Unintended Immortality

“Swallow?” The calico cat seemed to sense something unusual.

It was only then that the swallow flew over, landing above the city gate. Folding its wings, it dove down sharply, piercing the air like an arrow.

Just like Yuan’an City, Zhaoye City also had a pond outside its gates, named the Xima Pond. By the pond, there had once been a temple, but the ravages of war had reduced it to ruins, leaving only broken walls and crumbled stone. Nearby, a lone tree stood, its branches bare in the deep autumn, lending an air of desolation to the scene.

“Whoosh!”

The swallow perched on the tree.

Lowering its head, it locked eyes with the trio of a person, a cat, and a horse just stepping out of the city gate. It opened its beak, as though wanting to say something, but hesitated. Instead, it turned its head away and pretended to preen its feathers.

“Long time no see,” the Daoist said with a smile, looking up to meet the swallow's gaze.

With a swish, the swallow suddenly pulled its head out from beneath its wing and stared intently at the person below. “Greetings, sir!”

The cat straightened up, sitting properly with its head held high. Recognizing that this was the same swallow it had known before, it mimicked the Daoist’s tone and said, “Long time no see.”

“Greetings to you too,” the cat replied, its mouth continuing to chatter as it asked, “Why have you only returned now?”

“I was delayed on the road…”

“Why are you staying so far away?”

“…”

A faint sound of wings flapping followed.

The swallow left the tree branch and flew over, landing on the back of the jujube-red horse. Looking at Song You, it hesitated several times before finally speaking, “This time, I return with only one wish—to continue scouting paths and streams for you, sir.”

Hearing this, Song You smiled. “Sorry to trouble you.”

The calico cat immediately echoed, “Sorry to trouble you.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” the swallow replied.

The swallow turned its head to preen its feathers again and said softly, “It’s my good fortune, truly…”

The Daoist smiled at this, knowing that the swallow’s temperament was very different from that of Lady Calico. Saying no more, he leaned on his staff and continued walking forward.

“Let’s go.”

Behind them, the soldiers on the city wall watched with wide eyes.

“We’re heading to Yuezhou this time. To get there, we’ll need to cross most of Yanzhou. But we’ve already traveled the route ahead once, so without any particular stops in mind, we’ll head straight to Yuezhou.”

“Understood.”

“This world is vast—how did you know we’d be here?”

“After I returned to Anqing, I heard from the ancestor that you had gone north. So I began traveling north to find you,” the swallow explained, pausing briefly.

It didn’t mention that it had also heard from the ancestor that the Daoist had spoken of it. Without that knowledge, given the swallow’s timid nature, it might not have dared to come north searching for him. Even if it had come, it would likely have hesitated for a long time and had to gather the courage to do so.

“The north is vast too.”

“It wasn’t all that hard to find you. Heading north from Changjing leads to Hezhou, and nowadays, tales of you are everywhere in Hezhou. The same goes for Yanzhou—stories of you fill the army ranks. Oh, and tales of Lady Calico as well. Even without stopping to rest much, I kept hearing about you from the common folk. So I just followed the trail of your and Lady Calico’s legends.”

The swallow glanced down furtively at the calico cat as it spoke, “It was only when I reached the grasslands that the search became more difficult—the grasslands are so vast. But I guessed you would likely come to Zhaoye City.

“If I couldn’t find you here, I planned to search places like Mount Tianzhu or Qingtong Forest[1] in Yuezhou. I didn’t expect that as soon as I arrived at Zhaoye City, I’d see you and Lady Calico leaving with your horse.”

“Fate brought us together,” Song You said with a smile.

In truth, he and Lady Calico had already arrived in this region five months ago, but they had first gone to Yuanzhi City before circling back. Otherwise, the swallow wouldn’t have met them today.

“You’re quite clever,” Lady Calico praised.

“You flatter me…”

“What about the superior seeds? And how is Swallow Immortal?” Song You asked as he continued walking.

“The superior seeds were trialed in Anqing last year, yielding a bountiful harvest. The court was delighted upon learning this, and this year they began promoting them in Xuzhou. The State Preceptor attributed the favorable weather to divine blessings, and Xuzhou has enjoyed both timely rains and a rich harvest this year. It’s likely that the crops will gradually be introduced nationwide,” the swallow reported, pausing for a moment.

He continued, “Before I set out, the ancestor had already been granted the title of 'Salvation True Lord of Anqing' and elevated to the rank of a legitimate god in the Daoist Heavenly Palace. In Xuzhou, all Daoist temples and shrines are required to enshrine the ancestor's statue.

“Furthermore, in regions cultivating Swallow Potato, Swallow Bean, and Swallow Rice, the largest Daoist temple or shrine in each commandery must enshrine the ancestor’s statue for the ancestor to receive eternal incense offerings.”

It was rare for the swallow to speak at such length. But such matters couldn’t be explained briefly.

After taking a breath, it continued, “The ancestor has already passed away as well. He has ascended to divinity, and now resides in the Heavenly Palace.”

“I see…” Song You nodded.

The abundant harvest of the superior seeds was undoubtedly a blessing for the common people. Swallow Immortal’s meritorious deeds made the bestowal of a divine title well-deserved.

The requirement for every Daoist temple in Xuzhou to enshrine Swallow Immortal’s statue, and for at least one major shrine in each commandery elsewhere to do the same, was indeed remarkable.

Historically, when deities were conferred, it was rare for such strict requirements on the number of enshrined statues to be imposed. Usually, after a deity was conferred, the people and temples would voluntarily choose to enshrine them.

