The road was muddy as they walked barefoot. The calico cat trailed beside Song You, stepping in the mud with tiny, delicate steps. It left behind little holes and tiny flower-like paw prints. The mud had effectively become a pair of shoes for her feet.

“Ah!” The calico cat blinked when Song You lifted his foot and splashed mud onto her face. So she started trotting with small, quick steps at an angle to distance herself a bit from Song You, but they continued to move forward together.

Ahead, there were signs of habitation. Through the morning mist after the rain, the city came into view.

Song You suddenly stopped in his tracks. The calico cat followed suit, looking up at him. Following his gaze, it glanced curiously toward the distant houses.

There were a few thatched cottages, fields in front and back, and cherry trees nearby.

A few children were stealing cherries. Cherries were often called “the first of all fruits,” and even though it was only March, they were already ripe. Strings of red pearls hang among the green leaves, filling the branches. Two of the children had climbed the tree, two more were standing under the tree holding out their clothes to catch the cherries, and another child was keeping watch.

As Song You watched, they noticed him. In that moment of distraction, a figure emerged from one of the thatched cottages, and the child on the lookout failed to notice.

“Which families are you from?” The loud shout startled the children, making them scatter in panic.

The three at the bottom of the tree bolted, and the two on the tree quickly jumped down. They were lucky to be barefoot, as they would have lost their shoes otherwise. The old man, wielding his cane like a club, chased after them.

Song You smiled as he observed this scene. He was reminded of similar scenes in his childhood in the countryside in his past life, where children would demonstrate their prowess when the fruits ripened. Here, the right or wrong of such behavior wasn't deeply questioned.

But later, it felt like he had stepped into a different world. The trees, once laden with fruit, now had no children stealing from them. Even the birds that pecked at the fruit had become much fewer. Only the elderly remained, sitting under the fruit trees, lamenting the passage of time and years.

A child dashed onto the main road and ran past him. The old man stopped his pursuit after a short distance and merely scolded from afar.

The children shrank their heads, feeling guilty, and dared not respond. They avoided the old man's gaze and the Daoist priest's gaze, only sneaking a few glances at the calico cat beside the Daoist priest.

To their surprise, the Daoist priest smiled and asked them for some cherries.

One bold child came over while clutching a handful of cherries, extended his dirty, grimy hand, and took a big handful. After a moment of thought, he loosened his grip to let some fall before placing the rest in the Daoist's hand.

“Thank you, little ones.”

“Is this your cat?”

“Yes, she’s traveling with me.”

“She doesn’t run away?”

“She stays with me.”

“Where are you going?”

“To Southern Art County.”

“That’s just ahead.”

“Thanks.”

“Hahaha…” The children swarmed together, taking a small path. They moved with unusually light steps on the muddy ground, bouncing and hopping as they went.

Song You looked at the cherries in his hand. Still damp from the rain, they didn’t need to be cleaned. Whether rain or dew, there was no need to remove it; whether dirty or clean, there was no need to wash it. He just passed them to his mouth.

Fully ripe cherries need to be handled with care even when pinched between the fingers. Placed in the palm, they seem to tremble. When put into the mouth, there's no need to exert any force; they burst with just a gentle press.

There was no sourness or excessive sweetness, only the refreshing cherry fragrance full of juice, almost making the fruit's flesh imperceptible. Eating them was an extremely refreshing experience.

Song You naturally did not forget the calico cat. “Would you like to try some, Lady Calico?”

“Cats don’t eat fruit.”

“These are cherries.”

“Cherries!”

“Do you want some?”

The calico cat almost said cats didn’t eat fruit but remembered she had tried fruit before. So she asked, “Is it tasty?”

“Very tasty.”

“Is it like hawthorn?”

“Not at all.”

“What makes it special?”

“It’s special because it’s a cherry.”

“It’s stolen cherries.”

“I got them by asking.”

“They were stolen.”

“Indeed.”

