“You’re a Daoist priest, you’re older than me, so you must know more spells than me.” The little girl walked along with her pouch slung over her shoulder, looking up at him seriously as she thought aloud. “But when I first met you, you weren’t as big as you are now. You must’ve started learning spells around the same time as me. How many spells did you know back then?” “Best not to ask that either.” “Was it more than me?” “Let’s keep this moment of happiness going a little longer.” “Hmm...” The little girl furrowed her brows. Instinctive curiosity urged her to keep asking, but her memories offered up past experiences that told her she should stop. Emotion and reason began wrestling in her head, and for a moment, neither side could win. Thus, her brows only knitted tighter and tighter. Finally, she settled on a compromise, and she changed the subject. “Then, Daoist priest, how long do you think it’ll take me to turn a stone as big as the mountain god into gold in one go?” “If it were an ordinary genius, perhaps it would take several years. But based on your usual pace and talent for learning spells, maybe just half a year.” “Half a year!” The little girl’s brows tightened again. But this time, it wasn’t joy, nor disappointment. She didn’t find it either too long or too short; she simply muttered to herself, uh-oh. She had worked too hard when learning other spells in the past, often sneaking out in the dead of night pretending to catch mice. In truth, she’d catch one here, one there, and spend the rest of the time secretly practicing spells behind the Daoist’s and the swallow’s backs. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made such rapid progress with the others. What should have been a good thing had now backed her into a corner. That mountain god was huge; it was taller than a house. If she couldn’t manage to turn it all into gold in one go within half a year, how could she save her pride? It was all because she practiced the Boulder Transformation spell too hard and got too good at it. If only the mountain god were still as small as it was years ago and was just a little bigger than a cat, then she could probably turn it all to gold in a few days! “Yundu is a large city after all, with lots of people. There aren’t many powerful monsters outside the city, so your golden stone giant doesn’t have much chance to be put to use for now,” Song You said as he walked. “But once we head toward Zhao Commandery and down into southern Yunzhou, there will surely be fiercer monsters. By then, your mastery of the Boulder Transformation spell will have deepened. You can try turning just a part of the mountain god into gold, just the most crucial part, and that alone will be enough to fight monsters. That would count as practice, too.” “That’s true...” The little girl nodded, but she still wouldn’t give up. She turned her head again and asked the Daoist, “Then how long did it take you to be able to turn a mountain god that big into gold in one go?” “Lady Calico, you’re a peerless genius, why compare yourself to me? Are you trying to humiliate me on purpose?” The little girl froze instantly. She quickly pulled her head back and didn’t dare look at the Daoist again. She caught a glimpse of the swallow in the sky nearby from the corner of her eye. “Then Daoist priest, do you think if I keep practicing really hard, when I turn a stone into gold, it’ll become so hard that even the swallow’s little sword can’t cut through it?” Flutter flutter flutter... The swallow landed on a tree branch nearby. “Lady Calico, you’re a peerless genius,” the swallow said, mimicking the Daoist’s earlier tone, “I already admit I can’t compare. Besides, I’m delicate and frail, and can only rely on external tools to fight. Why won’t you even spare my magical weapon? Isn’t that just deliberately humiliating me?” “Ugh!!” The little girl turned her head sharply to the other side, too embarrassed to look at them. At the foot of the mountain, the grass had already turned yellow, like a thick carpet. The guide was sitting by the roadside, waiting for them. He kept stroking the bone sword in his hand. Beside him was a jujube-red horse, and in front of the horse was a pile of freshly cut grass, its favorite food clearly gathered by the guide himself. “Let’s go,” the Daoist said as he walked over. The guide immediately jumped up and dutifully resumed his role. The horse also followed. They slowly returned to Yundu and made their way back to Jiya Lane. “This is today’s guiding fee,” the Daoist said, pulling out twenty-five wen and handing them to the guide. But after he accepted them, the Daoist pulled out another twenty-five wen. “We have one final place to go tomorrow. This is tomorrow’s guiding fee, please accept it in advance.” “Then... when should I come find you tomorrow, sir?” “There’s no need for you to come find us. We’ll be setting off. We’re leaving Yundu for Zhao Commandery.” “Huh?” The guide didn’t quite register what he’d heard. He just looked down at the money in his hand. “You can go on your own,” the Daoist said, pulling out a piece of paper from his robe and handing it to the guide. “It’s a case of haunting at the estate of a wealthy family outside the city. There’s no official reward, but the family is not known to be stingy. If you take the water demon’s bone sword and recite the chants to drive out the ghost, you’ll likely earn some silver.” The guide took the paper, stunned. Unfortunately, he couldn’t read. All he could see were lines of beautiful characters on the paper, like drawings. Most of them had been crossed out, leaving only the leftmost column untouched. “It’s just a minor spirit,” the Daoist said. “Over these past few days, you’ve helped us with small tasks. Now, going alone to drive it away is indeed dangerous, but if you succeed, your name will spread. From then on, you’ll no longer have to stand by the city gate earning a meager living as a guide. However, there are a few things I must remind you of.” “Sir!” Thinking back on the past few days, the guide felt as though he had been dreaming. Deeply moved, he dropped