The Herd Boy Riding a Water Buffalo

This story was not long.

Of course, he left out Wang Shangong, the matter of being entrusted by Wang Shangong, and his search for Three Flower Lady. He only said that he had seen a Cat Temple there, that a little Cat God lived inside, and that when he stayed there overnight, he had spoken with the Cat God and learned that she worked hard, carried out her duties conscientiously, and helped people catch mice. Later, when he went down the mountain and asked around, it had indeed been so.

Perhaps it was because he had omitted his exchanges with Wang Shangong and spared the little Cat God her troubles. Or perhaps it was because Song You was not especially skilled at storytelling, making the tale less surprising and interesting. The children did not react as strongly as before while listening, and some of them were still a little unbelieving after hearing it.

A few of them, however, thought that a talking cat was adorable.

Fortunately, Song You had still passed the test. Just as dusk began to fall, voices calling from the neighboring streets sounded one after another. The children immediately took off running home, like a flock of sparrows. Song You also led Three Flower Lady and the woman toward Chen Han's house.

Early spring still carried a chill, and the evening breeze stirred softly.

"Your story was good."

"Your story was also quite delightful."

"I thought so too." The woman was utterly unreserved. "I thought it was a marvelous encounter. It was different from the times I've run into ghosts while walking at night. I'll probably remember it until I die."

"You've led a colorful life."

"Oh, spare me."

The woman cast Song You a faint glance. "Although your story was more or less like something told to soothe children, I could tell that it was true as well."

"How could you tell?"

"Your expression and your tone."

"What about them?"

"You really liked meeting them that day."

"I see."

"Are you going to Anqing tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"I think you're a decent person. Anyone who would come this far to deliver a letter, and even bring along a cat, can't be a bad one. I was going to say that you should come with me tomorrow morning. There are plenty of bandits on the road. You were lucky before, but tomorrow, not every one of them is bound to let you pass. I could protect you for part of the journey." The woman paused. "But I invited you out this afternoon and you refused, so it wouldn't feel right to invite you again."

"You've misunderstood..."

"No need to explain! Since you told me about fate, then let's do it this way. We'll naturally wake up tomorrow morning and naturally set out. If we happen to meet, then it means we're fated, and we'll travel together to Anqing. If not, then forget it..."

As she spoke, the woman looked at Song You.

"What do you say?"

Song You thought for a moment, then smiled.

"Good!"

"Good what good?"

"I mean, all right!"

"..."

The two of them had already stepped through the courtyard gate.

Chen Han hurried out to welcome them.

Song You had thought he would get to eat beef that evening. Beef here cost about the same as pork and could barely count as a local specialty, so he had actually been craving it. Unfortunately, Chen Han was a merchant with no shortage of knowledge. Knowing that Daoists did not eat beef, he thoughtfully bought pork and mutton instead and prepared a whole tableful of dishes.

Meat was meat, after all, and Song You still ate to his heart's content.

That night, he slept in the room on the left side of the courtyard.

The bedding and everything else were clean and neat.

Three Flower Lady went to the bedside and obediently let Song You pull up the hem of his Daoist robe to wipe the bottoms of her feet. At the same time, she raised her head and asked him, "Daoist, why did you tell them about Three Flower Lady?"

"Hm?"

Song You thought for a moment.

"Because Three Flower Lady is noble in character and very cute. Children ought to hear stories like that."

"Children don't seem to like stories like that."

"They're clean now."

"Oh!"

Three Flower Cat jumped onto the bed and continued staring at him.

"It's because Three Flower Lady was too good. They didn't believe that a cat god like that could exist. And they wanted to hear a frightening story, while Three Flower Lady could only win people's affection." Song You also groped his way into the bedding in the darkness. "That has nothing to do with Three Flower Lady."

"Oh..."

The voices of man and cat were both very soft.

After talking a little longer, they gradually fell asleep.

Song You drifted into a hazy dream.

In the dream was a Daoist temple. An old Daoist lived there, an elderly woman with hair streaked white and a face marked by age. She opened an envelope and took out a sheet of letter paper, its every inch steeped in the fragrance of ink...

He did not know what feelings had stirred within her as she read the letter.

The next morning, they woke naturally after sleeping until morning.

The Chen couple prepared breakfast and water and cloths for washing.

