Chapter 619: The Fisherman and the Bald Cypress

“As expected...” Master Wuwei murmured inwardly.

So it really was this cat.

Though she was a demon, since she was the Daoist’s attendant, she was naturally allowed to enter the temple. Not to mention, she had helped subdue a demonic monk who had plagued people for centuries on behalf of both the people of Xianning and the Three Pagodas Monastery. She deserved the temple’s hospitality. Even the Buddha himself, were he to appear, would have no reason to object.

Moreover, the Three Pagodas Monastery had clearly fallen from its former glory. It was no longer as it once was. Even if it weren’t for the Daoist, just based on the cat’s spiritual prowess alone, they wouldn’t dare bar her from entering.

“Thank you, Your Excellency.” Master Wuwei bowed again.

This time, the monks behind him also responded in unison.

The calico cat stood upright on two legs, head held high. Her eyes shone brightly, sweeping left and right, as if taking in the respectful gazes of all the monks around her.

The feeling was strange.

In the past, a cat like her could only skulk in the shadows. Even as a small temple spirit, she couldn’t come near a temple like this.

Who would have imagined that such a small cat could now step openly into a grand temple like this one, and receive respectful bows and thanks from high monks and abbots?

It truly was a strange sensation. She hadn’t grown wings, yet she felt, just for a moment, as if she had flown on the wind like the swallow.

“...”

Though a thousand thoughts danced in her head, the calico cat’s face remained serious. Being well-mannered and respectful, she didn’t forget to respond, “You’re welcome!”

Her voice was crisp and solemn, as well as cool and serious, giving nothing away about the whirlwind of thoughts inside her.

Only the Daoist looked down at her, smiling softly. Sensing his gaze, the cat turned to look at him. Their eyes met, then she quickly looked away.

“If even your attendant has such ability,” Master Wuwei said, “then your own Daoist cultivation must be truly extraordinary.”

Then, with a hint of curiosity, he asked, “But it seems, Your Excellency, that you’ve heard of me before?”

“Your cultivation is profound, and your good reputation well-known among the people. It’s not surprising I’ve heard of you.”

“I heard of you from a fisherman friend!”

“Oh?” Master Wuwei looked down at the calico cat.

“I like to fish. I often go to the lakeside, where I meet an old man with the surname Bai. We fish together, but he never catches anything. He told me that you used to go to the lake often to read and study, and that you’d talk with the fishermen and answer their questions. Later, you even told them how to escape from that Headless Monk.”

“I see.” Master Wuwei nodded thoughtfully. “Surname Bai...”

“Yes, Bai!”

“Would that be a tall, thin old fellow with white hair?”

“That's right!”

“So it was him...”

The venerable monk, humble in demeanor as he spoke to the cat, furrowed his brow. But he didn’t seem frightened or surprised. “I suppose with your abilities, you must have realized that he’s not human.”

“I didn’t!”

“Lady Calico, you didn’t see through him?” Master Wuwei said, then nodded. “Well, that’s not so surprising. That old man likes to call himself a commoner from the outskirts of Xianning. He said that his surname is Bai, and that he comes from a well-off family and loves fishing. When I used to go to the lake years ago to study and preach the Dharma, I met him often. We'd fish together and talk.

“Later, I gradually noticed a trace of demonic aura around him. After some investigation, I realized he didn’t actually have a residence nearby. I wasn’t afraid, so I asked him directly. That’s when I learned that he was a bald cypress tree by the lake that had gained enlightenment and taken human form. Because so many people came to the lake to fish, he grew fond of it too. Hearing I lectured on the Dharma by the lake, he came to listen. Over time, the faint trace of demonic aura he had slowly dispersed from exposure to the teachings.”

“I didn’t see through him!” the calico cat repeated firmly, then added after a pause, “But he told me later!”

“Oh?”

“He told me afterward. I even taught him my fishing spell. I don’t teach that lightly!”

The calico cat lifted her head, eyes sparkling, though her thoughts wandered back to their first meeting. She remembered how, just to imitate him carrying a string of fish and showing off in the streets, she had gone to find a tree branch near the lake. She’d used the swallow’s short sword to snip a small bough, returning the next day to fish only to meet the old fisherman again and notice a scar on his arm.

Lady Calico had asked what happened, but he didn’t tell her. Only much later, after they had grown close, did he sigh and say he would accept a fish from her that day to repay the injury.

At the time, Lady Calico hadn’t understood why a tree would even want to fish. Later, she asked the Daoist and learned that trees could “eat” fish too, not by mouth, but by burying the fish under their roots. Over time, the fish would become excellent fertilizer, even better than other offerings.

See? Even trees loved eating fish, and they never get tired of it.

The calico cat cast a sidelong glance at her Daoist.

“That Headless Monk was extremely vicious,” Wuwei continued, “and not only preyed upon humans. Any other demons or spirits that crossed his path rarely survived. I once warned that old fisherman not to take form so casually, not to fish openly at the lake, lest he run afoul of the Headless Monk. But he couldn't give up the joy of fishing. He kept going every day, rain or shine.”

The monk shook his head. As a monk, he couldn’t and wouldn’t fish, as it involved taking life. Naturally, he didn’t understand the joy of it.

