Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Old Man and the Dog

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Night had fallen. Luo Longyu and Luo Mengxuan walked side by side along the highway. Under Luo Longyu’s insistent urging, Luo Mengxuan had changed out of her crimson gauze dress at a mall in Dongzhen City; now she wore a striking red leather outfit with matching red boots. The skintight suit outlined her curves perfectly, though Luo Longyu couldn’t quite fathom why everything had to be such an alarming shade of red.

They walked past a parked truck. Luo Mengxuan, standing before it, looked utterly despondent. She turned to Luo Longyu, who was still moving forward without pause. “I just don’t get it,” she said. “You’re a human, yet you can’t even drive? Are we just going to keep walking like this?”

Luo Longyu rolled his eyes. “I don’t get it either. Why, as a demon, can’t you fly?”

“Who says I can’t? I can, but you can’t,” Luo Mengxuan retorted, giving Luo Longyu a scornful look.

“Then why not take me with you?” Luo Longyu shot back, glancing at her.

Luo Mengxuan gave him a sidelong glance. “You’d be the death of me, you’re so heavy.”

“Be the death of her, be the death of her!” echoed the parrot perched on Luo Mengxuan’s shoulder.

And so, the two continued for another couple of miles. As they left the highway, they encountered an old man. He carried a snakeskin bag, his clothes filthy as though they hadn’t been washed in years. He wore a liberation cap, his attire reminiscent of the early days of the People’s Republic. He was rummaging through a car at the roadside, searching for anything useful.

“Hey, look! A living person!” Luo Mengxuan exclaimed, pointing at the old man. This was the first person they had seen since returning to the mortal world.

Luo Longyu rubbed his ear, now aching from Luo Mengxuan’s shouting. “I see him.”

They approached. The old man didn’t seem to notice them at first and kept rummaging. He had a large smoking pipe hanging from his waist. Luo Longyu stepped forward. “Grandpa.”

The old man startled, pausing his search. He turned, eyeing Luo Longyu and Mu Yimian with wariness, saying nothing for a long while.

“Don’t worry, Grandpa,” Luo Longyu said. “We’re not bad people. We just want to ask—what happened here? Why has the city been destroyed?”

The old man remained silent, turning back to his search without a word, leaving Luo Longyu feeling awkward.

After a long pause, the old man finally spoke. “There’s nothing left. Everyone’s gone. The army’s withdrawn. We couldn’t win, couldn’t win.”

“Uh… Grandpa, why didn’t you leave with everyone else?” Luo Longyu asked, looking at his back.

The old man dug out a few cans of cola and some bread from the car, tossed them in his bag, shouldered it, and set off. Luo Longyu and Luo Mengxuan exchanged a glance, then hurried after him.

“Leave? Where would I go?” the old man said as he walked. “Early or late, we’re all going to die. I’m an old man, I’ve lived long enough. What could they do to me?”

“Here, let me carry that for you, Grandpa.” Seeing the heavy bag on his back, Luo Longyu moved to help, but the old man snatched it away defensively, as if fearing Luo Longyu might run off with his things.

Luo Mengxuan couldn’t help but add, “Grandpa, really, we mean you no harm.”

The old man looked at her, then held out the bag for her to carry. Luo Mengxuan froze—why her? But, with Luo Longyu giving her a knowing smile, she had no choice but to shoulder the burden and pass it to Luo Longyu, who pretended not to notice and kept chatting with the old man.

They followed the old man into a small village, now deserted except for him and a mongrel dog he kept. The old man’s room was filled with all manner of essential supplies, more a small warehouse than a home.

The village had long since lost power. The old man lit a bonfire, puffed on his pipe, and said, “A few days ago, a bunch of things—neither human nor ghost—appeared out of nowhere. They killed everyone they saw, even ate people. Many died. The army fought those monsters hard, but neither side gained the upper hand. In the end, the broadcasts told everyone to head inland, and the army escorted them.”

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“Grandpa, you really should have gone with them. It’s dangerous to stay here alone,” Luo Longyu said.

The old man shook his head. “I won’t go. I’ve lived here all my life. Even if I die, at least I’ll return to my roots. What’s the point of running inland? Sooner or later those monsters will reach there, too. I’ve heard Dongzhen isn’t the only city—many cities are empty.”

As he spoke, the roar of fighter jets echoed overhead. In the moonlight, several jets streaked across the sky and vanished into the night.

“See? The fighting’s still not over. These days, the planes keep flying back and forth. Sometimes you even see giant flying geckos giving chase. In all my life, I’ve never seen so many strange things. I doubt any of us will live much longer.” He tapped out his pipe, refilled it with tobacco, and lit it with a burning stick, continuing to exhale clouds of smoke.

“Another brainless monster is coming,” the old man suddenly remarked, stirring the fire. Luo Longyu and Luo Mengxuan immediately tensed and scanned their surroundings.

The country dog beside the old man suddenly crouched, its fur bristling, a deep growl rumbling from its throat. With a wave from the old man, the dog charged off, barking furiously.

