Unspeakable

As dusk approached, the sky had yet to darken. The mountains became deep black shadows, and the yellow and blue light on the horizon reflected in the water along with the mountain silhouettes, dyeing the river with color. A small boat drifted along, its light appearing no larger than a grain of yellow soybean from afar. It too reflected in the water, rippled by the evening breeze.

The boatman sat upright at the bow, holding a long pole.

The fishing line sank into the water, creating ripples.

Suddenly, the boatman reeled in his line and reached out to catch something.

Seeing it was just a small fish, he casually tossed it onto the deck.

"Flap, flap, flap..."

The fish flopped around on the deck.

The boatman chuckled and said to the Three Flower Cat:

"This is for you."

"Meow~"

The Three Flower Cat thanked him with a meow before lowering its head to eat.

The scholar also sat by the side of the boat, enjoying the breeze and watching the boatman fish. He occasionally dipped his hand into the water, which was close enough that he didn't need to straighten his arm to touch it.

Suddenly, he laughed and pointed to the side, saying to the boatman:

"Old man, look. You've worked hard fishing, and all you've caught is a tiny fish less than two fingers wide. And here's another fish floating right in front of me! It's mocking you..."

As he spoke, he used his other hand to support himself on the window frame, leaning out and stretching his arm as if to catch the fish.

"Don't touch it!"

The boatman immediately turned his head and said.

"Huh?"

The scholar retracted his hand like lightning and looked at the boatman:

"Why?"

The boatman's expression softened, and he smiled, saying to the scholar:

"Please don't touch it, honored guest."

"Is there some reason?"

"It's not really a reason. It's just that we who travel by boat, or fish at night, when we see a fish floating by the water, not too far, seemingly within reach with just a little stretch, we don't touch it." The boatman returned to his fishing at the bow, his voice carried by the night wind. "It's just a habit."

The scholar, however, seemed intrigued.

"Please elaborate, old man."

"There's nothing really..."

"There must be a reason!"

"Please don't make things difficult for this old man."

"I wouldn't dare! Honored sir, you may not know, but I've always loved hearing these strange and ghostly tales. Please, old man, tell me."

"It's nothing else. It's just that this fish, though it looks close, requires an extra stretch. And that extra stretch increases the danger of falling into the water."

"Is that all?"

"You must understand, honored guest, the sky doesn't just drop grain. Things that come for free are usually not simple." The boatman remained motionless, focused on his fishing. "Take this fish in front of you, for example. You think you can grab it with just a lean and a stretch, but when you lean down, if there's a little yao or a little ghost below, they might take advantage of your carelessness..."

The boatman stopped midway, smiling without speaking.

"Oh?"

The scholar raised an eyebrow, a mix of fear and excitement: "Has anything like this ever happened on the Liujiang River before?"

The boatman continued to smile and say nothing, focusing on his fishing.

"Don't be stingy, old man."

"It's truly insignificant."

"If you're willing to tell me, old man, I'll pay for your tea."

It was clear the scholar was eager to hear stories. Since that was the case, the boatman couldn't refuse any longer. After a moment's thought, he patiently began.

"When I was young, I heard people say that fish you can pick up by taking one more step into the water, or medicinal herbs you can gather by taking one more step towards the cliff, are best left untouched. But in my youthful arrogance, I didn't really disbelieve such sayings. I believed them normally, but when it happened to me personally, I'd forget until I witnessed such an incident myself.

"..."

There were indeed quite a few strange tales on this Liujiang River boat.

The boatman told several stories.

They were all about people like the scholar, who were greedy for a bargain, thinking it was a stroke of luck from heaven, or perhaps someone who saw someone fall into the water while walking by the river late at night, or other similar situations, only to be harmed by yao or ghosts.

Song You listened quietly beside him.

Unbeknownst to them, the fish floating near the surface, half a meter from the boat, was no longer there.

Most of the yao and ghosts in this world were like this.

