Unintended Immortality

Um...

Was it not pretending anymore? It just directly turned into a human form?

As Heronie Wu walked, she couldn't help but keep glancing at the little girl beside her. The girl wore a halter top and a skirt in different colors. The fabric looked quite nice, once vivid in color but now softer and more subdued, yet still finely made. It was probably custom-made somewhere, and in Changjing, it would be considered good attire.

The little girl’s face was fair and tender, like a finely carved statue. Her hair was braided into pigtails, and she had a serious expression as if she was deep in thought. In that outfit, she was incredibly cute.

Earlier at home, Heroine Wu had not asked many questions, pretending she already knew to avoid seeming overly surprised or inexperienced. Now, however, she couldn’t help but take a closer look.

Yes, she had fought demons before. The demons she had encountered usually had some degree of cultivation skills, superior to their ordinary kind—more intelligent, capable of speech, and occasionally standing and walking like humans. But a demon that could take on a human form was a whole different matter.

“…”

The little girl, Lady Calico, was quite perceptive and could sense the gaze directed at her. She frequently turned her head, staring curiously at Wu.

However, Heroine Wu was also perceptive. Every time Lady Calico turned her head, she quickly looked away and pretended to be nonchalant, only to steal another glance once the moment had passed.

Eventually, the little girl reached out and grasped the Daoist’s robes, walking alongside him while turning her head to stare intently at Heroine Wu. The uneven road caused her to stumble occasionally. But fortunately, as a cat, she didn’t fall.

“Focus on the road.” The Daoist looked down and spoke to her, then followed her gaze to glance at the heroine.

The heroine’s hair, recently dried, looked somewhat frizzy and unkempt. Each strand of her hair seemed to glimmer in the spring sunlight.

The little girl, however, seemed not to have heard him and continued to stare at the heroine with unwavering attention. The heroine, for her part, kept her eyes straight ahead and focused on the road.

The three figures passed down the street.

***

Since they hadn’t made a reservation in advance, the three had to wait a while before the dishes for the Jewel Set began to arrive. However, once they were served, the pace picked up quickly.

While Yunchun Restaurant was known as the pioneer of stir-fry dishes, this meal set wasn’t focused on stir-fry.

With sixteen dishes in total, only three were cold appetizers. Among the remaining thirteen, there were both popular stir-fry dishes from Changjing and meticulously prepared, labor-intensive imperial-style dishes. Though there were no bird's nest or shark fin soups, there were sea cucumbers and abalones. In these times, being able to enjoy seafood inland made the nearly thirteen taels of silver worth it.

Song You raised his cup with utmost respect. “Thank you, Heroine Wu, for waiting for me for two years!”

“Oh!” The heroine, not used to seeing him so solemn, felt a bit flustered. Unsure whether to raise her cup or her bowl, she grabbed something and raised it. She took a sip, only to realize it was soup.

“It’s not that big of a deal. I often leave the city and would have passed through the west gate anyway. Although I’ve been eagerly waiting for you, it wasn’t too much trouble.” The heroine paused, then added, “But never mind. Since you’ve treated me to such a wonderful meal, everything is forgiven.”

Song You put down his cup and smiled slightly.

There was one bowl of abalone and seafood soup for each person, a total of eight bowls for the table. Song You placed half of them in front of the heroine. When she inquired, he simply said that she should eat more since she had a bigger appetite, and she said no more.

“This is the first time in my life I’ve had sea cucumber and abalone. I’ve only heard about them from storytellers before.” Each bowl had just one abalone and one sea cucumber, and the heroine ate them one by one. “Thanks to you, I’ve broadened my horizons.”

“…” Song You shook his head with a smile.

This table of dishes, in future times, might only cost a few thousand yuan. The flavors might even surpass this meal. Yet, in an era where most common people primarily relied on boiling for cooking, the preparation here was already quite meticulous. It could be considered one of the best meals Song You had ever had in his life.

However, no matter how good it was, it could never compare to the friendship and her loyalty of waiting for two years.

Without her, he might not have been willing to spend so much on such a meal and might have opted for a cheaper one. Without her, even if he had gone to the city gate to look for job notices, gathering detailed information would have required considerable effort and dealings with the yamen, which he was particularly averse to.

So, it was indeed all thanks to her.

But Song You said nothing and simply served dishes to Lady Calico. For the most part, the meal was silent with no unnecessary pleasantries, just the sounds of eating.

