Chapter 290: Lady Calico Grows Stronger Again

The scene in the distance was both clear and unclear to those watching from the city wall.

The dark clouds were thick, casting a dim light even during the day. The wind and rain turned the grasslands into a vast swamp. The Daoist, holding his staff, had already walked far ahead. From the distance, he appeared as nothing more than a small black dot.

Yet, despite being dozens of li away, the thunder and lightning in the sky were still visible with incredible clarity. This scene was seared into everyone’s eyes, and no doubt, it would stay with them for a long time.

The thunder struck the ground, sparking bursts of fire, sending waves of electric serpents scattering. Even demons that transformed into birds were struck by lightning the moment they took flight, instantly incinerated.

This wasn’t just a battle of magic between the Daoist and the demons. It was clearly a divine being walking the mortal world, purging the filth.

“We should capture this moment...”

A member of the Special Talents Division, who enjoyed painting, stared at the distant scene as he muttered to himself. He was deeply shaken by the awe-inspiring sight and profoundly moved by the Daoist’s power and grace, which had already disappeared into the distance.

It was unclear how much time had passed.

The wind and rain ceased, the dark clouds dispersed, and the thunder and lightning finally stopped. The water on the ground gradually receded, and even in the distance, the sunlight began to break through. Only then did the Daoist return.

At that moment, the earth was still damp, with low-lying areas and depressions filled with water. The wild grass on the ground had been knocked over, covered by a layer of mud, while the Daoist remained clean and untouched.

The Daoist raised his staff and waved it—

Boom!

The earth outside the city wall trembled again, and the mountain wall sank back into the ground, leaving two deep fissures in the earth. Other than that, everything seemed to return to its original state.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew out of nowhere, parting the clouds to reveal the sun. The sunlight shone down directly, as if it were specifically lighting the way for the Daoist’s return.

“Open the city gates!”

“Open the gates!”

“Welcome Mr. Song inside!”

Everyone shouted in unison, flustered and hurried.

The Daoist thanked them and exchanged pleasantries, then mentioned that he was tired and wished to return to his room to rest. With that, he made his way back to his quarters.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Once inside, he merely sat by the window, holding Lady Calico, lost in thought for the entire day.

Today’s demon exorcism, with the manipulation of the earth wall, controlling the water, and the thunderstorm, had indeed been quite exhausting. The Daoist rarely performed exorcisms in such a manner. Typically, he would have used the simplest and most energy-efficient methods.

The fact that he had employed such a powerful and exhaustive approach showed that this was a special circumstance, and a result of his focus and intent. But this type of magic used up mainly spiritual and magical energy, and as for physical exhaustion, that wasn’t much of a concern.

By the end of the day, the atmosphere in the city was clear. Not only was it filled with excitement, but it was also noisy.

Everyone who had witnessed the scene on the city wall was eager to recount it once they returned. They excitedly shared their experiences, each trying to outdo the other, vividly describing what they had seen, as though simply having been a part of that moment was an honor in itself.

No one, however, came to disturb him. It seemed that they truly believed he was exhausted.

Even Lady Calico, unusually, didn’t go out to enjoy the excitement and come back to tell him about it, nor did she act as his little scout. She simply stayed in his arms, contentedly being petted, or sat beside him, engaging in childish, mindless conversation.

Until the next day, the Daoist’s mind had fully settled. At that moment, sitting by the window, he took a dagger from his robes.

Although the people of the northern frontier were incredibly powerful, and at times, the northern frontier royal court was likely the most militarily dominant nation in the world, their level of civilization was still lacking. Most of the demons who aided the northern frontier were also deprived of any cultural refinement.

Not only did they have little in the way of notable magical abilities, but many of the demons' powers were derived solely from natural intuition and were rather crude. During his outing yesterday, despite killing countless demons, Song You had hardly seen any noteworthy items.

The few items he did find were either destroyed by lightning or swept away by the flood. Most of what he recovered didn’t interest him.

What he had brought back was only the Water-Splitting Blade.

This blade was remarkable in its own right—not only did possessing it make one immune to water-related disasters, allowing one to sail without encountering violent waves, and making it impossible to drown if one fell into the water, but it could also cause mountain floods to divert around the wielder.

A skilled cultivator holding it could even wield the powers of a Water God. If used proficiently, it could stir the waters, change the course of streams, and create waves.

However, Song You hadn’t taken the blade for its powers. He carefully examined it, turning it over in his hands.

The Water-Splitting Blade resembled a dagger. The hilt was designed for a single hand to grip, while the blade itself was about the length of an arm. People on the grasslands were very fond of using daggers, even for eating meat, and many would wear short knives.

A typical dagger from a common household might have a horn hilt with a curved blade. Those of higher status would use gold or silver for the hilt, and the more distinguished would embellish the knife with jewels, creating a dazzling and luxurious appearance.

However, the design of this dagger was unlike the usual ones found on the grasslands. The hilt was made of wood, and the blade was straight.

Upon closer inspection, there were originally some characters engraved on the blade, but they had been scratched out. The markings were erased so thoroughly that it was impossible to discern what they had originally been, nor could one tell whether they were written in Great Yan script, grassland script, or some other script from a foreign or western region.

“...” Song You couldn't be bothered to think about it. He withdrew his gaze and handed the blade to the cat beside him. “This is for you, Lady Calico.”

“

Meow

?”

“This is a remarkable treasure. It’s either an artifact from the ancient past or a creation of an inherent deity, capable of controlling water. Isn't it just what you’ve always wanted—a blade to play with?” Song You explained.

