Chapter 404: Halfway Through the Road to Yaozhou

“

Clear mountains, flowing waters, and the sun high in the sky. Oh, how the good wind carries on

...”

The rough voice echoed across the clear blue river as a small boat slowly cut through the tranquil waters between the hills. The rowing sent ripples across the mirrored reflection of blue skies and white clouds on the water’s surface.

Suddenly, his singing paused as he looked into the distance.

At the crumbling ferry dock of Zi Commandery stood a young Daoist priest. By his side crouched a calico cat, and behind him stood a sturdy jujube-red horse.

“

Whoosh

...” A swallow darted past in front of the boatman, swift as an arrow.

“Well, I’ll be...”

The old boatman rubbed his eyes and called out. Hearing a response, he hurriedly rowed his boat closer.

Moments later, the boat had pushed off from the dock once again, this time carrying a new load: the jujube-red horse, the young Daoist priest, and the calico cat. The cat perched herself on the edge of the boat, leaning forward to peer into the water, seemingly lost in her thoughts.

The Daoist, meanwhile, addressed the boatman, “Sir, you’ve got a leg injury, and you’re not young anymore. Why are you still ferrying passengers on the river?”

“Well, it’s all to make a living,” the boatman said, waving his hand dismissively. Then he glanced at Song You, his tone cautious. “Though, to be honest, sir, after the last time I ferried you, I went home to rest for a few days, just as you advised. Who’d have thought that during those days, the earth itself would tremble, the mountains collapse, and the river get cut off, rerouting to a different path entirely!

“Some folks in Zi Commandery were saying it was caused by an incredible water dragon stirring up trouble, shaking the earth and splitting the land. I couldn’t help but worry about you, sir.”

“Were the damages severe?”

“Zi Commandery wasn’t hit too hard. They say by the time you got to the commandery city, you could barely feel any tremors.”

The boatman scratched his head and continued, “But the river... Now, that was a different story. Anyone who was on the water or near the banks could tell something was off. It wasn’t like a normal earthquake—it was downright eerie.

“The river changed its course, and then it shifted back again. In all that chaos, plenty of households along the banks suffered, and who knows how many boats capsized on the water.”

“Indeed...” Song You nodded thoughtfully.

The Yin River, while not as mighty as it had been in ancient times, was still a significant waterway that flowed eastward into the sea. Countless boats plied its waters daily, and an abrupt interruption of its flow was no trivial matter.

This was one reason Song You had spared the white rhinoceros demon but could not overlook the actions of the marsh dragons. He had trusted that the fox demon would not let them go unpunished, sparing himself the need to intervene directly.

Ancient, lineage-based great demons truly possessed terrifying power.

Unfortunately, few such ancient great demon lineages remained. Most had faded into obscurity, and those in Yuezhou were considered among the more fortunate ones. Now, even their numbers had dwindled.

“People fleeing from the southern parts of Zi Commandery said that when the Yin River overflowed its banks, it turned entire mountain regions into what looked like a sea. In the middle of the day, it was dark as night. Ghostly wails echoed everywhere, and there was lightning and thunder. They claim some incredible demon was causing chaos, with gods and demons battling it out.”

The boatman glanced at Song You nervously as he spoke, “Once the river returned to its course and some days passed, boats began to appear on the water again. I even came back to this side to see if I might find you, sir. But when I didn’t, I figured our fates were not aligned and that you’d already moved on. I never expected to meet you again, a whole year later.”

“I had some matters to attend to in that direction,” Song You replied with a faint smile. He paused before adding, “In truth, we specifically waited here to meet you, sir. We’ve been waiting for two days now.”

“Huh? How could I trouble you to wait for me?” The boatman’s eyes widened in shock, clearly startled.

“There’s no need to worry, sir. Boats on the river have been scarce, and we’ve only turned down one empty vessel over the past two days.” Song You’s voice was calm and soothing. “We remembered how you ferried us last year and the kind words we exchanged. I even said we’d meet again. So this time, I’ve brought a small offering—a bit of wine to share as thanks, and to help chase away the cold.”

