A clamor rose at this surprising turn of events. An Lushan sneered. “I bet on my dark god, the panther here—begin!”
Matching the rhythmic beat of the massive drums, the panther and Lu Xu crouched in unison. Sweat trickled down Mergen’s forehead and dripped onto the floor.
The panther launched itself at Lu Xu, swift as an arrow leaving the bowstring. Lu Xu leapt barefoot onto the iron chains and flipped in midair, narrowly evading the panther’s claws.
Everyone cheered as human and panther changed places in the blink of an eye. Mergen relaxed slightly now that he knew the beast wasn’t as fast as Lu Xu, but still dared not lower his guard.
The panther snarled and clawed at Lu Xu, who remained unfazed as he ducked toward the animal’s belly. He grabbed the panther’s front paw and whirled to toss the beast’s entire weight over his shoulder.
The hall went still. Even the drummers forgot to beat their drums. In the deafening silence, the panther’s body twisted in midair as it hurtled toward the nets.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The drumbeat resumed at last. Lu Xu threw his arms wide and leapt up, darting across the iron nets toward the ceiling of the hall. Mergen craned his neck as the panther dashed toward Lu Xu, who had hooked one of his leather belts to the ceiling and used it to swing through the air.
The drumbeats reached a crescendo. The panther arced into the air, clawing at the iron nets. Lu Xu flipped and swung between the panther’s outstretched paws, landing a twisting kick on the panther’s flank. “Die!”
As the panther yowled in rage, Lu Xu wrapped another of his belts around its neck and pulled, hooking the other end to the top of the nets. He released the belt and let himself fall, grabbing the panther from behind and dragging the animal down with him.
The belt pulled taut around the panther’s neck, and the beast’s growl was cut off in its throat. Its claws flailed silently in the air as it swung from the ceiling.
Lu Xu landed gracefully on the floor. Scanning the crowd, he met An Lushan’s gaze and said coldly, “You lose.”
The hall was deathly still. With a final wheezing snarl, the panther was strangled to death, the light gradually fading from its eyes. Lu Xu recited a silent prayer and pressed his palm to the panther’s flank. If I hadn’t killed you, more people would have died tomorrow because of An Lushan’s bloodlust. Be free.
Later that night, the housekeeper in charge of the barracks’ purchases ushered Mergen and Lu Xu into An Lushan’s rooms, where An Lushan’s steward was attending to him.
Frightened out of his wits, the housekeeper explained, “My lord, they’re a pair of cousins. The servants who usually hold the platters were ill today, so—”
A sharp rap sounded at the door. An Lushan called, “Not now!”
After listening to the rest of the housekeeper’s hasty account, An Lushan turned to Lu Xu. “Is this true?”
Lu Xu nodded. Mergen interjected, “My cousin was born with this gift; he’s always run faster than the wind—”
An Lushan waved impatiently, his message clear: I didn’t ask you. He addressed the steward and the housekeeper: “You’re dismissed.”
When the room had emptied, he beckoned Lu Xu. “Come here.”
Lu Xu shuffled forward. Mergen bowed his head, his lips moving faintly. The six nailhead arrows flew through the air to silently surround An Lushan’s bedroom, hovering in the night sky outside.
As soon as Lu Xu was close enough, An Lushan wrapped his broad palms around his waist and pulled him into his lap. Lu Xu thrashed, calling to Mergen, “Ge!”
An Lushan wasn’t deterred in the slightest, licking at Lu Xu’s neck and face as he crooned, “You’re from Liang Prefecture? Are your parents alive? Have your cousin go home and tell them—”
“No! My lord, let me go!” Lu Xu cried.
He pushed An Lushan away, but An Lushan’s grip was like iron. Finally reaching his limit, Lu Xu roared, “Let me go!”
This at last angered An Lushan. “Impertinence!”
Mergen rushed forward and yanked Lu Xu down to his knees. Furious, An Lushan rose from his seat and stalked toward them, leaving his back unprotected as his colossal body loomed over them like a mountain.
