“How interesting...“ Song You shook his head, finding it all rather intriguing. After tidying up, he set off again.
In high spirits, his steps were lighter, though not faster. Time seemed to pass more quickly, and the plants, trees, mountains and clouds by the roadside looked much more pleasant.
The little girl walked ahead, holding her small bamboo staff. She was not using it as a walking aid but swinging it around, tapping at the grass by the road. Occasionally, she would jump up to swat at butterflies whenever she encountered one.
Song You watched her, amused.
He couldn’t help but wonder, how dull would this journey have been without her?
“Are you sleepy, Lady Calico?”
“I’m not sleepy!”
“Are you exhausted?”
“Not at all!”
“Is it fun?”
“Very fun!”
The little girl, without looking back, strode ahead in large steps while swinging the bamboo staff in her hand. Her voice sounded, “If only I had a knife, it would be even more fun!”
“Oh...“ It finally dawned on Song You that she had learned from that female knight.
By mid-afternoon, the little girl finally grew tired. Rubbing her eyes, she turned to Song You, asking if she could take a nap on the back of the horse. Of course, she could. She then transformed into a cat and returned to the cloth bag on the horse’s back to sleep.
The journey became considerably less entertaining.
While traveling from the mountainside to the summit, then down to the foot of the mountain, They passed by the ruins of an old village from the previous dynasty and encountered many abandoned pavilions. In some places, remnants of old earthen walls could still be faintly discerned. Most of the originally carved stone boundary markers remained in place, though half of them were now buried under weeds.
The sun began to dip further west.
As they reached the halfway point of another mountain, a pavilion appeared ahead.
The scenery here was quite pleasant.
On one side was a mountain, and on the other, a cliff. The roadside was dotted with bushes in bloom with flowers of various colors, creating a patchwork of beauty. The dirt path wove through the flowers and grasses, curling around the mountain. At the edge of the mountain, it seemed to end abruptly halfway up the mountain, with the blue sky stretching out beyond.
The pavilion stood at the end of the visible path. Beside it was a pine tree, growing on the mountain and leaning over the path and cliff as if to greet travelers.
Initially, Song You thought it was another abandoned pavilion and wondered why it was placed here. But upon closer inspection, he realized that this was not an abandoned pavilion at all.
The green-tiled roof gleamed in the light, and the pavilion’s columns were a vivid red, as if recently painted. It was clearly a new pavilion.
As he drew closer, changing his angle of view to avoid the obstruction of the pine branches and pavilion columns, he saw a person sitting inside the pavilion. The individual was tall, dressed in a neatly arranged robe, and was even drinking tea.
The sound of hoofbeats grew nearer to the pavilion.
The person in the pavilion turned and smiled at Song You, as if waiting for him and extending an invitation.
“...“ Song You pondered for a moment, then walked over with a smile.
Inside the pavilion, there was a stone table with a complete set of tea utensils, including two tea cups—one in front of the person and one on the other side of the table.
The person inside the pavilion appeared middle-aged, with a somewhat square face. He had thick eyebrows and rough skin, but he was dressed in fine clothing. He looked like a distinguished scholar or gentleman.
As Song You entered the pavilion, the man stood up. Song You also stopped in his tracks. One of them stood in front of the stone table, while the other had just arrived at the pavilion’s entrance, and they greeted each other with a bow.
“Greetings.”
“Greetings.”
“Please, take a seat.”
“Last night, I saw you eliminate the evil creatures from the mountain with a snap of your fingers. Although your mastery of the fire element spell was indeed extraordinary, it was evident that your understanding of the Five Elements Method was also quite remarkable. However, that alone would barely be worthy of the Hidden Dragon Temple’s legacy.” The mountain god paused. “But I didn’t expect that, despite your young age, you have not only achieved such a level in the Five Elements Method and spells but also were quite accomplished in other areas.”
“I have indeed studied many things.” Song You paused. “But I’m a bit confused about the other areas you mentioned.”
