Unintended Immortality

In the military, it was customary to hold a banquet to celebrate a victorious battle. Given such a resounding victory, it was only natural to host a grand feast.

Although Song You was not a warrior, he did not decline the invitation.

The living conditions in the military were simple, yet the banquet was almost as formal as a banquet.

What constituted a banquet?

In ancient times, people did not use tables and chairs for meals. When hosting a banquet, a layer of coarse woven fabric would be spread on the ground as the yan[1], followed by a layer of finer woven fabric as the xi[2], combining to form what we now call yanxi[3]. However, in modern times, most people in Great Yan use tables and chairs or low desks for dining, making traditional yanxi arrangements largely obsolete.

However, in modern times, most people in Great Yan dined using tables and chairs or small desks, so the use of traditional mats had become rare.

The military, being less formal, still followed the older customs and used yanxi for their feast.

They chose a large room and invited the generals who were not on duty, the strategists under the commander’s banner, and the officers who had distinguished themselves in battle. The room was then filled with wine and meat for a grand meal.

Song You and Lady Calico sat at the seats of honor, constantly approached by others who respectfully offered them toasts.

Song You understood that these soldiers had long been tormented by demons. Though they had not faltered, they were utterly exhausted. Now, seeing him achieve a sweeping victory and deal with the monsters with such ease had naturally boosted their morale. The lingering unease in their hearts had been dispelled, and their admiration for him was boundless.

Upon hearing this, Song You neither became smug nor overly modest. He simply said, “Lady Calico also deserves much of the credit.”

“Of course, of course.”

The military officer quickly raised his cup toward the calico cat beside the Daoist and said, “I’ve heard that Lady Calico was once the Cat God of Yizhou. Allow me to offer my thanks to Lady Calico and toast her.”

“Meow...”

The calico cat lowered her head and licked at the water twice.

Advisor Zhang, standing nearby, glanced at Song You, then at Lady Calico. A thoughtful look flickered in his eyes, as though he had just realized something.

He smiled faintly, raised his own cup, and said, “Today, we watched the battle unfold from the city walls while Lady Calico battled the demons below. Her heroic bearing was clear for us all to see. Truly worthy of her former divine status. Everyone, let’s not forget to honor Lady Calico.”

Lady Calico’s ears twitched, and her drowsiness instantly vanished.

Seeing Advisor Zhang’s lead, those who hadn’t understood the situation now came to a realization. Recognizing how much Song You valued Lady Calico, they all stepped forward one by one to pay their respects to the calico cat.

Naturally, the compliments came pouring in.

Lady Calico’s eyes gleamed with delight.

Advisor Zhang watched this unfold with an amused smile, then lifted his cup and addressed everyone. “Generals, you have long been stationed in the north, entangled with the northern frontier people, so you may not know this.

“Before arriving here, Mr. Song and Lady Calico traveled through Hezhou and the southwestern regions of Yanzhou. Not only did they vanquish countless demons and monsters, but the mighty Demon King who once ruled over the He Plains with impunity was subdued after Mr. Song and Lady Calico passed through.”

Upon hearing this, everyone was astonished. Song You lowered his head and exchanged a glance with the calico cat.

As expected, some trouble soon followed.

Fortunately, General Chen quickly intervened, putting an end to the officers’ probing curiosity. Taking the opportunity, Song You asked, “General, you’re well-informed. Do you know how the demon plague in Gui Commandery is faring?”

“Doctor Cai eradicated the plague with his miraculous skills. I heard that by the beginning of this spring, the epidemic in Gui Commandery was under control. By January, there were no longer any infected individuals,” General Chen replied with a faint smile.

He added, “Previously, the demons of the northern frontier stole the plague from Hezhou and unleashed it on our forces, which led to the fall of Zhaoye City. Last winter, they attempted the same trick on Yuanzhi City. Thankfully, Doctor Cai’s treatment arrived in time. Otherwise, even with divine protection, the tens of thousands of troops in the city might not have escaped a calamity.”

A strategist seated below couldn’t help but chime in, “Doctor Cai will be remembered through the ages…”

The officers at the banquet seemed far more familiar with the affairs of Gui Commandery and the demon plague than the events at He Plains. Perhaps some of them had even taken Doctor Cai’s medicine themselves.

For soldiers, injuries and illnesses were commonplace, so they were particularly interested in the topic. They began animatedly discussing it, praising Doctor Cai’s medical ethics and extraordinary skills.

General Chen glanced at Song You with a smile but said nothing.

Song You simply responded with a slight smile of his own. Aside from saying, “It’s good that the epidemic has ended,” and “Doctor Cai deserves to be remembered through the ages,” he made no further remarks.

As the banquet drew to a close, several officers were thoroughly drunk and had to be helped out by their soldiers.

Lady Calico often looked at them with a puzzled expression. General Chen, however, remained completely sober.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Song You stood up and said to General Chen, “It’s getting late. We’ll head back to rest now. If any demons or monsters appear in the future, or if there are any strange and unusual occurrences in the army, both you and Advisor Zhang can come to us anytime.”

“To be honest, sir, there is indeed a matter involving demonic forces in the army that requires your assistance,” Advisor Zhang said respectfully. “However, you only arrived in the city yesterday evening and fought against the demons today. You must be exhausted. It’s not an urgent matter, so now that it’s night, please rest well tonight. We’ll trouble you with it tomorrow.”

“That works.”

“Meow…”

The man and the cat then returned to their quarters.

***

Inside, the oil lamp was still lit.

The cat transformed into a young girl, holding a small flag. She examined it closely under the lamplight, flipping it over repeatedly.

The Daoist, meanwhile, was washing up nearby.

Suddenly, the girl turned her head to look at him.

