“Giddy up!” The swordsman urged his horse forward, galloping across the Snowy Plains.

Though there was still snow on the ground, it had thinned considerably. Sometimes, as the horse’s hooves struck down, clumps of snow would scatter, leaving dark hoofprints on the earth.

A jujube-red horse ran alongside, carrying a saddle bag. Dangling from the bag was a pouch, inside which a calico cat peeked out, her head bobbing up and down with the rhythm of the horse’s stride. She craned her neck, intently watching the road ahead.

They had a hundred li to go.

Along the way, there were numerous ravines and even chasms left behind by old riverbeds, forcing them to take a winding path.

They rode from noon until dusk.

By the time the swordsman arrived, the sky had already darkened. From a distance, he could make out a spring, its surface shimmering with vibrant colors, perfectly calm and without a single ripple.

Sitting serenely beside the spring was a Daoist, exuding a tranquil presence. As he lifted his gaze, the thick clouds on the distant horizon parted slightly, revealing the glow of the setting sun. The light was a brilliant yellowish-orange, like a blazing fire, while the untouched edges remained a cold, icy blue.

The fiery-red sun met the icy-blue sky, and the sky was crystal clear. The swordsman couldn’t help but pause, momentarily stunned by the scene.

The black horse, however, was already following the jujube-red horse, galloping directly toward the Daoist seated on the ground.

“

Meow…

” Lady Calico was the first to wriggle free from the pouch, leaping down to the ground.

In this new environment, she habitually glanced cautiously to her left and right. Then, she trotted swiftly toward the Daoist but slowed her pace as she approached. She licked her lips with a tiny tongue, then approached the Daoist with slow, unhurried steps, as if she were in no rush, before stretching lazily once again.

“Lady Calico.” The Daoist turned his head and gently stroked her back, smiling faintly. “It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while!” Lady Calico tilted her head, as if recalling something, before replying, “It’s been some time!”

“Did you miss me?”

“Hmm...” Lady Calico glanced left and right before turning her head to look at him. “Have you eaten?”

“I haven’t eaten in a while.”

“What?” Upon hearing this, Lady Calico was visibly shocked. She stared at him and asked, “Then how come you haven’t starved to death yet?”

“I’m just barely holding on.”

“Sir Shu brought some biscuits!” she offered.

“No rush.”

At this moment, the swordsman dismounted and cupped his hands in greeting. “Sir!”

Song You turned to look at him as well. “Long time no see. How have you been faring outside?”

“Everything’s been fine!” the swordsman replied, though he furrowed his brow and glanced around before asking, “Has the Demon King of the Snowy Plains been vanquished?”

“As an inherent spirit, it’s hard to completely destroy him. I had no choice but to seal him.” Song You paused for a moment before adding, “I might need your help with that.”

“Oh?” The swordsman’s interest was piqued. “How may I be of assistance, sir?”

“I wish to preserve the vitality of the He Plains while also preventing the Demon King from easily escaping, so I have no choice but to use a mountain to subdue the water. However, there are no mountains for hundreds of li around here, and ordinary mountains wouldn’t do. It just so happens that I once had the fortune of meeting a Mountain God.”

As Song You spoke, he pulled out a piece of paper from his robe—something he had prepared earlier. “So I’d like to ask you to take a trip to Pingzhou. Head to Southern Art County in Pingzhou, then continue on the old road to Xiangle County in Xuzhou. ℞ÀΝŏβЁS

“There, you’ll find a range of ancient mountains spanning hundreds of li, long devoid of any human presence. If you’re willing to go, call out loudly for the Mountain God when you arrive, saying that Song You of Hidden Dragon Temple of Yin-Yang Mountain is looking for him. The Mountain God will surely hear you.”

“...” The swordsman was taken aback by this request. He accepted the letter and asked, “And after I get there?”

“I’ve written everything in the letter. Just inform the Mountain God that I am requesting to borrow a mountain.” Song You paused, adding, “Any mountain will do.”

“...” The swordsman was still somewhat puzzled.

How did one borrow a mountain?

But he said nothing further, cupping his hands before accepting the letter. “I’ll head there at once.”

“No need to rush,” Song You replied. “It’s already late. There’s no need to hurry—rest for the night and depart tomorrow.”

“You’re sure there’s no rush?”

“No rush at all.”

The group spent the entire night there.

Throughout the night, Song You remained seated by the spring, unmoving. Occasionally, he would release a few wisps of light that drifted into the water. Lady Calico sat by his side, staying up with him through the night.

