Chapter 670: A Few Who Had Not Received His Favor

The sheer, straight slopes of Mount Tianzhu made the climb dangerous and slick. At dusk, when the light failed and the path became harder to see, the danger only increased.

From time to time came startled cries when someone slipped. People were coming down the mountain, but no one was going up.

“Sir, you’re still heading up at this hour?”

“Yes.”

“This road’s steep and narrow, and there’s a wet stretch, better be extra careful. One wrong step, and it’ll come down to testing your magic skills, hahahaha...”

Kind souls kept warning Song You. Yet no one mentioned that spending the night at the summit was not allowed.

Indeed, one could not stay overnight in the mountaintop palace, not because the Daoists there were aloof or unkind, but because the mountain was so small, with only two halls up top, one to the left and one to the right. The resident Daoists were themselves crammed into tiny rooms beside the palace halls, with no space for guests.

Of course, the rule for ordinary visitors didn’t necessarily apply to Daoists. Perhaps this one was going to visit friends, why else choose to climb after dusk?

So people only warned him of the dangerous path.

Whenever that happened, the calico cat would sit primly at the roadside, look up at the person, and stare at them as if to express her thanks, though no one could tell what she was really thinking.

The climb was arduous. It even seemed harder than last time.

Part of it was because many places had been worn smooth or outright damaged by bold visitors going up and down. Part of it was because so many people had gone up to watch the sunset and were now hurrying down before dark. Meeting someone coming the other way made passing difficult; they often had to scout ahead for a spot to edge past. Even so, it was always a nerve-racking maneuver.

Usually, the Daoist would have the other person stop and press close to the cliff wall while he stepped around them on the outside.

The cat would press herself to the rock face, tucking her head down and keeping still. Being so small, she hardly got in anyone’s way, and people could just walk past, perhaps giving her an extra curious glance at the sight of a pretty cat climbing with a Daoist.

The calico would meet their gaze, her heart uneasy, half-suspecting they were staring because she was blocking their way, and would flatten herself even more tightly against the cliff.

At last, they reached the summit without mishap.

By now the sky was dimming. Looking down, the mountains were already dark masses, while the mountaintop was still faintly lit by the sky. The palace Daoists had begun their cleaning.

An old Daoist, bent over with a broom in hand and poor eyesight, noticed someone arriving so late. He squinted, leaned out for a better look, and asked, “Good patron, why come up so late? The ones watching the sunset have already gone. If you go down after this, it’s easy to lose your footing.”

The Daoist did not answer immediately, but instead asked, “Why not use a longer broom, elder?”

“In the presence of the divine, it is good to bow often.”

“Well said.” The Daoist smiled. “I have come up for some important matter.”

“What matter? What important business here?” The old man peered at him, hesitated, then asked, “Are you human or ghost?”

“Human, of course.”

“Good. If you’re human, you’ll be walking down. And if you’re walking down, you’d best be careful,” the old Daoist muttered as he finished sweeping the patch at his feet, making one suspect he couldn’t actually see the ground clearly, only sweeping everything in reach whether it was dirty or not. Straightening slowly, he peered more closely at Song You. “Oh? A fellow Daoist?”

“My surname is Song, given name You. I am a Daoist from Yizhou. I have come to pay a visit and wish to borrow your palace for a time.”

“Borrow the palace...”

The old man’s eyes showed puzzlement. He looked at Song You, then, as if recalling something, lowered his gaze to the calico cat at his feet. Suddenly his eyes went wide, shock flooding away all confusion and the faint wariness he’d held a moment before.

“May... may I ask your honorable surname?” The old Daoist even raised a hand in salute as he asked.

“My surname is Song, given name You,” the Daoist patiently replied with a return salute.

“Would you be the Immortal Master Song of Hezhou and the northern lands?” The elder strained to open his clouded eyes wider.

“I have indeed traveled in the north.”

“Ah!” The old Daoist gave a cry of surprise.

