Chapter 344: Saving the Trouble of Performing Telekinesis

The Daoist and the cat returned home, climbed upstairs, and slept until the afternoon.

With the windows closed and the curtains drawn, only a little light seeped in, creating a dim, subdued atmosphere. Thin beams of light slipped through the gaps where the curtains didn’t meet the edges, casting broken streaks of light across the floor. The setting was so conducive to sleep that it seemed even better than nighttime.

Several times Song You stirred awake, glanced at the hazy scene, and couldn’t tell whether it was a dream or reality. Each time, he simply drifted back to sleep.

By the time they woke in the afternoon and had barely finished washing up, people from the government office arrived.

It was the same official as before, along with the elderly man and the constable. This time, they brought the village chief of Peach Blossom Village and a few villagers with them. Their attitude, already respectful the last time, was now even more deferential.

Song You explained that all the effort had been Lady Calico’s doing and had nothing to do with him. He directed them to speak with her instead.

He then went to prepare tea for the guests—an essential part of hospitality.

Meanwhile, Lady Calico sat primly in the main seat. Despite her small frame, she carried herself properly. The officials and villagers addressed her with utmost respect, offering either flattery or heartfelt thanks. Outwardly, she maintained a calm and impassive demeanor, but inside, her mind was in turmoil, and even her breathing had become uneven.

“Everyone, have some tea.” Song You returned with the tea, handing it to them.

“Thank you, sir.”

“As expected of a disciple trained by an immortal, Lady Calico is already so extraordinary at such a young age. It’s truly remarkable. You’ve resolved yet another major problem for our Chang’an County jurisdiction,” the magistrate’s official said. He picked up a cup of tea and, with utmost respect, handed it to Lady Calico. “Please, Lady Calico, have a sip first.”

The little girl nodded calmly, took the cup, and sipped lightly.

“This is the magistrate office’s reward.”

The official pulled out a red cloth, unfolding it to reveal three silver ingots, each weighing ten taels, crafted in a honeycomb hourglass style.

The villagers, seeing this, quickly brought out their own reward money.

The little girl hastily set her teacup back on the table, wiped her hands on her clothes, and used both hands to accept the silver.

“Although these aren’t times of war, Changjing’s prosperity attracts all sorts of people, including strange and malevolent forces. It is the fortune of Changjing to have Lady Calico and you here. If demons or monsters disturb us again, we’ll have to trouble Lady Calico in the future.”

“Mm!” The little girl, her fair face aloof and composed, gave a curt nod without saying much.

A cat-master demeanor indeed.

The Daoist, who had been sitting nearby and watching the exchange with a smile, couldn’t help but chime in, “Exorcizing evil and aiding the people is the duty of those who cultivate the Dao. Naturally, we wouldn’t refuse such requests. However, my little one is busy with her studies and mustn’t be overburdened.

“Besides, we won’t be staying in Changjing for too long, and the city can’t rely solely on us for these matters. If there are cases where other folk experts or wandering martial artists cannot handle the problem, you are welcome to find us. We’d be delighted to assist. Until then, I suggest consulting other capable experts first.”

“Understood, understood.” The official nodded repeatedly.

If memory served him right, this immortal master had behaved the same way during his stay in Changjing three years ago.

He would take on exorcism tasks but only chose the most challenging ones.

Looking back now, it wasn’t about Lady Calico’s studies or avoiding exhaustion. It was clear he sought to help the people while avoiding competition with daring

jianghu

martial artists or folk practitioners with generations of lineage behind them for their livelihood.

This truly was how an immortal master would act.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“By the way, we’ve just returned from outside the city and slept until now. We haven’t had breakfast yet and were planning to go out to eat. Are any of you hungry? Would you care to join us?”

“Oh no, no, we wouldn’t dare.”

“Then we won’t disturb you further, sir.”

The group set down their teacups and took their leave.

Once they were gone, Song You turned with a smile to his cat.

At last, the little girl showed some expression on her face. Her first reaction was to frown, glance at the teacup before her, and grumble, “Bitter, bleh...”

She smacked her lips a couple of times, then widened her eyes as she eagerly peeled back the layers of red cloth covering the silver. She picked up the ingots and began counting them carefully.

“You see, a person’s palate and a cat’s palate are truly different,” Song You remarked as he walked over and sat beside her. “People drink tea and don’t find it bitter—just like water. But when they drink alcohol, it’s bitter, harsh, and leaves them dizzy and nauseous. If you drink it, it’s just like water to you, with no side effects at all.”

“Truly the opposite,” he mused.

“Truly the opposite!” she echoed instinctively, though her full attention was on the silver in front of her.

“I have an idea.”

“What idea?”

The little girl was holding a piece of silver, inspecting it closely. Its surface was full of tiny pores due to poor casting quality, and she held it up as if trying to peer inside and discover what lay within. Hearing this, she reluctantly withdrew her gaze, which seemed on the verge of diving into the silver, and looked down intently at the Daoist.

“Tea is more expensive than water, but you find it bitter. Then, you might as well stop drinking it.”

“Might as well stop drinking it!” The little girl couldn’t agree more.

“Similarly,” the Daoist continued after a pause, “wine is even more expensive than tea, but you drink it as if it were just water. So it’s better not to drink it either.”

“Better not to drink it!”

“Then next time I pour wine, I won’t serve any to you. I’ll replace it with sweetened water. But you mustn’t think I’m treating you differently. If someone else offers wine, just tell them you’re too young to drink.”

