This bow
Lu Xun departed.
Without waiting for the old man and the child to understand what was happening, he left the silver behind and turned to go. Their lives were already hard enough; there was no need to frighten the two who depended on each other into worshipping him as some ‘god.’
What was there to worship? He wasn’t a true deity. Even if they did, what good would it do? So he simply left those pieces of broken silver and drifted away.
Afterwards, he visited two households in the villages outside the city, but found little success. However, he noticed that the villagers weren’t familiar with the Five Passes God. It was just as the saying went—if worshipping gods truly helped, common folk wouldn’t be so lost in finding a way to pray.
The wealthy merchants of Meilan County were well aware of the Five Passes God and even knew the rituals to summon him, but the rural villages treated it as a strange and terrifying thing, with only rumors circulating. Lu Xun felt that the Five Passes God had chosen the wrong path; while the county town was a good place to spread doctrine, true devout followers were not necessarily found there. He ought to distribute the silver he seized to the poor.
The Five Passes God was too extreme—he’d seduce women and daughters, and even his little spirits caused trouble. It was only right that he met his end.
...
Lu Xun returned to the city under the moonlight.
He first took Zhao Jia back to his room, then lit a lamp and leafed through two booklets in his own quarters.
The “Essential Military Techniques” contained sixteen stances, a set of combat arts for the army—moves fierce and ruthless, yet balanced and stable. Lu Xun’s head spun at the sight of so many characters. He only recognized a handful, and could perhaps write a dozen at most. The sentences were long with no punctuation, like reading the heavens. Fortunately, there were illustrations; by studying the diagrams, he could grasp the posture for practice.
Next, he opened the “True Qi Record of the Earth Official.”
Well then—
It was all text, with only a few pages of illustrations. The pictures showed the pathways of meridians and acupoints, and the flow of true qi. With just these diagrams, he couldn’t make sense of it at all.
Learning a new script was a painful task, but Lu Xun had no choice. Without learning, he’d be left behind; without training, he’d end up like the Five Passes God, slain by the demon inspectors of the Earth Division.
He must study, at least until he could understand the “True Qi Record,” or failing that, memorize it all.
Leaning on the couch, reading, Lu Xun, now the Five Passes God, drifted off to sleep.
He awoke to the morning light.
...
“Why are you grinning like a chrysanthemum?” The short one crossed his arms, looking at Big Mouth as he entered the office.
Big Mouth glanced around, lowered his voice, and said with delight, “This morning, I suddenly found a lump of silver by my pillow—this big…” He gestured with his hands, indicating it was quite substantial.
Zhuangzi approached with a goofy grin.
“What’s got you smiling so wide?” he asked.
Zhuangzi replied mysteriously, “I picked up a piece of silver—very large.”
“You too?” Big Mouth looked at Zhuangzi in surprise.
Old Cheng, puffing on his pipe, squinted and said, “Looks like all of us have one. I weighed mine—it’s nearly seventeen taels.”
“Gamble?” Zhuangzi pulled out dice.
“Go on, who’s going to gamble with that?” The short one rolled his eyes.
A single tael of silver could buy seven hundred catties of rice, enough to feed a family for half a year. Seventeen taels was a fortune; usually, they’d wager a few copper coins for fun. Who would put such a huge sum on the table?
“No need to guess,” Zhao Jia, on duty, interrupted their whispers.
“Boss, you don’t have one too, do you?”
...
Zhao Jia nodded.
“This…”
“Three-legged left them for you all.”
“Cat Lord?!” The short one jumped up, eyes wide. “He’s not coming with us?”
This was something everyone had taken for granted and no one had brought it up. The Black Cat leaving silver for them was a clear sign he didn’t intend to go with them to the county seat for their new posts.
Zhao Jia shook his head slightly.
“Boss, persuade him! He listens to you.” Seeing Zhao Jia unmoved, the short one hurriedly grabbed Big Mouth’s arm. “Big Mouth, you talk to Cat Lord, you understand him.”
Big Mouth remained silent as well.
The joy of receiving silver was tinged with the sadness of parting.
“Come drink at my house tonight,” Zhao Jia tossed out before rushing away to handle official duties.
...
After lunch.
Black Cat and Xiao Yue studied in the courtyard.