To Luo Longyu and Luo Mengxuan’s astonishment, the dog pounced on a scale-armored humanoid lurking in the shadows. Before the creature could throw off the dog, the animal seized its throat, tearing it open—the creature died instantly.

“That’s… a Void Thrall?” Luo Longyu frowned.

The dog, after dispatching the Void Thrall in one blow, returned to the old man’s side, tail wagging in delight. The old man rewarded it with a chicken drumstick.

Luo Longyu and Luo Mengxuan glanced at each other in amazement. To kill a Void Thrall in one strike—this was no ordinary dog. And as for the old man…

They looked him over, but no matter how they scrutinized him, he seemed perfectly ordinary. The dog, too, showed nothing unusual.

Think about it: an ordinary old man, even if indifferent to life and death, couldn’t possibly be so calm in the face of a Void Thrall. This was no ordinary person.

“Uh, Grandpa, you…” Luo Longyu broke the silence but didn’t quite know what to say next.

Luo Mengxuan was more direct. “Elder, I come from the Eastern Sovereign Clan. May I ask your esteemed name?”

“What Eastern Sovereign? Esteemed name? I’ve seen enough so-called extraordinary folk these days. Too bad, I’m nothing of the sort,” the old man replied with a chuckle, betraying not the slightest flaw.

“Elder, there’s no need to hide it. You must be a master in seclusion,” Luo Mengxuan pouted, unconvinced. Watching the old man smoke his pipe, she gave a little puff, and the pipe went out.

The old man took a couple of draws, puzzled when nothing came out. “Huh? Why’s my pipe gone out?” He didn’t think much of it, grabbed another burning stick to relight it, but try as he might, it wouldn’t catch.

Watching his efforts, Luo Longyu realized Luo Mengxuan was behind the mischief and shot her a glare. Luo Mengxuan just stuck out her tongue and shrugged.

“How odd, why won’t it light?” The old man frowned, unable to figure it out.

Luo Mengxuan burst out laughing. “Elder, you’re a good actor. Just tell us who you are, or I’ll make sure you can’t light your pipe again.”

Only now did the old man realize he was being teased. He glanced from Luo Mengxuan to Luo Longyu, suddenly rising in annoyance. “Go, go, go! Extraordinary people, are you? And still so childish, bullying an old man! Off with you!”

Caught off guard by his sudden outburst, Luo Longyu and Luo Mengxuan scrambled to their feet.

But the dog blocked their way, baring its teeth, ready to spring.

“Come on, Brother Dog, you can drop the act too. Tell us who you really are—perhaps we could— Ow!”

“Woof!”

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Before Luo Mengxuan could finish, the dog barked fiercely and lunged. Startled, Luo Mengxuan fell back hard onto the ground.

“Alright, let’s go,” Luo Longyu said, exasperated, pulling Luo Mengxuan up by her collar as though she were a child. “Now you’ve done it.”

“Tch, that old man is definitely no ordinary person. When the Void Thrall approached, neither of us sensed a thing, but he knew immediately—and the dog took it out in one bite. They’re pretending,” Luo Mengxuan insisted.

Luo Longyu knew she was right—the old man was clearly unusual—but since he wouldn’t talk, there was nothing more to be done. He simply dragged Luo Mengxuan out of the village.

“Hey, you two,” the old man’s voice called from inside the house, “there’s a motorcycle over there. Take it north for three miles—you’ll find a military camp.”

At his words, Luo Mengxuan wriggled free from Luo Longyu’s grasp and shouted, undeterred, “Elder, just tell me who you are!”

“Get lost!” the old man snapped, leaving Luo Mengxuan stunned and pouting, crestfallen—no one had ever spoken to her like that before.

Seeing her so aggrieved, Luo Longyu nearly burst out laughing, but managed to hold it in. Three minutes later, the two of them stood before a battered motorcycle, staring at each other.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Luo Mengxuan grumbled.

Luo Longyu scratched his head. “Do you know how to ride this?”

The question nearly choked Luo Mengxuan on her own saliva. She leapt up, fuming. “Luo Longyu! Don’t tell me you can’t even ride a motorcycle! What can you do?”

“I mean, I’ve seen people ride them, but I’ve never tried it myself. I’m worried I’ll crash with you on the back…” Luo Longyu admitted, rubbing his nose in embarrassment.

“You’re hopeless!” Luo Mengxuan declared, hopping onto the bike. “Get on, useless! Now!”

“Wait, you know how to ride?” Luo Longyu asked skeptically.

“It’s just two wheels—how hard can it be? Get on and stop whining. At worst, we’ll crash,” Luo Mengxuan replied.

“Alright, let’s hope we survive,” Luo Longyu muttered as he climbed on.

With a roar from the engine, the motorcycle shot forward—accompanied by Luo Longyu’s scream: “Damn it! Slow down!”

“I can’t control it! Ahhh!”

Splash!

Under the cover of night, a streak of light cut across the darkness before plunging into a roadside ditch, sending up a spray of water. The motorcycle’s wheels spun wildly as it lay on its side.

The two riders were thrown several meters, landing in awkward, tangled heaps, while a few parrot feathers drifted gently down.

Yes… one could say it was a rather tragic tale.