Chapter 37: A Frenzy of Demons, Part 30

After Shen Xiao finished asking his question, Xu Xiangyun laughed, but her laughter was more sorrowful than tears.

“Daoist Shen, you are a cultivator; you can come and go as you please, travel wherever your heart desires. But I cannot. I was born in this very city of Green Mountain, and the farthest I’ve ever been is the river outside the city gates. Now, with war raging year after year beyond these walls, even the imperial examinations have been suspended. It’s even less likely that I could ever leave. Unless fate intervenes, I’ll marry here, bear children, grow old, and die within these walls…”

Xu Xiangyun gazed at Shen Xiao intently. “Daoist Shen, I know that most women live such lives, but I don’t want that. I cannot bear the thought of spending my entire existence trapped within this city. Even if chaos and demons roam the world outside, I want to go out—I want to see the world, to make my home wherever I please, just as you do.”

Shen Xiao was silent for a moment before asking, “Is this how your brother feels as well?”

Xu Xiangyun smiled faintly and shook her head. “Green Mountain City is my parents’ life’s work. From a young age, my brother has aspired to inherit their legacy and devote himself to the well-being of our people. He has never once thought of leaving.”

Shen Xiao nodded mildly. “Your wish is indeed unconventional. Since ancient times, daughters have been raised in seclusion, seldom stepping beyond their chambers. When grown, they marry, keep house, raise children, and rarely travel far. But if you truly wish to part with your family, perhaps you could discuss this with them. If they consent, you might enter a cultivation sect and study. It’s not impossible.”

“To study in one of those sects with endless rules?” Xu Xiangyun’s expression turned scornful, and she snorted. “That’s just escaping one cage for another. I won’t go.”

Shen Xiao considered this. “So… you wish to leave, yet you want no restrictions. But without learning some skills, how will you protect yourself when danger comes?”

Xu Xiangyun looked at him in surprise. “If I marry you, wouldn’t you be responsible for me?”

Shen Xiao was speechless.

Seeing his expression change, Xu Xiangyun hurried to explain, “I only proposed this as a last resort. If I could hire you as a bodyguard, I’d gladly do so, but I don’t know what you require. You want neither money nor provisions—how could I possibly hire you to take me away?”

Shen Xiao closed his eyes and sighed silently. “Miss Xu, the fox spirit may come tonight. You should go back now. As for the rest, we’ll discuss it after the matter is resolved.”

Xu Xiangyun saw his continued reluctance and looked deeply disappointed.

Biting her lip in frustration, she had no other recourse and finally turned to leave…

Night deepened, and household lights began to glow throughout the mountain city. Looking out, specks of light dotted the land like stars.

Inside, Shen Xiao drew his sword and carefully polished it, then carried it next door. He told Shi Xianyu, “Little Fish, once you’re ready, go to Miss Xu’s room. Lin Yuan and I will guard the door to keep you safe.”

Shi Xianyu nodded. After making sure everything was prepared, she gathered her skirts and went to find Xu Xiangyun.

…

Xu Xiangyun’s room was divided in two by a six-panel silk screen adorned with painted flowers.

Shi Xianyu sat before the screen; Xu Xiangyun sat behind it—keeping Xu Xiangyun inside was to prevent the fox spirit from detecting that someone else had taken her place. Shen Xiao had also instructed that incense be burned in the room to muddle any scents.

Simply sitting and waiting was nerve-wracking, since they didn’t know when, or even if, the fox spirit would come.

After a while, Shi Xianyu grew restless and began to walk slowly about the room.

The chamber was not large, and space felt even more cramped with the screen in place. Against one wall stood a rosewood display shelf with various jade and coral ornaments. Shi Xianyu paused to admire them before her gaze fell on the desk, which was covered with sheets of drawing paper. She glanced over and asked, “May I look at the drawings on your desk?”

From behind the screen, Xu Xiangyun replied, “Please, Daoist, make yourself at home.”

Shi Xianyu leafed through the papers out of curiosity.

Xu Xiangyun had drawn many pictures; there was quite a stack on the desk, and even a large porcelain vase at the foot of the table was filled with rolled paintings—flowers and birds, grasses and trees, winding rivers, majestic mountains, morning dew and evening glow. She had drawn nearly every scene the surroundings had to offer.

“Miss Xu, you have real talent,” Shi Xianyu said sincerely.

Xu Xiangyun’s voice sounded listless and languid. “With nothing to do day after day, aside from needlework, what else can I do but paint? If you were as confined as I am, you might paint even better than I.”

“I doubt it.” Shi Xianyu shook her head with a laugh. “I tried learning to draw for a while, but my work was dreadful.”

She had spent a long time in the hospital once, following online tutorials to draw cartoon characters. Even now, she could barely sketch a simple bun or dumpling.

As she turned another sheet, a particular drawing caught her attention.

It depicted a raging river, from which a monstrous creature was emerging—tiger’s head, eagle’s talons, armored body, crouched on the bank and roaring. Tiny figures on the shore fled in panic, some lying lifeless beneath the monster’s claws, vivid splashes of red capturing the bloody carnage.

“What kind of demon is this?” Shi Xianyu exclaimed in surprise. “It looks terrifying.”

“That must be the Tiger-Jiao Beast I drew,” Xu Xiangyun replied. “My brother told me that six hundred li east of Green Mountain City lies Cat Mountain, at the base of which is an unnamed river. In that river lives a water monster called the Tiger-Jiao Beast—ferocious, fond of human flesh, it has forced nearby villages to relocate. I drew this picture based on his description.”

She paused, her tone turning wistful. “Sadly, I fear I’ll never see the real Tiger-Jiao Beast in my life.”

“That’s not so difficult,” Shi Xianyu said. “Once we’ve dealt with the fox spirit, have your brother take you to see it—as long as you keep a safe distance from the water, there shouldn’t be any trouble.”

Xu Xiangyun laughed at herself. “You don’t understand. I can hardly leave the Xu residence, let alone Green Mountain City.”

She sighed deeply and murmured, “If only I were like you—free to roam to the ends of the earth, to go wherever I wished…”

Shi Xianyu listened in silence. It was true that women in ancient times were much more constrained, and with so many demons and monsters in this world, perhaps the Xu family kept Xu Xiangyun at home for her own safety.

She also realized that women like Xu Xiangyun, who harbored such dreams, must have been rare indeed in those days. For a well-bred young lady with no material worries to yearn for adventure—how unusual that must be.

…

Compared to the calm inside the room, those outside were far more anxious—none more so than Xu Qingfeng, who paced endlessly before his sister’s chamber, glancing worriedly at the darkening sky, his hands nervously twisting together.

He both hoped the fox spirit would come quickly, so that Shen Xiao could catch it, and dreaded its arrival, fearing his sister would be harmed.

“Master Xu, why don’t you and your parents return to your rooms?” Shen Xiao said. “We’ll be guarding here. As long as the fox spirit is fooled, your sister will be safe.”

The magistrate of Green Mountain bowed to Shen Xiao. “Thank you for your efforts, Daoists. We’ll withdraw and await good news.”

He patted Xu Qingfeng on the shoulder. “Let’s go. We’re of no use here and may only get in the way.”

Xu Qingfeng hesitated, then bowed to Shen Xiao. “Daoist Shen, I entrust my sister’s safety to you.”

Shen Xiao replied coolly, “I will do all I can.”