Chapter 2: Joining Leopard Head Mountain (Please follow, vote, and add to your collection!)

Cao Kong looked at the two useless wolf demons before him, and couldn’t help but feel amused. No wonder, in the future, they’d take twenty taels of silver to buy pigs and sheep and still manage to take a kickback for themselves.

He let his sleeve drop, a flash of white flickering out as he exclaimed, “Oh my, why is there silver on the ground? How odd—could it belong to either of you?”

Strange and Crafty, and Crafty and Strange, stared at the scattered bits of silver in a daze. How could they possibly have any silver? Their pockets were emptier than the wind, and they were about to deny it outright. But when they glimpsed Cao Kong’s half-smiling, half-serious look, a jolt of cunning ran through their minds, and they both hurried to laugh, “Mine, it’s mine.”

Strange and Crafty snatched the silver up first, stuffing it into his sleeve. Suddenly, both Cao Kong and the Golden Leopard seemed much more pleasing to the eye. Especially when the latter dropped silver—how dashing, as if descended from the heavens.

“Please, this way, gentlemen,” he said. “Our Leopard Head Mountain is famed for its hospitality!” As he spoke, he even took the initiative to help the Golden Leopard herd the pigs and sheep, fawning over him and asking after his health.

The Golden Leopard was taken aback. He recalled how, back in the mountains, Cao Kong used to gather such things, and he himself had grumbled that it was useless clutter. Now, in retrospect, what a grave mistake! Gold and silver certainly weren’t so inconvenient after all.

Cao Kong laughed heartily. Not long after, they entered the mountain. Gradually, the sound of voices reached him—it was the sound of reading, a group of people reciting in unison.

He paused, his face betraying a flicker of surprise. Demons reading? So cultured?

As he moved forward, the recitation became clearer. The words were:

“Golden light fills the house, auspicious air pervades the court. The Supreme Taoist energy flows through ancient and modern. Sweet dew pours atop the head, light bathes the body.

The three karmas are purified, the five viscera enlightened. Inside and out, all is clear, revealing the original spirit within...”

“What is this?” Cao Kong’s expression remained unchanged, but his demon heart was pounding. Though he’d only caught fragments, his years of dedicated cultivation had taught him that this scripture was no ordinary chant.

It must be an esoteric and profound method!

“I’ve come to the right place,” he thought. “The Nine-Spirit Sage must have descended long ago and is closely connected to these lions. Otherwise, such a profound scripture would hardly fall into the hands of these demons.”

Suppressing his surging excitement, Cao Kong slowed his pace, lest he reach the cave mouth too soon and cause the recitation to cease—thereby missing out on this exquisite Daoist art.

Fortunately, though wondrous, the scripture contained only eighty characters, and in no time, Cao Kong had quietly committed it to memory.

He recited it inwardly, marveling at its profundity. With each repetition, his mind grew clearer, and he felt an indescribable sense of mystery well up within him.

It far surpassed the inherited techniques in his bloodline by many, many times over.

Cao Kong was shaken. Suddenly, his mind throbbed with pain, forcing him to close his eyes.

With his eyes shut, he seemed to arrive in a place of utter chaos and darkness. It was soundless, colorless, without sky or boundaries—no sense of anything at all, save for “nothingness.”

Then, a faint light appeared, jade-like in color. Wisps of azure vapor swirled, piercing the ten directions of chaos.

When the light faded and the chaos dispersed, only a small jade Ruyi remained within Cao Kong’s sea of consciousness.

An old memory stirred—this was the gift given him by a Taoist surnamed Zhang when he was a baby in a previous life. The Taoist said they were fated, and it had accompanied him all the way to the West.

“When I first arrived in this world, the jade Ruyi flashed before my eyes and shone upon me, then vanished. I thought it had fled or dissipated, but I never expected it had remained within my body all along.”

Cao Kong mused inwardly. He had transmigrated into a demon, yet in just a few short years was able to cultivate breath and take on human form—a feat of astonishing speed, most likely inseparable from this object.

