Song You sat cross-legged in the black awning boat, quietly absorbing the spiritual resonance of Mirror Island Lake and the coolness of the night.

Vaguely, something else seemed to be drifting in. It was the power of the people’s prayers.

Song You had no intention of pursuing the Divine Dao and had never received such power of prayer before, so he was unfamiliar with their origin. At this moment, he simply waved his hand to let them dissipate on their own.

Before they knew it, the sky brightened.

The lake’s surface remained as smooth as a mirror, but cold mist had formed over the water, drifting on the lake and reflecting the azure sky. It made it appear as though the boat was floating in the sky rather than on the water.

The weather was clear today, and it was bright and sunny early in the morning.

The ferryman’s voice from outside called out, “Sir!”

The calico cat immediately opened its eyes and turned its head to look. Song You also opened his eyes, stood up, and walked outside.

The voice continued, “Sir, come out and see! Today, you can see Yunding Mountain! It’s really rare to see Yunding Mountain so early in the morning!”

Song You stepped outside and looked up.

The weather was crystal clear. In the distance, a high mountain revealed its true form, seemingly in the sky. It had a white cloud wrapped around its midsection like a belt, and a green lake winding around its base.

Though visible, its presence in the mist revealed that it was not only very tall but also very far away!

“Sir, don’t be deceived by how close Yunding Mountain seems. But if you walk from here, it would take two or three days just to get to the foot of the mountain without taking a boat, let alone reach the summit,” the ferryman said, standing at the bow of the boat, gazing up at the renowned mountain.

Although there had never been any concrete evidence of gods and immortals residing there, and most stories of encountering gods and immortals were merely tales told by those coming down from the mountain, how could the ferrymen who made a living by this Mirror Island Lake not hold it in reverence?"

“Once I bring you back to the shore, if you can still find your horse, I advise you not to walk. Instead, look for a large boat that can carry horses to cross over. This lake is vast, stretching out in a long expanse. Even rowing a boat from here to the opposite shore, which is considered quite close, takes half a day. If you were to walk around it, who knows how far it would be.”

“Thank you, sir,” Song You responded to the ferryman’s words but had already shifted his gaze from the celestial mountain to look down.

The calico cat followed him out of the cabin. At this moment, it was crouched low, with its back arched as it stretched lazily. Its soft pink tongue extended far out, curling up before retracting back into its mouth after the stretch. After briefly meeting his gaze, the cat turned its eyes toward the mountain peak on the opposite side of the lake, high in the sky.

From this angle, it appeared as if the mountain was floating in the air.

“Please take us back to shore,” Song You said.

“Certainly.”

Two hours later, the boat arrived at the shore.

The ferryman watched as the young gentleman disembarked and then saw a jujube-red horse approaching with a jingling bell from afar.

The horse appeared to be a

Beiyuan

horse. While not particularly large, it was known for its durability and was commonly used in the military. It seemed smaller than most

Beiyuan

horses but seemed to have spirituality.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Last night, he couldn’t see clearly, but he realized that the horse didn’t even have a rein on it today. Not only was there no rein, but there were also no signs that a saddle had ever been placed on its back.

No wonder the young gentleman wasn’t worried about being stolen at night. A horse without reins would be difficult for a thief to steal; they would need skill to manage it.

What an eye-opener.

“Safe travels, sir.”

“Thank you.”

The ferryman watched as the gentleman turned back to cup his hands to him and then proceeded forward. The horse, carrying a saddle bag, followed obediently. Meanwhile, the calico cat ran ahead in small steps to sniff the flowers—they had chosen not to cross the lake by boat, instead deciding that they wanted to enjoy the lakeside scenery more.

“Tsk…” The ferryman clicked his tongue.

***

Although they couldn’t see clearly the night before, the scenery of Mirror Island Lake was indeed impressive in the daylight.

Last night, it reflected the evening glow and starlight; today, it mirrored the entire blue sky, turning the lake surface a vibrant azure. In this mirror-like water, there were countless small islands of various shapes, as if it was a painting on

xuan

paper. This seemingly boundless vast lake was adorned with these details, making it not only less monotonous but also more delicate and beautiful.

“Are we going to that mountain?” the calico cat asked, tilting its head and looking up at the mountain in the sky, only speaking when they were out of earshot.

“Yes.”

“It seems like it’s in the sky.”

“Yes.”

“It seems very far away.”

“Do you want to go, Lady Calico?”

“I will follow you.”

“Alright.”

The beautiful scenery, combined with Lady Calico’s company, made it impossible for Song You to be in a bad mood. Even his steps became lighter.

Not far along, he saw a plant by the roadside with many small green fruits with hooks and smiled as he said to the calico cat, “Lady Calico, look, the

cang'erzi

you’re afraid of has appeared.”

“Where?” The calico cat turned its head and almost jumped in place.

“Don’t be afraid.” Song You bent down, picked one from the plant, and casually played with it in his hand.

“...?” Seeing this, the calico cat was taken aback. It didn’t stick to him? Indeed, he was a Daoist priest of high cultivation.

When she saw that he intended to bring it over and show it to her, she quickly backed away and shook her head. “Throw it away now! Throw it away!”

Song You laughed again; it seemed she was truly terrified. Not only were there

cang'erzi

, but there were also

maojuzi

. They encountered quite a few along the way.

By the afternoon, the calico cat finally realized that those things only stuck to fur and not to smooth human skin.

