Chapter 53: Run With Me from Now On

A blade at his neck, yet he would rather die than leave? Niu Youdao was more than a little surprised.

His understanding of this world was not especially deep, but he knew enough to be aware that the Buddha worshipped here was not Shakyamuni. In fact, there was no such person as Shakyamuni at all; the Buddhist faith revered someone else.

Buddhism was not flourishing in the present age either. It seemed to have enjoyed a period of prosperity once, perhaps around the time of the Wu Dynasty, only to decline under the impact of endless warfare. It rather called to mind the old lines:

Four hundred and eighty temples of the Southern Dynasties—
How many towers and pavilions lie in mist and rain?

Buddhism had gradually withered. Temples like Nanshan Temple were now scattered rarities. Niu Youdao had not expected to find such a steadfast believer in so diminished a faith—and a bear demon at that.

Before, he had only been interested in Yuan Fang because he had never seen a demon. Now he found himself interested in the bear demon as a person.

He gave an intrigued sound and laughed. "Now I really do want to meet this demon who would rather die than yield... Commandery Princess, please go back. Rest early. There's no need to see me any farther."

Shang Shuqing did not make a fuss about it. She took an interrogation transcript from her sleeve.

"I've read the Record of Strange Beasts before. After looking over this testimony, I thought this bear demon sounded rather like one of the creatures recorded in it. I don't know whether I'm right. Master Dao can judge for himself."

She offered it with both hands, dipped slightly in farewell, and turned away. A demon from the Record of Strange Beasts?

Niu Youdao paused, his interest growing stronger. He walked beneath a lantern hanging from the eaves and opened the transcript. It contained the testimony taken from the monks when Shang Chaozong's guards interrogated everyone at Nanshan Temple. Once he finished, he passed it to Yuan Gang.

Rubbing his chin, Niu Youdao murmured, "A bear with golden fur, impervious to blades and spears... could it really be the Golden King Bear from the Record of Strange Beasts?"

He had read the book himself. Yuan Gang had never seen any Record of Strange Beasts. He simply skimmed the transcript to get a general grasp of the situation. Watching Yuan Gang fold the testimony away, Niu Youdao smiled faintly.

"That woman is thoughtful, and careful too. Come on. Let's go see this demon for ourselves."

They found one of the personal guards and asked where the monks from Nanshan Temple had been lodged, then went straight there.

The twenty-odd monks had been crowded into two rooms around a small courtyard, sleeping on bedding spread directly across the floor. Yuan Fang was among them. Some personal guards were quartered in the courtyard as well. After the long journey, most of the monks were exhausted and snoring deeply. A demon was still a demon.

When Niu Youdao entered the room, the monks continued sleeping without stirring, but Yuan Fang, seated cross-legged in meditation, snapped his eyes open.

The moment he saw Niu Youdao and Yuan Gang, Yuan Fang scrambled to his feet, bowing and nodding with a broad ingratiating smile. Niu Youdao looked him up and down.

He was not tall. In human form he looked like an old man—thin, slightly stooped, and dark-skinned, though energetic enough, with a long white beard and bright eyes.

His monk's robes had been replaced by ordinary clothes, and a felt hat covered his shaven head. Even so, the lack of hair around the edges beneath the hat made it obvious he was bald.

Niu Youdao glanced at the monks sleeping all over the floor and chose not to wake them. He crooked a finger and called Yuan Fang outside, bringing him to the small courtyard's reception room. The moment they entered, Niu Youdao turned around and smiled.

"Take your clothes off. Let me have a look."

"Ah!"

Yuan Fang stared at him, plainly hesitant.

Niu Youdao waved a hand. "Don't be afraid. I've never seen a demon before. I just want to broaden my horizons."

So that was all.

Yuan Fang relaxed, then sighed. Helplessness showed plainly on his face as he slowly unfastened his upper garments. Beneath them lay a body still covered in golden fur where his human transformation remained incomplete.

He lowered his eyes, drew in his shoulders, and stood there obediently while the two curious men circled him. Niu Youdao even tugged at his fur twice. It hurt, but Yuan Fang endured it.

