Chapter 612: That’s Why He’s a Daoist Priest

“Flap flap flap...”

A flock of seabirds suddenly took flight from the reeds, their wings flapping heavily through the air, sounding panicked.

Lady Calico stopped in her tracks at once and turned to look. The string of fish slung over her shoulder swung halfway around with her.

The Daoist also halted and turned to look.

But all they saw was a stretch of blue sky, white clouds drifting like silk, and a few feathers fluttering gently down. Nothing else moved or made a sound.

The swallow flew over for a quick circle, but didn’t return with any warning or news.

“...”

Lady Calico craned her neck for a few more glances, then withdrew her gaze and resumed walking with her fish-laden stick.

The horse, now full from grazing, followed behind them.

“Do you want me to help carry the fish?”

“No!”

“We could put them on the horse.”

“No way!”

The fish she caught had to be carried by her.

Lady Calico didn’t even turn her head, not a trace of hesitation, and not the slightest sign of fatigue; she didn’t even slow her pace.

That tiny frame lugging such a hefty string of fish, with her face serious and meticulous, really was a funny sight.

After walking a little further, they passed through the scrubland and once again saw the child herding cattle. The boy still held a stalk of sugarcane, though it was shorter than before. He remained seated on the ridge of the field, those equally clear yet slightly blank eyes staring straight at them.

He saw the familiar jujube-red horse, the familiar jingle of its bell, and the familiar Daoist, but the striking calico cat was gone. Instead, there was now a little girl hauling a large string of fish, who was just as eye-catching. A flicker of confusion crossed his eyes.

“Hey, little one! How about trading that stick of sugarcane for one of my fish?”

“...” The boy blinked in surprise at the sudden halt and unexpected question. He held the cane in his mouth and didn’t know how to respond.

“Little one, I’m talking to you. I’m offering one fish, a big one, for that sugarcane of yours. What do you think?”

“I... my family has fish,” the boy replied, staring blankly at her, stumbling over his words.

“Then you’ll have more fish!”

“F-Fish doesn’t taste good...”

“It is tasty!”

“...” The child fell silent.

“You don’t want to trade?”

Lady Calico, still shouldering her fish, looked a little troubled. She turned to glance at her Daoist, but he simply stared at her without saying a word. So she turned back again, the stick and the fish on her shoulder swaying with the motion, and fell into deep thought.

“Then how about this!”

Lady Calico lowered her head and searched the ground for a moment. With her back to the boy, she picked up a stone. When she turned back around and held it out to him, the stone in her hand had already turned golden.

“I will trade you this stone that looks like gold for your sugarcane. How about it?”

“A stone that looks like gold... Is it gold?”

“Nope. It’s just a golden-colored stone. And after a while, it’ll turn back to normal,” the little girl explained thoughtfully. “But it’s really pretty. And if you bring it home, all the mice in your house will run away. For at least a few months, no new ones will move in.”

“...”

The child stared at the stone, eyes flickering with hesitation.

He wavered and wavered, then finally reached out and took the stone, handing what was left of his sugarcane to the little girl.

The trade was complete, and both parties were quite satisfied.

The Daoist watched from behind with a gentle smile on his face.

Once his young companion was walking ahead again with one hand gripping the stick of fish and the other holding the sugarcane, he finally caught up and walked alongside her. After a while, he asked, “Lady Calico, your mouth is all better now?”

“It’s better.”

“Didn’t sugarcane bits get stuck in the flesh? How did you get them out?”

“I took a nap, and they fell out on their own.”

“Really?”

Crunch crunch crunch...

“Lady Calico, you’re really stubborn.”

“

Ptooey

!”

“...”

The Daoist shook his head, then glanced back at the child. Seeing him holding the stone up toward the sky, seemingly delighted, he withdrew his gaze and continued walking uphill.

All the way from the village to the town, the little girl carrying a big string of fish drew no shortage of attention.

There were villagers and common folk, and also cats and dogs.

Each time this happened, the girl's expression would become especially serious, yet it always felt as though behind that emotionless face, she was harboring a heart bursting with pride.

Only when she spotted a hungry, scruffy cat peeking at her from the corner would she pause for a moment, pull off the smallest fish from the string, and toss it over.

No wonder she didn’t want me to help her carry them...

So Song You thought, though he gave no outward sign of it.

Back at the inn, Lady Calico seemed to have taken a liking to the idea of bartering. As soon as she stepped through the door, she pulled out a large fish from her pouch, held it up to the innkeeper, and said, “Today we caught a lot of fish. I’ll give this big fish to you, and you can let us use the kitchen for a bit. How about that?”

