Chapter 325 - 318: A Sudden Vista of Mountain and Water

Song Ciwan’s gaze lingered for a moment on the strange leather pouch. Standing guard beside it was a performer with a face painted white. He seemed to sense her gaze and immediately turned his head, a nervous expression on his face.

As a result, it wasn’t just Song Ciwan who noticed him; one of his companions suddenly turned to look at him in surprise as well.

Gu Dazong, however, was rather unobservant. The shifting gazes didn’t affect him in the slightest; he was still chattering away with the Big White Goose in its own language.

Although the man and the goose didn’t share a language, they were somehow chatting up a storm, which was quite amusing.

Gu Dazong also invited Song Ciwan and the Big White Goose to get on the mule cart with him, but Song Ciwan politely refused.

The Big White Goose had no desire to ride in the cart either. It swaggered ahead of the mule cart, always staying one body-length ahead of the mule. Though the mule had four legs, it couldn’t outrun the two-legged goose. For this reason, the Big White Goose’s smugness and pride were written all over its face.

Gu Dazong was even more impressed. "What a fine goose! An incredible physique! It must be an excellent guard goose!"

The Big White Goose raised its head and puffed out its chest, honking joyfully, "HONK HONK HONK!"

Song Ciwan seemed to drift along beside the Big White Goose as if taking a leisurely stroll. Seeing it so happy, a faint smile couldn’t help but appear on her face.

As for the strange performer and that odd leather pouch, Song Ciwan kept a part of her mind on them, secretly paying attention.

The group walked at a brisk pace, and soon, the village ahead came clearly into view.

The small village was nestled between several forested mountains. The mountains were connected, and at their feet, countless river channels snaked and wound.

In some places, these river channels were as wide as ponds; in others, as narrow as a jade belt. Between the crisscrossing channels, the diligent people had reclaimed one patch of paddy field after another.

In the paddy fields, new rice had been planted, and the short grass was like velvet. At a glance, it was hard to tell where the fields ended and the water began.

At the foot of the distant mountains, houses were scattered about, with smoke from kitchen chimneys curling into the air.

The midday sun seemed to sprinkle golden dust as it drifted down from the sky. The water’s surface reflected the golden light, making the village seem as if it were floating on a mirror.

It was impossible to tell if the mountains were in the water, or the water was in the mountains.

Nor could one tell if the village was like a painting, or if a village from a painting had appeared in the Mortal World.

For a moment, the Big White Goose leading the way was completely dumbstruck.

The poor goose. Ever since it was born, it had either been raised in the city, where its entire world was just a small, four-cornered courtyard...

...or it had been slumbering in a Spirit Beast Bag. And while its Demonic Power grew as it slept, it was... it was... nothing compared to this moment!

Why was it nothing compared to this? In what way was it nothing? The Big White Goose didn’t know.

It only knew that in this moment, having followed Song Ciwan down the road and suddenly laying eyes upon this beautiful landscape, the joy in its chest suddenly overflowed.

It flapped its wings and charged joyfully toward the village ahead.

"HONK HONK HONK! KRONK KRONK KRONK!" It ran with great strides, THUMP THUMP THUMP, rushing up to a few children playing at the village entrance. It raised its head and let out a volley of honks at them. After scaring a few of the children to tears, it squawked "GACK GACK," and half-flew, half-ran with a WHOOSH back to Song Ciwan’s side.

At the village entrance, a child cried, "WAAAH! The big goose is eating people! It’s so scary! Dad, Mom, save me! *Sob sob sob*..."

Other children cheered, "Grand Uncle is back! Grand Uncle really brought back an opera troupe! We can watch a show! Yay! Our village gets to see a show too!"

Some children scurried back into the village, calling for their friends and shouting for their parents.

"Sandan, Sizhu, come out and see the opera troupe!"

"Dad, Mom, Third Uncle, Little Aunt, come see the show!"

"Run, run! That big goose is a monster! Monsters eat people... *sob sob sob*!"

"What’s there to be afraid of, you coward! How could it be a monster? Why would Grand Uncle bring a monster back? You’re scared, but I’m not! I’m going to see the big goose!"

...

Another group of children swarmed over toward Gu Dazong and his party with a great clamor.