Martial artists were known for their large appetites, and the heroine proved to be quite capable in this regard. She managed to eat more than half of the dishes, enough to make her unable to straighten her back, nearly overindulging. Only then did she stop.

Though she didn’t finish everything, she ate the essence of each dish, leaving only side dishes or soup. According to Song You, there was no need to pack up the leftovers. However, Heroine Wu was frugal. She mentioned that the flavor of this broth was something you didn't usually get to taste, so she insisted on scooping it into a bowl to take back, planning to soak rice or dip flatbread in it.

Song You joined her in packing. The restaurant staff, not being snobbish, were pleased to see this and came to help diligently.

After a short while, the three of them left the restaurant.

“Burp…” The heroine walked very slowly, her gaze somewhat unfocused, unlike her usual self.

“Did you enjoy the meal, heroine?”

“Do you need to ask? I’ve never eaten so well in my life! Were you not satisfied?”

“Likewise.”

“But it was too expensive.” The heroine shook her head, her speech less clear than usual. “It’s a pity that Changjing is still under curfew. I don’t know how long it will last. If only the curfew were lifted, I’d take you to the night market. Although it’s not as upscale as here and doesn’t have sea cucumbers, abalones, or venison shrimp, there’s still plenty of good food.”

“I’ve heard the night market is also one of Changjing’s wonders.”

“Indeed!” Song You was somewhat looking forward to it.

But the heroine quickly shifted the conversation back to business, discussing what job to accept next.

***

The beginning of spring in March brought a complete warming of the weather.

Inside the county yamen of Jing County, the county magistrate and the prefect walked slowly.

Being the magistrate of Yidu was tough, but being the magistrate of Jing County was even tougher. However, it was a good position. Although it was challenging to work in Jing County, doing a good job here often led to a promotion.

At this moment, the prefect said with a smile, “The Peach Blossom Peaks’ haunted brothel and the Yanhui Peaks’ monster issues have been going on for years. Despite recruiting jianghu masters and folk heroes and calling upon the great monks from Tianhai Temple, nothing worked. Yet, under your hands, both cases were solved one after another within half a month.”

“Ah, it’s all just luck… I just got lucky…”

“I heard it was a woman who solved the cases?”

“Yes, it was a woman. She looked like a heroine from the jianghu. I also heard she had a young Daoist master with her,” Magistrate Gu said, waving his hand. “She’s likely a master cultivator from somewhere, but she doesn’t seem to want to show herself.”

“Most master cultivators are like that.”

“Indeed…” Magistrate Gu paused, showing a smile. “But the Yanhui Peaks monster case has some more interesting aspects.”

“Oh?”

“A few days ago, a father and daughter from Yanhui Peaks came to the county yamen to report that there was a cave in the mountains behind Yanhui Peaks. The cave was inhabited by a terrifying old ghost. The monster on the mountain didn’t eat the people they captured; most of them were probably taken to be eaten by the ghost in the cave,” Magistrate Gu said.

He continued, “According to the old senior officials, Yanhui Peaks has been plagued by evil over the years. Demons, spirits, monsters and ghosts frequently appear, some of which are easy to deal with, while others are difficult. But after one is dealt with, another appears in a year or two. Isn’t that a coincidence?”

“Is there really an old ghost?”

“I haven’t seen the old ghost myself. I sent people to check, and there indeed is a cave in the cliffside with stone tables and chairs, and many stone coffins with human bones inside.”

“How wicked!” The prefect was instantly enraged. “How dare they use demons and monsters to harm the people of Great Yan!”

“You’re truly dedicated to the people.”

“So where is the old ghost?”

“Its location is unknown. It seems to have been destroyed. But we don’t know the specifics. The county invited masters from Tianhai Temple and several experts from Juxian Mansion to investigate, but they couldn’t find any trace of the old ghost.”

“What happened?”

Magistrate Gu spoke in a tone as if sharing a rare story with the prefect, “The man who reported said they were captured by the mountain monsters and taken to the cave. But the old ghost didn’t eat them immediately; instead, they were placed in a stone coffin and rendered immobile with magic. The cave was pitch black, and they were very frightened.

“They didn’t know how long it had been, only feeling a burst of firelight in front of them. The fire filled the cave but didn’t burn them. After the firelight went out, they were able to move again, but because they had been immobile for so long, they couldn’t stand up right away.

“After a while, a Daoist with a torch came in. They didn’t see him do anything, but suddenly, they lost consciousness again. When they woke up, they were already lying by the roadside.”

The prefect asked, “Was it that person?”