Early the next morning, the swordsman was ready to depart.

Song You did not stop him. Instead, he turned to look at the black horse and said, “The journey to Pingzhou, even if you don’t take a detour, is five to six thousand li. The round trip will span ten thousand li. The road ahead will be hardest on you. If we can truly borrow a mountain peak, it will be a great merit. So I’ll give you a bit of spiritual energy to ease your fatigue.”

The black horse seemed to understand his words, raising its head and letting out a long, resounding neigh.

Song You flicked his fingers, and a streak of spiritual light flew out. It was just after the

Jingzhe

season. It was new year’s Jingzhe spiritual energy, aligned with the swordsman’s own.

“I’ll be on my way then!” the swordsman declared.

“Travel safely, and may you have a smooth journey,” Song You reminded him. “There’s really no need to rush.”

“Understood.” The swordsman mounted his horse. Though he had said there was no rush, he spurred his horse forward without delay, unwilling to waste even a moment.

After observing last night, he clearly saw that Song You had remained by the spring all night without moving or sleeping for the sake of sealing the Demon King. How could he not be anxious?

The sound of hoofbeats quickly faded into the distance.

Song You withdrew his gaze, smiling slightly. He turned his head to see Lady Calico sitting properly by his side, staring intently at the spring without uttering a word, though she looked visibly drowsy.

“Lady Calico, go ahead and sleep.”

“I’m not sleepy,” she replied, half-closing her eyes even as she spoke.

“In that case, never mind.”

“Did Sir Shu go to find the Mountain God?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Is it that evil Mountain God we met before?”

“He’s not really evil.”

“He’s very powerful!”

“Yes, he is.”

“And the water there tasted awful!”

“Yes, it did.”

“Will he lend us the mountain?”

“Most likely, he will.”

In truth, Song You wasn’t entirely certain. The odds were about eighty or ninety percent in his favor.

Pingzhou was mountainous, with countless peaks stretching across hundreds of li. The Mountain God wasn’t lacking a single peak. If he agreed to lend it, this mountain would stand here, suppressing the demons of the Snowy Plains. It would be the only peak within a radius of several hundred li and be worshipped by countless people for generations to come, accumulating immense merit.

The Mountain God was worried that the Heavenly Court might take action against him. Whether it was the incense offerings from the people of Gui Commandery or the mountains already serving their purpose, both could help alleviate his concerns.

Moreover, it was clearly stated in the letter.

This would count as a favor owed by Song You. In a few hundred years, if the Demon King of the Snowy Plains were subdued or if the future generations of Hidden Dragon Temple heirs grew stronger and found a way to destroy the Demon King, the peak could then be returned to the Mountain God.

In all likelihood, he would agree.

***

As the saying went, “An old hand knows the ropes,” and the black horse, having followed the Daoist on his journey, had absorbed quite a bit of spirituality. Retracing the path they had taken yesterday, it galloped at full speed.

Even the swordsman was astonished by its speed.

This black horse had always been a fine steed. Years ago, when the swordsman was traveling in the north, he encountered small groups of raiders from the northern frontier heading south to cause trouble. After defeating them, he acquired this horse.

Over the past year, he noticed the horse had undergone several changes. But most of the time, like Song You, he would get off the horse and walk on foot. The swordsman would only ride it for short sprints when scouting the path ahead. He rarely let it run at full speed or pushed it on long journeys, so he hadn’t realized just how much it had changed.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Winding through the terrain for two hundred li without stopping, they soon caught sight of Hansu County.

The swordsman rode straight to the gates of Hansu City.

“Who approaches on horseback?”

“Is Lord Jin Xiao here?”

“Lord Jin…” A soldier standing on the city wall immediately left his post.

In no time, a junior official appeared at the top of the wall.

“Sir Shu?” The official recognized the swordsman at a glance and was delighted. “Sir Shu, you’re back? How is Mr. Song You? What of the situation in the Snowy Plains? Are you planning to enter the city, Sir Shu?”

“I have urgent business and can’t enter the city. I only wanted to ask if Lord Jin has any easily portable provisions. I’d like to request some, and I’ll thank him properly and return the favor upon my return.”

“Of course, of course…”

“Just throw it down.”

“One moment!” The junior official didn’t waste any words and immediately turned to run back.

In no time, he returned with a bundle and tossed it down from the city wall.

“Thank you!” The swordsman bent down, caught it, and gave a polite bow. Without a word, he immediately mounted his horse and left the place.

The man and the horse quickly vanished into the distance. The junior official was left bewildered, staring northward but seeing nothing on the horizon.

