Tiger and the Mountain Lord

The gilded beast’s slanting eyes cast a single glance.

Fury erupted!

The illusion spun from mist instantly vanished, revealing the true form of the man in the purple robes: silver-gray snowy fur, a thunder god’s hooked beak, a pair of strong, fierce, gilded pupils, and around his waist a tattered purple-blue armor, fastened at the join with a knot resembling a horse’s face.

Long arms wielded nimble fingers, each encased in coarse, menacing claw-guards sharp as divine blades, now pointed directly at the toad on the eaves, whose head was as large as a washbasin, glinting with a chilling light in the moonlight.

The Five-Pass Demon opened his bloody maw and roared; the sound waves shattered the surging mist with a single blow.

Hoarse, guttural syllables spilled from his lips—not words of mortal speech.

Lu Xun cared not what the Five-Pass Demon was saying. His belly swelled with a low croak, clouds and mist billowed up from his broad toad’s back, which expanded to the size of a millstone, lifting him as if upon a cloud.

His mouth, full to bursting, spat out a booming croak, echoing like a child's wail.

Along with the toad’s roar, a white water arrow shot forth.

Whoosh!

The water arrow struck the ground, leaving a pitted, wet crater.

The Five-Pass Demon grew even angrier.

He could not fathom why this warty toad dared challenge his authority.

Where had the toad found such courage?

Compared to his idol being smashed by followers, the betrayal and provocation of his underlings infuriated him even more.

Had he become like those old monsters, whose spiritual power had waned, toothless and feeble, surviving only on the rotten scraps left by new leaders?

Absolutely not.

He was still powerful.

Therefore, the insolence of a lesser demon was unforgivable!

“So fast,” thought Lu Xun, a storm surging in his heart.

As a cat, he could dodge a few water arrows, but eventually he would be hit, and the wounds stung like knife cuts.

But the Five-Pass Demon before him showed not the slightest tension, as if Lu Xun’s water arrows were laughably slow and posed no threat at all.

“Grrr...grr!”

Toad Lu Xun abruptly inflated his cheeks.

“Water arrow!”

“Water arrow!”

“...”

“Water arrow!”

Toad Lu Xun launched a barrage of water arrows, one after another, like a fierce little cannon.

For a moment, arrows rained down.

Hearing the commotion, Liu Hong hurried to the courtyard with his household staff.

At a glance, they all saw the Five-Pass Demon wrapped in his tattered purple-blue armor in the very center of the courtyard.

Several servants collapsed on the spot—some clung to the railing, some trembled uncontrollably, others fainted dead away. Liu Hong remained standing, not out of bravery, but because his body was frozen stiff with fear.

He was different from the others; he immediately recognized the Five-Pass Demon.

This demon, though not a perfect match, bore a strong resemblance—six or seven tenths—to the clay idol he had just hacked to pieces.

He understood at once: it was his own destruction of the clay idol that had brought this disaster. Desperate, he sought out the household guards.

The larger ones rolled on the ground wailing, the smaller ones were terrified, and only the big-mouthed bailiff kept his wits about him.

The Five-Pass Demon paid them no mind, his gaze fixed on the eaves.

There, sprawled a millstone-sized toad.

Liu Hong thought bitterly, “Trouble—one demon is deadly enough, why is there another one?”

The Five-Pass Demon ignored everyone else in the courtyard with disdain.

He strode forward, stepping onto the stone table, then leapt high toward the warty toad on the eaves.

Toad Lu Xun ceased his water arrows, his legs suddenly smashing through the tiles beneath him, cracks spidering outward. Then, with a mighty kick, he leapt.

Beneath the moonlight,

like a mural come to life,

a duel of monsters was underway.

Though the warty toad was as grand as a millstone, he was still dwarfed by the Five-Pass Demon.

It seemed the outcome of this suicidal assault was already certain.

Just as the toad was about to be crushed by the demon’s iron fist—

"Change heads!"

In the silver moonlight, the warty toad suddenly transformed into a white-browed, round-eyed tiger, jaws agape, pouncing to attack.

The hunt of the beast!

The Five-Pass Demon was startled.

Crash.

The striped tiger collided with the demon’s chest.

