Unintended Immortality

Daoist Beishan was the temple owner of the Fuyun Temple.

This Daoist truly possessed impressive abilities. Although Hidden Dragon Temple might not be well-known among the common people, masters like him would have certainly heard of it. Their chance encounter in the wilderness was indeed serendipitous, so Daoist Beishan invited them to stay at the temple.

They were provided with a simple and unadorned room. The disciples helped move their belongings in.

After sitting in the room for a while, Song You thought that what Daoist Beishan had said made sense.

Lady Calico was, after all, a demon. Daoists skilled in exorcism naturally had the ability to recognize demonic beings. While it was manageable as long as Lady Calico was by his side, once she was separated from him and encountered a Daoist with real cultivation skills, she would likely face some difficulties or even be frightened.

However, there were not many Daoists with cultivation skills in the world. Along the way, he had encountered very few, so this issue hadn't been a major concern for him.

Next, he was planning to head to Changjing.

Changjing was known as the most virtuous city in the world. It was possible that Daoist masters preferred a serene environment and might not congregate there, but Buddhist masters were drawn to lively places. In the past years, they were even interested in participating in politics.

Many court officials were friendly with senior Buddhist monks, and some high-ranking court ministers even had monks as their advisors. It wasn't until the last twenty years, when a Daoist became the state preceptor, that this situation improved somewhat.

In addition to Buddhist and Daoist masters, there were also folk experts, as well as various supernatural beings and demons mingling among them.

Indeed, while Lady Calico was a companion, it was absolutely not appropriate to mark her like other Daoists marking their spiritual beasts or divine immortals marking their mounts. He needed to think of another solution.

Song You rummaged through his bag for a while and found a small wooden plaque from the bundle he brought down the mountain.

The plaque was exquisitely crafted, resembling a worldly token. Both sides were adorned with cloud patterns. The front side had the words “Hidden Dragon Temple” in large characters, while the back side had smaller text, including Song You’s name and the generation number.

Song You examined it closely, holding onto one corner.

“Snap!” He easily pinched off a small corner, about the size of a fingernail. Then he began to polish and shape it.

Lady Calico climbed over to him, moving very slowly. Once she reached his side, she looked up at his face, then down at the small piece of wood as she got very close.

“What are you doing?”

“Making a tag.”

“A tag for what?”

“Look…!” Song You picked up the original wooden plaque from Hidden Dragon Temple and showed it to her. “I have a plaque with my name on it. This way, others will know who I am and where I come from. I think you should have a similar tag, but smaller.”

“Is it for me?”

“Yes.” Song You explained, “It can be worn as a necklace around your neck. If you don’t like it or think it looks unattractive, you can also keep it with you in your human form.”

“So others will know I’m your cat?”

“Not exactly.” Song You continued polishing and said without much thought, “This way, others will see that you’re with me and not a bad demon, so they won’t cause trouble for you.”

“Is it because I’m weak?”

“Lady Calico, you have your own skills.”

“What skills?”

“You have many…” Song You continued his work, polishing the tag and speaking as if he hadn’t really thought his words through. “For example, the rabbit we ate yesterday noon, you caught it from the mountain. The bird eggs we ate on the road before were also collected by you. Without you, I wouldn’t have those eggs and rabbits. These are skills I don’t have.”

“Daoist priest.”

“Hmm?”

“Am I embarrassing you?”

“Why would you?” Song You immediately stopped his work and turned to look at her.

He didn’t understand why she asked that.

Lady Calico looked up at him with a serious expression. “I get scared by the Thunder God and other Daoist priests. If I were really powerful, I wouldn’t be afraid like this.”

“It’s normal for demons to be scared of the Thunder God and Daoist priests. Most demons fear the Thunder God and Daoist priests, even many very powerful demons are afraid of the Thunder God.” Song You paused.

He continued, “But Lady Calico, you’re naturally intelligent and diligent. You easily gained enlightenment and naturally transformed. Even though you once strayed into the Divine Dao, you managed to make your temple prosperous with incense offerings. With your talent and skills, you’ll likely become a great demon soon. At that time, I might even need to rely on you for protection.”

Lady Calico was silent for a moment, standing next to him with her front paws resting on his leg. Her head was held high as she was looking into his eyes.

After a long while, she finally looked away, then suddenly twisted her body and jumped down to play with her bamao ball.

“…” Song You shook his head. Who knew what a cat was thinking?

He continued to polish. A voice came from nearby, “I want it to be like yours, with a string. I want to wear it around my neck…”

“…” A test of his craftsmanship had begun.

***

Under the bright moon and green mountains at night, with the high sky and crisp autumn dew, the Daoist temple was serene, though it was now filled with many more footsteps.

One set of footsteps reached Song You’s door.

“Knock, knock!”

“Daoist Master, the temple owner invites you to dinner.”

“I’m coming right away!” Song You opened the door and went out with the cat.

Daoist Beishan had arranged a feast here to treat them.

Young Daoists in their Daoist robes carried dishes back and forth, bringing one after another into the dining hall.

The Fuyun Temple, being a Daoist temple of its kind, naturally did not have to pay taxes. Its local reputation was substantial, so its income was undoubtedly considerable. To some extent, it was similar to the Hidden Dragon Temple in Lingquan County. But while the Hidden Dragon Temple was sometimes open and sometimes closed, and did not welcome many pilgrims which affected its incense revenue, the Fuyun Temple was likely wealthier.

For hosting esteemed guests today, the meal was not overly extravagant, yet it was certainly not lacking.

As Song You entered, the hosts and guests took their seats.

Daoist Beishan, as the temple owner, sat at the head of the table with rows of seats on either side. Song You and Lady Calico sat at the very front. The table had five or six unusual dishes, a lotus seed pod, and a pot of wine.

