26. The Cat Soldier

East of the city, the Water Lane.

The Liu residence.

Zhao Jia led Small Guy, Strongman, and a group of constables to investigate the scene.

Scholar Chu was anxious and uneasy, for it was he who had reported the case.

He had no other recourse.

Liu Hong’s wife, Lady Chen, had been bedridden for days, barely eating, as if all her vitality had been drained.

Gentle remedies could not save her, and if he prescribed a few doses of potent medicine, she might perish even faster; then he’d never be able to clear his name, even if he leapt into the river. In desperation, he went straight to the magistrate, accusing Liu Hong of abusing his wife and nearly beating her to death.

As it happened, he was acquainted with Zhao Jia, the constable.

The county office took the report seriously and sent their men to investigate.

What they found left them astonished.

Lady Chen’s face was pale and waxen, her complexion yellowed.

Zhao Jia, upon hearing this, sensed something was amiss and immediately brought Strongman to the Liu residence.

Strongman, gnawing on a plain biscuit, stood at the doorway like a fierce guardian deity, glaring menacingly at Liu Hong.

Zhao Jia squatted on the steps, rummaged in his robes, and drew out a small ledger. Moistening the dried brush with tea, he said, “Liu Hong, speak.”

Liu Hong kowtowed furiously, “Mercy, mercy!”

He had long heard tales about that little ledger. It was said that anyone whose name was entered would have their soul taken by the Six Gates’ Reaper, so people called it the “Book of Impermanence.”

“This book records only monsters, not men. Speak truthfully and you’ll be guiltless. If you utter a single lie, you’ll be imprisoned and face severe punishment.”

Zhao Jia, as he had with the two monks before, questioned Liu Hong in detail about the monster—its features, time, place, what he had received from it…

Liu Hong dared not conceal anything, explaining how he had performed rituals to summon the Five-Pass Lords.

In just a few days, he had received three hundred taels of silver from the Five-Pass Lord.

His own ailments had vanished entirely. Yet his wife grew weaker by the day, and her death seemed imminent.

To save her, he called upon the renowned Scholar Chu for treatment.

Who could have guessed Scholar Chu would report him instead?

“Where is the silver?” Zhao Jia asked.

“All hidden in the dark room,” Liu Hong replied.

He brought out six neatly stacked ingots, each fifty taels.

Zhao Jia turned them over.

Two lines of engraving appeared: “Meilan County, Jiujiang Prefecture, cast at…”

“This is tax silver!” Big Mouth exclaimed joyfully.

Small Guy added in a sinister tone, “Stealing government silver, one hundred lashes, exile two thousand miles, conscripted into the army!”

Liu Hong hastened to distance himself, pleading, “It’s not my doing! I didn’t dare spend a single tael, I’d never have the courage to rob the government’s silver. Even if I had the heart of a bear or the courage of a leopard, I wouldn’t dare—it was all given to me by the Five-Pass Lord.”

“You still dare call him ‘Lord’?”

“Monster, the Five-Pass Monster!”

“Don’t summon that creature again. Can’t you see your wife is dying?”

Liu Hong promised repeatedly, “I will never summon the monster again.”

Zhao Jia put away his brush and closed the ledger. He ordered, “Small Guy, you, Strongman, and the others stay here…”

Zhao Jia’s gaze swept over the constables, each avoiding his eyes, fearful of being named. At this moment, it seemed Zhao Jia on the steps was the real monster, ready to devour anyone.

“Chief, why not escort them all to the county office?”

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“Yes, yes.”

“……”

There were many in the county office; even the fiercest monster wouldn’t dare barge in.

‘How would the county office arrange so many people?’ Zhao Jia kept his thoughts to himself. He knew better than to voice complaints among his comrades, for they weren’t facing petty thieves or waterway bandits, but a genuine monster.

A monster daring enough to steal tax silver before hundreds of witnesses.

They weren’t the only ones frightened.

Liu Hong, regaining his composure, understood the situation. He clung desperately to Zhao Jia’s leg, begging, “Master Nine, Master Nine, you mustn’t leave! If you go, that monster will return tonight—I’ll lose my whole family. Please, please, save us!”

