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He Xuan's life hadn't been easy, but his death turned out to be even worse. He may have failed his exams, lost his sister and his fiancée, and then spent two years starving in a dungeon, but his conscience was clear. He had never paid bribes and always openly condemned the vices of others — yet power in greedy hands proved far stronger than the voice of a poor student.
Trying to live virtuously, He Xuan had left so much undone, lost everything he'd had, and even his dying thirst for revenge had not brought him the sweet peace he craved. He Xuan had hoped that at least after death he would meet those he had lost, but he was denied even that.
With his last breath, before the darkness swallowed him, he saw someone watching him. The troubled face had seemed vaguely familiar, as though He Xuan had seen it before — each time some misfortune or other had befallen him.
After that, He Xuan's justice-seeking soul could find no rest. And the face he had glimpsed in his final moment was etched into his memory forever. And so, a mere couple of hundred years later, He Xuan learned the name and the reason why the Water Master had personally seen fit to check whether some poor student had died.
Shi Wudu had stolen his fate, was guilty — in He Xuan's eyes — of all the misfortunes that had befallen him and his family, and he had to pay for it!
He Xuan thirsted for vengeance, hoarded hatred and demonic power, survived the copper furnace of Tonglu and became the new Ghost King, a Supreme — but try as he might, he could never get close to the damn god.
What hadn't He Xuan tried!
In all three realms, he had attempted to worm his way into the Water Master's trust: he had posed as a merchant, a mercenary, a wanton demoness whenever Shi Wudu and his cronies visited Ghost City in secret; he had infiltrated the Heavenly palaces disguised as a servant of the Middle Heavens, but he could never pass the rigorous selection for the Water Master's palace, nor win his friendship — Shi Wudu did not befriend servants of other palaces, and forbade his younger brother from doing so.
He Xuan desperately sought even the smallest opening, seized every opportunity, even spent money on prayers to meet him face to face — yet it was all in vain. Shi Wudu seemed an impregnable fortress, and his sole weakness, his younger brother, though a rather sociable person, kept others at a distance just as his older brother did.
Gloomy enough already, He Xuan completely fell to pieces from despair. Storms raged ceaselessly in the Black Waters, lifting the dead waters to the Heavens; in the coastal towns, ships sat idle at shore ever more often, and the fish abandoned the nearby waters entirely, fleeing north and south. Even the demons who had dwelt on the eastern shore for centuries chose to leave their native lands, flooding Ghost City.
After some time, on the eve of White Dews, Crimson Rain Sought Flower appeared at the threshold of the Black Waters. With a proposal that the demon of the Black Waters did not so much as twitch an eyebrow at.
"Turn into a cat? Are you crazy?" He Xuan asked, pulling towards himself the dozen dishes Hua Cheng had brought with him.
"You're the only one here who's lost his mind. What I'm suggesting is that you turn into a cute little beast that even the most callous soul of a tyrant won't be able to walk past — to say nothing of his naive younger brother, who can't bear to see any living thing suffer."
"Madman!" He Xuan spat, shoving a dozen empty plates back towards Hua Cheng — but he did give the proposal some thought.
And who would have guessed it would work!
He Xuan had not expected Hua Cheng's insane plan to turn out far better than all his past attempts combined. For a moment he even decided that if he carried out his revenge, he would remain indebted to Hua Cheng for the rest of his existence — but catching himself, he immediately hoped he would dissipate before Hua Cheng had the chance to collect on a single debt.
The cat He Xuan made was nothing special: small and scrawny, far too thin, as if he hadn't been fed for the last several lifetimes, and his coarse black fur was very short, only a little longer near his eyes, which made him look perpetually displeased. Yet it was precisely his displeased, gloomy appearance that charmed a certain god — one who, to He Xuan's immense delight, did not wish to return to the Heavenly Capital without the cat.
"Dage," the Wind Master hugged the found cat to his chest, "can he come with us?"
"No cats in the palace," Shi Wudu cut him off, and holding his fan out in front of him, retreated from the cat as far as possible. His entire demeanour proclaimed that he could not abide domestic animals.
The prospect that this plan, too, was about to fail did not gladden He Xuan in the slightest. He sighed, tried to curse, but only a pitiful meow came out.
"Ge, please!" Shi Qingxuan refused to give up, all the more impressed by the cat's pitiful look. "I'll take care of him. He won't cause you any trouble. See how affectionate and obedient he is?"