He had little choice.

He could resist, but the consequences would fall on the monks of Nanshan Temple. After circling him several times, Niu Youdao suddenly gave Yuan Gang a look. Yuan Gang smoothly drew the dagger strapped to his thigh and swept his hand.

Cold light flashed.

The edge scraped across Yuan Fang's body.

Shhk!

A metallic rasp sounded.

Sure enough, neither blade nor spear could cut him. Not one golden hair was severed, and the flesh beneath remained completely uninjured. Yuan Fang, however, was badly startled. He spun around and retreated several steps, staring at them in alarm and confusion. Why had knives suddenly come into this?

Niu Youdao's interest only increased.

He laughed. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Now then... show us your original form."

Yuan Fang hesitated.

Niu Youdao immediately raised an eyebrow and gave a questioning grunt. Yuan Fang had already seen what Niu Youdao could do. Song Yanqing and the other two had not even been able to withstand a single exchange against him. Yuan Fang knew perfectly well he was no match. Under that quiet threat, he submitted.

Slowly, he undid his belt and removed his trousers. Fortunately, he still wore a pair of loose shorts underneath. Taking off the clothes itself was nothing. The problem was being stared at without blinking by two grown men.

He had cultivated into a spirit and aspired to human ways; naturally he had developed a sense of shame. After kicking off his shoes and freeing himself of every restriction, Yuan Fang suddenly drew a deep breath. That single inhalation seemed to inflate his entire body.

His limbs thickened and swelled. His face broadened. Golden fur pushed out across his bald head, while the flesh of his face twisted and darkened. The transformation was not especially pleasant to watch and could easily have frightened an ordinary person.

Niu Youdao and Yuan Gang, however, were no ordinary men. In their previous lives, they had seen more than enough rotting corpses and other disgusting things inside tombs. They had even encountered walking corpses. This was nowhere near enough to scare them. Instead, the process itself fascinated them. Even Yuan Gang, whose expression was usually blank, now showed obvious curiosity. In the blink of an eye, an enormous bear with brilliant, lustrous golden fur stood upright before them.

Its body had expanded to roughly three times its former bulk, towering and powerfully built, both magnificent and intimidating. The loose shorts had split apart and now hung around its waist like a grass skirt. Its paws and face were covered in thick, dark flesh, and sharp claws protruded from the paws.

This truly was something new.

Their eyes opened wide.

The two men circled the oversized golden bear, studying it from every angle. The bear panted with its tongue out.

Its black eyes rolled left and right, following the two men as they circled. There was an unmistakable look of innocence in them, as though it had no idea how long this inspection was going to last. Before long, Niu Youdao gave Yuan Gang another look. Yuan Gang's dagger flashed several times.

Shhk! Shhk!

Metal scraped against metal.

The golden fur remained intact.

Then his grip changed.

He stabbed the dagger directly into the bear's thigh.

This time blood appeared immediately.

The blade sank in a short distance.

"Ow!"

The golden bear jumped away in pain and pleaded in a human voice, "Would the two benefactors please show mercy and let this humble monk go?"

Niu Youdao understood now.

The golden fur truly was impervious to blades and spears when struck across the surface, but its density had limits. It could not stop a sharp weapon driven straight in.

He waved cheerfully. "My apologies, my apologies. Change back."

The golden bear immediately began shrinking like a punctured bladder. Within moments, Yuan Fang stood before them again. He turned his back, tore a strip from the ruined cloth at his waist, and simply bandaged the wound on his thigh. Then, limping, he gathered his clothes and put them back on.

Once dressed, Yuan Fang stood obediently before them again, though a faintly aggrieved look had appeared on his face.

Niu Youdao gestured toward a seat. "Your leg is inconvenient now. Sit, sit. Let's talk."

Yuan Fang limped backward several steps and sat down. Niu Youdao began questioning him in detail. When the subject reached what he had done at Nanshan Temple, Yuan Fang repeated much the same story he had once given Song Yanqing. Again and again, he emphasized how many good deeds he had performed and insisted he was not a bad person.

