Chapter 501: The Battle of Geniuses

Song You carefully re-hung the two paintings on the wall, then stepped back a few paces to examine them.

With winter settling into Changjing, good weather had become a luxury. Even with the windows open, the sunlight reaching the second floor was scarce, casting a dim, grayish light. The temperature dropped day by day, and the room—clean and minimalist as it was—sometimes felt a bit too plain, almost cold in its emptiness.

But with these two paintings, the atmosphere immediately changed.

One was an exquisite landscape portrait, adding depth and aesthetic richness to the room. The other, depicting the Daoist and his cat from behind, was not as technically refined, yet it brought a noticeable warmth to the space.

“If fate allows us to meet Sir Dou again, we must ask him to paint us another one.”

Nodding in satisfaction, Song You turned his gaze to the back of the room.

At the desk where he usually worked, two figures sat side by side—one tall, one short—both facing sideways to him.

On the table were two small piles of rice.

Each of them held a willow twig. One furrowed their brows, waving the twig over the rice pile as if commanding it to move, then hesitating and adjusting their technique.

The other sat upright, their expression severe, gripping the twig with absolute focus, eyes locked onto the rice pile, their gaze growing more intense by the second.

Both were completely absorbed in their task, occasionally sneaking side glances at their opponent.

The rice grains remained utterly still.

Anyone unaware of what they were doing might think they were just being foolish.

Suddenly, a single grain of rice twitched.

“...!”

Lady Calico’s expression hardened.

She tightened her grip on the willow twig, still aiming at the grain of rice without moving, resisting the urge to use spiritual energy to blow it away. Instead, she was attempting to shift it using only her spellcraft.

She had just succeeded a little—she was ahead of Yan An!

“...”

Another grain of rice shifted. Her expression grew even more intense.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

But she failed to notice that her hair and clothing had also moved slightly—as if stirred by a faint breeze—bringing with it an eerie chill.

“

Creak

...”

The Daoist quietly shut the window.

“...!”

The little girl looked at him in confusion, immediately turning her head.

“Lady Calico, you haven't succeeded yet. That was just the demon wind outside,” the Daoist said calmly. “Keep working on it.”

“Demon wind?”

“Just a strong gust, that’s all.”

“Hmph!”

“Don’t get distracted.”

“

Ah-choo

!”

“Sneezing doesn’t count.”

“Cats are supposed to sneeze!”

“Still doesn’t count.”

The Daoist lazily waved his hand, and the rice grain that had been scattered by her sneeze immediately rolled back into place, reforming its small peak.

“...”

Lady Calico shot him a glare, then glanced at the boy beside her, who remained completely focused. Withdrawing her gaze, she turned her attention back to the rice pile, gripping her willow twig and pointing at it with renewed determination.

“Lady Calico, don’t let yourself be distracted. You are undoubtedly an exceptionally gifted genius, one of the rarest in this world. However, Yan An is the direct disciple of Swallow Immortal, the descendant of a thousand-year-old great demon, and the only millennial demon formally recognized by both the Heavenly Palace and the mortal world. You could lose.”

“...!”

Oh no! Yan An was actually really powerful!

Even though he usually looked weak and easy to bully...

The little girl stole another side glance at Yan An, who was entirely absorbed in his task, and immediately felt a wave of nervousness.

If she lost... wouldn’t that mean she’d lose her title as genius cat?!

In an instant, she was completely focused.

“...”

Silently, a grain of rice moved. But it wasn’t the one in front of her. It was the one in front of the boy.

The topmost grain of his rice pile rolled down. Then, as his willow twig moved, it slowly shifted from right to left, tracing a small circle on the tabletop a full foot away.

There was a brief pause when the movement broke off, but the boy remained deeply focused, oblivious to everything else around him. After a few more attempts, he successfully made it move again.

“...!”

The little girl’s eyes widened—she felt an even greater sense of urgency. Not long after, she too managed to move a grain of rice through the air.

“Very good. You are both doing well. Keep moving the rice, but no cheating. No blowing on it with your breath, no using spiritual energy to create wind, and no using any other tricks—only the transposition technique.”

The Daoist’s voice drifted down as he descended the stairs. “Let’s see who can move all the rice into the other circle first. Or, if neither of you finish, whoever moves the most before their spiritual power runs out wins. The loser must admit defeat and say, ‘You’re impressive.’“

“...!”

Both of them focused completely, their competition intensifying.

One grain at a time, the rice began moving through the air.

However, while the transposition technique itself was simple, using it to move tiny objects like grains of rice wasn’t as easy as it seemed. It was far less efficient than simply using spiritual energy to create wind or directly shift objects. Moreover, neither of them had much practice with it.

Though they were only moving tiny grains of rice, the process often went awry—the grains frequently refused to obey their commands, and their spiritual energy drained rapidly. It felt less like moving a grain of rice and more like trying to shift a massive boulder.

Figuring out how to conserve spiritual power became part of the challenge.

If they simply tried to move the rice as fast as possible, they would likely exhaust themselves before finishing. Then, they would have no choice but to watch helplessly as the other caught up.

Yan An remained as focused as ever, his mind entirely dedicated to the task.

Lady Calico, too, adopted the same intense concentration she once had when learning to write.

Neither was willing to admit defeat.

Meanwhile, the Daoist wrapped himself in a thick robe, carried a reclining chair downstairs, and settled under the eaves of the house. From there, he watched the bustling street, quietly observing the subtle changes in the capital city.

Time passed.

Then, from upstairs, came a soft yet clear voice—

“You’re impressive!”

The words were crisp and decisive, spoken without hesitation.

“...”

