Unintended Immortality

After walking for a while, Song You indeed came across a blacksmith's shop. The blacksmith was an elderly man with white hair. He was shirtless while working, his ribs clearly visible due to his thin frame. He was said to be skilled in shoeing horses.

The old blacksmith inspected the horse's hooves and said, “Your horse's shoes are nearly worn out.”

“Yes,” Song You replied.

“Does this horse pull carts more often or is it mostly ridden?”

“You're mistaken, sir. I'm not here to replace the horseshoes. I just need you to remove the nearly worn ones,” Song You explained.

“You don't trust my craftsmanship?” the blacksmith asked.

“Not at all!” Song You quickly cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. “It's just that the horseshoes are no longer needed...”

“No longer needed? Does the horse not get used much?”

“Something like that.”

“Hmm...” The old blacksmith uttered a series of unintelligible sounds, as if still feeling that Song You didn't trust his skills, expressing some dissatisfaction.

Song You was helpless. The horseshoes currently on the jujube-red horse's hooves were put on during the journey from Southern Art County to Mirror Island Lake and Yunding Mountain. That was nearly a year and a half ago.

On Yunding Mountain, both he and Lady Calico spent one night to traverse a year. However, the jujube-red horse had stayed below for the entire year, and yet its hooves hadn't grown at all and hadn't needed any trimming.

This was undeniably extraordinary. The ability to prevent hoof growth certainly wasn’t just about stopping growth—it also meant that it could potentially grow faster. Song You realized that this jujube-red horse was already quite remarkable and likely no longer needed horseshoes—at least not for the purpose of preventing hoof wear.

However, horseshoes served more purposes than just preventing wear; they also protected the hooves from cracking and slipping under heavy loads. The horseshoes for pulling carts differed from those for carrying loads, so Song You didn’t immediately decide to remove them.

As they traveled along small muddy mountain paths, the jujube-red horse carried light loads, and the shoes had only recently begun to show significant wear. Thus, he wanted to test if the horse could go without the horseshoes to save some expenses.

The old blacksmith worked efficiently, removing one of the horseshoes with just a few strokes and also making some adjustments. The hooves turned out to be much tougher than he expected, making what should have been a pleasing process look somewhat laborious.

“That was really exhausting!”

“Thank you for your hard work,” Song You said.

“Where did you get this horse?”

“A friend gave it to me.”

“Aren't you worried it might run away without being reined in?”

“Not at all...”

This was a recurring question that everyone seemed to ask.

“Where is it from?”

“Yizhou.”

“Where’s Yizhou?”

“Head south from here to Pingzhou, then continue south to Xuzhou. Yizhou is west from Xuzhou.”

“That’s quite a distance.”

“Yes, so we can take it slow.”

“Where are you heading?”

“To see Mount Zhen.” Song You mentioned this and then asked for directions, “Could you tell me how to get to Mount Zhen from here?”

“Which Mount Zhen? The one with many Daoist temples?”

“Exactly.”

“Are you looking for a temple on Mount Zhen?”

“Yes.”

“Are you planning to join one?”

“No, I’ve just heard that Mount Zhen is one of the famous Daoist holy mountains, with numerous temples and many Daoist spiritual masters. Since I’m passing through, I thought I’d visit to see if it’s as true as they say.”

“In that case, you might want to reconsider...”

“What do you mean?” Song You became more interested.

The old blacksmith set down the horseshoe, stood up, and took a deep breath. He was clearly exhausted. He then straightened up and said to Song You, “On Mount Zhen, there are indeed many Daoist temples, but not many with real skill. Besides, I heard that during the early autumn, heavy rains caused a landslide, and it seems the path hasn't been repaired yet. It's very difficult to traverse the mountain now.”

Song You glanced around at the main road.

This was an official road. Although it was a village, it had a blacksmith shop and a few taverns, all relying on this road for their livelihood. News should travel quickly through here.

The old blacksmith continued, “We locals know that the truly skilled Daoists aren’t on Mount Zhen but on the other side, at Fuyun Temple. When I was young, I was quite interested in these things myself. I saw the old temple owner of Fuyun Temple perform rainmaking and cloud-summoning. He truly seemed like a divine immortal.”

