Please support the translation by reading the translation and commenting on otakutl official site.
Thank you.
Everyone from Otaku Translation
Previous | TOC | Next |
Chapter 23: Spoiling My Reputation
Master Kong was taken aback.
He had long known that this cat was extraordinary, even if it hadn't become a deity, it had become a Yaoguai. When he discussed with it this morning, it fully understood human speech. But now, it was the first time he heard it speak.
A cat truly spoke.
Its pronunciation was clear, and its voice pleasant.
Knowing and actually witnessing were two vastly different things.
Aside from his surprise, Master Kong pondered over the words carefully. With a hint of pride in his heart, he looked at the eyeless wooden carving in front of him and the speaking cat. For some reason, he fell into contemplation again.
"Why not carve a pair of eyes on it?" The young man's words reached his ears.
"Why doesn't it have eyes?" The delicate voice further captivated Master Kong.
"It's already life-like without eyes, why add them?" Master Kong eventually set aside his carving knife.
"If it's already life-like without eyes, why not add them?" Song You followed up, using a questioning tone.
Master Kong remained silent for a long time before saying, "Young Master and Lady Calico are both extraordinary individuals, so I'll be frank with you." He bowed to Song You and then to the calico cat. "Yesterday, I lied both of you. The truth is, the incident of wooden carvings coming to life did occur, when I was forty years old. However, I am merely a craftsman. While this skill may bring fame, it disrupts the natural order. If used indiscriminately, it could result in chaos, with wooden figures roaming and wooden dogs barking everywhere."
"I see," Song You nodded lightly.
In fact, he had known last night. However, the old master treated him kindly, serving him delicacies and offering accommodation. He even mentioned gifting him wooden carvings. With such hospitality, how could Song You trouble the old master for more information just to broaden his knowledge?
As for this morning, it was his fate with Lady Calico.
"Moreover, when people see something rare, they tend to develop fear towards me, fearing me as a monster," Master Kong continued. After a brief pause, he sighed, "Therefore, since then, whenever something I carve shows signs of gaining the spiritual essence, I'll refrain from carving eyes on them. If outsiders come to visit, I simply dismiss it as a false rumor."
"Master's words make sense," Song You nodded, pausing for a moment. "But there's one point where I disagree."
"Which one?"
"Master is indeed a craftsman, but there's no need to underestimate oneself," Song You said to Master Kong. "Your skill is already divine. With this divine skill, you're no different from a divine being."
"Young Master, be cautious! The deities are listening!" Master Kong warned.
Song You just smiled. If this old master really possessed such ability, even if he was just a mortal, how many deities from the Heavenly Palace or buddhas from the Western Paradise could match him?
"Please add the eyes, Master."
"Then please don't be scared by it, Young Master."
"There is no need to worry, master. Although I grew up in the mountains, I'm familiar with the wonders of this world. I know each extraordinary skill represents the pinnacle achieved through exceptional talent and decades of relentless effort." As Song You spoke, he bowed respectfully. "With this divine skill, it shows that Master is at the peak in this field. I can only admire and respect it. How would I feel fear?"
"You are truly an extraordinary Young Master." Master Kong said then began to carve the eyes.
The wooden cat carving, originally lifelike, suddenly sprung to life before everyone's eyes. The entire process unfolded without any hint of the supernatural; it seemed as though the cat had always possessed life, and Master Kong simply brought it forth with his carving knife. Just like the previous carving process, as Lady Calico said, it was as if this lifelike wooden cat was already hidden within the wood, and Master Kong merely uncovered it with his carving knife.
Even with Song You's cultivation attainment level, he couldn't discern anything.
When the carving knife stopped, the wooden cat immediately started to move, turning its head, looking around, initially stiff but soon moving freely. After examining everyone in the room, it suddenly jumped off the wooden stump and darted outside like lightning.
"It ran away!" Lady Calico exclaimed.
"Quick! Stop it!" Master Kong also shouted in panic.
Only Song You remained calm and spoke towards its direction, "Please come back."
The wooden cat immediately stopped and glanced back when it heard Song You's call. Upon seeing it was Song You, it turned around and walked back towards them, just like a real cat responding to a familiar call, albeit slowly.
This cat was truly alive.
Song You could sense its vitality and its longing for freedom.
In the short time it approached, he could even see some parts of its body gradually transitioning from wood to fur, strand by strand, with faintly visible different colors. It seemed that it would soon become a cat that was indistinguishable from a real one.
Song You reached out to touch the wooden cat's head, feeling the texture of wood in his palm. Watching the cat's expression of enjoyment and its silent meowing, he remained pensive.
He was pondering a question that he had been considering for many years, yet had not found an answer to: What kind of world was this?
...
An hour later.
The wooden cat was indistinguishable from a real one; its fur and appearance were impeccable. Master Kong might have carved it based on Lady Calico's appearance, but he also had his own thoughts. Aside from striking resemblance to Lady Calico, the cat had almost nothing else in common with her. Even its strong desire for freedom was instilled by Master Kong.
Carpenters held a relatively high position among artisans, once art was involved, they would be admired by literati and scholars, elevating their status further. However, in this era, they were ultimately just artisans.
