Otaku Translation: The Unintentional Path to Immortality Chapter 35

Please support the translation by reading the translation and commenting on otakutl official site.

Thank you.

Everyone from Otaku Translation

Stepping out of the door, he saw Luo, the head constable, standing at the edge of the bamboo grove. Presumably, Lady Calico had opened the door for him and let him in. He stroked the mane of his horse while engaged in conversation with a young girl by his side. Mostly, it was the girl asking questions, to which he responded.

"Do you also have horses at your home?"

"No, we don't have horses at home, but the administrative office does. When needed, we can go and get them."

"Many?"

"If we're talking about the administrative office, not many. But there are plenty at the post stations. In urgent situations, depending on the circumstances, we can borrow them temporarily."

"Are they better than my horse?"

"Well..." Luo hesitated for a moment.

Song You found it slightly surprising how familiar Lady Calico seemed to be with Head Constable Luo. It reminded him of the pet cats he had encountered in his past life: when they were in a good mood, they would eagerly play with guests, but when they were in a bad mood, they would just lie there without moving.

Lady Calico was in a very good mood today.

Seeing Song You coming out, Luo, the head constable, finally escaped from the curious gaze of Lady Calico and immediately turned to face Song You, bowing respectfully: "Good morning, Master."

"Good morning, Head Constable."

"This morning, I arrived with good news for you, master," Luo explained. "I came early, but seeing you still asleep, I planned to wait until noon before sharing it. However, your acolyte insisted on letting me in to see the horse you bought. So, I took the liberty of entering and waiting for you to wake up."

"It was a gift from other people." Lady Calico corrected immediately.

"Oh?"

"It was a gift from a fellow daoist at the Temple of Blessed Clarity on Mount Qingcheng. Our temples have been friends for generations," Song You explained in a low voice. “It arrived only last night, and I felt it impolite to decline, so I had no choice but to graciously accept it."

"I see." Luo continued to look at the horse. "Northern Yuan horses are known for their quality, and this one is no exception; it's a purebred. However, it appears to have some congenital issues, which explain its small stature."

"It's enough for us."

"Perhaps this horse, too, can embark on the path of enlightenment by remaining by your side, master."

"..." Song You shook his head, knowing that most praises from others were just polite compliments. He asked, "The good news you mentioned, is it that the thief who stole money from people yesterday has been caught?"

"Yes! It’s all thanks to you, master." Luo bowed in gratitude.

As he recalled what happened, a rush of emotions swept over him, leaving him both blushing and secretly astonished at this moment. Half of his blush stemmed from excitement, while the other half swelled with pride.

The theft of silver ingots yesterday had some similarities to the previous case of an underground-fleeing thief; most of the victims were wealthy families in the city, and the amount of money lost was significant. Cases of this nature were far from trivial. In the past, it would have been considered commendable to solve them within three to five months under normal circumstances, but they often risked becoming cold cases. However, no one could have anticipated that just last night, they apprehended the thieves red-handed.

What was even more exciting and gratifying was that these thieves would not have committed crimes only in Yidu; after some investigation, it was likely that they would solve similar theft cases in Yangzhou, the capital city.

How great an achievement would this be?

As for the astonishment, it had to do with the process of solving the case.

Last night, guided by Master Song, he divided his team into two groups: one to apprehend the tricksters from the martial arts world, and the other to thoroughly inspect nearby places suitable for hiding or accommodating individuals. Both teams proceeded with urgency.

Even though the temple fair and night market had not yet ended, those people had already packed up and were ready to flee.

It was only one day, but they were already running, showing their caution.

Seeing that their efforts were about to be in vain, something miraculous happened—

Thunder in winter, lightning on a clear night!

And the bolts of lightning somehow managed to heavily injure that group of people instead of killing them.

When Luo and his men arrived, they caught them all red-handed effortlessly.

If they were to stroll through the temple fair now, most people would probably be discussing last night's events. Not only today, but even tomorrow and in the years to come, there would likely be legends circulating in the temple fair about Lord Yue punishing the temple fair thieves with lightning bolts.

But was it really true?

Luo didn't think so.

The temple fair hosted at the Temple of Lord Yue was the largest temple fair in Yizhou. Over the past few days, who knew how many sneaky pickpockets had been prowling around. There were also plenty of shady characters from the underworld, armed and ready for trouble. But did anyone see Lord Yue strike someone down with a lightning bolt?

Saying that it had nothing to do with Master Song, he wouldn't believe it.

It must have been after Master Song pointed it out to him and anticipated that those thieves would flee, so he found a way to summon lightning bolts to stop them.

Last night, when the county magistrate asked him, he said the same thing, and he still remembered the magistrate's and his assistant's expressions at that time.

Just as shocked as he had been earlier.

But he still had to report to Master Song.

Luo continued to speak in detail, observing Master Song's expression discreetly as he spoke.

He saw Master Song’s smile immediately upon hearing about the thunder in winter, but there was a deep meaning hidden in that smile that he couldn't understand.

Song You simply said, "It's good that they're caught."

"I wouldn’t dare to disappoint you, master." Luo quickly bowed his head.

After a pause, he added, "I still need to interrogate those thieves, so I won't disturb your morning routine."

"Alright, head constable." Song You turned to go and freshen up.

Later, he went to the bamboo grove to see the horse. The horse remained calm, chewing on some alfalfa beside it, which was good quality feed brought by the head constable.

"Hmm..." Song You shook his head and caressed the horse with his hand.

"Do you want to stay at the administrative office’s stable for a while, or stay here? There are dedicated people at the government office to take care of you, perhaps better than I can, but staying here, I also won't neglect you."

“...”

"Alright, you can stay here then."

...

After breakfast, someone came to visit again.