With that, he pulled out a wine flask and poured a cup of wine for the boatman.

“Ah...” The boatman, flustered and awkward, didn’t know whether to refuse or accept. After wiping his hands repeatedly on his clothes, he finally accepted the cup with a sheepish smile.

“Thanks, Immortal Master.” He tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp.

It was local wine, simple but potent—incidentally, the most expensive wine sold in the county city. The boatman had never had the chance to taste it before. After finishing the cup, he chuckled and said to Song You, “This wine is good...”

Wine in these times wasn’t strong enough to easily make someone drunk, and one cup wouldn’t delay the journey.

After returning the cup, the boatman stopped rowing and let the light boat drift down the emerald waves. Accompanied by his cheerful singing, the boat soon reached the dock that marked the border of Yaozhou—the same dock where Song You had disembarked last time.

Perhaps the wine’s warmth truly drove away the cold. Despite the lingering chill of spring upon the river, the old boatman’s aching legs didn’t bother him the entire trip.

“Immortal Master, will you disembark here again?”

“Here, as before.”

“Alright!” The boatman promptly steered the boat to the dock.

Song You handed over the boat fare, but the boatman adamantly refused to take it. Song You, however, insisted and left the money before thanking the boatman and stepping off the boat.

The same yellow dirt path stretched ahead, winding through the mountains. This road was smoother than those in Zi Commandery, Fengzhou. Tall cedar trees lined the sides, their trunks forming a straight forest corridor. It was the same place where Lady Calico had once ridden a fierce tiger, leading a pack of wolves in an exhilarating chase.

In the misty spring air, the mountains were still shrouded in a thin veil of fog and miasma, like a soft gauze covering the scenery. The illusion made the path feel unchanged from the previous year, as though time itself had stood still.

“Let’s go.” Song You began to walk forward, and the jujube-red horse dutifully followed behind.

The sound of hooves clopping and the jingling of bells echoed between the mountains and through the forest.

The calico cat trotted along with her tiny steps, occasionally tilting her head high to look at the mountains shrouded in mist, the trees, and the birds. From time to time, she would lower her head to glance ahead or behind, seemingly deep in thought.

Perhaps she was thinking of the little mountain spirits that had hidden here last year or lamenting the absence of carts and the melody of the qin along the road this year.

Before long, they arrived at the fork in the road.

The small tea stall at the crossroads still hadn’t opened.

Song You sat on one of the stones by the stall, using the dilapidated tea shack as shade, and took out some dry rations and water for a simple meal.

Weeds had grown in abundance along the roadside and around the tea stall. The horse, silent as always, lowered its head to graze, the soft sounds of grass being plucked and chewed filling the air. The cat also pulled out some dried loach from the saddlebag, lying on the ground and gnawing at it.

“Daoist priest, do you want some loach?”

“No, thank you.”

“It’s very clean,” the cat said, lifting her head to stare at him. “Even cleaner than the dried meat they sell in the city.”

“Lady Calico can have it.”

“What a picky eater...”

The cat shook her head, muttering softly to herself, before going back to gnawing on the dried loach.

The loach was dry and tough, crumbling into bits as she bit into it. Every chew created faint crunching sounds that were oddly satisfying to listen to.

The sunlight illuminated the world in a warm and dazzling brilliance.

The weather seemed to have gotten warmer.

Song You finished eating the vegetable bun in his hand, meticulously picking up the larger crumbs and popping them into his mouth. The finer bits he couldn’t gather, he brushed off his hands and let the wind carry them away. Leaning back against one of the wooden posts of the tea stall, he quietly watched the cat gnawing on her dried loach while also gazing down the sunlit, empty road.

In this moment, he felt an unusual sense of peace and leisure.

All the tension and busyness of the past year, whether intense or dull, seemed to have dissipated instantly.

“...”

Song You couldn’t help but stretch lazily, a wave of drowsiness washing over him.

Traveling through the wilderness, resting at a deserted tea stall, under the glaring midday sun on a tranquil, empty mountain road—it felt like the perfect setting for a nap.

