Jiangshi Request

“Mind the gap.”

Chaidam balked at the burly porters rough accent as the seaman maneuvered the boarding plank into position. Clutching his single trunk of clothing, he scampered down onto the wharf. The Mist Continent. He had finally arrived.

Slinking through the thick crowd of passengers, merchants, and dock workers, Chaidam took refuge next to a small market stall and retrieved the crumpled missive from his pocket. He was to travel inland to a small village to work out a trade-deal with the denizens of the community. They had personally asked his company to support them in exporting their raw material to the rest of the world, and Chaidam was happy to oblige. If he could find the place. A quick glance at the signs around the city were telling that Common was a secondary language in the Land of the Four Souls. So many exciting disparities between this land and the Order’s land: Argen!

Chaidam’s novel wonderment was interrupted as a man walked past with a ren xiongmao hanging off his arm. Instinctively shrinking closer to the wall, Chaidam cowered behind his order as they walked by.

And some not so exciting differences…

This heathen land was far too tolerant of monsters. At a glance, they weren’t quite as prevalent as human women, but as Chaidam’s father had said: “One monster is too many monsters.” At least these species seemed to be more docile than the ones he had heard about. As far as he could tell, the men seemed to be lucid and unchewed. But these were a far cry from the occasional holstaurus that was permitted to live in Order lands. These monsters had all manner of teeth, claws, and other savage killing implements.

“Excuse me, do you know where the town of… Pulvin is?” asked Chaidam, catching the unready shopkeeper by surprise.

“Out of town. Four days trip northwest.” Grunted the shopkeeper in heavily accented Common. “You’ll need food for the journey.” He said, gesturing to the produce in his stand.

“Eh? Oh… Yes, I suppose I will…” chuckled Chaidam nervously. He nervously selected a few pieces of mystery produce and handed the man a few coins. The shop keep eyed the change warily and gestured for Chaidam to take his purchase and leave. Chaidam obliged him, and left to find a means of transport to the town of Pulvin.

~~~~~~

“Pulvin? Why would you want to go there?” asked the travel shop owner with a condescending grin. “You sure you got that name right, foreigner?”

Chaidam was a bit taken aback by the tone of the last word, considering the man looked like a foreigner himself.

“Yes, I am quite sure that I do. Now are there any caravans heading that way, or will I have to buy a pair of boots and walk there myself?” huffed Chaidam.

“The latter.”

Chaidam flinched. “What?”

“Hardly anyone goes out to Pulvin. Shipments come in, and supplies go back, but there’s no real caravan schedule.” Said the man.

“But if they ship supplies into the city at regular intervals, than there mus-“

“No ‘regular intervals’ in Pulvin. From what I hear of them, which isn’t much, they ship to meet demand. That means sometimes their wagons are rolling in twice a week, and other times we don’t hear from them for months. I hear about everything that passes into and out of the city, son, and the most I ever hear about Pulvin is that they dropped something off, or they’re leaving.” Said the man, jabbing his pipe at Chaidam.

Chaidam squirmed. He didn’t have enough money to buy a horse or wagon for himself. How foolish to assume that he would have access to trade-routes like he had in Argen.

The travel shop owner looked him up and down as Chaidam weighed his options.

“You’re from Argen, aren’t you? What’s a man like you doing in the Mist Continent?”

“I’ll have you know I’m here to negotiate a very important business dealing with Pulvin.” Said Chaidam, taking offence to the man’s patronizing tone. Chaidam flourished the missive from his pocket and slapped it down onto the counter for the man to see. His hand clenched a little as he realized that the forlorn state of the parchment no doubt detracted from the authority of the order.

The travel shop owner looked it over. His eyes widened. “Ooh! I see! You aren’t bluffing are you? And here I thought you were just another bumbling tourist.”

Chaidam smirked and put the missive back into his pocket. “Now do you understand? It’s imperative that I reach Pulvin as soon as possible.”

“I see. Wait here a moment, I have something for you.” Said the man. He disappeared into the back of his shop, reemerging with a map. “There is one way to reach Pulvin in good time. It’s a small path, leading through a patch of… rough terrain. Wagons and horses would have trouble navigating it, but I think a well-traveled man such as yourself would have no trouble traversing it on foot. It would shave a few days off your journey.”

Chaidam looked over the map. A fresh line had been drawn across a blank spot on the map, bypassing a few mountains and forests to reach directly to Pulvin.

“Is it safe?” asked Chaidam.

“Of course! Since there is hardly any traffic, there’s no reason for vagabonds to haunt that trail. It’s actually more dangerous to take the main road!”

“I don’t know…” said Chaidam.

“I promise that it’s a good path. I’ll tell you what, I’ll sell you all the gear you’ll need to reach Pulvin at half price. When you return from your negotiations, you can pay me back the other half if you’re satisfied. How does that sound?” said the man.

Chaidam clenched his teeth almost imperceptibly. His inner haggler was coming out.

“Make it a quarter. All the money in the world won’t do me any good if I’m dead. I’ll use the money I save to buy supplies on the road if I need to. Either way, you still get paid when I get back.”

The man cackled. “I can see why they sent you to do the negotiating. Very well! Seventy-five percent off, the rest to be paid if you’re satisfied after returning from Pulvin.”

Chaidam shook the man’s hand and began to pick out his supplies. A few nights in a tent could be miserable, but it was worth it to be able to make the appointed meeting time with Pulvin. All that was left now was the long walk ahead…