Swallow Immortal had indeed alleviated the Great Yan’s urgent crisis and was deeply tied to the livelihood of the people. However, whether there were other underlying reasons remained unknown.

However, for a deity like Swallow Immortal, even without the court’s mandatory requirements, Daoist temples and shrines across the land would likely take the initiative to enshrine him. Local villagers might also spontaneously build small shrines in his honor.

Given enough time, even Buddhist temples might invite him to their altars.

As for his divine title and authority, it would mostly depend on the people.

After all, a deity depended on incense offerings. Even if the Heavenly Palace granted a deity divine titles or authorities, they could never be as practical or useful as what the common people bestowed.

What the people believed in the deity for determined what the deity had power over.

If Song You had to guess, it would most likely be tied to abundant harvests and prosperous crops, or something similar to that.

If Swallow Immortal gained such a position and was willing to fulfill his duties, he could earn a stellar reputation among the people. In that case, many large landowners might erect shrines near their fields, and some villages might pool resources to build shrines near their farmlands or in the mountains. During planting and harvesting seasons, incense offerings would likely be plentiful.

At that point, a True Lord might be elevated to an Imperial Lord. Beyond that, achieving a higher rank would become much more challenging.

After all, Swallow Immortal was not human...

But a deity like him was actually more beloved by the people than those so-called omnipotent and infinitely powerful principal gods of the Heavenly Palace, who, in truth, do nothing. A deity close to the people was far more likely to endure.

Perhaps Swallow Immortal truly could enjoy incense offerings for a thousand years.

And wasn’t that precisely what Swallow Immortal sought? Longevity in devotion.

Song You shook his head, pushing such thoughts aside. Turning his gaze to the swallow perched on the horse's back, he asked, “How’s the scenery overseas?”

The swallow perked up at the question, its energy instantly restored.

There was so much to talk about! But when asked so suddenly, it didn’t know where to start.

Its head swayed left and right, its eyes darting as it tried to find the words.

“T-The scenery overseas... They’re not necessarily better than those in Great Yan, but many places are very different from Great Yan,” the swallow said awkwardly, though it had improved a lot from how it spoke in the past.

“Seeing something different is good too,” Song You said.

“Yes…”

“Did you encounter any danger?”

“There were dangers, yes. The demons and deities overseas mostly act without rules. They’re reckless and lawless, much like the chaotic times of our ancient past,” the swallow replied, pausing for a moment. “But I’ve gotten used to coming and going in such places. Aside from a few demons, most don’t trouble me.”

“It sounds like some did give you trouble.”

“It took some effort to escape.”

“That’s good…”

It was clear this swallow had grown a great deal. It had weathered storms and seen the world.

Just then, ahead on the road, a person and a horse appeared.

On the grassland stood a large boulder. A man dressed as a warrior had tethered his horse to a hitching post and was leaning against the stone, seemingly eating dry rations.

“We know him…”

Lady Calico’s sharp eyes had already recognized the man. She turned to look back at the Daoist.

“Do we now…” Song You then slowly walked toward the man.

The man turned his head to look at them.

At first glance, he didn’t recognize them. But after a second look, memories began surfacing in his mind. When the man called out, “Mr. Song,” the sound triggered his memory, and the image became clear.

Five months ago, when Song You had passed through this area, he had encountered a group of Zhaoye City cavalrymen. They had spent a night together and chatted for quite some time. This man was one of them—his surname seemed to be Feng.

Recalling their parting the next day, Song You remembered the scene of the gallant soldiers carrying the bodies of their fallen comrades, along with the severed head of the Night Wanderer, as they drank and sang while departing.

Song You approached to converse with him.

The cavalryman surnamed Feng explained that he was on his way back to his hometown.

During the conflict, with the northern frontier army pressing hard, Zhaoye City had been under significant pressure. Both sides’ scouts had roamed the grasslands endlessly, often clashing. While most soldiers were relatively safe defending the city, those who ventured out as cavalry scouts took on the most dangerous missions.

To motivate them, the city’s general had promised that anyone brave enough to serve as a scout would be allowed to return home with a promotion once the war ended.

The cavalryman surnamed Feng, originally from the southern jianghu, had enlisted knowing the tense situation in the north and immediately agreed to the offer.

Now that the war had ended, he naturally headed home.

“I’ve even been granted a nominal rank as a Peirong Captain[2]. Going back home with that isn’t too bad. Heh, I thought the general was bluffing at first, but he actually kept his word.”

“Congratulations,” Song You said to him with a smile.

When Song You asked about the other members of the group, he simply smiled and shook his head.

A chance encounter in the jianghu was often fleeting, lasting only a brief moment. After a short chat and finishing their rations, the cavalryman surnamed Feng pulled up the tethering post, held the reins, cupped his hands in farewell, and rode off into the distance.

At this moment, he looked like a free spirit of the jianghu.

The grasslands had turned completely yellow and withered. In just a short while, the lone figure and his horse had disappeared into the distance. Song You seemed to catch a glimpse of him raising a wine flask and tilting his head back to drink.

He almost heard, as though echoing from that morning long ago, the loud, unrestrained singing of soldiers. For those in the army, it was only fitting to sing with rough, raspy voices. Their singing had a certain ancient and mysterious charm.

In that moment, the weight of solitude felt especially profound. And the rarity of peace was equally palpable.

After some time, the Daoist turned to look at the cat and the horse, then lifted his gaze to the swallow flitting wildly through the sky as if unable to stop. He began walking once more in a direction different from that taken by the jianghu man surnamed Feng.

1. Qingtong means parasol tree. ☜

2. Peirong Captain was an ancient official title. It was established in 637 AD as a military honorary rank of upper ninth grade. ☜