Who Says Backward Isn't Beautiful?

"Mister is truly an accomplished person!"

"Today, we have truly had our eyes opened!"

"These are truly the methods of an immortal!"

The crowd followed Song You all the way, filled with awe and admiration, treating him as a worldly master.

A large group of people walked towards the elder's main residence.

It was the largest household in the village.

Not to mention anything else, just standing outside the courtyard and looking at the white walls and eaves, and the bamboo and plum blossoms visible within the courtyard, one could tell that this was the home of a discerning family. After passing the stone lions and entering the vermilion main gate, the scenery inside was certainly not something an ordinary wealthy mountain village family could possess. As expected, after the elder went in to announce their arrival and explain the situation, someone beside Song You informed him that this family had originally been officials. After returning to their hometown upon reaching old age, they had retired here. The fertile fields and rich soil they had seen on the road earlier were mostly the property of this Old Official Liu.

In two days, it would be Old Official Liu's seventieth birthday.

Seventy years old was a rare age. Old Official Liu had been back in his hometown for a long time. Although he didn't plan to have a grand celebration and hadn't invited any guests, his nephews and nieces still had to come. They had also hired a troupe of actors, wanting to liven things up.

Just then, a fierce tiger had appeared in the village a few days prior.

At first, they thought it would leave after eating its fill, and they had even killed pigs and sheep for it and spoken kindly to it. But the creature had actually decided to stay.

Old Official Liu began to grow anxious.

If it were an ordinary tiger, they could have organized some young men to drive it away. But this tiger was cunning, engaging them in a battle of wits and courage for days, and they still couldn't do anything about it. That was why they decided to send someone to the county to request assistance.

If the tiger was driven away smoothly, the birthday celebration could still proceed. If the tiger couldn't be driven away, they would send someone to inform the county nephews and nieces not to come.

Now that Song You had easily driven away the fierce tiger, not only had he been of great help, but he had also displayed extraordinary skills. Old Official Liu naturally treated them with great courtesy, quickly arranging the best rooms for them and inviting them to stay. The red date horse was also taken to the backyard to be well cared for. Someone was sent to ask Song You about his preferences and taboos regarding food, clothing, housing, and transportation. They were even told to give their clothes to the household laundry women to wash, showing great attentiveness.

However, Song You had only persuaded the fierce tiger to leave, not eliminated it. The villagers were still uneasy.

That evening, Old Official Liu arranged a sumptuous banquet. The table was filled with fish and meat. The old official, who could barely walk steadily, personally poured wine for Song You.

"Mister is truly an accomplished person."

"I am merely a mountain recluse who cultivates, I do not deserve such praise."

"May I ask where Mister cultivates?"

"Fulong Temple of Yinshan Mountain in Lingquan County, Yizhou."

"It must be a renowned immortal mountain." Old Official Liu said, "This old man has longed for the Immortal Path for many years. However, I wonder what marvelous method Mister used to persuade the fierce tiger to leave?"

"A trifling skill, not worth mentioning."

Old Official Liu exchanged glances with the person beside him, showing a look of difficulty. He then flattered, "Mister's few words were enough to persuade the fierce tiger in the mountains to leave. These are truly the methods of an immortal. However, now that the fierce tiger has returned to the mountains, we fear we will be on edge again after Mister leaves in a few days."

As he spoke, the old official immediately put on a smile:

"It's not that I doubt Mister's immortal methods, but this beast is a beast after all, and its nature is hard to change..."

"Duke Liu, please rest assured. I have spoken with it, and it will not return."

Song You also understood that their earnest efforts to keep him were largely due to this reason. However, the fierce tiger had only injured people, and had only eaten some poultry and livestock. Looking at its clean body, without any smell of blood or accompanying ghost, and knowing it had never harmed anyone, coupled with its newfound intelligence, it was not far from gaining sentience. Heaven cherishes all life, and he was willing to show leniency.

Furthermore, all things have spirits. For a beast to be foolish and disregard rules and trust actually requires "intelligence" to support it. Therefore, animals act with more adherence to rules than humans. Once a rule is established in their minds, knowing that something can or cannot be done, they rarely deviate from it.

Coupled with the mystery of the method of controlling beasts, since he had made an agreement with the fierce tiger in the mountains, Song You would not seek it out or harm it again, and it would not break its oath and descend the mountain.

It was both an agreement and a Daoist technique.

It was both a state of mind and a profound mystery.

With these two combined, Song You dared to assure everyone that it would never descend the mountain again.

Seeing Song You's certainty, Old Official Liu exchanged glances with the person beside him again and couldn't say more. He could only believe him.

"Thank you so much, Mister."

"It was merely a small effort."

"Please eat, eat..."

When he returned to his room that night, Old Official Liu sent someone to deliver a few candles.

The light from the candles was brighter than that of the oil lamp.

Song You felt a bit emotional as he lit the lamp.

To be honest, in his entire life, this was the first time he had actively lit a candle. They occasionally lit them in the Daoist temple, but that was for pilgrims to offer incense and worship the gods. Neither the master nor the disciple in the temple were devout, so they naturally wouldn't buy candles to light for worship.

Candles were too expensive.

The last time Song You bought lamp oil in Yidu, it cost less than a hundred coins per jin. However, if converted to candles, one candle would cost three to four hundred coins. If lit all night, they would need at least two or three.

This Old Official Liu was truly generous.

After Song You washed up and lay on the bed, pulling the quilt over himself, he casually glanced over and saw the Three Flower Cat perched by the window, leaning close to the glass, looking out at the night.

