Chapter 273: Journey to the Border

By the time Lady Calico finished her milk, the Daoist had already packed up their belongings.

“Burp!”

Lady Calico let out a little burp and turned her head to stare at him.

After a brief glance, she quickly turned her head the other way.

From the foot of the mountain, a few figures on horseback approached at a trot, all people she recognized.

“Giddy up!”

The sound of hooves on the grass was faint.

Lady Calico stretched her neck to get a better look.

Leading the group were Lin Chang and Lord Han. Behind them were the young Lin Le and his sister, the boy riding lightly and energetically atop his young, spirited horse. Yet despite their enthusiasm, they stayed obediently behind their father.

Lady Calico blinked in slight confusion as they quickly drew nearer.

Realizing she couldn’t just stand there, she twisted her body and, with a well-aimed leap, dove straight into one of the pouches on their horse.

“Mr. Song!”

Lin Chang and Lord Han greeted him as they arrived.

The four riders approached one after another, their horses coming to a halt nearby.

Lin Chang and Lord Han dismounted from their horses, greeting the Daoist warmly. The young boy and girl, however, remained seated on their horses, glancing around as if searching for something.

Lady Calico, curled up inside the pouch, peeked out discreetly. She could hear her Daoist priest conversing with the others.

“What brings you here?” Song You asked.

“Since you’re leaving, we’ve come to see you off,” Lin Chang replied.

“Why the sudden departure, sir? If I hadn’t run into Lin Chang and chatted with him, I wouldn’t have known you were leaving today. I’d even planned to invite you to my tent tonight for some drinks,” Lord Han said with a sigh.

“If fate allows, we’ll meet again, and I’ll share a drink with you then, Lord Han.”

“Ah...”

The young official sighed deeply, as if he’d already known his efforts to persuade Song You to stay would be futile. In his hand, he held a wine flask. “Though you were merely passing through, sir, you’ve resolved a pressing concern for this region and preemptively addressed who knows how many future troubles. I have little to offer in gratitude. With no time to prepare a proper gift, I can only represent the local officials and people in offering you this cup of farewell wine.”

The pouch Lady Calico was hiding in had a cloth flap covering the top. The flap hung down, leaving only a small gap between it and the bag. Through this slit, Lady Calico peeked out, her eyes watching the scene outside.

This felt even more entertaining than observing openly.

She watched as Lord Han pulled out a cup and poured it full of wine. Lady Calico had seen scenes like this many times before, especially in Hezhou. After defeating demons, people would often come to see them off with such gestures.

She’d even had a taste of this kind of wine herself. It smelled different from water, but when drunk, it tasted almost the same.

According to Lady Calico’s assessment, it must be a type of water that humans drink on special occasions or in unique settings. Although it had no particular flavor, it seemed to hold some significance.

What a pity she had been too drowsy to transform into her human form; otherwise, she could have had a cup of farewell wine too.

“Thank you, Lord Han.”

The two raised their cups and drank them in one go.

“This small pouch of silver,” Lord Han said, taking out a small money pouch and handing it over, “is simply my personal gesture. I’ve enjoyed our conversations and found a connection with you. It’s a modest contribution to your travel funds and probably amounts to about the same as what you’d earn from selling wild rabbits. Please accept it, so you may continue your journey with a bit more ease.”

Lady Calico’s eyes immediately sharpened, locking onto the pouch of silver.

She had seen such scenes before.

The people of Great Yan seemed to enjoy giving money, especially to Daoists and monks. Unfortunately, most of the time, Daoists would refuse it, only occasionally accepting such offerings.

What a shame.

The amount was comparable to selling a batch of rabbits.

Sure enough, the Daoist declined the pouch.

If only they’d offered it to Lady Calico instead—she would have gladly accepted it.

Lady Calico contemplated this, her expression as calm as ever. Her eyes darted subtly, glancing at the two children still looking around for her and then shifting to Lin Chang.

