Chapter 561: Lady Calico's Impressive Ability to Learn

The royal palace of Jade City was not far from here, so the warrior sent to deliver the message, even without a horse, returned quickly.

The warrior whispered a few words to the official.

The official immediately placed his hand over his chest and bowed to Song You. “Our king invites you to the palace as his guest.”

“...”

Song You thought for a moment, then did not refuse. Instead, he turned to the woman beside him.

"And what about her?"

“She will not be executed today. For now, she'll be sent back. If we find the jug, her life will be spared.”

“I have a child who must accompany me.”

“That’s fine.”

“Please lead the way.”

“This way, please.”

With a wave of his hand, the official signaled, and the warrior began escorting the woman back. The official then turned and gestured for Song You to follow.

The group set off toward the royal palace.

As they walked together toward the palace, the official explained, “Two nights ago, our king was hosting a banquet in honor of guests from Great Yan—generals stationed nearby. Our king took out the wine jug personally gifted by the emperor of Great Yan, filled it with the finest wine from the Jadeite Kingdom. However, as soon as the flask and cups were brought out, they mysteriously vanished. This matter has already become known to the guests, and our king is deeply concerned.”

Song You nodded silently as he listened.

An imperial gift couldn’t be casually lost, especially not in a politically sensitive region like this.

The Great Yan army had stationed elite soldiers and strong generals here. The Western Regions were inhabited by foreign tribes, and there were countless generals eager to achieve military success, always keeping an eye on this land.

Some even looked for reasons to create trouble, and with just the slightest excuse, they would lead their troops to pressure the city. The foreign kingdoms in the Western Regions also had a hard life.

Someone needed to take the fall.

“Sigh...”

Song You sighed and followed him to the palace.

The Jade City palace was also a yellowish stone building, as if covered with a thick layer of wind and sand. However, the structure was very tall and beautifully constructed, built along the mountain, giving it a grand appearance.

They entered the palace gates, crossed the square, and climbed the stone steps. After several turns in the corridor, they finally arrived at the main hall.

King of Jade City was an elderly man, probably in his fifties or sixties.

He also wrapped his head in cloth, though the fabric was precious, adorned with gold, silver, and gems. He wore a loose yellow robe, also heavily decorated with gold, silver, and jewels, and he greeted Song You at the entrance of the main hall.

A number of officials escorted Song You here, with only one person accompanying him inside.

Song You and the king exchanged greetings, then took their seats according to their respective positions. Lady Calico sat beside him.

This ruler also spoke the language of Great Yan.

At first, Song You thought that the king might have heard of his name. It wasn’t until the king asked how he had come to know the governor of Shazhou that Song You realized the king was simply worried and placed great importance on this matter.

“Your Majesty,” Song You explained respectfully, “I know a bit of magic. When passing through Shazhou, I became acquainted with the prefect.”

“Oh?” The king’s interest was piqued. “What kinds of magic can you perform? Might you demonstrate something for us?”

“The skills I possess are mostly related to subduing demons, which are difficult to demonstrate here,” Song You replied modestly. “However, there is one technique that could indeed be shown.”

“What is it?”

“I can accelerate the growth of plants,” Song You said. “As I walked along the way, I saw that there was a grapevine trellis inside the palace, with grapes growing perfectly. If I were to cast a spell on the vines under the trellis, I could encourage the grapes to grow a little more in just a moment.”

“Is that truly possible?” The king was intrigued.

“It's a common trick among wanderers and performers in Great Yan.”

“Are the grapes edible afterward?”

“Of course, they're perfectly edible.”

“They aren’t stolen from somewhere else, are they?” the king joked lightly.

“Your Majesty’s insight is impressive,” Song You answered calmly. “That might be true for others, but not for my magic.”

The king laughed, amused. “I’ve seen many magicians—some who walk into paintings, pass through walls, or pull objects out of thin air—but never one who could accelerate fruit growth. Once my warriors return from searching for the silver jug, you must demonstrate this for us.”

“Certainly,” Song You agreed immediately.

Then, the king finally turned to the matter at hand. “Now, how exactly did you come to know where the silver jug is?”

“To be completely honest...” Song You’s voice remained gentle and sincere as he calmly recounted the events from two nights ago.

Once he finished speaking, the hall fell into complete silence.

The officials exchanged puzzled glances. Some found it strange, others absurd; some nodded thoughtfully, murmuring “so that's how it is,” while others looked utterly incredulous.

“Are you saying, Your Excellency, that outside of this city, there’s a group of demons who use a golden awl to steal rare and precious treasures? All the strange incidents in the kingdom where treasures mysteriously disappeared—were they all caused by the group of demons you encountered the night before?”