As they chatted, Master Wuwei invited the Daoist, the cat, and the dark red horse into the monastery. They unloaded the luggage from the horse, and Wuwei asked the temple kitchen to prepare vegetarian meals. Then he looked up at the sky and saw a swallow darting and swooping wildly, flying free in every direction. He asked the Daoist if he needed to rein it in; the Daoist replied not to worry.

Only then did Wuwei lower his head and begin guiding them on a tour of the monastery.

As the name “Three Pagodas Monastery” suggested, it had three pagodas. The Three Pagodas, one large and two small, were all impressively tall.

The main pagoda was square in shape, rising sixteen stories high and over twenty zhang tall. The two smaller pagodas were octagonal, each with ten levels, and still over ten zhang tall. Lady Calico's Mountain God form had already grown quite massive, yet in front of these towering structures, which were ten, twenty times taller than even the Mountain God, it seemed small again.

As for the calico cat, she looked minuscule by comparison.

The large pagoda had been built first, and the smaller ones slightly later, but all were several centuries old. Time and the elements had left their mark, and every brick was covered with densely carved sutras.

Perhaps centuries or millennia from now, the pagodas would still stand tall on this land, but whether they'd still be the same as they were now, who could say?

The Daoist listened intently as Master Wuwei gave his tour and explanation. There could be no better guide.

But his gaze kept wandering past the words, past the introductions, drawn instead to the etched scriptures on the stone bricks, as well as the signs of weathering and the traces left behind by time.

The cat watched just as attentively, her eyes following his.

Then, they arrived before the Mirror Platform Hall. The Daoist stopped and looked up.

Above the hall hung a plaque with three gold-gilded words, “Mirror Platform Hall.”

Meanwhile, a couplet flanked the doorway. “No matter how lawless and unrestrained you’ve been, do you still have the courage to stand before the Mirror of Retribution[1]? Know this: I am capable of mercy and forgiveness. Why not lay down your blade and turn back while you still can”

“This is the Mirror Platform Hall,” Wuwei explained. “The Mirror Platform inside is a sacred treasure of our temple. Though its power is not always reliable, it can peer into the past and glimpse into the future. In the days when this temple flourished, great monks presided here. With their support, the Mirror could even reveal a person’s karmic debts throughout their life, judging their good and evil deeds.

“But nowadays...” he sighed, “People often come here filled with curiosity, even emperors in the past. Yet when they ask the Mirror questions, it rarely gives the answers they want. Some leave in anger and blame the temple. Then in old age, they return seeking forgiveness. It's truly food for thought.”

“How does the Mirror Platform work?”

“You simply light a stick of incense, stand before the mirror, and ask your question, as long as it concerns the past, the future, your karmic debts, or virtue and vice,” Wuwei said. “If the Mirror chooses to respond, you'll receive a vague yet profound sense of an answer, either right there, or later in a dream. If it chooses not to answer, the incense will extinguish.”

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“It can answer questions about both the past and future?” Song You asked with a curious smile.

“Indeed, you may try,” Wuwei replied. “But be warned, the Mirror only sees what it can. Its answers are not always accurate. Even when it answers, it may be wrong.

“If you wish to try, feel free to enter. With your level of cultivation, you won’t need me to assist. I myself am unworthy to step inside.”

“Then I’ll give it a try.” The Daoist, intrigued, stepped into the Mirror Platform Hall.

The cat padded quietly in after him, and the light inside the hall dimmed at once.

Within, a few life-sized statues stood quietly to the sides. They were not towering, and not easily recognizable as any particular Buddha or Bodhisattva. They were more likely representations of venerable monks from the temple’s past. In the center stood a stone platform, tilted slightly forward toward the entrance, its surface flat and polished.

The platform was grayish-white, streaked with black veins, a natural pattern that resembled an abstract landscape painting. On closer inspection, it also seemed like a dense script, perhaps scripture. The stone was exceptionally hard and rigid, the surface smooth to a mirror-like sheen, as if carefully polished. Standing before it, one could see their own reflection.

Song You glanced at the surrounding statues, then at the Mirror Platform, pondering for a long moment. At last, he lit a stick of incense and softly asked, “O Mirror Platform... You’re said to know the past and foresee the future, then tell me: five hundred years from now, will this temple still stand? Will the Great Emperor Chijin and the Western Buddha still remain?”

Whoosh...

A breeze blew in from outside, and all three incense sticks went out.

He was silent. It seemed... the Mirror had chosen not to answer. Whether it was unwilling, unable, or afraid, he could not tell.

“Then let’s try another question,” Song You said, lifting the incense holder, gently shaking the sticks, and relighting them. He placed them back once more and asked, “Will I still be alive in this world... ten years from now?”

Whoosh...

Without a sound, the incense burned away entirely.

In the depths of his awareness, Song You seemed to receive an answer.

It was a vague, indistinct sensation. It was not a voice nor words, but just a kind of perception that came from somewhere beyond, letting him sense the answer it offered.

It seemed to know that Hidden Dragon Temple would endure longer. From there, it wasn’t hard to draw a conclusion. There might have been other reasons behind it as well.

But if one were to say it could transcend time and peer into the future, especially the future of something like this, the Daoist didn’t believe it.

1. The Mirror of Retribution is a mirror in Diyu, the Chinese underworld. Souls are forced to stand in front of it and see their true selves, namely the events of their previous existences.The Yama King then makes his judgment.

It stands in the Court of the First Yama King and faces to the east, on a raised stand eleven feet in height. The mirror has a circumference of six feet. ☜