Qilin looked out across the massive stretch of river before him, shifting the rudder of his tiny sampan fishing boat that he’d bought off a fisherman a long way northeast.

 

Vibrant greenery and vegetation of the forests seemed to act like curtains to the massive mountains in the distance.

 

Qilin had never really thought about travelling to Guangdong before, but were his quest not so grim, he would’ve considered settling down here in his old life.

 

The vast stretches of green contrasted perfectly against the blue skies. The pillar-like mountains, carved by rivers into poles that seemed to hold up the sky were...well, there wasn’t any way to express it aside from majestic.

 

In all his travels, Qilin had never really taken the time to absorb the natural beauty of the world around him. A value that was practically beaten into him during his time in training. But through every moment of his journey to become an exorcist, he only ever had one goal in mind.

 

He only had the time to appreciate the scenery now because it would distract him from something else during this long trip down the Dong river.

 

The one thing interrupting his awe was the heavy, heavy scent of animal musk in the air.

 

“You know, you still haven’t told me why you’re after this general. I have a feeling you’re gonna get sick of hearing about it enough to spill your secrets.”

 

Qilin didn’t so much as offer a glance of acknowledgement to Xu Qin.

 

“And you still haven’t told me why you’re following me.” Qilin muttered.

 

The young water stance monk sat up from her position lounging against the side of the boat. “Really? Huh. Well, you’re after a bull demon, right? Those guys have huge bounties on them. Plus the fact that exorcists are rare in the south, that means I’ll probably get three times as much money as I would killing a baigujing up north.”

 

“What are you even going to do with all that money?” Qilin asked. “Humiliate your future husband?”

 

“Bold of you to ask me about my motivations when you won’t reveal your own.” Xu Qin crossed her arms and grinned like the smug brat she was.

 

“Whatever.” he sighed.

 

“I, uh...I also lost my copy of the Bai Ze Tu some time ago when I started the job in Fujian.” Xu Qin murmured.

 

Qilin grabbed a small leather-bound book from inside his shenyi and tossed it to Xu Qin.

 

“You can have mine.” Qilin said. “Honestly, why do they even bother making us carry these things around when the Bai Ze themselves show up to brief us on jobs?”

 

“I find them rather useful,” Xu Qin said. “A Bai Ze isn’t always gonna have time to tell you everything.”

 

A scent of immense magic invaded Qilin’s nostrils.

 

“What’s that...noise?” Xu Qin muttered.

 

Qilin and Xu Qin both followed their senses and looked to the left, towards the riverbank.

 

A small, hunched over white goat leapt along the banks, the eyes of his human face locked on the two monks. The terrifying stillness of an old man’s grinning face followed them.

 

A Bai Ze.

 

Qilin and Xu Qin both stood in their boat and bowed to the creature.

 

Jueyuan. Very near to the south. Hurry. Danger.

 

The Bai Ze’s withered voice projected into each of their minds before the creature leapt into the foliage, vanishing.

 

“See what I mean?” Xu Qin asked.

 

Qilin sighed. “I’m not taking the job. If you want to, I’ll be docking at the nearest town to stock up on food and supplies later today. But if you get into trouble, don’t expect me to rush in and save you.”

 

But Xu Qin was already looking up the creature in her Bai Ze Tu.

 

“Jueyuan...Jueyuan...There we go.” Xu Qin muttered. “Navy blue simian-like creature...thousand year old monkey...has a habit of...kidnapping women and forcing them to bear its children…”

 

A shiver traveled down Qilin’s spine.

 

Death, he could handle. Massacres, were almost commonplace in this line of work. But something about those demons that kidnapped humans without the intention of eating them, but to just violate them, made him deeply uncomfortable. Xu Qin was probably even more off put. But then again, she didn't have the personal experience with such things that Qilin had. By exorcist standards, she was still green.

 

“I...I think I’ll pass on that one.” Xu Qin sighed.

 

“Wise.” Qilin said. “Though the Bai Ze said it was ‘very near’. But I don’t smell anything. Can you hear him?”

 

Xu Qin shook her head. “I just hear songbirds and insects.”

