Episode 38. The Twelve Zodiac Generals Strategy Guide
While I stayed at the Black Cat Gang’s base, I drilled the subordinates mercilessly day after day. I wasn’t expecting their skills to skyrocket overnight. What I wanted was their mental state to change — for them to become like rakshasas, demons, asuras, hardened elites, stubborn monsters.
Their mistake was assuming I’d go easy on them up to a point.
I had absolutely no intention of going easy on them.
If you’ve earned the title of “Black Path,” it means you’ve already done plenty of abnormal, unforgivable things. As penance, I trained; the executives trained; the foot soldiers trained until their bodies felt like they were coming apart.
I was no different.
External training is inherently painful.
Just like life itself.
Sometimes I joined the subordinates in their brutal conditioning. When the gang leader is personally sweating through strength training, which underling is going to complain?
Bit by bit, I melted cleanly into the Black Path.
I focused so intensely on training that I could barely remember whether my original identity was Hao Gate master, Black Cat leader, tavern boy, or drill instructor.
Day after day, I ate, I shit, I trained. All to one day kill the insane monkeys called the Great Rakshasa’s faction and the Black Lotus Casino.
That’s us: garbage who only live to keep training martial arts.
We’d just finished the morning session, and I was resting in the main hall when old Chief Byuk appeared, arms full of documents.
“Gang Leader, I’ve got a report for you.”
I eyed the stack of paper in his hands.
“Why is there so much?”
“Allow me to explain.”
He sat and began walking me through them. In short: detailed ledgers of income and expenses, personnel lists, business operations… all neatly organized. Honestly, I wasn’t very interested.
When would I ever sit down and study this?
Still, to reward his effort, I showered him with praise.
“Remarkable. Our Chief Byuk is the Black Cat Gang’s purse, its grand strategist, its administrator — a logistics officer capable of supplying an army. We should add another title: Quartermaster General. It’s a waste of talent to leave you as just ‘chief.’”
I was just saying whatever came to mind.
But a few random compliments were enough to make him beam from ear to ear.
I was a little startled myself.
“Thank you, Gang Leader. Since you exempted me from physical conditioning, I was able to整理 all this with a cheerful heart.”
I nodded.
Ah, so that was it…
But the real report he wanted to give me was something else.
“Please have a look at this as well. I’ve poured my heart into summarizing it into one volume.”
I opened the book he handed me — and this time, I was genuinely shocked. The title alone wasn’t ordinary:
“A Strategy Guide to the Twelve Zodiac Generals”
A “collection” usually means a book of poems, essays, things gathered together. So what that title meant was clear: a compilation of useful information, methods, and recommended strategies for attacking the Twelve Zodiac Generals.
I studied it with a serious expression and couldn’t stop being impressed. It wasn’t just text; it was full of detailed illustrations. The quality was on par with martial manuals from prestigious orthodox sects.
“Chief Byuk, your drawing skills are outstanding.”
Smiling, he gave a brief explanation.
“I thought you would be curious about the generals’ builds, mask designs, and distinct martial arts and weapons, so I put together everything I knew, along with illustrations. It would have taken much longer to write it all out in text alone, but sketching is my hobby, so it wasn’t hard to organize.”
Listening to him, I dug into the strategy guide.
The Twelve Generals were drawn like heroic figures out of Water Margin or Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Their weapons, martial arts, even their personalities were annotated in the margins.
I had plenty of intel of my own, but I hadn’t been deeply entangled with most of the generals in my past life, so there was a lot here that was new to me. For instance, I hadn’t known that Red Shen — the Red Monkey — was a woman.
“Red Shen is a woman?”
“Yes. As written, her kleptomania is incurable; she’s surely out somewhere stealing even now. She’s a special kind of disciple — a woman who stole whatever items the Great Rakshasa requested, paid him with those, and learned martial arts in return. Red Shen trains almost exclusively in light footwork. You should be cautious, Gang Leader. She ranks below you, but thanks to that speed, none of the generals take her lightly.”
“I see. That fast, huh?”
“Now and then, a natural genius in a single field is born. Red Shen appears to be one of those in qinggong.”
At that moment, Shao Junpyeong poked his head into the main hall. I cut in first.
“Shao, you run this afternoon’s training. I’ll listen to the wailing from here.”
“Understood.”
He shut the door and left. Chief Byuk then spoke up, a little hesitantly.
“Gang Leader, if I may be so bold.”
“Speak.”
“For the first time in a while, I feel like I’m seeing a proper Black Path gang. I’ve been working with a joyful heart lately.”
I snorted inwardly.
“Our Chief Byuk is impressive too. Today I’m going to memorize this entire guide. Do we have anything on the Great Rakshasa like this as well?”
Puffing up with pride, he replied,
“The commander always goes at the end. He’s on the last pages.”
“Right, the final boss at the back. Good. I’ll give you twice the bonus I gave Shao Junpyeong.”
“Thank you, Gang Leader. Of course, I didn’t compile this for the money, but it’ll help with the household expenses.”
We both burst out laughing.
“Hahaha…”
I hadn’t expected such a talent in the Black Cat Gang. Talent like this must be used properly.
Once he finished his paperwork, I gave Chief Byuk another assignment; if I left him alone, he’d just wander around grinning all day.
Since it was important, my voice naturally turned serious.
“Chief Byuk, I’ve got a task for you.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’m a man of big ambitions. A man like that needs someone like you — like Zhuge Liang at Liu Bei’s side, Guo Jia at Cao Cao’s, Lu Su in Wu.”
