14. The Savage Beast
State affairs cannot be shirked.
The magistrate repeatedly assured them that not a single monk from Clear Spring Temple would be allowed to escape.
With words spoken to this extent, Zhao Jia could find no retort.
...
“Ah!”
Big Mouth leapt up.
“Are we brothers going with Chief Zhao for the escort?”
Zhao Jia nodded.
Tap.
Old Cheng knocked the bowl of his dry tobacco pipe against his shoe sole, shaking out the ash. Squinting, he said, “I'm afraid that by the time you return, Clear Spring Temple will have already been raided.”
“Who will the magistrate send?”
“It has to be his brother-in-law.”
The lean bailiff chimed in, complaining, “What sin have we brothers committed, working as constables but paid as prison guards? The journey is eight hundred miles—who knows how many bandits lie in wait along the road, and the tigers are rampant everywhere, devouring people.”
Listening to their grievances, Zhao Jia replied, “There’s money in it.”
“How much?”
“Two taels each.”
“Go? Of course we’ll go!”
A smile broke across Zhao Jia’s face as he asked, “Where’s the cat?”
The others’ expressions stiffened.
“...”
“No matter; it’s none of your concern,” Zhao Jia said, unconcerned.
The black cat had become a spirit; it could take care of itself, and if it wished to leave, no one could stop it.
“Pack your things, prepare provisions, sharpen your weapons—we depart in three days.” Zhao Jia had no intention of taking all eight bailiffs, only four, leaving the rest behind, and would select ten or so from the constables.
The remainder would surely be soldiers, those from Meilan County.
The two powerful crossbows needed the assistance of the barracks soldiers to guard.
...
Jin Sheng stepped out from the county prison.
On the road, he retrieved the clothes he had buried earlier, and in an instant transformed from a prisoner into an ordinary citizen.
He arrived at the southern edge of town, glanced about, then slipped into a secluded, narrow alley.
Knock, knock.
The alley’s door creaked open a sliver. The interior was dim, and no figure could be discerned. Jin Sheng merely paused briefly before slipping inside.
Clang.
The door closed.
Lu Xun, crouched atop the wall, narrowed his golden eyes and quietly followed.
...
In the main hall sat a Daoist priest, nearing thirty, flanked by two sturdy men.
The Daoist spoke, “Have you investigated everything?”
“All investigated,” Jin Er replied, for it was this man he served.
The Daoist’s name was Xu Hong, a man of skill, rumored to summon wind and mist.
He had thoroughly probed Meilan County’s yamen.
Jin Er hastily reported all the news.
“The warden of Meilan is an old scholar, never concerned with prison affairs; everything falls to Zhao Jia. That Zhao Jia is no simple man. I deftly maneuvered him into going to Clear Spring Temple, thinking he would be easily handled, but he not only quietly brought his wife home, even the temple showed not the slightest disturbance.”
“Strength aside, such skill is truly formidable.”
---
The Daoist turned to the burly man on his right: “Xiong Tao, what do you think of his martial arts?”
Xiong Tao pondered, “Hard to judge without a bout. I hear he’s practiced the ‘Essentials of Martial Training’ for twenty years. Even if it lacks internal methods, twenty years is enough to make him an adept. With a broadsword in hand, few dare approach.”
The gaunt man on the left said, “Why not lure him out and finish him together?”
Xu Hong waved his hand, signaling, “No need. However skilled, anyone surrounded will perish. If we act now, we’ll only arouse suspicion from the authorities. Should they send a heavy escort, our chances will dwindle.”
Xiong Tao admired, “This time, we strike on the Xunyang River, send them all to feed the fish beneath the waves, with not a trace left. Even if the authorities investigate, they’ll find nothing.”
They all lowered their voices in laughter.
Jin Er chimed in.
“The scent seems off.”
Jin Er hesitated for a moment.
There were four men gathered, himself included—so how could a woman’s voice be heard?
Following the sound, in the shadows he vaguely saw a graceful woman. Her silhouette was faint, as if she had melted into the darkness beside the hall.
The moment he saw her, Jin Er shivered.
