"That is to say, this place belongs to the imperial court. The people who usually come here to burn incense and worship you are the subjects of the imperial court." Song You paused. "For you to occupy this temple and absorb incense and fire from these people, you need permission from the imperial court or the heavenly palace."
"Who are they?"
"..."
Song You thought over his phrasing once more before saying, "In theory, the imperial court governs everyone in the world, and the heavenly palace governs all the gods in the world."
"What do you want with me?"
"Not us—them. I'm merely entrusted by them to come and take a look."
"What do they want with me?"
"To cause you trouble, I suppose."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Three Flower Lady also fell silent for a moment, then immediately resumed walking forward. Her small, mincing steps brought her to the edge of the altar, where she gave a gentle bound and landed upon it. Once she crouched down atop the altar, she was not much lower than the standing Song You, and she simply said:
"Those people burned incense for me of their own accord."
"Is this temple yours?"
"Nobody wanted it."
"I'm afraid that won't do either."
"Why?"
"Because the incense and fire in this world are limited. If someone gives it to you, they cannot give it to other gods, or at least they have to give less to other gods," Song You said. "And the imperial court and the heavenly palace won't reason with a petty little monster of low cultivation like you."
"Then I just won't eat it."
"I'm afraid that won't do either."
"Why not again?"
"The heavenly palace has rules. Previously, there was also a monster here that secretly absorbed incense and fire, and it was executed. The temple you occupy originally belonged to it."
"..."
Three Flower Lady merely stared at him, her eyes round as balls.
It was hard for humans to read emotions on a cat's face, but Song You figured she must have been frightened.
After a long while, she asked again:
"Why?"
"Perhaps it did bad things."
"I haven't." Three Flower Lady stared at him. "I only catch mice for the people down the mountain. Besides, I used to have a temple—a small one. Later on, some people carried my clay statue into this large temple. It wasn't that I wanted to come."
"Even the smallest temple won't do. It's just that you weren't discovered before. Now that you've been found out, even if I leave you alone today, someone else will still come looking for you."
"Then what should I do?"
"If you haven't taken human lives, haven't sucked human essence, and haven't eaten human flesh and blood, it won't come to death."
"Then what will happen to me?"
"If you don't run and don't resist, I can take you to see them. They will handle things according to standard rules and procedures," Song You said to the cat before him. "That might be better for you."
Three Flower Lady's eyes rolled:
"Fine..."
Seeing the Daoist cast his gaze elsewhere, she immediately bolted.
Whoosh!
How agile are a cat's movements, let alone those of a cultivation-possessing cat monster? Almost instantly, she leaped down from the altar, and the next moment she was out the temple doors.
She sprinted all the way up the small path like a bolt of lightning, leaving behind only a blur of mottled colors. After running a distance, the Three Flower Cat stopped, turned her head back, and stretched out her neck so her gaze could clear the tops of the weeds and look toward the direction of the temple.
"Hm?"
She actually hadn't given chase?
Three Flower Lady was taken aback, somewhat puzzled.
After waiting a while longer, still no one came out. She changed her position to peer in through the main entrance, only to see that man still standing inside the temple, no one knew what doing.
Truly strange.
The Three Flower Cat simply sat down right where she was, sitting straight and proper with her neck stretched and head tilted, staring at him without blinking.
Time slowly passed.
The Three Flower Cat finally couldn't help herself. She inched a little closer to the temple, cautiously sticking her head in to peek.
Only to see the Daoist looking at her with an air of calm: "Meeting me is your greatest piece of luck. If someone else comes next time, they might be much fiercer than me."
"Why didn't you come after me?"
"How could I possibly catch up to you?"
"Then what if I ran away?"
"..."
Song You looked into her eyes, feeling a profound sense of helplessness, yet he still patiently explained: "I was merely entrusted by Wang Shangong to come and check on the situation, not to drag you away or punish you. Besides, the clay statue in the temple is deeply tied to you; no matter how far you go, they can find you."
"Oh!"
The Three Flower Cat instantly widened her eyes, as shocked as if struck by a sudden enlightenment, accompanied by the relief of having her doubts resolved, as well as the vexation and anxiety born from it. That dainty cat's face actually displayed all those various emotions in a single flash.
Then what to do, what to do?
The Three Flower Cat was practically spinning in circles.
"Daoists take the elimination of licentious shrines and heretical cults as their bounden duty. You should count yourself lucky that I'm a fake Daoist."
"Then what should I do?"
"I'll take you to see Wang Shangong. He's a kind-hearted person. I'll explain your situation to him and strive to have them deal with you leniently. Of course, before that, I'll go down the mountain to make inquiries to prove what you said is true, and then—"
"And then!"
"You'll get your outcome."
"What outcome?"
"You'll probably be punished."
"Punished?"
"Mostly being locked up, locked away in some place."
"Some place?"
"Like inside a pagoda."
"!"
"I don't want to frighten you, but that's roughly how it goes." Song You looked at this little cat monster, his heart softening somewhat. "Most of the time, it's like this."
"!!"
"Monster lifespans are very long."
"!!!"
The Three Flower Cat still kept her eyes wide and round as she stared at him, her brain spinning at top speed.
Instinct made her want to run, to run as far away as possible, but she was clever, and her cleverness told her that staying behind seemed to be the best choice.
