"So this guy didn't come to eat people huh... Why the hell didn't he change into a human earlier? It scared us to death!" Skinny and Fatty hid outside the door, peeking into the room and whispering boorishly.
This is my first time inviting someone for tea so late at night, and this "person" happens to be a rare species that has almost disappeared from the world - a Golden Lion.
"You want me to ask for help from the King of Hell[1]?" I took a sip of milk and yawned, "You really do yawn like a lion, with quite the expectation."
He leaned forward slightly, "I know you have a pretty good personal friendship with the current King of Hell. You even wrote an autobiography for her titled 'My Husband Is Not Human.'"
I kept coughing and saying, "That was all so many years ago. How does that have anything to do with this...?"
"The only one in this world who governs the cycle of life and death is the King of Hell. And only you can help me," he lowered his always proud head, took a sip of Fleeting Life, and smiled, "It's truly bitter. But it's within my tolerance." He looked earnestly at me, "I know you have a friendship with the Baili family as well. Am I right? You even met Weibu when she was a child..."
"Compared to the pain of being unable to find her, the taste of this tea is nothing at all, right?" I interrupted him, smacked my lips, and licked away the milk from the edge of my lips, "Who undid the barrier? I should really give them a beating for releasing you and trample my flowers and plants."
He set down his tea cup, "Weiqing has returned, and she revealed everything. Her father undid the barrier. The feud between the Baili family and the Golden Lion tribe is over now." He paused, and then added with relief on his face, "Also, Weiyu can already play soccer now. If she knew, she would surely be very happy."
"In the past, the Golden Lions really fed on humans, right?" My habit is precisely this; specially asking the other person irrelevant questions.
"Well..." He nodded, "But those we ate were all evildoers."
"It seems that I'm not the only one who likes gold," I smiled slyly, "So, the key reason you became prey isn't how many people you ate, but how many pure gold bones are hidden in your body. That's the real prey of all those 'hunters', including Baili Weibu's relatives who came from afar. Saving people might not be their true intention; they came for your gold."
If I recall correctly, according to ancient records, beneath the flesh and skin of the Golden Lions lie bones that are pure gold of priceless value, and from time immemorial, many have coveted them. They can transform into human form and bear a golden mark on their foreheads, concealing themselves in the human world.
He shook his head with a wry smile, "It's not just us. As long as humans are interested in something, they will find ways to obtain it. If they like fur, they will skin other animals; if they want to cure themselves, they will cage bears and extract their gallbladders; if they seek to satisfy their desire for good food, they'll brutally kill innocent cats and dogs."
I quietly finished my milk, stood up, and said, "It's getting late today; I need to sleep. You should go back."
He didn't move.
"Of course, you can choose to help me fix the roof before leaving," I walked straight towards the door, and just before leaving, I turned back and said, "Leave me your phone number."
He was stunned for a moment, then happily said, "Sure!"
A week later, I sent a text message to Kevin, containing an address in a small country, thousands of miles away. In a household in some neighborhood there, a baby girl had just been born.
Setting down my phone, I turned on my computer and wrote a seemingly simple message in my blog:
Courage without wisdom is recklessness.
Courage without tolerance is prejudice.
Courage without love is cruelty.
If you're truly brave, you'll wear a lion skin yourself.
If you're truly brave, you'll make the sharp arrows of the centaurs turn around and point at yourself.
You're truly a brave hunter, Weibu.
Several months later, I received a large package in the mail.
Inside the package was a pure gold sculpture about the size of two fists - a lion standing proudly on a rock, with a girl holding a bow and arrow beside it.
Just making a casual call to an old friend for some information, and I ended up earning such a large piece of gold. I couldn't stop grinning ear to ear.
I think I'll place this sculpture in the most conspicuous spot in the future.
Even though I'm just a tree demon, I'm also a Sagittarius.
I believe that every one of us, whether human or monster, needs true courage.
Footnotes:
[1] Míngwáng: Lord of the Underworld in Chinese folk belief.
Note for readers new to Chinese stories: Hell/Underworld in Chinese mythology differs greatly from Western ideas. According to the most widely accepted belief system, Hell has ten rulers. These kings and their subordinates are not evil. We may see more Underworld references, therefore I suggest perusing this Wikipedia article to prevent confusion.
Translator:
'My Husband Is Not Human' huh; sounds interesting.
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