Chapter 658: Lady Calico, Take It Slowly

“Everything the various Divine Lords have said is true. But now that matters have come to this, what brilliant plans do the Divine Lords have to defeat the enemy?”

With that one sentence, the Rising Clouds Palace fell silent.

Heaven truly had no shortage of ancient gods; some were capable in battle, some not; some had decayed, some still retained their strength. But whether virtuous, aloof, irritable, or long withdrawn from both the Heavenly Palace and worldly affairs, who could be asked to fight? Who dared to ask them? Who was confident enough to bring them forth?

To invite just one was already difficult. Two would be even harder. Yet if only one were invited, they feared repeating past failures.

What’s more, even if the current master of Hidden Dragon Temple did fight his way up to heaven, he might not necessarily turn his blade on them.

“Why do the Divine Lords remain silent?”

“Your Majesty...”

It was once again that old god, the most talkative and diligent among them, who replied, “I believe we made two mistakes at the outset. One was underestimating the current master of Hidden Dragon Temple; the second was acting too hastily. That’s how we suffered two defeats in a row. The second mistake, in particular, was especially unwise.”

“Oh? Explain.”

“Gold Spirit Official, bolstered by Your Majesty’s divine authority and incense offerings, had over a fifty-percent chance of defeating the Hidden Dragon Temple heir. Even if Gold Spirit Official had unfortunately lost, the many celestial officers and star generals could have swarmed in and captured him. No one expected an ancient god to intervene on his behalf.

“Then came Fiery Sun Emperor Lord. His Ninefold Celestial Fire was incomparably domineering. Everyone, including the Emperor Lord himself, was confident it would bring the Hidden Dragon master down. But we did not expect he would be favored by the Heavenly Dao itself and aided by heaven and earth, and so we lost yet again.” The old god let out a long sigh.

“None of you Divine Lords underestimated his strength, you merely underestimated other factors.”

“Very true...”

“That is why,” the old god continued, “we must not rashly send Duke of Thunder Zhou into battle either. Although Your Majesty governs the Heavenly Palace, commands the gods, and holds sway over mortal incense offerings, the defeat and death of Gold Spirit Official has certainly damaged Your Majesty’s prestige.

“Among the eight divisions of Heaven, only Duke of Thunder Zhou remains who is both fierce and skilled in battle,” he added tactfully. “But Your Majesty need not be so hasty.”

“The second path to heaven is about to be sealed. How can we

not

be hasty?”

“Please allow me to explain...” The old god’s voice was slow and measured.

“Then speak, quickly.”

“On the surface, it appears that the current master of Hidden Dragon Temple, by reorganizing the path to heavens, is damaging Your Majesty’s interests. But any discerning observer can see that this is merely the beginning. His true goal lies elsewhere; namely, those deities whose virtue and merit were lacking at the time of their ascension.”

“Though Your Majesty is the lord of the Heavenly Palace and would seem the primary target, in truth, the threat extends far beyond Your Majesty alone.”

“Well reasoned.”

“Among the remaining ancient gods,” said the old god, “the one most skilled in magical combat, aside from the united Four Saints, is the Ancient God of the Heavenly Bell.”

“The Heavenly Bell Emperor? We haven’t met more than a few times.”

“He has been in seclusion for many years. Most likely, he too has sensed the changes in the Heavenly Dao and has gradually faded from the scene. He is a great sage from the ancient era, and possessed three ancient bells, one for life, one for death, and one for the four seasons.

“When the Life Bell was rung, all creation teemed with vitality, though this bell has already been shattered. When the Death Bell was struck, all life would be extinguished, the most effective tool against mortal cultivators and living beings. As for the Four Seasons Bell, when it rang, the seasons would cycle unceasingly.”

The old god paused.

“To the best of this one’s knowledge, that Emperor Lord ascended through cultivation and power alone. In all the years since, he has done no further good works in the human realm. On the contrary, his karmic sins are countless. He is, in fact, the one who should be the

most

nervous right now.”

“You mean to say...”

“The way I see it, if Your Majesty grows anxious first, those ancient gods will simply sit by and watch. They’d be all too happy to see Your Majesty’s strength worn down, just like what happened with Gold Spirit Official. At the same time, they’ll observe the current Hidden Dragon Temple heir’s powers and strategies, using the opportunity to gauge his limits.

“But if Your Majesty remains calm, then the ones who ought to be anxious... will be them.” The old god continued, “When that time comes, the roles will reverse. Your Majesty can let

them

take the lead in clashing with the Hidden Dragon Temple heir. If they win, that’s excellent, it means Your Majesty can rest easy from then on. And if they lose? That’s not a bad outcome either. At the very least, it will deplete the Hidden Dragon Temple’s preparations and magical strength, while reinforcing Your Majesty’s authority.