“Spare us, please, my lord,” Mergen begged. “My cousin doesn’t understand—”
An Lushan drew a deep breath, ready to explode in rage. Light flashed in Mergen’s eyes. He yanked Lu Xu backward, and the pair leapt into the air, putting distance between them and An Lushan. At his whistle, the six nailhead arrows shot through walls, windows, and doors, winging toward An Lushan’s unprotected back.
The moment An Lushan turned to face the onslaught of arrows, Mergen made a swift grab for the governor’s waist. His fingers were inches away when a burst of black flames sent him and Lu Xu flying. The nailhead arrows swiveled in the air and swooped toward An Lushan like shooting stars as a wall of blazing red flames roared up, covering An Lushan’s back. Throwing out those massive hands, An Lushan caught each of the arrows as they careened toward him.
An Lushan’s eyes seethed with black mist as the flames on his back flared brighter. Realizing they’d lost control of the situation, Lu Xu snatched a sword from the wall and stabbed toward An Lushan.
“Exorcists!” An Lushan’s voice deepened, modulating into something more terrifying than a dragon’s snarl. It sounded just like the heart demon they’d encountered in Dunhuang.
As dark fumes filled the room, Mergen shouted, “Lu Xu, run!”
They dashed out the door and into the darkened courtyard. Yet they’d only made it a few steps when the shadows funneled up into a whirlwind that swooped down on them as they fled. The exorcists sprang into the air, Mergen shifting into the gray wolf mid-leap as the whirlwind dissolved into a swarm of venomous insects and descended on him, burrowing into his fur.
“Mergen!” Lu Xu yelled.
“Go!”
The gray wolf was instantly overwhelmed by the sea of black insects. An Lushan burst into the courtyard, a second pair of massive arms erupting from his back. The arms swelled in size and made a grab for Lu Xu, who vaulted up the wall and flipped out of his reach. He hesitated at the top, wanting to go back for Mergen, but An Lushan’s demonic arms were already grasping for him.
The gray wolf lunged, sinking his fangs into one demonic arm. But in the next moment, he was sent flying by another explosion of flames. Lu Xu made up his mind: Transforming into the white deer, he galloped into the darkness.
An Lushan wrapped his demonic arms around the gray wolf’s throat, choking off his air. Mergen couldn’t stop trembling as countless venomous insects crawled out of his fur. An Lushan hurled him to the ground, where he convulsed and whimpered in pain.
The swarm of insects skittered over the earth, coming together to form a pair of gu apes.
“We were just about to alert you, sir,” the first one said. “We came across some exorcists outside and thought they’d make a move tonight.”
An Lushan scoffed. Retracting his flaming demonic arms into the split-open expanse of his back, he commanded, “Lock him up. Keep careful watch over him; I’ll interrogate him tomorrow myself.”
On a distant rooftop, Lu Xu gasped as he shifted back into human form. A cluster of dark flames burst to life in front of him, taking the shape of a man. After a moment of shock, he recognized Yang Guozhong.
“Xie Yu?” Lu Xu asked.
“I was just about to rescue the two of you,” Yang Guozhong said in a deep voice. “What does Li Jinglong have up his sleeve? Surely he wouldn’t let you simply march to your deaths like this.”
As Lu Xu studied Yang Guozhong warily, he continued, “Where did Li Jinglong go?”
Lu Xu drew in a breath, gripping one of Mergen’s nailhead arrows tight.
“You want to avenge your parents? Even if you attack me now, you wouldn’t be able to kill me.”
“Don’t be nervous.” A voice whispered into Lu Xu’s ear—Qiu Yongsi, speaking to him via spiritual technique. “Ask him where he hid Ye Ming’s corpse, and he’ll leave you alone.”
“Where did you hide Ye Ming’s corpse?” Lu Xu asked coldly.
Yang Guozhong took an involuntary step back. Voice shaking, he asked, “Who told you about that?”
“Someone will deal with you eventually,” Lu Xu said. Turning away from Yang Guozhong, he strode to the other end of the roof, leapt lightly down, and disappeared into an alley.
Yang Guozhong stood stunned. He breathed raggedly, hatred burning in his eyes.