As for wandering spirits and lonely ghosts, there's no need to elaborate. Unless they have profound cultivation, they would still need to put in some effort to harm someone.

The Yao vary too much, it's hard to say.

Take the fierce tiger I encountered a few days ago. Tigers are rulers of the mountains; even if they haven't awakened their intelligence, just being smarter than their peers, able to prey on the weak and avoid the strong, and recognize traps, was enough to make the strong youths and hunters of Liujia Village helpless against it. If it had harbored malicious intent towards humans, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

But if it were a rabbit, even if it became a spirit and awakened its intelligence, it could still be killed with a single blow, or snatched away by an eagle if it wasn't careful.

Then there are foxes, commonly seen in stories.

They are also carnivores, but many foxes have become spirits, transformed, and before their cultivation reached a high level, they would have to skirt around sharp-witted village dogs if they entered the human world.

This is an inherent difference, and there are subtleties if you think about it carefully.

Little ghosts and minor Yao with insufficient ability and power must rely on deception and temptation to make people let down their guard and fall into traps before they can succeed in harming them.

But it's not necessarily that they want to harm people. Many aquatic animals that gain intelligence will use fish to catch birds, or catch other fish. Catching a person is merely incidental. It's not necessarily the work of Yao or ghosts. This boat travels hundreds or thousands of miles on the water, with many deserted stretches in between. Some boatmen harbor wicked intentions, kill their passengers, and then blame it on Yao or ghosts.

After the boatman finished speaking, the scholar exclaimed with delight.

"This old man can't speak well..."

"Please don't say that, old man. Stories like this are most moving when told in the simplest language, as if they happened right next door," the scholar said, quickly turning back into the boat. "I must hurry and write it down, or I'll have wasted my five copper coins for tea."

A few stories for five copper coins, it was indeed worthwhile.

A cold air rose from the river at night; it was getting cold outside.

Song You patted the neck of the Red date horse. "I'll have to trouble you to stay here for the next few days. Try not to make a sound unless necessary, but if anything happens, just call out loudly to me."

The Red date horse stood still, not making a sound.

However, the scholar's laughter came from behind. "Young Mister is truly interesting. It's common enough to talk to cats, but now you're talking to a horse. Has your horse also become a spirit and can understand human speech?"

Song You smiled and turned to look.

While the boatman was telling stories earlier, he had already caught several large fish and was now simmering a soup. A small stove was steaming, and amidst the steam, the scholar was using his wooden box as a table, spreading out some straw paper, and wetting the brush he held in his mouth. He was engrossed in writing.

Song You also entered the cabin and took a casual glance.

It was precisely the story the boatman had just told.

After that, the scholar buried his head in writing and stopped talking.

As for the boatman, he first used the fish bones and heads to make the soup. The fish meat was carefully cleaned and sliced into thin pieces. Once the fish soup was ready, he poured the translucent, delicate fish slices into the pot. They turned snow-white after just a quick boil, and the aroma became even more enticing.

"There's nothing much to eat on the boat; it's always the same. Please don't mind, guests."

The boatman took out bowls and chopsticks from a low cabinet.

The scholar had just finished writing. He was not polite at all; he immediately went to get a bowl and, like the owner of the boat, invited Song You, the family of three, and served them soup.

Song You also received a bowl and said thank you.

The river was cold, but the steam from the bowl was thick.

Before even taking a bite, feeling the warmth in his palm, so different from the outside, he was already moved.

"Mmm!!"

The scholar's voice rang out first.

"Old man, you have great skill!"

"It's not really skill; anyone would make it taste like this," the boatman chuckled. "Guest, you're just having the first sip and find it comfortable. For the next few days, it will be the same: fish soup or fish mixed with porridge. You'll get tired of it after a few meals."

"You're too modest, old man. I traveled upstream along the Liujiang River to Yizhou before the New Year. The boatman on that boat did the same, but it didn't taste as good as yours."

"I wouldn't dare say that!"

Song You listened and took a bite.

