Chapter 412: An Important Step Toward Becoming a Great Demon

Song You did not descend the mountain immediately. Instead, he followed a narrow path that had been tread down by travelers, leading to the higher peak behind them. There, he and the little girl sat idly, gazing out over the sunrise and morning light upon Mount Zunzhe.

As expected, this place offered a perfect vantage point.

From here, Mount Zunzhe appeared even more imposing and majestic—like a colossal stone pillar thrust into the heavens from the mountain range. Or perhaps, like a wise elder standing high above, overlooking the land.

From this angle, they could see the cloud-like mist swirling around Mount Zunzhe's body, capturing every shift and movement within its embrace. Framed by endless rolling green peaks, the scene was both pristine and strikingly beautiful.

Yet, the sunrise was fleeting, and daylight swiftly took over. The morning air remained cool and damp.

The grass on the mountaintop was soaked in dew, and before they knew it, the Daoist and the little girl, still seated atop the peak, found their robes growing damp, their hair misted with moisture.

The Daoist sat still, gazing at the landscape, lost in thought.

It felt as though the ascension of the immortals had happened just last night, yet in reality, it had only been half an hour ago.

That scribe of the Great Emperor Chijin was no fool. Whatever his virtues had been in life was uncertain, but he was at least not a dull-witted bureaucrat. His wariness upon seeing Song You here was perfectly reasonable.

The previous Heavenly Palace had all but collapsed at the hands of Fuyang Daoist of Hidden Dragon Temple. The Great Yan dynasty itself had been established with the help of that same Fuyang Daoist.

And this current Heavenly Palace had been born in alignment with the Great Yan empire’s Lin family’s rule—even the Great Emperor Chijin bore the same surname as the imperial family. In that sense, this Heavenly Palace's existence was also inextricably tied to Hidden Dragon Temple.

Yet, over the years, the tensions between the two had only grown deeper. At its core, this conflict was not merely between Hidden Dragon Temple and the Heavenly Palace.

It was a fundamental struggle between the divine beings of the Heavenly Palace and the mortal beings of the human world.

Much like the ruling court and the common people of any dynasty.

When an empire is first founded, it often aligns with the will of the people, and perhaps even receives the support or recognition of Hidden Dragon Temple’s lineage.

Yet, as time passes, even the most righteous rule inevitably rots.

Take this very dynasty, for example—

Decades ago, land was scarce while the population grew. The nobility and scholar-gentry hoarded vast estates, creating irreconcilable tensions between the elite and the common folk.

Had it not been for the intervention of the Daoist Tiansuan and the self-sacrifice of Prime Minister He, the people of the land would have inevitably revolted, rising against Great Yan in accordance with the mandate of heaven.

Had the rulers of Great Yan been even more corrupt, the descendants of Hidden Dragon Temple who descended from the mountains might very well have stood against the Great Yan dynasty instead.

Right now, Great Yan was at its peak, reigning in a golden age of prosperity.

And yet, the brilliant and powerful emperor, in his obsession with immortality, had still resorted to secretly arming his enemies and sacrificing countless lives in the northern lands to fulfill his ambitions.

If it were Daoist Duoxing, she would have turned back from Fengzhou and returned straight to the capital—to assist in sending him to the Ghost City's Inferno for his immortality.

And in another several decades, or a century—who could say whether Great Yan would once again stand in opposition to the people of the land?

Moreover, compared to the mortal imperial court, the Celestial Emperor, the Great Emperor Chijin, was not necessarily wiser than a mortal emperor. Plus, mortal emperors had the significant “advantage” of being short-lived.

The Heavenly Palace, too, was rotting.

The root of corruption lay in the fact that the Great Emperor Chijin did not rule the Heavenly Palace by virtue of his own righteousness. The officials and generals loyal to him, those who held power over the divine realm, were much the same—figures like the Great Star God and Duke of Thunder Fu.

