Chapter 393: Lady Calico Takes Charge of the Daoist's Meals

The interior of Mount Ye was now vast and empty. The borrowed starlight still glimmered faintly, while Lady Calico had started a small fire on the ground. The Daoist sat cross-legged nearby, and she sat beside him, tilting her head upward to look at him. Whether or not her neck was getting tired was unclear, but the Daoist was more concerned about when her endless stream of questions might finally stop.

“Why was this place flooded with water?”

“It was a great marsh dragon demon who blocked the rivers and diverted the water to form this marsh here,” Song You replied patiently.

“Blocked the rivers!”

“If you train well, you won’t even need to learn spells. With the Water-Splitting Blade, you could draw water like a dragon and redirect entire rivers,” Song You said.

“Really?”

“For someone capable like you, of course it’s possible.”

“How long will it take?”

“...”

“How long?”

The cat stared at him with a serious expression, refusing to let the question go.

“Maybe a few hundred years.”

“So long!”

“It’ll pass in the blink of an eye.”

“Why did they bring the water here?” Lady Calico’s expression grew even more serious. “Did they want to drown you, Daoist priest?”

“They wanted to create a battlefield that favored them.”

“That sounds amazing!”

“Transforming the landscape is an extraordinary ability,” Song You said, pausing briefly before continuing to Lady Calico. “But it’s not just about spells or divine powers. Combat often requires wit and strategy. They knew there was a Yin River nearby, and they also knew that this river once flowed through here, leaving an old riverbed. That’s how they achieved this. So, when fighting, you have to use your brain.”

“That sounds amazing!”

“Lady Calico, you’re clever and resourceful—you’ll definitely outmatch them!”

“Of course!”

Naturally, the cat replied without hesitation. But before the Daoist could catch his breath, she launched another question, “I saw you fighting with some crocodiles. Was one of them the one we met in the river that day?”

“That one got away.”

“Did you kill the others?”

“It wasn’t me who killed them,” Song You said, pausing for a moment. “None of them were killed by me.”

“Crocodiles sound like...”

Lady Calico trailed off without finishing her sentence. Instead, she stuck out her tongue, licking her lips in a slow circle. She then raised a paw and licked it twice, using the motion as an excuse to sneak glances at the Daoist, wary of him launching into another lecture about how eating demons was strictly forbidden.

“Crocodile demons are, of course, not to be eaten.”

Here it comes. Lady Calico’s predictions were always spot on.

The calico cat continued licking her paw, pretending to be uninterested, while mulling over his words.

“But ordinary crocodiles taste a lot like chicken,” Song You added.

“Hmm?”

Lady Calico froze for a moment, staring at the Daoist. She then lowered her paw, sat upright, but tilted her head skeptically as she looked at him. “How do you know that?”

“I’ve eaten it before.”

“When?”

“Before I met you, Lady Calico.”

“Oh...”

Only then did Lady Calico relax, letting out a small breath of relief.

Although they hadn’t been apart for long, it felt like ages—perhaps because of the long journeys and many worries. She didn’t know what else to do, so she kept talking to him.

Above them, the swallow had already fallen asleep on the tall rock.

The fox demon and her maidservant, for once, remained silent. They sat across from the fire, not even playing the qin, merely watching the scene quietly. They listened as the cat asked her innocent questions and the Daoist answered with patience. At times, the Daoist’s expression would falter, a fleeting absentmindedness crossing his face as if lost in thought.

The night deepened.

“Lady Calico, it’s time to sleep,” the Daoist said, his voice dry. “Get a good night’s rest.”

“Are you tired from fighting the big demons?”

“I am a little tired,” Song You admitted with a nod. He looked at the little cat, her eyes like glazed amber, reflecting the firelight. After a pause, he continued, “But what’s more important is you, Lady Calico. You and the swallow both accomplished great feats today—you must also be tired. Tonight, rest well. Tomorrow, I’ll need you and the swallow to help me summon back the scattered yin souls from the surrounding area.”

“...”

The cat stared at him, about to say she wasn’t tired, but after hearing the second half of his sentence, she reconsidered and nodded in agreement.

“Okay!”

With that, she lay down right where she was, adopting a posture that showed she could fall asleep at a moment’s notice.

Song You let out a small breath of relief, glancing down at her before closing his own eyes.

In the distance, the fox demon and her maidservant continued to watch them silently, their expressions calm, though their inner thoughts remained unreadable.

In the deep of the night, during the third or fourth watch, a deity entered Song You’s dreams.

The dream unfolded in a world of flickering golden light, empty yet oppressive. Within this luminous void appeared a deity whose entire form seemed forged from solid gold. His imposing presence filled the space as he spoke in a deep, resonant voice, “Why did a Hidden Dragon Temple human cultivator slaughter my subordinate? How dare you slay a god?”

Song You simply stared at him, saying nothing.

The deity’s face darkened, his tone growing harsher as he continued, “The Great Star God may have been misled by mortal trickery, but the one who summoned him was the State Preceptor, a man of great renown among the people. How was he to know this State Preceptor was a villain? Even if he made a misstep, you did not question or deliberate—you simply executed him. Don’t you think this was excessively arrogant and reckless?”

Still, Song You said nothing, his cold gaze fixed unwaveringly on the deity.

“So you truly believe that because you are human, a descendant of Hidden Dragon Temple, we wouldn’t dare act against you?”

The Golden Spirit Officer glared at him, his golden eyes blazing with fury, his expression growing increasingly intense. After a long silence, he finally spoke in a chilling tone, “To think Hidden Dragon Temple would produce such an insolent, bloodthirsty man in this generation. I see its downfall is not far off!”

