Unintended Immortality

The night rain fell silently, nourishing all things in the world.

Who could have known?

In Changjing, a stray cat was walking on the roof of a courtyard wall at night. The rain touched its fur, and feeling the chill, it quickly increased its pace and sought a place to shelter from the rain. Even if it couldn’t find food tonight, it was more concerned about finding a place to lie down for the night and wait for the rain to stop.

But after a few steps, it suddenly stopped again, looking up at the sky with some confusion. A shivering wild dog huddled in the wall’s corner noticed the rain outside, and its every breath was filled with spiritual energy and vitality.

Night patrol officers marched in teams on the street, their footsteps and the clinking of their armor echoing through the alleys. Upon feeling the rain, they unconsciously quickened their pace to don their raincoats. However, as they walked, someone couldn’t help but exclaim that the rain felt so comfortable.

The sentinels on the city wall dared not leave their posts. They felt the rain hitting their helmets, trickling down to their eyes, and the raindrops stuck to their faces with the wind. Yet, they still looked up to glance at the sky.

In the Stargazing Tower, with the wind and rain beating against the windows, the middle-aged Daoist lit an oil lamp. He opened the window and gazed intently at the rain of the night, lost in thought for a long time.

Behind the Hexian Pavilion, a woman was making incense and painting. Suddenly, she took a deep breath and looked outside. She knew the Guyu season was a time of vitality, yet she was surprised by the unexpected abundance of the vitality this year in Changjing.

In the Tianhai Temple, countless monks rose in the middle of the night to observe the rain. In the City God Temple, the god statue also opened its eyes.

Among the brick crevices in the city, countless small grasses emerged. Outside the city, birds and insects were awakened, and snakes and worms emerged from their burrows.

The newly planted seedlings grew slowly in the rain. Various crops, if still seeds, quietly sprouted; if small seedlings, they grew a little stronger in the night.

What grew the fastest? Naturally, the fastest-growing plant was bamboo.

Sometimes, in a single night, bamboo could shoot up from the soil and grow two or three chi high. Now, nourished by spiritual energy and the stimulation of vitality, it could grow several chi or even one or two zhang overnight.

The xiangfei bamboo, which was cut down to the roots in Changjing more than half a month ago, had miraculously regrown overnight. Although it was not as lush as before, it still amazed countless people who were awake during the night.

The rain fell all night and stopped just before dawn. Song You slowly opened his eyes.

During the seasonal periods, the corresponding spiritual energy always recovered quickly. He had used up all the Guyu spiritual energy last night, but by morning, it had all replenished.

His left leg felt a bit heavy.

Looking down, he saw a little girl in a three-colored dress kneeling and lying on the floor in front of his left side. She was facing him all curled up, with both arms, her upper body, and head resting on his knee. It was as if she was using his knee as a table to sleep. ℟Α

Even though she had transformed into a human form, she was quite small. Curled up, she seemed even smaller, with her loose dress making her appear as two small bundles of different colors. One bundle for the lower body, and another for the upper body, each in different colors.

“Lady Calico.” Song You reached out and nudged her.

The usually alert cat was a bit groggy this time. Even when nudged awake, she didn’t jump up startled but merely opened her eyes a crack and looked up at him, and then lifted a hand to rub her eyes.

“Is it dawn yet…?” Her voice was drowsy and had a childlike tone.

“It's dawn.”

“Is it the next day?”

“Of course.”

“Mm…”

The little girl finally sat up straight, using one small hand to support herself on Song You’s knee. She stretched and yawned, gradually regaining her energy. She then asked, “Do you see anything different about me compared to before?”

“You’re even more confused.”

“Mm?”

“You’re more intelligent.”

“That's not it.”

“Isn’t that so?”

“It is! But not that!”

“Then what is it?”

“Look at my dress.”

The little girl tugged at her dress to show him.

Song You looked down and saw no difference from before, but when he turned his head, he noticed that the three-colored dress he had made for the little girl in Southern Art County was now laid out on the cabinet.

The little girl’s eyes sparkled. “I conjured it myself.”

“Lady Calico, you’re really amazing.”

“Can you conjure clothes yourself?”

“I can’t.”

“You’re not that amazing, then.”

“I’m certainly not as good as you, Lady Calico.”

“That’s right!”

“I’ll style your hair now.” Song You patted his knee and stood up. “Shall we make two little buns?”

“Little buns!”

“We should buy a mirror.”

“Mirror!”

“With a mirror, you will know what you look like and how your hair is styled.”

“Mirror!”

“You’ll know once we buy it.”

The house indeed lacked a mirror.

Although mirrors were not cheap at this time, they were no longer exclusive to high-ranking officials. Many well-off commoners also had one. Most importantly, Lady Calico was a girl; how could a household with a girl not have a mirror?

The little girl blinked with curiosity about the mirror but didn’t show much expression. She obediently let him lead her to the window.

She then knelt on the long couch, sitting upright while holding onto the window sill, and curiously looked out at the morning.

Song You, meanwhile, styled her hair from behind. Styling hair was not an easy task for a cat.

