Chapter 13: The Roll Call of Generals
“Playing in the water.”
He drew water from the pond to form a mist that shrouded Huibao’s small cage, cutting off the overwhelming scents that poured in.
Huibao became much calmer, no longer shrinking into a ball and squeaking, but instead began to curiously observe the faint veil of mist around him.
Lu Xun strolled through the animal yard, ready to select the first creature to receive his command.
He paused before a cage, inside which lay a lizard with wings like stretched membranes, no larger than a palm. Its colors were striking, but it was so timid that it buried its head, not daring to look up. Lu Xun felt a tinge of disappointment.
He wanted his first soldier to possess the heart to look down upon all rivals. How could such a timid one become a general? Ideally, it would be a creature that had already become a spirit, like the mountain hare.
The geckos and house lizards were too small to be of any use.
He lingered before a finely woven cage, within which a python slightly raised its triangular head, flicking its tongue, seemingly unafraid of him.
At first, Lu Xun was satisfied, but upon closer inspection, the python’s eyes were dull and cloudy, devoid of any spiritual light. It wasn’t that the snake was unafraid—it simply lacked the wit to know fear.
A wolfdog let out a soft whimper, lying on the ground and wagging its tail vigorously, sticking its long snout through the bars to lick Lu Xun’s toes.
‘Too enthusiastic,’ the great demon thought, and walked away.
He still hoped his first soldier would be a bit more “proud.”
A few cats each wore different expressions, but Lu Xun thought cats were more likely to busy themselves with their own affairs. Besides, cats sometimes knowingly courted danger just to test the limits; such behavior was not true pride, but arrogance mixed with ignorance, liable to get them killed.
Approaching the pond, he saw turtles submerging, goldfish floating belly-up, frogs falling silent, loaches burrowing into mud, and catfish pretending to be dead.
‘The ones in the water are too limited, and none of the land animals suit me…’
Shaking his head in disappointment, Lu Xun made his way to the aviary.
Chickens, ducks, and geese were out of the question.
Mynahs, orioles, parrots… he passed over these smaller birds, then his gaze landed on a pure-white gyrfalcon.
The gyrfalcon glanced sideways, then bent its head to preen its feathers. Not far away, a goshawk gripped its perch with iron claws, tiny shackles on its legs.
The goshawk was large and should have looked imposing, but now it seemed more like a defeated rooster, its head drooping low.
Diagonally opposite, perched a raptor with a snake-like, almost dragonish head, brown-feathered and fierce.
Its eyes were pure black, amber-like, shifting with a cold gleam.
Lu Xun’s fivefold senses instantly fixed upon it.
Looking through the window toward the night sky and hanging moon, he summoned his power, channeling the light of moonbeams.
“Appoint the general!”
A pale shaft of light shot toward the raptor that resembled a little dragon.
The raptor jerked its head to the side, spreading its jaws in a proud cry.
Its call was unique, a full, resonant “dee-dee” sound.
A greenish glow enveloped the dragon-like raptor, its wings flaring wide. Though not large before, it now grew in size, nearly matching the goshawk after being appointed.
The raptor instantly broke free from the shackles on its feet, soared a circle overhead, then landed before Lu Xun.
Lu Xun raised his arm and the bird landed steadily. Its pure black eyes studied him for a long moment before it bowed its head to smooth a ruffled feather beneath its wing.
“Dee-dee… dee.”
The raptor opened its beak.
Lu Xun could vaguely understand its meaning. Seeing the remnants of chains around its ankles, he gently traced the iron shackles up its hawk legs, a flash of pity in his eyes, and quickly removed them.
“Dee-dee.”
“Yes.”
As Lu Xun nodded, the light around the raptor grew even stronger, nearly as forceful as the toad spirit he’d once encountered at Clear Spring Temple. It seemed to have gained intelligence, though it could not yet speak the beast tongue fluently. If it could use illusions to ensnare humans, perhaps with the help of human imagination, it might one day speak.
Since bestowing command was all benefit and no harm, Lu Xun next approached Huibao’s cage.
He carefully guided the moonlight’s power, summoning his magic.
“Appoint the general!”
A pale light wrapped around the curious Huibao.
With a long howl, Huibao grew noticeably larger, his front and hind paws now more robust, his plump body sturdy and solid. He was now as big as an ordinary housecat.
It was hard to imagine a rat could grow so large; once, Huibao had merely been old and clever, but now he had truly become a spirit.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak.”
“Little Cheng should be asleep.”
Lu Xun could not speak human language—what he used was a simple beast tongue.
The newly awakened spirits could mostly understand.
After being appointed, an intelligent creature could take a step further, though it wasn’t as miraculous as commanding their life and death with a single thought. The appointed spirits merely grew closer to him, able to sense the direction he wished and carry out his commands.
Most of the time, though, they acted according to their own natures.
Now Lu Xun began to understand why, though all were fivefold spirits, neither Flower Tabby nor the Toad Monk was as powerful as the Mountain Lord. They must have been spirits appointed by the Fivefold Mountain Lord himself.
“Squeak-squeak.”
“Treasure?”
Lu Xun was a little surprised.
Huibao leapt out of the cage and dashed straight outside, with Lu Xun following.
Behind the side room, beneath an ancient pine, Huibao unhesitatingly pointed at the ground and began digging rapidly with his paws. Lu Xun joined in, and before long they unearthed a small clay jar.
Lu Xun pried off the seal. Inside were thirty taels of bright silver.
Huibao grinned ear to ear, dove into the jar, seized the silver and gave it a bite with his big teeth, then began carrying it out.
Lu Xun grabbed Huibao by the scruff and pulled him back out. “Buried so carefully—it must belong to someone. Put it back.”
“Squeak-squeak.”
“Did Little Cheng once tell you the same thing?”
Lu Xun nodded. That did sound like something Little Cheng would say.
He reburied the silver and scooped up Huibao. “Not bad, not bad, you’re quite the treasure-hunting rat.”
His voice was hoarse and muddy, tinged with a beast’s growl; strung together, it almost formed phrases, though whether Huibao or the raptor could understand was another matter.
Lu Xun turned to the big-eared night hawk. “Do you have a name?”
Two short feathers stood upright on its angular head, like dragon horns.
The night hawk shook its head.
“You look like both dragon and snake… Let’s call you… Toothless.”
“Toothless General.”
“How about it?”
The big-eared night hawk nodded. “Dee-dee.”
“Who was your previous master?”
Lu Xun had meant only to test the appointing, but now that Toothless had received his blessing, it was best to repay his former owner.
“Dee-dee… dee.”
Lu Xun paused, half in doubt. “Mister White Deer?”
“Dee-dee.”
Lu Xun shook his head, puzzled. When he spoke in longer sentences, Toothless and Huibao barely understood, and when Toothless replied at length, he too could not grasp it clearly.
At least he now knew who the rightful owner was—so his plan to offer silver as compensation would come to nothing. Mister White Deer, by all appearances, had no lack of silver.
With Huibao tucked under one arm and Toothless perched on the other, Lu Xun prepared to return to the animal yard.
Suddenly his steps halted, golden demon eyes flashing with a fierce light.
“I’ve always wondered, where exactly would you be hiding?”
A bright, hearty voice rang out from not far away.
Lu Xun turned toward the sound.
A hoarse, strange roar issued from Thunder Lord’s mouth, rhythmic and beastlike.
It was soft, as though speaking.
The towering figure stepped from the shadows and repeated, “You mean: you never intended to hide at all.”