Unintended Immortality

The sky was overcast, and the wind howled through the air, making it hard to tell whether it was morning or dusk.

“Today's weather is pretty bad,” Heroine Wu said as she stood at the door, speaking to him.

“This kind of weather is just right.”

Song You had already led the jujube-red horse out of the door. When the calico cat stepped out, he shut the door, locked it, and handed the key to Heroine Wu.

“Thank you, Heroine.”

“Thank me for what?”

“For your shelter.”

“It’s not like you stayed for free.” Heroine Wu took the key, tucked it into her coat, sighed, and said, “Coincidentally, I need to head out as well, and I’ll be leaving the city too. Let’s go, we’ll travel together.”

“Alright.”

The two, along with the horse and cat, headed toward the city gates.

It was early morning, and the shops on both sides of the street were opening. Street vendors who had come to set up stalls in the city had also begun arriving. As Song You passed through Willow Street, shopkeepers and vendors would occasionally greet him curiously. They noticed the horse and his travel bag, along with his bamboo staff, and would ask where he was headed.

Song You patiently answered each question. He felt a little dazed, realizing that in the year he had spent in Changjing, so many people had come to know him.

They passed through Willow Street and through the city. All along the way, people kept casting curious glances his way.

Some were intrigued by the sight of the Daoist traveling with a cat and a horse that didn’t need reins. Others had heard rumors of a Daoist with a calico cat and a jujube-red horse but weren’t sure if this was the same person from the legends, or just couldn’t recall where they had heard the tale.

Soon, they were leaving the city behind.

Changjing was bustling with activity, but even outside the city, there were crowds, with many carts and carriages coming and going. Merchant convoys were often seen lining up like long dragons.

“Have you figured out when you'll be back?” Heroine Wu asked.

“Can't say for sure.” Song You shook his head. “It depends on whether the demons and monsters in the North feel like being more active. Maybe in a few years, maybe in ten. Either way, I'll be back.”

“Tsk...” Heroine Wu clicked her tongue.

Song You smiled at her and said, “By the time we meet again, we’ll be old friends.”

“Yes, old friends.” Heroine Wu also curled the corners of her mouth.

The last time they met was in the spring of the second year of Mingde. Now, it was the spring of the fifth year of Mingde. Three years had already passed.

When they reunited in Changjing last year, they were still considered old acquaintances. But if they met again a few years from now, they would naturally be regarded as old friends.

Of course, that was only if they met again. Such farewells, where one doesn’t know when they’ll see each other again, were the norm in this era. Neither Song You nor Heroine Wu knew if they had gotten used to it, but either way, the world didn't care whether you're used to it or not. It would treat you the same regardless. All they could do was do their best and leave the rest to fate.

“I came down the mountain at the end of summer and beginning of autumn in the first year of Mingde for a period of twenty years. I will most likely return to the Daoist temple at the end of summer and beginning of autumn twenty years later,” Song You said to her.

He continued, “Just to say again, I’m from Hidden Dragon Temple on Yin-Yang Mountain in Lingquan County of Zhuo Commandery, Yizhou. When you return to Yizhou, feel free to visit me. If you can't find the temple on the mountain, it means I haven’t returned yet.”

“I've noted it.” Heroine Wu nodded. Seeing that the road ahead was less crowded, she took a few steps forward and then said to him, “Please remember this as well.”

“I’m all ears.”

“My real surname isn’t Wu, it’s Ruan. My full name is Ruan Zhen,” Heroine Wu said. “But it’s not really a lie. Wu is a name my master gave me, and I’ve been using it for over twenty years now.”

“I’ve noted it.” Song You gave a solemn nod and continued walking. Then, he asked, “But why did you hide your true identity?”

“...” Heroine Wu shot him a glance and pressed her lips together. She walked a few steps, and then said, “Do you remember Shu Yifan?”

“I remember.”

“I’m somewhat like him,” Heroine Wu said, her tone flat. “My father was once the Minister of Personnel, Ruan Changxing. Twenty years ago, he was framed by corrupt officials in the court, stripped of his position, and on his way home to retire, they said he was ambushed by mountain bandits. Everyone else died, but I managed to escape. To this day, we still don’t know who the enemies were.”

