Chapter 605: Lady Calico Is Truly Pitiful
The Daoist hadn’t stayed in Yundu for long. Most of the demons he exorcised were in remote mountain villages, far less convenient than the bustling Chama Road. In these times, news traveled slowly. Sometimes, just one mountain or village apart could mean entirely different tales.
And so it wasn’t until several days after the Daoist had left that news of the demons and evil spirits being eliminated outside Yundu gradually made its way into the city and reached the ears of the Zhu family.
By then, the Daoist was already well on his way to Zhao Commandery.
The sun had been shining brightly along the journey, warming the body so thoroughly there was no need for thick clothing. Now and then a breeze would pass, and one could feel the cool crispness of autumn. Even the clatter of the horse’s hooves seemed lighter and more cheerful.
Autumn had truly settled over the land.
The mountains beside the road still retained their greenery, though here and there, a few trees prone to turning early had already yellowed, standing out like golden accents on the green hills. The broad, flat lands between the mountains had been cultivated into rice fields. By this season, the rice had long been harvested, yet the golden stalks remained in the fields, dyeing the earth in autumn’s colors.
Neat clusters of white-walled, gray-tiled houses were scattered around the edges of the golden fields.
Bathed in sunlight, everything looked exquisite. This road, too, was a road of demon hunting.
The Daoist crossed one mountain after another, resting at the peaks with the wind in his hair, watching sunsets and stargazing. He passed many lakes, where he built fires to cook, washed clothes, and watched his young apprentice fish.
They begged water from locals whose language they didn’t understand, were sometimes chased by barking native dogs, exorcised demons in mountain forests, banished ghosts in ancient villages, took shelter from the rain in temples, and camped anywhere they felt like stopping.
Nine hundred li, and not even half completed in half a month.
Song You gradually discovered that his little apprentice had developed a strange habit.