Chapter 599: Learning a New Spell

“Daoist priest...”

“What do you wish to ask of me, Lady Calico?”

“Why did that rat ask whether it looked more like a rat, a human, or an immortal?”

“That comes from a folk legend.”

“A legend?”

“Yes. That is, some demos, when they’re just about to take human form and attain the Dao, find themselves falling just a little short. They don’t know what they’re missing, and in their anxiety, they want to find out what they’re lacking. So they come down from the mountains to seek out humans, since humans are said to be the most intelligent of all beings. Some demons ask people what they should do. Others ask directly what they look like, hoping to get an answer from a human.”

As Song You walked through the dark alleyway, he explained while walking, “In the legends, if a person says the demon looks like a human, then the demon can successfully take human form. If not, it must return to cultivate further.”

“Is that true?”

“There are cases where it’s happened,” Song You explained patiently. “When something works often enough and the stories spread long enough, not just humans believe it, even demons come to believe it too.”

The guide behind them listened with wide eyes. Then, Lady Calico immediately followed up with another question, “Then what if someone says the monster looks like an immortal?”

“Perhaps the result might be even better.”

“Then why didn’t that rat turn into a human or an immortal?”

“Well, not everything works like that. Even if it does work, it only works when the demon is truly just a tiny step away.” Song You shook his head and smiled. “Ordinary people aren’t that powerful. Just saying something doesn’t make it so.”

“People aren’t that powerful?”

“Of course not.”

“Then it’s a lie!”

“The world is full of wonders, and sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s true and what’s false.”

“That rat was so dumb!”

“Yes, it was...” Song You replied with a small smile and reached out to pat her head.

It wouldn’t be quite right to call it a lie, either. It was merely offering a bit of confidence to the demon. And how much confidence that gave varied from demon to demon.

But that little bit of confidence was incredibly important.

It didn’t just work for demons, it was useful for spells, for people, and even for ordinary things. Sometimes when a person tried to do something, they would be just the tiniest step away from success, yet they couldn’t figure out why they couldn’t quite manage it. If someone gave them a bit of confidence and encouragement, if they started to believe they could succeed instead of thinking they’ll fail again... once that mindset changed, they really could succeed.

In cultivation, though, it was even more about cultivating the mind, and spells were even more dependent on one’s mental state. So this kind of effect was especially pronounced.

Spells like Earth-Traversing Technique or Wall-Passing Technique, which were inherently flawed, were perfect examples. For most spells, an unstable mindset at most reduced effectiveness, but with these two, you might end up trapped in the ground or stuck inside a wall.

Right now, Lady Calico might think that rat was foolish, but in truth, she’d once used the same trick herself.

Back when she had just left Yidu, wandering among the mountains and rivers, she was learning the very first spell of her cat life. She was just on the verge of grasping it, only a hair’s breadth away from breathing fire, when the Daoist at her side told her, “Push through with all your might next time, and you’ll surely succeed.”

And then, she did succeed. It was the same principle.

As for the phrase “like an immortal,” it didn’t mean a true deity. From a demon’s perspective, cultivation was not just about gaining sentience, but attaining the Dao. They were striving toward immortality. If they relaxed their standards just a little, any demon with a human form and a bit of cultivation could be called this-or-that Immortal.

So if a human said it looked like an immortal, that it carried the bearing of one, it could fill them with confidence and maybe bridge the final gap toward transformation. That was how mysterious cultivation and spellcraft could be.

Unfortunately, that rat was just too foolish. “Becoming an immortal” was far beyond it, and it hadn’t even reached the threshold for transforming its body. It had simply lived too close to humans, heard a few stories, and impatiently ran off to test them out.

Most demons, in truth, were quite simple-minded.

The guide behind them, meanwhile, was listening with rapt attention. And what fascinated him most was that he was absolutely certain that every single word this man said was true. It felt like he was peeking into the real world of demons, ghosts, gods, and cultivators.

“Sir, we’ve arrived.”

The Daoist had already come to a stop, standing in the dark. He turned and smiled. “Be careful on your way back. Don’t trip while running. Come find me early tomorrow at the Zhu residence.”

“Definitely!”

The Daoist then entered the Zhu estate.

The Zhu family had a special building used to host Daoists and monks. It was quite spacious and fully equipped, and the Daoist took up residence there.

Later that night, two military officers arrived bearing documents.

These two officers had once been ghost captains stationed at Turtle City in Yanzhou. They had met Song You long ago, and it was thanks to a message from him, carried by the swallow, that they’d come south to Fengzhou. Eventually, they were assigned to Yunzhou as divine officials. So in a way, they were old acquaintances.

They chatted for a while, talking about how the journey south had gone, whether the ghost soldiers and officers had been properly settled in Fengzhou’s ghost city, how things were there now, and the two officials’ experience with hunting monsters in Yundu. Only after that did they leave.

The next morning, when Song You woke up, he found a new sheet of yellow paper on the table, covered in elegant handwriting. It was a list of the demons and malevolent spirits lurking outside the city.

“

Sigh

...” Song You picked it up and read it, letting out a sigh. Then he turned to the cat who had stayed up with him working late into the night. “Lady Calico, time to get up and learn a new spell. We’ll eat first, and you can catch another nap on the road.”

“...!”

The little cat had been lying peacefully at the foot of the bed, but the moment she heard those words, her ears immediately perked up. Then,

whoosh

, it was as if some instinct in her body bypassed her brain entirely and sprang her upright. She turned her head sharply to look at the Daoist. “Learn a new spell!”