Lin Chang had also brought something with him.

“Sir, as you continue heading north, the journey will grow increasingly desolate and dangerous. Though your skills are extraordinary, supplies along the way may be hard to come by. We don’t have much to offer, but I’ve brought a small package of dried meat and milk curds.

“These are all homemade by us. They're leftovers from what we brought to sell at the Grassland Festival. If you find yourself without food on the road, they might help fill your stomach.”

Lady Calico observed quietly, her face showing a hint of thoughtfulness. Such items were typically accepted by Daoists.

Yet sometimes she found it strange—

Often, people gave things as a token of gratitude when she and the Daoist helped them. But occasionally, people offered gifts even when she and the Daoist had done nothing for them.

As expected, the Daoist accepted the gift.

“Thank you.”

“Please take care, sir.”

“Last night, you mentioned your son,” Song You said. “Do you know which general he serves under? If I happen to come across him on the border, I can ask him to send a letter home to reassure you.”

“When he last sent a letter, it was from Liaoxin Pass, near the border between Yanzhou and Yuezhou. He seemed to be serving as a cavalryman under a General Ban. His name is Lin You—tall, dark-skinned. His general praised him for his exceptional horsemanship and bravery in battle, promoted him to squad leader, and even encouraged him to write home.”

“I’ll remember that,” Song You said. He paused for a moment, hesitating before speaking gently, “However, the northern regions are in chaos right now. I’ve heard that when the northern frontier army invaded earlier, General Chen was not stationed at the border, and several key passes were lost. Many troops were scattered. I may not be able to find him.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Let’s hope for the best.”

“May your words bring good fortune.”

Though he had said earlier that dreams did not necessarily mean anything, Song You knew deep down that the likelihood of the Lin family’s eldest son having perished was very high.

The fact that his mother had dreamed of him a few nights ago suggested that his soul had already reached Fengzhou.

Currently, with General Chen stationed in the North, the situation was far more stable than it had been a decade ago. This was evident from the fact that Lin You had been able to send a letter home. Moreover, the northern frontier army had not succeeded in advancing further south, so it was unlikely for the devastating scenario of soldiers dying without their families being notified to occur again.

Perhaps, after returning from the Grassland Festival, the Lin family might even receive a letter with news about him.

Still, without absolute certainty, it was not something Song You could say outright. Furthermore, with the Grassland Festival in full swing—equivalent to the New Year celebrations in the South—it was hardly the time for such news. Thus, Song You could only offer subtle reminders, hoping they would make some preparations.

Lady Calico observed from the shadows, her eyes glinting with thought.

Lin Le and his sister were still looking around.

Suddenly, Lin Chang seemed to remember something. “Oh, where is Lady Calico? Why haven’t we seen her?”

Lady Calico immediately perked up her ears.

However, the Daoist merely smiled without answering. He cupped his hands together and said, “We’ll take our leave now. Thank you all for seeing us off. The world is vast—if fate allows, we shall meet again.”

“Safe travels, sir.”

“Safe travels, sir.”

The Daoist started walking, and the horse followed alongside. The saddlebag and pouch swayed gently with each step.

Under the gazes of the group, the calico cat finally extended a paw from the pouch and beckoned at them with a curl of its paw.

The group was momentarily stunned. They seemed surprised but not entirely shocked.

***

One man and one horse ambled along the gentle curves of the hills, moving from one peak to the next. Only then did Lady Calico leap out of the pouch, landing gracefully on the ground.

She began walking, occasionally stopping to turn her head and glance behind.

“What are you looking at?”

“Hmm...” Lady Calico glanced at him, then turned to look back again before finally saying, “Daoist priest, do you think we’ll ever come back here?”

“Probably not,” Song You replied with a smile. “Even if we do return, it’s unlikely we’ll see them again. But Lady Calico, with your extraordinary talents and great powers, you might perhaps return many years from now if you wish to revisit your memories and retrace the paths you’ve walked to see the people you once met.”

