After two days of trekking along treacherous mountain paths, we finally reached the open plains. Ahead, at the end of the Styx River, stood the imperial capital—the Netherhell Citadel.
"By the way, Engineer, those things—on top is a dragon, but what about the nine monsters below? What are they?"
I asked, and the Engineer smiled.
"Let me explain. First, the structure of this city—have you heard of the concept of 'Nine-Five'? The Nine-Five Sovereign?"
I nodded.
"The so-called Nine-Five Sovereign—in ancient times, numbers were divided into yang and yin; odd numbers were yang, even numbers were yin. Among the yang numbers, nine is the highest and five is central, so the combination 'Nine-Five' represented the emperor's number."
I understood, but those monsters below—I’d seen similar figures before on ancient buildings: nine distinct creatures crouched around the throne.
"You’ve probably seen them. Ever heard the saying 'the dragon begets nine sons'?"
I nodded immediately. The saying is a metaphor—children born of the same parents are never exactly alike.
"The eldest is Qiu Niu."
I looked over. On the far left was a fierce creature, crouched low to the ground. It resembled a dragon, but its head was more like that of a bull.
Luban—the Engineer—continued, "That one's called Yazi." Its body was short, and it held a treasured sword in its mouth. Where its forelimbs joined its body, there were two pairs of wings.
The third is Chaofeng, its body thin and horse-like. Suddenly, I remembered: the Nine Dragons Plaza in our city center is surrounded by these very figures, isn't it?
The fourth is Pulao, which looks like a crocodile sprawled on the ground—imposing, yet still bearing dragon traits.
The fifth is Suanni—a mythical beast resembling a lion, though its face is leaner than a lion's. It crouched, stretching its head forward as if sniffing something.
The sixth is Bixi, its back bearing a tortoise shell, though it is not a turtle. Its limbs are short, but tipped with dragon claws. Its head resembles a dragon, but with a chubby, almost comical appearance.
The seventh is Bi'an, lying in wait as if ready to pounce—ferocious, looking part leopard and part tiger, but with dragon whiskers and two small horns.
The eighth is Fuxi, its body serpentine like a dragon, coiled atop a stone stele. Its claws resemble those of a rat.
The ninth is Chiwen, which barely resembles a dragon at all—aside from its scales, it has a large fish tail standing upright, and its head is like that of a lion dancer, but with a peculiar charm. It looked almost cute.
After Luban finished introducing them, we were already close to the royal citadel.