Chapter 2 — Legend of the Fire Cloud

That day, my grandfather took my grandmother to town for a medical examination, leaving me alone at home. Exactly on the full moon day of the seventh lunar month - the night when hundreds of ghosts travel. I lay down and watched TV to pass the day, when suddenly the news reported: A crazed murderer had escaped from the prison next door, reminding the villagers to close the doors tightly and be careful going out. Along with that, the screen also clearly shows his portrait. While watching intently, suddenly a strange noise rang out in the yard. I went out to see - it turned out to be a father and son hunting family at the beginning of the village: Phung Dai Phao and his son Phung Nhi Cau. They said they were hungry and wanted to get something to eat. I laughed and said just wait a moment. Then go to the coop, catch a chicken, bring it to the kitchen, cook it, then bring it to the table. "Uncle Phung, Nhi Cau, eat it, the chicken will just come down." The father and son were not polite, bowed their heads and ate greedily, the chicken's blood was still fresh, feathers were all over the corners of their mouths, they looked like a pair of devils that had just crawled out of hell. …But a cold chill ran down my spine— The Phung family… has been missing in the mountains for seven days. “Is it delicious?” – I asked with concern. “Uh… uh…” Both of them were speechless, only making a humming sound in their throats. Looks like it's a sign of satisfaction. But then, we see their heads bow, bow down... Finally, with a "thump" sound, both of them fall straight to the ground. I put an anesthetic in the chicken, but I didn't expect that even the devil would be defeated. I took the prepared rope, tied those two people tightly, then used ink to make a line. This fighting ink is the Kim Duong Demon - the second person of the Southern Ghost, mainly about scaring, extremely ferocious, even demons have to be wary of it. After tying them up, I threw them both into the woodshed. Wait until the "first retreat" - the day the soul returns, when the sky is bright, they will automatically disappear. I returned to the yard, intending to clean up the unfinished meal on the table. Only to see on the chair, a giant royal concubine was squatting, its golden fur sparkling in the light. Seeing me, it clasped its hands like a human, then... spoke in human language: "Young man, tell me, am I like a human, or like a god?" The royal princess of the fox... demands deification! I know the answer to this question is death. If you say it's like a human - it's an obstacle to your destiny to become an immortal. It will hold hatred in your heart and cause you trouble, making it difficult for you to eat and sleep. If it is said to be like a god - although it will attain enlightenment, because of greed and deceit, it will lose the opportunity to become an immortal. And until then, it will still place all the blame on you. So, I didn't answer directly, just pulled out a jar of ancient wine. “Drink with me first, have fun and then talk.” "If you don't drink, I won't say anything." The two sides go back and forth, cups raised and cups lowered. In less than a few weeks, the royal concubine was already drunk and started talking about the past. He said, in the past, when he was hungry and thirsty, he had to secretly steal chickens and ducks from the village. But there was always an evil wolf who ruined things, biting and injuring him several times. Luckily, I ran quickly, otherwise I would have died a long time ago and wouldn't have had the chance to sit here and claim deification. He hated that wolf, so while the wolf's owner was away from home, he went to an old woman, luring her into believing that the wolf wanted to eat people, and only by poisoning its food could it protect itself. The old woman truly believed it. But the wolf was so cunning that he didn't eat a single bite from the poisonous spot. Later, for unknown reasons, the wolf disappeared. From then on, the "original immortal" no longer had any natural enemies and cultivated quickly and anew attain enlightenment like today. Only then did I understand - everyone had slandered Hoa Van. And it is we... who are at fault for it. Seeing that the royal concubine was so drunk, I conveniently used a rope to tie it up and throw it into the woodshed. As for Phung Dai Phao, who is more powerful, or "Hoang Dai Tien", who is more cunning, just let them bite and tear each other apart and then fix it. Suddenly, a red shadow flashed on the wall, and a giant beast jumped down into the yard. It's Fire Cloud! It was taller than before, shaped almost like a male lion, with red fur like fire, each strand burning in the moonlight. Overflowing with joy, I ran to hug its giant head in my arms, my hands frantically moving back and forth, making its "hair" messy like a crow's nest, then meticulously brushing each strand, neat as before. It's the game we liked the most when we were kids. "Hoa Van, I miss you to death! Long time no see, you have become such a tall young man!" It tilted its head slightly, wanting to avoid my "evil" hand, but I refused to let go. In the end, he just bowed his head and accepted his fate, leaving me to torment him. I showed it off like I was offering it as a treasure, leading it to the nest: "Look, I clean your little house every day, I'm afraid that when you come back you won't have a place to live." The floor of the nest is covered with dry gravel, covered with a thick blanket, and piled with straw that it likes, warm like summer in the middle of winter. It's just... the nest has become smaller compared to its current size, Hoa Van fits snugly in it, there's no room to turn around. "Who knew you'd grow up so fast, your house would soon be full." Looking at the warm nest, Hoa Van's eyes suddenly became gentle. It crawled in, slowly lay down, closed its eyes, and was docile like a puppy. I'm both happy and sad at the same time - Surely, being chased by so many bad guys, he had to flee extremely miserably. "Hoa Van, you just rest, I'll go find something delicious for you. It's been a while since I've been back, so you should treat it thoughtfully." I plan to go to the coop and catch two chickens, now they must like to eat fresh food. Passing by the gate, I suddenly saw an eye looking in from the crack of the door. “Who is there?” – I shouted in surprise. There was a soft knock on the door outside: "Little brother... I'm lost. Can I have a drink of water?" Getting lost in the middle of the night in the village? I absolutely don't believe it. But with Hoa Van by my side, I have nothing to fear. Opening the door, there was a man wearing a raincoat, covered from head to toe... "Um, big brother, come in. I'll pour you a cup of hot water." With just one glance, I recognized it - it was the escaped murderer in the news. His face has a long scar like a slashing knife blade, extremely recognizable. “That's so annoying, uncle.” – Hoang Ho walked into the yard and closed the door tightly behind him. "Brother hasn't eaten anything yet, right? There's still some rice and soup left in the kitchen. If you don't mind, I'll bring it out for you?" In my mind, I thought - the trick that can be used on Phung Dai Phao can probably be used on murderers. “Oh, no need, I'm not hungry.” – Hoang Ho appeared cautious, his eyes wandering around. – “Uncle, are you the only one in the house?” "Yes, the adults are in town, they won't be back tomorrow." I poured water and secretly added "spice" to the glass. "Big brother, please have a drink. Where are you from? Wandering in the mountains this late, it's very dangerous."