The common folk might be considered foolish, and in some ways they were, but they also possessed their own wisdom. To think of them as completely ignorant would be excessively arrogant.

The people were easy to deceive, but not that easy. They had an inner sense of balance, and over time, their offerings and prayers would naturally lean toward gods who genuinely got things done. Even if you deceived or forced them to visit your temple and offer incense, without sincerity in their hearts, the incense offerings would still be weak and sparse.

These gods, unwilling to bow their heads or bend their backs before the common people, resorted to other means—manipulating divine authority to maintain their standing.

But that would not work, and Song You knew this. Perhaps even the Great Emperor Chijin knew this.

Having just had a confrontation in Mount Ye of Fengzhou, the Great Emperor Chijin and the two young attendants by his side were undoubtedly well aware of Song You’s dissatisfaction with the Heavenly Palace. Now, seeing Song You here, observing the secrets and intricacies of the ascension process firsthand—like someone wandering around the gates of the Heavenly Palace, watching closely as they unlock the door—how could the scribe not be on edge?

But Song You didn’t care.

He had been sitting at the mountaintop for a long time, and as the sun gradually rose higher, the warmth of its rays increased. The morning dew began to evaporate, and his damp clothes and hair slowly dried. From his vantage point, he could see the travelers on the clearing below, saying their goodbyes to one another before making their way down the mountain.

Lady Calico turned her head toward the Daoist, then pointed ahead. “The people down there look so small—like little ants.”

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

“To them, we must look small too.”

“They're all going back.”

“Then we should descend as well.”

“Okay!”

“We’ll do as you say.”

Song You rose to his feet, patting his chilled seat to shake off the cold. Then, he ruffled Lady Calico’s warm little head—instantly warming his hands.

Stretching contentedly in the mountain breeze, he set off down the path.

“This is Mount Zunzhe...” Lady Calico followed beside him, occasionally glancing back at the towering stone pillar atop the great mountain.

“The border of Yaozhou and Langzhou—where Huangliang County of Xie Commandery in Yaozhou and Baiyu County of Cang Commandery in Langzhou meet—is where Mount Zunzhe stands, divided evenly between the two.”

“Border...” the little girl softly repeated the word.

“Lady Calico, you’re now consciously remembering place names. This means you’ve begun to form your own sense of geography, as well as a concept of memory and experience.”

“Sense of geography... memory and experience...”

“This is quite significant!”

The descent down the mountain was steep and treacherous, the path narrow and difficult to traverse. The Daoist led the way, the little girl followed closely behind, and the horse trailed at the rear.

Then, the Daoist suddenly halted, turned around, and looked at the girl with great seriousness. “This is an important step for you toward becoming a great demon!”

The little girl froze in place, her gaze meeting his in a dazed stare. Then, as if infected by his solemnity, her expression grew equally serious. “Mount Zunzhe...”

She turned her head once more to look at the towering stone pillar.

“Haha...” The Daoist burst into laughter and continued down the path.

A swallow flitted gracefully through the sky.

This vast stretch of mountains marks the border between Yaozhou and Langzhou. Even the sacred pillar of Zunzhe Mountain, a stone column only about ten to twenty zhang tall, has been divided in half between the two regions. The mountain trails are split into two routes: one heading west through Yaozhou and the other east through Langzhou.

Song You had ascended the mountain from the Yaozhou side, so he decided to take the other route down. It was just the opposite route of the young official.

Once they crossed the mountain ridge, they would officially be in Langzhou territory.

The Daoist continued walking at his usual leisurely pace, neither hurried nor delayed. With Lady Calico by his side, the journey was never dull. With the swallow’s guidance, they would never easily lose their way. With the horse carrying their belongings, they had no burden to bear.

And with a sturdy bamboo staff in hand, no matter how far they traveled, the distance mattered little—only the speed of their steps. They didn't even have to worry about food.

Half a month later...

Following the directions given by the young official surnamed Wei, Song You made a supply stop at the Cang Commandery city. After confirming the correct route, he traveled straight to Lan’an County.

