As he reached the former Snowy Plains, the swordsman instinctively slowed his pace.

The ice and snow covering the plains had completely melted away. In just a little over ten days, fresh green grass had already begun to sprout. From afar, the land stretched out in a vast sea of green, teeming with new life, vibrant and full of energy.

Riding his horse through the fields, both the swordsman and the black horse felt their moods soften. Yet amidst this tranquility, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of bewilderment.

Could this really be the same icy, demonic kingdom of snow?

He still remembered the scenes of the frozen land, the raging blizzards. He also recalled the later spectacle of lightning strikes tearing through the heavens and earth. Even when he left, there was still snow covering this place.

Now, it seemed like an entirely different world. No snow, no thunder—only the flourishing vitality spread across the plains.

Could this be the rebirth brought about by the Divine Thunder?

For a moment, he found himself in a daze once again.

The blue sky, white clouds, lush green grass, distant farmhouses, the faintly discernible official road, the divided plots of farmland, and the long-dead roadside trees—all seemed to have returned to their original state.

If not for the temples still standing on the plain, and the fact that he had indeed passed by one of them, the swordsman might have doubted whether he was really in the Snowy Plains.

Before he knew it, it was already late February. Perhaps it was time to restore its original name—He Plains.

“Hyah!” The swordsman gave a loud shout after a long pause.

The black horse immediately broke into a full gallop, racing across the grass. Its hooves kicked up the dark soil, scattering fragments of grass behind it.

But as he traveled this path once more, he began to notice the extraordinary nature of this land.

The stark white bones scattered across the ground, the decaying carcasses of enormous demonic beasts lying by the roadside, the piles of broken stones faintly forming giant humanoid shapes beside the bodies, the deep craters and furrowed trenches—all bore witness to a time when this place was no longer part of the human realm.

They also told the story of an incredible battle fought here to reclaim the land.

At last, he arrived once more at the spring.

Here, the grass was even thicker, and the land had transformed into a lush green field. Only around the spring did vibrant, multicolored hues remain, like a pair of sinister eyes opening in the earth.

A jujube-red horse was quietly grazing in the distance, while the Daoist still sat by the spring, in the same spot and posture as before, as if he were the only unchanging element in this entire world. A calico cat was leaning against his body, slumped like a person, staring off into the distance in a daze.

Only when the sound of hooves drew near did Lady Calico shift her posture, getting up and fixing her gaze on the swordsman.

“Sigh…”

The swordsman dismounted, cradling the wooden box in his hands.

“Sir! I have completed the task!”

“So soon?”

“It should have been even faster!” The swordsman carefully carried the box over. “The Mountain God told me this is the mountain and instructed me to bring it back for you.” ṚÃΝǒᛒƐș

“I see.” Song You remained seated, calmly turning around to take the box from his hands.

With just a glance, he understood everything.

He casually opened the box. Inside, it was lined with silk, holding a small stone no larger than the palm of a hand. The stone was roughly triangular in shape. Upon closer inspection, one can see countless fine, intricate patterns, along with tiny greenish dots, as if a treacherous stone peak had been perfectly scaled down in proportion and turned into a delicate object for play.

The swordsman stared at it intently, unable to look away.

Lady Calico also clung to the Daoist’s arm, peering curiously at the stone.

The moment the box was opened, something miraculous happened—the small stone, upon being exposed to light, began to grow. In the blink of an eye, it had doubled in size. Before they knew it, the box could no longer contain it.

“

Meow

...” Lady Calico stared in astonishment, her paw almost moving on its own, reaching out to touch it.

“Step back a bit.” The Daoist, holding the box, finally stood up.

He turned around and walked a short distance away, casting spells as he went. He connected the Yin-Yang Four Seasons Formation to the spiritual resonance within the stone, using its spiritual resonance to sustain the formation. Then, with a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed the stone into the air.

As the stone flew up, it instantly expanded. A dark shadow appeared before their eyes.

Boom

!

The ground shook, sending water and soil splashing in all directions.

By the time the swordsman and the cat snapped back to their senses, the stone had already transformed into a small stone mountain, about ten zhang in diameter and roughly the same in height. It had settled firmly on the ground, perfectly covering the entire spring. The splashes of water and mud reached just to the edge of where they stood.

Even more astonishing was that the mountain continued to grow. The soil and grass around it were gradually pushed aside, and the base of the mountain also began to sink into the earth.

The swordsman stared intently at the scene. When he finally collected himself, he noticed Song You smiling at him and asking, “Was the Mountain God easy to deal with? Did you encounter any trouble on the way?”

“Sir, the Mountain God was quite agreeable. I presented the letter and explained the situation in Hezhou and He Plains, then he brought forth this mountain,” the swordsman replied, still somewhat in awe. “As for the journey, there were a few troublemakers, but nothing of note. After borrowing the mountain, I spent the night in Southern Art County and happened to hear some stories about your past there.”

“Southern Art County, huh...” Song You seemed lost in thought.

It felt like a long time had passed. Or perhaps it was no time at all.

“Let’s go.”

Song You shook off the Daoist robe that had been completely soaked in mud and water, glanced once more at the ancient pine on the small hill that had taken shape but still appeared particularly small, and then turned to walk off into the distance. “We don’t yet know how large this mountain will become. We’d best move farther away and continue our conversation from a safer distance.”

“Yes, sir,” the swordsman replied.

They continued to move away from the spring and the small mountain.

Several times, the swordsman and Lady Calico turned back to see how large the mountain had become and to check how far the Daoist intended to walk. But Song You kept distancing himself, going farther and farther away until the once towering mountain, now over ten zhang tall, appeared as a small stone hill far in the distance. Only then did he finally stop.

