Chapter Five: The Little Mischief from the Underworld (Part Two)

She was dressed in a plain blue outfit, tailored for ease of movement; black silk ribbons tightly bound her sleeves and trouser legs. In her hand, she carried a hunting bow. Her lustrous black hair was parted in the middle and braided into two long plaits that hung to her waist, tucked into a matching black ribbon belt. Slender in build, with fair skin, a small dimple adorned the corner of her smiling lips, revealing two tiny canine teeth. Her bright eyes, half-veiled by thick lashes, resembled deep, unfathomable pools.

What a striking beauty! For a moment, Shi Jun was so taken aback that he forgot himself. Realizing his lapse, he quickly asked, “So, whose appearance are you imitating this time?”

“This is Sister Chiyang’s look. But you can't tell her—I’d be in so much trouble!” she replied, flashing a mischievous grin.

As Shi Jun had expected, the little rascal was always mimicking others—he wondered what the purpose could possibly be. “You look fine as yourself. Why keep copying other people?” Shi Jun assumed that the childlike form he’d first seen was the imp’s true face.

“Oh, so you want to see what I really look like? That’s easy—I’ll show you!” The little rascal misunderstood his meaning.

* * * * * * * *

Truth be told, at this point, even if the little rascal transformed into some alien or Godzilla, Shi Jun wouldn’t have been much surprised—tonight had already been more than eventful enough. With that thought, he feigned nonchalance and asked, “Did Lord Yama ever tell you what you’re supposed to do if I refuse to become this so-called ‘Netherwarden’?”

“No, he didn’t.” The little rascal was just about to launch into another transformation when she froze, then replied absentmindedly, “Lord Yama only told me to be your assistant—nothing more. But if you don’t agree, I won’t be able to report back to him… Look!” As she spoke, her body shimmered and dissolved into countless tiny motes of silver light.

In the dim bedroom, the air was suddenly alive with twinkling, uncertain silver sparks. Countless points of silver light drifted together, forming a ring about the thickness of two fingers. The ring hovered for a moment, then split open, and from within emerged a tiny silver dragon, no more than a foot long, bathed in shimmering white light. It bared its claws before Shi Jun—each paw barely five centimeters long, yet tipped with glinting, razor-sharp nails. The delicate scales that cloaked its body seemed both eerie and beautiful. It looked nothing like the majestic dragons of animated tales; instead, it exuded an odd, endearing charm.

“A dragon?” Shi Jun blurted. “Aren’t dragons supposed to exist only in the heavens? How come your underworld has dragons too?”

The little silver dragon circled Shi Jun’s head at a leisurely pace, then settled onto his shoulder. She tucked in her limbs, coiling herself like a snake, and lifted her small dragon’s head, grumbling discontentedly, “Netherwarden, I’ll have you know that I, the little rascal, am an Ice Dragon—something the underworld only brings forth once in tens of thousands of years! Far more formidable than any dragon of the heavens or the demon realm, so don’t you dare compare me to those useless creatures!”

Shi Jun had no time for such distinctions. He fired off another query: “Let me ask—do you ever trouble ordinary people who can’t see you?” This was one of his chief concerns. He had no wish to bring any trouble upon his family or friends.

“How could we?” The little rascal was indignant. “Why would we harass mortals for no reason? Besides, the Four Realms have an agreement—not to meddle with mortals at will!”

The Four Realms—this was the second time Shi Jun had heard the phrase from her. Unable to restrain himself, he asked, “What exactly are the Four Realms?”

At this, the little rascal perked up, delighted at the chance to play teacher, and began her explanation.

* * * * * * * *

It turned out that, aside from the mortal world—called the Human Realm by the likes of the little rascal—there also existed the Celestial, Nether, Demon, and Monster Realms. Because the vast majority of humans lacked what was called “spiritual power,” the Human Realm was largely excluded and ignored by the other four. Among these, the Celestial and Demon Realms were the most powerful and constantly in opposition, while the Nether and Monster Realms remained generally neutral.

The Monster Realm existed entirely outside the power struggles of the Celestials and Demons. Weaker by nature, and never producing a strong leader or possessing resources coveted by the other realms, the Monster Realm remained aloof and rarely interacted with the others.

