Chapter 160: Liu Dashao’s Plan

Yang Baosan and Old Lady Zhang dared not look around; the room was pitch black, and after hearing a sudden “Aiyo!” from Liu Dashao, they had no idea what had happened. Too afraid to ask, their hearts were filled with both worry and fear.

The cat let out a sharp, pitiful cry. Just as it was about to roll over to shake off the small yellow weasel on its back, the weasel suddenly struck. Taking advantage of the cat’s momentary turn of head, the weasel ducked low and lunged forward like a venomous snake, aiming straight for the cat’s throat. This was the real killing move. With an enemy behind and another attacking from the front, the cat would likely not survive without human help. Seeing their advantage, the surrounding yellow weasels began chittering excitedly and slowly closed in again.

Liu Dashao had his hand on the door, ready to rush out.

Suddenly, the cat roared fiercely, flipped over, and rolled on the ground. It pulled its powerful hind legs close to its body and then kicked out like lightning, striking the weasel’s sharp face. The weasel grunted painfully and rolled far away. When it stood up, its face was smeared with black blood—its eye likely gone, as it cried out in agony.

The big cat rolled over and pinned the small yellow weasel under its paw. With a bite, it sank its teeth into the weasel’s neck. A series of cracking sounds followed, and the weasel’s throat was torn open in an instant. The cat tossed the limp body aside and let out a fierce “Meow!”—a sound brimming with dominance, like a tiny tyrant.

Liu Dashao was overjoyed. He thought to himself, “Even in our little village, there’s such a mighty cat! I wonder if it’s a blessing or a curse.” The yellow weasels, stunned by the cat’s ferocity, hesitated to approach. At that moment, a sharp, shrill laugh rang out—”Heh!”—and the three people inside felt as if a bucket of icy water had been poured over their heads.

Yang Baosan’s voice trembled as he spoke: “Mr. Liu… this thing… this thing laughing… it’ll kill someone!” Liu Dashao gripped his sword tightly and stared out, eyes wide.

From the direction of Yang Baosan’s rice field, a dark shadow slowly emerged. It moved extremely slowly, as if strutting down a catwalk. Liu Dashao thought, “Oh no, now the monster in this house has learned to pose?” The big cat let out a frightened meow, its voice quivering with fear. Its fur stood straight up along its spine. As the shadow approached, Liu Dashao’s heart leapt. He thought, “Last night I saw all kinds of strange things, and now this thing again!”

Before their eyes came a yellow weasel the size of a half-grown dog, swaying as it walked. Its sharp face bore two tiny eyes glowing with eerie green light. It licked its lips, as if eyeing a delicacy. Liu Dashao racked his brain trying to figure out how a yellow weasel could laugh. Could it really be a demon, as the old tales say? He quietly bit his fingertip and drew a wolf-repelling talisman on his sword—a charm used by ancient Taoist priests to ward off wild beasts. At a loss for any other spell, Liu Dashao relied on this one.

Again, the big yellow weasel let out a sharp laugh. From beneath its belly, a black shadow suddenly leapt up, sat on its back, and began to chuckle gleefully. The sound was sharp and chilling, making the three people shudder with goosebumps. Liu Dashao saw that the black shadow had limbs like a tiny infant. He was horrified, thinking, “Could this be the child from that ghost cave? Why is it riding a yellow weasel?”

The infant-like creature, seeing the cat’s tension, tugged the weasel’s ear. The big weasel turned around. With a “Puchi!” sound, a faint black smoke burst from its rear. Liu Dashao thought, “Oh no! It’s releasing poison gas!”

In the countryside, when catching yellow weasels, people used bamboo traps. When one was caught, they would strike the bamboo from a distance to make it release its toxic gas before approaching. If caught unprepared, the stench could make one sick and dizzy for hours.

The weasel’s gas hit the cat by surprise. Unlike humans, the cat couldn’t pinch its nose. The stench hit it like a wave, making it dizzy and unsteady. It let out two weak meows and flipped over, exposing its fat belly.