~~~~~~~~

The first few days on the road to Pulvin were painfully uneventful. Chaidam could count on hand how many fellow travelers he had passed. Some of them didn’t even respond to his greeting as he passed. Chaidam chalked this up to cultural differences and reminded himself to be wary of the strange customs of this land. He hadn’t come this far just to sour the deal by offending someone.

Out of boredom, he kicked a rock out of the road. The sturdy leather boots he had purchased were remarkably well made. Strong enough to endure the road, water, and all the rocks Chaidam felt inclined to punt, but supple enough to not pinch or chafe as he trudged for days on end. He watched as the pebble skittered off the road and deposited itself in a pile of its brethren.

Chaidam looked up. The mountain that had once been a speck on the horizon was now looming over him. Hadn’t this been a landmark on his map? Unfurling the aged paper, Chaidam tried to sus out where he exactly he was.

“Lost, stranger?”

Chaidam nearly jumped out of his skin as a gravely voice addressed him from behind. The map flew out of his quivering hands and landed in the brush a few yards away. A woodsman, accompanied by his wife, stood behind him. The man quickly scrambled to retrieve Chaidam’s map, which he graciously took.

“Apologies. I didn’ want to scare yah.” Said the man in barely intelligible Common.

Chaidam laughed and tried to reclaim a bit of his dignity. “Oh, you just startled me. What are you doing all the way out here? I was beginning to think I’d never see another person again.”

“Live here. There.” Said the man, gesturing into the forest. “I hunt, she finds food. Sell to travelers. Do you buy?” he asked.
The woman opened the basket she was carrying to reveal a few collections of berries, mushrooms, dried meat and even some bread. Chaidam quickly nodded, eager to eat anything that wasn’t made to last for months on the road. Chaidam handed the man the map while he rummaged through his pockets for some coin. The man grunted and showed his wife the map, who gasped and looked pityingly at Chaidam.

“You travel through the Unhallowed to get to Pulvin?” asked the man.

Chaidam gave the man a concerned look. “Huh? Unhallowed.”

The woodsman pointed at the route the travel shop owner had drawn. “This land. It is…” He spoke something to his wife in the local language.

“Cursed.” She said.

“Cursed. Land cursed.” Nodded the man.

Chaidam nodded. Poor fool. He couldn’t blame the poor man for being so superstitious. Living in the woods with no formal education and no one to explain how the world really worked would do that to a man.

“Cursed?” said Chaidam, suppressing a smile.

The woman nodded. “Dead rise. Spirits. Person go in, never come out.”

“Road is safer. You should follow it.” Said the man.

“Cursed or not, I still need to get to Pulvin at once.” said Chaidam.

“Go around the mountain. Unhallowed not safe.” Said the man, his own tone growing more insistent.

“That isn’t an option.”

The woodsman gave Chaidam a muddled look of concern and irritation. His wife tugged his sleeve and said something softly. The man sighed and nodded.

“Okay stranger. Stay safe. Path is that way.” Said the woodsman, pointing back down the road.