“Perhaps so.”

“But why then did they treat you as a guest, allowing you to stay and showing you their treasures, using those treasures to exchange for wine and food to invite you, without causing you any harm?”

“To be honest, my guess is that they intended to harm us, but they were cautious. They needed to test us first. However, upon realizing that I am quite capable, and that my child is also very powerful, they realized they couldn’t harm us that night, so they didn't act.”

“This...”

The group couldn't help but exchange confused looks.

In the end, they didn't bother to distinguish between truth and falsehood. They simply focused on the most urgent matter at hand.

“May I ask, what kind of wine was in the jug that night?”

“Wine made from grapes. It's not very strong, and it has a sweet and sour taste. I personally don't like alcohol, but I drank about half a jug.”

“...”

The group fell silent.

“So that night, those demons must have cast a spell, stealing the wine and silver jug that my king had prepared to treat the Great Yan general from the mountain. After treating you, the temple on the mountain disappeared, and the silver jug was left behind on the mountain?”

“That seems possible.”

“Possible?”

“If the silver jug can't be found on the mountain, it’s likely that it was taken by the herders who went up the mountain in the last two days. Or perhaps those demons thought the silver jug was quite valuable and took it back to their treasure vault.”

“This...”

The group immediately frowned upon hearing this.

One person, with a quick temper, stood up: "Whether it’s found or not, we won’t be able to expose your lie. Are you mocking our king?"

“Silence! Don’t be rude!”

King of Jadeite Kingdom had been in power for many years, and there had often been incidents of rare and precious treasures being stolen in the city. Sometimes, he had a vague sense that something was amiss. At the time, he couldn’t determine exactly what was happening, but the feeling remained.

Now, hearing Song You’s description, everything seemed to align with those feelings. Moreover, this man spoke with such accuracy, and his tone was calm and sincere—deep down, the king had already started to believe him to some extent.

“But this is a treasure bestowed by the emperor of Great Yan, and there was a Great Yan general present that night. If we can't recover the silver jug, what are we to do?”

“Please don’t worry,” Song You reassured gently.

Song You spoke calmly and sincerely, maintaining his composure. “We will remain in Jade City for at least one month. Within that time, please do not punish the servant girl. I shall do my utmost to retrieve the silver jug for Your Majesty. Should I fail, I will write a letter explaining clearly to the Anxi military garrison and request them to inform the imperial court. We have an old friendship with the Chancellor of Great Yan, and we have also met His Majesty. The court will trust our words, and the generals will certainly not cause trouble for your kingdom.”

As he spoke, Song You felt a faint sense of melancholy.

To think that a single Great Yan general stationed abroad could put such tremendous pressure on a small kingdom...

“You have met the King?” The King of Jadeite Kingdom asked, astonished.

“We've visited Changjing several times and have had the honor of meeting the late King several times, as well as the current King once,” Song You answered truthfully. “If Your Majesty remains doubtful, you can inquire with the local Anxi garrison. The commanders of the four garrisons of Anxi certainly know of us.”

“The late King...” The King’s eyes widened.

Clearly, the previous King was more familiar to him, and his authority weighed heavier in their hearts.

Within the hall, the king and his ministers exchanged glances, neither immediately doubting nor readily believing Song You’s words. Instead, the king gazed thoughtfully at the setting sun outside and waved his hand, ordering the attendants to bring wine and food.

This was Jadeite Kingdom, renowned for its jade and abundant fruits. Just as oranges grown in different soils differ greatly, even the same fruit grown here possessed a sweetness that Great Yan, far to the east, could never match.

To express his regard for Song You, the king even ordered servants to pick a few ripe grape clusters from the palace vineyard and serve them personally.

Song You observed the grapes placed before him.

Lady Calico also stared curiously at the fruit.

These grapes were freshly washed, droplets of water clinging to their dark skin, making them look even more enticing. Yet, upon closer inspection, it was clear they were identical to those they’d eaten two nights prior—large clusters of plump, black grapes.

“The grapes of Jade City are renowned throughout the region,” the king said proudly. “And among all places in Jade City, the palace sits highest, allowing our grapes to ripen earliest. I've specially instructed our gardeners to tend them carefully. Please, Daoist Master, have a taste.”

“I've long heard of their fame,” Song You replied, reaching out to pluck one grape from the cluster.

They were juicy and sweet beyond description, and they tasted exactly the same as the grapes they’d eaten two nights ago.

Song You picked another grape, handing it to the little girl beside him. At some point, he realized that she had stopped insisting that “cats don’t eat fruits.”

Lady Calico bit into the grape, eating it in an amusingly delicate manner.

