Chapter 704: An Old Friend Prepares Chicken and Millet

“Flutter, flutter...”

The swallow returned, and with it came the short sword. Without a word, it perched on a bamboo tip and began grooming its feathers.

The Daoist was still sitting at the doorway, waiting.

The sun sank in the west; twilight brought drifting wisps of mist.

The Daoist sat there all night. Lady Calico and little Jiang Han also sat there all night. The swallow stayed on its bamboo perch all night. And the yellow dog, too, lay in front of them, keeping its eyes on them the whole night and guarding faithfully. When the chickens returned to their coop, it lay at the coop’s door; when they came out, it stood watch over them.

It wasn’t until the next morning that the dog suddenly turned its head, looking off into the distance. Then it ignored the Daoist entirely, bounded off, and disappeared into the bamboo grove.

Song You knew at once that its master had returned.

A moment later, a faint

ding-ding

sound echoed through the mountains. It was likely the bell on a mule or horse, though it was hard to tell from where.

The sound drew nearer, clearer.

Now its direction was obvious, but the secluded dwelling was blocked by dense bamboo; the Daoist couldn’t see anything.

Even so, the Daoist before the bamboo house, the little girl beside him imitating his cross-legged pose, Jiang Han sitting in her own careless way, and the swallow on the bamboo tip all turned their gaze toward the sound.

The swallow dipped its head, as if about to speak, then thought better of it.

“Ding... ding... ding...”

The clear, pleasant chime drew right up to the bamboo grove, mingling with the chorus of cicadas all around. In the Daoist’s heart, a quiet anticipation stirred.

A short-legged yellow-maned horse emerged from the grove. But there was only the horse, no rider.

A yellow dog had the reins in its mouth, leading the horse out of the bamboo and toward the cottage.

“Huh?” Lady Calico blinked, then turned her head.

Swoosh!

From the right side of the house, a figure stepped into view. She had a drawn longblade in hand, its steel bright and cold. Her gaze met Lady Calico’s squarely.

“...!” Lady Calico leapt to her feet then landed upright, her hand instinctively reaching into her pouch as she looked toward the figure.

She sniffed and focused, then she froze.

“...?”

The other froze, too. Their eyes locked, unmoving.

Only now did Jiang Han belatedly scramble up, glancing from Lady Calico to the armed figure in confusion. Although she did not understand what was going on, she still tried to imitate Lady Calico, giving a little hop in place.

She barely cleared the height of a finger, and nearly lost her balance when she landed.

The Daoist caught her with one hand, smiling faintly as he turned to look at an old friend.

“Heroine... it’s been a long time.”

The yellow dog, meanwhile, halted. It watched the scene intently, eyes flickering as if assessing the situation.

Swoosh!

The longblade slid back into its scabbard; the silver gleam was gone.

The yellow dog instantly relaxed.

Before the Daoist stood a woman dressed entirely in black, about as tall as a man. She wore a bamboo hat and a cloth covering her face. Casually, she pulled down the veil, revealing a somewhat round face, much fairer and softer, yet still the familiar features he knew.

“It’s you? How did you know I live here? How did you find this place?”

“It’s all fate,” he said.

“...” The woman hugged her blade and bowed, glancing at the Daoist Master, then at Lady Calico. “It’s been years since we parted. Are you both well?”

The Daoist rose and returned the bow.

Lady Calico, naturally, followed suit.

“Everything's been well.”

“Everything's been well!”

“Lady Calico looks like she’s gotten taller.”

“Indeed.”

“...! Indeed!!”

“It’s been years. Heroine, have you been well?” Song You also asked.

“Quite well. Much better than before, really. I’m more or less living the life I’d always wanted.” The woman stepped forward, her tone and bearing just as before. She glanced at the little girl beside the Daoist. “Your child? She doesn’t look much like you!”

“She came to me from the river,” Song You replied. “She may well become the next inheritor of my lineage.”

“I thought as much.” The woman took out a key and unlocked the door. “Come in.”

The Daoist said nothing, simply stepping inside.

The furnishings were simple, and so the place wasn’t cluttered. In fact, it was pretty clean and tidy. In the center was a wooden table and a few tall stools.

Heroine Wu casually tossed her longblade aside; there was a nail on the wall, and a loop on the blade’s hilt, so it hung there perfectly. It swayed a little, but didn’t fall. She then went into the next room, fetched a few bowls, scooped a ladle of water, and set them casually on the table.

“I’ve got nothing much to drink here. I did brew some wine a while back, but it turned out too strong, and I ended up vomiting and with diarrhea, so I won’t be serving you that. Mountain spring water is wonderfully sweet.”

“Then the problem probably wasn’t that it was too strong.”

“Who knows!” The heroine lifted a bowl and downed it in a few gulps.

The Daoist first fed little Jiang Han.

“A few years ago, when we passed through Anqing again, revisiting old places, we heard from the locals near Swallow Immortal Terrace that aside from Sir Shu, there was another grandmaster who had entered the Dao through martial arts. Turns out that ‘grandmaster’ they spoke of was you, Heroine Wu.”

Heroine Wu’s face was round, making her look young to begin with; the passing years had left little mark on her. Now she was no longer young, yet her appearance had barely changed from years ago.

It must have been the result of entering the Dao through martial practice.

“After leaving Changjing back then, I went back to Yizhou, spent a few months in Anqing, half a year in Yidu, and even paid a visit to the Xishan Sect. Then I remembered what I’d once said, so I picked a few spots, and by a twist of fate, ended up here in seclusion. Far from the

jianghu

, and far from human scheming.