The cat — He Xuan — glared venomously at Shi Wudu and blissfully bared his neck to Shi Qingxuan's slender fingers. If Shi Wudu hadn't taken the bait this time either, at least seeing his displeased face was its own reward. For extra persuasiveness, He Xuan began to purr the moment Shi Qingxuan stroked behind his ear — so loudly that Shi Qingxuan laughed in delight.
"No need to drag every creature home. Who knows where it came from," Shi Wudu grumbled, hoping to win his younger brother over to his side. But what could he pit against a warm, fluffy ball, so defenceless and pitiful — in the opinion of the trusting Shi Qingxuan?
"I can't leave him in the street," Shi Qingxuan concluded firmly. "He'll live in my palace and won't trouble you. Right, Ming-xiong?"
He Xuan — or Ming-xiong now — purred contentedly in those gentle hands, imagining how many misfortunes he could bring down on Shi Wudu's head as his younger brother's personal pet. The main thing was that no one should notice whose mischievous paws those misfortunes came from.
Shi Wudu had no choice but to agree.
"If I see him in my palace, I'll send him to the Thunder Master," Shi Wudu threatened, and for some reason sneezed.
Shi Qingxuan joyfully hugged the cat to himself, and for a moment He Xuan wondered whether this had been a bad idea.
***
Life in the Wind Master's palace treated He Xuan well. Shi Qingxuan fed him several times a day, denying his new pet nothing, and he was free to sleep anywhere — except the Water Master's palace, of course, which stood impermissibly close.
However, the Water Master himself, who had previously spent a great deal of time in his younger brother's palace, eventually stopped visiting altogether, citing an allergy. To everyone's surprise, even a heavenly official could be allergic to cats — and with every encounter with his younger brother's new pet, Shi Wudu's allergy only grew worse, a fact which delighted He Xuan immensely.
Now, the only downside to his life, in He Xuan's view, was Shi Qingxuan's impermissibly frequent urge to pet him — behind the ears, along the back, across the neck — and when it came to stroking his cheeks and his terribly sensitive whiskers, He Xuan surrendered to the embrace of boundless tenderness. And sometimes — sometimes! — in an excellent mood after yet another "accidental" encounter with Shi Wudu, he would come to Shi Qingxuan to cuddle of his own accord. After all, he was then fed something delicious, and life didn't seem quite as wretched as usual.
Yet the desire for revenge never let him go, especially on those days when Shi Qingxuan went off somewhere for a long time with Shi Wudu.
On such days, the Wind Master's palace felt empty and far too enormous for such a small creature, and He Xuan would lie on the roof of the gate, yearning for Shi Qingxuan's return. His mood reverted to its customary foulness, and he craved, as never before, to wreck someone else's palace. But the promise he had made did not permit it, so all He Xuan could do was lie lazily beneath the scorching sun and wait with patience.
From his observation post, he had a fine view of everything happening in the courtyard of the Water Master's palace. And he could also see the gate through which Shi Qingxuan should return home.
Not for anything in the world would He Xuan have admitted that he had grown accustomed to a serene life with Shi Qingxuan. Yet with every return of Shi Qingxuan, their shared "home" filled with warm wind, the scent of good meat, and peaches.
Sometimes Shi Qingxuan would bring home plum wine and use his finger to nudge aside a curious nose that wanted to taste everything that came within reach of a greedy paw. He Xuan was indeed impossibly greedy for food — death by starvation had left its mark on him — but Shi Qingxuan was not at all bothered by this; on the contrary, he tried to fatten up his skinny pet. Yet no matter how much He Xuan ate, he remained just as scrawny. Only his fur became, in time, smooth and silky from Shi Qingxuan often taking him along to the baths.
Bathing with him had at first seemed sheer torture to He Xuan, but the fragrant oil, the warm water, and the little treats for obedience did their work, so that in time he grew to love bathing with Shi Qingxuan too.
In the midst of this serene, contented life, He Xuan almost forgot why he had stolen into the Heavenly Capital — until the day the Water Master visited the Wind Master's palace for the first time in a long while.
