Chapter 709: A Place Where the Heart is at Ease

On the right side of the path stood a large tree, its branches thick and leaves lush. Beneath it was a flat area, the grass soft as silk.

Song You reached this spot, leaned on his staff, and turned to look at the tree with a thoughtful expression on his face.

After a moment, a smile appeared on his face, then he continued walking forward.

Already, an ancient bell had been hung on the large, leafy tree. The bell was engraved with auspicious clouds and depictions of the four seasons. Beside it lay a large stone inscribed with a few lines,

“Few people dwell in the mountain. The Daoist here is lazy. If old friends arrive, please ring this bell so they may be welcomed.”

Song You then continued up the mountain. The horse and the little girl followed behind.

He could hear them talking quietly. Lady Calico was asking the horse if it had been grazing on the mountain for the past two or three years and where it took shelter in the rain, but the horse didn’t answer.

Halfway up the mountain, in a slightly elevated spot, a simple, rustic temple courtyard appeared before them.

At the entrance stood an ancient pine, its branches spreading wide like a canopy. Not far below, part of a stream had been diverted into a small pond, which then flowed back into the stream.

The pond water was clear, the aquatic plants lush.

“Flap, flap, flap...”

The swallow flew onto the pine. To him, the branches were like a soft flat surface, almost like clouds he could stand upon.

“Fish!”

Lady Calico, carrying little Jiang Han, ran toward the pond. She moved so quickly that little Jiang Han bounced in her arms. Spotting the fish immediately, she looked back at Song You. “So many fish! There are so many fish in my little pond! But they’re all small!”

“Congratulations, Lady Calico.”

“So many, so many!”

“Calm down, Lady Calico. There’s still plenty of daylight.”

Song You spoke as he walked along a protruding side path to the temple entrance. Raising his bamboo staff, he tapped once.

“Click...”

The lock automatically opened. With a slight push, the large gate swung open. Song You stepped inside, glanced around left and right, and drew in a deep breath.

This time feels nothing like the last.

Although he had returned once before, Song You knew then it was just a temporary stop. The main purpose had been to check how his old master’s mountain compound was doing. This time, however, he intended to stay here for decades, at least until little Jiang Han descended the mountain. Naturally, the sense of home in his heart was completely different.

“

Huff...

”

He exhaled, calming his mind, and then continued forward.

Passing through the front courtyard, he arrived at the rear courtyard. Behind him, the jingling of the horse’s bells could be heard. Lady Calico, reluctant to leave the pond, had followed along, and the swallow perched atop the eaves.

Song You looked around and spoke, “We will be living here for many years. Let me assign the rooms first.”

“...!” Lady Calico’s expression immediately grew serious.

“This room is the largest. It used to belong to my master and, historically, all the past abbots lived here. Now that I am the owner of Hidden Dragon Temple, it naturally belongs to me,” Song You said, pointing with his bamboo staff to a room near the center of the inner courtyard.

There was no sound from behind him.

He shifted his staff slightly to the right, pointing to another room. “This room used to be mine. It’s the second-largest in the temple and was traditionally used by past disciples. Little Jiang Han is still young and needs Lady Calico’s care. Since you’re well-suited to stay with her, I intend to assign this room to you both. How does that sound?”

“I object!” the little girl raised her hand.

“Why?”

“I’m just a cat. When I sleep, I become a cat and don't need a room,” Lady Calico said seriously. “I can sleep outside, on a tree, by the door, or even in the stove hole.”

She paused, her serious expression unchanged. “I can also sleep under your bed, on the table, in a drawer, or at the foot of the bed.”

“Lady Calico, you’re growing rapidly and are now an adult. Even as a cat, you should no longer share a room with me,” Song You said calmly. With a single glance, he had already discerned her little scheme, and continued, “Moreover, precisely because you’re a cat, you can sleep anywhere without taking up space. That’s why you will stay in the same room as little Jiang Han. You will still be free to do as you please.”

“...!”

That didn’t make sense. A cat couldn’t sleep in the same room as a man?

The little girl in the three-colored outfit looked increasingly serious and continued, “Even if I transform into a cat, can I still not sneak into your room to sleep?”

“No.”

“What about secretly?”

“Also no.”

“...” The little girl fell silent, thinking it over.

“Next room,” Song You said, moving his bamboo staff to the left, past the room he had previously assigned. “This room is next to the storage and library rooms. It’s only slightly smaller than Lady Calico’s room. It will be assigned to the swallow. How does that sound?”

“Sir, I’m just a swallow and rarely use a room,” the swallow objected, “there’s no need to waste a room.”

“I know! Swallows sleep in their nests!” Lady Calico raised her hand. She looked around under the eaves and found a nest. “Swallow can sleep in this nest, or outside Lady Calico’s room, or make a nest by another room. I’ll help you shape the mud!”

“Swallow!”

“Lady Calico, swallows usually build nests to raise their young. I rarely stay in the nest except in wind or rain,” the swallow said, blushing.

“Whether you sleep in the nest, the room, on the roof, or in a tree, this room is yours,” Song You said, dismissing its objection. “If you want to sleep on the roof, then sleep on the roof of this room.”

“Yes...”

