Night Visitors

A few days later, after several light rains, the weather in Yi Capital had turned to autumn.

Song You went out to listen to storytelling as usual.

He spent over a dozen coppers on tea that afternoon, drinking until half full, and when the old storyteller reached an exciting part, he tossed in a few more coppers, just making it to twenty coppers in total expenses.

When he stepped on the damp stone slabs and the mushy fallen leaves to return to the small courtyard, he pushed open the door and saw a Three Flower Cat running toward him from the kitchen. It slowed down as it approached, looking up at him with its gaze fixed—its appearance no different from an ordinary house cat, except that it possessed intelligence and could speak human speech.

"Taoist priest, where have you been again?"

"Same as the past few days," Song You answered honestly. "Does Three Flower Lady want to go too? I'll take you along tomorrow."

"Mmm..."

The Three Flower Cat hesitated briefly but didn't answer. Instead, it shifted its gaze: "What's that in your hand?"

It seemed this cat didn't care for storytelling.

Thinking this, Song You took out what he was holding.

New oranges had just appeared around Yi Capital. On his way back, he saw someone setting up a stall by the roadside, selling them cheaply, so he weighed out two catties. Then he heard someone hawking candied hawthorn skewers. It wasn't that he was particularly craving them, but he hadn't tasted them in years and couldn't resist buying a stick.

The man and the cat gathered around the stone table.

Song You knew most cats disliked the smell of oranges, so he set the oranges aside and picked up the candied hawthorn skewer, first plucking off one piece with his hand.

"Does Three Flower Lady eat candied hawthorn?"

"Fruit."

"It is fruit—hawthorn."

"Cats don't eat fruit."

"They do sometimes."

The Three Flower Cat turned its head and stared at him with a look that said, "Are you a cat or am I a cat?" After a long pause of several seconds, it said:

"Three Flower Cats don't eat."

Song You savored the words for a moment before understanding—here, "Three Flower Cat" probably meant "Three Flower Lady," a self-reference.

"Really not eating?"

"It doesn't taste good."

"I think it tastes good."

"Then try one."

Seeing the candied hawthorn already brought to its face, the Three Flower Cat stretched its neck, leaned in close, sniffed it carefully, looked at it, then at Song You. Its sense of smell and reason both told it this wasn't good, but after hesitating for a long while, it still opened its mouth.

A gentle bite.

Its small sharp teeth smoothly pierced the candied hawthorn. The outer layer of sugar gave a crisp sensation, and the hawthorn inside was bitten open as well.

The Three Flower Cat chewed, alternating between its teeth on both sides.

Song You didn't watch it, though. He took one for himself and popped it into his own mouth.

The sugar coating broke easily, as if with a faint crackling sound in his mouth. Then the hawthorn burst open, sourness and sweetness exploding all at once, while the hard hawthorn seeds clattered against his teeth with a crunching noise.

Song You couldn't help squinting his eyes.

This era might take a thousand years or more to develop into modern civilization—perhaps even longer—but the taste of this snack was hardly different from what he remembered.

For a moment, he didn't know if he was a guest in this world.

A long time passed. The sweetness and sourness had all faded in his mouth before Song You opened his eyes.

The Three Flower Cat had also finished its candied hawthorn, leaving only a few hawthorn seeds on the stone table. Two of them were cracked open, and he wasn't sure if any had been swallowed.

Song You gathered the seeds it had spat out with his hand, then spat his own into his palm, placing them together with the cat's. He met its gaze.

"Was it good?"

"What was that on the outside?"

"That's sugar."

"Sugar is good."

"The hawthorn isn't good?"

"The fruit isn't good." The Three Flower Cat studied Song You's expression. "Do you like it?"

"Mm."

"Monkeys like fruit."

"Then do you want more?"

"Can Three Flower Lady just eat the sugar?"

"Then who eats the fruit?"

"You do. You like it."

"So I have to eat what you've licked?"

"I only licked it."

"It has your saliva on it."

"It's just saliva."

"I'm afraid that won't do."

"Then Three Flower Lady won't eat it."

The Three Flower Cat's voice was crisp and firm. As soon as she finished speaking, she twisted around, jumped off the stone table, and walked away with her hips swaying.

Song You paid it no mind and continued savoring the flavor of the snacks.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Suddenly, a knock came from outside.

"Hm?"

His intuition told him it was Constable Luo.

Song You had just finished the last candied hawthorn. He set the wooden skewer on the stone table and got up to open the door.

Outside stood Constable Luo, just as expected.

Today, Constable Luo wore the same outfit as before, but with an iron ruler at his waist. Two others followed behind him, also dressed in black robes and boots.

As soon as he saw Song You, he cupped his hands: "Greetings, sir. Luo has come to thank you and deliver a gift."

He paused briefly, then turned his head to the people beside him and said:

"Why haven't you greeted the sir yet?"

The two behind him immediately cupped their hands and called out, "Greetings, sir."

"Please, come in."

Song You ushered them into the courtyard, closed the main door, and led them through the yard until they sat down in the main hall.

Then he took out the teacups Constable Luo had given him a few days prior and placed them before each person. Without anyone seeing him pour tea, the cups gradually filled as if the tea were seeping in on its own.

The three were greatly astonished.

Leaning in for a closer look, they saw white foam and green leaves floating at the rim of the cups, with a tempting tea fragrance wafting up. It was truly a fine cup of tea.

"Please, have some tea."

"Sir, your methods are truly immortal!"

"Thank you, sir."

The three quickly expressed their thanks, raised their cups, and took small sips.

"From what Squad Leader said, has the thief who burrowed into the ground been caught?" Song You got straight to the point.

