Chapter 395: The Swallow is as Clever as Lady Calico

“

Phew

...”

Song You opened his eyes, exhaled a long breath, and paused briefly, sinking into silent contemplation.

This was undoubtedly a complex and arduous process.

The smaller challenge lay in the fact that his primary cultivation was in the Four Seasons Rotation Method. While the Four Seasons Rotation Method was boundlessly versatile, and its extreme yang and extreme yin spiritual energies could mimic yin-yang to some extent, it ultimately fell short compared to the true Yin-Yang Method.

As a result, there was an underlying sense that there was an abundance of the seasonal spiritual energy but a deficiency in the yin and yang.

This issue, however, was not difficult to resolve and didn’t pose a significant impact. At worst, it would simply take more time to achieve his goal.

The greater challenge, though, was capturing that spiritual resonance and profundity—something that connected with the heavens and aligned with the natural laws of the universe. Without this connection, he couldn’t achieve the kind of creation he sought.

This issue was far more nebulous.

At its core, it boiled down to one point. No one before him had ever left behind a divine technique to create such transformative wonders. Song You was attempting to forge this path entirely on his own, and it was no easy task.

Fortunately, he already had some prior insights.

With a solid foundation, a tall building could naturally be constructed.

For now, Song You decided to take a break. He used this time to reflect on his insights, rest his mind, and recover his spiritual energy. As he did, he glanced toward the passage outside.

The sound of hooves echoed in the distance.

“

Whoosh

...”

As usual, it was a swallow that flew in first. Upon entering, it was momentarily stunned by the sight: stone spires rising from the ground inside the mountain, floating stone slab steps suspended in the air, and countless orbs of spiritual light hanging motionless across the sky.

Quickly flapping its wings to brake mid-air, the swallow hovered in place to take it all in. Then, noticing Song You sitting atop the stone pillar, it finally flew over.

The jujube-red horse trotted in shortly after.

This time, the horse carried a large bundle strapped to its back, and hanging from the bundle was a small pouch. A calico cat was nestled inside the pouch, her head poking out, one cheek swollen so much it looked disproportionately large. She gazed outward, her clear eyes taking in the scene.

She, too, was momentarily stunned by the sight.

Hurriedly, she called the horse to stop, then scrambled out of the pouch. Landing on the ground, she spun in a circle, craning her neck to look upward. The colorful lights reflected in her clear eyes like tiny stars. She stretched her neck further, peering in the direction the swallow had flown.

Spotting her Daoist sitting high atop the stone platform, she then glanced back at her horse. Choosing a direction, she began cautiously stepping forward. Her steps turned from tentative to confident, from a light trot to a quick run.

When she reached the base of the stone pillar, she paused, looking around at the surroundings and the ghosts that had returned. She even glanced around in search of the fox before tilting her head back to look up at the stone steps, which resembled a celestial staircase. Then, without hesitation, she began climbing.

She didn’t forget to call her horse, reminding it to be careful.

The calico cat carefully ascended step by step, frequently stopping to peek at the distant view or glance at the glowing spiritual lights hovering nearby. She would stretch out a paw to swat at the lights, judging their distance and considering whether she could leap to catch one. However, as soon as she looked down and saw the height, she immediately thought better of it.

The path was short, but she dawdled so much that it took her quite a while to reach the top.

When she finally arrived before Song You, the swallow was already perched lazily nearby, grooming its feathers, having waited for her for some time.

“Daoist priest, we’re back!”

“You’ve traveled nearly a thousand li round trip, and you’re back so quickly,” Song You remarked, glancing at the calico cat. Noticing her left cheek was swollen and plump, making her face look asymmetrical, he squinted slightly. “What happened to your face? Why is it swollen?”

“The horse naturally runs fast,” the calico cat replied, her tone and demeanor as nonchalant as ever, despite her swollen, round cheek. “It’s just you who always walks so slowly.”

“Alright, it’s my fault,” Song You nodded, then asked again, “But what exactly happened to your face?”

The cat glanced back at the floating stone steps.

The horse was still struggling to make its way up.

“

Poof

...”

The cat instantly transformed into her human form. Dressed in a three-colored outfit, her face was fair and tender, spotless and pristine—except for one cheek, which was just as swollen as before. From the side, it looked like a large lump protruded awkwardly from her face.

She stood on tiptoes, taking advantage of the fact that the horse hadn’t yet reached the platform and was still shorter than her. Reaching into the bundle on the horse’s back, she rummaged around for a moment before pulling out a jar, which she opened and showed to the Daoist.

Inside was golden honey.

“I saw a bee’s house on the way and decided to ask them for some honey. It's sweet and doesn't cost anything,” she said smugly.

“...”

Song You had already guessed what happened. Remaining seated cross-legged, he asked, “Lady Calico, you wouldn’t have stolen their honey and then tried to see what the bees tasted like, would you?”

“Eating bees makes your mouth hurt.” The little girl stretched back onto her tiptoes, carefully placing the honey jar back into the bundle. Then, with a loud

poof

, she transformed back into her cat form, lying flat on the ground and stretching lazily. Only then did she respond, “They saw me stealing their honey, got upset, and tried to sting me.”

“I see.” Song You thought for a moment and quickly pieced the story together.

Lady Calico had been practicing fire techniques for some time. Back in Yanzhou, at the military garrison, she had once spewed fire to burn wasps. Ordinary bees wouldn’t have stood a chance against her. But it seemed she’d felt guilty for stealing their honey and didn’t have the heart to burn them alive, so she refrained from using her magic.