 

“Well, stay vigilant.” Qilin muttered.

 

Qilin steered the boat through a narrower, but more rapid part of the river that flowed underneath a line of overhanging trees.

 

Then a navy blue lump dropped from the sky and landed on the sampan, hunched over. A pair of golden eyes stared at Qilin, before quickly shifting to Xu Qin.

 

His shadow flickered to life with an irritating itch in the back of his mind. 

 

Qilin scrambled to stand up and grab his monk’s spade.

 

That musk. It was stronger than ever.

 

The demon was using its own natural musk to mask the scent that usually lingered on a demon’s body from hell.

 

Splitting Fist, Sixth Form: Thrusting Spear.

 

Qilin dashed forward. His monk’s spade thrusted out, with more range than expected as he dislocated his own shoulder for an extra bit of reach.

 

The Jueyuan ducked under Qilin’s attack and grabbed onto his wrist with its tail before he could retreat.

 

Qilin grunted in pain as the demon tugged on his arm, preventing him from relocating his joint.

 

He was only given reprieve when Xu Qin unleashed her drilling fist. Her attack missed the surprisingly nimble demon, but the resulting force was enough to rock the boat, putting the monkey off its balance.

 

Qilin relocated his shoulder and attempted to hold the Jueyuan back with the crescent blade on his weapon, but the creature closed in and unloaded a flurry of attacks that sent him reeling back.

 

That monkey’s movements were far too honed and precise to just be the wild rampaging of a demon.

 

Qilin was on the backfoot, parrying powerful spinning kicks and palm strikes from this creature.

 

Who the fuck had taught a demon kung fu? Wu Tang? A rogue master? A shapeshifter?

 

It didn’t help that he had to watch five limbs on this enemy instead of four. And that he had to mind his balance, compensating for his enemy's movements to avoid capsizing.

 

Qilin managed to turn his momentum around by stepping past the striking range of the Jueyuan’s limbs and jamming the crescent blade into the monkey’s throat.

 

Xu Qin swung her meteor hammer, cracking the metal sphere on the back of the monkey’s skull, not giving the creature an opportunity to recover.

 

Splitting Fist, Third Form: Ironsmith’s Cleansing.

 

Qilin leapt into the air and brought the flat of his monk’s spade down with violent speed towards the dazed demon’s head. But his weapon didn’t make contact.

 

Instead, a flash of navy blue slammed into his abdomen so hard, he flew out of the Sampen and landed in the raging river with an eruption of white water.

 

Unable to get his footing, Qilin swirled and spun, banging extremities of his body off rocks or getting cut on jagged edges.

 

He tried to stay afloat, but beyond the fact that he was trying to navigate rapids, he could barely swim.

 

In his attempts to resurface for air, he saw little of the boat. But of what he could see...it was empty.

__________________________________________________________________

 

Qilin’s first impulse was to vomit.

 

He coughed and gagged as water spilled up from his lungs. He turned himself onto his stomach in the silt of the riverbank, trying to spit up as much liquid as possible.

 

Qilin took in his surroundings.

 

On the river behind him, his Sampan had been reduced to driftwood. The Jueyuan and Xu Qin were nowhere to be seen. And Qilin couldn’t figure out if the demon had even left, since the creature had no scent. Or at least, not among the present stench of animal life.

 

“Xiansheng! Are you alright?”

 

Qilin glanced around the river bank and spotted three young boys, caked in mud, approaching him. He staggered to his feet and rolled his relocated shoulder.

 

“I’m fine, boy.” Qilin muttered. One of the boys was dragging his spade through the mud. “Oi. I need that spade back.”

 

“What?” the boy exclaimed, “But it’s mine! I found it!”

 

“A kid like you shouldn’t be carrying a monk’s spade.” Qilin said. “Especially when its owner isn't afraid to throw said kid into a river.”

 

The boy pouted, but reluctantly dropped the weapon.

 

Qilin picked it up and chose not to sling the mud-covered spade over his back.

 

“You boys live near here?” Qilin asked.

 

They nodded and proceeded to run off. It took him a second to figure out they wanted him to follow them.