Lan’an County was a small coastal city.

Yet, before even reaching its gates, as they climbed a hill along the official road, Lady Calico sensed something unusual.

The blazing sun was so harsh it made it difficult to keep one’s eyes open. The dried, cracked earth along the road had turned to dust, which the wind carried as yellow sand.

As Song You pressed his bamboo staff against the ground, each step sent up small clouds of dust, coating his shoes, trouser hems, and Daoist robes in a layer of gray.

The little cat took careful steps behind him, keeping just far enough away to avoid getting dust in her eyes. The wind itself was hot, almost scalding against the skin.

Upon reaching the hill’s crest, Lady Calico stretched her neck, squinting into the wind as she gazed into the distance, looking majestic.

Yet, after sniffing the air, she turned back to the Daoist and said, “The wind here smells weird.”

“It’s the sea breeze.”

“Sea breeze?”

“Yes.”

Song You also leaned on his staff and gazed into the distance. Far, far away, a thin blue line stretched across the horizon.

“That is the ocean.”

“The ocean!”

“It’s like a very, very big lake—but the water is salty.”

“Very, very big?”

“Probably bigger than all the roads we’ve traveled combined.”

“That big...?”

“Yes.”

“If you fall in, won’t you be swallowed up and die?”

“Just don’t fall in.”

“Oh... That makes sense.”

Lady Calico also gazed into the distance, her amber eyes reflecting the thin blue line on the horizon. She murmured softly, “The water is salty... so that means we wouldn’t need to add salt when cooking. Salt is really expensive...”

“That won’t work either.”

“Why not?”

“Because seawater...” Song You paused, considering how to explain it, then finally simplified his answer to just two words. “It’s poisonous.”

“Huh?! Poisonous?!”

“For the most part, only creatures that are born in the sea can drink seawater.” Song You explained, before glancing sideways at her. “But most of those creatures... are edible. And they taste very good.”

“Very good?!”

“For the most part...”

“For the most part...” Lady Calico repeated the words in a whisper.

Song You smiled slightly and shifted his gaze lower. Down below, a small city could be seen in the distance.

The small city below was little more than a cluster of mud-brick fortifications and earth-walled houses, haphazardly built together. There were few proper buildings, let alone any with the distinct Great Yan architectural style.

However, trade caravans were abundant—evident from the deep ruts carved into the road by countless cart wheels.

“Let’s go.”

Song You took another glance toward the center of the town, where a proper courtyard estate stood—one of the only decent-looking buildings in sight.

Then, gripping his bamboo staff, he began his descent.

As soon as he stepped forward, a cloud of yellow dust rose into the air. The wind swept it directly toward the calico cat.

“...!”

Lady Calico squinted her eyes shut and quickly turned her head to the side, trying to shield herself. She blindly stumbled forward for a few steps before breaking into a small sprint, catching up to the Daoist's side.

Once she was safely alongside him, she kept her distance, walking beside him so she could talk while avoiding the dust.

“It's so hot here...”

“It is.”

“Mount Zunzhe was nice and cool!”

Song You turned and glanced at her before he said, “Lady Calico, you have an excellent memory.”

He added, “Lady Calico, you're a long-haired cat.”

“Long-cat cat...?”

“Long-haired cats don’t handle heat well.”

“Oh, long-haired cat.” Lady Calico declared, “Long-haired cats are beautiful. They don’t fear the cold.”

“Lady Calico, you’re also beautiful.”

“That’s right...” At first, she instinctively responded with agreement. Then, after a beat, she mimicked Song You’s usual tone while adding, “That is only natural...”

“Lady Calico, have you ever seen a cat without fur?”

“Some people eat cats. When they do, they pluck all the fur off.”

“I mean a cat that’s born without fur.”

“Huh?” Lady Calico gasped in shock. “Wouldn't that be just as ugly as a human?”

“...”

“I wasn’t talking about you, Daoist priest.”

“...”