They all sat down on the grassy field.

The swordsman glanced toward the distant mountain, then couldn’t help but look at the grass around him. He plucked a blade of grass and, after a moment of silence, said to Song You, “It’s quite a coincidence. When I arrived in Southern Art County, I chose an inn at random to stay the night, and it turned out to be the very same one where you and Lady Calico once stayed.”

“Was it the Jingfu Inn?”

“That’s right!”

The swordsman couldn’t help but smile. “Do you still remember the soup noodles from Southern Art County?”

“Of course I do.”

“Apparently, when you left, you said you’d come back again to eat it someday. Is that true?”

“I seem to recall saying that.”

“Then it must be true that you praised it highly?”

“Well, it was indeed true,” Song You admitted with a smile.

“But what you might not know is that after you left, stories of your visit spread throughout all of Southern Art County. The innkeeper at Jingfu Inn even gave their soup noodles a new name—‘Immortal Noodles.’ I heard that many eateries in Southern Art County have followed suit, renaming their soup noodles as ‘Immortal Noodles,’” the swordsman said with a smile.

He added, “The innkeeper also mentioned that when the new commandery magistrate took office, he heard the tales of the divine immortal and made a special trip to Southern Art County just to eat a bowl of those noodles at Jingfu Inn.”

“Well, that is amusing,” Song You couldn’t help but smile as well.

“Perhaps when you return to Pingzhou someday and pass through Southern Art County, you’ll find the whole city filled with places selling soup noodles,” the swordsman continued, before pausing. “Oh, that reminds me—the Mountain God of Pingzhou asked me to relay a message before I left.”

“Oh?”

“He said this mountain peak is a gift to you and doesn’t need to be returned. However, the old road through Pingzhou has become increasingly deserted. He asked that if you ever pass through Pingzhou again, you remember to visit him for another cup of tea.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a voice chimed in from beside them, “Bitter tea...”

The swordsman immediately lowered his head and looked at the cat. Lady Calico was also tilting her head up, looking right back at him.

For a moment, man and cat seemed to share a mutual understanding.

Song You chuckled softly and spoke slowly, “Naturally.”

This Mountain God certainly had a keen mind despite his straightforward appearance.

If this mountain were to suppress the Demon King of the Snowy Plains for five hundred years, then throughout those five centuries, the Mountain God would receive a steady flow of incense and offerings. If the mountain were ever returned, the incense offerings would only last those five hundred years.

However, if there was no need to return it, even after the Demon King of the Snowy Plains no longer required suppression, the Mountain God would continue to enjoy the incense from the people of Hezhou—perhaps for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.

Though there was calculation involved, the favor owed was real and could not be feigned.

Song You now owed a favor to the Mountain God of Pingzhou. In the future, he would indeed have to return and share another cup of tea.

“Did you hear anything from the innkeeper about the nunnery outside Southern Art County City?” Song You continued to ask.

“I did,” the swordsman replied knowingly, immediately recounting what he’d heard. “The nunnery used to house several nuns, but none of them are there anymore—the place has been abandoned.

“However, I also heard that Lord Li intends to fund its conversion into a public school, even offering land to be used as school fields. As for the nuns, some of them are now weaving cloth, while others have started small businesses in the city, selling pickled vegetables.”

“Southern Art County’s fabric is indeed exceptional.” Song You glanced at Lady Calico beside him.

Unfortunately, today Lady Calico was in her cat form. Ever since she mastered the divine power to change her clothes at will, she hadn’t worn that three-colored outfit made in Southern Art County again. Yet, Song You still kept that small garment, tucked away at the bottom of his saddle bag, unable to bring himself to throw it away.

Later, whenever Lady Calico took human form, her clothes, regardless of thickness, always featured three colors, with styles that closely resembled that original outfit she wore in Southern Art County.

Thinking of the fabric and Lady Calico’s little clothes, Song You also recalled the pickled rapeseed flowers from that evening.

“Southern Art County’s pickled rapeseed flowers are quite special. When you visited, the flowers should have been in full bloom. There was a nun at the nunnery who made an excellent batch.”

“Then I must have missed out,” the swordsman said with a smile, though he didn’t seem particularly regretful as he continued his story. “That Lord Li has now become a well-known philanthropist in Southern Art County. His family runs a fabric shop that hires women from impoverished families in the city, treating them well.

“The fabric they produce is top quality, and buyers from all over prefer to purchase from him. He used to hold a government position in the county, and I heard that the new county magistrate, rather than minding his past mistakes, holds him in high regard. It seems the new magistrate has some boldness.”

“A good turn of events,” Song You remarked, though his heart was filled with emotions.

It was truly unpredictable how quickly things change. In just four short years, so many old stories and familiar faces had transformed.

As they spoke, the distant mountain continued to grow, though it was now so large and so far away that its expansion was no longer as awe-inspiring as before. Still, the change was noticeable.

The sky gradually darkened.

The demon of He Plains had been subdued, the snow had melted, and even the grass had begun to sprout from the soil. Yet, for now, the birds and beasts had not returned, leaving the night in utter silence.

In February, the air of He Plains still held a chill.

Song You hadn’t slept in a long time. Now, lying down on a felt mat and wrapped in a blanket, he fell into a deep, restful sleep.

Even his dreams did not dare disturb him.

He awoke at dawn, in that fleeting moment before daylight fully broke. The sky above and to the west was still dark, but a faint light was already visible in the east. Almost as soon as he opened his eyes, a ray of morning light shot out, slanting from the edge of the smooth earth all the way up to the sky above, radiating a vibrant red.

The morning light gradually descended, casting a golden hue over the stone mountain. Overnight, a towering and majestic stone peak had risen from the plains before them.