Chapter One: A Demon in the Lu Residence

Seeing the matter settled, Old Liu clasped his hands to Steward Wang and said, “Steward Wang, I’ll trouble you to look after my young nephew in the Lu household. I shall take my leave now!”

Steward Wang nodded with an air of calm authority, watching Old Liu depart before turning his attention to Xu Cheng. “Lad, what’s your name?”

“Steward, my name is Xu Cheng!” Xu Cheng bowed deeply as he answered.

“Chengzi, come with me.” Steward Wang stood and led Xu Cheng toward the rear courtyard.

So this is what it’s like to serve in a grand household, Xu Cheng thought, taking in the artificial hills, ponds, and elegant pavilions scattered about the grounds.

A group approached them; one among them was a young master in fine silk, the others an old Daoist and a Daoist novice.

Xu Cheng’s heart skipped a beat—these two were the very Daoist and novice he’d stolen from the day before. Guilt made his palms cold, but then he remembered he’d thoroughly cleaned the mud from his face and body; even he wouldn’t recognize himself in a mirror, let alone the old Daoist. He steadied himself and watched to see what Steward Wang would do.

“Young Master,” Steward Wang bowed slightly to the youth.

“Rise, Steward Wang. This is Master Lei of the Xuantian Dao Sect. See he’s given a first-rate guest chamber,” replied the Lu family’s young master, gesturing to the Daoist.

“At once, Young Master. Master Lei, this way.” With a courteous gesture, Steward Wang invited them forward.

Master Lei’s gaze lingered on Xu Cheng’s face for a moment before he followed Steward Wang to the guest room.

During that brief scrutiny, Xu Cheng’s heart thudded anxiously, certain that he’d been discovered.

“Master, how do you find this room? Light from all sides, facing south from the north.”

“A fine room indeed. I’ll settle in here. But tell me, may I have a look at the rooster your little attendant is holding?” Master Lei’s eyes suddenly flashed like lightning, making Xu Cheng’s heart quiver—but fortunately, the attention was on his rooster, not himself.

“If Master Lei wishes it! Chengzi, why haven’t you shown your rooster to Master Lei?” Steward Wang’s tone was stern.

“Yes, Steward!” Striving for calm, Xu Cheng placed the big rooster before Master Lei, fearing he’d be recognized.

“There’s no doubt—it’s on the cusp of gaining sentience! Little brother, lend me your rooster for a while.”

Master Lei’s entire focus seemed fixed on the bird.

“Master Lei, I’ve lived with this rooster for years. Could you… could you please not harm it?”

Xu Cheng had grown fond of the rooster after so long, and pleaded for its life.

“Or would you rather wait for it to gain true spirit and eat you instead? Hahaha!” Master Lei laughed heartily. Xu Cheng was lost for words—he’d fed the bird for two or three years, surely it had some feelings for its benefactor. Would it really eat him?

Steward Wang shepherded Xu Cheng out, gave him two sets of servant’s clothes, and told him his only task today was to attend to Master Lei and his group.

Once Xu Cheng had moved off, Zhen—the Daoist novice—couldn’t help whispering, “Master, I recognized that little thief as the one who stole your purse. Why didn’t you expose him?”

“What’s the hurry? Isn’t his rooster in my hands?” Master Lei replied, shaking the rooster, which clucked anxiously, sensing its predicament.

Xu Cheng, oblivious to the fact that his identity had already been uncovered, would have abandoned his beloved rooster and fled several miles if he’d known.

The daytime passed with little more than cleaning and delivering meals—a light workload for a servant. And every meal included rice, meat, and vegetables—a far cry from the days of thieving and begging.

He noticed several servants and maids whispering together, so he listened in:

“Did you hear? There’s a monster in the household! That Daoist the master hired is here to exorcise it!”

“Don’t scare me, Xiaochun, you know I’m timid by nature.”

“I think that old Daoist from Xuantian Dao Sect is powerful. Maybe he’ll deal with the monster tonight!”

“A monster in the household?” Xu Cheng was startled. The old Daoist had said his rooster was nearing sentience—then what must this monster be like?

Xu Cheng’s old habits resurfaced. Since Master Lei had no further requests, and the servants were busy gossiping, he used the time to scout out the Lu household: front and rear courtyards, main and back gates—every escape route was carefully memorized. He also noted where the family’s gold and jewels were hidden.

By afternoon’s end, Xu Cheng knew the entire layout by heart; all that remained was to retrieve his rooster and slip away.

As night fell, Xu Cheng ate with the other servants and then stationed himself outside Master Lei’s room, curious to see how the exorcism would unfold. But all was quiet inside; in fact, Master Lei was meditating and unaware of the world outside.

Xu Cheng found a large cloth bag and, heart pounding, crept toward the household vault where the gold and silver were kept.

He’d already observed that the guards changed shifts every half hour. Taking advantage of the changeover, he scaled the high wall and slipped into the vault.

Twelve or thirteen years old, Xu Cheng had mastered little but lock-picking and housebreaking. The large padlock posed no trouble. With a soft click, he entered, closed the door behind him, and, hugging the gold and silver, even bit down on a few pieces in delight, marveling at the fortune.

Stuffing his bag to bursting, he hefted it—heavy, too heavy, and with some regret he discarded a portion. Bent double under the weight, he made for his planned escape route, intent on flight.

He had barely gone a few steps when he remembered his big rooster.

“Rooster, I’m coming to save you!”

Xu Cheng muttered to himself.

Just as he spoke, a cry of “Help!” pierced the night.

The entire Lu household was roused; hurried footsteps echoed all around. Xu Cheng, panicked, tossed his bag into a thicket and, feigning alarm, joined a group of servants hurrying toward the commotion.

“The sound came from over there!” Xu Cheng pointed in the correct direction.

The others nodded and rushed ahead, Xu Cheng blending into their ranks.

When they arrived, they saw a huge red fox, feasting on something.

A few brave servants moved closer, cudgels in hand, intent on subduing the beast—only to recoil, retching, at the grisly sight. The fox was devouring what appeared to be the remains of a man, dressed in the robes of the Lu family’s young master.

The servants were paralyzed with terror, afraid the fox spirit would turn on them next.

“Wicked beast, how dare you commit murder?” Master Lei descended from above, his presence restoring a measure of courage to the servants, who raised their knives.

“So you’ve found me out. In that case... I’ll eat you all!” The red fox raised its head, eyes glowing, and instead of attacking the Daoist, lunged at the servants.

A man closest to the fox screamed, “Master, save us!”

“Don’t harm them!” The Daoist pointed into the air. Instantly, the fox’s movements slowed, until it was held, motionless.

“Roar—”

Black mist rose from the fox, which broke free of the spell in a flash and snarled, “Stinking Daoist, what can you do to me?”

The immobilization spell, usually so effective, had failed. A fleeting look of surprise crossed Master Lei’s face.

“Art of the Earth Dragon!” he intoned, pointing at the ground. A massive dragon formed of stone and soil erupted upward, coiling around the fox and lunging to bite it.

“Art of Molten Lava!” he cried, casting another spell. The earth dragon transformed into a blazing dragon of molten rock, its heat making the fox shriek.

The cries were so piteous that Xu Cheng’s heart stirred with sympathy, almost enough to plead for the fox’s life.

But the corpse of the Lu family’s young master still lay there—one look at that horrific sight brought Xu Cheng abruptly back to his senses.