Xie Bian fell asleep while reading, he'd accidentally creased the book when moving during the night. He set it to rights with a curse and sat up straight, but had a sudden fright when he saw the monkey-faced creature sitting at the foot of his bed.
"What are you screaming for this early in the morning?"
"You can speak?"
The creature cursed him out in a tiny furious whisper, its small fists shaking with rage. After a moment it composed itself with a deep sigh. "You're new here so I won't be harsh on you. I'm an imp, an intelligent beast who has not yet cultivated a human appearance. My name is Huaning."
Xie Bian apologised profusely but after a moment of introspection asked, "Does that mean that if you cultivate an human appearance you'll stop being an imp?"
Huaning's face took on a furious red sheen.
"Don't make light of such a sensitive topic! It's not easy to achieve that sort of spiritual power. Us imps are all born in the Underworld, where spiritual power is naturally scarce, demons are born in the human realm where it is abundant, it only takes them a few thousand years to cultivate a human form. It can take us up to ten thousand..."
Xie Bian started smiling to himself, Huaning noticed and cut his tirade short. "What are you smiling for?"
"I guess that one of my tasks as a general is probably going to involve preventing imps from sneaking out to the mortal realm."
Huaning let out a tiny high-pitched scream and pointed towards the back of a chair. "Those are your new robes. Get dressed, Yanluo wants to see you."
Xie Bian watched Huaning go with a yawn. He didn't know if he should feel proud of himself for his ability to get under other people's skin. It made him wonder what kind of person he had been when alive.
Huaning had brought a washbasin along with the new set of robes into the bedroom. Xie Bian bounded over towards it but came to a stop when he looked down at his reflection.
This was his first time seeing himself. He had no previous recollection of his own appearance.
Suddenly, it became apparent why everyone he met seemed to dislike him on sight. There was a haughty, superior cast to his fine features. From the angle of his sharp eyebrows, to the curl of his deceptive red lips, and even the upwards sweep of his limpid eyes, it all coalesced in the picture of someone who seemed to look down on everyone else.
Xie Bian attempted a smile, but it only made him look condescending.
He and Fan Wujiu would make such a forbidding sight side-by-side that any errant ghosts would certainly think twice before causing trouble.
That was probably why Yanluo had chosen him. He'd been waiting all along for someone who could stand next to Fan Wujiu and be as menacing as him. Xie Bian didn't know whether to feel flattered or offended.
He left the room and went in search of Yanluo. Sure enough the courtyard outside looked no different than the day before. The sky above was pitch black, sprinkled with scattered stars in unfamiliar constellations.
Xie Bian retraced his steps from the previous day until he got back to the judge's room where he had first met Yanluo.
"Ah, we were wondering if you'd fallen back asleep," said Yanluo, standing in front of the dais next to a stone faced Fan Wujiu who clearly had been wondering no such thing.
Fan Wujiu's black robes were the mirror of Xie Bian's white ones. Both had long trailing sleeves and high tight collars, delicate cloud pattern embroidery on top and mountains and valleys along the hems climbing up to the waist, which was cinched with a smooth silk belt.
Looking at him now, Xie Bian was rethinking his early assessment that they cut an equally imposing figure side-by-side.
In his General robes, Fan Wujiu looked like he could kill with a single glance. In comparison, Xie Bian seemed more likely to raise his chin really high and click his tongue pointedly.
Yanluo gave the two of them appraising looks, and nodded quietly to himself. "Fan Wujiu take him to the weapon's master to get outfitted. While you're at it show him around Youdu. Afterwards, let's meet at Chujiang's residence to discuss what to do regarding the matter of the missing souls."
Fan Wujiu nodded and turned on his heel without another word. He seemed to have come to terms with having a colleague. Or at least he had decided to stop complaining.
But considering he had barely looked in Xie Bian's direction he wasn't holding his breath that they were going to be bosom friends any time soon.
Yanluo cleared his throat, startling Xie Bian out of his reverie. "You should follow him, he's not likely to wait for you..."
Xie Bian hurried after Fan Wujiu while Yanluo watched from afar, his mind swirling in grievances. Once both of them were gone, a beautiful silk moth flew in across the room and settled on Yanluo's shoulder.
"It doesn't look like things are going well," the moth said, its long anthena drooping. "Do you think they'll be able to work together?"
"Give it time," Yanluo said.
The moth shook its silky head. "I don't know why you care. Human lives are rife with strife. They're no different than anyone else."
Yanluo reached across to pat the moth's fluffy body. "You know me. I can't stand injustice."
"I just think you like meddling."
His lips pulled into a smirk. "Yes, that too."