The small monster rode the yellow weasel forward. It gave a couple of haughty snorts, and immediately the weasels gathered around, their sharp mouths wide open, ready to tear into the cat. Liu Dashao realized he had to act quickly or the cat would die. He shouted, “Hey!” and kicked open the door, leaping out. Yang Baosan, who had been watching in awe, was just about to gather his courage to peek out when Liu’s roar startled him so badly he dropped to the ground in fear.

The little monster, leading its pack of weasels, had been terrorizing the village for days—scaring dogs into hiding and keeping people from even going out at night. It had grown arrogant, unafraid of anything. Suddenly, a human leapt out, wielding a shiny object. The weasels scattered in panic. The little monster was startled at first, then furious. It screamed, slapped the big weasel’s head, and charged toward Liu Dashao.

Liu Dashao, unsure of the enemy’s strength, quickly pulled out two talismans and shouted, “Freeze!”

The talismans dropped like weights and landed on the ground. As the big weasel tried to leap over them, the talismans emitted a puff of white smoke and burst into red flames. Though not ghosts, the creatures instinctively feared light. The sudden flames singed off several of the weasel’s whiskers. It shrieked, leapt sideways, and flung the little monster from its back.

Liu Dashao saw a blur, as if a baby were flying toward his face. He cursed under his breath: “Damn it, so fast?” With no time to think, he raised his wooden sword. A foul wind blew, and a furry little paw brushed his left cheek. Terrified, Liu Dashao swung his sword outward, only to strike empty air. He focused and saw the little monster leap across the ground like a shadow and land again on the weasel’s back.

The black clouds in the sky began to part slightly, and a pale moonbeam shone through. Liu Dashao saw the creature clearly now—it was covered in fur, somewhat human-shaped, but more monkey-like. Its eyes gleamed coldly, sizing up this unexpected opponent. The other yellow weasels kept their distance, watching. Liu Dashao thought, “I don’t know who or what you are, but I can’t afford to look weak.” He held his sword in his right hand and formed a Taoist demon-subduing seal with his left, standing tall and fearless.

Facing a pack of monsters alone, Liu Dashao couldn’t help but feel proud of himself. But then, the spot on his face where the creature had touched suddenly burned like fire. The pain shot through his body, making him want to scream for his parents. Just as his composure was about to break, the little monster let out a sharp howl. The weasels turned and fled like a wave of shadows, leaving clouds of dust behind. Liu Dashao watched in shock.

As the dust settled, only the big yellow cat lay on its back in the moonlight. Liu Dashao picked it up—it felt like holding a little pig. He thought, “If I feed it more, it might grow into a tiger.” Just then, his face throbbed again, and tears burst from his eyes. He quickly turned and walked a few steps, pushing open the thatched door.

As soon as he opened it, Yang Baosan screamed, “Aiyo! Who’s there?”

He hadn’t been scared by the earlier chaos, but this scream made Liu Dashao sweat. He replied, “It’s me!”

Old Lady Zhang also cried, “Amitabha! Are you alright, Master Liu? What about my big yellow cat?”

Yang Baosan complained, “Why didn’t you say something? With all the ghostly noises outside, you just barged in and scared me half to death!”

Liu Dashao, in pain, hissed, “Yang Captain, light a lamp quickly!” Not knowing what had happened, Yang lit the lamp. As the light shone, Yang’s hand trembled violently, nearly dropping the lamp. Pointing at Liu Dashao’s face, he stammered, “Aiyo! Mr. Liu, your face…”

Liu Dashao knew something was wrong. He handed the big yellow cat to Old Lady Zhang and said, “Yang Captain, I need to go to your house quickly! Hurry!”

Old Lady Zhang took the cat, thinking it was dead, and was about to cry when the cat twitched its paw and wagged its tail. It was fine. She hugged it tightly, tears streaming down her face.