The Nether Realm, by contrast, was in a more awkward position. Both the Celestials and Demons needed to undergo continuous trials and ascension, and failure meant the destruction of the body and the soul’s descent into the Nether Realm—unless by some extraordinary twist of fate, they were doomed to be trapped there forever. Moreover, both Celestials and Demons originated from the Human Realm, ascending through unique opportunities. The essential, rare “Nether Ice Crystal” needed for their tribulations was exclusive to the Nether Realm. Thus, although the Nether Realm preferred peace and kept a low profile (or so the little rascal claimed), it was often drawn into the conflicts of the Celestial and Demon Realms, willingly or not…

“Oh no!” The little rascal suddenly stopped mid-sentence, looking stricken. “Lord Yama warned me over and over not to talk nonsense…”

Hmph. Shi Jun scoffed inwardly. He still hadn’t gotten to the bottom of why the Nether Realm had chosen him, but it was clear it had everything to do with this struggle between realms. Nothing good could come of it! The Nether Realm must have sensed danger looming and was recruiting in preparation.

Shi Jun didn’t know what qualities he possessed that might appeal to the Nether Realm, but one thing was clear: if he ever agreed to whatever scheme this hidden Lord Yama had, he’d be putting his own life at risk—and he wanted to live a good many years yet.

At this thought, Shi Jun’s lips curled in a faint, cold smile. “I used to think that the urge to seize resources was a human failing, but apparently… ha! Well, it’s no wonder, is it? So-called celestials, demons, ghosts—they were all once human, weren’t they? Pity they’re not really any nobler.”

The little rascal listened blankly, then suddenly leapt off Shi Jun’s shoulder, resuming her childlike form. She hopped to the seat beside him, feet swinging. “Netherwarden, can we talk about something else?”

“If it’s about the task your Lord Yama has for me, forget it—I don’t want to hear it.”

“Why not?” The little rascal had hoped Shi Jun was coming around, and was taken aback by his flat refusal.

“No reason.” Shi Jun waved a hand. “Not interested.”

He stood, yawning. “All right, little rascal, you’d better go back and tell your Lord Yama that I just want to remain what you call… uh… a mortal. Understand? A mortal! Tell him I don’t want to be a Netherwarden, and I want nothing to do with demons, monsters, or ghosts. I won’t do anything for you—so go home, and be good.”

The little rascal gazed at him, eyes brimming with tears, lips quivering as though she might burst into sobs at any moment.

Shi Jun, though not without a pang of guilt, steeled himself and turned away, unwilling to give in on something so important.

* * * * * * * *

“Enough, little rascal. There’s nothing to say to someone like him.” A cold, female voice sounded from the window.

By now, Shi Jun was hardly surprised. He only sighed; one left and another arrived—would it never end?

He turned to the window. Wasn’t this the very same girl—Chiyang—whose form the little rascal had just imitated, down to every detail? Now, though, her face was icy, her expression as cold as frost.

She sat on the windowsill, a golden hunting bow slung across her back, and cast a frosty glance at Shi Jun, as though he’d committed some unspeakable crime. Her eyes were full of disdain.

“Lord Yama must have lost his mind, picking someone like this! Don’t bother with him, little rascal—let’s go!” she said icily.

Outrageous! To barge into someone’s bedroom in the middle of the night and sneer at them! Shi Jun, who’d just been appreciating her looks, now felt a spark of annoyance. Still, he kept his face impassive, simply nodded, and turned to the dejected little rascal, forcing a smile. “Yes, yes, go on. I told you from the start—you’ve got the wrong person. Go on! I need my sleep.”

The girl’s brows arched as if she wanted to retort, but she held her tongue, jumped down, took the little rascal’s hand, and in a flash, both vanished.

Shi Jun was left alone, shaking his head as he listened to the rain beating against the window, beginning to wonder if the whole episode had been nothing but another strange dream. The thought even made him smile.

Then his smile faded. Rising slowly, he walked to the bed, crouched down, and carefully picked up something from the floor with his fingers—a tiny, thin, elliptical sliver of crystal, shimmering with a mysterious, cold silver light.

It was a scale shed from the little rascal’s body.

A peal of thunder split the night, and Shi Jun collapsed onto the floor, stunned.