Chapter Two: The Course of Events

Inside the bar, candlelight flickered gently, and only the faint squeak of the old bartender polishing a wine glass could be heard.

Lifus leaned once more against the bar, gazing toward the entrance through his glass of red wine; both he and the bartender seemed to be waiting for someone.

After a short while, the kimono-clad girl called Xuanzi came running back. She leapt onto a high stool, tapped her Noh mask with a careful finger, and asked, “Brother, you talked for so long just now. Did that timid uncle mention me? Did he think my service was attentive?”

Lifus moved his wine glass aside and replied with indulgent affection, “Of course. Everything our Xuanzi does is delightful. That uncle just felt you were a little too attentive—so earnest it made his heart ache. He thought you two would be even closer if you could relax a little.”

Xuanzi folded her broad sleeves together, nodding in earnest agreement. “Yes! That’s always been my bad habit. I really need to change and be friendlier with customers!”

“It’s not opening time yet. Why don’t you go play with Rooster Luhua?” Lifus suggested.

Qian Youshui, of course, hadn’t mentioned Xuanzi at all; Lifus was simply using his name as a pretext to gently guide his sister.

Watching Xuanzi’s hurried departure, the old bartender set down his glass and spoke, “Young Master Fu, Miss Xuanzi’s medicine is running low.”

Lifus took a sip of wine and replied quietly, “I know, Uncle Ten. After tonight, I’ll have the Boundary Marker organization send more Blood-Bloom Grass.”

Though he addressed him respectfully as Uncle Ten, the bartender’s tone was still humble.

“Young Master Fu, if I may, you haven’t been home in a long time. This bar may be hidden, but it’s not as safe as home. Miss Xuanzi’s condition really can’t stand any shocks...”

Lifus interrupted, “I know. But Xuanzi likes lively places. The house is so big and only the three of us—it frightens her.”

Uncle Ten said no more, and silence settled between them.

After a moment, Lifus murmured, “Qian Youshui’s case was passed to me on purpose by Simple. Once it’s done, I’ll have saved up enough credits with the Boundary Marker. Maybe this time, the half-demon family I can invite will be able to reverse Xuanzi’s demonization.”

“Please look after your health, Young Master. Taking on assignments so frequently is too risky.”

Lifus chuckled, “You’ve been saying that for ten years, and I’m still perfectly fine.”

Uncle Ten switched to polishing another glass and asked, “Is Simple the one handling Qian Youshui’s case for the Boundary Marker? Is he the ‘Flower Branch’ Qian Youshui mentioned? Why did Simple specifically hand this case to you?”

Lifus’s lips curled into a smile. “Who else could it be?”

“That kid may be named Simple, but his mind and skills are anything but.”

Lifus smiled at Uncle Ten’s praise—Simple was indeed one of his few friends.

“Actually, the Boundary Marker has been following Qian Youshui’s case for a while, but the time wasn’t right, so no agents were dispatched. The source of Qian Youshui’s strange dreams is an unknown monster. For the Boundary Marker, gathering information on this monster—drawing a ‘monster sketch’—is more important than killing it.”

Having served as a field agent for the Boundary Marker for ten years, Lifus always became exceptionally cool-headed when discussing target monsters. This composure—or coldness—was the secret to his survival.

“Monsters usually hunt for blood and food quickly—brutal and direct. To put it bluntly, they kill and eat on the spot. Cases like Qian Youshui’s are rare. The Boundary Marker suspects the monster will soon reveal itself, since Qian Youshui’s life is nearly at its end.”

Lifus sneered, “The organization went to great lengths on this one: the dark web, intermediaries misleading the client—all to make my appearance seem coincidental, so as not to startle the monster, and to keep people like us hidden from Qian Youshui even after it’s over.”

“As for why Simple used his authority to give me this case—there are too many unknowns with a monster like this. Its level could far exceed expectations, putting other agents in danger. But as long as we get a monster sketch, that’s ten credits, and I just happen to need ten.”

Lifus’s analysis was so thorough that Uncle Ten had nothing to add. He was comforted, though he still spoke.