“Knew I overshot it…” muttered Chaidam. He thanked the couple for the food and directions and hurried back down the road.

~~~~~~~

Chaidam yelped in pain and frustration as he fell down again. That accursed travel shop owner had sent him on a fools errand! Twenty-five percent was too much for that shyster.

It had taken Chaidam hours to even find the entrance to the “path” the man had marked out for him. Chaidam had seen game trails more clearly defined. For all that he knew, that may well be what he was following. Twigs battered his face, weeds tugged at his boot laces, and every step he took on this rocky ground threatened to sprain his ankle. The robes that had protected him so well from the elements on the first leg of his journey were now caked with mud. If it weren’t for the mountain serving as his one and only landmark, he would have turned around and returned to the main road.

Chaidam’s string of curses was interrupted as he came across a peculiar sight on this deserted trail: an arrow lodged into a tree. Normally this may be cause for alarm, but it was to weathered to be fired recently. Chaidam gave the fletching an experimental tweak. The rotting wood snapped off and fell into the leaf litter. Chaidam shuddered. Something felt off… The ambient sounds of the forest seemed to be muted here. Hurrying on, he convinced himself that rumors of ghosts in the forest were no excuse to quit now. Not when Pulvin was only a day away.

The forest began to relinquish its stranglehold on the path as the dense underbrush gave way to patches of grass. Cresting a hill, Chaidam fell hard as his foot connected with something jutting out of the ground. Cursing, he dusted himself off and kicked the offending rock. His foot snapped back sharply as the thing in the grass refused to budge more than an inch. Pulling apart the grass, Chaidam was astonished to find the hilt of a rusty sword peeking out from the earth.

Leaving the ancient killing implement, Chaidam hurried to the top of the hill. Another sword tripped him again. As he hit the ground, he realized that he was now face to face with a skull. Chaidam shrieked and scrambled back, knocking the ancient bone away. The woodsman was right. The cause and belligerents of the conflict were lost to history, but the woods around this area were obviously replete with corpses.

Chaidam looked farther down the hill. Below, a sea of tombstones and weathered grave markers spanned out before him. It looked as if game didn’t even chance a path through the field of the dead. Grass and weeds threatened to choke out the smallest stones, untouched by both nature and man.

An airy giggle wafted through the trees. Chaidam surged forward, too afraid to think about what could have made the noise. It was probably just the wind. There was no reason for him to be afraid. There was no such thing as ghosts. But he was too afraid. The woodsman’s story, the atmosphere, the strange and alien landscape of death and woe was too much for his already strained nerves. Glancing behind him, Chaidam hoped to assuage his fears of spectral pursuers in this graveyard.

A woman stood behind him, arms outstretched in her strange Mist Continent garb. Her long nails glinted in the moonlight. Mercifully, her face was obstructed by some form of talisman, hanging from her hat.

Chaidam froze in terror. The figure remained motionless. A breeze drifted through the cemetery, rustling the weeds and rattling the tree branches together. The talisman covering the woman’s face blew to the side, and for a moment, Chaidam caught a glimpse of her face. Mauve eyes stared back at him. Slowly, a sadistic grin cracked her stoic face, eyes contorting with malice as she glared at him.
The woman leapt into the air, clearing several headstones as she vaulted towards Chaidam. Chaidam abandoned any semblance of pride and screamed into the night as he tore through the graveyard in blind panic.

Without any sense of direction or plan of escape, Chaidam wound his way through the labyrinth of stakes, cairns, headstones, and grave markers as he fled. A harsh cackle ripped through the field of the dead. She was getting closer. Chaidam moaned in fear, frustration, and sorrow. Why had they sent him to this accursed land in the first place?! The ghost giggled and laughed at his plight, mocking him as he ran for his life.

Chaidam’s foot clipped the top of a headstone as he ran, sending him sprawling painfully into another copse of graves. The woman hopped over the last headstone. Only the edges of her cruel smile could be seen behind her paper veil.

“What’s the matter, foreigner? Not quite as fast as you thought yourself?~”

Chaidam made a feeble attempt to get up, but the woman rolled him against a headstone with her foot.

“Not so fast, big guy. You’re trespassing on MY property, so I think I’m entitled to some answers, no?~”

She reached down, bending only at the waist and tossed aside Chaidam’s belongings. Chaidam shuddered as she touched his face, running one of her sharp nails down his throat. They may as well have been claws; even with a modicum of pressure it was enough to leave a faint white line in his skin.

“You must be pretty scared, huh? Alone, in a graveyard in a foreign land, chased by an undead…” rambled the woman.

Chaidam stifled a gasp. Undead?! That shopkeeper had guided him to his death after all!

“Ahaha! That’s quite a look, foreigner. Tell me, what kinds of things have you heard about my kind I wonder?~” she said.

