Unintended Immortality

Chapter 194: Lady Calico and the Lighting Spell

it was only in the afternoon that song you finally sent him away. meanwhile, lady calico had already started studying upstairs.

song you ascended the stairs slowly, the wooden steps creaking underfoot.

the little girl sat at the desk, which he usually occupied, her feet swinging back and forth rapidly. strangely, her upper body was perfectly upright, creating a stark contrast between the two halves.

on the desk lay several sheets of paper covered in writing, along with a sandbox. she was holding a willow branch, carefully copying the words on the paper.

at that moment, the topmost word was “cat.”

“cat...” she murmured softly as she copied the word.

after finishing one iteration, she paused, intently staring at the characters on the paper before glancing at her own writing on the sandbox. she went back and forth several times, focusing intently on each comparison for a long time. only then did she use a bamboo stick to smooth the sand on the wooden tray, preparing to write it again with utmost care, striving for perfection.

song you’s footsteps came to a halt behind her. the little girl’s ears twitched, but she didn’t acknowledge him.

the daoist felt that this scene was truly beautiful, no less stunning than the scenery at yunding mountain or the palaces under the dusk light, equally captivating as the currents of the era. he couldn’t help but stand quietly behind her, watching.

after writing several times, she switched to a new sheet of paper.

“dog...”

“horse...”

the little girl continued as before, writing one iteration after another, seemingly unaware of the passage of time.

the daoist was equally oblivious.

“chicken...”

his heart skipped a beat.

the little girl seemed to sense something unusual about him and turned her head to look at him curiously, before returning to her studies with determination.

however, after studying for a short while, she realized that she had already exhausted her learning quota for the day.

so, pretending to be casual, she stretched her little hands and yawned, leaning back while lifting her head high and glancing at the daoist behind her from that angle. she then set down the willow branch, got off the stool, and didn’t forget to say to him,

“today, i’ve only learned this little bit.”

“...” song you showed a hint of a smile.

“whew...”

in a puff of green smoke, the little girl transformed back into a cat, stretching on the ground again. her gaze turned to the daoist as she said, “when will you teach me that spell?”

“you’ve just finished learning; you should take a rest.”

“i’m not tired.”

“i want to rest for a bit.”

“you’re not tired either.”

“well, fine.” song you’s smile grew tinged with helplessness as he sat down on the nearby bed and said, “this spell isn’t very difficult; many daoists in temples and street performers can do it.”

“...!” the calico cat immediately sat upright, looking at him seriously.

“do you remember, lady calico? last night at the lantern festival, there was a street performer selling palace lanterns and hairpins.”

“i don’t remember.”

“it was that one, long and pointed at one end, with a little lantern hanging from the other end by an iron wire.” song you gestured to indicate roughly the length, about the size of his palm. “it’s for women to insert into their hair. i watched it with you for a while, and you even asked me why one would stick this into their hair.”

“now i remember.”

a moment later...

on the desk, there was now a bowl filled with rice. lady calico held a few sticks of incense, took a breath, ignited them, and then inserted them into the bowl, where they stood upright effortlessly.

two voices echoed in the room in succession. every time song you spoke, she echoed him, her attitude excellent, and her imitation strikingly similar, like a well-behaved student.

“please grant your permission, true lord.”

“please grant your permission, true lord!”

a gust of wind blew in, yet there was no chill. instead, it seemed to bring a bit more warmth.

“whoosh...”

the three sticks of herbal incense suddenly burned out at an astonishing speed, turning into a wisp of blue smoke that rose straight up, yet before it reached halfway to the ceiling, it vanished into thin air.

“hmm?” the cat turned its head to look at the daoist.

“you were once a cat god, so you naturally know that this means the fiery sun true lord has agreed.” song you said to lady calico, “in the future, you only need to follow what i said before and use a little bit of spiritual energy as a catalyst to borrow candlelight from the fiery sun true lord.

“if it happens frequently, you might not even need to use spiritual energy. or perhaps in the future, as your own cultivation improves, your won’t need to borrow candlelight from the fiery sun true lord at all and can simply ignite a flame herself, letting it burn all night without needing to tend to it.”

“hongyuan haode, supreme sovereign of the five elements, fiery sun divine majesty true lord, i am lady calico of the cat temple next to the hidden dragon temple on yin-yang mountain in lingquan county of yizhou. please lend me a bit of firelight to light my lantern.”

the calico cat spoke in a soft, childish voice, gazing intently at the small horse lantern hanging nearby.

“...” silently, a flicker of firelight appeared inside the lantern.

it was as if a candle had been lit inside; during the day, it was almost invisible unless one looked closely.

“congratulations, lady calico.”

“...”

the calico cat turned to glare at him for a moment but ignored him afterward. instead, with a swish, she transformed back into human form and began examining her lantern carefully, lost in her own world.

yes, the cat had her own things to do. naturally, so did song you.

at this time, the weather was gradually turning cooler, especially after the autumn equinox, which added a touch of chill to the air. it was time to make sausages and cured meats.

so, song you said goodbye to lady calico and stepped outside.

in the western district, there was a butcher known for selling the best pork—top-quality black pigs, all neutered, and sometimes they even sold beef. however, it was already afternoon, and he wondered if there was still any left to buy.

song you took a stroll around.

thanks to changjing's prosperity, he was able to buy some good meat in the afternoon. however, recently everyone had begun preparing cured meats, and the prices were slightly higher than usual.

upon returning, he started to get everything ready. having grown up in the temple, the daoist had done this many times before, and he was quite skilled at it now.

but as he was working, he suddenly felt something was off.

he turned around to find that a little follower had appeared behind him at some point. in broad daylight, she was holding a lantern and stood just a bit behind him, tilting her head to watch his every move without blinking.

as song you rubbed salt on the meat, she watched intently. when he turned to get more salt, she immediately followed closely behind him, fixated on his actions. if she couldn't see due to her height, she'd tiptoe to get a better look, as if needing to see exactly how much he was using. when song you returned, she hurried back as well, clearly unwilling to miss a single action.

song you paused to look at her.

she blinked back at him with bright, thoughtful eyes, then asked, “so this way, the meat can be stored for a long time and won’t get maggots, right?”

“...” song you fell silent for a moment, not answering. he felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

1. bu means step while yao means sway. ☜