Unintended Immortality
Chapter 565: Just Let Them Hold Onto It for Now

Chapter 565: Just Let Them Hold Onto It for Now

“Daoist priest! Your water is gone!”

“I know.”

“Where did it go?”

“Somewhere far away.”

“Do you know where exactly?”

“Of course I do.”

“When are you going to get it back?”

“There's no rush.”

There was no reason to travel at night.

The water-element spiritual resonance wouldn’t disappear or be lost. If anything, whoever took it was probably storing it even better than Song You had. So what was the rush?

Leisurely, he walked into the room, took out a freshly purchased sheet of paper, and picked up a brush dipped in cinnabar. He began drawing talismans.

That water-element spiritual resonance had always been the most fluid, the most vibrant, and the one he understood best. At times, it even felt alive. He had found it years ago, in the offshore waters of Langzhou, where it had been battered by the wind and rain ever since. Perhaps it deserved a break—being enshrined somewhere for a few days wouldn’t hurt.

Calmly, Song You continued his work, unhurried.

Meanwhile, Lady Calico was practically spinning in circles—literally.

At first, she just paced back and forth. Then, she started circling around the Daoist and his desk while he worked. Eventually, she expanded to pacing around the entire room, occasionally stopping to pester him with questions. Her anxiety was written all over her face.

She understood the logic. She really did. But that was a precious treasure. How could she possibly sleep soundly knowing it was lost and not immediately retrieved?

Song You, however, remained focused on his talismans, occasionally offering her a few reassuring words.

Once he finished drawing, he simply went to bed.

For a long time, the little calico cat sat there, staring at him. There was no frustration in her gaze, no other emotion—just pure waiting. Only when the waiting became unbearable did she quietly slip out of the room to prepare for the next day.

At dawn, Song You awoke, washed up, and tidied his bedding.

Most of their belongings would remain at the carriage inn, but they still needed to take a few essentials for the journey ahead.

Gathering up a stack of freshly drawn talismans, he prepared to head out for breakfast and deliver them to Mr. Xie.

But just as he took a few steps toward the door, Someone was already at the door.

“Knock, knock...”

There were only two light knocks. Other than that, there was no sound.

It was the maid.

Song You paused for a moment, then turned back to pick up the Daoist robe he had changed out of the night before and went to open the door.

Sure enough.

Standing outside was the palace maid. She wore the local attire and, unable to communicate with Song You due to the language barrier, kept her head lowered in silence, appearing like an honest and grateful person repaying kindness. However, beside her stood a merchant dressed in Great Yan clothing, his belly protruding as he smiled cheerfully—it was Merchant Xie.

“Mr. Xie, you’re here as well.”

“I just wanted to check if you were awake, sir, and to invite you for one last breakfast before we depart,” Merchant Xie said, without directly mentioning that he had come for the talisman.

“Perfect timing. I finished drawing the talisman last night, so I can hand it over now and give you a few instructions,” Song You said while glancing at the maid beside him. “Also, I’d like to trouble you to translate a few words for me and relay them to this lady.”

“What would you like to say, sir?”

“Over the past few days, I am grateful for her kindness. However, I will be leaving on a long journey today and will not return. I ask that she does not come by in the following days.”

Merchant Xie faithfully translated this to the maid.

The maid listened and responded with a question.

“She asks when you will return, so she can bring back the washed clothes for you.”

“At least four or five days.”

“So long?” Merchant Xie was surprised before he even translated the words. He first asked Song You, “Sir, where are you going?”

“I previously promised the king of Jade City to retrieve the lost silver jug. It has been more than half a month now, and there is still no sign of it. I should go search for it,” Song You replied. “But there’s no need to tell this lady. She has a kind heart—no need to make her feel more guilty or worried.”

“I see.”

Merchant Xie nodded and then translated his words.

In his heart, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration and respect.

When they arrived in Jade City, it had only been a few days before they heard about that incident from the innkeeper. Ever since then, the maid had come to the inn daily, taking Song You’s clothes to wash.

At first glance, it sounded like a simple and pure tale of gratitude, much like the local legends—something easy for people to find entertaining. However, as seasoned merchants who had traveled for many years, they were no longer young men prone to naïve thoughts.

When they first saw the maid—beautiful and from the palace—it was inevitable that some fleeting, frivolous notions crossed their minds, and a few teasing remarks were exchanged.

Yet, as the days passed, they noticed that the maid would come early and leave quickly, never lingering. The Daoist never spoke a word to her. It was, in fact, just as pure as the stories described.

They did not know why he had stepped forward that day or how he had convinced the King of Jadeite Kingdom. But seeing him now, willing to embark on a long journey just to recover the lost silver jug, Merchant Xie couldn't help but feel a greater sense of admiration for him.

The maid, holding the washed clothes, bowed and quickly left with her head lowered.

Merchant Xie, meanwhile, walked with Song You toward the dining hall.

“Where is your young attendant, sir?”

“Still sleeping in.”

“Not coming for breakfast?”

“I’ll bring her a bowl of camel’s milk later.”

“Your little attendant is quite good. She loves to sleep in, but is quick-witted and diligent during the day. Saves a lot of trouble.” Merchant Xie chuckled as they passed under the grape trellis. “By the way, something strange happened in the courtyard before dawn today.”

