Meng Huaize was convinced fate had cursed him.
When Lao [1] Li's son in the village fell ill, he'd discovered two crucial herbs missing from his stocks. Seizing a rare free moment, he'd shouldered his medicine basket and ventured into the treacherous slopes of Chuanji Mountain to gather more.
The mountain range was vast, its peaks knife-edged and perilous. Normally, Meng Huaize only foraged along the outermost ridges—but today, after hours of fruitless searching, he'd been forced deeper into the wilderness.
Dusk had nearly fallen when he finally spotted the last herb nestled between mossy rocks. His relief died instantly as an earth-shaking boom echoed through the valley. Trees trembled; birds erupted from the canopy in a shrieking cloud. Then—silence.
Curiosity overpowering caution, Meng Huaize pushed through the undergrowth toward the sound. Branches snapped aside—and he froze. Before him, a snake and wolf clashed in mortal combat.
The serpent's girth rivaled a century-old tree, its scaled body coiled like a living landslide. Opposite it stood a black wolf, regal as a midnight storm, its golden eyes blazing with contempt.
Meng Huaize's legs locked. Every instinct screamed to flee, yet his body refused to obey.
Then—disaster.
A whip-like tail lashed out, snaring his waist. Before he could scream, something golden and molten forced itself down his throat. It shouldn't have fit—should have choked him—yet it slid into his belly like water.
The serpent collapsed, dead. Meng Huaize barely scrambled free before its carcass crushed him. Gasping, he heard a voice.
The wolf spoke.
Monsters. Actual monsters. And this one wanted him dead.
Terror turned his bones to jelly. The wolf loomed over him, reducing his grown frame to childlike insignificance. Resigned, Meng Huaize squeezed his eyes shut—only to feel something small and warm thump against his chest.
No pain? Could it be that this wolf demon knew some kind of magic that could make people die without pain or sensation? Was he already in the underworld? When he opened his eyes, would he see the Naihe Bridge[2]? Might there be wandering spirits standing beside him this very moment?
As these thoughts raced through Meng Huaize's mind, a cool breeze seemed to whisper past his ears, making him shiver involuntarily.
At that moment, the heavy weight in his arms shifted, and every hair on Meng Huaize's body stood on end. His hands went completely numb with fear, frozen in place.
Then came a soft pressure against his palm, accompanied by a pitiful whimper from the bundle in his arms. Meng Huaize blinked in stunned confusion, the haze of mortal terror lifting just enough for doubt to creep in. Squinting cautiously, he slowly opened his eyes and looked down into a pair of liquid golden orbs.
For a long moment, Meng Huaize could only stare blankly at those furious animal eyes before his sluggish thoughts finally caught up with reality.
A wolf... a wolf cub?!
His gaze jerked stiffly to the side. The colossal serpent's corpse had shrunk to the size of an ordinary snake. Though the surrounding vegetation lay in disarray and the earth was stained with blood, an eerie calm had settled over the mountainside. The setting sun hung suspended between the cliffs, its gilded light softening the scene until the recent supernatural battle might have been nothing more than a fever dream.
He was still on Chuanji Mountain. He wasn't dead!
Looking down again at the wolf cub cradled in his arms, Meng Huaize watched as it bared tiny fangs and growled with all the ferocity it could muster——which, truth be told, sounded no more threatening than the yapping of village puppies.
The cub seemed to realize this too. In a sudden fit of pique, it extended a pudgy paw to swipe at Meng Huaize, only to have its limb caught mid-swing by the man's reflexive grip.
Man and demon stared at each other in mutual astonishment.
Recovering first, the enraged cub arched its back and snarled menacingly. This finally shocked Meng Huaize into action—he grabbed the offending paw, hurled the cub away, and took off in a stumbling, ungainly retreat. His terror-weakened legs nearly betrayed him, and it took considerable effort to put any meaningful distance between them.
Glancing back as he ran, Meng Huaize saw the wolf cub hadn't pursued him. It remained where it had landed, lying motionless in the grass, its small form looking strangely vulnerable from afar.
Run! Flee now! his mind screamed. Yet after just a few steps, he hesitated, stopped, and against all better judgment, looked back more carefully. That's when he noticed the injuries.
Was this truly the same creature as before? The talking demon? Meng Huaize trembled at the thought, yet found himself unable to walk away. He was a healer, after all—even faced with a wolf cub, he couldn't simply abandon it to die. Especially not when it was so badly hurt. The wounds that might have been insignificant on the massive black wolf appeared grievous on this forearm-sized cub, the bloodied gashes shockingly vivid against its small body.
If he left now, the cub likely wouldn't survive the night.
Against his own better judgment, Meng Huaize felt his resolve softening.
He wavered for what felt like ages, pacing in agonized indecision, before finally gritting his teeth in determination. Snatching up a long branch, he hunched his shoulders and began creeping toward the cub.
Maintaining a safe distance, he extended the branch and gave the listless creature an experimental poke.
