Unintended Immortality-Chapter 265: The Making of a Confident Cat

The mountain slope was peaceful and quiet late into the night.

Down below, many people in the camp had dispersed, and the bonfires had dimmed significantly. Yet there were still some who lingered, reluctant to leave, continuing to sing and dance around the remaining embers, brimming with boundless energy and enthusiasm.

From behind came the bleating of a sheep. “Baaa...”

Lady Calico held onto the rope with one hand, standing beside the sheep. With her other hand, she gently stroked the sheep’s neck, whispering softly to it.

If you didn’t listen closely, it almost seemed like a beautiful scene.

But if one listened carefully, they would hear her murmuring, “Good sheep, good sheep... Don’t wander off at night... There are ghosts here. Just wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow, I’ll eat you.”

Song You’s face remained expressionless, and his heart was equally unmoved. He held a bowl in one hand and a water bag in the other, calmly pouring water into the bowl.

A soft gurgling sound could be heard.

Lady Calico stretched her neck to glance over, noticing that the bowl in the Daoist’s hand was her own and that it was already filled halfway with water. At first, she wanted to pretend not to see, even turning her head away. But she seemed to have thought of something, turned her head back, hesitated for a moment, then walked over of her own accord.

“I should drink water now,” came a soft, delicate voice—from her own mouth.

After saying this, she took the bowl from the Daoist’s hand and tilted her head back, gulping down the water in a few big sips.

After finishing, she held the empty bowl, lost in thought. It felt a bit strange.

When she was in human form, drinking water seemed much faster.

“...”

Lady Calico smacked her lips, then turned and carefully placed her small bowl back into her own pouch. She walked back over to the Daoist and asked, “Daoist priest, do you think the horse and I could go race every day and win a sheep each time? That way, we’d have lots of sheep.”

“That wouldn’t be good,” the Daoist replied calmly.

“Why not?”

“This is a grand event held by the people of the grasslands; we are merely outsiders here. Winning a single goat already shows their generosity, and we shouldn’t be too greedy,” Song You explained. “Besides, you’re incredible. If you keep competing with others, it might come across as bullying.”

“I’m incredible!”

“Yes, but when incredible people show a bit of restraint, it makes them more charming.”

“Charming?”

“It means being likable.”

“I’m likable!”

“Of course,”

“Then I won’t go for the next two days, but will go on the final day,” she said, sneaking a glance at the Daoist, “and maybe win a horse instead? Horses are more valuable than sheep.”

“We already have a horse. Let’s leave that horse for someone else,” Song You said with a smile. “You’re already so incredible; there’s no need to compete with the kids for it.”

“True...”

“What do you think?”

“I think you’re right.”

“You’re generous.”

“I’m both incredible and generous!”

Lady Calico murmured to herself. After finishing, she turned around to look at the sheep she won today—and likely the only one she’d win. She asked, “So, how are we going to eat this sheep tomorrow?”

“This is a big sheep; I don’t think we can finish it all.”

“True...”

“So what should we do?”

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“So what should we do?”

“What do you suggest, Lady Calico?”

“What do you suggest, Daoist priest?”

“Since it’s the sheep that you won, naturally you should decide what to do with it,” Song You said.

“Since it’s a sheep won together by me and the horse, then naturally it should be decided by both me and the horse,” she responded, turning to look at the horse next to her. “Horsey, what do you say?”

However, the jujube-red horse merely stood there quietly, munching on the grass, paying her no attention.

After watching it for a moment, she had no choice but to turn her gaze back to the Daoist. She thought for a bit before saying, “We could turn the leftover meat into preserved meat.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, but it’s getting warm now, so we can’t make preserved meat.”

“Lady Calico, you’re very clever.”

“Then what else can we do?”

“Then what else can we do?” Imitating Lady Calico’s usual manner and way of speaking, Song You added, “You’re very clever. Such a trivial matter surely wouldn’t trouble you in the slightest.”

“I’m very clever...” she repeated, and just as she finished, her eyes lit up as she declared, “We can take the sheep down to the camp and sell it for money! That way, we can carry the money with us wherever we go!”

“Lady Calico, you’re indeed clever,” Song You praised.

“Then tomorrow, I will go sell it.”

“Then tomorrow...” The little girl habitually repeated, but halfway through, she froze. Lifting her head, she stared directly at him.

Song You smiled and said, “I will go with you, Lady Calico.”

“Alright!”

“Lady Calico, it's time to sleep.”

“I don’t want to sleep.” The little girl turned to look into the night around her. “I saw people selling rabbits down there today; rabbits can be sold for money too.”

“...” Song You couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless, but he chose not to argue, simply saying, “Then I wish you great success.”

“Alright.”

With a puff of smoke, the little girl before them vanished, replaced by a calico cat, turning her head and looking into an unknown direction.

Song You let out a sigh, then quietly lay down to rest.

It was early March, and the moonlight was smooth as silk. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by a sky filled with stars.

The Daoist closed his eyes again.

“Baaa...” The sound of the sheep calling occasionally echoed from beside him.

The sheep had been restless throughout the entire night.

In the middle of the night, ghosts roamed the mountains, sometimes weaving through the tents below, peeking into each one as if searching for something. At times, they would sneak off to harass the cattle and sheep, only to be discovered, setting off a chorus of barking dogs and rousing a group of brave grassland men, forcing the ghosts to flee in a panic.

Occasionally, they would make their way up to the mountaintop, passing by the Daoist. Yet, before they could get close, a puff of smoke from the calico cat, which appeared out of nowhere, would scare them off.

***

The next morning...