Coupled with various constraints such as societal norms and personal morals, Master Kong's divine skill could not be used casually.
Perhaps he also wished to have his own domain.
Because of this, after careful consideration, Song You did not take the cat with him. He initially thought of sending it back to Crouching Dragon Temple to accompany his master but gave up. Instead, he released it into the mountains behind the bamboo house.
"Go find your own paradise," Song You bid the cat farewell in a low voice.
Master Kong stood behind him, lost in thought, showing no signs of obstruction or reluctance. But Song You seemed to hear his inner thoughts.
The cat's freedom was his freedom.
As he watched the cat move away and enter the woods according to its wishes, he turned and bowed to Master Kong again. "The wonders witnessed today truly surpass any in my lifetime. This journey of mine has not only been fruitful but has also greatly enriched my own cultivation. I am deeply grateful to Master Kong for this. Please accept my gesture of gratitude."
One person calmly paid his respects deeply.
The other person woke up from his deep thoughts, hastily stopping the other person from bowing.
"Disturbing you for a day but being so well taken care of, I am truly ashamed. Now that I am satisfied, I should return," Song You paused for a moment. "As for the cat, Master, you need not worry. I have supplemented its missing spiritual essence. Even if another expert with cultivation attainment and expertise equal to or surpassing mine comes, they won't be able to tell that it was once a piece of wood."
Master Kong was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.
Song You just smiled and bowed again, "Farewell."
With that, he took the cat and left without looking back.
He had only arrived yesterday, and now he was returning, but this journey, though short, was extraordinarily wondrous.
If asked where the wonder lay, it couldn't be explained in words.
Song You himself pondered along the way back.
He was still thinking about that question.
There were countless paths to cultivation, but they all converged to the same goal. In the end, it was just about glimpsing and touching the essence of this world. Just like the successive temple masters of Crouching Dragon Temple, they each had their own abilities, and even the cultivation methods they practised were different. The only thing that remained the same was that they would all leave the temple and descend the mountain for various periods of time.
As for why?
Naturally, they sought to admire majestic landscapes, seek adventure and unique experiences, indulge in food, drink, and leisure, tackle all kinds of challenges, witness peace and stability, empathize with the struggles of life, and contemplate the world.
...
When Song You arrived at Yidu, it was already dark.
He entered through the north gate and had a bowl of noodles on the way. Passing by the pork stall, he saw some leftovers and bought a small piece of pork pancreas for Lady Calico. Yidu people didn't particularly like it, so it was sold cheaply, but Lady Calico seemed to like it.
Back in the courtyard, he stayed up all night.
He didn't do anything else; he just felt a vague sense of enlightenment in his heart. So, he sat under the yellow plum tree in the courtyard, contemplating the spiritual essence of nature, pondering his thoughts, and trying to grasp those elusive things in his mind.
Unknowingly, a night passed.
When Song You opened his eyes, it was early the next morning.
Looking up at the sky, he paused for a moment.
"It's the autumn equinox."
The equinox meant balance.
During the autumn equinox, day and night were almost equal in length all over the world, and the yin and yang energies were equally strong or weak. The spiritual essence in the world was harmonious, achieving a perfect balance, making it an extremely mystical time of the year.
Last night, Song You had indeed captured the subtleties between heaven and earth, as well as the harmonious spiritual essence.
Turning his head—
He saw Lady Calico sitting upright at the door of the bedroom, looking at him directly without any expression. It seemed she had been watching him for a while, but he didn't know for how long or what she was thinking.
Was she puzzled by his actions?
"Lady Calico," Song You waved to her.
Lady Calico immediately perked up as if awakened, stood up, bent down, arched her back, stuck out her tongue, stretched lazily, and then slowly walked towards him.
"What are you doing?" Lady Calico lazily asked, her voice extremely pleasant.
"Did Lady Calico sleep well last night?"
"Lady Calico didn't sleep last night."
"Why didn't you sleep?"
"Why didn't you sleep?"
"I didn't want to sleep."
"I wanted to see when you would sleep."
"I see." Song You smiled and nodded, then raised his hand. Instantly, a hint of spiritual energy floated in his palm, clean grass yellow, like a shooting star, with a hint of mystery, extremely mystical.
"Would Lady Calico like to transform into human form?"
"Lady Calico's cultivation attainment level is not sufficient for her to transform into human form yet."
"Does Lady Calico want to transform into human form?"
"Lady Calico wants to."
"Then I shall bestow upon Lady Calico the necessary cultivation attainment. However, I kindly ask her not to dodge it but to contemplate it carefully."
With a casual flick of his hand, Song You sent the spiritual essence resembling a shooting star flying towards Lady Calico, clearly visible even in broad daylight. If it were nighttime, it would surely appear even more beautiful.
"Lady Calico won't dodge… Huh?! What's going on? My body is dodging by herself!"
The calico cat unexpectedly jumped to the side, but the shooting star also turned, chasing after her relentlessly until it finally entered her forehead.
Seeing this, Song You showed a helpless expression.
Please vote for this novel at
If you would like to support this translation, you may choose any one of the options below.
How to find a list of chapters
Please find the chapter label next to your favorite translator's name, and click the label.
No comments:
Post a Comment