“I see.” Song You understood, and didn’t ask any further questions.

Everything had been explained.

She had trained in martial arts from a young age, surpassing many men in the jianghu despite being a woman. After completing her training, she had resolutely left her master’s sect and come to Changjing, where she gathered intelligence and investigated the various forces on behalf of a powerful figure.

At the same time, she used her connections to investigate the mystery behind the destruction of her family. Most of the money she earned was spent on these matters. Twenty years of planning—it hadn’t been easy.

Song You shook his head but said nothing more.

Just then, Heroine Wu’s voice came from beside him: “There are people from the jianghu tailing you.”

“It’s fine.”

“Do you want me to accompany you?”

“No need. You can go about your business.”

“Alright. There might be more people this time, but there should be fewer experts than last time. Anyone well-established in Changjing, who has heard about the events at the Grand Commander’s mansion, will likely be more cautious. Just be careful, especially of hidden attacks. We’re good at playing dirty.” Heroine Wu paused, then added, “I’ll go this way. I’ll take you as far as here.”

“Then...”

Heroine Wu cupped her fists and spoke in a deep voice, “Till we meet again!”

“Till we meet again.” Song You also bowed in response.

Heroine Wu remained in the same position for a moment before cupping her fists and saying, “Lady Calico, till we meet again.”

“Till we meet again!”

The two and the cat exchanged a glance. They said no more, and then walked in opposite directions, gradually growing farther apart.

This separation felt very plain, as if this kind of farewell was the norm.

Turning around to look at her disappearing figure, Song You finally understood why people used the words “till we meet again” when parting—In this era, just being able to meet again after parting was already a rare thing.

Leaving the city and heading north, there were clearly fewer people compared to heading south.

The most noticeable difference was the merchant caravans. Although there were still caravans coming from and going to the north, they were clearly fewer than those heading south.

The cat didn’t seem to have any strong feelings about leaving. It seemed that, apart from her temple, she had no attachment to any place. It was as though she simply followed the Daoist wherever he went, not caring for any specific location. After leaving the city, she quickly picked up her little, joyful steps and walked ahead.

She was sniffing here and there. She occasionally stopped, turning her head to glance behind, though it was unclear whether she was looking at the Daoist or at the gradually disappearing Changjing.

After walking a few li, the terrain began to rise. The cat suddenly stopped and looked up toward a direction.

So, Song You also stopped and looked in the same direction.

Ahead, on a small hill to the left, there was a thatched pavilion, built who knows when and for what purpose—whether it was a place to rest or to offer travelers a view of Changjing as they left or returned. Perhaps many poems had been written here. At this moment, two familiar figures stood in the pavilion.

One was dressed in white, with a veil covering her face, sitting on a stone bench, while a maid stood behind her, both looking in their direction.

The calico cat glanced back at Song You before skipping up the small path leading to the hill and the pavilion. She soon arrived in front of the pavilion, stopped, and looked up at the two figures.

Song You and the jujube-red horse followed behind.

“Greetings.”

“Greetings, Daoist Master.” The woman in the pavilion also rose and gracefully bowed, saying, “Knowing that you would be leaving the city today, I guessed you would be heading north, so I came here to wait and accompany you for a short distance.”

“Thank you.”

“I have nothing to offer you. Please accept this cup of shui wine[1].”

Wanjing said, “Let me play a tune on the qin for you, and wish you a safe and smooth journey.”

The maid smiled and brought over a cup of yellow wine. Song You reached out and took it, the cup still warm.

The woman sitting began to play the qin. The sound of the qin echoed, but once it left the pavilion, it weakened by three parts. In the wind, it dispersed, never reaching the road below the hill.

The Daoist held the cup of wine and drank it in one go. He then stood still, listening to the sound of the qin.

At that moment, birds and cranes seemed to fly by, some dancing in the air before the mountain, others perching on the pavilion’s roof. Travelers and merchants below the mountain saw this scene and were greatly astonished, stopping in their tracks to watch.