“Oh? What strange thing?”

“When we were just waking up, we suddenly heard some movement in the back courtyard. It sounded like the camels shifting around. Since we were leaving today, someone got curious and opened the window to take a look. And guess what? By the riverbank in the back courtyard, there was a glow of firelight.”

Merchant Xie animatedly recounted, “At first, we didn’t smell anything, but the moment the window opened and the river breeze blew in, there was a strong scent—like roasted pastry! Scared the poor fellow so much he shut the window immediately.

“It wasn’t until morning, when we went to check on the camels, that we finally had the courage to investigate. Sir, can you guess what we found?”

“What?”

“There was a pit in the ground by the riverbank! And inside, there were burnt remains—it looked just like a small baked flatbread oven!” Merchant Xie exclaimed. “Who knows, maybe some monster was making food in our courtyard last night!”

“How peculiar...”

“Haha! But that monster wasn’t much of a cook, everything in the pit was burnt. The pastry stuck so hard to the walls that no one could pry it off!”

“...”

Song You couldn't help but smile as well.

Lady Calico was an exceptionally fast learner, especially when it came to quietly observing and then secretly mimicking what she saw. However, baking pastry required a proper baked flatbread oven, which itself was a complex construction. The entire baking process happened inside the pit, out of sight, meaning she had no way to learn the proper technique.

By now, they had reached the dining hall.

The grapes on the trellis in the front courtyard were ripe, so in addition to camel’s milk and roasted baked flatbread, fresh grapes were added to breakfast. Every table had a plate of grapes, free for anyone to take.

Song You handed the talismans over to the merchants, carefully explaining which ones warded off evil, which repelled spirits, their effects, how to store them, and how to use them. After finishing breakfast, he finally saw them off.

The sound of camel bells jingled as the long caravan gradually disappeared into the distance.

The Daoist could almost see them moving through the wind and sand, their footsteps steady as ever, saying nothing as they brought spices and wealth to the East and carried silk and porcelain to the Western Regions.

The people of later generations might not remember their names, but they would certainly remember the road they walked today.

“...”

Song You withdrew his gaze and returned to his room.

He poured a bowl of camel’s milk for the cat, picked up his bamboo staff, asked the innkeeper for two bunches of grapes, then went out to buy a few roasted pastry and two honeydew melons before leaving the city.

For more than half a month, he and his companions had walked nearly every road in every direction for dozens of li outside Jade City—this was just another one of them.

His pace remained the same as before, neither too fast nor too slow. However, unlike before, he no longer looked around at the scenery. This time, his gaze was fixed straight ahead, making him appear far more resolute.

The jujube-red horse and the calico cat followed behind. Meanwhile, the swallow scouted the road from the sky.

***

Two days later, two hundred li outside Jade City...

Amidst the mountains stood a grand temple, nearly identical to the one where Song You had once spent the night. Built into the mountainside, it stretched across the peaks in magnificent splendor, its golden roofs and brilliant colors shining against the landscape. Even the steps leading to the mountain gate were made of the finest stone, with small white stupas crowned with golden tops placed at intervals along the way.

Within the temple, countless rooms and halls echoed with the sound of chanting.

The only difference was that, while the previous temple had been located beside a busy road just forty li from Jade City, this one lay deep within the mountains, where no travelers would ever pass.

Inside the grandest hall, as majestic as an imperial palace, most of the high monks Song You had seen before were gone. The few who remained had retreated to the back, diligently studying Buddhist scriptures, their heads nodding as they read. Though the hall was still illuminated by golden candlelight, something about the air seemed more mystical than before.

At the highest seat now sat an immensely fat monk, his entire body covered in layers of flesh. He wore only a loose golden robe and bore a perpetual, beaming smile—much like the statues of laughing Buddhas.

Before him was a platform of multicolored glazed glass. In the Western Regions, such seven-colored glass was even more precious than five-colored jade, yet here it was reduced to a mere stand, a backdrop for the seemingly unremarkable, fluid-like object placed upon it.

The fat monk's eyes were fixed solely on that flowing, water-like resonance, unable to look away, as if it contained infinite wonders—perhaps even the greatest treasure he had ever laid eyes on.

And indeed, it was.

It was a treasure beyond comparison.

Ever since he had acquired it three days ago, he had finally understood what was meant by “the supreme treasure of heaven and earth“ and “the crystallization of the great Dao.” Compared to it, all the artifacts and treasures he had once hoarded, all the magical instruments he had prized, suddenly seemed dull and lifeless.

For the past three days, he had done almost nothing except sit there, staring at this resonance of spiritual energy. Occasionally, he would reach out, wanting to touch it, only to withdraw his hand for fear of damaging or desecrating it. At most, he would lean in, eyes wide open, carefully observing the radiance within, trying to grasp its mystical nature, its endless mysteries. At times, he would even bow to it, as if it had become more precious than his own life.

“A supreme treasure! This is a true supreme treasure!”

“Hahaha...”

“How could such a wondrous thing exist in this world?!”

The fat monk muttered to himself, utterly entranced. At times, he became so absorbed that he could not help but reveal his true form—a grotesquely fat yellow weasel.