Chapter 323: Requesting Lady Calico’s Protection

The mountain was tall and heavily forested, a vast expanse of lush greenery.

The Daoist raised his head, his eyes filled with the sight of the thick woodland.

A mountain like this—whether or not there were tales of wolves, leopards, or tigers—was not one an ordinary person would dare to climb.

It was unknown whether there was a proper path to ascend or not. Song You, as a traveler from outside the region, saw no such trail.

Forget about a proper mountain trail, even reaching the forest above from the roadside would require climbing over an earthen ledge that stood nearly as high as one and a half people.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed some signs of disturbance on the ledge.

Two people and a horse paused by the roadside. The young girl gazed into the distance, while the Daoist focused on examining the traces left behind.

The road had been carved into the mountainside, with the slope and earthen ledge rising to the left. The ledge showed signs of collapse, as if some heavy animal unaccustomed to climbing had stepped on it. Upon careful inspection, faint hoofprints could be seen at the top, and the vegetation ahead had been trampled and pushed aside.

It seemed that someone, accompanied by a horse, had leapt up the ledge to ascend the mountain.

Such a feat was far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary horse.

The Daoist raised his head slightly again.

The forest was dense, and the overhead branches were tangled and chaotic. Such conditions would greatly hinder someone on horseback. Some branches had clearly been cut away, with the severed ends unnaturally smooth, as if polished after being sawed.

It appeared someone had used a sharp weapon to clear the obstructing branches.

This wasn’t something an ordinary blade—or an ordinary martial artist—could accomplish.

“...”

The Daoist pondered for a moment before turning to his horse. “You’re carrying the baggage, and it’ll be hard for you to move in such terrain. Stay here for now, and if danger arises, retreat to safety.”

The horse continued to quietly graze, showing no sign of acknowledgement.

The Daoist then exchanged a glance with the young girl. He parted the grass and began ascending the mountain.

The girl, meanwhile, tilted her head toward the forest, sniffing the air. Her expression turned serious as she caught a scent that made her uneasy. Without hesitation, she reached into her robes and retrieved her flag.

“Whoosh...”

With a wave of the flag, a billowing cloud of black smoke spread out. As it settled on the ground, the smoke transformed into ten or so wolves. She waved the flag again, sending forth another plume of smoke, which similarly solidified into large wolves. After repeating this process four times, she had summoned fifty to sixty wolves in total. The creatures blended into the dense underbrush, either silently gazing at her or lowering down their heads to sniff the unfamiliar scents along the trail.

The young girl gripped the flag tightly and slowly turned in a circle, directing the wolves with subtle gestures. Finally, she pointed to herself, and the wolves seemed to understand instantly. They dispersed into the surrounding foliage, maintaining a distance from her while following her into the forest's depths.

The forest was eerily quiet, amplifying its menacing atmosphere.

“Flap, flap, flap...”

The sound of wings drew her attention. The young girl and her wolves halted, lifting their heads to gaze upward, watching the source of the noise intently. When they realized it was their own swallow, their tense expressions eased.

“Sir, there’s a tiger’s lair at the mountain’s summit,” the swallow reported. “There are signs of a struggle in front of it—bloodstains and scraps of cloth. I didn’t dare get too close, so I can’t tell the outcome. Also, there are many tigers roaming the mountain.”

The Daoist showed no fear of the tigers and simply asked, “Which way is easiest to ascend?”

“There’s no proper path up the mountain, but I’ve scouted a route where the vegetation is sparse and the slope is gentler. Follow me, and I’ll guide you.”

“Thank you.”

The swallow flapped its wings and flew higher.

The bird, ever thoughtful, was careful to ensure the Daoist could see it clearly. After flying a short distance, it would stop, turn back, and make sure it remained visible. It deliberately avoided thick branches that might block its small frame from view and prevent the Daoist below from seeing it.

The Daoist followed the swallow’s lead, steadily making his way up the mountain.

It seemed the swordsman had indeed clashed with the tiger demon. The guards’ accounts were likely true.

His injuries were probably just as severe as they’d described.

Tigers, as rulers of the mountains, were fearsome even without gaining sentience. They could contend with mountain spirits and terrify lesser demons. Beasts like cats, foxes, deer, and rabbits, even if they had cultivated for decades and gained sentience, would quiver with fear in the presence of a tiger and flee at the first opportunity.