Song You naturally thanked them respectfully.

After washing, he came to eat breakfast. Seeing that the heroine's yellow-maned horse was still in the courtyard but that she was nowhere to be seen, he asked while eating:

"Has that heroine not woken yet?"

"Not yet."

"Duke Chen, have you packed your things?"

"They're packed."

"When do you plan to set out?"

"We'll leave once my second uncle arrives."

"Duke Chen, would you like to travel with me? At least I can get you safely to the ferry."

"Thank you, Young Mister."

Chen Han paused, looking troubled. "It's just that Heroine Wu already told me yesterday to wait until she woke up and then travel with her..."

"That's fine too."

"I've disappointed you, Young Mister..."

"What are you saying? That heroine dared to travel over the mountain road alone, so she must be highly capable." Song You smiled. "It's only that you treated me so generously, and I have yet to repay you. I regret that."

"You flatter this lowly one too much..."

Song You finished his meal, but the woman still had not woken. He did not wait for her. He merely kept their agreement, packed his things, bade farewell to the Chen couple, took the remaining two hundred copper coins from his delivery fee, and left.

He had just exited the courtyard and reached the alley mouth when he met one of the children who had listened to his story the day before, walking over from the opposite side beside an adult from his family.

The child stole glances at them. After hesitating again and again, he finally summoned his courage and greeted him.

"Young Mister, you're leaving?"

"I am."

"What about that heroine?"

"She'll be leaving soon too."

"Take care on your way..."

"Thank you."

As the two sides passed each other, the child was drawn to the cat. He instinctively crouched down and reached out to touch Three Flower Cat, but Three Flower Cat was astonishingly alert. She darted forward in a streak, then stopped and turned back to stare at him.

The child grinned and waved goodbye.

"Bye-bye, kitty."

Three Flower Cat stared at him without blinking. She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then actually imitated Song You's tone and spoke.

"Thank you."

Her voice was soft, delicate, and exceedingly pleasant to the ear.

The child froze on the spot.

The adult beside him also widened his eyes, startled.

Three Flower Cat, meanwhile, was satisfied. She took quick, light little steps to catch up with Song You and the horse. At the very end, she stopped and glanced back at them once more before trotting around the corner.

"You..."

Song You shook his head with a faint smile.

Thinking about it carefully, there was something wonderful about it--

Perhaps after today, he and Three Flower Lady would become the subject of stories told by others. Many years later, perhaps even decades later, when this group of children had all grown old, they might still tell today's story to a crowd of mischievous youngsters at their urging.

The journey to Anqing mostly followed the route they had taken before.

The mountains and waters remained beautiful.

The peaks lining both sides of the road were just like those they had seen by the river: like spring bamboo shoots breaking through the earth, like enormous stones fallen from the sky, all covered in lush vegetation. Sometimes they stood in rows to either side; sometimes the narrow road passed between them. A moment ago, the view ahead might be blocked, yet after crossing one mountain, another broad stretch of level land would appear.

One man and one horse moved slowly along, while the little cat was full of restless energy.

The recent sunshine was fine, making it feel as though they were traveling through a painting.

There was especially morning mist at daybreak. The forest of ten thousand peaks was thus wrapped in drifting fog, the green mountains half-hidden and white clouds piled high. Amid it all came the tinkling of a horse bell. Who could say that the one walking out from within was not an immortal?

After going some distance, Song You suddenly stopped.

The horse stopped with him, but Three Flower Cat continued forward with quick, light steps. Only after she had gone some way did she realize that the Daoist and horse had not followed. She stopped too and turned around to stare at them.

"What is it, Daoist?"

"I heard splashing water."

"What about it?"

"Did Three Flower Lady hear it?"

"I heard it. I've heard it several times."

"Then I'm inferior to Three Flower Lady."

Song You had only just heard it, and even then the sound had been extremely faint.

It was not the rushing sound of rapids, nor the splash of water where the riverbank rose and fell. It was a single plop that, by the time it reached them, had grown faint, though its distance could still be discerned. Taken together, it sounded more like some enormous creature had crashed into the surface of the distant river.

Song You stood still. The first image that surfaced in his mind was of a giant whale leaping from the sea: its black back, its white striped belly, the barnacles growing across its body, its graceful form suspended in the air.

Then it crashed abruptly into the sea, sending water flying in every direction.