“Like that one?”

“The old Swallow Immortal.”

“Yes, the old Swallow Immortal,” Lady Calico said earnestly, staring at him.

“Exactly, like the old Swallow Immortal,” Song You said, pausing briefly before adding, “Lady Calico, you have an excellent memory.”

“And you?”

“I also have a good memory.”

“Will you come back again?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know!”

“Lady Calico, don’t dwell too much on it,” Song You said gently. “Life is often like this—sometimes, you meet someone only once or a few times in your lifetime. Once separated, you might never meet again.”

“Cats are like that too.”

“Yes, they are.”

The vast grasslands made chance encounters rare. Meeting Lin Le and his family had been pure coincidence. When it came time to part ways, there were no entanglements of interest or mutual obligations between them. Yet Song You was still willing to visit Liaoxin Pass to look for General Ban and his subordinate, the cavalry squad leader Lin You.

Likewise, Lin Le's family had been willing to prepare parting gifts to see Song You off. Though both sides had given something, it could hardly be called an exchange—sometimes, life was just that simple.

Before they knew it, they had traveled far.

Song You continued at his usual unhurried pace.

The western grasslands of Yanzhou were vast and sparsely populated. Over a decade ago, the northern frontier army had used this area as their path to invade the South. These grasslands were also home to scattered demons and spirits.

Some attacked the Daoist at night; others had already heard tales of his deeds. Much like in Hezhou, the Daoist dealt with them methodically.

There was truly no need to keep track of the days. He spent his nights stargazing and moon-watching, traveling from the first quarter moon[1] to the full moon[2]. Under the moonlight, the hills of the grasslands cast overlapping shadows, making it easy to journey by night. After the last quarter moon[3], it was only a few days before the sky was filled with stars again. The Daoist often lay on the grasslands, gazing at the Milky Way until he drifted off to sleep. Beneath the vast heavens, it sometimes felt as though he were the only one in existence.

The grasslands' weather was unpredictable, and being caught in the rain was commonplace.

The days grew warmer. Unknowingly, summer had arrived.

Small flowers began to bloom across the grasslands, in all sorts of colors. Most were tiny, scattered across the landscape. Butterflies, no larger than a fingernail, flitted gracefully among them.

Due to the war, the area was nearly uninhabited. For the lone man, cat, and horse journeying through, it often felt like a pure feast for the eyes.

Most of the time, they were the only ones in this vast expanse. It felt as though his eyes had been cleansed.

By now, Song You could no longer discern whether he was still within the borders of Great Yan or had crossed into the territory of the northern frontier.

In these times, there were no clear borderlines. It was true that a Great Wall was built in the north, but that was from who knew how many years ago. The territory of the Great Yan had long since extended beyond the Great Wall. Most of the time, the border was a highly ambiguous zone—an area both sides could cross freely, its boundaries frequently shifting.

As he journeyed through this region, he occasionally came across watchtowers and beacon towers. Sometimes, he would pass through areas where corpses lay scattered, their armor and clothing still intact enough to reveal which side they belonged to.

Other times, when passing by a watchtower, he would be stopped and warned by the garrison. Occasionally, he would encounter scouts from either side—some made things difficult for him, while others ignored him altogether.

It was, in its own way, a unique experience.

1. The first quarter moon refers to the phase occurring on the 7th or 8th day of the lunar calendar each month when the Moon is at a 90° angle from the Sun, and half of its surface is illuminated. During the first quarter moon, half of the Moon is lit, appearing as a semicircle. ☜

2. The full moon can appear during the 14th, 15th, 16th, or even the 17th day of the lunar calendar each month. ☜

3. The last quarter moon is when the opposite half of the Moon is illuminated compared to the first quarter. On the 22nd or 23rd day of the lunar calendar, only the eastern half of the Moon is visible, which is why it is called the "last quarter." ☜