to his knees without hesitation. “Please, speak!” “This is merely fate between us, nothing more. Such a formal gesture is unnecessary. Please, rise.” The guide felt a cool breeze lift him to his feet. So he could only stand with his head bowed, listening attentively. “First: you’ve eaten snake gall, which strengthens the body. You’ve taken a tumor pill, which enhances spiritual sensitivity. You’ve now tasted the benefits. But remember, you are a mortal. Just one pill from the tumor of a rabbit demon is enough. A second one will have no effect. And some of the strange things found on demons and monsters are useful, while some useless. Some require specific methods to consume safely, and some are poisonous or harmful. From now on, you must not carelessly put such things in your mouth.” “I will remember it well.” “Second: once we leave, anything you’ve gained should only be used to subdue and expel demons and evil spirits. And in doing so, you may only target those who cause chaos. Even among demons and ghosts, some are innocent and kindhearted. You must not kill indiscriminately. If a creature causes trouble but hasn’t committed a capital offense, and if you have the ability, you may capture and subdue it, then take it to the City God Temple. “Yundu is the administrative seat of Yunzhou, and its City God holds a high rank. If you build a good relationship with him, it will benefit you both in this life and the next. Who knows, even more opportunities may await you.” “Thank you, Immortal!” “Third: In the previous dynasty, there were many forbidden incantations. Over time, some have made their way into the hands of common folk. Most were designed to dispel demons and evil spirits. Some are useful, some not; but all are fairly simple. If you're interested, you can start collecting them and testing them out. It’s a path you might follow.” “I will remember it all.” “Lastly: Continue your work of subduing and eliminating monsters and spirits. The more evil you destroy, the more naturally you’ll accumulate strange abilities. The more demons you put to rest, the more your righteous energy will grow. Do enough good deeds, and fame will come to you unbidden. It will help you greatly. Even without other spells or incantations, these alone can take you far.” “I understand! Immortal Master, your great kindness...” “No need to say more. If you can make the area outside Yundu a little more peaceful, and if you can rid it of even a few weak little demons or ghosts who harm the people, that will be the best repayment to me.” As Song You spoke, he had already reached the Zhu family’s gate. With a wave of his hand, he signaled the guide to take his leave, then stepped inside. That night, the old matriarch of the Zhu family had another dream. This time, she dreamed of her son, who had died just a few days ago. In her dream, her son was dressed in attire somewhat resembling that of a yamen clerk, though slightly different. His complexion was fair and ruddy, his posture upright, and his manner refined. He was graceful and poised. The sickly look that had lingered for years was completely gone. It was almost a version of him she had nearly forgotten. Only when she saw him again in the dream did she remember: back before he fell ill, at the height of his talent and reputation, her son had once been admired by many noble young ladies of Yundu. In the dream, her son held her hand and spoke with her. He told her that the City God of Yundu was particularly fond of calligraphy, and since he himself had always written well, he had quickly won the City God's praise after only a few days at the temple. The City God had even granted him special permission to appear in her dreams once a year. He went on to describe matters at the City God Temple, urging her not to worry and not to grieve. At the same time, he asked her to thank the gentleman in their household once again on his behalf. When the old matriarch of the Zhu family awoke, she remained at home, waiting patiently for the Daoist to return so she could properly express her gratitude. When he finally came back, and the two sides met, it was the Daoist who first bowed and bid them farewell. “Many thanks for your kind hospitality during our stay. Over these past days, I’ve more or less seen the sights around Yundu. It is time for us to continue our journey, to head toward Zhao Commandery.” “You’re leaving, sir?” “We’ll be on the road early tomorrow morning.” “Why not stay a few more days?” “My mind is made up,” the Daoist replied. “I’ve already spoken with my little one. I won’t trouble you any longer. The road ahead is still long, and I dare not linger here.” The Zhu family could only accept this with reluctance. No one dared try to insist further. The Daoist returned to his room and began packing. The Zhu household also busied themselves preparing dried rations and water for the journey. For the Daoist, this had merely been a stop along a long mountain road, a brief rest in passing. It just so happened that demons and spirits had been running rampant outside Yundu, and it also happened that his little disciple was ready to learn a new spell. Meanwhile, the swallow needed more practice with that Western Regions’ short sword. So they had stayed for a few days, taking in the sights and customs of Yundu, and dealing with a few monsters along the way. Now, the child had learned the spell, the demons had been dealt with, and they’d more or less seen what there was to see. Naturally, it was time to move on. Early the next morning, they bid farewell to the Zhu household. The family had prepared food for the road and offered some travel money. Song You accepted the food, but since he had already received twenty taels of silver from the Zhu family as a reward, he declined the money. Instead, he gave them two talismans in return, one to ward off evil and one to dispel yin energy, then departed with Lady Calico and the horse. Yundu’s autumn sun was still shining bright. Under its warmth, the cold was nowhere to be felt. There was a trace of summer’s heat, but not too much. It was just right for travel.