ENG
Wise in the guais' wayward hearts,
Yet shuns the lonely monkish arts.
On the yellow ridge of desolation,
Ends a tale by separation.
Ever since the strange winds stirred again at Yellow Wind Ridge, life had grown harsh for the lesser guais. Tiger Vanguard and the King of Flowing Sands fought for dominance, troubling the weasel kin caught between the two powers.
One day, the Weasel Captain sat by the sandfield, brooding over years of humiliation. Thoughts of death took hold in him, and he found a withered tree. He hung his belt, stepped on a pile of stones, and slipped his head through the noose. Regret came as he kicked away the stones. In agony and dizziness, he struggled, but freedom eluded him.
Just then, someone held his feet, and a gleaming sickle sliced through the air, cutting the noose. The Weasel Captain collapsed, gasping for air, and saw a gaunt crone with a medicine basket. "If you loathe to die, live well," she said, and left, unbothered by his nature.
Transforming into a weasel, the Weasel Captain followed her home-a dwelling with crumbling walls and an empty barn. She lived alone after the death of her husband and son, foraging for herbs to trade in order to survive. The Captain, moved by their shared misfortunes, decided to stay and help.
Disguised as an old man fleeing famine, he claimed to be alone and found shelter with the crone. By day, he hunted in Yellow Wind Ridge; by night, he enlisted stone sprites to mend the house. Together, they thrived, much to the villagers' envy.
One day, two villagers trailed the Captain, curious about his hunting prowess. Little did they know, as they watched him, that he would suddenly transform back into his original form-a clothed weasel guai, with a gleaming curved blade at his waist. Feeling threatened by a non-human, the villagers spread their tale, and a Daoist was summoned to slay the Weasel Captain. Not long after the weasel guai was killed, the crone passed away. The villagers, deeming the house cursed, divided the hides and herbs before setting the place ablaze.
The story takes place at Yellow Wind Ridge, where strange winds have made life hard for lesser guais. Two powerful forces, the Tiger Vanguard and the King of Flowing Sands, are fighting for control of the area. The weasel kin are caught between those powers and suffer humiliation and hardship as a result.
The Weasel Captain is a leader among the guais who is described as wise but not a solitary monk. After years of shame and defeat he decides to kill himself. He hangs himself from a withered tree, but as he regrets it and kicks away the support stones, someone holds his feet and a gaunt crone cuts the noose with a sickle. She leaves him alive, saying, "If you loathe to die, live well."
The Weasel Captain follows her home and takes the form of a weasel to stay near her. The crone is a widow who lives in a crumbling house and survives by foraging herbs to trade. The Captain disguises himself as an old man in order to shelter with her. By day he hunts on the ridge; by night he uses stone sprites to repair and improve the house. Their shared work and the repairs make them prosper, which draws the villagers' envy.
Two villagers follow the Captain one day and see him suddenly transform back into his true form: a clothed weasel guai with a gleaming curved blade. Afraid of a non-human in their midst, the villagers spread the story and call in a Daoist to kill the Weasel Captain. The weasel is slain, and not long after the crone dies.
After their deaths the villagers decide the house is cursed. They divide the hides and the herbs the pair had collected and then set the dwelling on fire. The tale ends in separation and loss: the Captain and the crone are dead, their home burned, and the villagers take what remains.