“That’s wrong!”

“Of course, Lady Calico, you shouldn’t do such things.” Song You finished the cherries, discarding the last pit by the roadside, and continued speaking to the calico cat, “However, Lady Calico, you’re a cat of integrity with a clear sense of right and wrong. You surely don't need my reminder.”

“That’s right!”

“Do you want some?”

“No.”

“It’s very delicious.”

“Then I’ll just taste one.”

“Is it tasty?”

“Not as tasty as a mouse.”

“Then forget it.”

“You seem very skilled…”

The person and cat continued their slow journey to Southern Art County, walking through the muddy path without concern, not minding the dirt at all.

Those with a peaceful mind were free from worries, and those with a pure heart remained untainted.

***

Southern Art County was situated on flat land, with stone-paved streets. Except for a short muddy stretch at the entrance, the rest of the town was easily navigable. Its small size meant that a full circle around town didn’t take long.

Song You inquired at two inns, choosing the one he liked better and booking a room for five days. Then, the innkeeper brought water for them to wash their feet.

Song You cleaned his feet first and asked the innkeeper beside him, “I’m new to Southern Art County and unfamiliar with the area. Are there any tasty foods, interesting things, or taboos to be cautious about?”

“Where are you from?”

“Xuzhou.”

“We’re close to Xuzhou, and there’s not much difference between us. If you’re looking for something special, our soup noodles are quite good; even small shops make them well. Additionally, our region is known for its textiles. The cloths from Southern Art County are among the best in Pingzhou and even Great Yan. If you’re interested, you might want to buy some.”

The shopkeeper pondered. “As for interesting things, I can’t think of any offhand.”

“Are there any taboos? I’m worried about offending anyone as a newcomer.”

“Ah, there are no significant taboos! We’re all humans, so people everywhere are essentially the same, not much different from one another. No matter where you are, just be cautious. Don’t flaunt your wealth, avoid going out at night, and steer clear of troublemakers. That should be enough.”

“You’re quite right.”

“Would you like a bowl of soup noodles?”

“How much?”

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“Twelve wen. It’s made with bone broth.”

“I’ll have a bowl.”

“Sure thing!”

Song You washed his feet and reached out to the calico cat. Just then, she obediently lifted her legs for him to clean.

“Ha…” Song You shook his head, carefully washing her, making sure not to miss the gaps between her toes. “You should have stayed on the horse as I said. Then you won’t have to step in the mud, and your legs wouldn’t have gotten so muddy. Look, you’re covered in it.”

“It’s just mud,” the calico cat said as she let him wash her feet. Though she showed no resistance, she had to keep her gaze fixed on him. Even when he was washing the back of her feet, she had to turn her head and watch it with her own eyes; she just couldn’t not look.

“Sir, let me wipe that for you.” “The shopkeeper also brought them a cloth to wipe their feet.

“Thank you.” After drying his feet, Song You put on his shoes and socks before he stored their belongings in the upstairs room, and then he went out to buy a few pieces of raw meat to feed the cat after he came down. Upon his return, the innkeeper brought out the soup noodles.

Soup noodles were essentially noodles, varying in types—wide, thin, thick, or thin. Most of them were called soup noodles. Here, the soup noodles were thin and wide pulled noodles, similar to broad noodles or hand-ripped noodles. They came in a bowl of clear broth with the noodles laid in, and topped with a sprinkle of scallions without much additional seasoning.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“May I ask something?”

“Hmm?”

“I was traveling yesterday and got caught in the rain. My luggage got wet. Is there a place here where I can wash and dry my clothes?”

“Do you want to wash them yourself or have the laundress help?”

“I’ll do it myself.”

“You can wash them in the backyard and hang them there to dry. There are many hemp ropes set up for drying there. Just hang them up when you see an available spot. Just be careful, sir. Although theft is uncommon, if anything goes missing, the shop won’t be able to compensate.”