Yang Baosan rushed ahead, nearly floating with fear. He had no idea what was happening at his house, and his legs felt weak. “Aiyo! What’s wrong at my house, Mr. Liu? Say something!” Liu Dashao pushed the door open, and Yang kept asking anxiously. Liu asked, “Yang Captain, which room is yours?”

Hearing that even his own room might have a problem, Yang nearly fainted.

He led Liu Dashao into his room. Liu held up the lamp, shining it on a mirror. Yang asked nervously, “Is there something wrong with the mirror?”

Liu said, “No, I just want to check my face.”

Yang’s heart boiled: “Why didn’t you say so earlier? You scared me half to death!” If it weren’t for his urgent need of Liu Dashao’s help, he would have cursed him out.

Liu Dashao looked into the mirror and was shocked. Half his face was already dark and blue where the creature had touched him. He cursed, “Aiyo! That poisonous little bastard!”

Yang asked, “Poison? Is your face alright?”

Liu thought for a moment and said, “I touched some dust on the ground and got it on my face. But these evil creatures have left a lot of poison around your house!”

Yang panicked, “Aiyo! What should we do, Mr. Liu?”

Liu whispered, “First, go back to Old Lady Zhang’s place. This might still be related to that big yellow cat!”

Yang gritted his teeth, “I knew those cats were no good!”

Liu Dashao said in surprise, “Yang Captain, if it weren’t for that cat, you might have been in serious trouble already!”

Yang was puzzled, “What do you mean?”

Liu explained, “Captain, that night when Lin Anxing came to your house, it wasn’t good news. But thanks to that cat, the ghost-like creature was driven away.”

Yang fell silent.

The two returned to Old Lady Zhang’s hut. Liu sat by the bed and saw the yellow cat’s eyes regaining some sparkle. He told Yang, “Captain, this cat is a spirit cat! You can’t let Old Lady Zhang and this cat live in this hut anymore!”

Yang stood up, “What? Mr. Liu, are you making this up? What’s a spirit cat?”

Liu slapped his thigh, “As soon as Old Lady Zhang told me the cat carried a bowl begging for food, I knew it was special!”

Yang was confused, “Special how?” Liu said, “This is a guardian cat!”

Seeing Yang’s open-mouthed expression, Liu continued, “There’s an old saying: when people fall, even dogs lose loyalty; when a family thrives, even cats show kindness. When someone’s fortune rises, spirit cats and loyal dogs come to their door. When someone’s luck fades, even loyal pets won’t stay. Captain, everything in your village has been going smoothly, and your home is prosperous. That means you’re in a lucky phase. This spirit cat came to your door, but you drove it away with a brick. Don’t you see? You chased away good fortune and invited bad luck! The recent troubles at your house probably started with that brick!”

Seeing Yang’s silence, Liu added, “Luckily, Old Lady Zhang was kind-hearted and kept the yellow cat and black dog. This time, they saved your life from bad luck. You must take good care of them and Old Lady Zhang. I guarantee your fortune will improve and your home will be peaceful.”

Yang’s mind was in turmoil. He half-believed Liu’s words. He thought, “If there weren’t some truth to this, why would Liu Dashao speak for an old woman and a cat?”

Liu touched his face and said, “Also, I need to do some work around your house to clear the evil. Prepare some millet for me!”

Yang’s eyes nearly popped out, “How… how much?”

Liu grinned, “At least twenty jin!”

Then he turned to Old Lady Zhang, “This big yellow cat might be needed again in a few days. I’ll come back to get it.”

Old Lady Zhang asked worriedly, “You won’t harm it, will you?”

“Of course not,” Liu replied. “This village won’t be peaceful without it!”

Yang reluctantly brought a bag of millet. Liu asked him to bring the flashlight. Together, they drew talismans around the house, burying some millet. More millet was to be buried around the village. Liu quickly said goodbye to Yang and left with the millet bag on his back.