Chapter 144 — An Encounter

Having left Zhou Yixuan and the others, Mingli flew alone southward for some time. But in this night sky, beneath these dark clouds, everywhere he looked were somber, lightless lands. Below the canopy stretched wastes and linked mountains, cold and desolate. Even aloft, a man felt utterly empty, not knowing where he ought to go.

Little Grey on his shoulder suddenly cried out twice. Mingli glanced at it and saw three eyes looking back at him, Little Grey grinning. For it, it seemed, most of the time was happy. A rare smile and a look of tenderness surfaced on Mingli's face. He gently stroked the monkey's head, then sank downward, descending to the ground.

The place he landed was a wild, high mountain covered in dense forest. The vegetation grew thick, the underbrush close-packed; there was scarcely room in the woods to set a foot. Likely no one had ever come to this mountain, this forest, in all this desolation. Mingli's expression was placid. He landed in the woods, and before his feet touched ground his right hand flicked; the Soul-Devouring Demon Staff flew from his sleeve and circled once beneath his feet. No strange sound was heard, and in the blink of an eye every tree, shrub, and thorn within a six-foot radius suddenly withered away, turning to dead branches in an instant.

As the Soul-Devourer flew back into his hand, Mingli clearly felt wisps of thin, icy breath coursing through the black shaft. Little Grey gave a delighted cry, leaped from his shoulder, and ran deep into the forest. Mingli lifted his head and watched Little Grey's receding back. Ever since that trip to the southern borderlands—especially after Little Grey's transformation—its appetite had begun to swell rapidly; it was always thinking of food.

The night was deep. The night wind blew in from the open wilds, sweeping over this stretch of mountain forest; the woods gave forth a sound like rolling waves, and countless shadows swayed together. Mingli slowly sat down on the ground and gradually closed his eyes. The shadows of the trees swept across his face. In the darkness, he was like a silent, brooding spirit.

How long passed, he did not know. From somewhere far off came a faint, low growl, then it vanished without a trace. Mingli frowned slightly and opened his eyes, but did not move. Sure enough, moments later the underbrush nearby rustled, and the monkey Little Grey came running back.

The sharp, vexing thorns seemed not to exist at all in Little Grey's eyes; often it simply trampled straight through them. It ran up close, and Mingli saw clearly that one of its hands was pressed to its chest—it was indeed clutching several wild fruits—while the other hand dragged behind it, as though hauling something along.

Mingli could not help but find it strange. He glanced behind the monkey and was rather startled. There in the shadows, Little Grey was actually dragging back something shaped like an animal, and by the look of it not a small one—much larger than Little Grey—yet Little Grey hauled it with perfect ease. Moments later Little Grey had run up close. With a chuckle it first set down the wild fruits, then swung its hand. With a muffled thud, a great mass crashed to the ground before them.

It was a full-grown wild boar, enormous—standing, it would likely have been taller than Little Grey. But now the boar's head had a hole broken in it, its body was bleeding, and it was already dead. Mingli looked at the wound; it was still fresh. He paused a moment, then said to Little Grey, "You caught this?"

Little Grey grinned, pointed at the boar, then pointed at Mingli.

Mingli sighed and smiled. "I'm not hungry."

Little Grey scratched its head, blinked all three eyes at once, then pointed at the boar, and then at itself. Mingli could not help but laugh at its antics; the weight in his heart lifted a good deal. He smiled and said, "All right, I'll help you."

Little Grey's face broke into a beaming smile at once; clearly it knew Mingli's skill was no small thing, and that this was its favorite. Mingli rolled up his sleeve, joined his fingers like a blade, and lightly slit the boar's belly, opening the tough hide in one stroke. His movements were deft: in two or three strokes he had skinned and boned the boar, then flew off to find a place with spring water, washed the meat clean, and brought it back. He set up a wooden frame, kindled a fire, and began roasting the pig.

The firelight grew stronger, flushing both Little Grey's and Mingli's faces with a rosy glow. By now Little Grey had eaten every one of the wild fruits clean, and its eyes were fixed on the roast pig atop the flames, from which savory aromas were gradually rising. Mingli slowly drew from his waist the various seasonings he had made himself and sprinkled a little onto the meat, then found a small bottle of sesame oil and began to drip it lightly over the pork. The oil slid slowly along the meat, and under the roasting of the flames below seeped gradually into the flesh. Soon the surface of the pork began to turn a pale golden yellow; the meat itself exuded clear beads of oil, and a mouthwatering fragrance drifted out upon the air.

The firelight flickered softly, lighting the faces of monkey and man, and lighting too the small clearing and the trees around them. The tall reflections of the forest swayed as though a wind were howling through. Mingli gazed at the leaping flames before him and gradually fell into a trance, while Little Grey, wearing an expression of pure gluttonous longing, watched the roast pig, scratching its ears and cheeks, now and then running off to snap dry branches and feed them to the fire.

The still air was steeped in a strange and enticing fragrance.

From deep in the forest, a low growl suddenly came: "Hoooaaaa!"

The growl was deep and powerful, seemingly far away, yet it carried clearly to them, and a murderous chill spread swiftly through the air. Mingli started sharply from his brooding, his brows slowly knitting. He did not move his body, but his gaze grew deep and heavy as he looked toward the direction of the growl. Little Grey, with a swish, leaped onto Mingli's shoulder; there was no fear on its face, and it too turned to look.

In the fire came a crack; a branch burst apart, and the fragrance of the boar grew stronger.

Three feet away lay the dark forest. The wind above the trees seemed suddenly to rise, moaning loud. After that single low growl there was no further sound, yet that cold, murderous intent came rushing toward them almost as something tangible.

Mingli's pupils contracted slightly, and his brows knit tighter still.

"Crack!" Another small branch finally burst apart as well.

Suddenly the howling wind lost its voice. The whole forest seemed in an instant to go still, without the slightest sound. Ahead in the darkness, the dense trees and tangled thorns suddenly fell away to either side, revealing a narrow passage just wide enough for one man to walk.

A youth clad in bright silk garments stepped out of the darkness, one step at a time. His face was handsome, almost to the point of a bewitching beauty. In the midst of the night he was so conspicuous that the world around him seemed to brighten for his sake. Mingli did not rise or stir; he remained seated on the ground, his gaze fixed straight upon the youth.

The youth looked at Mingli, then his gaze fell upon Little Grey. He paused slightly and said with an "Oh?": "A Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey!"

Mingli said nothing, but Little Grey suddenly began to chirp and squeak, greatly agitated. Almost at the same moment as Little Grey's clamor, that deep growl sounded once more—except that this time it came directly from behind the youth.