Chapter 3: The Monster

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Professor Kong Ren, the private tutor, lay on his bed facing the sky, eyes wide open, utterly motionless.

“Sir, sir, what’s wrong?” Yan Chixia cried out, rushing forward and touching Kong Ren’s bloodless face—it was icy cold. He grabbed his wrist; it too was cold and lifeless, with no pulse.

Yan Chixia realized Kong Ren had died. Overcome with grief, he broke down in loud, bitter sobs. Li Xiaohu could not help but weep as well.

Kong Ren was dead.

His death was most peculiar. When Yan Changshun and the other villagers arrived to attend to Kong Ren’s affairs, they found no wounds on his body. Yet the terror frozen on his face at his last moment was unmistakable—he had not died naturally, but from sheer fright.

What, then, had so horrified Kong Ren to death? The villagers speculated endlessly.

Some said that it must be true—a “Serpent Beauty” dwelled on Mount Solitude, and Kong Ren had been frightened to death by her.

Others disagreed, arguing that if the Serpent Beauty had become a woman, she must be exceedingly beautiful. How could Kong Ren die of fright upon seeing a beauty?

Still others suggested that perhaps some other monster had appeared on Mount Solitude. Could it be that the “Demon Suppressing Tower” atop the mountain had lost its power, and the evil spirits once imprisoned beneath it had broken free? Impossible! Just yesterday I went up the mountain to dig for herbs, passing right by the tower, and noticed nothing amiss.

The debates continued.

In the end, no matter how people speculated, it was an undeniable fact that Kong Ren had died of fright. Yan Chixia felt deep sorrow in his heart. He silently vowed to avenge Kong Ren’s wrongful death.

After Kong Ren passed away, Yan Changshun and the others failed to find another tutor for the village school, which was forced to close temporarily. Yan Chixia, Li Xiaohu, Zhao Jinshuo, Zhang Shitou, Chen Xiaobao, and a dozen other students no longer went to the Confucian Temple. Instead, each stayed home, diligently studying the Four Books and Five Classics on their own.

………………………………

One morning, as Yan Chixia was reading at home, he found himself thinking of Kong Ren again, and was seized by longing. He decided to visit Kong Ren’s grave to pay his respects.

Setting his book aside, Yan Chixia quietly slipped out of his house and headed towards Mount Solitude.

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Soon, Yan Chixia was walking the mountain path. Passing by Solitude Monastery, his heart warmed with emotion.

“Since the teacher passed away, I haven’t visited this place even once... Let me go see his old lodgings now.”

With that, Yan Chixia stepped into Solitude Monastery.

Previously, the monastery was often visited by those seeking blessings. Since Kong Ren’s death by fright, people feared calamity and dared not come anymore.

Yan Chixia entered the temple, finding it desolate and cold. The bleakness before him left him uneasy.

He walked with heavy steps to the rear courtyard, entering the room where Kong Ren once lived. The bed, desk, stools, all were thick with dust; cobwebs hung from every corner.

Yan Chixia felt a pang of sorrow. He picked up a broom and began cleaning, all the while recalling Kong Ren’s gentle manner and smile. He sighed deeply, murmuring sadly to himself:

“Ah! Such a good teacher—how could he just be gone? Sir, you died with injustice unavenged! Rest assured, I, Yan Chixia, swear I will avenge you someday...”

He had barely finished speaking when his vision blurred—a beast with a wolf’s face and human shape appeared before him.

“A monster!” Yan Chixia screamed in terror, dropping the broom and turning to flee.

The beast moved in a flash, blocking his path.

Yan Chixia, seeing no escape, broke out in cold sweat. Helpless, the beast seized his shoulders with two furry claws.

“Monster, what do you want? Let me go!” Yan Chixia shouted, struggling desperately, but to no avail. The beast, fierce and powerful, pinned him to the ground and opened its bloody maw...

Yan Chixia saw the monster’s jaws descending toward his throat, and smelled an overwhelming stench. Its pale, razor-sharp fangs were about to pierce his neck. Despair flooded him. “This is it—I’m doomed!”

Just then, the “Sun Pearl” Buddhist bead hanging on his chest suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden light, piercing the beast’s chest like a sword. The creature howled in agony and vanished in a flash, leaving no trace.

Yan Chixia realized the “Sun Pearl” had saved his life. Both astonished and grateful, he stood up and cradled the bead in his palm, gazing at it with heartfelt gratitude:

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“Sun Pearl, oh Sun Pearl! Who would have thought you’d be the protector of my life? That monster was terrifying—what on earth was it?”

Yan Chixia did not know what manner of creature he had just encountered, but he knew it was dangerous. When he returned to the village, he resolved to warn the villagers to be cautious and avoid misfortune.

Once he steadied himself, Yan Chixia picked up the broom and rag and thoroughly cleaned the room. He then left Solitude Monastery and made straight for Kong Ren’s grave.

Kong Ren’s hometown was in Yanzhou. He had left home young, living alone for years as a village tutor. Since Kaoshan Village was far from Yanzhou and the villagers lacked means to return him to his native place, they buried him on a sunny slope of Mount Solitude, erecting a blue brick headstone.

Soon, Yan Chixia arrived at Kong Ren’s grave.

“Sir, Yan Chixia has come to visit you,” he said in a soft, mournful voice before the tomb.

It had been over two months since Kong Ren’s tragic death. Several rains had fallen, and now the mound was covered in lush grass. Yan Chixia stood quietly before the grave, gazing at the verdant growth atop the tomb, and tears streamed down his face.

He lingered there for half an hour, pouring out all the words in his heart. Suddenly he remembered it was nearly midday; his parents would not know he had gone to the mountain, and he should return home lest they worry. Looking at the grave, he bade farewell:

“Sir, I’m leaving now. Rest in peace—I will come visit you often.”

With that, he turned to go.

He had barely taken a few steps when a squirrel leapt down from a nearby pine tree, stood before him, and chirped as if speaking to him, looking exceedingly cute.

Yan Chixia’s heart filled with joy. He wished to catch the squirrel and keep it as a pet, so he moved quickly to seize it. The squirrel darted away, and Yan Chixia gave chase. In no time, both he and the squirrel had run into a patch of woods.

“Little squirrel, don’t run—stop! I won’t hurt you...” Yan Chixia called out as he pursued it persistently. But before he finished speaking, he cried out in alarm—his feet slipped, and he suddenly fell into a pit in the ground.