“Meanwhile, Your Majesty can slowly prepare, issue invitations to various deities from all sides, and once power sufficient to bring down the Hidden Dragon Temple heir in one stroke has been gathered and once you truly know your enemy,

then

make your move. That way, you are guaranteed victory.”

“Well said! Well said! To have you by our side is our great fortune, and a blessing to the Heavenly Palace as well!”

“Your Majesty is too kind...”

The other Divine Lords in the hall said nothing.

“Well then...”

“I shall personally visit the Heavenly Bell Emperor, and drop a few hints, let’s see whether the old fellow starts to panic.”

“We entrust this matter to you.”

The Rising Clouds Palace doors opened, and the old god rode a cloud and departed.

***

In front of a shop in Green City in the Western Regions...

A stunningly beautiful calico cat was sitting properly by the roadside, looking up intently at a burly, dark-skinned young man kneading dough. Her gaze hardly wavered, though now and then she’d get distracted, turning her head to glance up and down the street or peer into the sky above, as though watching for something. After a moment, she would return her attention to the dough-kneading man.

Passersby, charmed by the cat’s beauty and well-behaved demeanor, couldn’t help casting glances her way. A few cat lovers instinctively squatted down to pet her, but none managed to touch her.

“Is that cat yours?”

“No idea where she came from!”

“She’s been staring at you the whole time. So pitiful... Look those big pleading eyes, and you can’t even spare her a piece of lamb?”

“Even if I threw it to her, she wouldn’t eat it.”

“...”

“How’s your cooking practice coming along? Did you find the seeds for that

hunti

scallion?” From behind, a Daoist with a staff approached.

“

Meow

?”

The cat immediately turned her head and stared straight at him. Then she rose to her feet, lowered her body, raised her hindquarters in a stretch, yawned, and padded off to follow the Daoist.

Once they were away from prying eyes, she finally spoke.

“I learned it already! And I found the seeds for the

hunti

scallion too! With the swallow helping to plant them, we only need to save a tiny bit each time, and we’ll never run out, just like the chili peppers and

suanqie

!”

“You’ve worked hard.”

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“Did you win,

meow

?”

“Of course.”

“Just now, there were fire clouds in the sky. It suddenly got really hot, then suddenly cold again. A lot of people got scared. Was that you two fighting,

meow

?”

“More or less.”

The Daoist slowly walked back to the inn with her.

He packed his belongings, checked out, and departed.

Though Green City was in the Western Regions, its scenery was truly picturesque. There were lush mountains and rivers, though different from the ones in the Central Plains. In the distance, the Mount Tian range dotted the horizon, adding a sense of grandeur and vastness to the beauty.

At dusk, wild geese flew southward, rivers wound through the landscape, mist rising from their surfaces. Amid the haze and fog, one could faintly glimpse pavilions and towers in the architectural style of the Great Yan dynasty, as well as local stone and wooden houses. A crane glided by, its long claws brushing lightly against the surface of the river, leaving ripples in its wake before flapping its wings and soaring away.

Their destination this time was Mount Tianjin.

Mount Tianjin lay slightly to the south in the Western Regions, a relatively remote path to heaven, though the Great Yan court had made more use of it in recent times.

Generally speaking, only the exceptionally virtuous deceased from the Northwest region would ascend to godhood via Mount Tianjin. This route had always been remote, and those who became gods through it were even fewer. It wasn’t until the Great Yan dynasty that this began to change.

Their control over the Northwest grew stronger, and the local people gradually turned their hearts toward the Central Plains, admiring Great Yan's culture. More and more Northwest locals entered government service, and foreign faces became increasingly common. Naturally, the number of people from the Northwest and even the Western Regions absorbed into the Heavenly Palace's divine system also grew.

Still, it could not compare to the other four paths to heavens.

After half a day’s journey, they arrived at Mount Tianjin.

Mount Tianjin was part of the Mount Tian range. Several snow-capped peaks connected into one stretch, and their summits were remarkably flat. From below, it looked to the common folk as though the clouds had reached their end, hence the name “Tianjin” (lit. “Sky’s End”).

This place was relatively far from the Central Plains, and since Song You had just defeated the Fire Yang Divine Lord, the Heavenly Palace likely wouldn’t dare trouble him again so soon. It would be too foolish.

Still, just in case, the Daoist did as he had at Mount Zunzhe: he first spent time setting up a grand formation before beginning the careful restoration of the path to heaven.

