Unintended Immortality-Chapter 322: Heading Toward the Tiger’s Mountain

Jinhe County had long been infamous for its abundance of tigers. The land teemed with them.

This was, in part, a consequence of war.

After warfare, the population dwindled. With fewer people, vegetation flourished unchecked, and the beasts—tigers, leopards, wolves, and the like—returned to reclaim the lands they had been driven from. Even demons and monsters became more prevalent.

After peace was restored to the Great Yan, many parts of Guangzhou saw their tiger and leopard infestations eradicated. Yet in Jinhe County, with its abundant mountains and forests, the problem persisted.

At its peak, it was said that tigers and leopards roamed in packs through towns and villages, day and night, undeterred by human presence. Some accounts claimed the animals had become so numerous that they abandoned their solitary habits, forming groups that boldly wandered the streets during daylight, unfazed by humans.

Whether this was exaggeration or truth, the sheer scale of the problem was undeniable. At the very least, there must have been bold tigers that ventured into the town from time to time.

Eventually, a tiger achieved sentience and proclaimed itself king of the mountains. It no longer descended to hunt humans personally but sent other tigers to capture and deliver its prey.

Several attempts by government troops to eliminate it proved futile.

The Daoist steadily made his way into Jinhe County. Ahead, a city gradually came into view.

The cat trotted ahead as usual, but she suddenly stopped by the roadside, craning her neck to peer through the tall grass. Her expression shifted between disdain and shock, as she stood frozen in place.

When the Daoist and his horse approached from behind, they passed her without stopping. Turning around, the Daoist glanced into the grass and spotted a rare pile of droppings.

Neither he nor the horse paid it any further mind.

The cat wrinkled its nose and finally withdrew its gaze. It then looked up at the sky and, seeing that its scout had not issued a warning, concluded that everything was fine. Feeling a bit more at ease, it quickly turned and followed after them.

Still, even with a sense of calm, the cat understood the principle of being prepared. Breaking into a trot, she ran up to the horse, her sharp eyes scanning their surroundings.

Seeing no one, she leapt gracefully into the air. Her limbs stretched wide in a show of elegant agility before—poof!—a burst of black smoke enveloped her. When she landed, she had transformed into a young girl dressed in a summer outfit of three colors.

She extended her hand toward the saddlebag on the horse’s back.

“Swish...”

A small flag flew out of the bag and landed in her palm. She tucked it into her clothing, her sense of security greatly improved.

Ahead, the city gates came into view.

Guarding the entrance were soldiers, led by two experienced veterans. Behind them stood several well-built men in armor, armed with long spears, their posture alert and watchful.

As the Daoist approached, their attention turned to him.

Traveling through so many regions, he had become accustomed to inspections at city gates, especially in the northern areas where unrest was common. Such precautions—aimed at guarding against thieves and rooting out demons or spirits—were routine. Fully understanding this, the Daoist reached into his robe mid-approach and presented his ordination certificate with both hands.

“I am a wandering Daoist from Yizhou, passing through on my travels. May I trouble you for passage?”

“A wandering Daoist...”

One of the older guards took the permit and began to examine it closely, his experienced eyes frequently shifting to glance at the young girl by the Daoist's side and the horse following behind.

Among the common folk, there were many methods for discerning demons and ghosts, most of which relied on experience rather than actual spells or magic. The extraordinary nature of the jujube-red horse was evident at a glance, and the young girl’s striking beauty was similarly unusual. Experienced folk experts could instantly sense something amiss, and so could seasoned gate guards like these veterans.

However, Song You’s Daoist robes and the exceptional quality of his ordination certificate made it difficult for the guard to make a clear judgment.

“This...”

“She is my attendant,” Song You explained calmly. “Her name is Lady Calico, and she has accompanied me on my travels for six years now.”

“Attendant...”

“Indeed.”

“Dare I ask, sir... this attendant of yours...”

“She is not human,” Song You admitted, his tone steady. “But she has never done harm.”

“Gasp...”

A wave of tension rippled through the soldiers behind the gate.

The veteran guard furrowed his brows.

If it were an ordinary case of a demon or ghost trying to sneak into the city and getting caught, they naturally wouldn't show any mercy. However, since the individual carried this official document, it meant they were a highly skilled cultivator. And for such a person to take in a demon as an attendant was something often heard of in stories. Naturally, they couldn't just kill them outright.

But whether they should let them in or not became a difficult decision for him to make.

He instinctively turned to the other veteran guard for counsel.

To his surprise, the second guard was staring intently at the Daoist, the jujube-red horse, and the young girl. He leaned closer to examine the ordination certificate, focusing on the name written upon it. Slowly, his eyes grew wider and wider.

“Mr. Li, is there something wrong? Why do you look like that?” the first veteran guard asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

The soldiers behind them grew tense as well.

But the guard surnamed Li ignored him, keeping his eyes fixed on the Daoist as he cupped his hands in respect and asked, “Sir, might your disciple here be a calico cat that has taken human form?”

The first guard blinked in surprise, as if suddenly remembering something.

The Daoist returned the gesture politely and replied, “She is indeed.”

“Then... Might I ask, sir... Are you Mr. Song from Hezhou and Yanzhou?”

At these words, everyone froze in place.

“I did pass through those regions,” the Daoist replied, his tone calm as ever.

The guards' eyes widened in unison.

“Ah! It’s truly an immortal! An immortal has arrived—the tiger demon in Jinhe County will surely be vanquished now!”

“Immortal, forgive us! If we offended you earlier, it was out of caution. You see, Jinhe County has been plagued by ferocious tigers for years. The mountains are ruled by the Mountain Lord, under whom many lesser tigers have gained sentience.