“Y-y-you… You…” Chaidam couldn’t find the words. The things he had heard were too awful to comprehend now that there was a very real chance that they would be happening to him shortly. Being eaten alive, skin stripped from the bone piece by piece… Some accounts even claimed that some undead were smart enough to keep their prey alive; savoring morsels over the course of weeks, such that the screams and moans of their victims could be heard months after they were taken.

“Aww… There there… I’m not quite as sinister as all those baseless rumors attest.” Cooed the woman. She used one of her baggy sleeves to wipe away a smudge of dirt from Chaidam’s face. “Tell you what, you tell me your name, and I promise not to hurt you.”

Chaidam flinched at her touch. “You’re lying! You’ll kill me!”

“I will not. I promise. I’m just a humble jiangshi, living amidst this mountain of death. But if you aren’t willing to show me common courtesy, well…”

The monster’s claws made an awful raking sound as she carved five vertical lines into the headstone Chaidam rested against with a slow drag of her hand.

“Ch-Chaidam.” Squeaked the merchant.

“Mmm… You foreigners and your funny names! Dad had some strange- Never mind. Chaidam…” mused the jiangshi. “Ah!”

Chaidam blenched at her sudden outburst as she sprang up.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Shh… I didn’t mean to startle you. I just realized what an awful host I’ve been! Here we are, chatting it up like old friends and I haven’t even introduced myself! My name is Luyin.” Said the jiangshi, giving a small bow at the waist.

Chaidam sat wordlessly. What was to happen to him now? Would this demon really make good on her bargain? Had it gained some sort of supernatural power over him by learning his name? His mind reeled with terror as he imagined himself trapped in the graveyard as a spirit, doomed to wander and ensnare other unfortunate travelers in his spectral clutches.

“Well then, now that the formalities are out of the way, how about we get to know each other a bit better, Chaidam?~”

Luyin pulled the drawstrings of her dress taught, and sighed happily as the cloth billowed to the ground revealing her naked form. Chaidam gulped as he beheld her bare lavender skin in the moonlight. Her body was just as firm as her motions; not quite sculpted, but definitely defined. No doubt the culmination of years of her own strange method of locomotion. Those thighs alone looked like they would be strong enough to crush his torso like a nutcracker. The obvious strength did little to detract from her femininity. Curvaceous to say the least, each rippling muscle only served to compliment the womanly curve it clung to. Each of her breasts was capped with a delicate, deep purple nipple, standing at attention in the cold. Tossing her hat to the side, Chaidam was finally afforded a view of her face. Enchanting, by any definition of the word. More beautiful than any of the women he had seen in the festering ports of Argen’s cities.

“Like what you see?~” teased Luyin. “Come on, it’s no fun if it’s just me.”

“You said you wouldn’t harm me!” pleaded Chaidam as she reached for him. She easily caught one of his flailing wrists and pinned it to the stone behind him. He turned away as her frigid breath rolled over his face.

“Oh, I’m not going to harm you. But you may be asking for it by the time I’m done with you~”

In a flash, Luyin shredded the shirt of Chaidam’s back. He shrieked and squirmed as she tore his clothes apart, but she was surgically precise in her cuts.

“Settle down! Now, are you going to cooperate, or do I have to mince the pants as well?” threatened Luyin, waggling her nails in front of Chaidam’s face.

Chaidam acquiesced her request and removed his pants and underwear. The ground was bitter cold against his bare skin. He shivered as another breeze nipped at his exposed flesh.

“Don’t worry dear, we’ll have you warmed up soon enough.”

Dragging Chaidam to his feet, Luyin found a headstone broad enough to support them and unceremoniously dumped Chaidam onto his back. His legs dangled over the edge as she straddled him. Luyin smiled down at her quarry as she pinned his hands to the cold stone, interlocking his fingers with her own. Luyin smiled as she felt his shaft harden between their bellies.

“I know I said I wouldn’t hurt you, but please don’t go calling me a liar if you get a bit bruised, alright?” she said.

“But-“

Chaidam’s protest morphed into a gasp of pleasure as Luyin slammed down onto him. Instantly, the cold chilling him to the bone was replaced with a sensational warmth that permeated his being. Luyin began stiffly thrusting against him, cooing in pleasure as she began to limber. Chaidam was caught between the cool embrace of Luyin’s sex and the hellish exposure to the night air. Every time Luyin withdrew, the night winds licked at his damp member, threatening to freeze the poor thing off his body.

“Ahh, yes! That feels so good…” she purred. Rolling her neck, she flexed her shoulders and knees. A staccato of harsh cracks echoed through the graveyard as her joints popped and protested the new range of motion. Luyin’s stomach wriggled as her breathing quickened with the pace of her thrusts.

Chaidam was scarcely aware of such things. His knuckles were chalk white as he clung to Luyin’s hands for dear life as she violated him. Chief God, this was disastrous! Raped by a filthy corpse! But by the heavens above, did it feel good. As she pushed into him once more, she hesitated to thrust again and Chaidam’s hips chased her own.