“Young Master Fu, the Boundary Marker organizes and oversees all half-demons and made the rules. It’s rumored to be a government agency in China. The ‘Immortals’ are the face, a threat to half-demons, but behind them, it’s really the ‘Authorities’ that half-demons truly fear. The Authorities’ attitude toward half-demons hidden among humans is unpredictable—sometimes cold, sometimes warm. They always see half-demons as a foreign race, and not without reason. Otherwise, how do you explain that all Boundary Marker staff are pure humans, never of mixed blood?”

Lifus understood Uncle Ten’s warning—don’t get too deep with the Boundary Marker—but responded lightly, “I’m not about to overthrow the world. There’s no reason for them to come after me. Once Xuanzi is cured, we’ll disappear from their sight.”

Uncle Ten shook his head slightly. He knew Lifus was not naïve, just offering him some comfort.

The old man knew well that nothing in this world—no hardship or enemy—could shake Lifus’s resolve. Neither humans, who held the dominant place in the world, nor half-demons hiding in the city, nor monsters lurking in darkness, nor even so-called immortals.

For the sake of his sister Xuanzi’s health, this man, who had walked the edge of life and death for ten years, could destroy anything, even sacrifice himself.

The Boundary Marker was a secret organization in China, unknown to ordinary people, tasked with supervising and containing all Eastern half-bloods—half-demons—and destroying any monster daring to emerge from the shadows into the human world.

Lifus and Xuanzi were a pair of half-demon siblings. The bartender, Uncle Ten, was the Li family’s human steward.

Half-demons were also human, but carried ancient demon blood in their veins. Sometimes this blood awakened naturally; sometimes it was triggered by an event. In modern terms, it meant unlocking the demon section of one’s genetic chain, which granted demon powers and made them a half-demon.

Awakening was a process of increasing demon-blood concentration—a transformation called “demonization.” Legend said its ultimate end was to become a true demon, or even an immortal, capable of living forever. But no one had ever succeeded; most half-demons who pushed for demonization ended up with collapsed gene chains, becoming mutated monsters instead.

Xuanzi was only a few months younger than Lifus, but her body had stopped growing due to long-term reliance on a medicine called Blood-Bloom Grass, which slowed the breakdown of her demonization.

She began her transformation at age eight—the year Lifus left home to become a field agent for the Boundary Marker, hunting monsters ever since.

“Master Fu, what’s your plan for Qian Youshui’s case tonight?”

Lifus drained his wine and replied lazily, “What else? Play it by ear.”

Uncle Ten advised, “Take Evil-Eater with you. Its ‘Dispel Illusion’ ability might come in handy.”

Lifus nodded, then turned to the flowerpot beside him—a plant shaped like a human hand. “Stop mimicking my hand movements. You nearly gave me away today. Do it again, and I’ll cut off four fingers and make you give a thumbs-up!”

Had Qian Youshui been present, he’d have been scared out of his wits.

The hand-flower seemed to understand; its spines softened and became as fine as human body hair.

Satisfied, Lifus nodded and called out toward the door, “Xuanzi! Get ready—it’s time to make some money!”

“Uncle Ten, for tonight’s first song, play… ‘Exodus.’”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Late at night, with only a few stars and a pale moon, every light in Qian Youshui’s villa was ablaze.

In the first-floor living room, the most eye-catching feature wasn’t the luxury decor, but an enormous aquarium.

It was clear Qian Youshui had put a lot of thought into it—stones, coral, fresh seaweed—but only one kind of fish swam inside, in huge numbers: probably over a thousand.

They were flat fish, shaped like tiny fans, the largest no bigger than a thumb, their tails like tadpoles. When they stopped moving, they really did resemble little fans.

Qian Youshui sat alone on the sofa, eyes darting nervously between the staircase to the second-floor bedroom and the wall clock. He was drenched in sweat, muttering over and over, “Why aren’t they here yet… Why aren’t they here… That medicine doesn’t work…”

The villa’s floor-to-ceiling windows were covered by curtains, but not tightly enough—a few gaps remained. Outside, in the shrubs, Lifus crouched, wearing a black hooded coat, and beside him was a rooster with dazzlingly patterned feathers.