Monster and tiger crashed heavily to the ground.

Tiger Lu Xun drove his massive head straight for the demon’s throat. Just as Old Chengzi had said, flesh and blood were still flesh and blood—no matter how powerful the demon, if its throat was bitten through, it would die all the same. As Lu Xun bared his fangs to deliver the killing bite, his movement was blocked by the demon’s elbow.

"Roar!"

With a furious bellow, the Five-Pass Demon heaved the nearly four-meter-long tiger off him, rolled, and pinned Lu Xun beneath him, raining down blows aimed at the tiger’s head.

"Change heads!"

In an instant, the massive striped tiger became a four-foot black cat.

"Cat’s leap!"

Midair, he twisted, pushed off empty space, and kicked squarely at the demon’s face, using the force to spring away.

Thud—thud!

Catching his breath at a distance, Lu Xun’s heart pounded like a drum.

A chill made his fur bristle.

The demon’s strength could slay tigers and bears; had Lu Xun not been so agile, this would have been a replay of “Wu Song Slays the Tiger”—with himself as the tiger being beaten.

Lu Xun watched the Five-Pass Demon from afar, flipped onto the eaves once more, changed back to the warty toad’s head, and drew in moisture with his bulging cheeks.

Perplexity and suspicion shone in the demon’s gilded beast eyes.

He could not comprehend what kind of monster this was—how could it become a tiger, a black cat, then revert to the toad he himself had enlightened?

At this thought, he raised his head to the sky. The moon’s radiance was at its peak. He pointed a finger, and spiritual light shot like a bullet toward the toad.

Lu Xun dodged the light and spat a water arrow.

Just before the water arrow struck the Five-Pass Demon, it turned to mist, swirling around him. The demon spat a mouthful of dark blood, yet looked healthier than before.

His deep, furious roar, like a beast’s tongue, echoed with a thunderclap, shattering the tiles beneath the toad’s perch.

Lu Xun leapt away, transforming back into the white-browed striped tiger, circling warily, not rushing to attack, growling low and keeping his gaze locked on the demon.

The two monsters faced off in the courtyard.

Tiger Lu Xun knew he was no match, but he was nimble enough to survive.

“It really changed!” the small man muttered in disbelief at the scenes flashing before him, his eyes finally resting on the tiger.

He had been half-convinced before, but now he was certain.

The strong man had recovered from the pain—the demon’s punch had nearly ruptured his gut and made him vomit up his supper. He no longer charged in blindly; fear flashed in his eyes as he cursed, “If I’d known he was coming, I’d have worn heavy armor. At least with armor, I could have held out longer.”

But no one was more shocked than Liu Hong.

When he heard Zhao Jia instruct the black cat to stay behind, he’d cursed the corrupt official a thousand times over, furious at such folly. Only now did he realize how wrong he’d been—so utterly, laughably wrong.

The black cat was no joke; it could turn into a striped tiger and contend with the Five-Pass Lord.

Looking back, he saw his servants stumbling and cowering—useless, all of them.

The Five-Pass Demon was strong as an ox and fast as the wind, closing the distance in a few strides.

Tiger Lu Xun, seeing no way to escape, hesitated no longer. His eyes gleamed with savage ferocity, blood surging through his veins, and with a crouch he launched into a tiger’s hunt.

"Roar!"

The Five-Pass Demon rolled and mounted the tiger, while Lu Xun braced his forepaws, thrust up his hips, and threw the demon off. Yet mid-throw, he took a punch that made his vision swim and blood fill his mouth. His legs nearly buckled, but he forced himself up for another attack, biting close.

"Awooo!"

It was impossible to tell whose roar it was—the tiger’s or the demon’s.

Blood from both flowed together.

In this mortal clash between tiger and mountain king, the Five-Pass Demon ultimately gained the upper hand.

The tiger visibly lost its strength.

“Don’t just stand there like fools!”

“Help!”

The strong man, brawny as a bear, crashed into the fight.

Big Mouth and Small Man rushed in too.

But none of them could withstand even a single round with the Five-Pass Demon.

“Hurry!”

Torches flared, armor clanged as a large force rapidly surrounded the Liu estate. The constable Zhao Jia was the first to break in.