After a long while, the sound of the qin gradually faded.

“There seem to be some people from the jianghu loitering over there.” Wanjing stopped playing the qin, glanced at the distance, and then at the clearly visible long sword in the scabbard strapped to the back of the jujube-red horse. “If it troubles you, I can use a bit of strategy to persuade them to leave.”

“There’s no need to trouble yourself.”

“Then I wish you a safe journey.”

“Thank you for your kind send-off. This cup of wine, this piece of music, I will remember in my heart.” Song You bowed and said.

“I only hope that when you return to Changjing next time, we can meet again,” Wanjing said. “Perhaps by then, I will be free, and we can talk of mountains, waters, and the beauty of the world once more.”

“If I cannot meet you in Changjing, it’s no matter. You will naturally go back to Hidden Dragon Temple.” The maid smiled and said, “Once we’ve repaid our debts and regained our freedom, we’ll travel the world like you, and when we pass through Yizhou, we’ll be sure to visit Yin-Yang Mountain to look for you. Daoist Master, please don’t shut the door on us then.”

“I hope to meet you both again in Changjing. If not, in ten or more years, I will certainly be waiting at the temple,” Song You said respectfully, “I shall take my leave now.”

“Safe travels, Daoist Master.”

“Little cat, take care too.” The maid looked down at the calico cat, who was tilting its head to gaze at her, and waved her hand with a smile. “Little cat, don’t forget us.”

“…” The calico cat stared silently at her.

Song You turned and exited the pavilion, leaning on his staff as he began walking down the mountain. The cat and jujube-red horse quickly followed.

The maid turned her head and exchanged a glance with Wanjing, both of them only smiling as she said, “The demons and monsters from the north are going to be in for bad luck.”

“Demons and monsters born in times of chaos, no matter how powerful they are, are just a bunch of barbarians. Acting so arrogantly, it's only a matter of time before they fall into misfortune,” the woman in white said calmly.

“Too bad we can’t go with him. Otherwise, it would have been fun to tag along and watch the show.”

“Pack up the qin, let’s head back.”

“Don’t you want to stay here and watch the fun a little longer?”

“There’s nothing worth watching.”

“You’re the master; you make the call…”

They glanced toward the distance. The Daoist had already walked far away. They exchanged a glance, neither knowing what the other was thinking.

***

The sound of hooves clattered.

The mountain wasn’t particularly high, but the road was steep. The yellow earth path sloped upwards at a sharp angle, looking as though it led straight to the sky. If it weren’t for the pavilion and a house on the mountain, no one would know how high it might go.

The wind rustled through the grass, painting a picture of early spring.

A few young students were walking along the path, their backpacks slung over their shoulders. They were likely on their way to some private school or educational institute.

The children, still young, occasionally ran around and played, even on such a steep path. Their joyful laughter filled the air, though they probably didn’t know that this might be one of the happiest moments of their lives.

Unfortunately, in this era, no one could remember this moment. Once the day passed, no one would be able to see it again.

“Meow!”

“That’s a peach blossom.”

“Meow...”

The peach blossoms on the mountain bloomed early, scattered around the houses and the fields, adding a touch of beauty to the journey.

As the Daoist walked, he didn't notice that more and more martial artists had quietly gathered behind him. When he turned to look back toward the mountain below, he saw even more martial artists arriving—some riding horses, others running with knives and bows in hand.

It was as if the dark clouds in the sky were gathering more and more, just like now—after conspiring for half the winter, the wandering Daoist had finally left the city, and word had spread that many martial artists from Changjing had come.

However, these martial artists didn’t approach directly. Instead, they kept their distance, following the Daoist and casting their eyes toward the oiled cloth-wrapped box on the back of the jujube-red horse. That wooden box was really quite conspicuous.

Song You looked up at the sky and picked a flat spot before he stopped his steps and turned around to wait for them.

1. Shui wine, also known as fermented liquor, is made by fermenting grains such as millet, sorghum, wheat, and rice, using yeast starters that undergo both saccharification and fermentation. Shui wine has the greatest variety among the alcoholic beverages of China's ethnic minorities. ☜