Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 76: Chapter 29 Mountain Rain

A drop of fresh blood, from nowhere, fell onto the face of the Nine-Winged Sudu.

Blood Dip!

Before Sudu’s eyes, the tall and thin, armored man loomed ever larger, a sense of suppression and fear seeping from her very blood quickly clutched at her heart.

In a daze, she saw on Li Yan’s body the silhouette of a black-haired, white-feathered Exotic Beast with the body of a bird and a human face, its eighteen wings folding together.

The Gu Huo Bird.

“Thump.”

Sudu almost fell to her knees before the man, her face flushed red, sweat pooling from the tip of her nose and dripping down.

“You, you are~”

Her eyes were hazy, her tone filled with irrepressible joy.

“Let’s find the next one~” Yu Shu said, his voice melodious.

…

“The three brothers, Gao Yina, Gao Yina, and Fu Yina, live not far away. These three little ghosts are timid and afraid of trouble, certainly reluctant to step forward; you don’t need to say anything, my Lord. I’ll deal with them. Jin Yanwa is one to march only when the prize is sure; appeal to his interests, and you are sure to win him over…”

Sudu circled Li Yan, chirping excitedly, occasionally throwing him coquettish glances, her face rippling with affection.

“You’ve been talking all the way, don’t say anymore.”

Li Yan, mounted on his horse, was annoyed.

“Okay.”

Sudu immediately closed her mouth, her big eyes blinking.

The manner in which the Nine-Winged Sudu acted toward Li Yan could almost be described as fawning, a shift so sudden that even the Niutou Chantanner was left agape in surprise.

Li Yan’s thoughts fluttered; Niutou Chantanner, Nine-Winged Sudu, one a rural Wild God sustained by incense offerings, the other a Joseon ancestral Exotic Beast totem, not to be underestimated in strength. And this was only the beginning; once this journey to recruit wild gods ended, he wondered to what extent the strength of his troop—a mix of Ming Army and Joseon Wild Gods—would have expanded!

…

Reflected in the pool of blood was a desolate and rebellious face, eyebrows slanted down like the edge of a knife, a Tiger Head Great Spear resting on his shoulder, his fingertips covered in fresh blood.

The six-cornered Evil Ghost, with its body a bright red, lay against a gray stone wall, its head pierced by a large hole, its chest cavity torn open by the spear’s head, a gruesome death.

“Thank you, thank you.”

The exhausted and dirty Joseon old woman with tears streaming down her face, her withered white hair fluttering in the wind, dragged her grandson, making constant bows toward Song Yi, uttering incomprehensible words.

Song Yi’s helmet with plume was shattered, blood flowing over the mottled armor pieces and dripping down his leg guards. He paid no attention to the old woman, impatiently tore off his already ragged helmet, and turned to leave…

The camp was, as always, quiet and tense, flags fluttering, smoke rising from censers, soldiers prim and proper, knives and spears glinting coldly. Occasionally, the pungent smell of sulfur could be smelt, but the stench of blood had already faded.

Voices were faintly heard throughout the camp.

“Konishi Yukinaga’s men are leaving the earthen fort. They’re organizing to evacuate the city in batches.”

“The brothers lying in ambush at Datong River have set up the cannons; the horse feed is ready. There’s a tough battle tonight.”

“It’s like beating a drowning dog; the Japanese pirates already have low morale. If we launch a mid-route ambush, they’ll probably be so scared they’ll all fall into the ice holes of Datong River.”

“If I chop off a few more heads of Japanese pirates this time, I’ll use the reward money to renovate the old family home.”

“Then get a tender wife, right, old Kang?”

Occasionally, the shrill howls of Evil Ghosts could be heard from within Pyongyang City, but the Ming Army, chatting and joking among themselves, paid no mind to it. After all, this was not Great Ming’s land. Their knives were sharpened, aimed at the troops of Konishi Yukinaga.

In such a situation, the vanguard camp looked oddly out of place as they returned to their encampment with blood all over them, carrying a few wounded soldiers.

“Hey, who’s this if not our vanguard Lord? What happened, lead your brothers to exorcise demons and got yourself…”

The Tiger Head Great Spear flew at the speaker’s face, its piercing edge like a venomous snake gripping the throat tightly.

Song Yi, his scarred cheek bleeding, stared at the man, his men behind him like a pack of wolves.

