When I was writing The Soul Stealer, I researched Chinese mythical beings to see which I could include in the book. It turns out that Chinese folklore is packed with wondrous creatures, some stranger than others.
Here are a few that didn’t make it into The Soul Stealer because they were, well, just too odd.
Feng (also known as Shi Rou)
This is a two-eyed lump of flesh resembling ox liver that regenerates whenever it is eaten. Eating this edible monster will give you immortality. However, a lump of meat—legendary or not—just wasn’t very exciting to me.
Xingtian
Xingtian was a warrior who served the Flame Emperor, a legendary monarch. The Flame Emperor battled against the Yellow Emperor for the position of supreme being, but lost. Enraged by his master’s loss, Xingtian challenged the Yellow Emperor to a fight.
The Yellow Emperor defeated Xingtian, after which he cut off the warrior’s head and buried it on Changyang Mountain.
Xingtian refused to die. His headless body rose from the earth. His nipples transformed into eyes and his belly button grew into a mouth. Brandishing his shield and ax to show his defiance, Xingtian’s resurrected torso continued the fight.
Xingtian symbolizes the indomitable spirit who will not give up despite insurmountable odds. But … a headless torso with nipples for eyes was a bit icky for me.
Penghou
Penghou is the spirit of a tree that has evolved into a dog-like creature with a human face. Tree spirit sounds promising, right? Unfortunately, the Penghou is good to eat, and tastes like dog. There will never be any dog-eating in my books. Period.
There you have it. Three mythical creatures that aren’t in The Geomancer’s Apprentice series.