Song You withdrew his gaze from Lady Calico and glanced at the officials within the hall. Many were observing him closely, their faces showing skepticism. Where there was doubt, there was suspicion. Sensing their hesitation, Song You calmly spoke up:

“Earlier, I mentioned that I can cast wood magic, which allows me to encourage the growth of grapes. I had planned to demonstrate this under the grape trellis after the banquet, but since the grapes have been brought here, I shall perform the demonstration for you all right here.”

“Oh?” The king and his ministers instantly leaned forward in interest.

“Please bring me a basin of water.”

The king quickly gestured to a servant, who hurriedly brought in a basin filled with water.

Song You held up one grape, crushed it between his fingers, extracted a single seed, and casually placed it on the stone floor. Without any visible movement on his part, the officials watched curiously, some still skeptical—until sudden gasps erupted around them.

Turning their heads, they saw that the grape seed had rapidly sprouted, sending roots into the solid stone floor, as a delicate green leaf unfolded above it.

“Now, pour some water onto it,” Song You instructed gently.

The servant carefully watered the tender sprout.

Soon, cracks began to appear in the palace stone tiles. At the same time, the sprout grew rapidly, quickly rising up and becoming a grapevine that spread out along the ground.

Without the need for sunlight or soil, it rooted itself in the stone, and within no time, it bore grapes.

King and both the civil and military officials were greatly astonished. They asked the servant to cut some grapes for them to try, and they were even more delicious than those freshly picked from the palace grape trellis. They were immediately even more impressed.

“It's just a common spell from Great Yan,” Song You said to them. “Perhaps I used it more skillfully than most practitioners, but it's not particularly profound.”

“As I mentioned earlier, those demons from the night before had also brought us a bunch of grapes using a golden awl. We ate them all, and that bunch of grapes was exactly from the palace trellis. Now I return them to you, Your Majesty.”

After hearing this, the king was stunned once again.

He quickly summoned the servant in charge of the grape trellis to ask if it was true. The servant, seeing the king’s serious tone, confessed that indeed, a bunch of grapes had gone missing the night before. However, they didn't know who had taken them and had assumed it was the prince or the queen, so they hadn't dared report it.

Only then did everyone believe what Song You had said.

They were all left marveling at the extraordinary nature of it all.

The sun had already set, and the sky had darkened, with only the silhouette of the horizon remaining.

Outside, someone came to report that the silver jug had not been found on the mountain outside the city.

“Your Majesty, you need not worry. I’ll say it again—within a month, I’ll do my best to bring it back. If I fail to do so, I will certainly explain the situation to the Anxi military garrison and the court,” Song You paused, reaching out to gently pat the head of the little girl beside him, who was eating grapes.

“The reason we came to the palace today is because this matter, in a way, started because of us. Naturally, we cannot let innocent people be implicated. We won’t leave until we ensure that Your Majesty will not be punished or questioned, and that the maidservant won’t be killed by Your Majesty.”

“I believe you,” the king replied.

“Thank you.”

“May I ask where you are staying?” the king added, then quickly clarified, “I don’t mean any offense. It’s just that you’ve traveled so far, and we should treat you properly.”

“I’m staying at a

chema

inn in the west of the city,” Song You thought for a moment. That place indeed suited his preferences, and after today, it was likely he’d be staying there for a while. “We all really like that place. If Your Majesty has any matters to attend to, you can come find us there.”

“The palace has a special guest room prepared for you.”

“I appreciate the kind offer,” Song You said sincerely, “but that place is more suitable for our travel and cultivation than the palace.”

“Very well then.”

The king did not say more.

After the banquet, the king assured him that the maidservant would not be troubled in the short term and sent palace guards to escort him back.

Meanwhile, the king wrote a personal letter with sincere words and sent someone to inquire with the military garrison. He also ordered the palace guards to dig up the stone tiles in the hall. They discovered that the roots of the grapevine had already integrated with the stone tiles, and the hard stone tiles had become soft as tofu under the roots. The roots even pierced through the stone, reaching the soil beneath the palace.

Everyone was astonished.

***

By this time, night had fallen, and the Daoist had already left the palace.

The road was uneven, and the palace carriage rocked as it moved. Lady Calico sat across from the Daoist, but she kept her head tilted back, staring at him without blinking.

"What are you looking at?"

Upon hearing this, Lady Calico simply tilted her head and continued to stare at him. Her petite frame swayed with the motion of the carriage. Her eyes seemed to be lost in thought, but she didn’t say anything, and naturally, she didn’t answer.

But the Daoist’s actions were subtly influencing her, even if she wasn’t fully aware of it.