"The sound came from the top. What do we do now?"
Xiao Wu darted nimbly through the hills, leading Yu Yan toward the third great mountain east of Shimo Village. At the foot of the slope she pointed skyward and, as usual, asked Yu Yan what their next move should be.
"What else? That thing's weak—let's charge up and finish it."
Even as he spoke, Yu Yan sprinted for the summit.
Thinking the same, Xiao Wu raced after him.
Near the top Yu Yan slowed, creeping forward to identify whatever creature had made the noise before deciding how to strike.
Hold your opponent in contempt in Spirit; treat them with absolute respect in tactics.
Hidden behind a huge tree, Yu Yan saw the being sprawled on a boulder: a cicada's body crowned with a disturbingly human face.
The beast-roar the villagers had heard was this creature's howl as it lifted its human-like face to the moon.
Judging by the sound, it was trying to imitate a cicada's call, but doing it so poorly no one in Shimo Village could tell what it was.
Yu Yan racked his brain; he had never seen a Spirit Beast like this.
A completely unknown Spirit Beast—he would have to be careful.
"That thing looks so weird—ugly and disgusting."
Xiao Wu, now beside him, studied the creature and muttered her verdict.
"Ignore its looks. You draw its attention from the front; I'll circle behind and finish it with Blazing Breath."
Ignoring her complaint, Yu Yan laid out the plan.
Xiao Wu frowned. "Didn't you say it wasn't strong? Can't we just hit it head-on?"
She couldn't see why the "charge up and kill it" strategy had changed.
"I don't know this Spirit Beast; it might have some special ability. Better cautious than dead."
Yu Yan explained his reasons.
"You're too careful."
She grumbled, but didn't reject the plan.
Suppressing his Aura, Yu Yan crept toward the Human-Faced Cicada's rear.
Human-Faced Cicada was the name he'd given the odd creature—easy to remember, combining its human visage and cicada body.
Apparently newly evolved, it never noticed the two predators preparing to strike.
He summoned his Spirit, completed Martial Soul Possession, and signalled Xiao Wu to begin.
Glancing around, Xiao Wu also finished her Possession, scooped up a pebble, activated Comprehensive Amplification, and hurled it.
The stone arced perfectly into the howling maw, cutting the cry short and drawing blood from its mouth.
"Peace at last."
Stepping from behind the tree, Xiao Wu caught the creature's full attention.
Seeing who had silenced it, the Human-Faced Cicada spat out the stone, spread its wings, and roared even louder.
Its abdomen vibrated, producing a true cicada buzz.
From its human mouth came an imitation of that same buzz.
The overlapping drone twisted Xiao Wu's face in pain.
Rubbing her temples, she flung another stone.
Now wiser, the cicada fluttered aside and dodged.
Reading its movement, Yu Yan, who had finished preparing, released his Blazing Breath.
A jet of flame struck the creature's back, igniting its wings.
Following the principle of striking while the enemy faltered, three more Blazing Breaths slammed into it, its shrieks growing ever more ragged.
Minutes later the Human-Faced Cicada stopped struggling; its legs twitched once and it lay still.
Yu Yan prodded the corpse with a stick, then knelt to examine the unknown Spirit Beast.
"Yu Yan, why so cautious?"
Xiao Wu joined him, curious what excuse he'd invent.
"Better safe than sorry—that scream could catch you off guard."
Without hesitation he produced the line; he knew he'd overdone the caution, but would never admit it.
With five thousand years of Chinese wisdom, anyone can argue both sides of any point.
While bantering, Yu Yan followed the direction the Human-Faced Cicada had faced in its final crawl.
Even dying, it had dragged itself a short way toward something.
Either a lifesaving object or its lair lay that way—worth investigating.
After thirty-odd steps he found a fresh crack between two boulders, recently torn open.
Comparing the size of the fissure with the corpse, he concluded it was the creature's nest.
Peering inside he saw only darkness, hinting at a larger space beyond.
"Yu Yan, is this its Immortal Cave?"
His actions had already answered; she only wanted confirmation.
"Mm."
Calling forth his Ice and Fire Twin Fish, he widened the narrow crack.
Soon he had opened a passage large enough to enter.
"Come on. Whatever turned a beast into a Spirit Beast might be inside."
Dismissing the Possession, the spectral twin fish circled him, casting light into the passage.
He pitched a stone ahead; it clattered loudly.
He waited—only the echo returned.
A simple probe: if something lived within, the noise would have roused it.
If Xiao Wu could fit, so could she.
With an admiring glance at Yu Yan, who led the way, she followed cautiously into the fissure.