It was Daoists WindResponse and EmergingCloud, inviting him to go to the temple fair together. The Daoists from the Temple of Blessed Clarity wanted him to join them.

Since Song You also had some things to buy, he agreed to accompany them.

So, a group of genuine Daoists, along with one fake Daoist, arrived at the streets near the Temple of Lord Yue. The surrounding sounds were tumultuous, with passersby all wearing expressions of excitement. Their eagerness to share and their thirst for knowledge were evident on their faces. It was as if they had just heard something extraordinary and were eager to hear more details, or perhaps they already knew and were impatient to divulge the information.

"What happened?" a middle-aged Daoist asked curiously.

The younger Daoist, being more lively, approached a group of people discussing eagerly. When he returned, he pieced together bits of information.

"I heard it was the divine manifestation."

"They say lightning bolts struck the thieves."

"Some say someone lost something..."

The middle-aged Daoist couldn't catch it all, feeling annoyed, but it was a good opportunity to strike up a conversation with Song You. "Dao Friend Song, have you heard about this divine manifestation?"

It was just a casual question, but he didn’t expect to see Song You nod his head.

"I just heard about it this morning."

"Oh?"

The other Daoists immediately perked up their ears.

"Just yesterday, there were some thieves here using unusual methods to steal money from people. They were noticed by the Yidu constables, who later came to apprehend them. As the thieves were about to escape, Lord Yue intervened and struck them down with lightning bolts."

"Really?"

"It shouldn't be false."

"Then it truly is divine manifestation," the middle-aged Daoist hastily said. "We should go to the temple and offer some incense."

"That's appropriate." Song You also went to light incense again.

But Lord Yue wasn't present today.

They then continued to explore the temple fair.

The Daoists wanted to buy some daily necessities for the temple, but only those that were not easily available in the town below the mountain. Song You bought a bell for his chestnut horse, as well as items such as a small pot and a straw raincoat that would be useful for future travels.

They also took the opportunity to watch some magic performances again.

These Daoists had visited friends and discussed Dao yesterday, so today was their first time exploring the temple fair. Even if they came every year, it was only once a year, so the young ones were naturally excited and reluctant to leave. Fortunately, the seniors in their temple were patient and often waited outside for them or followed along to watch.

Most of these performers from the martial arts world did have some skills.

Years of practice were evident, and their mystical techniques were impressive.

It was all worth seeing.

Especially these mystical techniques, the young Daoists were particularly excited about.

While Daoists had temples and looked more formal, they were not necessarily superior to these wandering performers.

Mystical techniques held no hierarchy and were incredibly challenging to master. Many of the skills passed down through generations by these folk performers might not have been found in temples and monasteries. Even if such techniques existed in temples and monasteries, most folk performers, who dedicated their entire lives to mastering a single skill, might not have been outmatched by the monks and Daoists residing there. In fact, if they could endure the tranquility and find solace in a temple for cultivation, obtaining recognition with their skills wouldn't have been difficult.

Only talent and effort could make a difference.

So they continued strolling from morning until dusk.

When it was getting dark, the temple fair today was different from yesterday, with many black tents added. Some were large, some small, and there were people at the entrance collecting money. Once one paid, one could enter.

The older Daoists had seen this a few times, but the younger ones had never seen it. Thinking that the tickets weren't expensive, they went in one by one to see what was inside.

Some of the tents housed rare and exotic items, such as peacocks with jet-black feathers, white leopards, and giant lingzhi mushrooms said to be a thousand years old. Some were truly eye-opening, while others were purely deceptive, taking advantage of people's ignorance to swindle them.

There were constant exclamations and comments around them.

Some tents displayed various grotesque and terrifying exhibits.

Moving corpses, people with only the upper half of their bodies left, and even pig-human hybrids.

Under the dark night sky, many people came in groups to watch, revealing their fear and fascination with these eerie exhibits. Some even seemed to become more excited the more scary they were.

Daoist EmergingCloud was a woman, often feeling frightened, covering her eyes. Even Daoist WindResponse, though a man, often showed a look of reluctance, wanting to leave early.

As they went further into the tents, Daoist EmergingCloud refused to go any further. It just so happened that Song You didn't want Lady Calico to see these things either, so he asked her to wait outside with Lady Calico.

But he remained calm, observing and contemplating as he watched both the the exhibition and the spectators,

Observing human nature and pondering the human heart in this manner also left him with a faint sense of gain.

The last tent, however, housed an explicit exhibition. Entry required only a few copper coins. Unaware of its nature beforehand, one would only discover upon entering the tent that amidst flickering candlelight lay women in various states of undress.

Of course, they lacked the graceful curves and exquisite features, but they served as fodder for the wandering male gazes. Almost all who entered were men—some sneaking glances discreetly, others pointing and laughing in small groups. Some, unaware of what they were getting into, hurriedly left, while the bolder ones even dared to reach out and touch.

Seeing a group of Daoists enter, there were many mocking remarks.

"So Daoist masters, you also enjoy these?"

"Master, where do you practise cultivation?"

"Lust truly is human nature, haha!"

The middle-aged Daoist masters, with their high cultivation attainment, merely smiled in response, paying no heed.

The young Daoist masters, however, blushed with embarrassment, keeping their heads down and avoiding eye contact. They regretted not clarifying things before entering and just wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

As for Song You, he remained composed, casting his gaze more often toward the audience.

This was how society was, but it couldn't be used to judge the morality of these spectators. Whether their behavior was unrestrained or restrained, it could only reflect their recent character and thoughts.

If one were to inquire about the nature of these individuals, the answer would be that they were simply ordinary people.

Please vote for this novel at

https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-unintentional-path-to-immortality/

If you would like to support this translation, you may choose any one of the options below.

Tier 1: 2 Advance chapters

Access fee $3.00 Monthly