“Kehehe… A bit more eager now, are we?~” giggled Luyin, sneering as Chaidam’s face flushed with humiliation. She kissed his cheek and resumed her humping, albeit a bit more gentle this time.

Chaidam didn’t have the heart to look her in the eyes as she took him, but the pleasure she provided was too much for any man to simply ignore. Grunts and moans escaped his gritted teeth as her lukewarm breath beat down on him. Luyin, irked by her partner’s inhibition, coaxed a yelp out of him by forcing her mouth against his. Her pert breasts dragged across his lithe body as she pressed more of her weight against him.

The sensation of her cool tongue wriggling against his combined with the onslaught against his member was too much to bear. Whether by friction or magic, Luyin’s vagina had warmed enough to become an irresistible receptacle for Chaidam’s prick. He let out a loud cry as he arched his back and released into her. Luyin’s tongue lolled out of her mouth as she mashed her hips into his, head craned skyward as she reaped her reward.

Chaidam felt a rush of blood fill his face as he realized what he had done. Copulated with a filthy monster. And an undead no less! How could the Chief God ever forgive him for such a transgression?! Would he even have to live with the guilt? Or would this hopping corpse finish the job now that its carnal desires were sated?

“That was nice…” said Luyin with a contented sigh, sliding off of Chaidam. A pearl of semen dribbled out of her body onto the cold ground below. Chaidam rolled off the stone and retrieved his pants. Whimpering, he tried to regain a shred of his dignity as he redressed with trembling hands.

“Going so soon?” asked Luyin. She sat on the same headstone she had violated Chaidam on, now posing enticingly with one leg out and the other arched beside it.

“I’m leaving.” Said Chaidam weakly.

“Hmm? Even when it’s so cold out? Surely it would be wiser for you to stay the night here. With me. I’ll make sure to keep you warm. All. Night. Long~”

Chaidam could feel her wicked grin bearing into the back of his skull without turning around. His member throbbed as he remembered the sensation of her skin against his. He only made it a few steps before he realized that he had forgotten the pack with all his belongings. All his thoughts were now being directed to one thing: Luyin. The hook had been set; every word she spoke echoed through his mind with no abatement. The longer he stood there, the more intolerable the thought of leaving her felt. Chief God, he was cursed. This was it, wasn’t it? No going back.

Chaidam removed his pants and timidly shuffled back over to Luyin. The jiangshi made no attempt to hide her overt delectation at Chaidam’s reluctance. Spreading her legs wide, she positioned herself into a sitting split, glistening sex ready for Chaidam again.

“Back so soon?”

Ignoring Luyin’s taunt, Chaidam took hold of her wide hips and squeezed her tight thighs. Luyin hummed appreciatively at the service but waggled her snatch enticingly in a bid to expedite the imminent love-making. Lining himself up, Chaidam slowly pressed into her of his own accord.

Luyin uttered a sibilant hiss of pleasure as he sunk into her folds. Her nails dug into the stone as Chaidam quickly picked up the pace.

“So vigorous! And here I thought YOU might be the corpse~” grunted Luyin.

Chaidam grit his teeth and quickened his pace. Luyin’s smug grin quickly warped with pleasure into a shameless visage of prurient mirth. Her body began to rock back and forth as she struggled to find purchase for her hands on the smooth stone. Chaidam smirked as he watched her begin to flounder on the headstone. He felt alive; better than he had in years! Why should he fear this beast when he was so much stronger than her?

“Unh! You really- You- Ah! Fuck!“ Whatever jeer Luyin tried to incense Chaidam with was lost to a cacophony of pleasured groans. Luyin’s legs wrapped around Chaidam. Her abs contracted sharply as she raised her body off the stone and wrapped her arms around his chest. Her nails tore into his back, jostled into a new divot with each thrust Chaidam made. He grunted in pain and pleasure; each fiery new scrape she clawed into his back was cooled just as quickly by the night air. Lifting her completely off the slab, he thrust in earnest as he felt another orgasm working its way through his body.

Luyin issued a howl of pleasure as a fresh batch of semen poured into her womb. Her hands tore one last set of streaks into Chaidam’s back as he finished inside her, dumping her twitching body back onto the headstone as he finished. As the afterglow of the orgasm faded, Chaidam winced as the wind graced his flayed back.

“You bitch… You said you wouldn’t hurt me…” he muttered, exhaling sharply at the pain. He sat on the headstone and squirmed in discomfort.

“Aww, I’m sorry.” Said Luyin, flipping herself prone on the slab behind him. He winced as her fingers gingerly followed some of the simmering cuts she had inflicted onto him. “I guess I did get a little too rough, huh?”

Her hands came to rest on his sides. Chaidam flinched as he felt Luyin’s mouth on his back, but eased into her as her tongue began to trace his cuts. Her warm saliva and kisses miraculously abated his pain.

“Since these make me a liar…” said Luyin, kissing one of the larger cuts. “How about I spend the rest of the night making up for this broken promise?~”

Chaidam’s dick jumped to attention as he felt her breasts press against him. There really was no going back…