“Of course, of course,” the innkeeper agreed readily, nodding eagerly. “Since you’ve been staying at the inn a while, the kitchen’s always available. And if you’re giving the fish to us, then I won’t charge for any oil, salt, sauce, or firewood.”

“We brought all that ourselves.”

“Heh heh...” The innkeeper bowed and chuckled politely, not treating her lightly just because of her young age. After laughing, he turned to Song You and said, “Oh yes, sir. This afternoon a servant from the Yang family came by to deliver a jug of wine. You weren’t in, so they left it at the front desk. I’ll fetch it for you now.”

Song You followed him into the building.

The innkeeper soon returned with a wine jug and handed it to the Daoist. It was a ceramic jug sealed with a red cloth stopper.

The Daoist pulled it out and caught a faint scent of wine, but the fragrance of peach blossoms and fruit was much stronger. It smelled quite pleasant.

“Perfect timing.” The Daoist thanked the innkeeper and then went upstairs.

The innkeeper stood downstairs watching him leave. Once he was gone, the man went to the kitchen to find Lady Calico and asked if she’d sell the fish to him. Once all was done and he returned to the main hall, he began to feel like something was... off. Only when he slapped his forehead and turned toward the kitchen did his brow suddenly furrow. Where had that little girl come from?

***

The oil lamp lit up the room. The window was still open, and the moon outside was now even fuller than before. On the table were two dishes.

A large plate of boiled fish, still with diced tofu and sour plums cooked in, the fish belly still holding roe. Chili peppers had been added, turning the broth a vivid red. It was sour, spicy, and perfect with rice. Beside it was a plate of pan-fried small fish, sprinkled with the Daoist’s own blend of spicy dipping powder. Two bowls of rice sat alongside.

The Daoist poured himself a cup of wine.

“Where did this water come from?”

“Lady Chai sent it. It's wine, not the kind that tastes good.”

The Daoist lifted the cup and took a sniff. As expected, it didn’t smell much like alcohol; instead, it was all floral and fruity aromas. He brought it to his lips and took a sip, and it had none of the usual sharpness or burn of wine, only a sweet and sour fruitiness. It suited his palate well and paired perfectly with the food on the table. “Thanks to you today, we can have a proper feast.”

“Hurry up and eat!” Lady Calico said seriously. She picked up her chopsticks and first picked out the fish eyes to feed to the swallow, while saying, “When we were fishing by the water today, the grassy thickets felt kind of strange.”

“Was there a demon?”

“Don’t know.”

“Lady Calico, you fear no demons.”

“That demon sounds really strong. It doesn’t have a head, it can’t be burned, and it can even smash rocks to pieces.” Lady Calico sounded cautious and a little worried. “When I went out fishing today, I didn’t bring my little banner because I was afraid the fish would dirty it. Tomorrow I’ll definitely bring it with me.”

“Lady Calico, you’re nimble and quick, and you have that horse that runs like the wind. It’s just a Headless Monk, even if you can't beat him, you could easily escape. What's there to fear?”

“That’s true...”

“Now eat your rice.”

“Okay...”

The cat said no more.

The Daoist didn’t continue the topic either.

Moonlight spilled in through the window. The Daoist sipped his wine and ate his fish beneath the moonlight. The floral-fruit wine wasn’t strong at all; even if he finished the whole jug, it only left him slightly tipsy, just enough for a good wash and a restful sleep.

The next morning, when Song You woke up, the calico cat was still crouched on the windowsill, watching people outside dyeing cloth and repeating the same steps over and over on a single piece. Only when she noticed the Daoist was awake did she turn around and say she was heading out to fish again, then jumped down from the sill.

She transformed into human form, slung her pouch over her shoulder, grabbed her fishing rod, and went straight out the door.

She looked every bit like the main provider of a household.

“...”

Song You didn’t say much either, only reminded her to be careful, then went about his morning routine and headed downstairs for breakfast.

The weather was still decent today.

He spent the morning wandering around the city, taking in the local customs and daily life of this small border-town. By afternoon, the skies had grown overcast. The clouds often blocked out the sun, and only the occasional gap let light shine down onto the land. Song You, still a little uneasy about the child by the lakeside, ended up taking a trip outside the city again. He didn’t return until dusk.

Not long after returning to the inn, the little girl came back as well.