“Got it, got it...” Lady Calico replied almost dismissively, eager to return to her scrutiny of the silver. She lifted the silver again, her attention completely absorbed.

The Daoist nodded—one less thing to worry about.

They collected the rewards and bounties, and purchased the candied hawthorn.

Thanks to Lady Calico’s generous income, the Daoist and the cat enjoyed a comfortable life in the capital for the next few days.

***

Winter arrived before they knew it.

One day, an imperial eunuch came to Willow Street, delivering an invitation to a night banquet at the emperor’s palace.

The Daoist accepted. A few days later, after some brief preparations, he and Lady Calico followed the eunuch to the palace.

Formal imperial banquets in Great Yan were typically held at noon. Grand feasts, victory celebrations, and similar events were always daytime affairs. Night banquets, on the other hand, tended to be either more private or more entertainment-focused.

Song You arrived at the palace at dusk.

The imperial palace looked much the same as it had a few years ago, almost unchanged. Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, it displayed its architectural splendor to the Daoist with breathtaking beauty.

When they reached Changle Palace, Song You saw the emperor. But the emperor had aged considerably since their last meeting three years ago.

The Daoist paused, meeting the emperor’s gaze.

Sometimes, a person’s decline could occur in just a year or two. Though Song You had not seen the emperor for only three and a half years, the changes were profound. His hair was now completely white, his movements slow and frail. The transformation was stark, and Song You couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Indeed, no one in this world could triumph over time.

The elderly emperor, however, was the first to approach. He said, “Sir, at last you’ve arrived...”

The Daoist withdrew his gaze and thoughts, standing calmly in place as he raised his hand in a respectful gesture.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“The State Preceptor is not in Changjing, and my health has been poor. I didn’t even know you had returned to the capital until a while ago when I invited Chen Ziyi for a late-night conversation in the palace. It was then he mentioned it. After taking some time to recover, I finally felt well enough to invite you to a night banquet. Otherwise, I feared you might laugh at my state,” the elderly emperor said.

Standing before the Daoist like any ordinary elder, he looked up at him. His tone became both verbose and wistful. “Sir, you are almost exactly the same as three years ago—completely unchanged.”

“You have changed quite a bit, Your Majesty.”

There was a hint of melancholy in the Daoist’s words.

The palace attendants nearby couldn’t help but cast glances at the Daoist. Words like these, coming from anyone else, would likely have warranted a rebuke. But the emperor had clearly given prior instructions, and no one dared to speak up.

The emperor himself didn’t take offense; instead, he sighed deeply.

“I have aged.”

“Birth, aging, sickness, and death—such is the way of the world. Who can escape it?”

“Please, sir, take a seat.”

The emperor personally led the Daoist to a seat.

Apart from the main seat at the head of the hall, there were three tables set below it. On one side was a single table, occupied by a long-bearded official—the prime minister of Great Yan. On the other side were two tables placed close together. One was for Song You, and the other had been prepared for Lady Calico. However, Song You insisted that the calico cat sit beside him.

The calico cat, well-behaved and obedient, sat quietly at his feet, looking up at the emperor.

“Even your cat seems unchanged,” the emperor remarked from his seat of honor.

Hearing this, the cat’s expression shifted subtly, as though she didn’t quite agree.

The elderly emperor longed for his youth and lamented his aging. The young cat, on the other hand, wished to grow up quickly.

Song You, understanding his perspective, smiled and said to the emperor, “How could one see a cat’s changes with the naked eye?”

“That is true.”

“Where is the State Preceptor?”

“The State Preceptor, though my advisor, is also a cultivator of the Dao like you,” the emperor replied. “Having managed state affairs for many years, he has now gone to handle matters beyond the mundane world.”

“The matters of Mount Ye in Fengzhou, perhaps?”

“Exactly.”

“I see.” Song You lowered his gaze slightly.

The table before him was laden with exquisite dishes, even more lavish than the last banquet. The dishes he had particularly enjoyed last time had been retained, while those he had disliked and barely touched had been replaced.

The emperor raised his cup to toast him, but the Daoist gently advised him to drink less.

The Daoist and the emperor ate and conversed, discussing the recent great victory in the north, reminiscing about history, and reflecting on the present. It felt less like a conversation between an emperor and a Daoist and more like two leisurely men chatting by a riverside.

Even the cat seemed to be affected by the relaxed atmosphere. After eating her fill, she lay idly by the Daoist’s feet for a while before stretching lazily and wandering aimlessly around the palace hall. She paid no mind to their words, which she couldn’t understand, as they discussed matters of great importance. This was, after all, the imperial palace of Great Yan—the heart of the realm.

“The deeds of Daoist Spiritual Master Fuyang are still spoken of among the people of Great Yan. I imagine your exploits along this journey will also be remembered for many years,” the emperor remarked.

“Perhaps,” Song You replied.

“Since you assisted us in the north, helping to rid our mortal world of the demons among the northern frontier army, you must have some insight into the northern garrisons and General Chen.” The elderly emperor coughed lightly, prompting a nearby eunuch to approach with concern, only to be waved away.

The emperor continued, “You’ve been back in the capital for a month now. No doubt you’ve heard a few things. What are your thoughts?”

The emperor leaned forward slightly, looking at him expectantly.

At last, they had come to the true purpose of the night’s banquet.

Song You had initially assumed the emperor would stick to discussing ghosts, gods, and history, avoiding matters of governance or the people. If that had been the case, he would have treated the banquet as merely an opportunity to enjoy imperial cuisine.