Chapter 71: What’s the Harm in Walking a Little Further?

After breakfast, Song You had already gone to stand at the door, draping the saddlebag over the horse's back. He then turned around to bid farewell to the host and old Daoist priest behind him. “Thank you for your warm hospitality, sir. And thanks for informing me about the road ahead, old Mister. I must take my leave now.”

“Don’t mention it! Thanks to you, sir, my child was saved. Our family is poor, and we don’t have much, with only a few wen to spare. It’s a small token of appreciation—please take it and buy yourself some water for the journey.” The host took out a small string of copper coins and handed them to Song You, following him with an embarrassed and reluctant look. “I hope you don’t think it’s too little, sir.”

“You already treated me and old Mister to a meal. I was just passing through and happened to encounter you, so I did a small favor. How can I accept more money from you?” Song You naturally saw the reluctance on the host's face. At this moment, he was different from the Song You who had eaten heartily the day before.

He declined firmly and calmly, without explaining anything more. “Please take it back.”

“Please accept it, sir.”

“...”

As Song You was refusing, the old Daoist priest’s voice came at just the right moment. “I must also thank you for your guidance.”

“It’s nothing, really.”

The old Daoist priest’s timely intervention relieved Song You of the trouble of rejecting the host’s further insistence. The host, distracted and feeling less embarrassed, withdrew his hand in response.

The host felt a mix of embarrassment and joy, a complex emotion that was hard to read on his face. He followed Song You out and asked with concern, "Are you still heading to Xiangle County, sir?"

“Since we've come this far, I’m too lazy to take another detour.”

“But the road that way is several hundred li with no signs of civilization!”

“I’m not afraid.” With his bamboo staff in hand, Song You turned and smiled. “You two should stop here. No need to see me off further.”

The host and the old Daoist priest indeed stopped as instructed.

After both parties exchanged a formal bow, it marked their official farewell. Only then did Song You turn and leave, following the small path as he passed through the village.

He walked at a leisurely pace that was not too fast nor slow, taking in the sights. In fact, the ancient village had a certain charm to it.

The houses here were primarily built with mud walls, some with thatched roofs and others with tiled ones. Life was hard, with poor transportation and difficulty in buying supplies. Still, each household had planted many fruit trees in front of and behind their homes, striving to improve their living conditions.

With spring just halfway through, the peach, plum, and pear blossoms were blooming beautifully, as if competing to be the most beautiful. Each tree was adorned with vibrant red, pink, and white flowers. Against the backdrop of the dull, gray tones, these bright colors stood out strikingly.

It seemed that whether in the eyes of scholars and literati or the impoverished people in these mountains, this beauty would be appreciated by all.

The only difference was that a scholar might compose a poem, while a mountain villager would simply smile and say, "How peaceful." The level of literary talent might vary, but the emotions felt were the same.

It just so happened that a light rain had fallen the previous night, scattering many petals. Some landed on the stone-paved road, some on the moss-covered stone steps, and others on the rooftops of houses. Everything was covered with a layer of petals. Passing by, one almost couldn’t bear to step on them.

Pure beauty could shatter all indifference. Regardless of where one came from, at such moments, one’s heart would be filled only with admiration and awe.

With a bamboo staff and straw sandals, Song You felt lighter than when he was riding a horse. What was the harm in walking a little further?

Leaving the village, Song You continued forward in large strides. The roadside was again lined with pear blossoms, resembling snow. Passing through them, Song You felt like he was in a scene that could only appear in a dream.

“It seems like the day after tomorrow is the spring equinox[1],” Song You said.

A head immediately popped out of the cloth bag on the horse’s back, with curious eyes wide open. “What’s the spring equinox?”

“It’s a solar term.”

“Like

jingzhe

!”

Song You nodded. “Yes.”

“Will there be thunder as well the day after tomorrow?”

“No, there won’t.”

“Then will there be rainfall?”

Song You couldn't help but chuckle at this point.

People from Yizhou liked to use the term “rainfall” rather than “rain.” With the calico cat’s soft and delicate accent, along with her tone, it almost sounded like rain was a gift falling from the heavens.

He then shook his head and answered, “Probably not.”

"Can you tell fortunes?"

"No."

"Are you not a Daoist priest?"

"I’m just a fake Daoist priest."

"Can’t a fake Daoist priest tell fortunes?"

"At least I can’t."

"Why?"

"Because fortune-telling is very difficult to learn."

"Why?"

The cat’s crisp questioning voice kept sounding from behind, which made Song You quite curious. He had encountered ordinary cats before, some of which liked to interact with people—when someone spoke, they would meow in response. Was that also a form of questioning?

He continued patiently, "Fortune-telling is not only complex and difficult to learn, but it also requires a very high level of talent. It demands two contradictory ways of thinking. One requires you to completely abandon rationality and fully trust that mysterious intuition. The other is the exact opposite, requiring you to think rigorously and logically, making no mistakes and overlooking nothing."

“I don’t understand.”

“If you don’t understand, then forget it.”

“Can’t you do it?”

“I can’t.”

“You’re not smart enough.”

“...” Song You was silent for a moment, then turned to glance at her, coincidentally locking eyes with the small head poking out. “Lady Calico, come down and walk.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m walking.”

“Why?”

“To keep me company.”

“Oh...”

The calico cat immediately squirmed in the cloth bag for a moment, found a comfortable position, and then jumped down.

Whether it was because the horse was too tall or because it kept moving, she lost her balance and stumbled slightly when she landed. Although she managed to regain her balance, she still looked a bit awkward.

Song You glanced at her calmly and gave a slight smile. “I knew you’d stumble.”