The Daoist assumed she wanted to ask about the flag, but to his surprise, her voice came soft and quiet as she asked, “Why do those people turn into that state after drinking?”

“...”

The Daoist’s expression remained unchanged as he washed his face and said, “Because when people drink, they get drunk.”

“What is drunk?”

“It’s what you saw—they get confused and disoriented, dizzy and lightheaded, sometimes even vomiting. After sleeping it off, they often wake up with a headache.”

“Then why do they still drink?”

“Who knows.”

“Why don’t I get drunk after drinking?”

The Daoist didn’t answer directly. Instead, while wiping his face, he countered with a question, “Are you human?”

“Oh, right…”

Lady Calico was quite clever. Though the Daoist didn’t spell it out, she figured out the answer on her own. Shaking her head lightly, she then held up the small flag and asked, “How does this thing work?”

The Daoist dried his hands with a cloth, hung it casually on a wooden rack, and took the flag from her.

The triangular flag was dark gray, appearing to be made of coarse fabric, yet it was extraordinarily durable. Its triangular shape made it seem like some kind of banner, neither too small for an adult to hold nor too large for a child.

“Whoosh…”

The Daoist blew gently on the flag before handing it back to Lady Calico.

“This is the Wolf King's Wolf Banner,” Song You explained. “It contains the spiritual resonance of over two hundred wolves. Lady Calico, you can use your spiritual energy as a catalyst—just wave the flag, and they will manifest. However, since the wolves are purely spiritual and lack physical substance, how many can be manifested depends on your cultivation.”

“Will they bite us?” Lady Calico asked.

“The wolves rely on the banner. Since the banner is in your hands and it is your spiritual energy that brings them forth, they will naturally obey you,” Song You replied.

He added, “However, you might not yet be skilled in communicating with wolves, so it’s something you’ll need to practice. If you don’t like wolves, once you’re familiar with using the banner, you can gradually replace them with cats.”

“Wolves are great! Wolves are fiercer than cats!”

“As you wish, Lady Calico,” Song You said with a smile. “But remember, you’re a cat, not a wolf. The spiritual resonance in this banner is accumulated over many years by the wolf demon, so it is a finite resource for you.

“If the wolves are injured by ordinary weapons, their spiritual resonance will return to the banner after their demise. However, if struck by spells specifically designed to break magic, exorcize demons, or eliminate spirits, each loss will be permanent.”

Lady Calico seemed unsure if she understood, but after some thought, she simply shook her head and gave the banner a wave.

“Whoosh!”

A streak of black smoke unfurled from the flag, landing on the ground and transforming into three wild wolves.

“Woof?”

“Meow?”

The first sound came from the wolves.

After the wolves landed, they fixed their gaze on Lady Calico, awaiting her commands. However, it seemed that with the banner now in a new owner’s hands, they found Lady Calico unfamiliar and appeared momentarily confused.

The second sound was made by the cat.

Despite her vast divine powers and immense magical strength, she had only managed to manifest three wolves. This was neither what she had expected nor what she had observed earlier with the wolf demon during the day.

“Why are there only three?”

“Lady Calico, you’re not the Wolf King, so using it naturally won’t feel as intuitive. Perhaps it’ll improve with more practice.”

“Oh, that’s right…”

Lady Calico was quick to accept advice and took everything to heart.

Meanwhile, Song You had already laid down on the bed. He didn’t fall asleep immediately but leaned back with his eyes closed, lost in thought.

Lady Calico, on the other hand, treated the banner like a brand-new toy. She couldn’t stop waving it around, filling the room with her playful voice.

“Come here!”

“Sit down!”

“Make a sound!”

“Howl! Go ‘awoo, awoo’!”

“You’re not very smart!”

Most of the time, the wolves didn’t understand what she was saying and simply stared at her with puzzled expressions.

Lady Calico, however, was very patient, repeating her instructions over and over. When she got tired of repeating, she would scold them.

A long time passed before the light finally went out. The banner had already been stored in her pouch.

The calico cat leapt lightly onto the bed, settling down near the edge. She lay there, her head lifted, staring at the Daoist. While the darkness might have been an obstacle for humans, it was no hindrance to her.

“Daoist priest?”

“Mm…”

“Are you asleep?”

“What do you think?”

“You’re not asleep…”

“You’re clever.”

“Why do you know so many spells?”

“I’ve told you before—most of the spells I know are only at the beginner’s level.”

“Why do you know so many?”

“When I was young, I found the mountains boring, and the world boring too, so I had no choice but to study spells and read strange books.”

“Boring!”

“It means dull.”

“Dull!”

“Yes.”

“You’re amazing…”

“Not as amazing as you, Lady Calico.”

“Will I become that powerful in the future?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe!”

“Lady Calico, you have outstanding talent and are diligent in your learning. In the future, you will definitely become very powerful.”

This time, the Daoist’s tone was much more assured.

In a daze, he couldn’t help but recall the days of his youth. Those were the years spent in the mountains during his childhood.

Life in the mountains was indeed boring, most of the time monotonous. Half of those dull days were spent with the old Daoist of the temple, running across the mountains, visiting markets and towns, or dealing with demons. The other half was spent engrossed in ancient books filled with stories or exploring fascinating spells that piqued his interest.

Unconsciously, he thought of that old Daoist again.

“How long will it take?” Lady Calico’s voice echoed through the darkness.

“Don’t be impatient, Lady Calico,” the Daoist replied, his voice calm and unhurried. “Time will pass faster than you imagine.”

1. The Chinese word yán (筵) means "bamboo mat for sitting". It can also refer to a banquet mat for sitting, or a banquet. ☜

2. Xí 席 means seat. ☜

3. Yanxi refers to a mat laid on the ground for sitting. It also refers to a banquet or feast, including the seating and arrangements for the occasion. ☜