Chapter 40: Monsters

Chen Erniu leaped from the bed, grabbed the clothes by his bedside, threw them on haphazardly, and pulling his son, rushed out the door. He urgently asked, "What the hell is going on?!"

Chen SanShui, the eldest son of the Chen family, was anxiously reaching for the long saber on the wall. He called out, "Father, take the saber, take the saber! I'll explain on the way!"

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

"A village guard was on his night patrol of the fields. He heard rustling in the fields, as if someone was there. The guard thought it was a couple engaging in private acts, so he quickly hid to peek. But instead, he saw a bloody corpse, missing the back of its head. He was scared witless on the spot." Chen SanShui spoke as he hastily followed Chen Erniu.

"How did he die?"

"His skull was smashed at the back, and his brain was scooped out. It was a gruesome death."

Hearing this, Chen Erniu immediately stopped, exclaiming in surprise, "Did you send someone to inform the master?"

"Not yet..." Chen SanShui stammered in response.

"Fool! Do you think this can be kept quiet?!" Chen Erniu exploded in a fit of rage, lamenting his son's incompetence.

"I've already discussed it with that person and a few households by the fields... I told them not to spread the word yet. This is the first murder in Lichuan Pass in years. I'm afraid Xu Wenshan might use this against you, Father!" Seeing his father's agitation, Chen SanShui hastily explained.

"Fool! This person had his brain scooped out!"

"This..." Seeing his father's look of shock and anger, Chen SanShui paused, seemingly realizing the implication.

"Can an ordinary murder involve scooping out a brain?! What's more, Xu Wenshan and I were merely putting on a show for others. We were both quite satisfied with the arrangement. Would Xu Wenshan really kick me while I'm down? And make me needlessly offend over a hundred households in Lichuan Pass?"

"You brothers are all as stupid as pigs. Xu Wenshan is still younger than I am. If I'm no longer around, how will you fight against him?!"

"Father..." This barrage of questions left Chen SanShui deeply ashamed. He lowered his head, unable to speak.

Chen Erniu's face was grim, his heart filled with vexation. He spoke coldly, "I fear a demon is at work. Go inform the master yourself."

Chen SanShui nodded vigorously and hurried towards Lijing Village. As Chen Erniu watched his eldest son depart, a look of dread and sorrow finally crept onto his face. He murmured, "I don't know the true strength of this demon. If SanShui keeps his wits about him, perhaps he can still preserve a lineage for my Chen family."

Chen Erniu had personally experienced the terrifying great drought in Lichuan Pass. As a young boy, he had been playing in front of his house and watched a giant bird, wreathed in crimson flames, descend upon Lichuan Pass. It had swallowed several village guards like pecking at insects, then flapped its wings and flew away, leaving behind fields that steamed with heat for three months in Lichuan Pass.

The surviving village guards ate everything edible near Lichuan Pass. They scooped water from the Meichi River and poured it into the fields, but it all vanished without a trace. Chen Erniu's father carried load after load of water, irrigating the fields for nine full days, before committing suicide while embracing his wife, who had starved to death.

Chen Erniu left his parents' bodies behind. Gritting his teeth and shedding tears, he fled to Lijing Village. He kowtowed until his forehead bled onto the ground, and was finally taken in by the Li family.

At that time, every household in Lijing Village was already full of fellow villagers who had fled there in the preceding days. Some tried to assault the wealthy households, but were beaten to death by tenants who had been their compatriots just days before. Many more simply plunged into the depths of Mount Dali.

Three months later, people slowly returned. No one dared to mention that day, and no one dared to ask how the more than one hundred people who remained in the village had survived. People silently buried the human bones that had been licked clean. Lichuan Pass, originally home to nearly three hundred households and fourteen hundred people, was left with only over three hundred survivors.

As he saw the flickering torchlight before him, Chen Erniu was jolted awake from his memories. He pushed aside his second son, Chen QiuShui, who had come to greet him. He raised his torch, gazing at the bloody corpse on the ground, its skull empty. Tears streamed down his face. He gnashed his teeth and asked, "Who is this?"

"Old Ye from the village entrance." Seeing the tears on his father's face, Chen QiuShui felt uneasy and replied in a low voice.

"Go wake up everyone in the village. Light bonfires and bring out knives and clubs." Chen Erniu gave the low command. Just then, a village guard rushed over from the village gate and spoke to him.

"Manager Chen, Manager Chen! The master sent word to ask: Is there anything unusual in Lichuan Pass?"

Chen Erniu was stunned, a great dread filling his heart, as doubts arose. He pondered, "How could news travel from Lichuan to Lijing so quickly! Even if there's an informant in the village, a round trip couldn't be this fast. It seems the master knew the moment this person died in the village. They must have some means to deal with this demon."

His furrowed brow instantly relaxed. Chen Erniu felt a great weight lifted from his mind. He replied loudly, "I fear a demon is at work in the village, and I've already sent someone to inform the master!"

***

Li Xiangping silently gazed at the greenish-gray mirror on the stand. Its fragmented surface seemed to have recovered slightly compared to when he found it as a child, but it still looked as if it could shatter at any moment. A faint, silvery-white light emanated from the mirror, giving it a rather ethereal appearance.

"How long has that person been gone?"

"It's been a quarter of an hour." Li Tongya looked out the window, a hint of anxiety in his gaze. He put down the wooden slip in his hand and spoke again, "We should go out now. I'm afraid those people, not seeing us, might break the rules and come to this back courtyard."

"Let's go!" Li Xiangping glanced at Li Xuanxuan, who was sitting cross-legged, and said gravely.

As they stepped out of the back courtyard, they saw Li Yesheng pacing frantically in the main courtyard, like an ant on a hot griddle. His eyes lit up when he saw Li Tongya and the other man. He quickly said, "Someone from Lichuan Pass has arrived! They say a person's brain was scooped out!"

"Scooped out the brain?" Li Xiangping was startled, and looking at Li Tongya, he said, "I fear it's a demon."

"Indeed." Li Tongya nodded gravely, pondered for a few breaths, and then said solemnly, "The demon scooped out the brain and then retreated, which means it still fears humans. Its cultivation level can't be too high; it must still be in the Fetal Breath stage. If it were at the Qi Condensation stage, it could easily kill everyone in the village and fly away on mist."

"I'll go check it out!" Li Xiangping pondered for a few breaths, then slightly furrowed his brow. He then spoke to Li Yesheng, "Gather the strong men of the village and bring weapons."

"Yes, sir!" Li Yesheng responded several times and quickly departed. Once Li Yesheng was out of earshot, Li Tongya frowned and said, "We don't know the demon's true power; we shouldn't go."

"If we don't go today, the prestige the Li family has painstakingly built among these villages will be completely lost. I must go! Second Brother, you stay here on the mountain and guard. I'll go investigate. You know my nature; I won't take unnecessary risks. Even if something goes wrong, at least the Li family will still have you. At worst, we'll abandon Lichuan Pass and seek aid from the clan." With that, Li Xiangping nodded to Li Tongya, picked up his bow and arrows, donned his tawny rattan armor, and hurried down the mountain.