Unintended Immortality-Chapter 518: Waiting for the Summer Solstice

“Sir, Lady Calico said she’s watching the stars from the tree and will come down later.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s what Lady Calico said.”

“Lady Calico!” Song You tilted his head back, looking up along the trunk of the parasol tree. His gaze was soon blocked by the thick mist. Then he asked, “Are the stars up there beautiful?”

“...” A faint voice could be heard from above.

The higher one went, the colder it was. Its voice was already growing distant.

“I can't hear clearly,” the Daoist said casually.

“They—are—so—beautiful!” A drawn-out reply came from above, carried by the wind. This time, it was loud enough to be heard.

“Then when will you come down?”

“In a while!” The calico cat’s voice paused briefly before she asked nervously, “The stars up here are really beautiful. Do you want to come up and see?”

“Lady Calico, you should just jump down. I’ll catch you.”

“...”

A barely perceptible sound of wind came from above.

A calico cat suddenly plummeted from the clouds and mist.

Song You tapped his bamboo staff lightly, summoning a gentle breeze in front of him, forming an invisible cushion of air. The cat landed on all fours but was caught by the wind, held in place as if she had been picked up by the scruff.

Then, with the breeze cradling her, she was slowly lowered to the ground. Only then did she let out a relieved sigh.

Her eyes darted around rapidly as she tried to think of an explanation. But just as she lifted her head to look at her Daoist priest, she saw him holding out a small flag toward her.

“This is your flag. I’m returning it to you.”

“Mm...” With a soft puff, the cat instantly transformed into her human form. Lowering her head, she took the flag from his hands, then looked up at him with bright, expectant eyes. “Did you stuff a lot of things into it again?”

“It’s not my fault that you’re too talented and progressing in cultivation too quickly. The tiger demons and wolf pack that were once powerful are now barely of any help to you.” Song You sighed helplessly. “So I had to find some more suitable, truly wicked demons to seal inside.”

“You put in so many!”

“They are all irredeemable demons, so think of them as gifts for you, Lady Calico.” Song You replied calmly. “However, these demons are far stronger than the demon tigers in your flag. Lady Calico, you must summon them one by one, taming them gradually just like with the Jinhe tiger demon before. Do not rush the process.

“They are also much more intelligent than the Jinhe tiger demon, and even more so than the wolf pack. You must be careful when commanding them—use them wisely.”

He paused slightly, then shook his head, as if contradicting himself or perhaps just talking to himself. “But Lady Calico, you’re clever, cautious, mature, and patient. You have understood the principle of taking things step by step since you were young. Do I even need to remind you of this?”

“Exactly!” The young girl nodded solemnly without hesitation.

She held the flag and sensed it briefly. It was already somewhat different from before.

Previously, the Wolf Banner had merely been the lifebound magical artifact of the northern Wolf King. The Wolf King's cultivation was limited, and compared to the demons in the great hall earlier, he was only of mid-to-upper level at best.

As such, the flag had no problem housing a pack of wolves, nor even a dozen or so demon tigers. However, it could not contain so many demons, each with cultivation no weaker than the Wolf King’s.

Thus, the Daoist infused additional spiritual energy into the flag, enhancing its power.

Now, nearly thirty more demons resided within it.

At present, these demons existed mostly in a state of spiritual resonance, retaining only their true forms. Even if summoned, they would not fully possess their past consciousness and abilities, making it easier for Lady Calico to observe and select them.

At first glance, she immediately spotted the one she wanted to tame and manifest first—a towering, majestic white crane.

Unfortunately, the white crane’s cultivation was among the higher ones in the group, while Lady Calico was still far from their level. She would need to train for some time before attempting to tame and manifest even a single one.

The first one couldn't be this white crane...

Lady Calico was clever and cautious, mature and patient.

As she thought about this, the young girl carefully put the flag away.

Meanwhile, Song You reached into his robes and pulled out a tiny, snow-white fragment, barely larger than a fingernail. Upon closer inspection, it was shaped like a fan. Its small size was truly remarkable.

“I happened to find something interesting from that willow demon,” Song You said, handing it to the swallow. “This object is called Skybinder. It is a fan, likely a top-tier magical artifact from ancient times. Even if a mere mortal were to gently wave this fan, not even an immortal would be able to ascend to the skies. They would have no choice but to obediently fall back down.”

“The other day, when we couldn’t fly, and when you rode the wind but then fell—was it because of this fan?”

“Precisely.”

“Then this is...” The swallow stared blankly as the Daoist brought the fan—hardly larger than one of his own feathers—closer and closer to him, leaving him at a loss.

“You do not seek the Dao of battle,” Song You said, “so I am giving this to you. If you ever find yourself in danger, just wave the fan, and your opponent won’t be able to take to the air. That way, you can easily escape.”

He paused briefly before adding, “It conveniently changes size at will, making it easy for you to carry.”

“This... T-This is far too precious!”

“It’s just an external object,” Song You said calmly. “Something to be used, relied upon as needed—nothing more.”

“Thank you, sir...”

The swallow, hearing this, no longer refused.

Flapping his wings, he flew over and grasped the fan—barely the size of a feather—in his beak, and carried it away.

Before long, a fire rose again in the Qingtong Forest. This time, it was just a small campfire.

The Daoist sat cross-legged before the flames.