After all, the Golden Leopard had cultivated for decades and only barely managed to take human shape.

“But what are the origins of this jade Ruyi? Which great immortal is known for wielding a jade Ruyi?” Cao Kong pondered, but no answer came to him. Surely it wasn’t the one wielded by the snake spirit in the Gourd Brothers legend?

He found himself laughing. Then he tried to connect with the object using his mind, to no avail.

“O King! O King! Someone has heard of your great name and wishes to pay you a visit!” Strange and Crafty shouted, for they had unwittingly arrived at the entrance to Tiger’s Maw Cave.

There stood a cave ahead, set into a sheer cliff draped in green vines and covered with purple thorns.

A towering flowering tree stretched skyward, casting shade over a group of demons dressed in a motley assortment of human garments, each one of them slovenly in appearance.

Seated beneath the tree like children in school, they fidgeted—shaking a leg, wiggling their behinds—lending the scene a touch of comedy.

At the forefront sat a golden-maned lion, his bearing that of a formidable general among demons. Yet as he recited the scripture, his head bobbing, he exuded a strangely refined and scholarly air.

Hearing Strange and Crafty’s words, the Yellow Lion stopped his recitation, displeasure flickering across his face.

“I am carrying out my ancestor’s orders, spreading enlightenment. If you must interrupt me, so be it, but why bring strangers here?”

Cao Kong stepped forward and bowed. “You must be the lord of this mountain. Your presence is indeed awe-inspiring—I am truly honored. My journey here has not been in vain.”

The Yellow Lion, unaccustomed to dealings with outsiders and surrounded only by the tongue-tied little demons of the mountain, had never been flattered before. Cao Kong’s praise dissipated much of his displeasure.

Nonetheless, he maintained his composure and asked, “Who are you, and what brings you to Tiger’s Maw Cave?”

“I am Cao Kong, from Misty Mountain, and this is my younger brother, the Golden Leopard. We have long admired the famed Leopard Head Mountain, and today, upon witnessing it, we find its reputation well deserved. The scenery here is exquisite, your majesty is extraordinary, and your followers are exceedingly clever. We cannot help but feel delight. Might you allow my brother and me to stay here for a few days?”

As he spoke, not only was the Yellow Lion swayed, but so were the little demons. After all, they were simple-minded, straightforward creatures and saw no harm in his request.

Still, the Yellow Lion hesitated. Demons were territorial and exclusive by nature. Although this stranger’s words were pleasing, he was reluctant to let him stay.

He lived in carefree comfort on this mountain—why invite trouble by letting a stranger in?

He shook his head. “Leopard Head Mountain seldom interacts with outsiders. These little ones are timid. I’m afraid we cannot accommodate you.”

Cao Kong had anticipated this reaction and prepared various countermeasures.

“Misty Mountain possesses a fair amount of gold and silver. We brought quite a lot with us, and seeing these young demons so thinly clothed, I fear they’ll have trouble enduring the winter. Should you allow us to stay, we’d gladly use these treasures to improve their lives.”

Having witnessed Strange and Crafty’s reaction to the silver earlier, the Golden Leopard, now keenly aware of the importance of wealth, untied his bundle and dumped its contents onto the ground.

A clear, ringing sound filled the mountain as he stood proudly among the pile, his golden leopard face radiating an air of wealth and vigor.

The Yellow Lion stared in astonishment. This leopard, plain and rustic in appearance, suddenly seemed so dashing when he made a generous display.

“A small token of respect, nothing more,” said Cao Kong with a smile. “If the king should wish, I shall take care of all the gold and silver you need in the future.”

The Yellow Lion was visibly moved. He found the demon before him to be most remarkable.

Though they had only exchanged a few words, the Yellow Lion felt a strange affinity for him, convinced they would become fast friends.

His stern, majestic features softened. “Ordinarily, Leopard Head Mountain does not accept outsiders, but for you, I shall make an exception.”