Lord of Wutong Mountain

Page 1 of 3

Morning.

The black cat, Lu Xun, awoke on the couch.

The blood and fire of the previous night still raged within his body; even after a sound sleep, he remained exhausted.

Aunt Chen’s rough voice called out to feed the chickens and pigs. The scent of kitchen firewood smoke mingled with the morning mist, drifting toward the sky. In the courtyard, the old plum tree was in full, spirited bloom.

Xiaoyue, unable to sleep, burst into the side room with delight. “The cat’s awake!” she exclaimed, hopping off to inform the adults.

The aroma of breakfast wrapped in the wind and the rising smoke.

Gurgle.

The old cat was hungry.

Stepping out of the side room, the black cat saw Zhao Jia sitting cross-legged on a cushion, facing the rising sun.

Gao Qingzhi, bare-chested, did the same.

Faintly, the rushing breath of tiger and leopard thunder could be heard.

The old cat did not disturb them. He settled on a stone stool, turned his face to the dawn light, closed his eyes, and focused his thoughts on that strange space. At once, he saw the massive head within, glowing faintly with green.

Even after obtaining the head, he could not suppress his excitement and trembling whenever he saw it.

Lu Xun licked his dry lips. With an invisible hand of spirit, he lifted the monster’s head.

[Skull of the Five-Pass Spirit ‘Mountain Lord’]

Type: Hairy (Monster—Ape)

Quality: Rare (Green)

Tricks: Monkey Fist, Ape Dance

Spells: Marshal’s Summons, Mountain Collapse, Water Play

Textual Note: There is a beast, shaped like an ape, with a white body, silvery head, golden eyes, green fangs. Its strength surpasses oxen and rhinoceros, can tear apart lions and tigers, runs with the wind and rides the mist. When it appears, mountains crumble and waters roar for miles.

[Worship Me]

As expected of a great monster—it possessed three spells and two tricks. The annotation clearly described its immense strength, able to tear apart lions and tigers.

His excitement was so intense it left him speechless. Lu Xun wished he could don the monster’s head right then and leap up to perform a few sets of fist techniques.

“Breakfast is ready!”

Days of fatigue swept away, the gloom shrouding the county office vanished as well.

A simple breakfast passed with laughter and ease.

Wang Ruo pressed, “Hey, did you get the silver back?”

“Last night, the county office took twenty hounds, followed the scent into the mountains, and found the cart and the remaining silver,” Zhao Jia replied, shoveling porridge into his mouth. He continued, “The water bandits have been wiped out, and the monster dealt with for good. With this merit, I must report to the prefecture and take up my new post.”

“Is it urgent?”

“Not really. It’ll probably be a month before the official document arrives.”

“So there’s time to move house,” Wang Ruo nodded slightly.

Smiling, Zhao Jia handed a bundle to the black cat Lu Xun. “Brother Cat, here’s one hundred and fifty taels of silver—the bounty for killing the water bandit chief and the Five-Pass Spirit.”

Page 2 of 3

The old cat, in the midst of eating, lifted his head and stared at the bundle containing three silver ingots, each worth fifty taels. In the modern world, he certainly needed money, but how could he bring this world’s silver back with him?

Should he clutch it in his paws, or carry it in a bundle?

After some thought, he stretched out a paw, dipped it in tea, and wrote a single character.

“Deposit.”

Zhao Jia was surprised.

“He wants you to keep the silver for him,” Gao Qingzhi remarked, marveling at the old cat’s cleverness. In just a few days, he’d learned to write, could transform into various monsters, and no one could tell what kind of demon he truly was.

So long as he didn’t oppose the government, Gao Qingzhi couldn’t be bothered. Besides, the cat was Zhao Jia’s friend to begin with—there was no need to harm his own people.

“Very well, I’ll hold onto it for you, brother Cat. If you need anything, just ask me,” Zhao Jia said.

Gao Qingzhi added with a laugh, “It’s just a pity the Five-Pass Spirit’s head got eaten by the tiger.”

His gaze fell on the old cat’s face.

Zhao Jia smoothed things over. “Eating and being eaten is just nature’s way. As long as the tiger doesn’t harm the townsfolk, it’s fine.”

Gao Qingzhi chuckled and said no more.

The black cat Lu Xun was surprised.

