Before departure, I gathered the demons for a meeting to ask them what kind of cold weapons they desired.
Cold weapon development had essentially peaked four hundred years ago. Aside from the Meridian-Dragon-Coiled-Serpent Blade, not much new had emerged. Therefore, the demons' existing knowledge of cold weapons was sufficient. However, I still found various cold weapon images and characteristics online, projecting them onto a large screen for the demons to choose from, making it easier for the artisans to craft them according to the designs. Otherwise, if you just say "a saber," how would the artisans know what kind of saber you want?
The eldest, snake demoness Wang Liya, sticking to her usual preference, chose a zhang eight snake spear, corresponding to the depiction of Zhang Fei from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The second eldest, deer demoness Lu Qingshuang, opted for a less common weapon, the hook. Perhaps its appearance resembled her antlers. It corresponded to Zhang Wuji's depiction in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, though Zhang Wuji wielded a hook in one hand and a Judge's Brush in the other. The deer demoness wanted twin hooks, a simple duplication.
The third, tiger demoness Tong Xuan, with her strength advantage, requested a single-handed mace, not the mace of Qin Qiong, but Di Renjie's "Soaring Dragon Mace." The tiger demoness remarked that it looked better. The weight was set at five jin. Five jin might not sound heavy, but for a single-handed weapon, it's considered a heavy armament. If a sword were a 98k, the Soaring Dragon Mace would be a Maxim gun – blunt rather than sharp, great skill expressed as crudeness.
The fourth, bear demoness Wang Mengmeng, seemed to prefer her claws and wasn't particular about weapons, saying a military saber would suffice. I suspected the "military saber" she referred to was the infantry saber worn by late Jin dynasty soldiers. I found an image online, and Mengmeng confirmed, "Yes, that's the one," but added it was too ugly. I helped her find the style of Shen Lian's saber from the movie "Brotherhood of Blades." Mengmeng approved.
The fifth, eagle demoness Chen Yanan, chose a bow and arrows. The bow didn't require the weapon shop's craftsmanship, as she could make it herself. However, the arrowheads needed to be forged by the shop. Thirty to fifty would be enough, making it a relatively economical choice.
The sixth, fox demoness Kun Kun, chose a basketball— no, her chosen weapon was quite peculiar: nine flying daggers. She specifically requested rings at the tail of each dagger. I found her a style similar to Li Xunhuan's flying daggers from "The Magic Blade." Kun Kun loved it and gave her approval.
The seventh, sable demoness Yang Zizi, selected an eight-faced Han sword. I found her one similar to Wu Jing's in "Sha Po Lang."
The eighth, weasel demoness Huang Xiaoxian's weapon was the simplest in form: a Bincheng iron staff. It didn't need to be too thick, just finger-width. Too thick would be cumbersome. She gestured its length should be about her height. I asked about the design. She said no design was needed, but I found it too plain and showed her Sun Wukong's Ruyi Jingu Bang. Huang Xiaoxian pouted, "Too childish... just a plain stick is fine."
"Okay, all chosen."
I saved all the pictures on my phone and was about to leave with Yaoyao when Bingbing tugged my sleeve and whispered, "Chengfeng gege, I, what should I use?"
Yaoyao chimed in, "That depends on who you learn martial arts from."
"I'll learn from you," Bingbing said with a smile.
Yaoyao waved her hand, "My martial arts aren't actually that strong."
After speaking, she looked at the assembled demons, finally settling her gaze on the bear demoness. "You learn from Mengmeng. In terms of martial arts, she's probably the best."
I was puzzled. If it was about acting cute, I'd believe she was the best, but martial arts? I always thought she was a bit clumsy. Yaoyao, sensing my confusion, explained, "Four hundred years ago, Mengmeng was a battle bear under my father Khan, often joining my father and the soldiers on the battlefield. She has seen as many killing techniques as I have. The saber techniques from the battlefield were honed through the lives of both sides' soldiers; those are the most practical techniques, far more refined than any sectarian martial arts."
So, Mengmeng had such an experience. I couldn't help but look at her with newfound respect. I imagined four hundred years ago, dust storms filled the air, snow choked the throats, and the armies of the Ming and Qing dynasties clashed in the wilderness. A large black bear, clad in custom-made armor, charging fearlessly into the Ming army lines under a hail of arrows and flying debris...
"Then let's forge another saber for Bingbing," Mengmeng said lazily, then mumbled, "I'm good at teasing people, but teaching is new. I'll do my best."
"Haha, Master Mengmeng, please accept this disciple's bow." Bingbing was dignified and straightforward, kneeling directly on the ground, kowtowing to Mengmeng. Mengmeng, feeling unworthy, also knelt and kowtowed to Bingbing, making it seem like they were performing a wedding ceremony, which amused everyone and made them burst into laughter.
Leaving them to their merriment, Yaoyao and I went out, borrowed a car from Zhao Nana, and drove towards Benxi.