So, by the afternoon, she transformed into her human form and put on her old clothes, then she held the small bamboo staff she had taken from the Zoujiao Temple. As she walked, she struck at the weeds, shouting phrases like “I won’t let you have your way today,” “I’ll make you pay today,” “Die,” and “None of you will survive.”

The

cang'erzi

and

maojuzi

on the lakeside were in for some bad luck.

To go around the entire Mirror Island Lake and reach the foot of Yunding Mountain from here did indeed require nearly two hundred li of travel. Even with light packing and strong feet, it took at least two days. If they walked a bit slower, it would take three days. If they stopped to enjoy the lakeside scenery or play in the lakeside villages, it would be even longer.

Song You and Lady Calico had also visited lakeside villages, often seeing people fishing. Song You would buy fish from them, feeding half to Lady Calico and grilling the other half for himself to satisfy his hunger.

Fish were inexpensive here. Many people, seeing he was a Daoist priest, would directly give him two fish for free.

The food on this journey was quite good. The weather was also favorable, with crisp autumn air and endless gorgeous scenery.

Two days later…

The man, cat, and horse had reached the opposite shore of the lake.

There was a ferry dock here, allowing visitors from Changsheng County to take a boat across the lake. A cluster of pavilions has been built for people to rest, along with a Frog God Temple, which is particularly common around Mirror Island Lake.

Some local villagers with great business sense also sold bamboo staff, provisions, and local lake specialties here. A dirt path stretched from this point deep into the endless mountains.

A stone here bore the inscription, “Yunding Mountain this way.”

Song You saw boats arriving from the lake, likely tourists heading to Yunding Mountain in search of immortals. He had no intention of joining them and, after purchasing some dried fish, proceeded towards Yunding Mountain.

At this point, the path was still relatively wide and quite level. However, it soon became narrow and steep, winding up the mountain. As one walked, the body seemed to lean, making the ascent quite physically demanding.

Occasionally, there were stones by the side of the path where one could sit. The tops of these stones were flat, though one could not tell when or by whom they were moved here, or how many people had sat on them since. The surfaces were worn smooth. These spots often bore signs of past fires, perhaps from cooking or camping.

Sometimes, they would encounter other travelers, though the travelers were mostly overtaken by them. Even on this mountain, his steps remained large, neither fast nor slow. However, he was noticeably quicker compared to the visibly slowing ordinary travelers.

Travelers were often chatty, and people generally enjoyed conversing with Daoist priests and monks. Many would often strike up a conversation with Song You, which delayed him significantly.

The weather at the base of the mountain was still quite warm.

Along the mountain path and beside the cliffs, there's often a type of creeping shrub that the people of Yizhou called "

digua

." It grew close to the ground, with its roots producing small, red-purple fruit about the size of a fingernail. These fruits were quite delicious, and when Song You encountered them, he couldn't resist pausing his climb to spend some time picking a few.

This was the taste of summer from his childhood.

As he climbed higher, a chill began to set in.

There were also unique local flowers and plants growing here, short and with tiny flowers no bigger than a grain of rice. The flowers formed round clusters the size of eggs, perfectly round and extremely cute. The deep, increasingly cool mountains seem to provide an ideal environment for them to thrive, growing well and blooming beautifully.

Walking through the sea of flowers, it almost felt like he had moved backward from summer into spring.

After a full day of climbing, he had only reached halfway up the mountain.

The so-called halfway point of Yunding Mountain was actually the summit of another mountain. A grand mountain like Yunding Mountain couldn't be climbed directly; one had to traverse several mountains to reach its true base and qualify for the climb.

As the path continued upward, it became increasingly difficult to traverse. In many areas, it could hardly be called a path at all—just a trail where others have trodden before. The path was overgrown with thorns and often skirted along cliffs. Every now and then, the sound of tigers roaring and wolves howling echoed, sending chills down one's spine.

Many people only made it to the halfway point.

Even at this halfway point up the mountain, one was already standing atop the peaks and above the sea of clouds, looking down upon the world. The view was enough to satisfy anyone's eyes. Only the most stubborn seekers of immortals would continue onward, but even they were often discouraged and turned back by the dangers and hardships along the way.

Song You had encountered mountain peaks cutting across his path, a black bear that seemed to eye him as its potential lunch, and countless other wild animals that seemed almost like spirits. This stretch of the journey was indeed peculiar.

The higher he climbed, the thinner the air became, and the lower the temperature dropped. The plants and flowers from below no longer grew at this altitude, and the trees on the mountain began to show characteristics typical of alpine flora.

Song You then put on his cloak.

“Are we at the top of the mountain yet?”

“Not yet.”

“This mountain is so high!”

“Yes, it is.”

“When will we be able to reach the top?”

“Maybe today, maybe tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

“Are you tired, Lady Calico?”

“I’m not tired.”

“Then are you cold?”

“I’m not cold.”

“Do you want to rest?”

“No.”

“How about we stop and enjoy the scenery for a bit?”

“Alright...”

So, the man, cat, and horse found a place to rest. The Daoist sat casually on the soft grass, quietly observing the distant scenery. Meanwhile, the calico cat flopped onto her side, lying motionless on the ground. The horse nudged her with its nose before starting to graze on the dry grass of the high mountains, perhaps finding it different from that below.

Here, few people ventured.

But after resting for a while, they heard the sound of bells from behind, followed by voices. It seemed that someone else had arrived.