“How do I get to Fuyun Temple?”

“You're coming from this side?”

“Yes.”

“And where are you headed finally?”

“Angzhou.”

“Just keep going forward. About forty li ahead, you’ll come to a fork. Turn right to reach Mount Zhen; turn left, and you’ll get to Fuyun Temple. You don’t need to return; you can keep going straight.”

“Thank you…” Song You hesitated a bit.

On one side was the renowned Daoist holy mountain, and on the other was a lesser-known small local temple. One was famous far and wide, while the other was known locally. One had a great reputation, and the other had an elder who claimed to have seen celestial powers firsthand.

It seemed like an easy choice.

After paying for the horseshoe repair and thanking the blacksmith, Song You and his horse continued on.

Along the way, he asked a few more people for directions. At least two people mentioned that although Mount Zhen was famous and known as one of the Four Great Daoist Mountains with skilled Daoist spiritual masters cultivating there, the truly remarkable one was still the Fuyun Temple hidden in the wilderness of this mountain.

The Daoist masters there were like living divine immortals, not only highly skilled but also always willing to help others.

From morning until afternoon, Song You traveled and then turned left at the fork. By mid-afternoon, he stopped to rest by the roadside. At this point, they hadn’t seen Fuyun Temple yet. The weather was crisp and clear, with the autumn sun shining brightly, making Song You stretch lazily.

There was a small hill nearby. Song You glanced around and decided to walk up the hill.

After taking a few steps, he stopped and turned around, only to see the calico cat following him with small steps. Seeing him stop, the calico cat had already taken a few more steps ahead before stopping as well. She lifted her head to look at him, and the two—one human and one cat—stared at each other in confusion.

“Why aren’t you moving?”

“Don’t follow me, Lady Calico.”

“Where are you going?”

“Just don’t follow.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Lady Calico, you should head back and watch the horse.”

“...!”

Upon hearing about the horse, the calico cat finally turned around. Seeing the horse standing alone by the roadside and looking quite lonely, the cat hesitated for a moment before walking back.

Song You then continued up the small hill on his own. Looking back, he saw the cat dutifully staying by the horse. It did not follow him, though it stood upright, stretching its neck to keep an eye on him.

“…”

Song You decided to walk a bit further to a spot where the cat couldn't see him, otherwise, it would certainly follow.

There was a waterfall that cascaded down three thousand chi. Just as the sound of the water ceased, a shout came from behind, “Where did this cat demon come from?”

Song You walked back up to the top of the slope and saw that, at some point, a middle-aged Daoist had appeared on the road below and was frowning as he stared at Lady Calico.

The cat was sneaking up the small hill, intending to spy on what the Daoist was doing. Seeing another unfamiliar Daoist arrive, it had no intention of fighting or explaining itself. Without a second thought, it quickly sped up and tried to run up the hill.

“Don’t go!” The Daoist, noticing the cat’s furtive and guilty behavior as well as its intention to flee, was not willing to let it escape easily. He waved his sleeve, sending a gentle breeze that stirred up the dust.

However, before the dust had settled, a voice called out, “Daoist Master, please wait!”

Song You walked at a steady pace, blowing out a breath to disperse the dust. He then took a few steps down the small hill.

The calico cat, unaffected by the dust, continued running toward him but stopped halfway. It then turned to look at the middle-aged Daoist with a mix of curiosity and caution, and seemed uncertain about what the Daoist was doing.

The middle-aged Daoist turned his gaze toward Song You, then glanced at the cat, narrowing his eyes with a look of confusion and a hint of awkwardness.

As Song You approached him, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and asked, “Daoist, why are you making things difficult for my cat?”

“Fellow Daoist, you’re the one who brought this cat demon?” the Daoist inquired.

“That’s right.”

“Ah, I see. Then it’s a misunderstanding.” The Daoist also cupped his hands in return. “I was wondering why the horse was left alone by the roadside without the supervision of a human, with only a sneaky little demon around. It was being stealthy, and it refused to answer my question. I thought it might be up to some mischief, hence the suspicion…”

In this world, no cat could suppress its desire to guard a person using the toilet. Even if the person tried to prevent them from watching, the cat would still sneak a look. Such misunderstandings, from a different perspective, were quite amusing.