With that, he vanished abruptly, the golden light in the dream dissipating.

From beginning to end, the Daoist did not utter a single word.

The purpose of the Golden Spirit Officer’s dream visitation was straightforward: he wanted to convey that the Great Star God had been misled into descending to the mortal world.

After all, such acts—gods descending to sow chaos—not only violated the tenets of humanity but also the fundamental principles of the gods. It wasn’t just a matter of whether Song You would allow such things to happen; even within the Heavenly Palace, most virtuous deities would not permit it.

However, as a martial officer of the Heavenly Palace, the Golden Spirit Officer’s temperament was naturally fiery, and his approach was domineering.

Unfortunately for him, Song You completely ignored him. And there was nothing the Spirit Officer could do about it.

This likely left him even more frustrated than if Song You had simply argued with him outright.

Song You, for his part, remained utterly unbothered.

When facing the Heavenly Palace, he held a critical advantage beyond his Daoist cultivation, magical power, and combat abilities—he was human.

The Heavenly Palace indeed boasted many capable deities. Figures like Duke of Thunder Zhou, the head of the Thunder Division, or the Golden Spirit Officer, head of the War Division, were renowned celestial generals with immense power, likely on par with demon kings.

Then there were beings like Fiery Sun True Lord, a true ancient great being who had joined the Heavenly Palace to escape the Heavenly Dao’s reckoning—an undeniable powerhouse of antiquity.

As the fox had said, this was the age of Human Dao and Divine Dao. The rules dictated that divine power governed by incense offerings would wield dominance in the world. Not even Song You, nor a reincarnated Earth Sage, could single-handedly oppose the Heavenly Palace.

Years ago, when Daoist Fuyang reorganized the Heavenly Palace, he had not fought the entire institution. Instead, he targeted a faction—those deities deeply entangled with the interests of the previous dynasty, unwilling to see it fall, and who chose to descend to the mortal world to stir up chaos.

Most deities, however, achieved their status through virtue. The majority still adhered to principles, understanding what should and should not be done.

The same was true now.

Deities originated from humanity—how could they harm humans so easily?

If the Heavenly Palace lacked a legitimate reason, even if the Great Emperor Chijin slammed his table to pieces and called on the gods to unite against Song You, few would answer the call.

That a clash with the Golden Spirit Officer was inevitable was already clear. Since they were destined to be enemies, there was no need to waste words on him.

It would only be a waste of breath.

Song You slept until daylight.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a cat’s face, staring down at him. He had no idea how long she’d been standing there watching him.

Seeing that he was awake, she finally sat back down and began licking her paw.

“Daoist priest, are you awake? Are you hungry? Did you eat anything yesterday? There aren’t any mice around here, but there are lots of little lakes outside. I found some live fish in the farther ones...”

Song You sat up and looked. On the ground were several small fish arranged neatly in a row. Their heads and tails faced the same direction, evenly spaced, and ordered from largest to smallest.

Lady Calico’s thinking was peculiar. She considered herself an expert hunter and believed it her responsibility to provide food for the group. If anyone went without, she would feel it was a failure in her hunting skills and would often sit silently nearby, consumed with guilt and self-reproach.

Song You understood this.

He also knew about Lady Calico’s mild obsession with the arrangement of her prey.

So, he simply thanked her, checked if the swallow and the horse had eaten, and then picked up the fish to roast them. While preparing the meal, he said to them, “I’ll need to stay here for a while, so there are a few things I’ll have to ask you, horsey, and the swallow to help with.”

“What kind of help?” The cat immediately looked up at him.

“Please give your instructions, sir!” called the swallow from atop the rock. “Is it to summon back the yin souls?”

“Summoning the yin souls is the first task.”

“And the second is retrieving the belongings we left by the roadside in Zhengxi County?”

“Very clever.” Song You praised the swallow before continuing, “Additionally, the State Preceptor stored two pieces of the earth from the five directions at his residence near the county office in Yinnan County. These should be extraordinary, rich in spiritual resonance, and likely different from ordinary soil in appearance. I need you to locate them. If you can retrieve them, bring them along on your way back.”

“Understood.”

“I will see to it,” the swallow replied.

“And one more thing,” Song You added after a brief pause, glancing at the swallow and then at the cat with a smile.

He said, “While passing through Yinnan County, buy some food and provisions. We’ll be staying here for quite some time. Lady Calico is actually very skilled at shopping—especially at haggling and handling money—so she can take charge of the purchases. However, since Lady Calico’s human form appears quite young, I’m worried she might be underestimated or even tricked.

“Yan An, you’ll need to accompany her, though you don’t need to speak—just stay by her side.”

“Understood...” The swallow looked slightly embarrassed.

“Got it!” The cat answered crisply as always.

Lady Calico was indeed a clever and capable cat.

“I’m counting on you.” Song You first looked at the swallow, then at the horse, and finally fixed his gaze on the cat. “This will be another great help to me.”

“A great help!” Lady Calico continued to stare at him. “But if I leave, what will you eat?”

“Going hungry for a few days won’t hurt me.”

“...”

“Go on now.”

Song You waved his hand.

The horse immediately rose to its feet, ready to head out. The swallow leaned forward, preparing to take flight from the edge of the tall rock. The cat turned her head, gave him a few more glances, and after a moment of thought, finally left.

A long time passed, and then she came back.

She said she had dug a pit near the doorway outside and caught some fish to keep there. That way, if he got hungry, he could catch one and eat it.

Song You had no choice but to agree, to put her mind at ease.