 

Qilin gritted his teeth. He was essentially forced to take this job whether he wanted to or not. Yet another delay on his path.

 

Part of him thought he should just leave and move on. If Xu Qin had never followed him, neither of them would have to deal with this. In a way, it was her fault for following him.

 

But he knew that was ridiculous.

 

The only reason the damn thing went after them was because of his shadow. The tainted brand on his memory that drew evil spirits to him and caused demons to grow in strength if they were around him for long enough.

 

Qilin rubbed the back of his neck, touching no physical evidence of the mark on his soul, but still fruitlessly attempting to wipe it away.

 

Beyond that, the Jueyuan inspired a bloodlust in Qilin that he rarely felt. There was a kind of peace in death; an end to the suffering. But to be taken captive and violated—to have your life completely altered and set by a vile injustice...That was far worse than simply dying.

 

There was a power in that kind of violation. A power to forever torment somebody, without even being there. A power to plunge them into despair, unable to escape being haunted by their own minds…

 

The village that the boys led Qilin to was far less packed than the typical village. All of the houses and buildings were made of a mixture of stone bricks and dull orange plaster, likely made from some kind of clay, with each building allowed its own spot of green for a number of uses.

 

As per usual with the places he visited, people gave him looks.

 

“Come with me!” the boy who’d picked up Qilin’s spade said. “My mama and baba will help wash your clothes.”

 

Qilin looked down at himself and for the first time, saw how dirty he was.

 

Black and white made no effort to hide the filth. He could at least use some time by a fire. Despite his endurance, his teeth were starting to chatter unless he forced his jaw shut.

 

Qilin obliged the boy and followed him up the steep path that wound through the village, towards one of the higher elevated houses. He followed the boy through the wooden door and was met by a plethora of startled glances.

 

The house was occupied by a woman nearing middle age, a young girl no older than twenty, and another boy of about twelve, as opposed to the boy who had led Qilin here, who looked to be no older than ten.

 

“Mama! I found this man by the river!” the boy exclaimed.

 

The middle aged woman opened her mouth to speak, but held her tongue for a moment before looking Qilin up and down.

 

“My, you look rather exhausted, Heshang.” the woman said.

 

“I feel just fine.” Qilin muttered. “All I’m really looking for is some information. You see, I-”

 

“Well, you should at least stay for tea. We don’t get very many visitors around these parts.” the woman turned to the girl. “Xiao Min, go put a pot of tea on for our guest. Yazhu, go get a pair of dry clothes for him.”

 

The middle boy and girl scattered to do their assigned tasks.

 

“Tai tai, I genuinely don’t have time to receive hospitality.” Qilin said. “A friend-”

 

What was he talking about? Xu Qin was probably already done for. All he cared about was killing that damn monkey. He needed to buy a new boat anyway. And he needed every ounce of information he could get. There was no use in trying to rush the job.

 

“On second thought...thank you for welcoming me so warmly.” Qilin said. “My name is Jin Qilin.”

 

“I’m Chang Fei.” the woman smiled. “My daughter is Chang Min. My eldest son is Yang Yazhu. My youngest is Chang Lin.”

 

Qilin frowned. Why did her middle child have a different surname? He decided not to press her on it.

 

Yazhu came back with a set of dry clothes. They seemed like they’d be baggy on Qilin, undoubtedly belonging to whoever their father was.

 

He was led to a room where he could change. While in there, he made sure to keep his dao strapped to his back, under the clothes. It wasn’t the most convenient spot to put it, but he liked to have some kind of protection on him at all times.

 

Qilin handed off his dirty clothes to Chang Fei’s daughter, Min, and sat with the woman for tea at the circular table that took up most of the common space.

 

“So, Heshang Jin, what brings you here of all places?” Chang Fei asked.

 

Qilin sighed and lowered his voice. “There’s a Jueyuan near this village. A navy monkey, as tall and strong as a man.”

 

Chang Fei blinked, staring at her table. “A...w-what?”

 

“Look, just...have any young girls gone missing from this village?” Qilin asked.

 

Chang Fei seemed to have a difficult time focusing on what he was saying.