Someone had to stay.

Zhao Jia wasn’t shirking his duty, but he was pressed for time. He still needed to pursue the monster, and at dawn, he had to receive the constable from the provincial office, coordinating arrangements on all sides. The monks from Clear Spring Temple needed further interrogation, searching for a breakthrough.

No time to spare here.

Zhao Jia pondered, “As long as you don’t summon him, he shouldn’t come.”

Liu Hong fell silent, whimpering softly, like an old dog about to lose its home.

Pitiful, yet also detestable.

“Ah,” Zhao Jia sighed, steeling himself. “You have plenty of men. Even if he comes, you can handle it. I’ll request the magistrate to allocate you a powerful crossbow.”

Reasonable words would not sway the timid constables, so Zhao Jia prepared to issue orders with stern authority.

“Meow.”

Zhao Jia looked toward the sound.

The black cat on the eaves spoke.

It raised a paw, pointed at itself, then at the ground beneath the eaves: “Meow meow.”

After several days of partnership, Zhao Jia felt he understood the old cat somewhat.

Just as when they had stormed Clear Spring Temple, the old cat acted simply.

Zhao Jia immediately grasped the black cat’s intent—it meant to stay at Liu Hong’s house for the night.

He clasped his hands in gratitude. “Thank you, Brother Cat!”

……

“He’ll stay here.”

“What?!”

Liu Hong, tears streaming down his face, stared wide-eyed.

His gaping mouth could fit an egg.

Even if the constables were fearful, this was hardly a convincing arrangement.

A black cat to keep watch overnight?

What a joke!

As the saying goes, all crows are black.

He’d heard Constable Zhao was righteous and chivalrous, famous in Meilan County, and thought him a good man. Who would expect such absurdity—entrusting a household cat to stand in for official constables?

A corrupt official who shirks duty is more detestable than a greedy one.

Big Mouth volunteered, gritting his teeth, “I’ll stay with Three-Legged.”

“I’ll stay too,” Strongman declared, swallowing the last of his biscuit and looking at Liu Hong. “Food!”

“I’ll provide meals, absolutely!” Liu Hong promised.

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Liu Hong, as though pardoned, wiped away his tears of joy and hurried off to make arrangements, forgetting to kneel.

Small Guy sighed, “If you all stay, I have nowhere else to go.”

“Don’t worry. As long as he doesn’t summon the monster, it won’t come,” Zhao Jia nodded, glancing at his team of constables. “Pillar, you and your group go investigate the major clinics. If any households have sick or deceased women, pay special attention. Don’t cause trouble—report to me first.”

“Iron Egg, come with me to interrogate the monks at the office.”

“Everyone, go about your tasks.”

“Yes, sir!”

……

The finest dishes from Yangchun Restaurant were delivered to the Liu residence.

Special emphasis on providing dried field mice.

Liu Hong accompanied the three constables for the meal.

To his surprise, all three insisted on reserving a seat for the black cat.

Though he was the host, he dared not protest, so he arranged a place for the cat at the table.

From a distance, the cat didn’t seem unusual. Up close, it was truly massive—more than three feet long, nearly four.

Plump and robust, its fur glossy and black.

Its golden eyes shone with intelligence.

Big Mouth served dishes into the cat’s bowl.

“Here, Three-Legged, eat.”

Only after serving the old cat did he start eating himself.

Strongman and Small Guy likewise waited until the cat had begun to eat.

Liu Hong watched in confusion, puzzled.

Why was the cat treated with more respect than people?

He could tell their reverence was genuine, not mere pretense. They treated the cat with utmost seriousness, as if it were a true master.

But how high could a cat’s status reach?

Perhaps it was a pet of some untouchable dignitary.

No matter—the important thing was that the three would keep watch overnight, and he was content.

“I toast the three esteemed constables.”

“Courage is measured by drink. Come, bottoms up.”

“……”

“Cheers!”

Small Guy remembered the task, reminding, “Drink less; don’t neglect your duty.”

Eat more, drink less.

……

With their hunger sated and thirst quenched.

As the fading sunlight yielded to starlight.

Three men and one cat kept vigil in the three courtyards.

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