Moderate Management
"That little cat understood what the Daoist priest said!"
"Did it become a spirit because there's so much spiritual energy on the mountain?"
"It should be sent to school!"
The two young women spoke in low voices, unable to tell for the moment whether they were expressing genuine puzzlement or just being absurd.
"By the way, did you hear what that girl in hanfu called the Daoist priest?"
"I couldn't make out the words. Was it 'ancestral master'?"
"Ancestral master or immortal master? I had a classmate in college whose surname was Xian."
Young people were generally very polite, and the women kept their voices low. Before they had exchanged more than a few words, they were already nearing the place where they had encountered the giant snake.
A faint hiss reached their ears!
Looking past the fairy-like figure ahead of them, they could see that the giant snake was still there. The cat had arrived long before them and was already facing off against the snake, the two probing each other with tentative moves-
The giant snake coiled its body, poised to strike.
The cat, meanwhile, remained calm and unhurried, circling it and occasionally reaching out a paw to bat at its tail as though playing.
They heard neither cries of "Old Wu" nor calls of "that one."
The two had thought the cat very quiet earlier, just as its appearance suggested, but now that it remained silent even in the face of a fearsome giant snake, that quietness took on a different flavor.
At the same time, both were astonished that the cat had actually come all this way to drive off the snake because of a single sentence from a person. The fact that the cat belonged to the Daoist temple and the person was a Daoist priest there added a touch of mystique to the already unbelievable sight.
As they were thinking this, the two combatants began to clash.
Their moves were no different from those of an ordinary cat fighting a snake.
Cats had quick reactions and could often catch snakes, but the outcome also depended greatly on their relative sizes. When ordinary cats caught snakes, the cat was usually larger, sometimes many times larger. This snake's middle, however, looked nearly as thick as a person's arm. Beside it, the cat seemed rather frail, and the side-swept bangs on its face made it look especially quiet and delicate.
Yet the delicate-looking cat carried itself with great poise!
It even had time to yawn and lick its paws. When the two women cried out in alarm, it could still turn its head and look at them with wide eyes.
Whoosh! The giant snake arched its body and lunged forward again, too fast to see clearly. The cat dodged and leaped back just as quickly, also too fast to see, so they couldn't tell whether the bite had landed.
After several exchanges like this, neither could get the better of the other.
The two women broke into a cold sweat for the cat.
"Miss, we brought trekking poles. Should we... should we help?"
The woman in the yellow-green hiking jacket, who had no interest in cultural attractions, took out her trekking pole, adjusted it to a suitable length, and approached Yunzhi trembling as she spoke.
She couldn't help glancing at Yunzhi's profile.
She's so beautiful! Can someone this beautiful really exist?
But why can't I see any trace of makeup? Or has technology become that advanced already?
Despite her nervousness, she found herself swallowing.
Yunzhi, meanwhile, stood where she was and considered the situation.
The snake probably weighed even more than Senior Xie. Although Senior Xie had become a spirit and was nimble and clever, she had not taken human form, cultivated, or learned any spells. It would be difficult for her to deal the snake any meaningful damage. In the end, she might at most harry it until it grew tired and left of its own accord.
At that thought, she remembered that the immortal master seemed only to have instructed her to persuade the snake to leave. He had probably never intended to harm its life in the first place.
The immortal master really is compassionate!
He probably also wanted Senior Xie to gain some experience and have a little fun.
So she said nothing and waited patiently a little longer. Only when she saw that Senior Xie was growing somewhat tired from all her dodging and weaving did she step forward and speak respectfully:
"Senior Xie, let me."
"Mrr?"
The cat stopped and turned her head to look at her.
Just then, the giant snake seized the opportunity and lunged with lightning speed, biting at the cat. But by the time its jaws snapped back, the cat was no longer where she had been.
"Fellow Daoist, please don't do that!"
Yunzhi turned to the giant snake. Though courteous, her tone was firm as she cupped her hands and said:
"The ancients said: the shaded slopes of the mountain belong to the mountain spirits, while the roads belong to the human world. It can't have been easy for you to grow so large, fellow Daoist. You woke from hibernation so early, and just now you were even able to seize an opportunity to attack Senior Xie. You must have been nourished by the spiritual energy of the deep mountains, which makes it all the more remarkable. Now you occupy the road to bask in the sun, seeking a moment's warmth, but in truth this benefits neither you nor others. Fortunately, the immortal master of the temple on the mountain is compassionate and sent us to persuade you to leave. Had it been someone else, your path of cultivation might have ended here."
The two women behind her listened in a daze.
It was one thing for a cat to understand human speech, but why was someone talking to a snake?
And did everyone outside the city talk like this now?
Spiritual energy of the deep mountains, a path of cultivation...
Is this the world of Daoist cultivators? Or is it the world deep in the mountains? Why is it so different from the world we usually know?
But then something strange happened-
The giant snake, which had been on full alert, actually quieted down after hearing her out.
"Please leave quickly, Daoist priest. I must also convey the immortal master's decree: fellow Daoist, please cultivate peacefully in the mountains from now on and stay off the road, so as not to frighten the visitors coming up the mountain."
The two women's mouths hung slightly open.
Whether the giant snake had already wanted to leave after being attacked by the cat or had truly understood human speech, once it had heard her out, it turned its head to look at the cat licking her paws nearby. After a brief silence, it actually turned around and slid slowly down the mountainside.
It soon vanished into the depths of the grass.
"Sorry to have frightened you both." Yunzhi cupped her hands to the two women. "The Waking of Insects has passed, the weather is warming, and insects and snakes are stirring again. Please take care on your way up the mountain. If anything happens, you may come to the temple for help."
With that, she turned and left.
The hem of her skirt fluttered.
The cat shook her head and left at her side.
Swaying as she went.
The two women stood there for a long while, trying to digest what they had just seen and heard, while also wrestling with whether to continue up the mountain.
"Tell me, aren't snakes cold-blooded? Their brains are really simple, too. Can a snake actually understand what people say?"
"I was going to say the same thing!"
"Do you think we should go back to the temple and pay our respects again?"
"I was going to say the same thing!!"
"And could there be yao and ghosts on this mountain?"
"I was going to say the same thing!!!"
The two women turned their heads and stared blankly down the mountain.
They still didn't know whether the snake's departure had been a coincidence, since ordinary snakes occupying a road would often leave after fighting with a cat. But when they looked up, clouds and mist veiled the mountaintop in layer upon layer, hiding its depths. Looking down at the bamboo groves, they saw the temple's tiled eaves peeking out here and there, suggesting an unfathomable stillness. They couldn't help feeling a little dazed, as though they had accidentally wandered into a secluded world they had never known existed.
It was like the tales of chance encounters with immortals that were common in ancient times.
Just then, the clouds and mist parted to reveal blue sky and white clouds. The town at the foot of the mountain was hidden by the angle, and the temple was old and unadorned, full of character. In a corner of its courtyard, they happened to see a priest in Daoist robes walking past, while the woman in ancient dress had already reached the entrance. At a glance, it truly felt as though they had traveled back to ancient times.
Such a scene was so uncommon that they thought this encounter was like The Peach Blossom Spring: if they missed it, they might never find it again.
Without hesitation, the two women returned to the temple.
They were plainly filled with awe now. After entering the temple, they first asked Chen Du a few questions. Once he had fended them off, they sincerely paid their respects to the deity's statue and even scanned a code to donate incense money.
They had also wanted to ask for a talisman, but the Daoist priest said he didn't know how to make one. They could only accept that they weren't fated to receive one and leave with regret.