When Song You first started styling her hair, the little girl’s expression was one of shock, though she didn’t resist. Gradually, she became accustomed to it and eventually found it very comfortable and enjoyable. This Daoist often braided her hair into something called a braid, which would bounce and sway like a tail when she jumped, which she found very fun.

But it couldn’t sway by itself; it only swayed when she jumped. However, like the braid, her tail wouldn’t sway even if she asked it to.

***

“I saw a tiger on the road.”

“What tiger?”

“A tiger…” The little girl explained thoughtfully, “It’s very big, with a striped pattern. We saw one on the road before.”

“I know what a tiger looks like.”

“You don’t. If you did, you wouldn’t ask.”

“Lady Calico, you’re smart.”

“You’re not smart.”

“When did you see the tiger?”

“The day before the day before yesterday.”

“Where?”

“Where I was catching mice!”

“Tell me more.”

“When I was catching mice, I heard the roar of a tiger outside and went to take a look. I saw two tigers on the road, chasing people.” The little girl stayed still, but as she spoke, she noticed people gathering below. Since Lady Calico loved to watch lively scenes, she couldn’t help but peek out, staring intently while saying, “The two tigers were huge, much bigger than the ones we saw before.”

“I see…” There shouldn’t be tigers in Changjing City.

However, since it was too far and there were no leads, it was too troublesome to go investigate. The Daoist chose to ignore it, focusing instead on tying up the little girl’s hair into buns with a red ribbon.

The left side was already done. He took the opportunity to glance at the street below.

The greenstone path was naturally covered with countless grasses. In the past, the path was not bare either.

Even though people walked there frequently and shop owners would clean it, life was incredibly resilient. In the gaps between the stones, grass and seeds would always try to sprout. At street corners and walls, various grasses adorned the streets. In damp areas, green bricks and stones were covered with a layer of moss. Moreover, willow tree leaves were nearby, with a willow tree not far away.

After a night of spring rain, any seeds in the gaps between the tiles had sprouted. Seeds that had already germinated before last night even grew high above the gaps, with some reaching the height of chopsticks.

The grassy corners of walls, which were originally difficult to clean, had now become lush and verdant. The willow trees had already sprouted, but their branches, though thin, seemed a bit sparse. This morning, however, the trees had clearly gained a lot more greenery.

The entire Changjing seemed to have gained a bit more vitality.

A group of people had gathered on the street below, marveling at the xiangfei bamboo next to the tavern, which had been cut down just half a month ago but had already regrown overnight.

Their discussions drifted up to the room on the second floor.

Some worried that it might be a sign of a bamboo demon being revived and suggested reporting it to the county yamen. Others noted that similar regrowth had occurred elsewhere and that even ordinary bamboo seemed to be thriving more than usual. They reasoned that there was no need to panic, as the authorities would likely provide an explanation by tomorrow or the day after.

Some speculated that the entire Changjing City and its surrounding areas were experiencing rapid growth in vegetation, with crops in the fields also looking promising. They believed it was a sign from heaven acknowledging last year's poor harvest and ensuring a better one this year, considering it a favorable omen.

There were all kinds of opinions.

One street away, on the second floor, the Daoist quietly listened while focusing on tying another bun for the little girl. He said, “Lady Calico, your cultivation have greatly increased.”

“Yes!”

“At this rate, it won’t be long before you will be able to protect me.”

“How much longer?”

“…”

After finishing the last bun, Song You turned the little girl’s body around to inspect it, showing a satisfied smile. Then, he said, “Lady Calico, your cultivation was initially shallow when you first transformed, and you only needed to naturally absorb the spiritual energy from the surroundings while staying by my side. But since your progress is so rapid, it’s time for you to start cultivating proper spiritual methods.”

“Proper spiritual methods!”

“It’s a more advanced cultivation method that can help your cultivation grow faster.”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“Alright!” The little girl tilted her head back and stared at him intently.

Why was this cat even more driven than people?

Song You shook his head and continued, “Most demons cultivate by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon. They often cultivate methods related to these energies and yin-yang principles. Since you transitioned from the Divine Dao, you’ve mostly absorbed seasonal spiritual energy around me.

“However, the Four Seasons Rotation Method is too complex and requires high talent and insight, which may not be suitable for you. You can choose between the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy Method or the Yin-Yang Method.”

“Which one is better?”

He said, “The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy Method is quite common. Although it’s difficult to cultivate, it can produce powerful spiritual energy that can be used for various worldly laws.

“The Yin-Yang Method, while not as infinitely useful, produces energy suitable for combat and has some longevity benefits. Moreover, the Yin-Yang Method is quite simple. As long as it is suitable for you, progress can be made very quickly. Demons often prefer practicing the Yin-Yang Method.”

“I don’t understand!”

“If you need me to help you make a decision, I would suggest that you choose the Yin-Yang Method.”

“Choose the Yin-Yang Method!”

“This is your own choice.”

“Own choice!”

“Then from today on, I’ll teach you the Yin-Yang Method,” Song You said with a smile. “Lady Calico, you must work diligently.”

“Okay!”

“Good…”

“How much longer until I can protect you?”

“…” The Daoist fell silent.

This cat was really stubborn.