This was the same rooster that had appeared under the old pagoda tree and that Qian Youshui had thought had human eyes. Now, it truly spoke with a human tongue: “What’s this fat, balding, big-eared guy muttering about medicine for?”

Lifus grinned. “That was just something I gave him at the bar—a fake, said it would calm his soul. In truth, it was just Black-Bone Chicken Pills.”

The rooster rolled its eyes in perfect imitation of a human, expressing its disdain for Lifus.

Lifus explained, “Had to get him out of there somehow. He got snot and tears all over my arm.”

Whether “Luhua” was its breed or name, Lifus then asked, “Luhua, how do you think this monster with no sketch will appear? Will it stand on the stairs with hair over its face? Crawl out of the TV or the fish tank?”

The rooster raked the ground with its steel-like three-toed claws, then tucked in its wings and settled beside Lifus.

“That’s a ghost, not a monster. Don’t flatter yourself. Ghosts aren’t your Boundary Marker’s business—you don’t get to exorcise them.”

Lifus laughed. “Poor us—these days there are more monsters than lonely ghosts. The ancient beast Evil-Eater’s got to go hungry—who do we complain to?”

The rooster rolled its eyelids and swiftly kicked a clod of dirt onto Lifus’s coat. “So what now?”

“Wait and watch. Let him fall asleep.”

“Does he look like someone who can sleep right now?”

Lifus shifted to a more comfortable position and said lazily, “You monsters are so touchy. Qian Youshui’s tried staying awake before, but the nightmares got him anyway.”

Luhua realized that arguing with humans was pointless, muttered a low “kooh,” and ignored him.

Man and rooster watched silently. It wasn’t until the early hours that Qian Youshui finally stirred. He staggered from the sofa, step by step toward the giant aquarium.

Lifus and Luhua immediately tensed, eyes glued to Qian Youshui’s every move.

They saw him press his whole body against the aquarium glass. From Lifus’s angle, he could see Qian Youshui’s face squashed almost flat, one eye squeezed shut, the other bloodshot and bulging, excitement and agony mingling in an expression that was utterly uncanny.

Lifus whispered, “Luhua?”

“Kooh… Dispel Illusion isn’t working. It’s not an illusion.”

Then Qian Youshui abruptly stepped back and bowed deeply to the aquarium, prostrating himself over and over until his forehead began to bleed, so forceful were his bows.

The most bizarre thing was that all the little fan-shaped fish in the tank gathered together, as if summoned, arranging themselves into the shape of a giant fan-fish, hovering above Qian Youshui’s head like they were receiving a sacrifice.

Man and rooster outside the villa were unfazed by the eerie scene, even critiquing Qian Youshui’s performance.

Lifus was astonished. “What’s with those fish? Anything odd? Is Qian Youshui conducting a ritual?”

The rooster shook some grass off its feathers and replied, “Those fish aren’t monsters, but I did catch a whiff of something ancient. Probably just some hatchlings not even ready for the Moonlit Refinement. As for Qian Youshui, no one leads a ritual by smashing open their own skull! He’s likely under monster control, offering himself up.”

Lifus’s expression grew grave. “So we’re in for trouble tonight. We’re up against an unknown Wild Monster. Any Wild Monster that can drag someone into a dream is never to be trifled with, according to the Boundary Marker’s records.”

The rooster countered, “What if this Qian just thinks he’s dreaming? Maybe everything in that dream is actually happening.”

At that moment, Qian Youshui suddenly stood, half his face covered in blood, his expression vacant. He staggered toward the stairs and up to the bedroom.

Lifus immediately instructed, “When the time comes, have Evil Snake Xie work with me. You focus on sketching the monster.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the bushes rustled, and man and rooster vanished in the blink of an eye.

In the second-floor bedroom, Qian Youshui lay on the bed, his face blank, his lips puckering and releasing like a fish, as if lost in confusion. Yet, as Luhua had said, he was not dreaming.

Suddenly, black vapor began to billow from under the bed, accompanied by a strong smell of fish.