The fish soup was seasoned with almost only salt and ginger, giving it a salty taste and removing the fishiness. The freshly caught fish had its own deliciousness, but there were no other flavors, so it was quite ordinary.

The main part was the fish slices added later.

The fish was sliced very thinly, with no bones visible, requiring considerable knife skill and patience. The fish added later was very enjoyable. It only took a couple of boils in the pot, and when eaten, the skin was still slightly crisp and springy, completely different from the method of stewing the fish pieces in the pot from the beginning.

This boatman was indeed too modest.

Even if there weren't many fancy techniques, sometimes simple things are harder to do well. Isn't this also a form of craftsmanship?

"Hoo..."

Song You exhaled hot air, feeling extremely comfortable.

He lowered his gaze to the Three Flower Cat beside him.

"Does Three Flower Lady want to eat?"

The Three Flower Cat didn't speak, only shrinking back.

The scholar found it amusing again.

After finishing the fish soup, he approached Song You again to strike up a conversation.

"Where are you from, Mister?"

"I'm from Yizhou."

"Oh? Which part of Yizhou?"

"Lingquan County."

"Lingquan County?"

The scholar's interest immediately piqued. "I've been to Lingquan County myself on my way to Yizhou."

"And you are...?"

"I haven't even introduced myself yet, how rude!" the scholar quickly said with a smile, cupping his hands. "My surname is Fu, the 'Fu' from Grand Tutor Fu, and my given name is Wendong. I am from Long Commandery in Xuzhou."

"Song You, courtesy name Menglai, a recluse from Lingquan County in Yizhou."

"Mister, you cultivate in Lingquan County?"

"You seem surprised."

"Not surprised, exactly, I just have something I'd like to ask." The scholar cupped his hands again. "Since you cultivate in Lingquan County, have you perhaps heard of the Fulong Temple of Yinshan Mountain?"

"I have heard of it."

Song You continued to look at him calmly.

"To be frank, my trip to Yizhou is partly to visit friends and family, and partly to seek out the Fulong Temple on Yin Yang Mountain. However," the scholar shook his head, a look of regret and frustration on his face, "when I arrived in Lingquan County and searched everywhere, I found Yin Yang Mountain, but after searching the entire mountain, I didn't see any palaces, temples, or even a single brick or tile, let alone any structures."

"Is Fulong Temple very famous? Where did you hear about it?"

"It's not exactly famous, but I'm passionate about this path and enjoy collecting legends of gods, ghosts, and monsters. By chance, I discovered that several notable legends I'd gathered happened to mention this particular Daoist temple. Out of curiosity, I wanted to visit it while I had the chance, but my efforts were in vain, wasting many days."

He looked at Song You as he spoke.

"Could it be that Fulong Temple isn't on Yin Yang Mountain? Or is there another Yin Yang Mountain? Did I get the wrong information?"

"You are unaware of something."

Song You said to him, still calmly, "Fulong Temple is quite peculiar. Even if a pilgrim from the foot of the mountain wants to offer incense, they can only find the temple when the abbot wishes to open the gates. At other times, even if you follow the familiar path, you will return with nothing."

"Really?"

"It's no lie."

"Such a strange occurrence!!"

"I heard that the abbot of Fulong Temple is extremely lazy, and only has one disciple who is somewhat diligent. Perhaps you didn't fail to find the location, but simply didn't go at the right time."

"Wonderful..."

The scholar's eyes widened, and he clapped his hands together.

"If such a miraculous place exists, it must be a celestial mountain and a renowned abode. If I have the chance again in the future, I will definitely seek it out!"

"And when might that future be?"

"Perhaps many years from now."

"May your wish come true."

"Thank you, thank you..."

Song You leaned back in the ship's cabin. Three Flower Lady had already curled up beside him. He placed his hand on her back, and as they shared warmth, sleepiness gradually overcame him.

Thanks to the great "Talking Plastic" for the alliance leader, a bow and baring of the chest.

My chest feels so cold.