Unintended Immortality

Chapter 160: The Princess and the Qin Master

After a round of washing up, the Daoist lay down on the bed.

The cat stood on the coffee table by the window, occasionally turning its head to glance at the night outside, then looking back at the Daoist on the bed.

“Lady Calico, you should go to sleep early.”

“Was that person today the Emperor?”

“Yes, he is the Emperor.”

The Daoist, lying on the bed with his eyes open, looked into the darkness and said to her, “If you had received his imperial edict back then, you could have remained a cat god by the Jinyang Road without fear of being captured. You wouldn’t have to wander around like this with me.”

“I enjoy wandering around with you.” The cat immediately turned around to respond.

“...” The Daoist couldn’t help but smile.

The calico cat back then didn’t think that way.

Unknowingly, a long time had passed.

“Daoist priest.”

“Mm?”

“Will people still come looking for me to catch mice in the future?”

“Of course they will.” The Daoist remained still on the bed, his voice the only sound that came through. “And no one will dare to harbor ulterior motives anymore. But you should learn how to interact with people. Not just as a cat, but also as a demon, as a person.”

“I will do my best.”

“Are you going out to catch mice tonight?”

“I'm full tonight.”

“Then you should sleep early.”

“I need to absorb the moon’s essence.”

“But there’s no moon tonight.”

“Oh, right...”

The cat then turned around and jumped back onto the bed, crawling around until it found a comfortable spot near the Daoist’s waist. After adjusting its position to make itself more comfortable, it closed its eyes.

The Daoist also shut his eyes.

At this time, some movement could be heard from next door.

He wondered what the heroine was doing in Changjing. He only knew that she was very aware of all the happenings in and out of the city; many events that occurred in the morning, she had already heard about by the time she returned in the evening. Even those matters that were usually hard to hear about, as long as she inquired, she could easily get to the bottom of it.

It seemed to be part of her work in Changjing and the work she did for the nobility.

However, it appeared that her reason for coming to Changjing wasn’t just for riches and glory.

“Interesting.” The Daoist calmed his mind and drifted into sleep.

***

The room was lit with many candles, emitting a calming fragrance. The square lanterns were adorned with poetry, and layers of white gauze curtains created a hazy ambiance, casting silhouettes of the people inside. ṟa

Two individuals sat across from each other at a chessboard.

One was a graceful and noble woman, around forty years old. She had great skin, though she had a bit of wrinkles. At this moment, she was playing the white pieces.

The other, dressed in white, was as beautiful as a celestial fairy. She was playing the black pieces.

Behind them stood a maid in attendance.

The sounds of chess pieces being placed echoed back and forth.

The noble woman spoke, “You’ve been in Changjing for a few years now, and you seem to have grown even more beautiful.”

“My appearance hasn’t changed; perhaps I’ve just become more like the people of Changjing after staying here for a long time.”

“Sometimes I truly want to hire someone to find those rumored pills that guarantee eternal youth. Unfortunately, even your gold-feeder ghosts here can’t bring my youth back.”

“Princess, you have grand ambitions; how could you get involved with such trifles?”

“You are quite clear-headed. But you, who can retain eternal youth, wouldn't understand what sacrifices women make to preserve their youth and beauty.” The princess shook her head.

The princess said, “It’s a pity my two younger brothers aren’t as clear-headed as you; they’ve even incited demons to eliminate my subordinates without knowing who orchestrated it or who guided them... Haha, how can one aspire to be an emperor during peaceful times while acting in such a manner?”

“What you say is indeed true.”

“Recently, we discussed why the City God of Changjing suddenly woke up and became diligent. Have you found out the reason?”

“Sigh, how boring.”

“...”

The next morning...

The game of chess the night before remained, while the spring wine lay half-drunk and empty.

The woman gradually awakened.

The maid refused to play chess with her, so she had to play against herself. Of course, even if the maid did play, it would still be her playing against herself.

Unfortunately, her own thoughts were at odds. She had no choice but to continue playing alone until midnight, with neither side winning. After drinking some wine, she found it lacked sweetness while drinking, and upon waking, it felt bitter. How annoying.

The maid returned to report that she had found the gentleman’s residence.

“Are we going today?”

“Not today.”

“Why not?”

“It’s cloudy today; it’s not suitable to go out.”

“When will we go?”

“In a few days. He should be quite busy these days.”

“Alright.”

The maid withdrew, and the woman continued to lie back down, occasionally fiddling with the chess pieces on the table. Her eyes seemed to be observing something, yet appeared distant; her mind seemed to be contemplating, yet also emptied of all thoughts.

***

Willow Street attracted many gazes.

In Changjing, there were numerous individuals fond of the Immortal Dao and idolizing masters. Many could not tolerate the Grand Commander’s luxurious lifestyle or his lack of control over his children. Likewise, there were many who simply wished to befriend master cultivators.

Common folks only knew that the Grand Commander sought to extend his lifespan, mistakenly consumed a poisonous elixir, and was poisoned to death. It was most commonly said that the arrogant son of the Grand Commander had offended a master, who then cursed him to become deaf and mute, pleasing the public.

Gradually, some began to say that the master might have descended from the heavens, but after all, it was just hearsay; no one knew who the immortal truly was.

But if one were among the powerful and wealthy of Changjing, they would know a thing or two about this.

Some were eager to witness the demeanor of the master, yet feared incurring the displeasure of the Chang family. Others were unafraid but did not know how to make a visit. Some found a reason to visit the master, but then hesitated, wondering if many others had thought of the same approach.

Some worried that the master or the Chang family would blame them since they had introduced the mouse-catching divine cat to the Grand Commander’s family.

Some were typically calm and observed from the shadows. Some were naturally straightforward and came as they pleased.

Yet, those who arrived at Willow Street could only find a closed door. The original sign that had “Exorcism” had been removed, leaving only “Rodent Extermination.”

The Daoist rose early and boiled a few eggs, then he took the calico cat and bought some baked flatbreads, steamed buns, and mantou. He filled his water containers and then followed Heroine Wu to fetch her beloved yellow mane horse, and together they left the city.

At this point, they were already on the road to Mount Beiqin.

In midsummer, when lush greeneries surrounded them, today was particularly cool. The sun was hidden from view, and walking along the dirt path with the wind blowing felt truly delightful.

The cat took little, quick steps, darting here and there as if it hadn’t been outside the city for a while. It was in high spirits, occasionally following the sound of cicadas to find its way up a tree, which only improved its mood further.

The Daoist priest was also in a good mood, feeling as if the world was his oyster.

He cast aside all thoughts of Changjing. He just wanted to enjoy himself, without caring about the heap of troubles.

“Today’s cloudy; it’s a great day to go out!”

“It’s nice and cooling...”

“Indeed.”

“As long as it doesn’t rain.”

“It won’t rain today.”

“How do you know?”

“I guessed.”

“Then I believe you!”

“Thank you.”

The Daoist took a glance at Heroine Wu, who was carrying several fire wicks on her horse. She was likely worried about spending the night in the deep mountains where there might be many mosquitoes, and wanted to use them to ward them off.

That was great; it saved him some worry.