How could one guess the thoughts of a cat?

After a while, she turned her head, stared at Song You on the bed, and asked in a clear voice:

"Are all tigers that big?"

"Three Flower Lady is thinking about the tiger from today."

"That's right."

"Three Flower Lady has never seen a tiger before?"

"That's right."

"Tigers really do grow very large."

"Do they all grow that big?"

"Some are big, some are small."

"Was that one today considered big?"

"It wasn't the biggest."

"It wasn't even the biggest…"

"Are you feeling insecure again?"

The cat by the window didn't answer, only continuing to ask, "Can cats grow that big?"

"I'm afraid not."

"What about cats that have become spirits?"

"I'm afraid not, even then."

"Oh…"

"Actually, speaking of which, Three Flower Lady is more formidable than it."

"Why?"

"Three Flower Lady can speak, breathe fire, and shapeshift into human form. That mountain tiger, despite its immense strength, only has a natural advantage," Song You looked at the cat. "Three Flower Lady is still superior."

"I am very clever."

"Absolutely."

The cat then jumped back from the window, no longer lost in thought, and symbolically settled down in a corner at the foot of the bed.

If nothing unexpected happened, she would appear in the covers by morning.

"Sleep now."

Song You waved his hand, extinguishing the candle.

The next morning, Old Official Liu sent someone to invite him for breakfast and a walk outside. He spoke with Song You respectfully, discussing how, with his advanced age, he saw Song You was capable and was desperately seeking elixirs or methods for longevity. Song You couldn't help him.

Another day passed, and it was Old Official Liu's birthday.

The Liu family invited all the farmers in the village, as well as some nephews from outside. They also hired a band for music and dancing, making it quite lively.

Just a few days prior, a fierce tiger had caused trouble in the village. Despite Old Official Liu's repeated reassurances, people were still a bit unsettled. However, with so many people gathered together, they no longer seemed afraid of anything.

Song You was invited to sit at the head table.

Beside him were several esteemed elders.

The table was laden with the rich dishes and delicacies they rarely got to eat, including mountain delicacies and game. The chef was also remarkably skilled, with each dish prepared meticulously, at least resembling a proper dish. It was true that in an era where iron pots had only recently become common, having so many dishes and variations at a village banquet was quite rare.

Soon, Song You discovered that eating here was quite interesting.

Everyone was excessively enthusiastic. While eating, you had to carefully guard your bowl. People walked around with basins of rice, and if you weren't careful, a large spoonful would be added to your bowl. Sometimes, two people would approach from both sides, making it impossible to pay attention to both.

Song You found it amusing and watched closely.

He soon understood that this was a symbol of the host's generosity and hospitality. In those times, white rice was a luxury for most people. Being able to provide unlimited white rice, even to the point of making you feel stuffed, demonstrated the host's generosity and strength.

This act of forcefully refilling bowls softened the host's ostentation, concealed the guests' potential embarrassment, and added a great deal of fun, creating an excellent atmosphere for the banquet.

He then observed the diners.

Even though these people had only just started their first bowl and could easily eat two or three, they immediately covered their bowls tightly. In a tacit understanding with the server, they would only allow a bowl of fragrant white rice to be added after an "unintentional mistake," which would then elicit peals of laughter.

It seemed like a performance, a playful interaction.

It was also a form of subtle culture.

Song You gradually fell into deep thought.

As he was pondering, he was caught off guard when a server quietly approached from behind. In his haste, he imitated the person next to him, shielding his bowl and moving it from right to left. However, he didn't expect another server on his left. By the time he reacted, his half-eaten bowl had been refilled to a peak, forming a small mound.

"Hahahaha…"

Laughter erupted from the table.

Song You looked around. Everyone except himself and the cat, who was curiously looking up at his leg, was laughing. Their oil-stained, trembling beards, their dark, wrinkled faces, and the yellow, unhealthy, and often missing teeth they revealed when they opened their mouths – strangely, he felt no aversion or resistance. Instead, he only felt a sense of simple honesty and brilliance.

It was pure hearts and pure joy.

For some inexplicable reason, he also smiled.

This was the joy of this era.

This was the uninhibited merriment of this era.

Immediately, Old Official Liu, sitting beside him, nodded and cheerfully offered to teach him the trick to guarding his bowl. Song You understood and lowered his head, listening attentively.

Only the Three Flower Cat remained bewildered.

That evening, the opera troupe took the stage.

The stage was set up on the ancestral hall's divine platform, with lanterns hung all around. It was even livelier than during the day. The troupe performed all night, and the audience listened all night. Children ran all over the ground, shouting and chasing simple joys in the neon-free night.

Song You also sat among them and listened all night.

Why was it livelier than during the day?

Because the birthday banquet during the day had only invited the village farmers, but when the opera started in the evening, people from beyond the mountains and rivers also came.

Some had received word before the fierce tiger entered the village, saying there would be an opera performance today. They had calculated the days and didn't know about the tiger that had arrived a few days prior. Others who lived closer had heard about the fierce tiger descending the mountain recently, but thinking there would be many people, they felt no fear and rushed over before dark just to hear the opera.

Many people had walked ten miles of mountain roads to get here.

Some even brought sleeping mats, and when they got tired of listening, they simply slept wherever they lay.

This was undoubtedly an era with very little entertainment, and finding a diversion was a rare treat. Perhaps because of this, some things became exceedingly precious, things that should be cherished and not treated lightly.