The shopkeeper smiled and added, “I’ll be here keeping an eye on things, and anyone coming in and out will also see and help keep watch.”

“Thank you.” Song You picked up his chopsticks and began eating the soup noodles.

The broth with thin noodles is pretty standard in taste, nothing particularly special about it. However, the noodles were very chewy, thin, and wide, with an excellent texture that truly deserved to be called a specialty.

Seeing that the innkeeper was sitting close to the door not far away, Song You casually asked, “Do you know a certain Lord Li in the city?”

“Which Lord Li?”

“The rather imposing one.”

“How would I know…?” The innkeeper lowered his voice noticeably. It wasn’t necessarily because the person was particularly fearsome, but likely a habit of the innkeeper, who would lower his tone even when speaking about ordinary neighbors if the conversation wasn’t positive.

As Song You continued eating, he said, “Yesterday, while rushing on my journey, I ran into Lord Li. Seeing that I was alone, he took some money from me and claimed it was for gambling, and he told me to come to the city today to get it back.

“I know he wasn’t just ‘borrowing’ this money from me, but I'm really at the end of my resources. I want to ask if it’s possible to reclaim this money from Lord Li, and if it’ll be too much trouble to do so.”

“Don’t bother thinking about it, sir,” the innkeeper advised. “If there were other witnesses, you should report it to the authorities. Then, you might have a chance to get your money back.”

“Is Lord Li very dangerous?”

“…” The innkeeper took up his stool and moved closer before he spoke softly, “Is the person you're referring to the tall, big-built one with a mole at the corner of his eye?”

“Exactly.”

“He’s not someone to mess with.”

“How so?”

“It’s hard to explain…”

“Lord Li has already taken my money. He wouldn’t go so far as to harm me, would he?”

"Not to that extent! If someone can easily harm others, where’s the law?" the shopkeeper said. "But he is a bully. He’s wealthy and influential, tall and strong, with plenty of friends and connections. He has other means too. If you anger him, you’ll certainly suffer some hardships—getting beaten up would be the least of your worries."

“Please elaborate.”

“There’s not much to elaborate on…”

“I have three qian[1] of silver here.”

“…” The innkeeper moved his stool to sit directly in front of Song You.

He continued, “Lord Li’s family lives in the west of the city. He started out as a lowly person but later ingratiated himself with the authorities and gained some power. Now, he’s a notorious bully in the city. He’s known for preying on the weak, but he fears the strong.

“If you have power, influence, or some other means, he might not dare to do anything to you. But, you’re new here. If you have any other means, that’s one thing; if not, consider the lost money as stolen. Otherwise, while Lord Li and his underlings might not kill you, they could still make things very difficult for you and cause you considerable trouble.”

Song You asked, “Has he ever killed anyone?”

“I haven’t heard of that, but engaging in bullying and extortion for long isn’t much better than killing someone.”

“I heard about a so-called ‘Clever Immortal.’”

“That’s what they say.”

“They’re just rumors?”

“Yes, just rumors.”

“I’m quite interested in rumors.”

“Both in Southern Art County and the neighboring counties, there are always whispers about niche divine immortals that claim to be more effective than those in the temples.” The innkeeper’s voice dropped further.

He added, “Most of these bullies and ruffians in our city worship a divine immortal called the Clever Immortal. I don’t know where they worship, but having this great divine immortal on their side, many influential people avoid offending them.”

“Please tell me more.”

“That’s all I know.”

“

Clink…

” It was the sound of silver coins on the table.

The innkeeper’s discomfort became apparent. “You’re not going to ask him for money, are you?”

“I wish to ask him to be kinder.”

“That might be difficult.”

“I’m not trying to persuade him.”

“Then…”

Clink clink

…

The shopkeeper showed a pained expression again, glancing sideways at the small piece of silver. It was really not right to gossip about others. But what choice did he have?

1. Unit of weight, one tenth of a tael. ☜