The sky was clear, with not a cloud in sight. The land beneath was covered in fresh green, and the sky above was a pure blue. Though the scenery was monotonous and plain, it felt boundless and expansive.

Just like every other day, the Daoist patiently packed his belongings. Then, he descended the mountain with the jujube-red horse, Lady Calico, the sheep she had won, and the wild rabbits she had caught overnight.

The slope was gentle, and the group made their way down slowly.

The trade of cattle, sheep, and horses was a key part of the Grassland Festival's market, with a specific area set aside for the sale of livestock.

This was especially true for horses.

This region produced the finest horses in the entire Great Yan. It was also the time of the year for the biggest festival on the grasslands. Despite the current chaos in the north and the presence of demons and ghosts everywhere, merchants from various places had still found their way here via different routes.

They hoped to use whatever means they could to pick up any horses left over after the government’s purchases, even though General Chen had to urgently return to the border last year to hold the line, as the iron cavalry of the northern frontier could cross into this area at any moment.

The market was bustling with activity.

As Song You walked through, many people recognized Lady Calico and the jujube-red horse that had won first place at yesterday's horse race. Quite a few approached, wanting to buy the unremarkable-looking horse. However, before Song You could decline, Lady Calico herself would sternly reject them, then immediately ask if they were interested in purchasing a sheep or some rabbits instead.

This little one was truly clever.

The group then made their way to the sheep market. Lady Calico ran ahead on her own, staring intently at the other vendors for a long time, trying to figure out the going price for a sheep and secretly observing how people conducted their business.

Most of the buyers were merchants from other regions. Most of the sellers were local herdsmen. A mix of official Great Yan language and the local dialect could be heard.

Some whispered as they haggled over prices, while others discreetly exchanged hand signals.

If the negotiation was verbal and she could understand it, she would simply use her keen hearing and stand at a distance, staring intently as she eavesdropped.

If it involved hand signals hidden within sleeves, she would run over and quietly lift up people’s sleeves to peek inside. When she encountered friendly people who looked at her in surprise, she would meet their gaze and ask questions directly.

If she met someone with a bad temper who scolded her, she would scamper away like an ordinary stray cat shooed off, unfazed, before keeping her distance and continuing to watch.

After quite some time, she finally managed to sell the sheep. The rabbits were sold off smoothly as well.

Since the rabbits caught by Lady Calico only had a few small puncture marks on their necks, unlike those shot with arrows which often damaged the pelts, they fetched a good price.

Many people curiously asked how they were caught. Lady Calico proudly claimed she caught them herself.

After finishing the sales, she clutched the money tightly in her hands, feeling the heavy weight of the coins and relishing in a great sense of achievement. Though her expression remained neutral as always, Song You, who knew her well, could clearly sense her soaring sense of satisfaction—if it were visible, it might have towered three zhang high.

With the livestock sales complete, it was time to seek out the officials for some inquiries.

While Lin Chang knew about the ghosts haunting the northern Turtle City, his information mostly came from local folklore, which might not be as reliable as official records.

For instance, last night Lin Chang had said that the ghosts didn’t eat humans, yet the officials mentioned that many had fallen ill or even died from fright. To get a clearer picture, one must listen to multiple sources and consider all angles. In matters like this, relying on just one account simply wouldn’t do.

So, they headed toward the central area where several large tents were set up.

Just as they arrived, they ran into the young official who had questioned the master the previous night about why he hadn’t gone to deal with the ghosts in the north. Song You had briefly spoken with him before when inquiring about the details of the Grassland Festival.

The young official, still unaware of just how close he had come to being killed by the evil ghost last night, was now more cautious, having been both deceived and frightened by the ghost.

When he heard that Song You wanted to visit the ghostly city, he eyed the Daoist suspiciously. It wasn’t until Song You clarified that he sought no compensation and merely wanted some information that the young official, still impulsive and reckless in his youth, agreed to share what he knew.

The ghosts of Turtle City were indeed the spirits of fallen soldiers.

Over the years, it was true that there had been no cases of these ghosts eating people. However, not eating people didn’t mean they didn’t cause harm.

There had been quite a few incidents linked to them.

It was often difficult to distinguish between soldiers and bandits; even though the laws of the Great Yan were strict, and especially so for the northern border troops, conflicts between soldiers and civilians were still hard to avoid. Not to mention when these soldiers had turned into ghosts.

Not every household on the grasslands had herds of cattle and flocks of sheep or numerous fine horses; many of the common folk lived difficult lives. When a ghost emerged and harmed someone’s livestock, at best it was just a loss of property, but at worst, it could lead to a family starving to death over the winter.

Incidents like this were not uncommon. In many places, armies often engaged in similar activities. Some officials turned a blind eye, while others, righteous and upright, refused to tolerate such behavior.

Additionally, the gathering of these ghosts brought with it an overwhelming ghostly qi, turning the surrounding land barren, which put the local officials in a tough spot.

Moreover, the paths of humans and ghosts were different. When people with weak yang energy or a weak bazi encountered an evil ghost by chance, it could result in severe illness in milder cases or even frightened to death in more severe instances. Whether this counted as causing harm was a matter of debate.

When the authorities received a report, they naturally couldn’t just ignore it.

The various laws and regulations of the Great Yan were quite thorough and strict. If they didn’t send people to investigate or hired someone to deal with it, it was considered negligence. However, there had been cases where even folk experts hired to handle the matter ended up being killed by the ghosts.

The details of these incidents were quite complicated. Seeking information from others yielded similar responses.

The more Song You listened, the more intrigued he became.