“I am Song You, a mountaineer from Yizhou in Lingquan County. It is an honor to meet you, Daoist.”

“Meow meow!”

“I am Daoist Beishan. Nice to meet you, fellow Daoist.” Daoist Beishan glanced at the cat beside Song You and added, "Why don’t you put a mark on the little cat demon you’re raising, fellow Daoist? If something goes wrong, the misunderstanding could be quite serious!"

“She is my companion.”

“…” Daoist Beishan squinted again. “May I ask which temple you cultivate at?”

“At Hidden Dragon Temple on Yin-Yang Mountain.”

“No wonder…”

“How did you know?”

“Although the ‘Halting Wind’ technique I used is something I applied casually, there are few Daoists in the world who can break it with a single breath. Additionally, considering that you’re from Yizhou, Lingquan County, and you don’t address yourself as ‘poor Daoist’, it’s easy to associate you with the renowned Hidden Dragon Temple,” said Daoist Beishan. “Has this generation's heir emerged?”

“May I ask if you cultivate at Fuyun Temple?”

“How did you know?”

“On the way here, an old man mentioned that Fuyun Temple has true masters who excel in subduing demons and solving problems, with profound Daoist skills comparable to immortals. I came specifically to visit.”

“Then, we’re truly fated to meet.”

“Indeed.”

“This way, please…”

Walking a short distance further, Song You realized that they were actually very close to Fuyun Temple.

Fuyun Temple was a traditional Daoist temple, differing from Hidden Dragon Temple. They were more willing to exorcise demons and ward off evil spirits. Demons and spirits were not supposed to easily tread the paths to the human realm, let alone make their way to someone's doorstep.

Given that the cat appeared to be sneaking around with suspicious intentions, it was no wonder that the first thing the Daoist did was question it and refuse to let it leave easily. Though, the poor cat was frightened.

The three of them—a person, a cat, and a horse—proceeded toward the temple.

Fuyun Temple was situated on a small hill, surrounded by lush greenery. Upon reaching the base of the mountain, there was a long stone staircase leading directly to the temple’s main entrance. The entire temple was structured so that each courtyard was at a higher level than the previous one. Looking up, it gave a sense of elegance, as if observing a mountain.

“Daoist Song, please come in!”

“May I ask where you plan to go after leaving, Daoist Master?”

“I was planning to go to Pingzhou.”

“To Pingzhou?”

“Yes.”

“That’s quite far.” Song You was a bit surprised.

He had taken nearly two months to travel from Pingzhou, moving slowly. Meanwhile, this Daoist seemed to be just taking a short tour nearby, but was actually intending to go to Pingzhou.

“Hahaha, our temple differs from Hidden Dragon Temple. I am quite familiar with the Daoist temples along the way from here to Pingzhou. Even if I’m not well-acquainted with them, they must have heard of the reputation of Fuyun Temple. I only need to reach a temple each day to rest, and I’ll naturally have food and lodging.” Daoist Beishan tilted his head up and laughed heartily.

Then, he continued, “A few days ago, this poor Daoist heard someone mention that another person from Pingzhou encountered an immortal on Yunding Mountain in Pingzhou. This time, it seems different from before, so I wanted to see for myself whether it was truly an immortal or some demon disguised as one, causing trouble and delaying the people’s time.”

“…”

“Daoist, where are you coming from?”

“From Pingzhou.”

“We were truly destined to meet.” Daoist Beishan approached the temple and waved his hand. With a thunderous sound, the mountain gate swung open.

Song You stopped to look. Above the gate was a plaque without any writing. On either side were couplets that wrote, “The world within the pot draws near the blue sky; In the cave, the mist and clouds have a leisurely day.”

As they stepped over the threshold, they realized that the floor inside was paved with blue stone, and fallen leaves were left undisturbed. The Daoist walked slowly, and the surroundings exuded a sense of tranquility and elegance.

In the center stood an ancient tree, a highlight of the scene. However, its pavilion, which was supposed to shelter the entire outer courtyard, now seemed lifeless due to neglect, leaving only its withered, yellowed branches against the sky. It was truly a poignant sight.

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