“Lady Calico, I need to sleep for a bit.”

“Okay...”

With that, Song You half-closed his eyes and drifted into slumber.

From the moment he sat down to rest, to eating his rations, and eventually nodding off at the roadside, only one group of travelers passed through the fork in the road. There were commoners leading donkeys with jingling bells, merchants driving carts or pushing wheelbarrows, the wooden wheels rumbling softly against the ground—a sound that didn’t disturb his rest but rather seemed to lull him further into sleep.

There were also lively travelers and wandering

jianghu

people. Many glanced curiously at the carefree figure of the young Daoist napping fearlessly in the open, as if oblivious to the existence of bandits or thieves.

Passersby, in a way, became part of the Daoist’s afternoon dream, just as he might have become a fleeting detail in their journey.

When Song You groggily woke, the world slowly came back into focus. Looking down, he saw that Lady Calico had also curled up beside him and fallen asleep. Across the way, the swallow perched on a tree branch with its head tucked under its wing, slumbering peacefully. Even the horse stood quietly, not making a single sound.

Beams of sunlight streamed through the gaps in the dilapidated tea stall roof, casting patches of light on the ground.

The surroundings were utterly silent, save for the faint rustling of a trail of ants on the ground, busily moving the crumbs of his vegetable bun and the scraps of Lady Calico’s dried loach.

Song You couldn't bear to wake them. The scene before him was so tranquil, it made leaving unthinkable. So he quietly sat there, neither meditating on the essence of heaven and earth nor plotting out his next route. Instead, he simply watched the ants on the ground carrying scraps of food as they circled around Lady Calico. Some even ventured closer to inspect the slumbering “giant beast.”

“...”

Lady Calico slowly cracked open one eye. Seeing that the Daoist was already awake, she immediately opened her eyes wide, glanced around, and then looked down at the trail of ants on the ground. Unable to resist the urge, she batted at them lightly with her paw, flipping a few ants over. This was purely an instinctive act in her groggy, half-asleep state.

However, she didn't trouble them further and soon looked up at the Daoist. “You're awake?”

Almost at the same time, the swallow opened its eyes.

“I’m awake.”

“Are we leaving now?”

“Lady Calico, you can sleep a little longer.”

“I’m already awake.”

“Then let’s go.”

Song You stood up, stretching his body, feeling completely refreshed.

Lady Calico stretched lazily as well. As her eyes flicked back to the ants on the ground, she couldn't resist swiping at them again, flipping a few more over.

It was just natural—pure instinct. She simply couldn't control her paws.

Getting up, she followed the Daoist as he loaded his belongings onto the horse's back. Even as they departed, she couldn't help but look back at the ants one last time.

The group headed onto the main road, leaving the tea stall behind. This time, instead of taking the left fork as they had before, they chose the right path. The clatter of horse hooves and the jingle of bells became the only sounds echoing along the quiet afternoon mountain road.

A few days later, they arrived in Anmin County.

As Changping Princess had once said herself, the harsh, chilling ghostly qi of Fengzhou had left its mark on her, compounded by the treacherous, miasma-filled mountains of Yaozhou. Once she settled in Yaozhou, the unfamiliar climate took its toll on her.

Furthermore, learning the truth about the fox demon likely delivered a blow to her pride. Whether she was deeply shocked or not remained uncertain, but within just one year, she seemed to have aged more than a decade—almost comparable to her father, the emperor, who remained on the throne back in Changjing’s court.

Even so, upon hearing of Song You's visit, she made the effort, frail as she was, to present herself in full formal attire, personally hosting him. She maintained both the dignity of a former grand princess of Great Yan and the respect owed to the visiting Daoist.

In the early days of March, ninth year of the Mingde era, the Daoist left Anmin County.

Not long after, Princess Changping passed away in her home.

Thus ended the life of a princess who had once wielded the greatest power ever held by a woman in history. He wondered how long it would be before the emperor, who had spent half his life with her by his side, would hear the news. One could only imagine what thoughts or emotions it might have stirred within him.