Chapter 698: The Man Returned to the River

“Little Jiang Han can already stand up, but she still can’t walk,” Lady Calico remarked, not forgetting to pass judgment, “Foolish child.”

“If you would take human form more often and walk around in front of her, she’d see and follow your example. But if you always stay in cat form and crawl about in front of her, naturally she’ll just learn to crawl instead.”

“Then if the swallow is always flying in front of her, will she learn to fly too?”

“Lady Calico, don’t argue.”

“

Meow

? What

meow

?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t argue!”

“I mean, Little Jiang Han doesn’t have wings, how could she learn to fly? Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t.” Facing her clear, earnest eyes, Song You regained his patience. “But you both have hands and feet, so naturally she’ll follow your example.”

The calico cat lifted her head high to meet his gaze. “But I

do

sometimes walk around in human form.”

“Then she’s just learning a bit too slowly.”

“Foolish child!”

“Lady Calico, don’t say that. Children need more encouragement. The more encouragement they have, the more motivated they’ll be.” The Daoist got out of bed, put on his shoes, and rubbed the cat’s head.

“...?”

At those words, the cat’s expression grew serious. She was already looking up at him solemnly, but now her eyes deepened further with gravity.

“Of course,” Song You said sincerely, “I’m still an honest man, not skilled in such things. Unless it’s someone like you, who is already so clever and capable, that I can praise truthfully. But for a child like Little Jiang Han, I can hardly pretend to praise her, much less speak to her as I would to you. In that case, I’ll have to entrust the task to you.”

“...” Only then did the cat’s eyes gradually return to normal.

“This is quite important, so please don’t forget it, Lady Calico,” Song You said.

“All right!”

“Since Little Jiang Han can already stand, why don’t we measure her height?” the Daoist suggested.

“...!”

The cat’s eyes lit up instantly. Even on her feline face, happiness was plain to see. She trotted in small, quick steps around the Daoist’s feet, making one worry he might step on her. Then, she said delightedly, “Before you came back, I was already thinking of measuring how tall she is! I had just been thinking about it, and now here you are!”

“Is that so?”

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

“Yes!” the cat’s voice was full of excitement. “I already thought of it! We’ll use my little bamboo staff to measure her, and when she grows to be the same height as my little bamboo staff, she won’t need to grow any taller!”

Children were always proud and happy when they shared the same idea as an adult they admired. It seemed Lady Calico was no different.

“It seems you’ve even thought ahead of me this time,” the Daoist said with a smile.

“I

just

thought of it!”

“That’s still ahead of me.”

“...!”

The Daoist then fetched her little bamboo staff.

It was a thin stick, not quite half a person’s height. In the old days, it suited Lady Calico perfectly. But now, in her hands, it could no longer be used as a walking staff, only as a stick or a fishing pole. In the Daoist’s hand, it was nothing more than a light little bamboo rod.

“...”

He shook his head without comment, coaxed little Jiang Han over, and had her stand against the wall. Lady Calico took human form and held her steady, trying to help her stand as straight as possible.

The Daoist placed the bamboo staff against the wall, gauged where the top of Jiang Han’s head reached, then looked her over and mentally added the bit she was missing by not standing fully straight. He marked the spot on the staff with his fingernail.

The slender little bamboo staff now bore a new mark.

“She’s not that tall!” Lady Calico said this seriously.

“Jiang Han just learned to stand, and she’s not standing straight yet. In a few days, once she’s standing tall, she’ll be this height.”

“Oh... that’s true...”

The Daoist saw her expression, shook his head with a smile, and said nothing.

Children at this age grow quickly. With Jiang Han following him and Lady Calico, she was soaking up spiritual energy, in perfect health, and eating well. She would naturally grow even faster.

Who knew how long this bamboo staff would remain useful?

“Ah... without realizing it, it’s already the start of the tenth year of Da’an,” the Daoist sighed. Having just woken from sleep, it was already afternoon, yet he felt refreshed and entirely without drowsiness. “Let’s tidy things up. Tonight you can rest; I’ll just meditate. Tomorrow morning, we’ll head back to Yizhou.”