A wild, terrifying thought arose in his heart.
“Who?!”
The Daoist sprang up, pulling a bronze mirror from his sleeve and flashing it toward the woman.
On the beam above, a nearly four-foot-long black cat glowed with golden beast eyes.
The tense crowd immediately relaxed.
“What a big black cat.”
“So it’s just a civet.”
“A false alarm!”
They all marveled at the size of the cat, and the Daoist put away his mirror.
‘It’s that one!’
Jin Er concealed his astonishment. He remembered this big black cat—it had scratched the inspector’s cat, creating the chaos that let him escape. Never had he imagined that the big black cat would follow him here.
Thinking of those bailiffs’ attempts to probe the cat, cold sweat ran down his back.
A monster?
He wanted to speak, but caution held him back; he dared not reveal everything.
If they knew the black cat had followed him, his fate would likely be grim.
A cat is just a cat.
It cannot speak.
Why invite trouble and frighten oneself needlessly?
After a while, Jin Er was sent to continue his surveillance. The others dispersed, busy with unknown affairs.
All for their grand scheme, no doubt.
The black cat, Lu Xun, his golden eyes flickering, had also been startled by the woman. That feeling—like being stared at by a venomous snake—left him unsettled.
Clearly, there had only been four people in the hall, yet when he twitched his tail, the mysterious woman called him out.
The habits of the body are powerful.
When he thinks, his tail moves first.
Just as a man, once deep in thought, unconsciously jiggles his leg, Lu Xun could not control his body at every moment.
‘That person—’
‘Is she a ghost?’
Lu Xun hesitated for a long time, but decided to follow. He had never seen a ghost in his long life.
Besides, what ill intent could an old cat have? If a ghost wanted to harm him, it would have to test whether its claws and fangs were as sharp as his.
Leaving the city, Lu Xun trailed the woman from afar.
A hundred meters out.
Following closely, Lu Xun suddenly stopped.
---
His fur bristled, ears flattened.
Lu Xun arched his back, pupils narrowed. A rich, overwhelming smell of blood filled the air. His body instinctively recoiled—a pungent stench of urine mingled with the blood, a primal fear embedded deep in his genes.
Lu Xun had no idea who owned that urine scent, but terror seeped through his body.
The woman stopped at the edge of darkness, fixed her gaze on the black cat, slowly crouched, and beckoned, “Old cat, old cat, come here, come.”
Lu Xun dared not approach, retreating slowly, intent on escaping the zone of terror.
Roar!
A thunderous, low growl shook the night.
From the darkness, a pair of gigantic golden eyes hovered above the crouched woman.
Lu Xun inhaled sharply.
He sucked in so hard his chest ached.
“Damn!”
But all he uttered was a meow.
Flee or die—he bolted.
Roar!
A white-browed, yellow-striped tiger leapt from the darkness behind the woman.
A predator’s hunt—a leap of twenty feet.
A rush of fierce wind, reeking of blood, flooded toward him.
Lu Xun dared not look back.
“Cat, run!”
“...”
“Cat, run!”
“Where’s a tree—a big tree?!”
Sprinting wildly, Lu Xun felt death looming behind, desperately searching for tall woods to hide.
But in this ancient world, unlike modern times, the trees surrounding the county had long been chopped down for daily use; not even a sapling remained.
Only a few meters from the county wall, the tiger’s claws grazed Lu Xun.
A mere brush threw the nearly four-foot cat off balance, tumbling him forward.
The wall loomed ahead, providing no space for a three-legged old cat to gather strength. As he spun through the air, Lu Xun howled:
“Change heads!”
The instant he hit the ground, his body transformed into a warty toad.
“Jump! (croak)”
The toad’s legs coiled.
He launched like an arrow, leaping three meters.
The tiger sprang as well.
Cat and tiger hung, momentarily suspended in the air.
A bloody maw opened wide, ready to swallow the toad whole in the next instant.
“Change heads!”
The toad sprouted black fur and became a black cat once more.
“Cat, run!”
Mid-air, he twisted.
The black cat soared over the city gate, vanishing into the vast county town, never looking back.
“Roar!”