This was the northernmost part of Gui Commandery. Beifeng Pass lay far to the south of the commandery, a distance of three to four hundred li if traveling along the official road.

Yet the black horse reached the pass by afternoon.

“Who is it?”

“I’m Shu Yifan. Last winter, I passed through here with Mr. Song You. Is General Zong present?”

The figure of the commanding general soon appeared atop the tower and called down, “Shu Yifan? Why have you returned? Where is Mr. Song?”

“Mr. Song is in the Snowy Plains dealing with a demon. I’m on an urgent mission to Pingzhou by his order. General, please open the gate. I’ll need to pass through again within half a month.”

“He’s in the Snowy Plains fighting a demon, yet you’re headed to Pingzhou? It’s a distant place—how do you plan to return within half a month?”

“I’m going to Pingzhou to borrow something.”

“Open the gate!”

With a wave of his hand, the commanding general ordered the passage opened without hesitation.

The swordsman gave another word of thanks and galloped away.

The guards on the city wall watched him depart, exchanging glances with one another. A warhorse was considered a second pair of legs for a general, and they could easily assess its power. With just one look, they all silently praised it—truly a remarkable steed.

From Gui Commandery to the great mountains of Pingzhou, the journey nearly crossed the entirety of Hezhou, followed by Angzhou, Jingzhou, and most of Pingzhou—a distance of several thousand li.

The swordsman set off at dawn, traveling with the arrival of spring. Both he and the black horse seemed tireless.

In fact, the swordsman faintly felt that his horse seemed even more eager than he was. It would stand ready and wait for him first thing every morning. If he were slow to depart, it would nudge him to hurry up. In the evenings, the horse seemed even more reluctant to stop than he was.

They ran faster and faster, nearly covering a thousand li in a day.

In some parts of Hezhou, the snow still lingered. Yet the farther south they traveled, the warmer it became. They passed through Angzhou and Jingzhou, then crossed into Pingzhou. After reaching Southern Art County and asking for directions, they entered the vast stretch of ancient mountains spanning hundreds of li.

This place was entirely different from Gui Commandery and Hezhou.

Gui Commandery was flat and level; one could travel hundreds of li without seeing a single rise or even a small hill. Hezhou had no large mountains either. But here, for hundreds of li, there were countless peaks stretching as far as the eye could see, a continuous chain of towering mountains with no end in sight.

It was already February, and spring had arrived. The entire stretch of mountains was covered in vibrant green, both mysterious and majestic.

Feeling a bit anxious, Shu Yifan nonetheless followed Song You’s instructions. He looked around and called out loudly, “I am Shu Yifan, here on behalf of Mr. Song You of Hidden Dragon Temple, Yin-Yang Mountain, to seek an audience with the Mountain God. I have a request to make—please, Mountain God, show yourself!”

“I am Shu Yifan, here on behalf of Mr. Song You of Hidden Dragon Temple, Yin-Yang Mountain…”

He repeated the call three times. His voice echoed through the mountains.

Suddenly, the swordsman sensed something and swiftly turned around.

Behind him, there was a stone cliff, towering a hundred chi high and equally wide. It had seemed completely ordinary when he passed by, but now, a human face had suddenly appeared on its surface, staring directly at him.

“What is your purpose here?”

Shu Yifan, despite having traveled thousands of li, showed no sign of fatigue. Without haste or fear, he cupped his hands in salute and spoke respectfully: “I am Shu Yifan, here on behalf of Mr. Song You of Hidden Dragon Temple, Yin-Yang Mountain, to request a mountain peak from the Mountain God to suppress the unruly spirit of the Snowy Plains. Here is a letter of request from Mr. Song.”

With that, he held out the letter.

Whoosh...

A gust of wind blew by, sweeping the letter from Shu Yifan’s hand and carrying it over to the stone cliff.

Moments later, the face on the stone wall faded away.

“Please, have a cup of tea.” The voice came from behind him.

The swordsman turned abruptly, only to see that halfway up the mountain, by the roadside, there was now a small pavilion that hadn’t been there before. Inside the pavilion stood a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious robes. He had set up a table and was brewing tea, smiling warmly as he gestured for the swordsman to join him for a drink.

Shu Yifan had roamed the

jianghu

for many years, and he was experienced and knowledgeable. He had slain numerous demons and ghosts, but never had he encountered a deity inviting him for tea.

Still, there was nothing to be afraid of.

He strolled over casually and took a seat, placing his sword across his lap.