The effect was immediate——the previously lethargic cub jerked its head up, eyes flashing with dangerous golden light. Meng Huaize didn't wait to see more. He dropped the branch and fled, running blindly for nearly a tea pot's time [3] before finally stopping, chest heaving, when the battleground was well out of sight.
Down the mountain! If he left now, he could still escape unharmed. Go! Now! Yet his feet refused to obey. After an eternity of hesitation, he found himself retracing his steps, drawn back against all reason.
The cub still lay where he'd left it.
Not daring to approach directly this time, Meng Huaize called out from a distance, his voice quavering,"Hey!"
His bravado evaporated instantly. "I-I saw you're hurt," he stammered. "Promise not to eat me, and I'll treat your wounds."
The attempted threat came out more like a plea, "If you don't... I'll leave you here to die. There are... there are dangerous animals in these mountains at night."
Perhaps moved by his words, the wolf cub on the ground stirred, fixing Meng Huaize with its golden gaze. Meng Huaize stumbled backward, face pale, teeth clenched tight to suppress his instinct to flee.
The cub spoke plainly, "I never intended to eat you."
It really is a demon! Meng Huaize screamed internally, though his face remained eerily blank—shock having numbed all expression.
The cub continued, "I only meant to kill you."
Meng Huaize turned stiffly to leave.
"Wait."
When he glanced back, the cub appeared faintly irritated, an unruly tuft of fur sticking up between its ears, "I'll postpone your death. I'll inform you before killing you. Satisfied?"
Absolutely not!
Resentment swelled in Meng Huaize's chest. What had he done to deserve this? Why must his life be forfeit?
The injustice kindled fragile courage. Flushing red, he sputtered at the cub: "O-of course not! I've done n-nothing wrong! Why must you kill me?"
The cub's ears flattened. "You swallowed my demonic core!"
Meng Huaize's indignation grew. He hadn't chosen to ingest the thing! And who knew if it might harm him? Where was his recourse?
"It wasn't intentional!" Heat rose to his cheeks. Unaccustomed to arguments, his words tripped over themselves. "Th-that... that demonic core—I don't even want it!"
The cub snorted, its arrogance undimmed by mortal peril. "Regardless, I will reclaim it."
"Well," Meng Huaize countered, crouching warily out of reach, "you c-can't kill me. If you do, I won't heal you."
The sun had long vanished behind the mountains, leaving only streaks of crimson bleeding across the horizon as the moon prepared its ascent. Yet still they bickered in circles—the demon insisting on retrieving its core, the man stubbornly repeating his terms from a safe distance.
Twilight's indigo embrace deepened around them. Wounded severely and weakened by his missing core, Wu Yue found his strength flagging after this prolonged debate.
Never had he been reduced to such indignity—his demonic power so depleted he couldn't even maintain his adult form, forced to bargain with a pitiful human. Exhausted by the chatter, Wu Yue turned away, burying his muzzle in his fur.
No matter, he thought. The human was insignificant. Though his core currently resided within this mortal shell, it couldn't escape him. Once his strength returned, he'd simply kill the man later.
Unaware of these lethal calculations, Meng Huaize hesitated before the obstinate cub. Gritting his teeth, he turned to leave—only to inevitably circle back moments later.
Wu Yue flicked an ear in annoyance. "Why return?"
"That... demonic core," Meng Huaize ventured hesitantly. "Is it truly so important to you?"
Wu Yue's sidelong glance said obviously.
Meng Huaize lowered his gaze, murmuring almost to himself, "It must be, then..."
When he looked up again, his voice trembled: "Do you... honor your word?"
Wu Yue cocked his head.
"You said you'd warn me before killing me..."
The cub scratched at a blood-matted patch behind his ear and gave a lazy hmph.
After a pause, Meng Huaize whispered, "I believe you. Though you wish me dead, you'd rather forfeit healing than deceive me. That suggests... some decency."
Wu Yue had never heard such naive criteria for judging character. Wasn't this recklessly simplistic?
"I'll heal you first," Meng Huaize continued. "But you must vow not to kill me arbitrarily. Once recovered, you must consider... other ways to retrieve your demonic core. If none exist... if..."
His face drained of color. The words died in his throat.
Wu Yue's interest piqued. "If none exist...?"
Meng Huaize clenched shaking fists. Fear still clouded his eyes, yet resolve flickered beneath. "If killing me is truly the only way... then it's your right. The core belongs to you."
His entire body trembled—every fiber screaming I don't want to die—even as he spoke these words.
Wu Yue had never encountered humans before. This was his first.
He found them... perplexing.
The speech had left Meng Huaize drained. Under Wu Yue's scrutiny, he shrank back. "W-what are you staring at?"
"Fine," Wu Yue said at last. "I agree."
Translator's Notes:
1. Lao: Old Man
2. Naihe Bridge: he bridge to the underworld where souls drink Meng Po's soup of forgetfulness.
3. Tea Pot's Time: 8-10 minutes