“Ah…!” Lord Li's face twisted in agony as he stumbled out of the room.

The moment the “Clear Conscience” pill entered his mouth, it dissolved in the wine, releasing a taste that was sour, pungent, bitter, and spicy all at once. The sensation surged from his mouth straight to the top of his head, then sank deep into his organs, making his entire body feel as if it were being pricked by needles.

Eventually, all the sourness, pungency, bitterness, and spiciness converged into one spot, resulting in a pain that felt like his heart was being twisted by a knife.

The pain was so intense that he could hardly breathe and walk! It was so intense that death seemed preferable to this agony! Was this how those poor families he had bullied felt?

Supporting himself on the railing, Lord Li descended the stairs. His each step accompanied by a cacophony of clattering sounds, as if something hard and sharp-edged was rolling down the steps instead of him walking down.

His mind drifted back to the conversation he had with the Daoist priest before swallowing the “Clear Conscience” pill.

“After taking this 'Clear Conscience,' you must only do good and refrain from doing evil. If you find doing good difficult, it will serve as your penance, a repayment for the wrongs of your past. But if you gradually find doing good more enjoyable than doing evil...”

“And then what?”

“Then congratulations, you'll have gained two 'clear consciences.'”

“...”

“Sir! Sir, are you alright?” A different voice rang in his ears. He struggled to open his eyes and looked up, seeing the innkeeper standing before him.

Strangely, even though his heart was filled with overwhelming sourness, pungency, bitterness, and pain, his vision became clearer. He saw the worry on the innkeeper's face—mixed with curiosity and tinged with gloat. The innkeeper seemed afraid something might happen to him here, but not out of concern for his well-being.

“Leave me... alone,” Lord Li barely muttered these words before stumbling out the door.

Barely a few moments passed before the innkeeper, curious about where he had gone and what he was doing, went to the door and was startled when he saw him stumble back in.

“Sir... you...”

“The... The money for the wine...”

“Oh...” The shopkeeper let out a sigh of relief and then cheerfully said, “What's a bowl of wine worth? Consider it my treat to you, sir.”

Lord Li leaned against the doorframe, his face flushed and twisted in pain, cold sweat pouring down his face. Yet, it seemed as though he heard the shopkeeper say, “What's a bowl of wine worth? It’s not worth as much as watching this fool suffer.”

“No... No, I insist...”

“Eight wen.”

“...” Lord Li couldn't speak. He just reached into his robes, fumbled around, and pulled out a handful of coins before handing them to the shopkeeper.

“Sir, here's your change.”

“...”

“Hehe! Take care, sir!”

“...” Lord Li stumbled out of the door once more.

The pain in his heart was so intense that he could barely stand. The world spun around him, his vision darkened, and his sight narrowed. Everything seemed to blur together.

He couldn't tell where he was going, but his mind was remarkably clear. When he finally looked up, he realized that someone had caught hold of him, saying something. After listening closely, he realized they were pleading with him, asking him to settle a debt.

It seemed to be a vegetable farmer from outside the city—someone he owed money to and hadn't paid.

Was this yet another knife twisting in his heart? How much did he owe?

Only five hundred wen. Just five hundred wen...

“...” Lord Li pulled out some money. At this point, nothing else mattered to him. He was willing to do anything to lessen the pain, even just a little. With great difficulty, he mumbled, “It's my fault, I mistreated you. I'll kowtow to you. Please, sir, call the others. Call everyone I owe, and bring them all to my house. I'll settle everything today...”

The peddler said something, but Lord Li couldn't make it out. He just tried to find his bearings and then headed toward his home.

Right now, the most important thing was to repay his debts, to atone for his sins. Every debt he owed, every person he bullied, every wrong he committed.

Especially the nunnery outside the city.

The nunnery had given refuge to that Daoist priest. Lord Li thought that the reason the Daoist priest hadn't sealed his mouth forever, and had instead spared him with a “Clear Conscience,” might have been not only to encourage him to do good but also to let him live and repay his debts. The first debt he had to settle was, of course, the one owed to the nunnery.

***

That man truly was capable.

The shopkeeper followed Lord Li out, naturally to watch the spectacle, and indeed, there was a spectacle to behold.

Seeing Lord Li in such agony, feeling worse than death, was probably more satisfying to the poor families he had bullied than if he had been killed. The shopkeeper wasn't one of those poor families, nor had he ever been bullied by Lord Li. At most, he had been disgusted by the man a few times in other places. Still, it was satisfying to watch.

When he saw Lord Li repay the vegetable farmer and summon all his other creditors to settle their accounts at his home, the shopkeeper wondered what kind of threats that gentleman had used. But in any case, it seemed to be a good thing.

However, human nature was as deep as the sea and hard to change. That gentleman wouldn't stay in Southern Art County forever. As time went on, could that man maintain this change? Once he came to his senses, would he cause trouble for the shopkeeper?

“...” The shopkeeper shook his head, dismissing the thought.

If he could maintain this change for a moment, that would be a moment of goodness. If he could maintain it for a day, that would be a day of goodness. If he could keep it up indefinitely, that would be a lasting goodness. Whether it was a little or a lot, any goodness was better than none.

When the shopkeeper returned to the inn, he found that the gentleman had already packed his bags and brought out his horse. He was at the inn's entrance, placing his luggage on the horse's back.