 

“Are you alright?” His voice seemed to startle her. He furrowed his brow as suspicion started to creep up his back.

 

The woman gulped and nodded, though she wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Yes, heshang. I’m fine. I haven’t heard much, but there was a girl who went missing just over a month ago. Though I know no more than that.”

 

Qilin nodded. “Has anyone gone looking for her?”

 

“There have been search parties, but...none have been able to find any clues as to her whereabouts.” Chang Fei said.

 

“Is there someone related to her I could talk to? Who may have seen what happened?”

 

Chang Fei shook her head. “Her grandfather died less than a week ago. Poor thing…he was the only relative she had left, I hear.”

 

Qilin sighed. Back to square one.

 

“Well, if it’s not too much to ask, do you mind if I stay in your home while I conduct my work?” Qilin asked. He grabbed some coins from a leather pouch assembled with his belongings and dropped them on the table next to Chang Fei. “Will this cover my stay?”

 

Chang Fei blinked. “Oh my, this is very generous, heshang. We would be happy to host you during your stay. But really, you needn't-”

 

“Chang Fei!” A disheveled man, overweight with age, stumbled through the house door. He threw a shovel to the ground. “My spade’s gone to shit. Have your brat get me a new one…”

 

Qilin recoiled at the strong stench of rice wine and sweat.

 

Chang Fei’s head snapped up, at attention. “Of course, dear. Yazhu…” She looked at her oldest son, who seemed hesitant to pick up the shovel, but did so anyway, and left.

 

“Huh? Who’s this?” The man nodded towards Qilin as Chang Fei stood and offered him her seat.

 

“This is Heshang Jin, an exorcist.” Chang Fei said. “This is my husband, Chang Yun.”

 

“An exorcist? A Buddhist exorcist?” Chang Yun asked, scrunching his wide nose up. “We don’t want your kind here, foreigner!”

 

“Lao Gong, don’t be rude…”

 

“Shaddup!” Yun growled. “These damn Buddhists have been unwelcome on our soil for hundreds of years! The Qing finally do something useful and burn down that damn temple and they’re still around? We have our own exorcists!”

 

Qilin narrowed his eyes. “Not that it matters...but I’m every bit as Han as you are.” Qilin stood and drew his face within centimeters of Chang Yun. “And Han or not, I’m here to kill something that could easily skewer hundreds of your likes in an instant. So unless you wanna take a trip to Diyu today, I suggest you keep your unsolicited thoughts to yourself.”

 

Chang Yun broke eye contact. No matter what someone thought of the Shaolin monks, it was no question that anyone who invoked their wrath would be very sorry, very quickly.

 

“So, you’re here for that...uh, that monkey, right?” Chang Yun muttered.

 

Qilin frowned. “How do you know about it?”

 

Chang Yun matched Qilin’s frown and glanced towards Chang Fei, whose eyes were focused on the floor.

 

“This man’s here to finally do away with that thing for good and you didn’t tell him?” Chang Yun demanded. “Speak, woman!”

 

Qilin stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright, Mister Chang. She may tell me what she likes. I’ll kill that thing either way.” He glanced back towards Chang Fei. “It would be really helpful if you could elaborate on what he means, though.”

 

Chang Fei took a few deep, quivering breaths. “Th-this...Jueyuan, you called it?”

 

Qilin nodded.

 

“That...thing...when I was a girl, i-it...it took me…” Chang Fei murmured.

 

Qilin took a sharp breath, conveying his understanding through that method.

 

“That c-creature is Y-Yazhu’s father...It made me bear its child!” Chang Fei covered her mouth with one hand as her breaths devolving into quivering sobs.

 

Chang Fei collapsed to her knees, tears spilling from her eyes. Only her daughter rushed to comfort her.

 

Qilin stared at her, unshaken, but still solemn. He was more occupied with the strange fact that Yazhu looked completely human. He hadn’t smelled anything strange from the boy either.

 

Chang Yun turned to him. “You see? If you can kill that son of a bitch, I’ll be in your debt, heshang. Buddhist or not. That damn demon put a bastard child in my wife. If you’ll help restore my honor, I’ll do what I can to help you.”

