The first light of dawn emerged from the edge of the sky, cutting through the thin mountain mist. It began to descend from the mountain peak, gradually spreading across the entire mountaintop. Thus, the lily magnolias covering the mountain were bathed in the morning light, making their pink and white hues particularly vivid and pristine.

Along with the spring flowers bathing in the morning light was a swallow.

A black-and-white swallow, though not entirely black but a bluish-black with a metallic sheen under the sunlight, flew freely through the sky. It darted up and down, left and right. From a high vantage point, the morning mist in the mountains became a collection of wisps.

In this view, the lily magnolias were partially obscured by the mist, appearing both magnificent and ethereal. Each tree looked like a blossom, and together they formed a blanket of color, covering the mountain peak.

This was a beauty beyond the grasp of ordinary mortals’ eyes.

“

Whoosh

...”

The swallow flew through a patch of mountain mist. The scene before it quickly shifted from a blur to clarity. It then folded its wings and dived headfirst into the sea of pink flowers.

Navigating over the treetops and through the branches, the swallow moved skillfully as if gliding through a world of flowers, its view entirely filled with the pink blossoms.

The flowers appeared larger to the swallow than to a human, with each bloom nearly as big as itself, creating a unique sense of beauty. As it brushed past the flowers, it could clearly see their texture and patterns, and the faint ginger floral fragrance lingered at its nose.

Occasionally, it collided with flowers but continued to weave through them. This was an experience humans could not comprehend. It continued until it encountered a Daoist priest.

The Daoist priest sat cross-legged amidst the lily magnolia grove, with a wool blanket spread beneath him and a bag placed nearby. A jujube-red horse grazed on the grass under the tree, appearing as a massive entity to the swallow. A calico cat sat beside the Daoist priest, licking and grooming its paws, when it suddenly became aware and stared up at the swallow.

The night’s mountain wind had scattered countless petals, and the flowers continued to fall.

The petals had settled on the Daoist priest, the wool blanket, and even the bag. The jujube-red horse, despite being constantly in motion, also had a few pinkish-white petals stuck on it.

The calico cat, however, was clean. Perhaps because it was too small, petals did not settle on it.

However… A petal drifted down and coincidentally landed on its head.

The calico cat immediately stopped, showing a look of confusion. It then tilted its head back to see what was touching its head, which only caused the petal to slip off. When it raised its paw to touch its head, it found nothing and became even more puzzled. It began spinning in circles and rolling on the blanket, ignoring the swallow.

The swallow folded its wings and darted toward the Daoist priest like an arrow.

“

Puff…

” The swallow disappeared in an instant.

The Daoist priest then opened his eyes. Looking down, he saw petals scattered across his shoulders and legs. In fact, this was relatively few compared to when he had just woken up—the wool blanket was covered with petals.

He randomly picked up a petal, examined it closely, and compared it with what the swallow saw from its perspective.

The cat said, “Daoist priest.”

“Hmm?”

“Did you just touch me?”

“You can think of it that way.”

“Why did you touch me?”

“I didn’t.”

“Then who did?”

“…” Song You stood up from the blanket, shaking off the petals from his body. “We should be leaving soon.”

“Oh.” The calico cat moved away from the blanket, stepping onto the flower-strewn grass and looked down and then up. When the Daoist priest had shaken off the petals from the blanket, folded it, then placed it on the horse’s back and started walking away, she followed with small, cautious steps. Ŗα

Still, it was one person, one horse, and one cat. They were still on the small winding path through the flower-covered mountain, moving slowly down the mountain and enjoying the morning sun.

“Who touched me?” the calico cat persisted with its question.

***

They journeyed for another day.

At dusk…

They had crossed the last mountain along the ancient path through the desolate hills, and they were now in the region of Southern Art County.

Song You had not yet seen farmland or villages but had already heard faint, resounding singing, both male and female voices harmonizing. As they got closer, the singing became clearer.

Another spring in March♪

The Daoist priest stopped on the mountainside and looked into the distance.

Ahead, the landscape still featured layer upon layer of mountains and rivers, all shrouded in the evening mist. However, patches of farmland could now be seen in the valleys. Occasionally, fields of golden yellow could be seen, as the cauliflower plants here bloomed unusually late. The singing echoed through the mountains, with the female voice clear and the male voice deep, coming from an unknown direction.

This all indicated that he had emerged from the desolate mountain path and reentered the human world.

“It’s already March,” Song You reflected, continuing forward.

The horse and cat followed him.

The wind filled the mountain, making Song You’s clothes flutter and bringing a refreshing coolness. The sky was filled with gray clouds, with a large expanse of darkness. It seemed as though this stretch of land ahead had no intention of welcoming them warmly.

Descending the mountain, they joined the main road.

They encountered pedestrians along the roadside, some carrying milkmaid's yoke, others riding oxen or donkeys, or walking on foot. They were all aware of the approaching rain, and thus moving hurriedly.

“Could you tell me the way to Southern Art County?”

“Just follow this road.”

“How far is it?”

“About ten li.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s going to rain soon…”

The passerby’s voice grew fainter as Song You continued forward.

Half an hour later, the rain had started to fall. The rain of late spring seemed to carry a hint of summer’s intensity. It came down heavily and abruptly, drenching the roads in an instant and splashing mud on the floor everywhere.

Song You put on a raincoat and a bamboo hat, and placed the calico cat into the bag. The world around him was veiled in misty rain, and the path ahead twisted and turned.

The light of day was dimming gradually. It seemed unlikely they would make it to the city.

Song You had initially planned to find a pavilion to shelter from the rain, but he didn’t see one. Instead, using the remaining daylight, he spotted a small temple.