A little girl stood beside him, holding a handful of dry grass, feeding it to the horse.

“Sir! Leaving already?”

“Yes...” Song You smiled and said, “I've already spoken with your wife. We've accounted for the lamp oil used these past few days, and I've gotten back my deposit. I'm leaving now.”

“Not staying a few more days?”

“I've rested enough.”

“Did you have a good stay these past few days?”

“Of course, I had an excellent stay.” Song You glanced at the little girl beside him. “I must thank you for your recommendation. The cloth here truly lives up to its reputation, and the skills of the third lady of the Jiang family that you recommended are indeed excellent. But if I had to say, the best of all was the soup noodles at your inn. If I have the chance, I hope to return someday to enjoy them again.”

“Then we'll be waiting for your esteemed visit.”

“You're too kind.”

“Safe travels, sir.”

“Thank you.”

The horse's hooves clattered against the stone pavement, producing a rhythmic sound as its neck swayed and the bell around it jingled. The man and his horse moved forward without looking back. Only the little girl turned her head several times.

The shopkeeper, however, was puzzled. This gentleman was a wandering Daoist priest, traveling alone—so how did a little girl suddenly appear at his side?

“Oh!” It finally dawned on the shopkeeper. Where had the calico cat gone?

Looking ahead, the man and the girl, along with the horse, had already passed the street corner and were out of sight.

Recalling the scene at this moment, the shopkeeper remembered that the little girl was small, with skin as fair as snow. She was impeccably clean, and as pretty as a little fairy. She wore brightly colored new clothes, a fresh summer outfit, with different colors for the top and the skirt. While the shopkeeper spoke with the gentleman, the little girl had been looking up at him with wide, curious, and lively eyes.

Wasn't she the calico cat that had been by the gentleman's side?

***

“Come on, horsey, follow me!”

The little girl in her new outfit ran ahead, then turned around and walked backward, facing the horse while urging it repeatedly. She hoped the horse would overtake the Daoist priest and follow her, with the Daoist priest trailing behind.

Such a lively and beautiful little girl attracted the attention of many passersby.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

However, the horse just stared at her with its large, shiny eyes. It maintained the same steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow while walking behind the Daoist priest.

What was going on? She had just fed it! They had agreed on this!

But the little girl wasn’t discouraged. She continued to walk backward, facing the horse, chanting like a spell, “Come on, horsey, follow me!”

“Careful, Lady Calico, you might trip.”

“I won't trip.”

“Is that so?”

“

Ouch

!” The little girl fell to the ground but quickly got up.

The first thing she did was to turn around and check if her new clothes were damaged or dirty. Seeing only a bit of dust, she lightly patted it off. In the next moment, she raised her head and stared at the Daoist priest. She furrowed her brows in deep thought, as if suspecting that her fall had something to do with him. Whether she was hurt or not didn't seem to concern her at all.

“It wasn't my doing.”

“Then why did I fall right after you mentioned it?”

“Maybe I saw a pit on the road behind Lady Calico and reminded you because of that.”

“Is that so...”

“Lady Calico, if you left the inn like this, the shopkeeper must have figured out that you’re a cat demon.”

“But I have new clothes...”

“Then there's nothing else we could have done.” Song You glanced at the little girl as he finished speaking.

The clothes were made just this morning.

He had initially thought that since the weather was warming up and Southern Art County produced fine fabric, it would be a good opportunity to get some cloth to make summer clothes for Lady Calico. While he was at it, he might as well make something for himself as a memento.

However, during the process of buying the fabric, the difference in aesthetic preferences between the calico cat and Song You became apparent. Song You preferred simple and clean designs. The calico cat liked patterns, the more intricate, the better.

In the end, they compromised and bought three different-colored fabrics. A light-colored fabric was used to make a bodice, a brown one for a short shirt, and a crimson one for a skirt. Though all were solid colors, the combination turned out quite attractive, thanks in large part to the skill of the third lady of the Jiang family and Lady Calico's natural beauty.

Before long, they had left the county town.

It was now March, with grass growing and warblers flying. The sun was shining brightly, and catkins floated in the air. Song You stopped at the city gate, turning around to look at the narrow, old gate.

The word “Southern Art County” was written in a neat and upright manner.

“Where are we going?” The little girl had climbed onto the horse's back again, lying down and hugging the horse's neck, turning her head to look at him.

This was a good question.

Pingzhou was a land of many mountains and rivers, filled with tales of monsters, ghosts, immortals, and gods. Many famous figures and poets had come here for its reputation, and the scenic spots were too numerous to count.

To reach Yunding Mountain, they would have to cross most of Pingzhou.

If they headed straight there, the journey would be over a thousand li. Perhaps it would take half a month, most of a month, or even a full month, and they would arrive.

But with so many famous mountains and rivers and such extraordinary scenery, how could they pass by without stopping to admire them?

Most of these scenic spots were recorded in the book

Yudi Jisheng

. The book described the locations in relation to Pingdu, the administrative center in Pingzhou, detailing their positions in different directions and distances from Pingdu. This gave a rough sense of the distances and directions, allowing him to plan a route.

“I'm asking you! Where are we going?”

“Lady Calico, just follow me.”

“Oh...”