Wang Ruo, who came from an esteemed family, made a fine teacher. At first, Wang Ruo had been reluctant, but now agreed happily. Having something meaningful to do was better than fussing over needlework every day. With an eager student, she was all the more enthusiastic—even if that student was a monster.
Wang Ruo held a ruler in one hand and a book in the other. “Today we learn the Thousand Character Classic.”
Lu Xun, as Black Cat, pressed the pages with one paw, and traced the characters onto the sand tray with the other, copying the script. He had considered keeping his Five Passes God appearance, but, worried he’d frighten the two, he chose the harmless form of the black cat. After all, he was the one learning, and since it was a friend’s family member, he needed to be proper. No matter how close, one must avoid suspicion, and it would be ill-reputed to use the Five Passes God’s form for this.
“Heaven and earth are dark and yellow, the universe vast and wild…”
Read, recite silently;
Write, write quickly.
Before long, the sand tray rang loudly as the cat’s paw swept across it.
A four-foot black cat diligently copied the script.
...
Dusk.
All the brothers gathered in the courtyard.
As night deepened, Old Cheng pinched a bit of yellow-brass tobacco from his bag, inhaled deeply, the golden-red sparks flickering and spreading.
Whoosh.
The thick white smoke faded.
Zhuangzi arrived, clutching several jars of wine.
Big Mouth, looking mysterious, hugged a bundle.
“Where’s Cat Lord?” The short one, carrying wine jars inside, was the first to ask.
Zhao Jia smiled, “Don’t be startled now.”
“How could we, boss?” Big Mouth’s pupils contracted, a flash of surprise in his eyes—Zhao Jia’s words meant…
The door to the east wing was gently pushed open.
...
A pair of demonic eyes reflected golden light in the fire.
Snap.
A beast’s paw, fur and large foot, stepped off the blue brick and over the threshold, followed by the body.
Silvery gray hair fluttered in the evening breeze.
Thunder god’s mouth, green fangs, flesh hidden within, bone protruding, as if wearing a mask of red bronze—ferocity and solemnity intertwined, terrifying yet touched with a hint of divinity.
“Five Passes God!”
Zhuangzi sprang up, ready to grab a weapon.
“It’s the cat.” Zhuangzi paused, recognizing Big Mouth’s voice.
“Yes!”
Though they’d suspected, Big Mouth was the first to recognize their Black Cat, who had transformed into the fierce tiger form to clear dangers for them.
Still, seeing the Black Cat truly become the Five Passes God stunned them. It was so incredible, almost unbelievable.
Lu Xun, as Five Passes God, took a seat.
Zhao Jia laughed, “Drink!”
“No going home sober!”
“No going home sober!”
Clink!
Five men and a monster raised their cups, drinking heartily.
As they drank, the fear of the Five Passes God vanished long ago. Now, the Five Passes God was no longer what he once was, but their familiar Black Cat, the Cat Five Passes, so there was no need for concern.
They drank late into the night, swaying and unsteady, finally sitting down to continue.
Lu Xun grabbed five handfuls of earth, pulled five hairs, and placed them within.
He cast the Point-General Spell.
The five handfuls of earth became five lifelike clay figures in the stream.
Lu Xun gave one to each of them.
“This farewell, who knows when we’ll meet again. Take care, Cat Brother.”
“There’s Five-Dried in this bundle, a local specialty—eat it on the road.”
“Take care.”
“Third Lord, take care.”
“Take care!”
Five men and a monster.
They rose and bowed to each other.
In that bow, the familiar dizziness swept over them.
Lu Xun’s eyes widened; distorted light and shadow appeared around him.
Falling plum blossoms turned to ash, and the haloed moonlight rippled.
Lu Xun, as the Five Passes God, began to run.
The bundle in his hand quickly darkened, as if blazing inside, or as if unable to withstand the wild transformation and turned to ash with his breath. Not just the bundle, but the purple-blue armor, the little booklets at his waist, and the last piece of silver—all began to mottled and blacken.
Lu Xun released the bundle of Five-Dried; it was swept away and became ashes and smoke.
The armor and booklets on him gradually stabilized.
In the black-red ashes, a point of light emerged.
He ran wildly.
Leapt across the flickering light!