The divine mountain’s icy spiritual resonance hadn’t yet been exhausted, and he only needed to extract a portion of it as a source of spiritual resonance.

Everything went smoothly.

When the Daoist descended from Mount Tianjin, Lady Calico was, as always, the first to greet him.

“This time you took three months!” The calico cat trotted beside him and said.

“Is it summer yet?”

“It’s April now, but it’s not hot.”

“The eighth year of the Da’an era, summer...” the Daoist murmured to himself, calculating silently.

He had descended the mountain in late summer or early autumn of the first year of the Mingde era. The old calendar had eleven years, so by late summer or early autumn of Mingde Year Eleven, exactly ten years would have passed. Under the new calendar, if he traveled the world for twenty years, then he would return to the temple in late summer or early autumn of Da’an Year Ten.

Of course...

Back then, when his master had sent him down the mountain, he’d said,

“At least twenty years. A little longer is fine too.”

However, ever since the Daoist began walking the mortal world from the very beginning up until just a few years ago, whenever he spoke to old friends and acquaintances, he always said that he would travel the world for twenty years, and that after twenty years, he would return to the Daoist temple.

Now that his old friends and acquaintances all expected him to return to the temple in late summer or early autumn of Da’an Year Ten, the Daoist, unless absolutely necessary, didn’t wish to go back on his word.

He wanted to keep that promise as best he could.

“Gotta plan this out properly...”

Muttering to himself, the Daoist glanced down at the calico cat trotting at his side. Thinking of the tone she’d just used when speaking to him, he asked, “Have you grown any taller?”

“What

meow

?”

“I asked whether you’ve gotten any taller over the past three months,” the Daoist patiently repeated.

“I stayed on the mountain waiting for you. There’s no place to fish here on the mountain, only rabbits and mice to catch. I never turned into my human form, so I don’t know if I’ve gotten taller or not,” the calico cat replied, her tiny steps never stopping, though she turned her head sideways to stare at him.

The road ahead was uneven.

Where the ground dipped, she crossed with ease. If a rock blocked her path, she barely glanced at it before leaping lightly over.

After walking a stretch, she'd glance ahead again to check the road, as if committing it to memory, then turned her gaze back to the Daoist.

“Turn into your human form, Lady Calico, let me take a look.”

“

Poof

...”

With a soft

poof

, the cat transformed into her human form, tilted her head up, eyes sparkling as she stared intently at the Daoist.

“Did I grow taller,

meow

?”

The Daoist also studied her carefully.

“A little.”

“A little!”

“Lady Calico, slow down a little when you grow,” the Daoist said as he walked forward with his bamboo staff. “That way, it’ll seem like I’m aging more slowly too.”

“It’s growing on its own!”

“Maybe so.”

With another

poof

, Lady Calico turned back into a calico cat.

She dashed forward with a burst of energy.

“Most cats, if they’d lived as many years as Lady Calico, would’ve died already. Even if not, they’d be old cats by now,” the calico cat said, stopping a bit ahead of him.

When it came to life and death, her tone was always light and casual, imbued with a kind of detachment even gods found hard to achieve.

“But cats are silly. Even when they grow old, they’re still like little kids. They just get lazy. When they see a bug fly by, they still want to catch it, but they can’t move fast anymore, and they can’t catch it either.”

“Good thing you grow slowly.”

“Exactly!” the calico cat said proudly. “I can

always

catch bugs!”

“Impressive...”

“Where are you going next? I will take you!”

“I’m thinking of making another trip to Yunzhou.”

“Where in Yunzhou?”

“Bashu Dragon Pool.”

“What are you going there for?”

“Within the Dragon Pool, there’s still spiritual resonance left behind by a true dragon, an unending source of vitality. It’s one of the 'powers of Heaven and Earth' that the true dragon once lent to us. I need to retrieve it,” Song You explained patiently.

After a pause, he added, “But there’s no need to go straight to Bashu Dragon Pool. That would be too rushed. If I can see Yunzhou’s scenery from a different perspective first, that would be even better.”

“I will take you!”

The calico cat’s tone was firm and full of determination, as if saying,

“No matter where you want to go, I can take you there.”

“Thank you, Lady Calico.”

“You’re welcome!”

With that, she pranced off, her little steps even livelier now, heading toward where the travel pack had been set down. Before she even got close, and before she made any visible motion, a small flag within the pack lifted itself into the air.

Poof!

With a soft sound, the black clouds across the sky transformed into a white crane.

High above the snowy mountains, the heavenly clouds drew long, trailing lines, and the white crane soared with wings spread wide, a scene rarely witnessed in the mortal world. The landscape of Mount Tian took on an added air of immortality, like a scroll painting touched with divine grace.