“Lady Calico, you’re naturally gifted, quick-witted and eager to learn. Although you’ve already mastered many spells at such a young age, you’re now ready to learn another.”

“What kind of new spell?”

“What kind of spell would you like to learn?”

“I want to learn something powerful!” The little cat immediately leapt off the bed. “Like the swallow’s thunder magic! It makes the swallow look like a real immortal! Or like the swallow’s tiny sword, flying around. It looks so awesome!”

“Let me think...” That stumped Song You for a moment.

“Think hard!”

“Let’s go eat first.”

“Okay!”

Poof!

The cat had already transformed into her human form and followed him out the door.

As soon as they stepped outside, a servant was already waiting to inform Song You that the guide named Wang Xiaoman had been waiting at the gate since early morning. The kind-hearted Zhu family had invited him in.

They were then called to breakfast.

Wang Xiaoman, too, shared a fine Zhu family meal.

Of course, in times like these, someone like Wang Xiaoman, who came from the lower rungs of Yundu society, couldn’t possibly eat at the same table as the masters of the Zhu family. Instead, he filled a bowl and sat at the threshold to eat. But even so, he was completely content. He thought, even if he didn’t earn those twenty-five wen today, just getting this meal was enough to make him satisfied.

After breakfast, the group set out.

By midday, they had arrived in the mountains outside the city. The mountains were filled with strange rock formations, all gray-black, as if soaked in ink. Along with the green grass and the vegetation growing over the rocks, the scenery had a certain poetic air to it.

Now, only the Daoist, the cat girl, and the jujube-red horse remained. The swallow perched on the tip of the tallest stone spire, and its head swiveled as it looked around.

“This place has plenty of strange rocks, perfect,” Song You said to the little cat. “Aside from fire magic, your greatest skill is Boulder Legion. Since you’ve already started learning metal-element magic, specifically techniques for cutting and slicing, it’s the perfect time to teach you the spell, Boulder Transformation.

“Boulder Transformation works best when one has studied both earth-element and metal-element magic. It can even be used together with Boulder Legion, making the mountain gods you summon even tougher and heavier. They’ll be even more powerful in both offense and defense.”

“Oh! That’s the one you use all the time!”

“It is one of my signature skills,” Song You replied with a smile.

“The one that’s all golden and shiny!”

“That's right.”

“Then I want to learn this! I want to learn this!” Lady Calico didn’t hesitate at all, immediately speaking up with eager enthusiasm.

“You’ll pick it up quickly,” Song You said to her, “but it’ll still take several days. Just like before, we’ll begin with the basics and take it one step at a time.”

He then looked up at the swallow, who was perched atop the stone spire overhead, and said, “Yan’an, you can also spend some time practicing thunder spells, or perhaps use the stone giant summoned by Lady Calico to practice controlling the Beheading Sword, so it wouldn't be overly vicious.”

Flap flap flap...

The swallow instantly swooped down to speak to him. “Sir, I truly don’t know how to train with this Beheading Sword. No matter how I try to control it, it only ever aims for the enemy’s neck. Unless the opponent isn’t human and it can’t locate a head, it won’t strike anywhere else.”

“This is a powerful and highly spiritual weapon,” the Daoist replied with a faint smile. “For magical artifacts that possess such spirit and intelligence, there’s no such thing as being unable to control them. The only question is whether they’re willing to listen to you.”

“You mean to say...”

Song You merely smiled and said nothing, raising a hand in a beckoning gesture.

Shing!

The short sword on the horse's back instantly flew out of its scabbard, spinning through the air. It hovered briefly beside Song You, then floated in place.

“Go and strike that stone,” he said, pointing toward a rock nearby, specifically the lower half of it.

Whoosh!

The Beheading Sword, notorious for only severing the heads of living beings, showed no resistance at all. It immediately zipped forward, whistling through the air. As it touched the stone, it sliced cleanly through it without any effort, almost as if the rock were just an illusion conjured by a Daoist or demon.

The cut landed exactly at the stone’s “foot.”

Whoosh

...

The sword spun through the air as it returned. The swallow stood stunned, watching in disbelief. Even Lady Calico had a serious expression on her face.

Shing!

The elegant and ornate short sword slid smoothly back into its sheath.

The Daoist then walked over, drew the sword, and handed it to the swallow. The swallow transformed into human form and received it.

“You are a descendant of the Swallow Immortal. Among all the great demons of this world, aside from the sea-dwelling flood dragon and the willow tree in Yuezhou, I’ve not seen any who’ve lived longer or cultivated deeper than your ancestor. This sword is indeed a rare and powerful offensive artifact, but since it’s in your hands, you mustn’t hold yourself inferior to it.

“Remember, you are its master. You’re the descendant of the Swallow Immortal. It should obey you, not the other way around. If it disobeys your commands, there’s no need to coddle it. Do whatever it takes to make it submit and follow your will.”

“I understand...” The youth took the sword and fell into silent thought.

The Swallow Immortal truly was remarkable. He may not have excelled in combat, and in his later years grew frail, but his cultivation was genuine and profound. Now that he’d even ascended to godhood, his accomplishments were all the more extraordinary.

Among all the great demons in the world, many could best him in a fight, but few could match his cultivation or prospects.

At that moment, the image that surfaced in the boy’s mind was from back in the deep mountains of the Western Regions, in that temple hall where the great monk summoned this very sword to strike down Song You. Yet when the sword clashed against the bamboo staff and realized the power of the one before it, it swiftly yielded and fell, refusing further command...

“So that’s how it is,” the youth murmured softly, suddenly gaining clarity.