"What does Three Flower Lady think that sound was?"

"A fish."

"Then that must be it."

"What is it?"

"Does Three Flower Lady know which direction it came from?"

Three Flower Cat looked puzzled, but still turned her head toward the left before answering.

"This way."

"All right."

"Do you want to go fishing?"

"Let's go take a look."

Song You looked to the left side of the road.

Unfortunately, the forest was dense and the mountains blocked the way. He truly had no idea how to reach the riverbank.

Just then, a burst of flute music suddenly drifted over.

Song You pressed his lips together again and listened quietly.

The flute was tranquil and winding, ethereal and pleasing to the ear, drifting through the mountain forests ahead. Though it was only a sound, hearing it was like seeing a secluded valley deep in the woods, scented with dew and fresh grass. His body unconsciously felt the chill of an early-spring morning, and even his ears seemed to have been washed clean.

Perhaps this was the immortal air poets spoke of.

He had only listened for a short while when the flute grew closer and closer.

Song You paused, then walked slowly ahead.

After turning a bend, he saw a boy of perhaps a dozen years. He wore hemp clothes, a bamboo hat, and a straw rain cape. Sitting sideways on the back of an old ox, he had one leg curled beneath him and the other hanging lazily down. A bamboo basket was strapped to his back, filled with grass.

A bamboo flute, clearly a treasured possession, had even been tied with red tassels.

He was a shepherd boy, riding an ox through the woods.

The grass in the forest was deep, and the dew had yet to dry. It sparkled crystal-clear, like the shepherd boy riding the ox, and like the flute's melody, unstained by the dust of worldly affairs.

It was not a scene of the mortal realm, nor a person of this sullied world.

He had come from within a painting.

When the shepherd boy saw the Daoist, he suddenly stopped playing and sat upright.

Only then did Song You bow and salute.

"Greetings."

The shepherd boy hurriedly imitated the salute, though his movements were clumsy.

"What is it..."

"Please don't be nervous. I only came to ask for directions." Song You paused. "But I heard your flute from far away. Its tranquil beauty was so pleasing to the ear that even a great master of music returning to simplicity could do no better. I loved it. May I ask whether this piece has a name?"

"I... I don't understand..."

"It's very pleasant."

"I was just playing randomly..."

"Does this piece have a name?"

"I don't know. Everyone around here can play it. I don't think it has a name."

"What a pity."

Song You shook his head. It was not that he regretted the tune having no name. He only felt that a name would make it easier to pass down to later generations. Without one, it would be more likely to sink into the river of history.

Still, he cupped his hands and praised him. "In any case, you played it wonderfully. You're no worse than a great master of music."

"I only know this one."

"I see..."

Seeing the shepherd boy's nervous expression, Song You felt that he had been thoughtless. He should neither have made the boy nervous for no reason nor disturbed this wisp of spiritual charm. Thus, he asked again:

"Bandits are said to haunt this area. Aren't you afraid, sir?"

"This place borders the city. There aren't any bandits."

"You should still be careful."

"Where are you headed, sir?"

"Anqing."

"There are plenty of bandits on the road ahead to Anqing..."

"Bandits wouldn't trouble a Daoist like me." Song You tried to soften his voice. "But I'm not asking for directions to Anqing. I'd like to ask you instead—where nearby can I reach the riverside?"

"What are you going to the riverside for, sir?"

"My hands got dirty. I want to wash them."

"There are monsters in the river. They eat people."

"I'll stay right on the bank."

"Go a little farther ahead, and there's a path down." The herdboy watched him worriedly. "Be careful. Don't go into the water."

"Thank you..."

Song You clasped his hands in thanks, then continued on his way.

The horse tore a mouthful of grass from the ground and followed at an unhurried pace as it chewed. The kitten, meanwhile, gave the herdboy and the water buffalo another look, then glanced at the horse as well, as though making a comparison. It followed after them too.

The herdboy couldn't help turning around with them. He stood with his flute in hand, watching the group, finding the sight wondrous and strange.

And the hand beneath that gentleman's sleeve...

Spotlessly clean.

Puzzled, the herdboy climbed back onto the water buffalo's back and headed toward the village. But after going only a short distance, he wavered again and again before finally turning the buffalo around. He wanted to see what that gentleman had gone to do.