“Later, the swallow blew a gust of wind and chased them away,” the calico cat added, her swollen face showing no trace of concern. Tilting her head, she said, “I possess vast divine powers and immense magical strength. It’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

“We bought the provisions!” the calico cat said enthusiastically. “We bought rice, flour, and even some dried meat.”

“And what about the soil of the two directions? Did you find them?”

“We did!” the calico cat replied confidently but then paused to scratch her head with her hind paw. She transformed back into her human form and retrieved two cloth-wrapped items from the bundle.

As she worked, she explained to the Daoist, “These things are really strange. When we found them, we couldn’t move them no matter what. The swallow and I used all our strength but still couldn’t lift them, and even the horse couldn’t pull them...”

“Then how did you bring them back?”

“The swallow is clever! It spoke a couple of incantations to them, and suddenly, they became light as feathers!”

“Incantations?” Song You turned to look at the swallow perched near the edge of the platform.

The swallow finally spoke, its voice soft. “I just told them that we were acting under the orders of Mr. Song You, retrieving them to construct the underworld. After that, they became light and easy to carry.”

“Remarkable,” Song You said with a faint smile. He then asked, “And how did you come up with that idea?”

“When we found them,” the swallow replied honestly, “we noticed they were full of infinite spiritual resonance and profound mystery. One was like refined gold, heavier than a mountain but able to rest on a wooden frame. The other was like earth essence, as heavy as the land itself but able to be stored in an ordinary clay jar.

“I thought to myself: That State Preceptor was certainly remarkable, but his cultivation and divine abilities weren’t exceptionally powerful. How could he have transported these two types of soil from the distant North and Center all the way to Fengzhou, and then kept them stored so simply? It must have been made by the will of heaven and the sincerity of the people.”

Lady Calico's expression grew more serious as she listened. This kind of cleverness seemed entirely different from anything she possessed.

Perhaps... it was

another kind

of intelligence!

“You’re truly clever,” Song You said with a smile, complimenting the swallow.

This was truly a type of wisdom that ordinary people would find difficult to imagine and even harder to attain.

“Master, you flatter me.”

At this moment, the two types of soil were placed before Song You.

They were wrapped in two layers of coarse cloth, without any particular care.

When the cloth was unfolded, one piece resembled metal, square and angular, but its surface was astonishingly smooth, capable of reflecting a person’s face with clarity. As the swallow had described, it radiated infinite spiritual resonance and profound mystery.

The other piece was like a lump of soft clay or loose sand. A light touch would cause it to shift shape, and when pinched, it would easily slide through one’s fingers, scattering into loose grains before gathering itself back into a cohesive mound.

It seemed like metal and earth.

The North and the Center...

Apparently, these Five-Element Soils from the five directions didn’t strictly correspond the five directions with the five elements as rumored. Otherwise, the soils from the North and the Center should have belonged to water and earth, respectively.

Song You didn’t dwell on this. He casually set the soils aside and turned his gaze back to the swallow and the calico cat.

“We will be staying here for quite a while—anywhere from a few months to a few years,” Song You said, his voice breaking through Lady Calico’s deep thoughts. “During this time, I will likely remain seated here, occupied with various tasks. I should also assign something for you two to do.”

“Um... what kind of work,

meow

?”

“Please instruct us, sir,” the swallow said respectfully.

“Previously, the leakage of yin and ghostly qi from Mount Ye caused the surrounding land, for dozens of li, to become barren. Ghostface Grass grew rampant, and to this day, the yin and ghostly qi have not dissipated, leaving the outside desolate. However, now that I am here, the ghostly qi will no longer continue to leak out.”

Song You turned to Lady Calico first. “Lady Calico, you cultivate both yin and yang. The external yin energy is dense and pure, which can help you absorb yin spiritual power. As for the heavy ghostly qi, you can use your extreme yang power to dispel it. Both will help you improve your cultivation and also accelerate the recovery of the outside world to its natural state.”

“Understood...” The cat, her face still swollen, nodded seriously with determination.

Song You then shifted his attention to the swallow.

“The outside world has been desolate for a long time. Under the corrosion of yin energy and ghostly qi, most of the grass seeds and tree saplings in the ground have likely died. After the recent battle, with heavenly fire and lightning wreaking havoc, I suspect nothing will grow for some time.

“Now that old Swallow Immortal has become a god of grain and harvests, destined to be a god of abundance and growth in the future, and since you are his successor, it’s only fitting that I teach you the art of gathering vitality and nurturing growth. Coincidentally, these barren lands stretching for dozens of li are the perfect place to practice such techniques.”

Song You continued, “If you’re willing, help this area recover its vitality as soon as possible—let lush grass cover the ground, and green trees fill the forest.”

“Of course, I’m willing!” The swallow agreed immediately, then asked, “What about the shattered mountains and scorched land outside?”

“Every landscape has its own beauty, no matter its appearance. Let them remain as they are. Perhaps their scars tell the story of what happened here, and that, too, holds meaning,” Song You said with a smile, waving his hand. “There’s no need to concern yourself with them.”

“I understand...“

At this moment, all the scattered ghosts who had been lingering outside—no matter how distant or cautious—finally returned.

Seeing that the Immortal Master atop the high platform was finally at leisure, three high-ranking ghost officials nervously approached to pay their respects.

The three ghost officials varied in appearance and age. Song You had seen them before when he first arrived at Mount Ye Ghost City. They appeared to be the deputy ministers of the city’s three halls. Since the position of Ghost King was vacant, they had been temporarily managing the affairs of the three halls.

Now, judging by their anxious expressions, they were likely worried. With the State Preceptor having fallen, they feared Song You might suspect them of being part of his schemes since they were officials appointed by the State Preceptor, and deal with them accordingly.