The morning mountain mist was like a pot of porridge with its lid still on, clinging to the waist of Qingyun Mountain. Lin Heng carried a bamboo basket down the mountain to pick wild vegetables, humming an off-key tune, his steps swaying lazily.
He was known in Qingyun Town as the local "idler" — he didn't work, didn't cultivate, didn't farm. Every day, all he seemed to do was walk his dog in the mountains, tease his cat, feed fruit to his bird, and help bathe the family's old turtle.
"Today we'll have cold mixed wild greens… hmm, and a bit of wild garlic," Lin Heng said, squatting to pull out a clove of wild garlic. He sniffed it and smiled in satisfaction.
At home, his four "ancestors" were waiting in the courtyard for their meal:
— Xiao Huang, a mutt that looked honest and docile with drooping ears, but every dog in the neighboring village was afraid of it.
— Hei Tuan, a lazy cat so fat it looked like a furball, eyes forever half-closed.
— Jiji, a green-feathered bird with a mouth sharp enough to argue with the gossiping aunt next door.
— Lao Zhong, a turtle with a dark green shell who moved so slowly it seemed he lived permanently a day behind everyone else.
Lin Heng thought they were all very well-behaved; their only flaw— they ate a lot.
He had just reached halfway down the mountain when a flurry of panicked footsteps and clashing metal sounded ahead. From within the mist, a small furry creature stumbled out and threw itself into his arms, trembling.
"Huh? A little fox?" Lin Heng patted its head. "Who lost you?"
Before he could take a closer look, several dark figures emerged from the mist — a group of richly dressed noble youths with long swords at their waists, followed by several guards holding crossbows.
"Mortal, hand over that fox!" the leading youth tilted his chin arrogantly, face full of disdain.
Lin Heng frowned. "It's not yours, so why should I hand it over?"
"That's a rare spirit fox! You, a mere mortal, dare to block us?" the youth sneered, raising a hand to signal his guards to surround him.
Lin Heng's mind spun — there was no way he could win a fight. Hugging the fox, he turned on his heel and ran, shouting as he went, "I'm warning you! I run really fast!"
He darted deeper into the forest, secretly smug: Hmph, even the hunters next door couldn't track me on this route.
Unbeknownst to him, as soon as he entered a mountain valley, there was a thump behind him — one figure was slammed into a tree trunk so hard the whole tree shook three times; another man didn't even have time to scream before a yellow blur smashed him several yards away; someone else's crossbow suddenly snapped clean in two, as though torn apart by invisible claws.
A low, muffled growl rolled through the forest, like a beast declaring its territory, so brief it almost felt like an illusion.
By the time Lin Heng, panting heavily, reached his own doorstep, he patted his chest. "Phew—shook them off."
In the courtyard, Xiao Huang was lying at the gate, tail swishing gently; Hei Tuan was sprawled lazily on the roof, yawning; Jiji had its head down, pecking at grains; Lao Zhong was slowly crawling toward the water jar.
"Good job, everyone," Lin Heng said with a smile. "I'll give you an extra treat later."
Meanwhile, deeper in the woods just outside the courtyard, the nobles' guards were slumped on the ground, pale-faced and trembling all over.
"I… I saw it… that dog… its eyes… they're not of this world…"