Niu Youdao almost laughed.

Whatever grand reason he claimed about restoring Nanshan Temple, taking wealth for private purposes was still taking wealth for private purposes. Why dress it up with so many excuses?

Giving the villagers a little relief after the fact made it "robbing the rich to help the poor"?

Did that mean someone could commit every evil under Heaven, do a few good deeds afterward, and wipe the slate clean?

And that business about "eliminating bandits" sounded even prettier.

More likely, one mountain simply could not hold two tigers. Too many groups robbing people on the same stretch of territory hurt Nanshan Temple's own income, so Yuan Fang had swallowed the other bandits whole.

"How much money did you make over the last two years by robbing and killing people?"

Niu Youdao sat with one leg crossed over the other, lightly tapping his fingers against the side table.

Yuan Fang shook his head. "There's no money left."

Niu Youdao raised an eyebrow and sneered. "What, afraid I'll steal your money?"

Yuan Fang shook his head miserably. "You've misunderstood. Nanshan Temple is too remote. We never made much money to begin with. We had all those mouths to feed, daily expenses, repairs whenever the temple fell into disrepair, and sometimes we helped the nearby villagers. In the end, only a few hundred gold coins remained. His Highness and the others confiscated all of it earlier. They said it would cover food and travel expenses for so many of us on the road."

Niu Youdao laughed. So Shang Chaozong's people, who were themselves short of money, had already cleaned the monks out. He smiled. "You demon, don't tell me you feel wronged. Meeting us counts as good luck. If you keep walking along the riverbank, sooner or later your shoes get wet. Do enough dirty work and eventually something goes wrong. Hide in the mountains robbing people long enough and sooner or later you'll meet someone tougher than you. Run into cultivators who slay demons and exorcise evil, and that's when you lose your life. How about this instead? From now on, come run with me. I'll arrange a proper identity so you can travel openly without hiding."

Yuan Fang's face crumpled. "Cultivator, please just let me go. I promised the old abbot I would keep Nanshan Temple going. Before the Buddha I swore a great vow to make restoring Nanshan Temple the purpose of this life. If I break that oath, I am to fall into hell!"

Niu Youdao smiled. "Easy enough. Run with me, and someday I'll help you build the greatest temple beneath Heaven."

Yuan Fang stared up at him. "Really?"

"At the very least, I'll give you enough money to build the greatest temple beneath Heaven."

Yuan Fang found that highly unreliable. More importantly, he did not want to get dragged into disputes and danger.

After a moment's consideration, he answered weakly, "There's no need to trouble yourself. I think I'd better find my own way."

Niu Youdao's smile vanished.

He gave a cold laugh. "You won't give me face? I'll give you one last chance to think it over. Don't force me to turn hostile."

Yuan Fang's attitude changed instantly.

He nodded with great decisiveness.

"Fine! From now on, I'll follow the cultivator's instructions."

Niu Youdao turned his head toward Yuan Gang.

"If this demon becomes disobedient later, kill every monk from Nanshan Temple."

Yuan Gang nodded without expression and gave Yuan Fang a cold sidelong look.

Yuan Fang's face twitched.

He hurriedly waved both hands. "Never, never. We're all honest people!"

Niu Youdao had unexpectedly picked up a demon. That would give him plenty of time to study one later.

Satisfied, he rose.

"We've talked this long and I still don't know your name."

Yuan Fang stood as well and pressed his palms together. "This humble monk is Yuan Fang."

Niu Youdao gave him an irritated look. "You've really started believing it yourself. Are you actually Yuan Fang? I'm asking for your original name."

Yuan Fang finally understood.

"I don't have one. The people at the temple used to call me Little Gold."

"Little Gold?"

Niu Youdao looked the old-man appearance up and down, then pointed toward Yuan Gang.

"He's Monkey. From now on, we'll call you Old Bear."

Yuan Fang immediately turned to stare at Yuan Gang in astonishment.

"You're a monkey?"

His expression plainly said: You hid it well. I never saw through you.

[End of Chapter 53]