Shi Qingxuan had been absent that day. Whether he had left for one of his missions, or simply gone down to fetch his favourite wine — He Xuan couldn't recall exactly; too many words were always spoken aloud in his presence. Shi Qingxuan had a strange habit of talking to his pet as if to a living person, telling him about everything under the sun, sometimes asking his opinion on one matter or another, and, as if he understood whatever it was that He Xuan might have mewed, making a decision.
In any case, Shi Qingxuan had been away a long time, the palace servants were busy with their own affairs and did not trouble the cat, and the cat, softened by caresses, failed to notice Shi Wudu's sudden appearance at all. Only once he was inside the rough sack did He Xuan realise something was wrong. And when he heard the familiar sneeze, it was already far too bad.
"Wudu!" He Xuan snarled, but only a heart-rending yowl came from his mouth.
"I know who you are," He Xuan heard, and for a moment he fell still — then began hammering with all his might against the sack, trying to claw his way out.
If this blight knew who He Xuan was, there was no longer any sense in holding back. But try as he might to assume his true form, he could not. The enchanted sack prevented him from using his powers, suppressing his demonic qi.
He Xuan raged and thrashed, trying to break free. He shouted as loud as he could, hoping Shi Qingxuan would come back and hear him, and that his unscrupulous brother would be unable to do anything to He Xuan.
But Shi Qingxuan did not come, and the sack went flying — growing noticeably damp.
Shi Wudu had committed yet another vile act against He Xuan — for the second time! Yet he had also made a mistake, for the second time, by taking the black cat for an ordinary lesser demon. Though He Xuan remained trapped in the body of a scrawny cat, he was still one of the Supremes.
Within a week, He Xuan was able to return to the Heavenly Capital: he slipped quietly inside the belongings of a low-ranking official from Mingguang's palace, darted like a shadow through the golden streets and gardens of the majestic palaces, until he found the longed-for "home."
Shi Qingxuan was asleep, restless, thrashing across the bed, and in the soft cat bed by the window lay a cat — just as black and scrawny as He Xuan himself.
"Switched me, the bastard!" He Xuan hissed at the unfamiliar cat, who was entirely ordinary and, it seemed, mortal. He did not wish to think that Shi Qingxuan hadn't noticed the substitution.
He Xuan did not touch the cat, but as for the culprit responsible for the switch, he had his own plans.
He Xuan's eyes gleamed viciously in the darkness, and just as quietly as he had come, he slipped away in the direction of the Water Master's palace.
He Xuan's revenge was not particularly far-sighted. First, he shredded every piece of Shi Wudu's clothing he could reach, knocked all the ornaments to the floor along the way, smashed expensive vases, tore paper scrolls to shreds, scattered jewellery across the floor, used his claws to score deep patterns into the costly furniture, sent paper scrolls tumbling into the pond, and dealt with particular cruelty with the wooden plaques Shi Wudu kept beside his bed. The pillows in his private chamber he dealt with quite ruthlessly — rubbing his whole body against them, leaving his scent behind in the hope that afterwards Shi Wudu would be unable even to enter the room without an allergy attack. And as a final touch, he left a pungent reminder right in the middle of the bed, showing no mercy to the silk blanket.
On the way back, He Xuan unburdened his soul with one last flourish — he relieved himself on the tea set left in the guest chamber.
Though He Xuan was incredibly furious, the more he wreaked havoc in the Water Master's palace, the further he got carried away.
And his revenge bore fruit very quickly!
The next morning, Shi Wudu stormed into the Wind Master's palace in a rage.
"Where is this cat?" he shouted from the threshold, his voice echoing through all the chambers of the palace.
"What's happened?" Shi Qingxuan asked in alarm, barely awake.
"Your cat, that's what's happened!" Shi Wudu grabbed the black cat by the scruff of its neck and shook it in mid-air. He was furious at the cat he himself had brought for Shi Qingxuan, a little less furious at Shi Qingxuan for failing to keep an eye on his pet, and simultaneously sneezing between angry phrases.
He Xuan purred contentedly and stretched on the bed, drawing attention to himself.
Shi Wudu fell silent, his eyes widening in fright, while Shi Qingxuan exclaimed in surprise, "Ming-xiong?"
"You got a second cat?" Shi Wudu tried to spin his way out of it. Shi Qingxuan, taking He Xuan into his arms, answered sincerely, "Of course not." He stroked him behind the ear, and the cat immediately responded, purring in his usual way. "Where did you come from, little one?"
"Don't touch it," Shi Wudu ground out coldly.
