A few days later, it was already early March, with the spring sun shining bright.

Between the hills, a stream meandered gently. By the stream stood two trees, and a rope was strung between them, hung with the Daoist’s clothes to dry. Song You sat in the shade beneath the trees, holding a book. In front of him, a small campfire simmered with a pot of millet porridge.

The grasslands were growing greener by the day, and many wild herbs had sprouted. Song You had foraged some, washed and torn them into pieces, and added them to the porridge.

Lady Calico was frolicking in the distance, darting back and forth. Her small figure appeared and disappeared amidst the tall grass.

Song You had no idea exactly where he had wandered to. He only knew that the sound of the stream trickling beside him and the bubbling of the pot brought a sense of calm. He lowered his head, focused on his book, and pondered the route ahead.

Yanzhou was the northernmost prefecture of the Great Yan. From here, heading west would lead into the vast northwestern territories, eventually reaching the Western Regions. Going east would take him toward the northeastern territories, all along the northern border.

Naturally, he intended to head east.

Yanzhou was narrow from north to south but stretched long from west to east. The region was not just grasslands; it also had deserts, forests, mountains, and plains. Following the northernmost border eastward would lead him straight into Yuezhou.

According to Elder Zhang, the storyteller from Yizhou, there was a place in the northern part of Yuezhou filled with Chinese parasol trees, each one thousands or even tens of thousands of years old, towering up to the clouds. If one visited during the solstices—either summer or winter—they might just catch a glimpse of a phoenix.

Traveling further east, one would reach Zhaozhou. This marked the farthest northeast region of the Great Yan, equivalent in distance from Changjing as the Western Regions.

Once he reached Zhaozhou, he would then need to head slightly south, down to Hanzhou. From there, turning westward would take him to Guangzhou, which borders Hezhou. Taking a slight detour, he would then be able to return to Angzhou and Changjing.

Having planned his route, Song You pulled his gaze back from the book and looked out into the distance.

The grasslands stretched endlessly before him, the hills rolling gently like waves. Surveying his surroundings, he couldn’t see any sign of human activity—just the pure blue sky and white clouds above, and the vast, uninterrupted green of the earth below. It was the kind of place that made one wonder how far they’d have to travel to reach its end, or how long it might take to find a trace of civilization.

In the distance, on the ridge of a hill, a jujube-red horse galloped freely.

Song You suddenly realized that his horse was a Beiyuan steed. Most of the Beiyuan horses within the borders of the Great Yan likely came from Yanzhou. This area might very well be its homeland.

The thought brought a smile to his lips.

Just then, he heard a rustling sound nearby.

Song You turned his head—

He saw Lady Calico dragging a large, plump rodent nearly the same size as herself, struggling as she made her way toward him.

The moment she noticed Song You looking at her, she immediately stopped, dropped the fat rodent, and lifted her head to meet his gaze.

“Let’s eat rabbit!”

This wasn’t a rabbit at all—it was a marmot, known locally as

tuoba

or sometimes called a groundhog.

The vast grasslands were home to many wild rabbits and marmots. When Lady Calico, a country bumpkin from Yizhou, first encountered this large, oddly-shaped creature, she was thoroughly surprised. She couldn’t tell whether it was a rabbit or a mouse.

However, in Lady Calico’s eyes, the world was simply divided into things that could be eaten and things that couldn’t. Putting theory into practice, she sampled one that very night.

It tasted quite good—far too much for her to finish in one sitting.

As it turned out, the local people also considered marmots a delicacy.

In Song You’s copy of Yudi Jisheng, this animal was described as follows, “It was born in the marshlands behind the mountains, burrowing into the earth to make its nest. It resembles an otter, and the northerners dig it up to eat. Although it's quite fat, when cooked, it has no oil and the broth is tasteless.” ŕἈNȏᛒËṨ

However, just a few days ago, General Pu from Caotou Pass mentioned that this creature's meat was actually delicious, with oil similar to pork fat. The northern people enjoy eating it, and during times of food shortage, they also catch it for consumption. Additionally, its fur could repel water.

Song You, however, had yet to try it.

Now, even though Lady Calico had brought one over, seeing the plump, fluffy creature, he found himself hesitating to take a bite.

“Let’s eat rabbit!” Seeing that he hadn’t responded, Lady Calico nudged him again, gently pressing her paw on the marmot.

“...” Song You paused, then said, “This is a

tuoba

mouse.”

“I don’t understand…“

“It’s also called a groundhog.”

“Ground rabbit! It’s a rabbit!” Lady Calico stared at him intently, unblinking.

“...” Song You could only shake his head in resignation. “Go ahead, Lady Calico, you eat it.”

But Lady Calico wasn’t ready to let him off so easily. Tilting her head, she stared at him, puzzled. “Why aren’t you eating?”

Then, as if to emphasize, she added, “It’s a rabbit.”

“I’ve already made porridge,” he replied.

“Porridge!”

Lady Calico stood up on her hind legs, stretching into a long, upright figure. She craned her neck to peek into the pot, then dropped back down, frowning at Song You. “Why do you always eat grass?”

“It’s porridge. Wild vegetable porridge.”

“You mean they’re grass seeds and grass.”

“Well, I suppose it’s almost the same.”

“Eat the meat,” she insisted. Lady Calico kept glancing at him while pawing at the marmot beside her. “Rabbit meat.”

“I don’t want to eat this kind of rabbit,” Song You said helplessly. “Besides, I’ve already made porridge, and this kind of rabbit meat isn’t suitable for adding to porridge.”

“Then what is suitable?”

“What is suitable...”