The temple was situated on a small hill by the roadside. The hill was not high, only about ten zhang. The temple was modest, with just a few small rooms.

“Perfect!” Without further thought, Song You stepped up the hill as the horse followed behind him.

Song You quickly ascended the small hill. Out of habit, he looked up and noticed that there was no plaque or Chinese couplets on the sides. Nevertheless, he knocked on the door.

“

Knock knock knock

…”

The sound of the rain was so loud that he worried the occupant might not hear him. He knocked a few more times and waited. Eventually, hurried footsteps and the sound of splashing water could be heard from inside.

“

Creeeak

!” The door opened a crack.

To Song You’s surprise, a bhikkhuni stood inside. A bhikkhuni was a Buddhist nun.

She appeared to be in her thirties, with slightly yellowish skin, perhaps not yet thirty. She wasn’t holding an umbrella, and in the short distance from the door to the eaves, her pale blue nun’s robe was already soaked by the rain. The eaves provided some shelter from the rain.

She stood there, looking up and down at Song You, before asking, “Who are you looking for?”

Song You was momentarily stunned and then showed an apologetic expression. “I didn’t know this was a nunnery. I apologize for the intrusion. I’ll leave now.”

He gave a respectful bow as an apology and turned to leave.

Buddhist temples were usually quite accommodating and easygoing in providing lodging, but a nunnery was clearly not suitable for a male guest to stay. Moreover, with the sky darkening and the heavy rain outside, there were no pedestrians on the road. Even him standing at the door and exchanging a few words might alarm or distress the nuns, let alone staying the night.

So Song You didn’t ask further and was about to leave. However, at this moment, he heard the nun’s voice call out from behind, “Who are you looking for?”

Song You had just turned and taken a step when he heard her and turned back, responding politely, “I’m not looking for anyone. I’m from the mountains of Lingquan County in Yizhou, just passing through. Encountering this sudden downpour, I found no place to shelter along the way. I saw a temple by the road and took the liberty to seek shelter. I didn’t expect it to be a nunnery. I apologize for disturbing the nuns.”

“You’re not here to… find someone?”

“No.”

The nun stood at the door, examining him from head to toe.

Just then, the bag on the horse’s back began to wiggle. The calico cat, curious about the voices outside, tried to squeeze its head out. Despite the growing darkness, the nun could clearly see that it was a cat, its eyes particularly bright. Once its head emerged, it stared intently at her.

The rain continued unabated, drumming on her head and soaking her hair. Occasionally, raindrops fell directly into her eyes or streamed down from her head to them, forcing her to blink continuously.

But the cat refused to retreat.

“What is that?”

“That’s my companion, a cat.”

“Where are you from?”

“I came from Yizhou, then I traveled through Xuzhou and reached here. Originally planned to stop and rest in Southern Art County, but was unfortunately caught in a heavy rainstorm.”

“Are you a Daoist priest?”

“I have been cultivating in a Daoist priest temple since childhood.”

“Do you wish to stay to avoid the rain?”

“Yes, that’s why I came.”

The nun paused thoughtfully before stepping aside. “Then come in…”

“That’s not appropriate, is it?”

“As long as you’re not a bad person.”

“I assure you, I’m not a bad person,” Song You said with a polite smile. “However, as a man, it’s indeed inappropriate for me to stay here. I wouldn’t want to cause trouble… But since I’ve met you, may I ask how long it takes to get to the city from here? And what time does the city close?”

“It’s fine, the rain is heavy. Don’t get drenched,” the nun said, her voice softening as she perceived his gentle demeanor. “It’s still about ten li to the city, and it’s likely you won’t be able to get in now.”

“Are there other places to take shelter around here?”

“Come in. There’s a room available, and with this heavy rain, no one else is likely to come.”

“...”

Song You found it somewhat strange but didn’t dwell on it. After a brief contemplation, he bowed respectfully and said, “Then I will come in for a short while. If the rain lessens, I will leave immediately.”

The nun acknowledged with a nod and said no more. Then, Song You led the horse inside.

The nun closed the gate and pointed to a shed in the corner. “You can tie the horse there. The rain won’t stop tonight, so you’ll need to stay for the night. Leave first thing in the morning.”

Song You intended to refuse again, but he heard a man’s voice faintly in the heavy rain.

The rain was pouring heavily in the courtyard. The nun, trying to avoid the rain, quickly lifted her pants and ran toward the shed. Seeing this, Song You followed suit.

“Why isn’t your horse tied up?”

“It’s well-behaved, so it doesn’t need a rein.”

“How will you tie it then?”

“No need to tie it; it will stay here and won’t wander off.”

“Really?”

“It’s true. I wouldn’t dare lie.”

“…” The nun fell silent.

Song You removed the bag from the horse’s back, while the horse stood obediently without moving. The nun watched with a furrowed brow, still worried that the horse might wander off during the night.

“I’m Song You, and my style name is Menglai. May I ask for your name, master?”

“Don’t ask.”

“Alright.”

The nun led him to a small room.

Song You had initially only intended to burn incense in the main hall to shelter from the rain, but now he didn’t insist. He thanked her respectfully and carried the bag into the room.

The rain was so heavy that the bag, though water-resistant, had become soaked, and its contents were wet. Song You took them out to dry, planning to clean them up briefly, then he would wash and air them out once he reached the city the next day. However, while organizing, he heard faint moans coming from the adjacent room amidst the sound of the rain.

Indeed…

Many nunneries didn’t even allow men to enter for incense burning, so it was unusual for a nunnery to willingly invite and accommodate a male guest overnight. And a small nunnery like this wouldn’t have a special shed for tying up donkeys and horses.

This was a nunnery, but not quite.