Chapter 623: Night Talks in the Mountains

“Mr. Liu, do you know the Yang family of Xianning?”

“The Yang family of Xianning? Of course I know them. Their Xianyun Gauze is the finest, and though we’re quite far apart, we correspond often.” The middle-aged man replied, then looked at Song You with some surprise. “Don’t tell me, sir, you heard of me from the Yang family? That’s quite a distance!”

“Not only that...”

Song You smiled and said, “We asked the Yang family for directions while in Xianning. Their young master told us that in Luchuan there is a shop called Liu's Cloth Shop, whose owner pursues Immortal Dao and practices Daoist arts, and that he is on good terms with the Yang family. He told us, if we couldn’t find the path, to seek out Mr. Liu for guidance.”

“You went into the city to look for me?” The middle-aged man stared at him, worried he might’ve made a wasted trip.

“The best part is this,” the Daoist said. “We arrived here and found the trail just as the Yang family said, so we didn’t bother going into town to trouble you. Yet, by chance, we still met you on the road.”

“Oh my! That truly is fate!”

The middle-aged man widened his eyes. And not just him, even the old man walking ahead and the three younger men carrying bamboo baskets all turned their heads, looking astonished.

There were many things in the world that caused wonder, but such strange and fateful encounters were not to be taken lightly.

Thanks to this serendipitous connection, even without the Yang family personally vouching, the bond between the two parties immediately grew closer.

As they walked, Mr. Liu chatted on. “From Luchuan to Bashu, it takes three days on foot. It takes one day to reach the base of the mountain, and two days to climb. Today’s the second day, and we still have one more day’s hike. Did you bring enough provisions and water, sir?”

“We planned to resupply in Luchuan,” Song You replied honestly. “But midway we found a shortcut that connected directly to the mountain path, so we skipped the city and came straight here. Still, my cat here is quite capable, and this mountain is full of wild hares. We won’t go hungry.”

“Even if you didn’t bring enough, it’s no trouble. There’s only one day left. We can spare you some food. And once we reach the village on the mountain, if you’re low on supplies, you can just buy rice and flour there.”

“We’ve enough for today and tomorrow.”

“Good then...”

As Mr. Liu spoke, he glanced up at the sky. “It’s getting late. There’s an old earthen hut ahead, which was once the home of a recluse. We can stay there for the night. It’ll shield us from the mountain winds and keep us safe from beasts and wandering spirits.”

“I’ll follow your lead, Mr. Liu.”

Mr. Liu clearly respected the Daoist. From the very beginning he had been warm and polite, but after learning about their strange connection through the Yang family, his manner became even more gracious.

That said, he was indeed physically weak and walked slowly.

No wonder earlier that day they had already begun ascending the mountain, while Song You had still been thirty li away from the trailhead, yet had managed to catch up by afternoon.

But perhaps that was for the best, as slow and leisurely made for a more peaceful journey.

They soon arrived at the earthen hut Mr. Liu had mentioned.

The hut no longer had a roof, and only four mud walls remained. Inside, almost nothing was left except for a clay stove, and the floor was covered with traces of fires left by past travelers.

The three young men went to chop firewood and lit a fire, which quickly made the hut considerably warmer.

The middle-aged man surnamed Liu brought out a few slender bamboo tubes apparently filled with sticky rice and tossed them into the fire to cook.

Song You unloaded his pack from the horse and brought it inside the hut. The horse was left outside to graze freely, while the cat wandered off for a while. When she returned, she was carrying a fat grey rabbit in her mouth, which she silently placed in front of the Daoist.

The others were naturally amazed.

“Sir, this cat truly is magical!”

“With a cat like that, you’d never go hungry while you are traveling the world as long as there’s land and hills and wild hares to catch.”

“As long as you’re not afraid of wild beasts or demons in the mountains, you really could go anywhere.”

Song You replied with a smile, “You all don’t know that besides her hunting skills, my cat is also adept at subduing demons and exorcising spirits. Mountain wolves and tigers are no match for her. So, just as you said, with her as my companion, there’s nowhere I can’t go.”

At this, the calico cat beside him suddenly looked very serious.

Unable to endure all the praise without action, she promptly turned around and dashed out again without hesitation.

When she returned once more, she had caught a small fish from who-knows-where, which she held in her mouth and placed before the Daoist with dainty steps just as before.

Naturally, everyone was even more impressed.

As the sky darkened, the fire in the hut continued to burn. Its glow stood out starkly in the mountain night. With so many people present, their courage grew, and they weren’t afraid of mountain beasts or wandering spirits. Conversation continued nonstop.

“The villages up here are all located atop the mountains. Bashu is one of the highest. Ahead is a valley, so deep you can’t see the bottom. Just like you said, it’s filled year-round with thick clouds and mist. Whether rain or shine, the clouds never disperse.

“Some say there’s a lake at the bottom. Others say there’s a deep cave that leads underground. But the cliffs are far too steep and dangerous, so no one has made it to the bottom. A few herb gatherers have tried climbing down, but none have reached the base.”

“The dragon rises from there?”

“Exactly.” The middle-aged man paused for a moment.

“That cloud-filled abyss is enormous. Mountains surround it on all sides, and no one really knows how far it stretches. All we know is that if you stand in Bashu and look across the sea of clouds, the mountain on the far side looks tiny.