“But the mountain has more and more demons and ghosts these days, it’s quite the nuisance. I suppose I have you to thank; all that demon-slaying we did together in Changjing gave me plenty of experience with them. I’ve killed quite a few since, and later even helped the local villagers drive away evil.

“Strange thing is, after settling here, I rarely practiced martial arts deliberately. You know the saying, ‘martial skill is like rowing upstream; if you don’t advance, you fall back.’ And with age, of course, you’re not as good as you were in your youth.

“At first that’s exactly how it was. But later, somehow, I began to feel it more and more clearly in my heart. My speed with the blade slowed, my strength lessened , yet the moment the sword was in my hand, I knew more keenly than ever how it ought to be used in accord with the Dao. The bond between us deepened, my understanding grew more profound. And the more demons I struck down, the more so it became.

“Until one day, I reached a complete clarity, and it all came naturally. I even went to the last Great Liujiang Gathering. I didn’t sign my name or show myself, but that sword-wielder, Shu Yifan, sensed me. That’s how the others found out.”

“...” Heroine Wu spoke as naturally as if all the years apart hadn’t existed at all, as though nothing had been stored up except a pile of things to say.

“Did you see that flock of hens outside?”

“I did.”

“I raise them myself. They lay more eggs than I can eat every day.” She added, “Did you see that big red rooster?”

“I did.”

“I raised it especially for you. I was figuring you’d be back at the monastery before autumn this year, and I’d come visit you with it, as a cheerful housewarming gift. Didn’t expect you to turn up a few months early and find me first.”

“Funny, isn’t it? We were just passing through the mountains outside, heard a dog barking here, but didn’t come disturb you. Later, we met some people on the road whose village was troubled by a demon. They came to invite you for help, so we followed them to pay a visit,” Song You said. “Little did we know it was your home.”

“Well, that’s quite the coincidence! And the demon?”

“Yesterday, the swallow took care of it.”

“Huh! Oh right! What about your horse?”

“A few years back, I had pressing matters and couldn’t bring it along, so I sent it back to Hidden Dragon Temple first,” Song You said. Then he couldn’t help asking, “The horse you just brought back, is it the same one you used to have?”

“Of course it is. It’s my treasured steed. I’ve taken such good care of it, it should live to at least thirty, maybe even thirty-five,” Heroine Wu said, shaking her head slightly. “But now its strength and legs aren’t what they used to be. It’s old now. It can still carry supplies, but not people.”

“I see.” Song You couldn’t help smiling.

That really was a fine thing.

“I’ve also been raising a dog,” Heroine Wu grinned, glancing at Lady Calico, only to see the girl staring at her seriously. She quickly looked away.

“It’s a good dog.”

“I once caught a tabby cat from a village east of here to keep as well. Sadly, after two years it disappeared; no idea where it went.”

“That’s normal, cats are wild by nature.”

“It’s most likely eaten by a wild animal in the mountains.”

“Not necessarily.”

“Right, it’s almost noon. I’d better get you a proper meal.”

Heroine Wu put down her bowl and stood, paused a moment to think, then went into the kitchen. When she came out, she was carrying a knife. She headed out into the bamboo grove, picked out the fattest, biggest old hen, and with a single bound was right in front of it. She reached out with one hand, and it was caught instantly. With skills sharp enough to cut down demons, the chicken didn’t have the slightest chance to resist.

“Cluck cluck cluck...”

“Don’t fuss, don’t fuss. I raised you for a thousand days, only to use you for a single occasion[1]. You’ll be comfortable soon enough.”

Even as she killed the chicken, she was soothing it.

The Daoist stood in the doorway, watching her skillfully kill the chicken, drain the blood into a bowl. The bird slowly stopped struggling. She seemed to know he was behind her, because as she worked she also spoke, “I’ve lived here all these years, and never hosted anyone for a meal, you’re the first... My cooking’s gotten better and better, but it’s no good never having friends to taste it. Let me tell you, you’re in luck.

“Too bad you came so suddenly... Back in the mountains behind here, there’s all sorts of game. When I’m free, I take my dog for walks up there, often bringing back wild meat. I’ve even eaten bear paws. If I’d known you were coming, I’d have gone to fetch you something rare you can’t get outside...”

Her mouth didn’t stop, and neither did her hands. She started heating water to scald the chicken, plucking its feathers, then lighting a heap of straw to burn away the fine down. It was a completely different scene from years past.

1. The idiom “养兵千日，用兵一时” (“Raise troops for a thousand days, use them for a single occasion”) refers to the idea of accumulating strength over a long period and applying it effectively at a critical moment. The idiom originates from a story in Nan Shi · Biography of Chen Xuan, “Troops can be left unused for a thousand days, but cannot be unprepared for a single day”. Its original meaning was about maintaining an army over the long term in preparation for war, and it has since been extended to various fields to emphasize the principle of thorough preparation for future action.

Literally, the contrast between “a thousand days” and “a single occasion” highlights the logical relationship between accumulation and application. Variants of this idiom, such as “养军千日，用在一时”, appear in literary works from the Ming dynasty, including

Water Margin

and

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

, and have also been cited by modern writers such as Li Guowen. In February 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping used this idiom to encourage athletes to fully prepare for the Winter Olympics, exemplifying the mission of strengthening the nation through sports.

Here, Heroine Wu is using this saying humorously. Having nurtured the chickens over time, she now seizes the moment to use a fat, mature chicken. ☜