~~~~~~~

“Oh ho! Back again, I see. I take it your negotiations were… successful?” grinned the travel shop owner.

Chaidam dourly deposited a sack of coin onto the counter.

“More successful than I imagined.” Grunted Chaidam. The negotiations with Pulvin had gone swimmingly. Apparently many of the graveyard’s denizens had taken husbands from the nearby town, which made brokering the deal a breeze with Luyin in his company.

“Yes, yes, very goo- Hey! This isn’t the amount we agreed upon!” said the shopkeeper, organizing the coin into piles.

“You’re lucky to get anything other than a fist to the face for sending me through that graveyard.” Growled Chaidam.

“Oi! Don’t talk to my husband like that.”

A jiangshi sauntered out from the backroom, hips swinging. “Husband, who is this lout? Shall I beat the rest of his payment out of him?” she said, wrapping an arm around him possessively.

“Momma!” whined Luyin, stepping in front of Chaidam and splaying her arms. “You’re not laying a finger on my husband! Besides, dad earned it this time.”

“Luyin! How could you say that to your own father…” said the man.

“I told you to stop doing that, dad.” Said Luyin flatly.

“But you were always sending letters saying how lonely you were! I couldn’t let my baby girl cry like that!” insisted the man.

“I can’t believe you’re my in-law…” sighed Chaidam.

“Welcome to the family, son. Say, I’ve been thinking about expanding. Do you think that there would be market for a shop like this in Argen?”

“Not with her at my side.” Said Chaidam, wrapping his arms around Luyin’s waist. She giggled and stroked his cheek.

“Mmm… That’s true. Oh well, I’m sure we’ll find a use for you somewhere around here.” Shrugged the man.

“Husband, please…” sighed Luyin’s mother.

“I’ll find something. I’ve got a family to support now, after all.” Said Chaidam.

Luyin’s mother brought out a tea set as the men began to talk shop. All four conjectured and speculated about what business ventures Chaidam should begin next, happy for each other’s company and filled with hope for the future of their family.