Xu Xuan, a learned scholar of the Kingdom of Jiangnan, compiled strange accounts from across the land in his Records of Spirits.
This anthology combines stories I gathered on my travels with the most dangerous, verified cases from Xu Xuan's work. These are no idle tales.
The Mountain Demon
The chapter "Entering the Mountains" in Alchemical Codex describes a mountain spirit resembling a small child, with a single backward-facing foot. It attacks people at night and is known as the xiao.
Found deep in the mountains, this creature has only three limbs, yet possesses tremendous strength.
Xu Xuan writes: "...A mountain ghost in Shu Prefecture is particularly skilled in such mischief. It appears to be kin to the spirits of Liqiu."
A gifted shapeshifter, it often takes the form of someone close to its victim. Disguised as an old woman or a child, it knocks at the door late at night and gains entry, its disguise all but impossible to see through.
Anyone who encounters one is in mortal danger. The mountain demon follows its victim day and night, creeping ever closer and feeding on their fear.
At first, a single hopping foot can be heard outside the courtyard, like an animal circling the walls. After ten days, the creature enters the house. Sores appear around the victim's arm, a mark of its presence.
At midnight on the fourteenth day, it grips the victim by the throat. Unable to cry out or struggle, the victim suffocates.
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