Daoist Beishan first toasted Lady Calico, apologized for the misunderstanding, and then invited everyone to start eating.

Song You glanced down at the table. One dish was roasted lamb. Another was cured meat, sliced thin and gleaming.

There was also a dish that seemed to be fried vegetables, served on lotus leaves. It included deep green, seaweed-like thin slices, some lotus root cut into small finger-thick pieces that appeared raw, a whole raw fish, and a plate of vegetables stir-fried in a way that made it hard to distinguish. Finally, there was the whole lotus seed pod.

Song You looked for a while before starting to eat. Noting that the fish was only on his table, he deduced it was specially prepared for Lady Calico and served it to her first. Then, he sampled the dishes one by one.

Daoist Beishan, sitting at the head of the table, noticed his expressions and actions and cheerfully explained, “This is fried in lotus leaves, using the most tender leaves, coated in flour and then deep-fried.”

As Song You ate, he could no longer distinguish the specific ingredients, just the taste of fried food. It was indeed unusual.

In these times, deep-fried food was rare. They were not something you’d find unless it was a festival, a special occasion, or in affluent households, as it was too costly to use so much oil.

He then tried the seaweed-like thin slices.

Daoist Beishan explained, “This is moss, dried and baked into thin, crisp slices. It makes for a nice snack to enjoy in idle moments.”

He recognized the lotus root, though it was from an immature lotus. It was at its most tender and crispy at this stage, sweet and pleasant.

The dish with vegetables was actually stir-fried with lotus leaf tips—those that had just emerged from the water and hadn’t fully opened yet. The leaves were layered and wrapped, creating a distinct, layered texture that was quite intriguing.

“Although we have plenty of food and drink here, sourcing ingredients can be inconvenient. In such a hurry, we had to use mountain specialties. I hope you won’t mind,” said Daoist Beishan.

“You’re too generous, Daoist Master.” Song You quickly set down his chopsticks and cupped his hands in gratitude. “But it’s already deep autumn. Where did the lotus leaves and seed pods come from?”

Before Daoist Beishan could respond, a young Daoist beside Song You chuckled and said, “Daoist Master, you may not know, but there is a spiritual spring on the mountain behind my home. It’s a spring that flows through all seasons. The pool formed by the collection of water is called the Four-Seasons Pool. The water from it, called Four-Season Fluid, can nurture plants from any time of the year…”

Before the young Daoist could finish his sentence, Daoist Beishan furrowed his brow. The young Daoist quickly fell silent.

Daoist Beishan then smiled at Song You and said, “My disciple loves to boast. Don’t mind his exaggerations. The spring on the mountain has a bit of spiritual qi, but the water is not hot enough for baths or cooking eggs. It just keeps the pool water from getting too cold, and with the spiritual qi, the lotus root can naturally grow in all seasons.”

“I see…” Song You nodded, smiling.

If what the young Daoist said was true, that the water could support plants year-round, it would indeed be quite extraordinary. It made sense that Daoist Beishan might not want to reveal such a secret. If Daoist Beishan’s explanation was accurate, it was much more ordinary.

Daoist Beishan then suggested, “Eating in silence can be quite dull. How about inviting the fairies from the painting to perform a song and dance to liven things up?”

He clapped his hands and turned to look at Song You.

Turning to look behind them, Song You and Lady Calico saw a large painting on the wall. It depicted a lavish palace with delicate curtains, but no one was dining. Instead, a group of elegant and beautiful women were dancing in the grand hall, some playing instruments and others performing graceful dances.

Suddenly, the figures in the painting seemed to come to life. Figures began to fly out from the painting.

When they first emerged, the figures were small. But as they flew forward by an inch, they grew larger by a bit. By the time they landed in the middle of the dining hall, they were as real as any living person.

Unbeknownst to them, several chairs had appeared in the middle of the room, and the women holding instruments had taken their seats just in time.

A pipa was strummed, and its sound was like the tinkling of spring water. The xiao and flute immediately followed suit, playing in harmony.

There was no delay; the hall was instantly filled with the sound of music, as if they had been performing from the very beginning without interruption.

The melody was enchanting, like celestial music. They fully experienced the charm of traditional music.

In the middle of the room, a woman dressed in red and blue garments with fluttering sleeves danced gracefully. However, she was not on the ground.

She seemed like a real fairy. She was light as a feather, and was floating in the air most of the time. She touched the ground lightly on her toes occasionally, only to rise again, her movements ethereal.

She stretched her elegant figure, her clothes appearing weightless as they floated in the air. At times, she would flick her sleeves, which would sweep past Song You. Occasionally, she would tap the ground lightly, mimicking the grace of flying to the moon. She gently rose to mid-air, hovering for a moment, and then descending slowly.

It was the feitian dance[1].

Though her attire was minimal, it was not revealing; there was no hint of sensuality, only the otherworldly grace of her dance and the exquisite beauty of the woman.

This kind of magic was essentially an illusion.

Common in classic literature, it involved summoning Moon Palace fairies to enchant mortals, making them impressed with the power of the one who casted the spell to summon fairies. Such spells were indeed powerful, requiring years of cultivation and leisure time to master.

Song You, following the example of the other Daoists, took a lotus seed pod and removed the seeds before enjoying the dance and eating the sweet, refreshing lotus seeds.

He also glanced at the other Daoists.

Although they faked a look of excitement, their expressions showed little awe. It seemed that Daoist Beishan’s performance was something they had seen many times before, and perhaps every performance was similar.

1. The feitian dance refers to a specific style of dance depicted in the famous Dunhuang murals, particularly from the Tang Dynasty period. ☜

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