Song You genuinely pondered for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the small stream beside him and said, “Fish would be suitable. Lady Calico, could you help me catch some fish?”

“But the fish are in the water...” Lady Calico immediately frowned. “I don’t even have any fish to eat for myself.”

“Lady Calico, you have great divine powers.”

“...!” Lady Calico’s expression sharpened, and she stared directly at him.

“Not only are you powerful, but you’re also clever and resourceful,” Song You continued, seizing the moment. “I’m sure that catching fish is a trivial matter for someone as capable as you, Lady Calico.”

“...!” Lady Calico’s expression sharpened even further.

She stared at him for a long while, then glanced over at the nearby stream. After a moment of hesitation, she actually dropped the marmot and trotted over to the stream to try catching fish for him.

Song You watched her go, unable to suppress a smile.

Finally having some free time, Song You leaned back against the tree trunk, settling into the most comfortable position, leisurely watching the white clouds drift across the sky, their shadows gliding over the hills.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he heard a voice calling from a distance, “Daoist priest! Fish!”

Turning his head, he saw a little girl running back, holding one hand high above her head.

As she reached his side, she promptly lowered her hand and extended it toward him. In her small palm, she was indeed holding a fish.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

It was a tiny fish, barely two fingers wide, just the right size for her to grip. How she managed to catch it was a mystery, but droplets of water had splashed onto her face. One drop clung to her forehead, sticking her hair down; another drop rested near her eye, causing her to squint and blink frequently.

She wore an expression that seemed both serious and expressionless at the same time. She simply extended her hand toward Song You, one eye wide open and the other half-closed, subtly observing him.

“Thank you, Lady Calico.” Song You took the fish from her hand.

“You’re welcome,” she replied.

The little girl wiped the water droplets from her forehead, eyes, and face with her palm. After wiping, she casually brought her hand to her mouth and licked off the water.

“Lady Calico, you truly possess great divine powers.”

“...!” The little girl’s expression immediately sharpened again as she stared intently at him.

Seeing this, Song You quickly added, “But this one fish is already enough.”

“Already enough...”

“Yes, enough.”

With that, Song You had no choice but to get up. He pulled out a small knife from his bag, took the fish to the stream, and cleaned it thoroughly before tossing it straight into the millet porridge. Then he sat back down, leaving it to cook on its own.

The little girl followed him the entire time like a shadow. Once he sat down again, she asked curiously, “You like eating fish, don’t you?”

“Fish is nutritious.”

“Nutritious!”

“It just means it’s good for your health, rich in protein.”

“Pwotein!” she mimicked.

“Eating it is good for your health.”

“Good for your health!” The little girl repeated, then immediately turned around and started heading back toward the stream. “I will go catch some more!”

“There’s no need, really,” Song You called after her.

But the little girl paid him no mind, stubbornly continuing on her way, muttering in her clear, small voice, “I have great divine powers…“

“...” Song You could only shake his head helplessly.

After busying herself for quite some time, the little girl returned with three more fish, all about the same size as the first one.

By the time the girl caught the fish, the porridge was nearly done. Song You cleaned the fish as usual, then casually found a small twig, skewered them, and set them by the fire to grill.

He ladled out the porridge into bowls—one for himself, and a symbolic small portion for Lady Calico. When he tried to give her half a fish, she sternly refused. So, Song You had no choice but to put it all in his own bowl. He took a slurp while gazing at the blue sky, the vast grasslands, and the wild, open air. He felt an overwhelming sense of freedom.

After finishing the porridge, the grilled fish was just about ready.

Song You picked up the skewers and looked at Lady Calico. “Shall we have these two fish? One for each person.”

“I’m not a person.”

“Then one for each person and cat.”

“I don’t want it.”

“Why not?”

“I have a rodent! Rodents are also nutritious—rich in protein!”

“Hm? Wasn’t it a rabbit?”

“...” The little girl was momentarily stumped, staring at him blankly before correcting herself, “It’s a ground rabbit…“

“Very well, I’ll gratefully accept your offering then.”

“Thank me.”

“Thank you, Lady Calico.”

“You’re welcome.”

A bowl of wild vegetable and fish porridge, along with two grilled fish—it was indeed quite nutritious.

After finishing the meal, Song You didn’t rush to leave. Since his washed clothes hadn’t dried yet, he simply lay back down.

The scent of fresh grass filled his nose, and all he could see was the blue sky and white clouds above. With his heart feeling open and free, the memories of the demons in Hezhou, the plague, and the Demon King of the Snowy Plains seemed as though they had never existed. Though he had just traversed that devastated land, his heart wasn’t weighed down by it.

Much like Lady Calico.

And upon deeper reflection, even though this grassland was vast and boundless, sparsely populated, was there any place he couldn’t go? With that thought, his heart settled into a tranquil calm.

From a distance, the sound of splashing water could be heard now and then. It was Lady Calico, having finished her groundhog, back at the stream catching more fish for him. Without even looking, Song You could easily picture her creeping along the water’s edge, stealthily observing the fish swimming by.

There was a saying that there were three kinds of happiness in life.

One came from direct benefit—material or physical pleasure. Another came from the joy of doing the right thing—a moral satisfaction.

The third was quite special. It didn’t bring you any tangible gain, nor did it involve morality. It was the kind of happiness you feel lying here on the endless grassland, not feeling lost or aimless, but finding a place of peace in your heart. The breeze blowing across the plains, the warmth of the spring sun on your face—it was a comfort that brought an indescribable sense of spiritual contentment.

The first two were easy to obtain; the third was rare.

Song You couldn’t help but smile. He decided to close his eyes and take a nap.