Most demons and spirits, unless they had specifically honed combative abilities or developed fearsome divine powers, would instinctively avoid confronting a tiger.

Some tigers didn’t even need to cultivate or gain sentience; merely living long enough and becoming cunning allowed them to naturally grasp the ability to control slave ghosts. Once they became a demon, they didn’t need to transform into human form to develop powers that could shake the hearts of others and command other beasts.

With slightly deeper cultivation, they could move as swiftly as the wind, possessed unbreakable bodies, and wielded the strength to split mountains and crack the earth. Among all the world’s demons, few were so innately skilled in combat as tigers.

The tiger demon of Jinhe County was said to possess considerable cultivation skills. During the wars, it had reportedly devoured countless humans. Having tasted such success, it never stopped preying on humans. It seemed that this tiger was quite impressive.

It even had a group of wild tigers in the mountains under its command. Such a tiger demon was indeed a formidable opponent.

Even if the swordsman was considered the greatest in the land and had mastered the powerful and swift Divine Thunder Sword Dao, specifically suited for slaying demons, it would likely still be a difficult battle for him to claim victory.

“Roar...”

A faint tiger’s roar echoed through the forest.

Song You stopped in his tracks, lifting his head to listen. He didn’t say anything, merely lowering his gaze and resuming his ascent.

The little girl, however, grew visibly more tense.

She glanced around nervously until her gaze landed on the wolves hidden within the forest. Their presence gave her a small measure of comfort.

But it wasn’t enough.

As they continued walking, her sharp eyes scanned their surroundings until they passed an area littered with stones. She gave a subtle nod and then cupped her hands together, forming a seal. With a flick of her fingers, she sent a beam of shimmering light toward the rocky patch.

“Let the Mountain God come forth...”

“Rumble rumble...”

The stones on the ground began to shift and roll, gathering into the form of a humanoid stone figure roughly the height of an average person.

Though only as tall as a human, its shoulders and waist were enormously wide, with a girth that could rival its height. Even the burliest of generals, clad in the thickest armor, would seem scrawny in comparison.

Composed entirely of solid rock, the stone giant weighed well over a thousand jin. Its body exuded a formidable hardness, leaving no doubt that if it charged forward, few things in the mortal world could withstand its might. Its arms were thicker than most people’s waists and as long as one’s lower leg. If one of those arms were to swing and strike, whether against man or tiger, the unfortunate target would likely be reduced to pulp.

Seeing this, the little girl visibly relaxed.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the distance.

“Rustle, rustle...”

“Roar!”

The sounds of a struggle rang out. Branches and bushes shook violently, their rustling growing louder and more chaotic. Fierce tiger roars and wolf howls filled the air.

It seemed one of the tigers roaming the mountain had attempted to attack the Daoist, only to be intercepted by the wolves. A fierce battle ensued as the wolves swarmed toward the threat.

Lady Calico quickly commanded the Mountain God to rush to the scene.

The noises in the distance grew even more intense.

Amidst the rustling and swaying of the grass and trees, there was the sharp cracking sound of branches snapping underfoot.

The roars of the tiger and the howls of the wolves did not cease for even a moment. If an ordinary person were present, they would undoubtedly have been paralyzed with fear.

The wolves summoned by the Wolf Banner were of medium size compared to other wolves, but they were all strong, fully grown adults. Each one was fairly large, with strength and fangs similar to ordinary wolves. However, they possessed an added ferocity—fearless and relentless—and were much harder to kill or fatally wound. When gathered in large numbers, they were even unafraid of fierce tigers.

Alongside a Mountain God as tall as a human, they quickly forced the tiger to retreat.

The dense forest concealed much of the action, leaving the Daoist unable to see the struggle in the distance.

Even Lady Calico, who had climbed a tree and wrapped herself around its trunk to peer out, could only catch fleeting glimpses of the fight through the thick foliage.

All that could be discerned were the threatening roars of the tiger, which soon turned into low, angry growls, accompanied by the howls of wolves, creating a cacophony of sound. Shortly after, there was the noise of something running through the woods, growing fainter and fainter, until it faded into scattered, quieter movements. The wolves returned, circling back to the group, their surroundings once again falling silent.

