailed behind Song You. The lantern cast the only light on the road.

Song You heard her munching on something, as if snacking as she walked, but he didn’t turn to look.

The swordsman, however, curious as always, glanced back. The cheerful little girl offered him some dried meat. Feeling pleased, the swordsman took this as a sign of Lady Calico’s acceptance. He nearly accepted, but seeing that Song You hadn’t eaten yet, and remembering that the meat was raw, he politely declined.

“Next time, for sure.”

“Alright, alright...” The little girl nodded enthusiastically, then asked, “Why haven’t we seen any monsters after all this time?”

“Aren’t there monsters everywhere?”

“There are mice everywhere.”

“Indeed.”

“They’re just regular little mice.”

“Lady Calico, you have an eye for such things.”

“That’s right.”

The young girl held the lantern in her right hand, casting light on the dry road, while her left hand gripped the meat she was nibbling on. After a bit of munching, she asked again, “Why hasn’t the monster shown up yet?”

“With your unrivaled might, how could any monster dare to approach casually?” Song You replied honestly.

“Oh, that’s true...”

With that, the little girl fell silent, concentrating on her mouse jerky.

Once she finished her snack, she lifted the lantern high with both hands and walked ahead, saying she’d light the way for them. Yet her eager stance suggested that, more than anything, she wanted to show off her little toy and see it put to use—like a child eager to demonstrate the usefulness of their prized possession.

The lantern indeed served its purpose.

The last glimmer of twilight faded, casting a dreamy gradient across the horizon, a view rarely seen in Yizhou but seemingly commonplace here. With only the lantern casting its warm glow, the silvery moonlight, and the starry sky overhead, they traveled along the straight, steady road beneath them. Adjusting to the darkness, they found the journey surprisingly easy.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

They traveled on, sometimes as silhouettes against the mountaintops, sometimes passing through valleys with the lantern as their only light, and sometimes cresting a hill. They maintained their slow but steady pace.

As they walked further into the night, nothing disturbed their path.

Occasionally, rustling sounds would emerge from the grass or fields by the roadside, drawing the little girl’s attention, causing her to stop and stare intently. Only when the man behind her nudged her forward would she shuffle her feet and hurry ahead, resuming her role as a diligent lantern-bearer.

But soon, another sound would lure her gaze back to the fields, and she would halt once more, forcing the man behind her to find yet another way to coax her forward. This repeated countless times along the road.

The mice in the fields ought to count themselves lucky tonight, for Lady Calico was on duty as a “moving lamp,” or else she might have needed a sack just to carry her haul.

“There’s a temple up ahead!” The little girl with the tiny horse-shaped lantern turned to call back.

The warm yellow glow, borrowed from Fiery Sun True Lord himself, lit her delicate face, which wore an expression of focus.

“Where?”

“There!” She pointed ahead, indicating a shadowy outline within the darkness.

Human eyes were indeed no match for a cat’s. They walked a bit further before the temple finally came into view.

“There’s someone inside!” The little girl turned to inform them once more.

“Lady Calico, you’re truly remarkable.”

“I’m going to transform into a cat now.”

“Alright.”

The little girl skipped over, carefully placing her beloved little horse lantern back into the saddlebag. She then pulled a red string from her pocket, to which a small wooden pendant was attached. She held it in her paws, and with a soft “

poof

,” she landed on the ground as a calico cat. Around her neck hung the red string, adorned with a wooden tag bearing her name.

The two men and the cat approached the temple.

The temple door was slightly ajar. Song You took out his lantern, raising it to examine the surroundings. Though the temple bore no name, a couplet adorned the entrance, “Those of goodwill shall find a clear conscience within; the wicked will feel their courage wane.”

As he held the lantern higher, Song You caught a glimpse of a small tail quickly vanishing into the underbrush.

Creak...

The swordsman pushed open the door.

A waft of incense greeted them, and faint smoke curled inside. At the front stood a row of deities, while a few travelers sat in the corner—likely caravan guards or returning bodyguards, all with weapons. A fire burned in the center.

When they noticed Song You, especially the swordsman behind him, they looked on with guarded expressions; some opened their eyes, others sat up a little straighter, and a few reached for their weapons.

Song You first glanced at the statues on the altar.

“...” Surprisingly, he recognized some familiar figures.

The imposing central deity with a righteous expression and piercing eyes was dressed in dark robes, the very image of the renowned Duke of Thunder Zhou. Beside him was another Thunder God statue. Sharing the center was a slender female deity in a five-colored robe. Alongside them were two guardian deities common in the North and a local land deity statue.

Unlike the statues at Leiqing Temple, each figure here, even the Land God in the corner, radiated divine light and absorbed incense smoke. These statues, infused with spirituality, were utterly free from dust.