He clasped his fists and bowed.
“You flatter me.”
“I don’t care if you incur expenses. Hire more people, gather information, and compile a full report on the forces surrounding the Black Cat Gang — power map, list of notable experts, and their traits. Then draft a grand strategy for how I’ll become the dominant power in this region. The key is: organize it freely. Don’t force it into some rigid format. Draw as you like, write as you like. I’ll be the one to judge it. I’m not a man who blindly believes any single report. But with your skill, I expect it’ll help a lot.”
Even after I finished, he just grinned at me, saying nothing.
“Why are you just standing there, smiling like that?”
With a face full of pride, he finally answered,
“I’ve already started.”
I couldn’t help letting out a tipsy-sounding “oh-ho!” and applauding.
“Excellent. That’s enough for today. Oh, and when you hire people…”
“Yes?”
“Recruit from Ilyang. Lots of idle hands there.”
The hometown problem again.
“I do have that much sense. I’ll do just that. I’ll report back soon.”
After Chief Byuk left, Lady Son — who’d been waiting nearby — spoke up nervously.
“Gang Leader, it’s Son the maid.”
“Ah. Our Handmaid Chief Son Sosso, what is it? Why, do my lovely-tongued Lady Son?”
“There’s someone outside in a mask. They’re asking for you.”
“What kind of mask?”
Right then, the main hall doors opened and Shao Junpyeong came in to give the same report.
“Gang Leader, Red Shen has arrived.”
“Got it. I’ll be right out.”
Before leaving the hall, I flipped quickly to Red Shen’s section in the strategy guide.
— Obsessed with light footwork
— Pathological theft; rumored to have amassed considerable wealth.
— Last to become a disciple, but quickly climbed the rankings by toppling several generals.
— When at a disadvantage, escapes with qinggong and shamelessly calls it a draw.
— Said to steal and consume pills, so her internal cultivation progresses quickly.
— Contract relationship with the Great Rakshasa: he grants her whatever manuals she requests, and she pays by stealing items for him.
— Light footwork is estimated to rival that of the Four Divine Generals.
I slowly closed the book, lips curling.
“Strategy acquired.”
As expected, there wasn’t a single element that suggested I might lose.
I stepped up onto the platform and looked down at Red Shen, who’d had the nerve to come alone.
She wore red from head to toe — a red martial robe, a thin outer layer over it. Her mask was a monkey’s face, so I couldn’t tell if the real face underneath was just as ugly, but her curves and hips made it obvious she was a woman.
From behind the mask, she spoke in a flat tone.
“Senior Mao, it’s been a while.”
Casually, I answered exactly as the guidebook suggested.
“Thieving wench. Long time no see.”
“Excuse me? ‘Thieving wench’? How very unpleasant.”
Guess that wasn’t quite right. I stuck my hand inside the mask and scratched my chin.
“These days I’ve been so worn out from training, I must’ve misspoken. Forgive me.”
Just from her sharp voice, I could tell she was greedy, competitive, and not the type to open her heart easily.
“So, you’re here to challenge me?”
“I came to pay my respects, that’s all. Why? Worried I might challenge you?”
I tilted my head.
“Worried?”
She rattled on as she pleased.
“You’ve got a match with that nasty-tempered Baiyoo soon. Of course you’d be nervous. If you give me a nice fat allowance again, I’ll leave quietly today.”
I realized her method of extorting money from people was quite calculated. She must have known that it wasn’t the right time for me to overexert myself before my duel with Baiyoo, the White Rooster.
A junior who shakes down her seniors for cash… unbelievable. The Black Path really is a mess.
She folded her arms.
“Senior Mao and I are about equal in skill. If you fight me now and get hurt, your bid to join the Four Divine Generals will be ruined again. Isn’t that right?”
“You a beggar? Why do you keep talking about money?”
“You’re being especially rude today. Hah. I suppose that means we’ll have to fight properly this time.”
She interlocked her fingers and cracked her knuckles loudly.
“Ready when you are.”
“Little monkey, how much were you planning to ask for?”
At my question, her tone changed immediately.
“Well, since Senior Mao’s been doing so well financially lately…”
“Do you go around shaking down all your seniors like this?”
She tilted her head.
“You’re talking really strangely today. Voice sounds off, too.”
I babbled whatever came to mind.
“I’ve been working on a highly yang-based art lately. Didn’t handle the inner energy well, burned my throat and ran a fever. That’s why my voice is like this.”
“Oh, really?”
Despite the mask, her eyes could be seen — and those eyes were smiling. The news that I’d taken internal damage delighted her.
She abruptly shifted gears.
“Still, since I came all this way, I have to challenge you. If you don’t want that, I’ll accept thirty silver instead. I won’t show my face for a while. And even if you order those pathetic underlings of yours after me, they’ll never catch me. You know that.”
I snorted and loosened the muscles around my mouth.
“Monkey girl, how exactly did you interpret what I just said when I mentioned a highly yang art?”
“What does that have to do with anything? Didn’t Master tell us to use any means necessary to grow stronger? Congratulations on learning a new technique.”
“The art I learned is, quite literally, fire. Anything I touch can be wrapped in flames. That thin outer robe, that clinging red uniform — all of it will burn. Once it does, you’ll be naked. My subordinates will get a free show. And you still want to challenge me? Is that what you’re saying?”
She stared at me for a long time, then spoke through clenched teeth.
“And what exactly are you suggesting?”
The men nearby stared at me too, eyes full of expectation.
“What are you going to do, Gang Leader? We support you.”