 

Qilin wanted to twist his face in disgust. He was a lone killer. He didn’t know these people. And what kind of husband only cared to see his wife’s rapist dead for the sake of his own honor?

 

“Can you help me?” Qilin asked.

 

“I, uh...You show me where it is and I can give it a thrashing! I used to serve in the army, you know.” Chang Yun said.

 

Qilin scoffed under his breath and looked to Chang Fei, who was still crying, but had calmed somewhat from her initial breakdown. “Chang tai tai. If you were a victim of this thing, that means you know where its den is, right? Point me in the right direction and it’ll be dead by sunrise tomorrow.”

 

Chang Fei shook her head. “It’s no use. He...the demon...changes location every so often. I was released over ten years ago…” Her words were still impeded by choked up heaves. “I wouldn’t know where he is.”

 

Qilin was about to respond, but saw the glint of the orange sunset streaming through the window.

 

It was already this late?

 

“Shit…” Qilin growled.

 

His mark would soon start trouble. He could already feel the prickling at the back of his mind.

 

But...if the Jueyuan was nearby, perhaps the mark could be used to his advantage.

 

The stain on Qilin’s soul drew the attention of demons. It didn’t force them to come to him or summon them nearby, but it would heavily suggest their path. Moreso in the night than in the day.

 

If he could get something to draw the Jueyuan in addition to his mark, he could force a confrontation.

 

That’s what happened on the Sampan. A young girl like Xu Qin, plus the mark…

 

“Mister Chang…” Qilin grabbed his coin purse. “I need to borrow your daughter.”

 

“What?” Chang Yun and Chang Fei both exclaimed.

 

Chang Min glanced up, her eyes as wide as lilypads.

 

Qilin dumped out his coin purse on the table. “I’ll bring her back to you safely. But I need to draw out the demon.”

 

“No!” Chang Fei gritted her teeth. “Absolutely not!”

 

But Chang Yun’s eyes widened with greed.

 

“Mama, what’s happening?” Min asked as her mother held her tightly.

 

“Fei…” Chang Yun muttered, still looking at the coins. “Let him take her...”

 

“What?” Chang Fei screamed. Her eyes moved to Qilin, shaking with fear.

 

Qilin didn’t have time to waste. Night was falling. He pulled Chang Fei off of Min and grabbed the girl by the wrist. “I won’t let any harm come to her.” Qilin told the wailing mother as both of them protested. “I promise.”

 

“No! No…” Chang Fei had no more strength left to resist and simply broke down in the middle of the house while Qilin dragged Min away.

 

He had no time to waste.

 

He didn’t know these people…

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Xu Qin snorted awake, but was immediately assaulted by ringing in her head. That accompanied a multitude of panicked, quivering breaths that made her skull pound.

 

She massaged her temples as she sat up.

 

“Ugh…” she groaned. Then, as all her memories returned, she remembered being kidnapped by the Jueyuan.

 

Frantically, she felt about her body, ensuring her clothes were still intact and that nothing had happened.

 

She sighed in relief upon finding no evidence of anything.

 

But, she had been stripped of her coin purse, all her weapons, and the rest of her belongings.

 

That damn yaoguai...if her coin purse had been lost, she’d spin silk out of its guts.

 

A dim campfire lit the small cavern she was in.

 

What was it with demons and caves? Would it kill one of them to have a nice spa or a manor for a hideout?

 

Around the fire, were huddled several shadowy figures. They weren’t big enough to be more Jueyuan, but Xu Qin stayed on guard.

 

She clambored to her feet and crept up on the figures.

 

“Who are you?” She snapped.

 

In response, around twenty or so screams hit her head.

 

“Ta ma de!” Xu Qin clamped her hands over her ears and staggered, her head pounding more than before. She looked at the perpetrators, only to find a group of young, dirtied women all huddling away from Xu Qin in fear. “Qi si wo le, give my damn ears a break!”

 

“Y-you’re awake…” one of the girls muttered, almost surprised at that fact.

 

“You’re damn right I’m awake. I don’t know how anyone could sleep with all that noise you’re making!” Xu Qin hissed.