Then, the children all started talking at once, asking, "Grand Uncle, is this the opera troupe you invited? Are we setting up the stage this afternoon?"

"Grand Uncle, can the people from Upper Willow Village come here to watch the show? Will you let them?"

"Where did this goose come from? It’s so big and majestic! Can I pet it?"

The Big White Goose honked, "HONK HONK." For the child who praised its majesty, it flapped its wings, kicking up a gust of wind that gently lifted the child about three inches off the ground.

Although it was only three inches off the ground, the sudden lift from the wind still gave the child a strange sensation of weightlessness.

The child was stunned. A moment later, he shouted with delight, "I’m flying! The big goose made me fly! Hahaha! Flying is so much fun...!"

The whole village entrance erupted in excitement. Song Ciwan also benefited from the Big White Goose’s popularity and was warmly and respectfully invited into the village by the villagers who came rushing over.

The villagers’ logic was straightforward: since the Big White Goose that Song Ciwan brought with her clearly had spirituality and even played with children, then this Female Cultivator couldn’t possibly be a bad person.

However, most people’s attention was still on the opera troupe.

Gu Dazong said, "We’ll build the stage this afternoon. Tomorrow, tomorrow our family will host an all-day banquet and have the opera run all day long!"

"Wow! We get to feast and watch a show!" the children cheered even louder.

The villagers discussed among themselves, "As expected of the Gu Family. Both his sons are Martial Masters at the Town’s martial arts hall. The family is so well-off! An all-day banquet and an opera troupe... Gu Dazong is too good to his young daughter."

"Sigh, after all, an old Taoist priest read her fortune. He said the girl was born with good fortune and that with a young daughter, their family’s future would surely become more and more prosperous. With a precious treasure like that, how could Gu Dazong not dote on her?"

"That’s true..."

Song Ciwan listened to the discussions with half an ear. Gradually, she learned all about the various affairs of Gu Dazong’s extended family, as well as all the old and new gossip of Gu Family Village.

Yes, the village gossip was just that unrestrained and wild.

Song Ciwan had previously only known that Gu Family Village was located at the junction of Cangling County and Fengling County. Through this conversation, however, she learned the full picture. Although it was called a junction, one actually had to pass Gu Family Village and travel another hundred li north to reach the Celestial Dragon Mountain. This mountain range snaked across the land for a full ten thousand li. Only after crossing it would one truly be in Fengling County.

In other words, the true border between the two counties was Celestial Dragon Mountain.

On Celestial Dragon Mountain, there was an official road called the Celestial Road by the locals. It passed through treacherous mountain terrain and had been built by the Great Zhou Government Office to ensure the smooth passage of official decrees, forming a miraculous route.

Hearing this, Song Ciwan secretly decided on her path forward.

That afternoon, she joined in the lively bustle in the village, helping the villagers build the stage and chatting about all sorts of folk tales.

During this time, she also collected a scattered total of eight clusters of human desires. None of them were very heavy, with the largest weighing just over nine taels. Because they were the desires of mortals, one tael could at most be exchanged for one day of Cultivation time. It could only be said that it was better than nothing.

Meanwhile, the Big White Goose had become one with the village children, and it was having a wonderful time playing.

In the evening, Song Ciwan sat by the edge of the stage. She idly listened to the people’s wild, rambling conversations while watching the Big White Goose frolic with the children in the open space ahead. Suddenly, she felt she understood the meaning of Traveling.

’The Sutra of Sitting and Forgetting... it comes from the mortal world, and to the mortal world it must return.’

’If one never witnesses the mortal world, how can one ever transcend it?’

That night, Song Ciwan stayed at Gu Dazong’s home.

The Big White Goose shared a room with her. When it was time to sleep, Song Ciwan slept on the bed while it voluntarily squatted by the bedside, very seriously fulfilling its duty as a "house guard."

After Midnight passed, Song Ciwan had a new opportunity to make a trade. As usual, she first traded five portions of Demon Spirit Malice, adding another ten thousand years to her Lifespan.

With that, her remaining Lifespan now exceeded thirty thousand years.

After increasing her Lifespan, the shell of Song Ciwan’s ear suddenly twitched slightly. She heard an unusual sound from outside, behind Gu Dazong’s house.