Tonight, Lady Calico still carried a pouch full of fish, but she was panting heavily, her cheeks flushed red. After selling the fish to the innkeeper and returning to the room, she solemnly said to the Daoist, “I ran into that Headless Monk today.”

“Oh?” Song You, sitting by the window, immediately asked with concern, “What did that monk look like?”

“He was very tall, very big. He was about as tall as General Chen, but even bigger than him,” Lady Calico said seriously. “He didn’t have a head, was draped in tattered cloth, and had a hole in his stomach. That hole could talk.”

“Was it like what that old man described?”

“Exactly the same,” Lady Calico answered without hesitation, her voice crisp, clear, and firm. “He was walking through the grass, and as soon as he saw me and the horse, he stomped over and asked if his head was still on his neck.”

Song You recalled the Headless Monk he’d seen from afar earlier that afternoon, wandering through the golden autumn grasslands. He really looked like a giant.

“What did you say?”

“I didn’t answer at first, as I was observing him. Then he asked again, and I kept observing and asked how he was able to speak.” The little girl wore a solemn expression, feeling she had done nothing wrong. “He seemed a little bit angry and asked again.”

“And then?”

“His belly could actually talk, you know...”

“Seems like he was getting angry.”

“That’s right,” Lady Calico replied, then added, “I didn’t want to lie.”

“What happened after that? Did you fight?”

“We did.”

“Who won?”

“...”

Lady Calico looked around, then said, “I originally planned to bring my little banner, but I was worried the fish would get it dirty. Then I remembered what you said yesterday, so I didn’t bring it. That monk was really strong. I summoned the Mountain God, and only the parts turned into gold couldn’t be smashed, otherwise, they got crushed to bits in one hit.”

“You could focus on covering the parts that need protection the most.”

“That’s what I did, but that monk seemed really clever too, he only attacked the other parts.”

“Don’t you also breathe fire?”

“When I breathed fire, the hole in the monk’s stomach spat out smoke, and it blocked the fire.”

“Well, that is interesting,” Song You said, pretending he hadn’t seen the whole scene himself. “Before, it was always other demons breathing smoke or vapor, and you countered them with fire. But now, there’s a demon using the same method to block your true fire.”

“That’s why he’s really powerful!”

“What about the swallow?”

“The swallow...”

Lady Calico’s expression became lively. She glanced left and right, then pulled over a stool and sat down. She said to him, “The swallow still hasn’t properly taught his little sword. He told the little sword to go cut off that monk’s head, but the little sword just spun around in the sky and couldn’t find where the head was. It’s not smart at all. Later, it tried summoning thunder, but since it didn’t rain today, the thunder was really weak. That monk didn’t even seem to feel it...”

The Daoist turned to glance at the swallow.

The swallow was standing on the windowsill, preening his feathers, making no comments, and pretending he had no idea the master had seen everything from afar that afternoon.

“Seems he really does have some cultivation skills.”

“That’s right.”

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

“And then?”

“That monk was really dumb, and he ran slow. He didn’t even have eyes. I got on the horse and ran away in an instant.” As she spoke, Lady Calico shook her head, swinging her legs back and forth, completely unbothered by having retreated. She didn’t feel it was shameful at all, nor was she discouraged. “He was furious chasing after us, but couldn’t catch up.”

“Lady Calico, you’re indeed nimble and agile, advancing and retreating with perfect timing. You’re truly admirable.”

“Tomorrow, I will bring the banner and beat him to death.”

“You understand the wisdom of ‘a gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even after ten years’, how rare,” Song You said sincerely, then paused a moment before continuing. “However, from my perspective, there’s really no need to be in such a rush.”

“

Meow

?”

“Since you mastered Boulder Transformation, you’ve been able to cooperate with the Mountain God. But it’s been rare to find such a fitting opponent. As for the evil deeds of that vile monk, since he often wanders that area and you’re fishing there during the day, with you watching over it, he won’t be able to harm passing merchants or travelers.”

Song You continued, “So why not keep him around for now, to help you practice combining the Boulder Legion and Boulder Transformation? If you do that, your skills will surely improve by leaps and bounds. Soon enough, even without needing the monster inside the banner for help, you will be able to rely on your own power, your own summoned golden stone giant, to defeat him. By then, your mastery of these two techniques will be considered quite accomplished.”

“...” The little girl stared at him, eyes flickering. Her mind was working hard to understand, and her thoughts raced.

At last, she figured it out, and her eyes lit up with sudden realization.

“That’s right!”

She looked at the Daoist with bright, admiring eyes.

So this is why he’s a Daoist priest.