“Back to Yizhou!”

“Jiang Han was probably born last spring or summer. But since we found her on the day of Daxue, let’s take that day as her birthday.”

“All right!”

“...”

The Daoist sat cross-legged, eyes closed, and let the past fill his mind.

Without noticing, nearly twenty years had gone by.

From beside him came the sound of the cat sharpening her claws, followed by a lighter, softer sound. Jiang Han, imitating her, was scratching at the wooden board with her hands.

My disciple will have her own blessings...

So the Daoist consoled himself.

After all, the little girl was still young. One could see her bones and natural endowment, but much of her nature was something she was born with and not yet visible. Only after a few more years, when she had grown and matured, would he decide whether to take her as a disciple and pass on the Hidden Dragon Temple’s legacy to her.

By all likelihood, there would be no problem.

***

Outside Fugang County, by the Yuqu River...

The Daoist stood on the riverbank and asked the boatman, “If we head downstream from here, will it lead to the Yin River?”

“The Yuqu River flows right into the Yin River,” the boatman replied.

“And the Yin River can also reach the Liujiang River?”

“The Yin River and the Liujiang River meet at one point, but I can’t take you that far. At most, I can bring you into the Yin River. Where exactly are you trying to go?” the boatman asked.

“I want to go to Yizhou.”

“Yizhou?” The boatman frowned, as if unfamiliar with the place. “Is Yizhou near the border with Xuzhou?”

“That’s right.”

“If you want to go by water, then you’ll have to follow the current from here into the Yin River, then take the Yin River to the Liujiang River, and from there see how the Liujiang River can get you to Yizhou.” The boatman glanced at the Daoist, and seeing he had a young disciple and a baby with him, his tone was friendly.

“From here to the Yin River is downstream all the way. If you’d like, the three of you can ride in my covered black boat, and we can set off right away. Only thing is, if we stop at a ferry along the way and someone waves us down, we’ll have to take on two more passengers. Normally it’s three hundred qian per person, but for you three, I’ll just take five hundred in total.”

“...”

The Daoist did a quick calculation in his mind.

The Liujiang River didn’t actually connect directly to Yizhou. Yizhou’s valley was mountainous, with difficult roads and underdeveloped waterways. The only real way to go from here by water was to reach Xuzhou first, then take a land route into Yizhou.

He had done something similar once before.

The price was reasonable enough.

These days, with the world in increasing turmoil, business was hard, and river travel carried its own risks. Since the boatman was already offering a generous discount, Song You saw no need to haggle.

“Thank you, sir.”

“No need to be polite, master. Watch your step as you board.”

The Daoist stepped onto the boat. Behind him, the young girl carrying the baby leapt lightly from the bank onto the boat, which startled the boatman. However, the bow didn’t rock in the slightest.

“Careful there,” the boatman chuckled, then straightened up, craned his neck to scan the ferry dock, saw no other passengers coming, and pushed off from the shore with his oar. The boat glided away along the river.

“Off we go...” His long, drawn-out call drifted away in the wind.

With both wind and current in their favor, the boat made straight for the Yin River.

The trip would take several days.

Along the way, Lady Calico fished, cooking whatever she caught into porridge for everyone aboard. Aside from being seasick and sleeping the entire first day, little Jiang Han soon became lively. She clambered around the boat and crawled to the edge to play with Lady Calico, babbling “ee-ee, ah-ah.” Several times she nearly fell into the water, but each time Lady Calico caught her by the scruff before she could splash in.

The boatman was terrified.

Two days of clear weather were followed by two days of rain.

A light rain merely dampened the planks, giving them a slick sheen and dappled the river’s surface with ripples. A heavy rain drummed dully against the boat’s canopy, sometimes letting a little water seep inside, though it had its own kind of charm.

Spring waters green as the sky, drifting in a painted boat, listening to the rain in sleep.