“There’s a stable behind the temple that hasn’t been used for many years. In a couple of days, I’ll repair it, make some improvements for shelter, cleanliness, and ease of access, and then it can be used for the horse.”

“Pfft...”

“This room is the main hall, that one is the kitchen, over there is the firewood storage. There should still be some firewood inside. That room is for grains; when we store our food, it will go there. Lady Calico, don’t play the game of letting mice roam freely in our temple,” Song You said, continuously pointing with his bamboo staff.

He added, “That room is the storage room, where the old items of past masters are kept. Below the loft is our temple’s scripture repository. Don’t be fooled by its small size, it’s quite spacious inside and houses tens of thousands of books. Upstairs is the study, for reading and writing.”

“Understood!”

“There’s no well inside the house. Water is drawn from the nearby mountain spring, so make sure not to pollute it.”

“Got it!”

“These three rooms over here are guest rooms. They’ve rarely been used before and haven’t been tidied up. Lady Calico and Yan An, you should first put away all the supplies we purchased. If it’s still daylight, you can also clean these guest rooms. In the future, we should have quite a few visitors.”

“All right!” Lady Calico focused on him. “And you?”

“After all, this is a temple. There’s the shrine in front. Recently, temples across the realm have been updating the statues on their altars. Naturally, we cannot fall behind. Once the statues are updated, you can open the temple and welcome villagers from below the mountain.”

Saying this, Song You unloaded the horse’s saddle bag and, leaning on his bamboo staff, stepped outside.

“No need to rush. There are plenty of tasks over the next few days. We’ll take it slow.”

“...!”

The little girl set down the child on her back, pouted, and looked at the swallow on the eaves. Her eyes were full of energy and excitement.

She couldn’t wait to work for her new home.

***

In the outer courtyard, there were three halls, each filled with statues. Any deity frequently worshipped by the people of Yizhou had a statue here. At the center was the Great Emperor Chijin.

However, the Great Emperor Chijin’s statue was now cracked, exposing layers of mud and straw. Its head had fallen halfway to the ground. Nearby, the statues of the Golden Spirit Officer, the Four Saints, and several others were also cracked to varying degrees.

Song You waved his hand.

“

Whoosh...

”

A gust of wind blew.

The broken statues immediately crumbled into dust, which the wind carried away into the clouds, leaving empty spaces. He examined the arrangement carefully and adjusted the positions of the statues.

Duke of Thunder Zhou, the head of the Thunder Division and a diligent, benevolent deity, naturally should be moved closer to the center so that the people could worship and offer incense.

Swallow Immortal of Anqing had helped countless poor villagers and was highly virtuous. Now, managing the harvest deity in multiple places, he had become one of the most beloved deities among humans. To make offerings easier for villagers, his position should also be closer to the center. In a few days, they would commission a craftsman to make his statue.

Divine Lord Yuewang had been widely worshipped in Yizhou as a leisure deity and now served as a ghost emperor of the underworld, with a high divine position, so he too should be moved closer to the center.

Divine Lord Lilong should be moved from a side hall to the main hall. Fiery Sun Divine Lord should also be relocated.

Now, coastal prefectures worship the White Rhino God. Though Yizhou is far inland, it can follow the trend; after all, worship is optional for the villagers.

“...”

Song You planned and worked simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Lady Calico and Yan An were busy in the rear courtyard.

Grains, oil, salt, sauces, tea, fruits, vegetables, pork, chili, spices, and honey, everything had a designated place in the kitchen. Occasionally, they would run to the front courtyard with a jar or bottle to ask Song You what it was for and where it should go.

Supplies brought from their travels, such as lanterns, oil lamps, cookware, wool bedding, brush, ink, paper, inkstone, and various other items, all had to be properly arranged.

The “Mingde Great Encyclopedia” from the main hall had to go into the scripture repository.

Even Lady Calico’s dried mice, dried fish, and dried loaches were hung on the beams of the kitchen for smoking and preservation. Caught rabbits and insects were set aside for the mountain. The guest rooms also had to be cleaned and dusted one by one.

It was a flurry of uncoordinated activity and doing whatever came to mind, yet imperceptibly, the once-empty temple, which had seemed to hold nothing but the breeze, gradually began to feel alive and full.

It was remarkable, really. Simply having more rice in the bin, flour in the jar, water in the barrel, firewood by the stove, and jars filled with oil, salt, sauces, and spices made the temple feel instantly like a place where one could live in quiet steadiness. That feeling alone was enough to make Lady Calico feel secure and content.

Add the lantern she casually hung by the doorway, the small items placed around the rooms, the paintings on the walls, and the little bowl of honey on the table, and the place instantly felt like a home where one could live comfortably. This made Lady Calico even happier.

Thinking that all of this was the result of her own efforts only strengthened the sense of accomplishment in her heart.

Before they realized it, night fell.

Many fireflies drifted through the mountains, giving off subtle, almost imperceptible light. Perhaps among them was one of the fireflies that Lady Calico had released. Meanwhile, the temple was lit with fire. Beyond the little lantern at Lady Calico’s doorway and the oil lamp on the stove, the brightest light came from the fire in the stove itself.

Smoke spiraled up into the night sky.

The stove crackled and popped. The firelight illuminated Lady Calico’s face, glinting in her eyes. Though she was somewhat tired, her expression was mostly one of contentment.