“However, recently, demons have used it to kill many people, so it has become tainted with filthy, evil energy. It’s a much more powerful item than that flag of yours. If you want to use it, it will need to be cleansed first.”

“...!” Upon hearing that it was such a powerful treasure, even more so than her little flag, Lady Calico’s expression immediately became serious. She turned and leapt off the table.

Thud...

When she landed, she was already in human form.

Her eyes were wide as she carefully took the blade with both hands, examining it closely.

“It’s very clean! Not filthy at all!”

“When I said to cleanse it, I didn’t mean to make it ‘clean’ in that sense. And when I mentioned it was tainted with filthy energy, I didn’t mean that kind of filth.”

“Cleanse it! Filthy energy!”

“The artifact itself is not at fault. To cleanse it, you simply need to take it from the demons who used it for harm and place it in the hands of a kind-hearted person. Used properly over time, its impurities will naturally fade away,” Song You explained while meeting Lady Calico’s gaze.

He added, “Lady Calico, your heart is pure and untainted. I imagine it will cleanse even faster in your hands.”

“I don’t understand...”

“Just don’t use it to harm people. Once it regains its divine radiance, you’ll be able to use it freely.”

“Got it!”

“Until then, you can only use it sparingly, not excessively.”

“Sparingly?”

“Sparingly.”

“Does using it to chop roadside grass and branches count as sparingly?” Lady Calico asked.

“That would be a little too sparing—go a step further.”

“Does using it to slice meat from mice and fish count as sparing?” Lady Calico asked again.

“That would still be too sparing,” Song You replied.

“What then?”

“For example, if you take a water pouch or some pots and bowls to fetch water from a stream, you can use the blade to draw water instead. No need to bend down or get your shoes wet—just one motion with the blade, and the water will come to you.”

“Oh...”

Lady Calico nodded instinctively, delighted. The more she looked at the small blade, the more she liked it.

But as she reveled in her excitement, something suddenly felt off. Her expression grew serious as she tilted her head, staring at the Daoist unblinkingly.

“In the future, I’ll leave the task of fetching water to Lady Calico. It’ll also help you familiarize yourself with the blade’s capabilities.”

“...!” Lady Calico’s face turned completely serious.

Although her expression remained serious and she continued staring at the Daoist, Lady Calico carefully put away her new blade, placing it alongside her flag.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“Who is it?” Lady Calico, still excited, answered.

The person outside hesitated for a moment before replying, “It’s me, Advisor Zhang Daoyuan.”

“Hm...”

Lady Calico shook her head and promptly reverted to her cat form.

Song You, unfazed, went to open the door.

Standing outside was Advisor Zhang, holding a bamboo tube containing twenty or thirty black seeds.

Advisor Zhang didn’t seem surprised by the earlier voice. As soon as he saw Song You, he immediately asked with concern, “Mr. Song, have you rested well?”

“Yes, I’ve rested.”

Song You glanced at the bamboo tube in Advisor Zhang’s hand and asked, “Have all the soldiers afflicted by the demonic spell been cured?”

“I arranged for it to be taken care of yesterday, and it’s all done,” Advisor Zhang replied. “Thanks to you, Mr. Song, every afflicted soldier has fully recovered.”

He held out the bamboo tube. “There were exactly three hundred seeds in total. Two hundred seventy-two were used, leaving twenty-eight, which I’ve brought back to return to you as promised.”

After a brief pause, he quickly added, “Rest assured, Mr. Song. I personally oversaw everything—no one dared to pocket or keep any of the seeds!”

“Good.”

Song You calmly accepted the bamboo tube.

Though the Quzai Vine was a creation of an ancestor from long ago, it was still a family treasure. Back in Changjing, when a certain Mr. Lai used the vine, Song You immediately became aware of it. If anyone in the city had secretly kept one of the seeds, he would have sensed it as well.

“Yesterday, as I watched you exorcize demons from the city walls, I was convinced that you truly are like an ancient divine immortal,” Advisor Zhang said politely. “I’ve heard that your immortal abode is in Yizhou. My ancestral home is in Xuzhou, but I’ve never heard of a sacred site like Lingquan County housing such an immortal abode. If I ever return home, I’ll make sure to visit Yizhou to pay my respects.”

“There’s only my master in the mountains now. My master is elderly and does not receive guests. I’m traveling the world and won’t return for another fifteen years.”

“I’ll make note of that...” Advisor Zhang nodded, then asked, “After you leave here, where will you travel next?”

“East, to Yuezhou.”

“Ah, Yuezhou...”

“Do you know much about Yuezhou?”

“I do know a bit,” Advisor Zhang replied, “but if you’re looking for someone who knows it best, that would be Mr. Qiao from Special Talents Division. He’s a native of Yuezhou. If you have the time, I can invite him to meet with you.”

“I do have time...” Song You paused and then smiled. “But since I’m seeking knowledge from him, it would only be proper to regard him as a teacher. How could I ask a teacher to come to me? I’d better go to him instead.”

“That makes sense,” Advisor Zhang agreed without argument, smiling as he said, “In that case, I’ll take you to meet him.”

“Alright.”

With that, Song You turned back to his room, carefully stored the Quzai Vine, and then followed Advisor Zhang to find the extraordinary Mr. Qiao.

As they walked, every officer and soldier they passed, whether high-ranking or low, would quickly step aside to make way. They seemed eager to catch a glimpse of the Daoist and his cat but were too timid to openly stare. Their gazes, unable to resist sneaking looks, held a reverence as though they were looking at a divine immortal.