On the small summit, the sound of their conversation and their master’s startled exclamation had long since drawn the attention of several younger Daoists. They now gathered around, just in time to see their master hastily wipe his hands on his robe, then raise both hands high over his head in deep salute, as though welcoming a deity in person.

“Your Excellency above, please accept a bow from me. My name is Taihuzi.”

“I take no pay without merit, and no salute without favor,” Song You said quickly, going forward to help him up. “You are advanced in years, elder, by no means should you do this.”

“You jest, Your Excellency...”

The old Daoist lifted his head. His face was dark and weathered, wrinkles deeply etched, and in his cloudy eyes were the marks of years of hardship and wear. When he spoke, his tone carried that peculiar mixture of sorrow and gratitude unique to the elderly when deeply moved:

“In the north... how many people are there who have

not

benefited from your grace, Your Excellency?”

“Elder Daoist, please don’t say such things.”

“

Sigh...

”

The old Daoist straightened up, raised his sleeve, and wiped his face before saying, “Being able to meet you in this lifetime... it makes my life worth it.”

“You give me too much credit, Elder Daoist.”

“Oh, right, right, right. You mentioned earlier, what was it you came here to do again?”

“I wish to borrow your palace hall for a time.”

“This is hardly

my

palace hall. I merely sweep away the dust here and receive the incense-offering visitors.” The old Daoist agreed almost without hesitation, not even asking what it would be used for, how long it would be borrowed, or whether official permission had been obtained. He simply saluted and said, “Since you require it, Your Excellency, then take it as you will.”

Only then did he remember to add, “How exactly do you mean to ‘borrow’ it?”

“I have some important matters to attend to here. I must not be disturbed, and it will take two or three months. I did not intentionally come at this hour to trouble you and your fellow Daoists, it is simply that during the day there are too many tourists here, and it would not do for me to come and drive them all away. So I had to come now, to ask you and your companions to temporarily lend me this place, and to inform the visitors below that for the next three months they must not climb the mountain.”

“Good, good, good! I understand!”

The younger Daoists nearby showed obvious surprise at his words, but the old Daoist nodded repeatedly, agreeing without a shred of hesitation. He added, “I will take my disciples down the mountain right away...”

At that, his disciples were even more alarmed.

Song You could not help but laugh. “There’s no need to be in such a hurry. Elder Daoist, please don’t trouble yourself so, you can still stay the night here as usual. You’ll need to gather your things anyway; you can go down in the morning.”

“What things do I have to gather? Since you require the place, it must be for an important matter, how could we delay you? We’ll pack up at once, at once!” The old Daoist was now the most flustered person present, muttering to himself as he looked about, then calling for his disciples to pack their belongings, saying they’d go live in a thatched inn below the mountain for three months.

Song You tried many times to persuade him otherwise, only to be persuaded in return.

He could only agree with a wry smile, reminding them to take the palace’s silver and coins with them so they would not feel embarrassed about it.

Soon, the old Daoist and his disciples were bustling about packing their bundles. While their puzzled voices sounded in the background, Song You walked out to the palace’s outer gallery, gazing at the distant glow of the sky and asking it to linger a while longer, not to depart so quickly.

The sky’s light seemed to return his courtesy.

By the time the Daoists had finished their packing, the brightness on the horizon remained unchanged, not yet fading.

“Thank you, Elder Daoist. Thank you, young Daoist friends.” Song You bowed to them. “Though it is late, please do not worry about descending. I will ensure your safety without mishap, even if you slip, you will never fall into the ravine.”

“Then I shall take my leave.”

“Please take it slow, Elder Daoist. When you reach the bottom, do not sleep just anywhere, there are still vacant wooden huts down there. Do not be reluctant to spend a little incense money.”

“Understood, understood!” The old Daoist began his descent, groping his way down.

His disciples supported him on either side.

Yet even with their aid, with his dim eyes, how could he see this pitch-dark path clearly? He could only make out the general direction, relying on memory to guess his way.