A seasoned hunter, indeed—so cautious and perceptive. It was his own fault for being so elated when he acquired the Five-Pass Spirit’s head; those first to arrive had all seen him, in the guise of a roaring tiger, cradling the monster’s head and laughing maniacally. Once he realized, Lu Xun quickly reverted to his cat form, but clearly only those who arrived later had been fooled.

“With the Five-Pass Spirit subdued, it’s time for me to take my leave,” Gao Qingzhi said.

“Master, you’re leaving already?”

“Official duties press—I must go.”

“From now on, you’ll be a regular constable in the Bureau of Earth’s Affairs, with your own gyrfalcon. We’ll have plenty of chances to meet, so long as you don’t get sick of me.”

“How could I tire of you, Master?” Zhao Jia raised his cup, his eyes turning red. “Uncle Gao.”

“I was sworn brothers with your father… Ah, let’s not mention these things.” Gao Qingzhi drained his cup.

...

An afternoon in April.

The sky was blue, the clouds white.

The staggered branches of the plum tree were heavy with clusters of blossoms. Sunlight filtered through, shining on the black mass sprawled across the trunk.

Content and full, Lu Xun squinted in comfort, his ears twitching. He rolled over, eyes to the sky, stretched out his paw with five splayed claws, and let out a great yawn.

Unknowingly, he drifted off to sleep.

When he awoke again, it was dusk.

Clouds ablaze in the distance swept across the sky, painting the earth in crimson.

He flicked his tail, brushing off plum petals.

The black cat leapt down from the tree, slipped into the study, found a cozy spot, and fell into another deep sleep.

The Demon-Subduing Captain had arrived in haste and left just as quickly, boarding a boat at noon. No one knew his destination; it was a secret of the Bureau of Earth’s Affairs.

After dinner, the black cat Lu Xun returned to the side room, carefully shutting the doors and windows.

He waited quietly for nightfall.

Dusk and night seemed to trade places in the blink of an eye.

Page 3 of 3

When the time was right, Lu Xun lifted the black cat’s head. Click—the cat’s head separated from its body, leaving a naked, headless human form seated on the chair.

With the head gone, that familiar weakness surged back. But Lu Xun no longer felt panic. He placed the cat’s head into the strange space and took out the monster’s skull.

The Skull of the Five-Pass Spirit ‘Mountain Lord.’

The faint vision allowed him to examine it closely.

Lifting the head, he slowly brought it to his neck.

The skull and neck joined as one.

At the moment of fusion, silvery-gray fur sprouted along the headless human body, fragile white bones grew thick and sturdy, muscles twisted into tough cords, and slender limbs expanded rapidly. Coarse, demonic nails sprouted, and the hardened claws of a beast gripped the floor.

Demonic golden eyes slowly opened.

The world brightened!

The earlier shroud of gray mist vanished completely, as if all dust had been swept away.

The world before his eyes was still rendered in the three primary colors of red, green, and blue, but now everything appeared as though filtered through a deep, mysterious lens—every detail razor-sharp.

Even in total darkness, it was as bright as day. Objects were not flat as seen by human eyes, but appeared in three dimensions.

A terrifying power welled up within.

He pressed down lightly with his foot—the thick blue bricks beneath instantly cracked.

The Five-Pass Lu Xun was overjoyed.

So this was the strength of a great monster—truly extraordinary!

[Worship Me]

Lu Xun pondered its meaning, reflecting on the Five-Pass Spirit’s actions.

From plundering tax silver, to distributing silver to others, and that moment on the riverbank when a junior constable, terrified, knelt and kowtowed, only for the Five-Pass Spirit to approach and hand him a handful of broken silver.

Piecing together these clues, Lu Xun mused, “Could it be that he wanted worship from his followers?”

He resolved to experiment—do some good deeds, win people’s trust.

With this in mind, Lu Xun pushed open the door and leapt straight into the courtyard.

Someone was sitting in the courtyard.

Those demonic golden eyes glanced sideways.

Night was as bright as day—how could it hide from the Five-Pass Lu Xun’s gaze?

A look of astonishment flashed across Lu Xun’s face.

The person sitting in the courtyard was none other than Zhao Jia.

Zhao Jia struck a firestone and lit an oil lamp, and in its glow, saw the great monster entering the courtyard.

Yet he showed no surprise, as if he had known all along.

Zhao Jia rose and gazed at the Five-Pass Spirit not far away.

Man and monster faced each other.

“Brother Cat!”

Lu Xun paused, then nodded in response.