Chapter 40: Demon

Chen Erniu leaped from the bed, snatched the clothes by the bedside, threw them haphazardly onto his body, and grabbed his son, running toward the door. He asked urgently

"What the hell is going on!"

Chen's eldest son, named Chen Sanshui, was reaching out with an anxious expression to take down the long saber from the wall, shouting

"Father, take the saber! Take the saber! We'll talk on the way!"

Chen Erniu took the long saber, wrapped it around his waist, and strode toward the entrance of the village.

"A village watchman went out on a night patrol to inspect the fields. He thought he heard rustling in the crops and assumed someone was engaged in... those activities. He ducked down to spy, only to find a bloody corpse with its back of the head missing. He was scared witless on the spot."

As Chen Sanshui spoke, he hurried to keep up with Chen Erniu.

"How did they die?"

"The back of the skull was crushed and the brain was scooped out. A gruesome death."

Upon hearing this, Chen Erniu abruptly stopped in his tracks and asked in shock

"Have you sent someone to notify the Master's house?"

"Not yet..."

Chen Sanshui answered somewhat hesitantly.

"You fool! Do you think this can be kept secret?!"

Chen Erniu flew into a rage, shouting in frustration at his son's incompetence.

"I already discussed it with that man and the families near the fields... I told them not to make a scene yet. This is the first murder in Lichuankou in years. I'm afraid Xu Wenshan might target you, Father!"

Seeing his father's eyes flare with anger, Chen Sanshui explained hurriedly.

"You idiot! The brain was scooped out!"

"This..."

Seeing the terror and fury on his father's face, Chen Sanshui lagged a beat behind, seemingly finally grasping the gravity of the situation.

"Could an ordinary murder involve scooping out a brain?! Besides, my rivalry with Xu Wenshan is just a show for others; we are both quite satisfied with our arrangement. Why would Xu Wenshan kick me while I'm down? To offend over a hundred households in Lichuankou for no reason?"

"You brothers are as stupid as pigs! That Xu Wenshan is even younger than me. If I am no longer around, how will you lot compete with him?!"

"Father..."

This interrogation left Chen Sanshui overwhelmed with shame; he lowered his head and fell silent.

With a dark expression and a heart full of agitation, Chen Erniu spoke coldly

"I fear a demon is at work. Go notify the Master's house yourself."

Chen Sanshui nodded vigorously and rushed toward Lijing Village. Watching his eldest son depart, a trace of terror and sorrow finally appeared on Chen Erniu's face as he whispered

"I wonder how powerful this demon is. If Sanshui's eyes are sharp enough, he might still be able to leave an heir for our Chen family."

Chen Erniu had personally experienced the terrifying great drought in Lichuankou. Back then, as a young child playing in front of the door, he watched a great bird cloaked in crimson flames descend upon Lichuankou. Like a bird pecking at insects, it swallowed several village watchmen before spreading its wings and flying away, leaving Lichuankou with fields that breathed heat for three months.

The surviving watchmen ate everything edible near Lichuankou. They scooped water from the Meichi River to irrigate the fields, but it vanished instantly upon touching the ground. Chen Erniu's father carried load after load of water, irrigating the fields for nine straight days, before committing suicide while clutching his starved wife.

Chen Erniu left his parents' corpses behind and, gritting his teeth through his tears, fled to Lijing Village. He kowtowed until the ground was stained with his blood before finally being admitted into the Li family.

At that time, every household in Lijing Village was filled with fellow villagers who had fled the disaster days prior. Some tried to storm the wealthy households but were beaten to death by tenants who had been fellow villagers only days before; most others simply headed for the Dali Mountains.

Three months later, people slowly returned. No one dared mention that day, nor did anyone dare mention how the hundred-odd people left in the village had survived. People silently buried the bones that had been licked clean. Lichuankou, which originally had nearly three hundred households and 1,400 people, was left with only about three hundred.

As the flickering light before him suddenly jolted him from his memories, Chen Erniu pushed aside his second son, Chen Qiushui, who had come to greet him. He raised his torch, looking at the bloody corpse lying on the ground with an empty skull. Tears streamed down his face as he spoke through gritted teeth

"Who is this?"

"Old Ye from the edge of the village," Chen Qiushui replied in a low voice, feeling uneasy as he watched the tears on his father's face.

"Go wake up the whole village. Light the bonfires. Get the sabers and clubs."

As Chen Erniu gave his low command, a village watchman rushed toward them from the village gate. Seeing him, the man spoke

"Manager Chen, Manager Chen! The Master's house is asking: is there anything unusual in Lichuankou?"

Chen Erniu froze, struck by sudden terror and suspicion. He thought to himself

"It's impossible to get from Lichuan to Lijing so fast! Even if a village informant had reported it, the round trip shouldn't be this quick. It's as if the Master's house knew the moment the villager died. They must have some means to deal with that demon."

His furrowed brows relaxed, and Chen Erniu felt a sense of relief. He answered loudly

"There may be a demon at work in the village. We have already sent someone to inform the Master's house!"

————

Li Xiangping gazed silently at the grayish-blue mirror on the platform. The fragmented surface seemed slightly more intact than when he had found it as a child, yet it still looked as though it might shatter at any moment. A faint silvery-white light emanated from the mirror, looking quite dreamlike.

"How long has he been gone?"

"It has been fifteen minutes."

Li Tongya looked out the window anxiously. Setting down the wooden slip in his hand, he added

"We should head out. I fear if those people don't see us, they might break the rules and come into the backyard."

"Let's go!"

Li Xiangping looked at Li Xuanxuan, who was sitting cross-legged, and said deeply.

As soon as they left the backyard, they saw Li Yesheng pacing the main courtyard like an ant on a hot pan. His eyes lit up upon seeing Li Tongya and the other, and he hurriedly said

"Someone from Lichuankou has arrived! They say someone had their brain scooped out!"

"Scooped out?"

Li Xiangping paused, then looked at Li Tongya and said

"It is likely a demon."

"Indeed."

Li Tongya nodded solemnly. After a few moments of thought, he said in a heavy voice

"If the demon retreats after scooping out a brain, it must still fear humans. Its cultivation shouldn't be too high—likely still in the Fetal Breathing Realm. If it were in the Qi Refining stage, it could easily slaughter the entire village and fly away through the mist."

"I will go check!"

After a moment of contemplation, Li Xiangping frowned slightly and spoke to Li Yesheng

"Gather the able-bodied men from the village. Bring weapons."

"Yes!"

Li Yesheng responded several times and hurried off. Once he was out of sight, Li Tongya spoke with a frown

"We do not know the demon's strength. You and I should not go."

"If we don't go today, the prestige our Li family has worked so hard to build among these villages will be completely lost. I must go!"

"Second Brother, you stay on the mountain to guard. I will go scout. You know my temperament; I won't take unnecessary risks."

"Even if something happens, our Li family still has you. At worst, we will abandon Lichuankou and seek aid from the clan."

With that, Li Xiangping nodded to Li Tongya, took his bow and arrows, donned his brownish-yellow vine cloak, and hurried down the mountain.

(End of Chapter)