Song You shook his head and smiled.

Lady Calico had been distracted by her playful nature, wasting precious time. By the time she was finally motivated by Song You’s words, it was already too late to catch up to Yan An, who had remained focused and unwavering from start to finish.

Something brushed against the back of his robe.

Song You lowered his gaze and found that, at some point, a calico cat had silently appeared behind him. Not a single sound had given her away. She had become engrossed in the corner of his robe that hung from the reclining chair, hooking it with her claws and nibbling at it.

Meanwhile, Yan An had already reverted to his true form and was flying freely in the sky outside.

Song You looked away and asked leisurely, “How many grains of rice did you have left?”

“

Meow, meow, meow, meow!

”

“Ah, so it was only a tiny difference.” Song You nodded. “It seems Yan An is a formidable opponent, but you’re quite strong as well.”

“

Meow meow!

”

“That’s only because Yan An is naturally reserved, preferring solitude and quiet. He has his own way of thinking and dislikes practicing destructive spells,” Song You said. “But if you look closely, the way old Swallow Immortal can divide himself into tens of thousands is no simple feat. Yan An, despite his young age, has already mastered it well.”

“

Meow...

”

“Right? There’s a reason old Swallow Immortal values him so highly. Lady Calico, you may have exceptional talent, but if you want to win next time, you’ll have to give it your all.”

“

Meow

?”

The cat stopped toying with his robe, took two steps forward, and turned to stare straight at him.

“What? When have I ever gone around proclaiming that you’re ‘exceptionally talented’ all the time? I’m merely stating the truth. And Lady Calico, you know very well—I am always an honest man.”

“Hmph...”

“That being said, for someone so young, you have a commendable sense of sportsmanship. Accepting a loss so gracefully and straightforwardly is something even many adults fail to do.” Song You ignored the tingling sensation as the corner of his robe twitched again from her claws. “With time, you’ll grow into someone truly remarkable.”

Outside, Yan An was still soaring through the air, flying with complete freedom.

***

Two days later, on a gloomy morning...

Song You had risen early to prepare.

Not wanting to buy food from the market, he had gotten up at dawn to knead dough and make some stuffed buns—what people in these times called

mantou

.

He prepared two flavors: pickled long bean with minced pork and salted vegetable with minced pork. They were both flavorful, appetizing, and provided a good source of salt. He also boiled a few eggs and made some scallion and meat pancakes, wrapping them carefully in oil paper.

Lastly, he packed another neatly wrapped oil-paper package and placed everything into his travel bag.

With everything ready, he called the little girl and Yan An to set off.

Lady Calico carried her small pouch, which, besides her snacks and miniature banner, also contained a full water pouch—helping to lighten Song You’s load somewhat.

The group made their way toward Mount Beiqin.

That neatly wrapped oil-paper package contained none other than the half-complete copy of the

Doctor Cai’s Medical Canon

that Song You had been carrying throughout his journey.

The little girl held her short, thin bamboo staff, imitating Song You by using it as a walking stick. However, given her current height, the staff was far too short, making it more suitable as a plaything than a proper support.

Thus, as she walked, she swung it around carelessly, her gaze occasionally locking onto small pebbles on the road. She would suddenly flick the bamboo staff—

Thwack

!

The pebble would immediately fly to the side.

But the pebbles couldn't be too big—the largest she could manage was no bigger than a fingernail.

Anything larger wouldn’t obey her control.

Just as the Ghost Market was opening, Song You took a stroll through it. Initially, he intended to reminisce about the past, but instead, he made an unexpected discovery.

Ghost Markets had always been chaotic and unregulated, unlike the structured order of the city. Here, rumors—both true and false—spread faster than anywhere else. Walking through the market, feeling its atmosphere, and listening to the whispers of its people, it became apparent that the unrest in Changjing was far more severe than what could be seen on the city's bustling streets.

These were people who had always lurked in the shadows, and they were also the first to grow discontent with the Great Yan court and the current political climate. When times were peaceful, their frustrations remained hidden, only spoken of in hushed tones within small circles.

But now that cracks were beginning to show in Great Yan’s stability, their long-repressed grievances burst forth all at once, like ducks sensing the temperature of the water before anyone else—or fish that knew the waters had turned murky before they even tasted it.

And what was most interesting—

While the streets of Changjing had grown more desolate, the Ghost Market, in contrast, had become livelier than ever.

They stayed at the same old thatched inn as before.

A comforting discovery—the former owner of the house, the man of the family, had safely returned from the army. Though he had only attained a low-ranking officer’s post, he was now serving as a small military official within the city, earning a decent salary.

Perhaps, after all, that rainbow from years ago had served its purpose.

Slowly, they continued their journey northward toward Mount Beiqin, taking in the barren beauty of early winter.

Whenever hunger struck, they would find a quiet place, build a small fire, and skewer

mantou

and scallion pancakes on sticks to roast them over the flames. It was a makeshift meal—but still far better than the dry, tasteless steamed cakes and

mantou

or hard flatbreads sold in the city.

By the time they finally reached Mount Beiqin, four days had passed.

Unlike their last visit, snow had yet to fall.

Back when they arrived in Changjing, Song You had sent the jujube-red horse ahead to seek out the Snake Immortal. Now, just like last time, the moment they reached the mountain’s peak, the horse sensed their arrival and came to greet them.

Song You inquired about the Snake Immortal and the divine doctor's well-being, then followed the horse toward their destination.

Soon, they reached the cottage by the lake.

A faint wisp of cooking smoke rose from its chimney. It was a quiet, tranquil sanctuary, like a hidden paradise untouched by the world.