03. Cooking Crabs in the Wild

Lu Xun wiped his mouth, set down the gourd, and raised his fists. At first, he had only found things strange at the pawnshop, but, constrained by his status, he could not ask too much. Never did he expect that trouble would erupt just one day and two nights later.

Both his Five-Tongued Spirit head and the three-legged cat’s head required the inhalation and exhalation of moonlight. Perched nightly on the rooftop, he soon sensed something amiss in the city. The master of the stronghold, shrouded in a cloak and straw hat, was impossible to make out—what sort of demon was he? All that assailed him was a reek: the stench of rot, thick with mud and decaying wood.

The straw-cloaked figure slowly drew back his bone staff.

With a splat, a glob of black sludge spewed from beneath the straw hat.

Lu Xun dodged aside, darted forward, and threw a punch. But the bone staff struck his abdomen first. His organs churned and the taste of half-digested cakes and river water surged up his throat; he clenched his jaws so tightly his cheeks tensed, and forcibly swallowed it back down.

Wiping the bitter taste from his mouth, he studied his opponent more closely. The straw-caped figure was tall, with slender limbs. Adding the bone staff, he resembled an armored soldier. The old saying rang true: every inch longer, every inch stronger. The difference between being armed and unarmed was vast.

This straw-cloaked one was not like the minor spirits Lu Xun had encountered before. Those were mere sprites who had barely awakened intelligence, not true monsters. This one, however, truly was a demon.

Lu Xun’s martial skills were nothing remarkable; to win, he needed overwhelming strength and speed.

“It’s my own fault for not knowing enough martial arts.”

Seeing the pale-faced giant charge again, this time the straw-caped demon ceased probing and swung his bone staff with all his might.

A damp, evil wind swept toward Lu Xun’s head.

The scene of his brains splattering seemed to flash before his eyes.

But it was not Lu Xun who met his doom. Instead, that long arm was seized in midair.

A snow-grey, iron-furred arm lunged at the demon’s face. The wide straw hat was abruptly knocked aside, revealing that where a head should be, there was none. Nestled inside the thick straw cloak, two lantern-sized eyes jutted into the open.

The Five-Tongued Spirit, Lu Xun, shifted tactics in a flash. His ape-like arm smashed down, turning the demon’s flattened head into a mess of crimson.

Seizing the arm attached to the bone staff, Lu Xun changed from smashing to gripping, lunging straight for the crab demon’s head.

The crab demon twisted and rolled away, choosing to sacrifice its arm for survival. Its pair of lantern eyes filled with terror. How could it not recognize that this snowy-furred mountain beast was a true monster with spiritual power—no mere little crab soldier could hope to contend with him.

It immediately tried to burrow into the nearby creek.

A guttural roar erupted from Lu Xun’s throat as he leaped forward. With a single kick, he pinned the fleeing crab demon against the wall.

The tremendous noise drew shouts and commotion from the nearby homes.

Dogs barked, babies wailed.

Men’s voices mingled with the scolding of women.

“Help!” a hoarse cry for help rang out from the alleyway.

The night watchmen’s torches flared, and the clatter of armored footsoldiers approaching filled the air. In the blink of an eye, the street and alleys were sealed off.

Lu Xun clamped down on the crab demon and leapt into the creek, diving to the bottom to await developments.

The eight-legged crab thrashed wildly, trying to break free from Lu Xun’s iron grip, only to be met with an even fiercer iron fist.

With a single blow, the crab rolled over, bubbles streaming from its mouth.

“What’s going on?” barked the squad leader, his hand at his sword.

“There’s a monster!” Wang Si pointed at the creek. “The monster’s right under there!”

The armored squad leader leaped back in fright. He still remembered the battle against the Five-Tongued Spirit half a year ago. If not for a provincial officer overseeing the fight, dozens of men would have died. Even so, several were crippled. Who knew what manner of demon that snowy-furred monkey beast was, with strength greater than a bull and armor that couldn’t stop it.

Wang Si insisted, and the squad leader dared not tarry. He ordered a soldier to report back, and to inform the county magistrate. Then he assembled the able-bodied bystanders.

Every household had fish spears and nets; now was the perfect time to use them to catch a monster.

“Search!”

Fishermen fanned out along the creek.

The city’s rivers glowed bright throughout the night.

The creek was a tributary of the Xunyang River.

A strange beast burst from the rippling water, golden-bronze eyes scanning the banks.

Under the moonlight, the demon shook itself dry, hoisting the deflated, yet still millstone-sized, crab demon and striding ashore.

Twisting off the crab demon’s head, Lu Xun examined it closely. The wet sheen was like ink, spreading and seeping, blooming into marks like calligraphy before his eyes.

[The Head of the ‘Gutless Soldier’ from Peach Blossom Village]

Type: Insect (Crustacean—Crab)
Quality: Ordinary
Magic: Hard Shell
Annotation: When the autumn winds rise, debt collectors and punitive expeditions run rampant in the countryside—thus called: shrimp soldiers and crab generals.

[Collect Debt]

The Five-Tongued Spirit, Lu Xun, parted his fanged jaws.

[Devour the Head of the ‘Gutless Soldier’ from Peach Blossom Village?]

“No.”

Last time, he’d let the Five-Tongued Spirit devour the head of a mangy toad, but though a spell was highlighted, there was no change. Only after using the employer’s gift did his water arts improve. He had begun to sense the rules between these heads; clearer understanding would require further experiments.

Since heads could now either enhance a spell or not, there must also be differences in the amount of bone ash obtained after crushing them.

[Crush the Head of the ‘Gutless Soldier’ from Peach Blossom Village?]

“Crush.”

[Bone ash obtained: 1 tael 2 qian]

“As expected.”

A strange light flashed in his golden eyes; the bone ash from crushing exceeded one tael, more than the four main supports obtained from executions.

“If crushing heads causes some loss, then why do some heads directly enhance spells, while others do not?” Lu Xun sensed he was close to the answer. He recalled that the three-legged old cat’s head had also enhanced a spell, and so had the Five-Tongued Spirit’s water trick.

There must be a connection.

He didn’t have enough variables in hand for a general rule, so he didn’t dwell on it. With so many guesses and theories, who could know which was right? Better to slowly accumulate more heads. When he had enough for two sets to compare, he would see the truth more clearly.

His stomach grumbled.

He licked his lips and rubbed his belly.

With beastly paws, he rubbed dry twigs together until they smoked, bundled dry grass, and carefully coaxed a fire.

A puff—and the fire caught.

Lu Xun casually cobbled together a lopsided grill, skewered the blue crab on two sticks, and began roasting it. All eight legs were pulled off and roasted separately; the two claws looked like hammers.

Soon, the aroma had his stomach rumbling.

His five viscera temple was in an uproar, urging him to offer up food and drink.

“What a wonderful smell!”

A purple-bearded elder in a long robe sniffed the air. “Do you smell that?”

Several men, who looked like guards, exchanged glances and inhaled deeply.

Indeed, a strange fragrance permeated the air.

A burly man in close-fitting travel garb rose warily, his tigerish build blocking the path as he laid a hand on the hilt of his sword. “Why would anyone be cooking by the riverbank at this hour? Could it be a monster?”

“Monster or not, we’ll know soon enough.” The purple-bearded elder smiled amiably, unconcerned. He clapped the dust from his trousers and ordered, “Bring two flasks of good wine.”

Drawn by the aroma, the group emerged from the woods and approached the riverbank.

By the river, a bonfire burned brightly.

Clothes hung to dry on a makeshift rack.

A short-haired man in half-length trousers was busy, his movements not exactly deft.

Sensing their approach, the man suddenly turned his gaze.