She regretted it so much now. When those villagers had moved her clay statue from the small temple to the large temple earlier, she should have secretly carried it back in the middle of the night. If she had just stayed in the small temple all along, perhaps she wouldn't have been discovered.
After struggling with herself for a long while, the Three Flower Cat still entered the temple.
"Then where are you taking me?"
"Not far."
"Are we leaving right now?"
"Let's make it tomorrow." Song You looked up at the sky. "We'll stay here at your place for the night, and head over tomorrow morning."
"Isn't it not far?"
"It's not close either."
"Fine..."
The Three Flower Cat simply sat down right there, locking gazes with Song You without blinking.
"Be a bit more casual."
"Fine..."
"Isn't this your temple?"
"Oh!"
The Three Flower Cat woke up with a start, yet she still couldn't relax.
Dusk was just outside, and the three sticks of incense burned when they arrived earlier had long since burned down, leaving only the faint scent of herbs.
The Three Flower Cat leaped onto the sacrificial altar once again and began to eat the small river fish native to the region, thinking that she certainly wouldn't finish all this meat today and feeling it would be a waste. Then she turned her head, wanting to share a little bit with the Daoist below so he would put in a good word for her later, but alas, the Daoist didn't eat those and only ate the things he had brought himself.
The sky gradually grew dark, and the temperature plummeted.
The moon rose very early tonight, even rounder than the previous night. The moonlight made the surroundings look all the more desolate and cold, and to cap it all off, this temple had no doors, allowing the cold wind to pour in unhindered.
After watching the moonlight for a while and gradually growing bored, Song You looked back to see that the Three Flower Cat had already lain down, curled into a ball where only her head and body were visible, with neither paws nor tail to be seen. She had her head turned, staring at him without a blink, wondering what she was thinking.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Daoist, if I get locked up, will anyone still burn incense for me?"
"Naturally not."
"Can I go out and play then?"
"Naturally not."
"Will there still be meat to eat?"
"Mostly no."
"..."
The Three Flower Cat's expression turned desolate. In truth, she still didn't know what she had done wrong.
Yet she was only a cat after all.
Let alone the imperial court and the heavenly palace, let alone these Daoists, even ordinary martial artists passing by and lodging here for the night were people she couldn't afford to provoke.
The night grew ever more quiet, leaving only the sound of the wind.
After a long while, she heard the Daoist speak again: "I have a question I want to ask you too."
"Ah?"
"I have a question I want to ask you too."
"Go ahead and ask. Make yourself at home in my temple."
"How long has Three Flower Lady had her spiritual awareness opened?"
"A few years."
"Only a few years?"
"That's a very long time."
"How did you become a monster?"
"Just became a monster like that."
"Did you have any fortuitous encounters?" The Daoist nodded as he looked at her. "For example, meeting someone, or eating something unique, or staying in a place that felt especially comfortable for a period of time."
"No."
"Really none?"
"..."
The Three Flower Cat refused to make a sound, only turning her head to lock gazes with the Daoist without blinking. After a long while, she finally uttered:
"I'm very smart."
"Perhaps."
Song You withdrew his gaze and said no more.
The hour grew later and later, and the mountains grew colder and colder.
Song You leaned against a corner and closed his eyes.
The Three Flower Cat lay flat, yawning. From time to time she stared at Song You, and from time to time messy escape plans popped into her head, though in truth she was simply bored.
Yet right now she could neither go out to play nor bounce around like she usually did in the temple, which truly troubled her.
Until the fifth watch before dawn, when the cold was at its peak.
The cold wind swept through the doorway.
Song You opened his eyes a slit and hugged his arms tighter across his chest, as if he could lock in the heat that way. When he looked over to the side, the Three Flower Cat in the moonlight was lying on a woven straw mat, curled up tightly as well, looking for all the world like nothing more than a small ball of fur.
Song You seemed touched by the sight, inevitably falling into brief contemplation.
Early the next morning, chickens crowed down the mountain.
The Three Flower Cat woke up earlier than Song You, sitting right on the straw mat and staring straight at him, wondering what she was pondering.
Perhaps she was contemplating her future destiny.
Song You ate a cold steamed cake he had bought on the road yesterday, then brought her down the mountain to make inquiries. He learned that there really was a responsive cat immortal in the mountain temple; whenever a household was severely plagued by mice, they only needed to bring some fish, meat, incense, and candles, and peace would be restored that very night. As a result, her fame had spread even further, and people from ten miles and eight townships came upon reputation alone, seeking only to be rid of their rat infestations.
After questioning the last household, Song You stood in the doorway without moving, lifting his head to gaze into the distance as he fell deep into thought.
"Why aren't we moving?"
The Three Flower Cat walked right beside him.
"We're moving now."
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
"You're still not moving."
"I'm thinking..." Song You glanced sideways at her. "Your followers are quite widely distributed."
"Yes!"
"Does someone come to make offerings every day, and at night you go to their house to catch mice?"
"That's right!"
"Then what if it's very far?"
"I walk a bit faster."
"Then you've had it quite rough, haven't you?"
"Not at all."
"Let's go."
"Did you go find Wang Shangong?"
"Yes."
A man and a cat walked out of the village, Song You stepping out in the lead while Three Flower Cat hung back at a distance neither too near nor far. Neither spoke, walking only in silence, though if anyone else were to look upon this scene, they would likely find it novel.
Before you continue