But, strangely enough, even walking like this, with hazy sight and guesswork, every step he took found level ground beneath his feet.

At times, as they went, he reached toward the mountain wall on that side and found he had to stretch his arm straight to barely touch it, realizing in surprise that he must have wandered off the path. But when he looked down, though it was pitch black beneath, his footing was still steady. Walking back onto the path made no difference at all.

Looking up, they could faintly see, atop the peak, a gray-white figure outlined against the sky’s glow. It was remarkably clear, and it looked like it was watching them on their way.

The old Daoist knew it was the immortal master aiding them, and his heart grew calm.

The younger disciples, however, felt more uneasy.

Aside from the Daoist, the swallow also stood at the mountain’s edge, peering down at the Daoists making their way along the sheer pillar-like cliff path, unable to help sinking into thought.

This Mount Tiazhu truly must be the most unusual of all. For it was so small at the top, yet held a palace. And now, that palace even had people in it.

He had originally thought there might be some trouble, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be far simpler than he had imagined.

Truly, it was completely beyond anything he had envisioned.

Now, as they descended the mountain, if not for the Daoist’s aid... Yes, the disciples were young, sharp-eyed, nimble-footed, and familiar with the path, so they might have been able to make it down safely, but for the old Daoist, it would have been a matter of life and death. Yet he had agreed without the slightest hesitation, unwilling to delay even for a moment.

The swallow recalled the look and manner of the old Daoist when he had recognized Song You and Lady Calico.

For no reason, a line came to mind,

Who in the world does not know you?

A white-haired elder Daoist, upon merely recognizing Mister, had cried out in surprise and offered deep courtesy.

Upon merely hearing that Song You wished to borrow the palace hall, he had not cared whether the authorities approved, nor asked what the matter was, but agreed on the spot. Simply because he thought Song You might have something important to do, he would not delay even for a moment, despite the darkening sky, and was determined to head down the mountain immediately.

Unnoticed until now, Song You’s renown and prestige among the common folk had reached such heights.

And it was not false, not the product of deliberate publicity, but something accumulated over these years. Walking the land, especially in the North, he subdued demons and eradicated evil step by step.

Many had seen it with their own eyes, and many had personally benefited. Thus they revered him as a god, and honored him as a great sage.

How could such a man fail to accomplish what he set out to do?

***

At the foot of the mountain, many people had gathered. Some sat by campfires roasting or boiling food, others sat around the flames composing poems, trading couplets, singing, drinking, and making merry.

From time to time, someone would glance toward the pillar-like mountain.

They faintly heard sounds from halfway up the slope, as if someone were making their way down.

Everyone assumed it was that Daoist who had earlier gone up the mountain with a cat, and, having failed to find lodging, was now returning. But when the figures came into view and they looked closely, they realized it was the Daoists from the mountain’s summit.

The old Daoist told them that from tomorrow onward, for the next three months, no one was to climb this mountain or go up to the palace hall. He asked them that after descending, if they encountered anyone trying to climb, they must inform them as well.

When people asked why, the old Daoist only said that a celestial being had come to the mountain tonight, and that this celestial wished to borrow the palace hall to conduct certain matters, and they must not ask further.

If they asked who the celestial was, the old Daoist would not say.

Only a few visitors from certain northern prefectures, upon hearing the words “celestial being” from his mouth, thought of the Daoist they had seen earlier that day, and of the calico cat by his side. They faintly guessed the truth, but seeing the elder’s expression, they dared not voice it aloud.

Those who knew and those who did not alike lifted their heads to gaze at the palace hall atop the mountain.

They saw the radiance in the sky, which had been shining until now, suddenly dim by four or five parts, while lamps were lit in the palace at the summit, like a star in the night, hanging on the horizon.

Rumble, rumble...

Faint sounds came from the mountain once more.

Someone, mustering their courage, picked up a few sticks to use as torches and went to investigate, only to discover that the path leading to the very top of Mount Tiazhu had vanished without a trace, as if there had never been a way up at all.