Chapter 20: Monster Etiquette—Is This ‘Affection’ Genuine?

At night, Morvan lay in his cave dwelling, unable to fall asleep, disturbed by the loud snoring of the dead dog in the next room. At the same time, hunger gnawed at him.

After a whole day filled with intimidation and stress, Morvan was utterly exhausted in both body and mind, having gone the entire day without eating. The welcome feast he had imagined never materialized; instead, he had almost become the meal for the many monsters of Black Wind Mountain.

Morvan went to the back door, and by the moonlight, he could see some small fish swimming in the spring pool at the entrance. The fish were tiny, only a few inches long, but this brought a spark of joy to Morvan's heart.

"Right, there’s a natural fish pond right at my door. Doesn’t that mean I won’t have to worry about hunger anymore?" Morvan whispered to himself. His gaze fixed on a nearby fish, and with lightning speed, his tongue shot out like an arrow. Water splashed as his tongue curled around the fish and retracted.

In no time, Morvan had a satisfying meal.

From previous casual talks with Dali and the other monsters, he knew that the fish thrived in this spring pool because most monsters on Black Wind Mountain could not swim. Even Dali, who had some aquatic ability, dared not venture into the cold, bottomless pool. With no predators, the fish naturally multiplied.

Now, this was to Morvan’s advantage.

Full and content, Morvan returned to his cave and considered taking out the milky-white stones stored within his spatial area to use as bedding. But thinking of the dog monster next door, he refrained. He understood the principle of “possessing a treasure invites trouble.” Until he fully understood the stones' value, he dared not reveal them carelessly.

“It looks like I need to find a chance to properly inquire about what these stones really are,” Morvan thought as he lay down on the ground and soon fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Morvan was awakened by the dog monster Laifu.

“It’s not even dawn yet—why are you up so early?” Morvan frowned, annoyed. Just moments ago, he had been dreaming of becoming a monster king, surrounded by admirers, about to reach the climax of his fantasy, when this damned dog interrupted him.

“Waiting for daylight? Are you thick-skinned?” Laifu sneered. “We have a rule in our squad—every day before sunrise, we must pay respects to Master Heizi. If you neglect it, you might face punishment. At worst, you’ll be skinned and have your sinews pulled out!”

“So harsh?” Morvan blinked in surprise.

“That’s the rule in every squad on Black Wind Mountain. Didn’t that dead bird yesterday tell you about our little monsters’ etiquette?” Laifu looked at Morvan suspiciously.

Morvan thought for a moment and realized that no one had ever mentioned such things. He shook his head.

“Damn chattering bird! Master told him to explain our etiquette, and he dared neglect it? Doesn’t he fear being skinned?” Laifu scoffed and patted his belly. “I’m a bit hungry anyway. After paying respects, you help me catch some fish from the spring pool outside. Then I’ll teach you all the taboos and rituals, so you won’t be punished for breaking them later. How about that?”

“Thanks a lot, Brother Laifu!” Morvan nodded.

Though the pool was deep, it posed no danger to him now. Having transformed into a monster, his tongue could extend several feet, making fish-catching easy. So Laifu’s request was no trouble.

“Good. I’ll explain on the way. Come, let’s go.”

On the journey, Laifu patiently explained the various rules of Black Wind Mountain, enlightening Morvan on many taboos.

For instance, the monster society had strict hierarchies: from lowest to highest—little monsters, monster soldiers, monster generals, monster kings, and monster ancestors. As little monsters, they had to address their own soldier as “Master.” When encountering soldiers from other squads, they must respectfully say “Sect Member.” For generals, “General.” For the monster king, “Great King Grandpa.” As for monster ancestors, none existed on Black Wind Mountain, but it was said that deep within the vast lands, they did. If ever encountered, one must respectfully call them “Old Ancestor.” Even Laifu didn’t know what lay beyond the ancestor’s realm.

Little monsters could fight among themselves but must not deal fatal blows. If one killed another, they would be executed and made into a feast for the monster king.

Little monsters had to show great respect before soldiers, and even more before generals and kings. Offending a soldier could lead to death by that soldier. There were also rules set by the monster kings that were strictly enforced, with violations punished by being served as a banquet.

The daily salute to the soldier was because soldiers sometimes had new tasks to assign, and they would not lower themselves to seek out little monsters; thus, the salute was necessary.

Not far from the spring pool, Morvan and Laifu arrived at a slope where two adjacent cave dwellings stood—belonging to the bull monster Dali and the rabbit monster Red Eye. These two were already waiting and joined in the salute when Morvan and Laifu arrived.

As they passed a giant banyan tree, the chattering bird swooped down from its nest to perch on Dali’s horns, continuing its nap. Red Eye jumped onto Dali’s broad back, which he didn’t mind.

Laifu wanted to get closer, but Dali’s big bull eyes glared at him, and he grumbled away.

Morvan envied Red Eye and Chatter but knew his place. Though Dali seemed approachable, they were not close yet.

Chatter was small, so Dali didn’t mind, while Red Eye’s close relationship with Dali was evident from their adjacent caves.

Black Wind Mountain was vast. After walking for the time it took to burn two incense sticks, the group of five little monsters arrived at the cave of the soldier Heizi.

Morvan immediately saw the three little monsters who had followed Heizi the day before—three bald heads clustered together, impossible not to notice.

“Dali, you’re early today,” one of them said, glancing briefly at Morvan and the others before greeting Dali.

“Of course, we salute the master early; we can’t keep him waiting,” Dali said with a hearty smile, then introduced Morvan. “Laibao, these three brothers are the master’s personal guards. Always show them respect, and if you get the chance, don’t forget to be close with them!”

“I understand!” Morvan nodded and respectfully greeted the three little monsters, “Laibao pays respects to the three brothers!”

“Hmm, you may be a bit ugly as a toad monster, but you’re sharp. One explanation and you get it—impressive!” The spider monster nodded approvingly. “I’m Old Eight. Just call me Brother Eight.”

“Yes, Brother Eight!” Morvan replied.

The other two monsters introduced themselves as Old Six and Old Three. Morvan found their names odd but saw that they took pride in them, as they were given by soldier Heizi and held as honors.

Eight little monsters in total stood outside Heizi’s cave, chatting and joking until the sun rose. Then Old Eight shouted into the cave, “The sun is high, we come to salute the master. Any orders?”

“Are all the little monsters in my squad present?” came the response from inside.

“Yes, master, all are here, including newly joined Brother Laibao!” Old Eight answered respectfully.

“Good. Nothing for today. You may go play on your own.”

“Yes!” The monsters nodded in agreement and began to turn away, but then a voice called out from inside the cave, “Laibao, stay!”

The others all looked at Morvan, and Dali smiled at him, “Not bad. Just arrived at our squad, and the master already likes you. Laibao, you have a bright future ahead!”

Morvan was puzzled but cautiously asked, “Brother, is this ‘like’ the master means, serious?”