"But why? He's my Ming-xiong!"
"That is your Ming-xiong," Shi Wudu pointed towards the ordinary cat, once again asleep in its bed.
"Do you think I wouldn't recognise my own sweet, fluffy, and very affectionate Ming-xiong?"
In confirmation, He Xuan gave a satisfied grunt and glared venomously at Shi Wudu.
"Don't be foolish. Would a cat sleep in your bed?"
"Of course he would! Ming-xiong always sleeps with me." Shi Qingxuan rubbed his cheek against the fluffy crown of the cat's head. "I thought he'd been upset that I was gone for so long, and would never want to sleep with me again. But it looks like that cat isn't Ming-xiong at all, right?"
"Don't be foolish. That is your cat, and the one in your arms is some petty demon."
"That can't be," Shi Qingxuan waved it off. "What demon could slip into the Heavenly Capital?"
Shi Wudu drew back his fan, aiming at the cat in Shi Qingxuan's arms.
"Don't frighten him — he's just a tiny thing!" Shi Qingxuan exclaimed, and narrowed his eyes, studying his brother with suspicion. "What do you have against my cat? And where did the second one come from?"
Though malicious tongues liked to say that the wind blew through Shi Qingxuan's head, he was no fool. And it was not at all difficult to notice Shi Wudu's hostile attitude towards one of the cats.
"I don't know," Shi Wudu replied, and hiding behind his fan, sneezed. "Can't you see you're holding a demon?"
"He's far too sweet and innocent for a demon," Shi Qingxuan objected. "And still, dage — do you have something to do with the appearance of the second cat?"
"No."
No matter how much Shi Qingxuan pressed him, Shi Wudu never confessed to the switch. Under the pretext of a sudden allergy flare-up, he swiftly left the Wind Master's palace, and Shi Qingxuan, without much thought, decided to keep both cats. After all, he now had two Ming-xiongs! Two adorable black cats, affectionate but at times independent — and one of them was a touch jealous.
But as time went on, the second cat began to slip away to the Water Master's palace more and more often. To everyone's surprise, Shi Wudu did not drive him out, and even seemed to grow attached to the fluffy, independent creature. His cat allergy had magically vanished, too.
He Xuan could have sworn he saw with his own eyes how Shi Wudu, believing no one else was there, with a rare smile on his face, picked up the cat and stroked it tenderly. He had even given him a name — Xiao Shi!
After witnessing that, He Xuan preferred never to look towards the Water Master's palace again. So as not to be shocked, or to think that Shi Wudu was not a stranger to human emotions. Only not that callous blight.
Fortunately for He Xuan, Xiao Shi soon moved to Shi Wudu's palace for good, and Shi Qingxuan was left entirely at the mercy of a slightly jealous cat.
***
Shi Qingxuan held He Xuan close, gazing enchanted into his eyes and stroking his soft cheeks. The longer He Xuan stayed with him, the more he understood that Shi Qingxuan would always recognise his Ming-xiong out of a thousand similar cats, and would never trade him for another. He Xuan purred, pleased with himself. He liked being the one and only for Shi Qingxuan. Overfed and overloved. And with undisguised pleasure, he let him know that in his tiny cat world there would always be room for the Wind God.
He Xuan missed Shi Qingxuan whenever he vanished on his divine affairs, and he would cuddle up to him when he came home.
The cutest, a sweet bun, with clever saucer eyes — Shi Qingxuan called him these and many other affectionate things, and He Xuan melted, whether from each word he heard or from the tasty morsels of meat that slipped in between the phrases.
Shi Qingxuan stroked his neck, massaged behind his ears, and He Xuan, pampered by tenderness, completely lost control of himself, forgetting himself in sweet bliss.
"Ming-xiong," Shi Qingxuan called him fondly, and He Xuan lazily purred in reply, opening his mouth for another tasty piece of dried meat — but the sweet taste never came.
He Xuan cracked his eyes open in displeasure, hoping that under his fierce gaze Shi Qingxuan would realise what a fatal mistake he had made, but Shi Qingxuan only looked at him pensively.
"Meow?" He Xuan asked, nudging his palm with his nose.
Shi Qingxuan smiled gently and, ruffling He Xuan's ear, asked, "Ming-xiong, will you ever show me what you really look like?"
He Xuan froze, but could answer nothing except a bewildered, "Meow?"