“I didn’t stumble; I just slipped.”

“I knew you’d slip.”

“How did you know?”

“I’m just guessing.”

The calico cat took quick, tiny steps, trotting to catch up with him. She tilted her head and looked up at him, staring intently. After a moment of contemplation, she confidently said, “You said you can’t tell fortunes!”

“I can’t.”

“Then how do you know it won’t rain the day after tomorrow?”

“Because the weather has been good these days.”

“Then how do you know the day after tomorrow is the spring equinox?”

“I remember.”

“How do you remember?”

“Because of my cultivation method,” Song You said helplessly, “and also because the spring equinox is my birthday.”

“I don’t know what a birthday is.”

“It’s the day you were born.”

“Were you born on the spring equinox?”

“No, I was picked up by my master during the spring equinox.” Song You, fearing further questions, added, “Because I don’t know when I was actually born.”

“...” The calico cat stared at him in a daze, slightly stunned by his advance answer to her intended question.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

After a while, she continued to ask, “Is a birthday fun?”

“It depends on how you view it.”

“How should I view it?”

“How would I know how you view it?”

“How can you not know how I view it?”

“Only you can know how you feel, Lady Calico, while I can only know how I feel.” Answering such questions left Song You feeling quite speechless, yet he could not bring himself to ignore her.

“So what do you think?”

“I think...” Song You paused, walking through the pear blossoms and continuing, “If you consider it as a festival with a sense of ritual, it isn’t fun. I don’t like it and wouldn’t want to celebrate it that way. Or if you think of it as a marker for another year passed, I don’t like that either. But if you just see it as a reason to do something you enjoy, then I do like it.”

“What kind of thing?”

“For example, having a nice meal.”

“A nice meal!”

“Yes.”

The calico cat blinked a few times, momentarily excited, but then she soon became disheartened. “I don’t know when my birthday is...”

“I don’t know either.” Song You looked down at the calico cat, sharing in her predicament as the best way to comfort her, and then added, “It might not be a bad thing because it means we can choose a date we like.”

“How do we choose?”

“For example, which day do you like best? The day you gained enlightenment? The day someone made a statue of you? You could use that day as your birthday. After all, no one else would know.”

“Cats don’t remember such things.”

“So what should we do?”

“You help me decide.”

“The day that I remember is...”Song You squinted and seriously considered, “The day I bought fish for you was the Beginning of Autumn. And the day I helped you transform was the autumn equinox.”

“What’s your equinox?”

“Spring equinox.”

“Spring equinox!”

“Lady Calico, do you want to have your birthday in the same equinox as me?”

“Hmm...” The calico cat tilted her head, deep in thought.

“That’s quite nice. My birthday is on the spring equinox, and Lady Calico’s on the autumn equinox. At the spring equinox, day and night are evenly balanced, and when the autumn equinox arrives, they are balanced once again. The equilibrium of yin and yang, the harmony of spiritual resonance—it is truly something mysterious and profound.”

“Hmm...” The calico cat didn’t listen and continued to ponder. This question seemed particularly difficult and really stumped her. After a long time of walking together—man, horse, and cat—she finally asked again, “Can a person have more than one birthday?”

“No one has two birthdays.”

“And cats?”

“Probably not.”

“Hmm...” The calico cat was deep in thought again.

Finally, she made her decision, “Beginning of Autumn!”

Song You was a bit surprised.

This cat was quite the imitator; she loved to follow and learn from him, always wanting to do things just like he did. Surprisingly, instead of choosing the autumn equinox, she chose the Beginning of Autumn. He didn't think much of it and just nodded, saying, “Alright.”

“Beginning of Autumn!”

“Congratulations, Lady Calico.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

It was hard for a human to read much expression from a cat’s face. All he noticed was that her tiny steps appeared even more cheerful, and soon she had run ahead of Song You. She stopped and asked why he was walking so slowly, but in fact, Song You had been walking at the same steady pace since he came down from Yin-Yang Mountain.

***

Two days later, in Xiangle County…

Pingzhou is known for its many mountains and fog, rich in legends of immortals and spirits, as well as tales of demons and ghosts. The people here held these beliefs with great reverence and caution, yet they also enjoyed discussing them extensively.

This had created a strong atmosphere of mysticism, making it seem to outsiders as though the region was filled with immortals and demons. This influence has extended to Xiangle County as well, where numerous legends of gods and ghosts had also emerged.

Today was also the spring equinox.

The spring equinox, like the autumn equinox, marked a point where day and night were of equal length. For the same region, it represented two different cyclical transition points where the lengths of day and night alternate. During this time, the balance of yin and yang as well as the spiritual resonance in the world was harmonious, achieving a profound equilibrium. With careful reflection, one could gain insight from this subtle mystery. This touch of mystery was gifted to the swallow.

As for birthdays…

Song You didn’t really care much about birthdays. Moreover, today wasn’t his birthday. Life at the Daoist temple was austere and dull, and it was hard to go shopping and a hassle to make the trip down the mountain. This day each year gave him a reason to convince himself to bring some money down the mountain. He would visit the county town or local markets, buy some good meat, and indulge a bit more than usual. He would be a little more diligent, so that he could do things he enjoyed.

Today happened to be the last leg of his journey through Xuzhou, so it held a bit of commemorative significance. Plus, the swallow only accompanied him to Pingzhou’s boundary, which added a touch of farewell.

So, Song You spent quite a bit of money, buying a roast chicken and a pound of lamb. He also found a restaurant, ordered two small dishes and a pot of good tea, to treat himself and say farewell to the swallow.

1. The traditional Chinese calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms. The spring equinox is the 4th solar term. ☜