“Young people shouldn’t be so modest,” the Mountain God said and waved his sleeves. “The fact that you could detect my presence last night clearly indicates that your skills go beyond mere mastery of the Five Elements Method and spells.”
“Is that so...“ Song You quickly put on a smile and bowed. “It’s truly remarkable that you can carve out such an area within these great mountains, rooted in the mortal realm yet distant from it. With your divine abilities, and within the mountains where you were born, how could I possibly have the means to see through you?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“I just asked a casual question. You’re the one who admitted it,” Song You said with a smile, glancing at the tea on the table. “Human affairs may be more complex than you think.”
“...“
“Why are you silent?”
“How dare you insult me?”
“Is it not you who were rude first?”
“...“ The Mountain God fell silent and exchanged glances with the Daoist priest.
The pavilion fell into silence.
Even the mountain wind stopped, the trees ceased their rustling, and the birds fell silent. The entire mountain seemed to plunge into a dreadful quiet.
However, Song You remained composed as ever, seemingly ignorant of all these.
After a moment, the wind returned and rustled the leaves, and the pine tree that peeked out by the pavilion resumed its slow swaying. But the birds were still timid and dared not chirp.
The Mountain God lowered his head and took a sip of tea before speaking, “You’re indeed worthy of being the heir of Hidden Dragon Temple.”
“Have I brought shame upon my master’s master?”
“However, I’ve never heard of any Hidden Dragon Temple heir who gained fame through clever tricks.”
“Is this tea good?”
“I’ve heard that the Five Elements Method and spells complement each other well. It’s a pity that while your master’s master cultivated Five Elements spells, he focused on the Heaven and Earth Method. It has always been my regret that I have not had the chance to see the full splendor of the strongest human cultivator mastering the Five Elements Method and spells.”
“That is truly regretful.” Song You shook his head. “My master cultivated only the Five Elements Method, but he spent the first half of his life studying Five Elements spells. Unfortunately, he never passed through here during his travels and didn’t meet you, so you couldn’t fulfill your wish.”
“But I met you, so it’s the same.”
“You seem to misunderstand. I didn’t cultivate the Five Elements Method, and my mastery of Five Elements spells is not high. Only my fire element spell is relatively good, as demonstrated to you last night.”
“Hm?” The Mountain God suddenly frowned, staring intently at him.
“That’s a lie.” Song You, relaxed and smiling, said, “What I cultivated was the Four Seasons Rotation Method. I purposely said that to you merely because I was upset and wanted to make things a bit uncomfortable for you.”
With that, he felt an immense sense of relief all over.
The Five Elements Method was indeed powerful, but its application was not as versatile as the Four Seasons Rotation method. Cultivators of the Five Elements Method, no matter how deep their cultivation, would struggle to detect the Mountain God last night. However, someone cultivating the Four Seasons Rotation method with a diverse range of studies might have a chance.
Song You had indeed felt someone watching him last night and guessed it might have been the Mountain God, and that these evil creatures were related to him.
But at the time, he had considered many factors.
Firstly, from the little ghost’s words, it was clear that the Mountain God was benevolent and kind. Secondly, while there were many evil creatures in the mountains, they didn’t pose a threat to the Hidden Dragon Temple’s heir. It was just like throwing a large rock in the road to see how one would get past it. Thirdly, the recent acquaintance with the little ghost was rare and precious, and revealing the Mountain God might have disturbed this pure encounter. Fourthly, it was only a guess at that time and not a certainty.
Ultimately, his inherent laziness had prevailed. He knew that the Mountain God was benevolent and had a connection with his master’s master, and the Mountain God was trying to test him. He had the little ghost as an excuse, and his mood was quite good at the time. His inherent laziness took effect, so he decided to leave directly.
He hadn’t expected the Mountain God to be waiting by the roadside today. At the very least, he had to give him a piece of his mind for the sake of inner satisfaction.