"Exactly!"

Constable Luo reluctantly set down his teacup for the moment, then turned to Song You with excitement, cupping his hands in thanks: "Sir, your predictions were spot on. Without even meeting him, just a few words of guidance rendered that thief's escape technique useless. Truly admirable."

"Was the capture smooth?"

"Extremely smooth," Constable Luo said. "Three days ago, we encountered the thief and shouted out the words you taught us. Last night, at the third watch, when we found his hiding place again, he tried to use his burrowing technique to flee, but only got halfway into the ground before getting stuck. We nabbed him on the spot."

"That's good."

"Sir has performed another deed of ridding the people of harm." Constable Luo paused, then pulled a red cloth bundle from his bosom. "As agreed beforehand, this matter is considered as if sir caught the thief yourself, so the reward belongs to you. Here, twenty taels is the posted reward, and the remaining ten taels are a personal gift from Lord Liu. Lately, the nobles in the city have been applying pressure repeatedly, and Lord Liu has had his share of troubles. Consider this his thanks for resolving the situation."

Song You took the red cloth and opened it. Inside were three waist-shaped silver ingots, each stamped with the words "ten taels"—official silver of Great Yan.

They felt heavy in his hand, and heavy in his heart as well.

This sensation was truly something paper money couldn't compare to, let alone a string of numbers on an electronic screen.

But Song You only took two ingots and handed the remaining one back to Constable Luo.

He didn't say that he had only offered a plan and didn't deserve the twenty taels, nor did he say that the constables had worked hard day and night and deserved a share. That kind of talk only created unnecessary entanglements and was mentally exhausting. It was simply that, aside from the agreed-upon twenty taels of reward, he was unwilling to take the magistrate's personal gift of ten taels.

For the same reason—he didn't want to create extra ties.

Constable Luo immediately understood. His face showed some hesitation, but he dared not defy the will of such a lofty person, so he could only put it away.

Yet he then said:

"However, after Lord Liu heard from This Humble One about sir's bearing, he greatly admires you. He asked me to propose hosting a banquet to thank you. If sir would do him the honor, it would be set for tomorrow at noon at Tianxiang Tower. But I wonder if sir..."

Perhaps Constable Luo himself hadn't noticed, but without realizing it, his tone and attitude before Song You had become very deferential.

Even though Song You hadn't done anything.

"No."

Song You had a smile on his face, but his refusal was firm:

"I am but a wandering cultivator from the mountains, fond of peace and quiet. I am unworthy of Lord Liu's regard."

"This Humble One understands."

"Thank you for the trouble, Squad Leader."

"Surely you jest, Mister." Constable Luo said respectfully, finishing his cup of tea. "We still have official duties to attend to, so we won't disturb your peace any longer. I will handle the reply to the Magistrate myself. Should any developments in this case arise that might involve you, I will naturally come to inform you."

"Thank you, Squad Leader."

"Farewell."

The other two quickly rose to follow him.

Yi Capital was the seat of Yizhou, the third city in the realm. The constables here had seen their share of the world, yet facing a genuine master of such caliber, they could not help but feel ill at ease.

None of the three felt it beneath them.

After all, hadn't the Magistrate himself sought to make Mister Song's acquaintance, treading carefully through Constable Luo's introduction?

"Creak~"

The sound of the wooden door hinges was still gratingly long.

It was rather irritating to the ear.

Song You stood at the doorway, frowning.

When he turned back, he saw that the Three Flower Cat had somehow jumped onto the stone table again and was licking the bamboo skewers he had finished eating, which still had some sugar left on them.

"..."

Song You shook his head and went inside to tally his accounts.

He had been in Yi Capital for some time now. The city was prosperous, but prices were high, and his daily expenses for food, clothing, and other necessities added up. Including rent, post-move purchases, and his recent frequent visits to the Tile House to listen to storytelling, he had spent nearly several thousand coins.

He should spend less going forward.

This twenty taels—could it last him a long time?

Two nights later.

The weather was cool, perfect for sitting idly.

Song You lit an oil lamp and sat quietly by the window, reading a book.

The window before him was wide open. In the night sky, a full moon had risen above the city. There were no city neon lights here, no traffic noise—only the cold interplay between the eaves of ancient architecture and the round moon, dark tiled roofs reflecting the moonlight, pure darkness bearing pure brilliance.

Behind him, the Three Flower Cat lay still, eyes half-closed.

The night was so quiet that only the sound of turning pages could be heard.

This Records of Geography and Scenery also carried the unique charm of this world. Besides recording famous mountains and great rivers, renowned temples and monasteries, and scenic spots checked in by ancient and modern literati through poetry and prose, it also noted some mystical and extraordinary places.

For instance, Cloud Top Mountain, where immortals were said to have appeared.

Or Earth Fire City, where the God of Fire was said to slumber in myth.

The descriptions were very detailed.

He did not know how long had passed. The night grew deep, and the lamp smoke stung his eyes, so Song You decided to call it a day and go to sleep.

He blew out the reading lamp, and moonlight covered him entirely.

Just as he closed the book by the moonlight, he noticed that the Three Flower Cat behind him had woken up at some point. It crept closer, then leaped onto the desk, staring straight out the window.

"Hm?"

Song You also sensed the commotion outside.

Rustling sounds came from the courtyard wall, as if someone was climbing over it.

Yet the noise was different from climbing—it was more like hard objects colliding with the wall, sharp things scraping off the plaster. The night wind carried faint, raspy breaths, along with the clatter of broken roof tiles. A huge, ferocious head swayed beyond the courtyard wall, casting shadows in the moonlight.