Beside him sat a little girl dressed in tricolored robes, a small pile of dry wood she gathered by her own hands stacked at her side. As she fed twigs into the fire, she also held her tiny flag, carefully inspecting it under the flickering glow. The firelight cast shifting shadows on her delicate, rosy face.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she asked, “Daoist priest, did you get rid of that demon?”

The Daoist, still seated in meditation, opened his eyes and answered calmly, “No.”

“The swallow said you burned it to ashes.”

“I only defeated it. I burned away its main body,” Song You explained patiently. “Its incarnations are scattered throughout this Qingtong Forest, and its roots extend for hundreds of li, entwined deeply with the trees. To completely eradicate it is no simple task.”

“Is that why the willow demon dared to challenge you head-on, even knowing it was no match for you?” the swallow asked, perched on a branch nearby.

“Smart,” Song You replied, still gazing into the fire.

Plant demons were among the hardest to exterminate.

Take the bamboo demon of Changjing, for instance. Willows, in particular, had remarkable vitality among plants. And this one, with a thousand years of cultivation, was an apex existence in the mortal world. Moreover, it had foreseen this day and had spent countless years preparing within this land.

It had calculated two things. Neither human cultivators nor the deities from the Heavenly Palace could easily uncover its schemes or its hiding place. And even if they did, there was little they could do about it.

Now, with the Great Yan dynasty’s fate rapidly declining and the world showing signs of chaos, it was as if the descent into turmoil was already inevitable. Once the world fell into disorder and human influence weakened, it would be the perfect time for demons and wicked beings to rise.

Furthermore, the escalating conflict between the central court and the northern Chen warlords could very well spark an all-out war in the north. If the battlefields stretched for thousands of li, leaving corpses strewn across the land and rivers dyed red with blood, it would become the perfect soil for the willow demon’s cultivation.

That was why it had rooted itself here—to one day reach the peak of the ancient era.

“So, what do we do now?” Lady Calico furrowed her fair brows.

“No need to rush.”

Song You glanced at the skewered meat beside him, sprinkled some salt onto it, and said leisurely, “I've already set up a large formation in this Qingtong Forest, sealing off the entire area. Quite a few demons escaped today, so I'll have to trouble you and Yan An to spend some effort over the next few days tracking them down. Eliminate any creature tainted with bloodlust or demonic aura.”

“Then, how do you plan to get rid of the willow demon?”

“We'll wait patiently for the right moment,” Song You replied calmly. After saying this, he picked up the roasted meat and began to eat.

After finishing his meal, drinking some water, and rinsing his mouth, he lay down right there and slept.

Returning to this Qingtong Forest this time was vastly different from his last visit.

Previously, when he came here, it had been the dead of winter. This place was a world of ice and snow, with a chill that pierced the bone. This time, however, it was already early summer.

The Qingtong Forest was not hot at all, remaining cool and even chilly beneath the pervasive mist, carrying a subtle chill with every gust of wind. Nonetheless, it was suitable for spending the night outdoors.

In the middle of the night, a young scholar visited.

This scholar was none other than the deer demon who had previously rescued the storyteller surnamed Dong and warned Song You about strange happenings in Yuezhou.

The deer demon was respectful and courteous. Sitting opposite Song You, who had awakened beside the half-extinguished fire, he engaged him in conversation through the night. He introduced himself as a wild deer originally from the Qingtong Forest, who had cultivated into a demon due to the area's profound mysteries and spiritual resonance. He had thus taken “Lu” [1] as his surname.

However, many years ago, the willow demon secretly arrived, not only defiling the sanctity and auspiciousness of the place but also enticing numerous demons into corruption, bringing them back to his demon kingdom to become evil beings.

Possessing a compassionate heart, the deer demon could not bear witnessing such tragedies. When he saw that Song You appeared extraordinarily capable back then, he decided to secretly warn him.

Now, seeing that Song You had defeated the willow demon, the deer demon had specifically come to offer his thanks.

However, Song You shook his head and informed him that the willow demon had not yet been vanquished. They conversed at length, and when they parted, Song You advised him to return, pack his belongings, and leave the forest as soon as possible.

By now, it was nearly dawn.

With a wave of Song You’s hand, the pervasive mist instantly dispersed.

The sky was filled with countless stars. The Daoist lay down once again to rest.

In the days that followed, Lady Calico often rode her tigers and wolves, accompanied by Yan An. They traverse the entire Qingtong Forest, tirelessly searching out and eliminating any evil demons.

Song You remained where he was, quietly waiting.

Gradually, early summer shifted into midsummer.

Lady Calico returned one final time and reported to him, “Yan An hasn’t found any new evil demons for three days now. The ones we did find are all good-natured. Following your instructions, we've guided them to the forest’s edge to await departure when the time comes. The wicked demons are either completely eradicated or hiding.”

“No matter,” Song You replied calmly. “From today onward, you don't need to search any further. Even if some manage to slip through, there won't be many, and they won't be able to stir up trouble.”

“Understood!”

“You’ve both worked hard.”

“It wasn’t hard at all!”

Yet another night gradually descended.

Recently, the Qingtong Forest had become serene and clear, free of mist or haze, closely resembling the night of the winter solstice from that year.

But today was the summer solstice.

1. 鹿 Lu means “deer.” ☜

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l