The man swallowed his saliva; without saying another word, he turned to leave.

“Carry the wounded brothers to the physician; where are those Taoists from Heavenly Master Tao? Fetch them.”

Song Yi didn’t bother with that man anymore; wiping the blood from his face, he turned to his men and spoke.

…

“`

“How did it come to this?”

Shen Heyan hung his helmet on the rack, his tone laced with a tinge of reproach.

“There’s a fierce ghost in the city, not so easy to kill.”

Shen Heyan raised his eyebrows, “If it’s not easy to kill, then don’t kill it. How many people in the whole camp are risking their lives to slay demons and ghosts? You blockhead?”

Song Yi bandaged himself in silence.

He picked out two small black jars from his leather pouch and tossed them to Song Yi.

“Heyan, drinking leads to trouble, let’s forget it.”

Song Yi refused instinctively.

“What’s better than killing enemies while drunk?” Shen Heyan uncorked the mud seal, and immediately the fragrance of wine filled the air: “Buddha’s Hand Soup, this is imperial wine.”

Shen Heyan gulped down a mouthful, his expression relaxed and content.

“It dispels cold and relieves pain, come on.”

He patted Song Yi’s shoulder twice, and the oil lamp cast his face a fiery red.

Song Yi pursed his cracked lips, tilted his head back for a drink, but ended up tossing the jar away, cursing in a rare outburst.

“This is damn vinegar!”

Shen Heyan burst into hearty laughter, merrily took another swig, the jar in his hand contained the genuine Buddha’s Hand Soup.

Song Yi spat twice, his bitter smile unceasing: “You’re a family man, how can you be so childish?”

Shen Heyan passed over his own jar of wine, grinning, “When someone offers you a drink and you refuse, in the end, you might even lose out on vinegar.”

Song Yi took the wine jar, gulped down several mouthfuls, as if he didn’t catch the double meaning in his words.

The two drank heartily, mostly with Shen Heyan talking and Song Yi responding with a few words.

“We’ve been colleagues… for seven and a half years,” Shen Heyan counted, “With your disposition, you won’t get ahead.”

Song Yi remained silent, while Shen Heyan’s face turned crimson, slapping the table with a resounding thud.

“Wait for me, wait for me to promote you.”

He stood up, slipped on the Azure Tiger Head Beast Swallow Arm Guard, donned the Phoenix Wing Helmet with Plume, fastened the buckles of the Fish Scale Armor, drained the liquor, and set down the jar, his face now thick with a murderous aura.

“You’ve carried the banner for me for over seven years, rest this battle, and tend to your wounds with peace of mind.”

…

Tang Baizhan was a junior officer in the Ming Army, in charge of guarding the watchtower. By this time, Konishi Yukinaga had already left the city, traveling ten miles out. Li Rusong had promised to let him pass but had ambush forces waiting at Datong River early on and personally led the main troops to cut off Konishi’s retreat. The magnificent Ming Army had just marched from the city.

Tang Baizhan watched the troops leave, the leading Shen Youji looking really imposing. Though he wouldn’t join the battle, his life would certainly be safe, a stroke of fortune indeed. With these thoughts, Tang Baizhan stretched out lazily.

“Baizhan, where’s your Thousand-li Mirror?” someone kicked him, “Check out what that is over there?”

Tang Baizhan sat up cursing and took out the Thousand-li Mirror for a look.

“Isn’t that just a tree… Huh?”

Amidst the rising dust in the distance, an endless stream of bizarre monsters caught the eye.

A tree man three zhang tall, resembling an angry King Kong.

A half-woman, half-bird creature with glossy black feathers.

Three large balls of varying fur colors hanging in the trees.

A massive frog that could leap dozens of meters with a single jump.

And various other birds and fierce beasts…

Niutou Chantan, Nine-Winged Sudu. Gao Yina, Fu Yina, Jin Yanwa, Ende Magpie, Iron-Eating Fox… A chaos of demons. An overwhelming force of several hundred in size, led by a dozen racing Green-Mane Dawan horses.

“The one riding at the front looks like one of our brothers,” someone spoke up.

Tang Baizhan craned his neck for a look: “Yo, that’s indeed our Great Ming’s armor.”

Li Yan sped on horseback, veins throbbing on his neck, shouting loudly:

“Quickly notify the Lord Governor, the Japanese pirates’ reinforcements have arrived!”

“`