Passengers came aboard from time to time, but most only traveled a short distance and got off within the day. Many struck up conversations with Song You, curious about spirits, demons, and fortune-telling, just to pass the time.

After two rainy days, the sky cleared again.

“Ah...”

The Daoist sighed contentedly, relaxed with nothing to worry about.

Twenty years of wandering were about to end, and in his heart there was only one thought: an arrow-like longing to return home.

Across ten thousand li of clear wind, upon the river drifts a lone returning soul.

[1]

***

It took about seven days to reach the Yin River.

Where the Yuqu River met the Yin River there was a sizable dock. Since many boatmen only traveled waterways they knew well, a lot of boats stopped there to transfer passengers or cargo, making the place bustling.

The Daoist changed to another boat, heading onward toward the Liujiang River.

This time, it was again a covered boat, but now with two fixed passengers already aboard when Song You’s group arrived. The boatman on this trip was greedier; when Song You came, he still wanted to wait at the dock for another passenger before leaving, but the two men urged him on until, reluctantly, he pushed away from shore.

The two passengers were a young scholar and a middle-aged literatus.

The scholar was handsome and quite talkative. When Song You boarded, he was already at the bow, deep in conversation with the middle-aged man. Seeing Song You, his eyes lit up; he introduced himself and invited Song You to join their chat. Song You, however, said he had to care for the baby he carried and didn’t immediately go over. He simply sat in the cabin, listening to their talk.

They were discussing tales of demons and spirits.

“I came from Yangjiang in Yangzhou. There are fewer demons there, so I’ve heard, because a great demon-slaying hero surnamed Huo, skilled in martial arts and exorcism, keeps the land safe,” the young scholar said, his eyes alight. “But the way he got his abilities, that’s the truly strange and marvelous part.”

“Oh? What’s so unusual about it?” The middle-aged man leaned forward with interest.

“Well, it was more than ten years ago. They say an immortal was traveling through Yangzhou, passing through Yangdu...”

The young scholar launched into the story of how Huo Erniu, brash and fearless, stole a treasure from the immortal, how the immortal tested him, and in the end bestowed the treasure upon him. He told it with vivid gestures and shining eyes, making it sound even more exciting than the real event.

Though the details had shifted over time and the perspective had changed, in his telling the tale seemed more thrilling than the truth.

The Daoist listened in silence, a smile playing on his lips.

Lady Calico, seated at the stern fishing, even turned to stare at the scholar without blinking.

Only little Jiang Han kept crawling about the cabin.

“That mountain was nameless before, but because Hero Huo found a bamboo staff there, it’s now called ‘Staff-Finding Mountain,’” the scholar went on. “Because of that, I’d say Huo Erniu’s name will be remembered for hundreds of years.”

“What princes and nobles couldn’t accomplish, a mere rascal managed to do.”

“Such a fateful encounter with an immortal is truly marvelous.”

“Who could disagree...”

“Ah! Master Ling, you’re from Changjing, the imperial capital, surely there must be plenty of strange tales there?”

“I only come from a small county near Changjing, still a few hundred li away,” the middle-aged man replied, patting his knee. “As for Changjing itself, I don’t know much. Whatever I’ve heard, you’ve likely heard as well. But... There is one story, widely told and quite amusing.”

“I’d be delighted to hear it.” The young scholar immediately perked up with interest.

1. 清风几万里，江上一归人。The poetic line 清风几万里，江上一归人。 is from a Tang-dynasty poem titled 《别刘大校书》 (“Farewell to Registrar Liu”) by the poet Gao Shi (高适). Gao Shi composed this farewell poem when seeing off his friend Liu Mianxu (刘眘虚), who was returning home to eastern Jiangsu along the river. Gao Shi wrote it around 749 CE, in the spring of the eighth year of the Tianbao era (天宝八载). The line “清风几万里，江上一归人” captures the poignant image of a lone traveler drifting home across the vast river, accompanied only by a refreshing breeze that stretches for miles. It means “After we part upon the vast expanse of the river, only you remain, returning alone. ☜