“We've had to guard the city strictly because the tiger demons, unable to prey on people outside the walls, often disguise themselves as travelers or control ghostly minions to sneak into the city and capture humans to eat. Over the years, we’ve encountered merchants, Daoists, monks, and even officials passing through on their way to appointments—all of whom turned out to be tiger demons in disguise...”

“There’s no need for such formalities, and the title of ‘immortal’ is undeserved,” Song You replied quickly, shaking his head. Then, he continued, “I came here precisely because I heard about the tiger problem. I wanted to see it for myself.”

“Now that an immortal is here, we’re saved!”

“But I do have a few questions for you captains,” Song You said calmly.

“Please, ask away, Immortal!”

“While guarding this gate, have any of you seen a swordsman? He’s tall, weathered by the elements, with a slightly dark complexion, carrying a sword in a black lacquered scabbard, and accompanied by a black horse. He might have also come here to deal with the tiger demon.”

The guards exchanged uncertain glances.

“There was indeed such a man,” the guard surnamed Li replied, cupping his hands. “With the tiger menace, the county magistrate sealed all the gates except this one. That swordsman entered through here some time ago. He said he’d already dealt with many demons in Guangzhou last year and asked us about the tiger demon’s whereabouts.”

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“And then?”

“He went off to look for the tiger demon,” the guard surnamed Li continued. “But after that, he never returned again.”

“That must’ve been more than two weeks ago now,” another veteran guard added with a sigh. “We don’t know if he found the tiger demon or not. The tiger demon is no easy opponent, and, well... who knows.” He sighed again, a note of pity in his voice for the young swordsman.

At this moment, a younger soldier behind them, clutching a long spear, couldn’t help but interject, “With the tiger problem, we’ve hardly seen outsiders in recent years. But I’ve also heard of that swordsman. He seems to be quite famous. I heard he went up to Mount Zhubei to look for the tiger demon, but it seems he came back down.”

“Oh?” Song You immediately turned to him.

The young soldier, a bit flustered, lowered his head respectfully and answered, “That’s just what I heard, sir. It happened a few days ago. Someone saw the swordsman descending from the mountain, but he looked terribly beaten up—his clothes were in tatters, and his body covered in wounds. He rode on his horse, and even his horse was injured.

“It seemed he was heading east. He probably had a rough encounter with the tiger demon.”

“I see.” Song You nodded.

“It's only what I've heard,” the young soldier added quickly.

“No matter, thank you,” Song You replied with a smile. “Did I hear correctly that the mountain plagued by the tiger demon is called Mount Zhubei?”

“Yes, Immortal,” the soldier answered. “We have many deep mountains around here, and tigers can be found in all of them. But Mount Zhubei is the tallest and largest, with the densest forests. They say the tiger demon frequents that mountain the most.”

“How might I get there?”

“Immortal, if you circle around the city to the south gate and follow the road from there, travel about forty or fifty li, you'll see the highest and largest mountain. It looks like the back of a pig—that's Mount Zhubei[1].”

“Thank you.”

“Not at all, sir, it is my honor.”

“Would you like to enter the city to rest and recover, Immortal? We could inform the county magistrate to welcome and host you properly,” the veteran guard who first spoke asked.

“I am no immortal, just a wandering Daoist,” Song You replied with a smile. “I came for the tiger demon, and now that I have the information I sought, I won't trouble the magistrate or enter the city. Farewell.”

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and turned to leave.

“Safe travels, Immortal!” Everyone bowed, then exchanged glances with one another.

As the Daoist walked away, the jujube-red horse followed obediently, and the little girl occasionally turned back to look at them. Her clear, bright eyes and delicate, adorable appearance made it evident she was no ordinary child.

The Daoist's demeanor was every bit as remarkable as the legends described.

Once he was out of sight, the guards began to whisper among themselves.

Some discussed the “Immortal Song,” while others speculated about the tiger demon. Eventually, their conversation shifted back to the swordsman.

Everyone asked the young soldier if he had lied, but the young soldier naturally didn’t dare to. They then continued discussing that swordsman, who, despite being seen only once, left an impression of boundless chivalry.

Some speculated that the numerous demon slayers and veteran hunters who had ventured into the mountain to slay the tiger demon had all perished, and that the young swordsman must have met a similar fate.

Others argued that the swordsman, with his unparalleled demeanor, had promised resolutely at the city gate that the tiger demon would be slain once he ascended the mountain. His calm, steady words didn’t sound like a lie.

And now, it seemed he might even be acquainted with the so-called immortal. Despite returning injured, he had come back alive—perhaps the tiger demon had indeed fallen to his sword or, at the very least, been wounded.

Yet another group contended that tigers without sentience were already formidable opponents for most ordinary jianghu martial artists. A tiger demon, having gained sentience, was far beyond the abilities of any mere swordsman to challenge—especially one capable of commanding the other wild tigers in the region.

Perhaps the swordsman hadn’t even encountered the tiger demon but had simply stumbled across a few wandering wild tigers, resulting in his injuries.

Some even doubted whether the injured swordsman sighted at the foot of the mountain was the same renowned swordsman surnamed Shu. Maybe it was someone else entirely.

This debate occupied the guards for the better part of the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Song You followed the instructions given by the city guards. He circled to the south gate and walked along a grassy dirt road for half a day until he reached the dense, towering forest of Mount Zhubei. The mountain ridge was indeed shaped like the back of a pig.

1. Zhubei literally means a pig’s back. ☜