“If you wanted to walk all the way around it, it would probably take a day or two. The true dragon doesn’t rise every year. Some say it does, but just doesn’t always appear here, or reveal itself.

“Every year around this time, we come up to the mountain to collect silkworm thread. I’ve come up with them every year and always stay in Bashu for a while. Only after spring arrives or after seeing the true dragon do I return, hoping to absorb a bit of its luck and divine aura. It’s been about twenty years now, and I’ve only seen the dragon three times.”

“Three times...”

“People say I’ve got pretty good luck!”

“So that's how it is...”

“And among those three times,” the middle-aged man continued, “some were close, and some were far. The closest time, the true dragon rose straight up from the abyss in front of Bashu. Its massive body was larger than the mountains. A person standing on the edge of the cliff wasn’t even as big as a single scale on its body. The gust of wind it stirred up made it nearly impossible to stand.

“The grass and trees all over the mountain shook violently. Ah, there's really no way to put it into words. Mister, you’ll have to see it with your own eyes to understand how astonishing it truly is. Once you've witnessed that sight, no amount of gods, spirits, monsters, or ghost stories in the world can move you in the same way no matter how fantastical they are, even if you saw them yourself.”

Song You nodded as he listened, trying to imagine the scene.

But instead of a clear image, what came to his mind was the sight of divine birds soaring across the night sky during the solstices in northern Yuezhou.

The bamboo tubes beside the fire crackled with faint bubbling sounds as moisture was drawn out by the intense heat. Nearby, a fish and rabbit, which were skewered on wooden sticks after being sliced open and coated with seasonings, began to emit a rich aroma under the heat.

The five companions all stared at the fish and rabbit, barely glancing away even as they talked.

The calico cat kept glancing between them, watching.

“Once, in the far distance, a true dragon rose from beyond the sea of clouds.” the middle-aged man continued, “Though it was far and lacked the overwhelming terror of close range, we could take in the dragon’s full form. The sight was no less awe-inspiring. There are countless legends about dragons in the world, but how many have truly seen what one looks like? I often discuss local ghost stories and strange events with like-minded friends. But even if those events are things they witnessed personally, how could any of them compare to this?”

“That makes sense...”

Gradually, the food finished cooking.

The middle-aged man pulled the fragrant bamboo rice from the fire and handed one to Song You. In return, Song You generously shared his grilled fish and rabbit. They exchanged thanks, chatting as they ate.

“There are also many recluses in the mountains. They’re mostly learned men, just like the kind described in ancient texts, talented yet unrecognized. Some are monks or Daoists, and many of them know actual magic. They say this mountain is filled with spiritual energy and dragon qi, with a unique spiritual resonance, so they all like to come here to live in seclusion. Mister, if you came alone and hadn’t met me, and you saw a solitary house in a scenic place deep in the mountains, it was likely one of these recluses’ homes.”

“Or it could be a mountain spirit or monster living inside,” the old man nearby interjected.

“Yes, yes, that too,” the middle-aged man agreed. “In these times, even in this mountain, the number of spirits and monsters has increased. I’ve heard that even the recluses up here are often disturbed by them. Many have either moved to live with others or just gone down the mountain altogether.”

Song You kept nodding as he listened.

Indeed, the world had clearly changed.

This mountain was undeniably full of spiritual energy, and the ambient aura was unusually rich. Places like this benefit human cultivation, but they were also fertile grounds for the growth of monsters and spirits.

The reason it seemed like there were fewer demons and spirits in the mountain, Song You suspected, was likely due to the presence of the true dragon. When other beings in the mountain saw such a colossal presence, they naturally assumed the territory belonged to the dragon and behaved accordingly, not daring to cause trouble.

To outsiders, it looked like there weren’t many monsters on the mountain. But most of them were probably just hiding.

As for recluses being bothered by spirits, well, that was only natural.

Generally speaking, newly enlightened mountain spirits and monsters tend to have one of two attitudes toward humans, aside from being cautious or fearful. One type enjoyed harming or eating humans, and these already revealed their feral and violent nature. The other type harbored a sense of reverence toward humans, who ruled the world and built a prosperous civilization. They were eager to seek out humans for guidance, hoping to be taught and to learn human skills.

Given that the mountain recluses carried the reputation of being powerful and enlightened, it was no surprise that mountain spirits and monsters might come seeking them out.

As this was being said, one of the young men suddenly paused, listened carefully, and said, “Sounds like there’s something outside.”

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Everyone stopped what they were doing and strained to listen. Sure enough, there were faint sounds coming from outside.

It sounded like heavy breathing... or perhaps a low growl. It felt like a wild beast, or maybe a monster, was circling the outside of the hut and quietly watching them.

Startled, the group instinctively turned to look at the Daoist.

But the Daoist remained calm. He simply reached out and gently stroked the cat beside him, then said to them, “No need to panic. Leave it to my cat.”

“

Meow

...”

As if it understood human speech, the cat turned and darted out.

The Daoist, meanwhile, continued peeling open his fragrant bamboo rice, much like peeling a banana or sugarcane, and calmly ate the soft sticky rice inside. At the same time, he encouraged the others to resume eating and chatting.

A while later, the cat returned, and the sounds outside had completely disappeared. And for the rest of the night, everything remained perfectly quiet.