 

“Sorry, we thought you were...him.” the girl said.

 

“Lao Gong went to find us dinner…” Another one of the women, among the older ones around thirty or so, giggled as she spoke.

 

Xu Qin wrinkled her nose. “Did that lady just refer to the Jueyuan as her husband?” Xu Qin asked the younger girl.

 

She nodded. “Those who can’t bear children...they stay with him so long they begin to just...accept things as they are.”

 

“Oh. Lovely. I’m Xu Qin. I’m a Shaolin exorcist.” Xu Qin sighed.

 

“I’m called Yin Cai.” the younger girl said. “We know you’re an exorcist. Every so often, the creature captures one of you.”

 

Xu Qin frowned. “Wait, really? How many exorcists has it captured?”

 

Yin Cai looked at one of the older women, whose eyes were particularly more lucid than the others her age.

 

“As far as I know...maybe three?” the woman said.

 

“Why?” Xu Qin asked. “I understand going after the people wanting to kill you, but why capture us?”

 

“The creature likes exorcists…” Yin Cai said. “He...seems to take pleasure in breaking them.”

 

A shiver went down Xu Qin’s back.

 

“S-so...the monkey’s out and about, right? Did any of you see where he put my weapons?” Xu Qin sighed.

 

Yin Cai pursed her lips. “He kind of...threw your things into the river.”

 

Xu Qin’s fear gave way for a seething fire in her chest. Her fists clenched. She felt a vein about to pop in her temple.

 

“I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch.” Xu Qin muttered to herself. “Throw my fuckin’ coin purse in the river. Throw out my damn rope darts. Fine. I’ll kill you with my bare fuckin’ hands. And I’ll enjoy it.” Though upon the check of her clothes, she still had two backup darts in her leg wraps.

 

The part of her mind that wasn’t a fool demanded she calm herself. She got into this scenario in the first place because she wasn’t able to defeat that demon.

 

Without weapons and without backup, she wouldn’t be able to puzzle out a way to beat this thing without seeing the extent of its abilities. But she wasn’t going to wait around to meet him.

 

“Tell me.” Xu Qin said. “What’s stopping us from just...walking out of the cave right now, hm? He’s not here.”

 

“He seals the exit with a giant boulder.” Yin Cai said. “We’ve tried, but we can’t move it. There’s only enough space for air and smoke to travel in and out.”

 

A giant boulder? Her drilling fist could do some damage to stone, but...she wasn’t a Wu Tang martial artist. She couldn’t control her flow of qi that well. Or at least, not well enough to prevent her hand from shattering before she could punch through it.

 

Onto another plan, then. “This Jueyuan...does he go for the fresh meat first or does he let them...I don’t know, marinate for a few days.”

 

“Marinate?” Yin Cai asked.

 

“Look, I haven’t exactly made a habit of kidnapping people.” Xu Qin shrugged. “Will he try and...attack me tonight? Am I on a clock?”

 

Yin Cai considered for a moment, then nodded. “Sometimes, he gives us time to warm up to him...well, maybe that’s the wrong way to put it. But for exorcists? The more they resist, the more he likes it.”

 

Xu Qin wanted to vomit.

 

“How’s that bastard so good at fighting anyway?” Xu Qin asked.

 

“He gives them a choice sometimes.” Yin Cai said, her face somehow growing even more solemn. “He gives all of us a choice, actually. If we can teach him a skill of noteworthy value, he’ll let us go without...planting his seed. That includes Kung Fu. But most of us are just farmgirls. We don’t know any skills.”

 

Xu Qin grumbled to herself. Her only hope of really getting the upper hand here was to delay the Jueyuan. If that meant teaching the demon kung fu, well...she didn’t really have a choice.

 

She picked up a sharp rock off the ground. Otherwise, the rock was her best bet.

 

Some part of her wished that Qilin would have the heart to come help her. She wanted to believe he still had the decency to do that.

 

But he made it more than clear he never wanted her on this trip.

 

So despite the shivers of abject terror that tried to make their way to the surface, she had to do this herself.