“No one knows…” Magistrate Gu shook his head.

If there truly was an old ghost hiding in the mountains outside Changjing using mountain demons and monsters to harm people for decades without being discovered, then its cultivation must be profound. To eliminate such a being would likely require an exceptionally rare and high-level cultivator.

However, since these cultivators were unwilling to reveal themselves, even high-ranking officials were not in a position to disturb them.

“I heard that the large trees below the cliff were shattered in countless places, the ground covered with pits and piles of fallen rocks. There were even traces of blood,” Magistrate Gu said, picturing the scene of flying debris and the battle between Daoists and ghosts. “It's a shame we don't know where that cultivator is. If we could meet them and discuss the Dao over some tea, it would be a true blessing.”

“No matter what, since you’ve achieved such success, a promotion is likely just around the corner”

Magistrate Gu shook his head with a sigh. “Buddy, you jest. The demons and ghosts in Changjing have been causing chaos, even harming high-ranking officials. Although there has been a tradition of curfew and extermination of demons since the founding of our dynasty, we are now over a month into the curfew, and still haven’t been able to capture all the trouble-making demons and ghosts.

“It’s the first time this has happened, and as a magistrate, it would be remarkable if I wasn’t dismissed or held accountable.”

The prefect said, “How is it your fault?”

“It's hard to say…”

“Ah! Do you think the person who kept taking on jobs and vanquishing demons has the ability to capture the demons in Changjing?”

“Perhaps…” Magistrate Gu shook his head.

The two exchanged a glance of mutual understanding. They both knew well.

In recent years, demons and ghosts in Changjing had become increasingly rampant. For instance, in the recent incident, the demons openly harmed a Minister of Works and several other high officials. But, it was more than just that.

During the current curfew, the city guards patrolled every night, while experts in demon exorcism and ghost hunting from the Sanshi Yamen, along with master cultivators from Tianhai Temple and Juxian Mansion, were also carrying out nightly inspections.

It was even said that the temple priests at the City God Temple had rarely been so diligent, determined to settle the chaos caused by demons and ghosts in Changjing and restore order to the city.

That was why the curfew had lasted so long.

The fact that a high-ranking court official was harmed provided a solid reason for the curfew. Under normal circumstances, imposing a curfew to catch ghosts without a valid reason would have faced resistance from the citizens and officials of Changjing, who were accustomed to a vibrant nightlife.

It is said that there has been considerable success, with demons and ghosts lurking in the city being apprehended each night. However, progress on the demons and ghosts that harmed court officials has been slow since the City God’s priests captured the wolf demon. Rumor had it that there were accomplices involved.

Given that so many master cultivators and priests had been working hard for so long without finding them, even if the cultivator in question were an immortal or god descended from the heavens specifically to exorcize demons, it would still be no easy task.

“Oh, by the way…” The prefect suddenly recalled something and continued, “Do you remember that Cui Nanxi from back then?”

“The former assistant minister from the Ministry of Personnel, the one reputed to know both astronomy and geography?”

“That’s the one.”

“I heard he met a divine immortal on Yunding Mountain and slept for one night. When he descended, a whole year had passed…” Magistrate Gu shook his head repeatedly, marveling at the celestial aura at the mountain and the man’s incredible fortune.

He continued, “I was fortunate enough to have met Cui Nanxi a few times. He is a fine person, with profound knowledge. However, he is quite straightforward and arrogant, which makes him prone to offending people. Given his nature, he wouldn’t fabricate such stories to deceive others.”

The prefect said, “Such stories are not easily fabricated.”

“Indeed…”

“I heard he has been summoned back to the capital.”

“Where will he be serving?”

“That has not been decided yet.”

“I see…”

Magistrate Gu understood immediately. It must be that the revered saint or the current state preceptor in the palace, intrigued by the story of Cui Nanxi’s celestial encounter, wished to summon him for further questioning about the remarkable tale of a night that spanned a year.

That was not something for them to concern themselves with.

“Well, it’s for the best. When Cui Nanxi returns, we can have the opportunity to offer him a drink and inquire about the appearance of the divine immortal he encountered and how it was that a single night turned into a year.”

“The story of Cui Nanxi meeting a divine immortal has spread across the world. Tea house storytellers in Changjing are abuzz with it, and countless officials aspiring for Immortal Dao and eternal life in the court will undoubtedly want to invite him for drinks and tea. When he returns, there will be many vying to meet him.”

“We might as well join in!”

“Hahaha…” The two laughed heartily together in the county yamen.