The stone giant lumbered back as well.

Perched on the tree, the little girl clung to the trunk, gripping her flag tightly. She turned her head and gave the Daoist a piercingly serious look.

She didn’t speak, only stared.

“...”

The Daoist pressed his lips together and spoke as naturally as ever, “Unknowingly, you’ve grown strong enough to easily fend off tigers.”

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

“My wolves are fierce!” she declared.

“That’s clear. Even without the wolves, you could rely on the Mountain God alone to drive away a tiger.”

“My Mountain God is also fierce!”

“You’re the one who is truly impressive.”

The little girl froze, her expression tightening, her breath catching slightly. She seemed to want to say something but couldn’t find the words.

Finally, she jumped down from the tree, turned her head away sharply, and pretended she didn’t care about his words.

The Daoist resumed walking. As he walked, he said, “According to the swallow, there are plenty of tigers in this mountain. As we move forward, we’ll have to trouble you to protect us.”

“...”

The little girl couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Then, she slowly exhaled. It took quite a while before she managed to calm herself down.

She didn’t say anything, but her vigilance sharpened. She watched the forest intently, her eyes unblinking, ensuring that no threat—be it a striped tiger or even a small snake—could get close to the Daoist.

The group continued their climb toward the mountain's peak.

This mountain was indeed the domain of the mountain lord, as the number of tigers increased noticeably the further they went. Tellingly, the solitary nature typical of tigers seemed to be shifting here—they were starting to band together.

Sometimes, these mountain tigers formed groups to attack.

Fortunately, Lady Calico, having used the Wolf Banner for over a year, could now summon dozens of wolves with energy to spare, even calling forth two Mountain Gods if needed. With such reinforcements, it wasn’t too challenging to fend off a pack of tigers.

The most perilous encounter came when a tiger charged close to their group. Looking at the massive, majestic beast loomed over them, the little girl was in awe—much like the first time she had seen a genuine statue of a deity in a temple. Her expression was a mixture of envy and shock.

She should have been terrified. After all, who wouldn’t feel fear upon seeing such a massive “cat”?

Yet she remembered the Daoist’s earlier words, reminding herself that she possessed vast divine powers and immense magical strength. Bolstered by her own pride and the knowledge that her Daoist was right behind her, she pushed down her fear and stepped forward. She unleashed her True Fire, the intense flames driving the tiger back.

These tigers, while not fully enlightened or transformed into demons, were already on the cusp of it.

Some of the tigers bore visible scars—marks unmistakably left by a sword.

The Daoist raised his head, looking toward the summit above.

Standing on the mountainside, he couldn’t discern how high the peak was. However, judging by their progress, it seemed they were not far from reaching the top.

The Daoist had already caught the scent of demonic qi.

With a faint smile, he continued walking while casually speaking to Lady Calico, “Lady Calico, you are truly extraordinary. Do you know why?”

“Why?”

“Well, you see, the tiger is the king of the mountain, the lord of beasts. Some demons that had attained sentience, upon seeing a tiger—even an ordinary one—would be so overwhelmed by its might and ferocity that they’d go limp and refuse to fight.

“Even many demons with far greater cultivation would tremble in fear at the sight of a newly ascended tiger demon, much like mice cowering before a cat. In some cases, demons that could have defeated the tiger demon under normal circumstances found themselves unable to do so out of sheer intimidation.”

The Daoist turned his head slightly and met the blank gaze of Lady Calico, who was staring at him.

Smiling softly, he continued, “But Lady Calico, though you are a cat, you are a Cat God. It’s only natural for your divine power to surpass all, and your courage to be unmatched. The fact that you can suppress your fear and breathe fire at a ferocious tiger is truly remarkable, though I must admit, it’s exactly what I expected from you.”

“Exactly what you expected...” Lady Calico blinked, momentarily stunned. She took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

Her mind, however, was left puzzling over his words—

What was this Daoist talking about? He says it was remarkable, but then also says he expected it. So, didn’t it mean that she was already remarkable in the first place? Didn’t that make it even more remarkable?

She still had a tiny bit of fear in her heart, but after hearing the Daoist’s words, that tiny bit of fear vanished without a trace.