Chen Erniu leaped from his bed in alarm as he grabbed clothes from beside it and hastily dressed himself.
Pulling his son along, he rushed toward the door, asking in a frantic tone, “What the hell happened?”
His eldest son, Chen Sanshui, anxiously reached for the saber on the wall while urging, “Father, take your saber along. We’ll talk on our way there!”
Taking the saber and securing it around his waist, Chen Erniu hurried toward the village entrance with rapid strides.
“A villager on night patrol thought there was someone in the fields. Thinking it was a trespasser, he crouched down to sneak a peek, only to witness a gruesome sight—a bloody corpse missing the back of its head. He was absolutely terrified,” Chen Sanshui explained as he hastened alongside his father.
“What was the cause of death?”
“The corpse was smashed on the back of the head and then had its brain ripped out. It was a gruesome death.”
Upon hearing that, Chen Erniu stopped in his tracks and asked, “Has the main family been informed?”
“Not yet...” Chen Sanshui stammered in response.
“Fool! Did you think we could keep this a secret?!” Chen Erniu exploded, his voice laced with anger.
Seeing his angry father, Chen Sanshui quickly elaborated, “I’ve already spoken with the folks working in the fields... We’ll keep this quiet for now. This is the first murder in years at Lichuankou Village. I'm concerned that Xu Wenshan might use this against you!”
“You fool! This is a brutal murder, the brain was ripped out!”
Seeing the anger on his father’s face, Chen Sanshui digested his words and finally realized something was amiss.
“Who would commit such a bizarre murder, going as far as to rip out the brain of the corpse?! Moreover, my rivalry with Xu Wenshan is well-known, but would he really stoop so low as to use this against me? Would he risk offending over a hundred households in Lichuankou Village just to get at me?”
“You brothers are as clueless as pigs. Xu Wenshan is younger than I am. What will you do when I’m dead? How will you stand your ground?!”
“Father...” Chen Sanshui, chastened by this barrage of questions, hung his head in shame and fell silent.
Chen Erniu’s expression darkened as annoyance churned his heart, said coldly, “I fear we might be dealing with a demon. Go inform the main family yourself.”
Chen Sanshui nodded vigorously and hurried toward Lijing Village.
Watching his eldest son disappear into the distance, Chen Erniu’s expression briefly flickered with panic and sorrow. “This demon’s strength is unknown. Be vigilant, Sanshui. You may be the last hope for the Chen Family’s lineage.”
Chen Erniu remembered the terrible drought that struck Lichuankou Village. As a young boy, he had witnessed a huge sparrow cloaked in crimson flames descend upon their village.
It swallowed several villagers like they were worms on the ground before soaring away, leaving behind a scorching heat that lasted three months.
The surviving villagers did everything they could to survive, scooping water from the Meiche River to irrigate their parched fields, but to no avail. After nine days of futile efforts, Chen Erniu’s father took his own life in despair, cradling his wife who had died of starvation.
With tears in his eyes, Chen Erniu left his parents’ bodies behind and fled to Lijing Village. He was accepted into the Li Family only after kneeling and knocking his forehead on the floor until it bled.
During this period, the Lijing Village swelled with refugees. Some attempted to raid the prominent families, only to be repelled by their former fellow villagers. Without much of a choice, many could only flee to Mount Dali.
Three months later, when people slowly returned to Lichuankou Village, no one dared speak of that day or how the hundreds of survivors in the village had managed. Everyone merely quietly buried the remaining human bones that had been licked clean.
What once was a community of nearly a thousand and four hundred people across three hundred households in Lichuankou Village was now reduced to a mere three hundred.
As the flickering firelight pierced the darkness, Chen Erniu was jolted back from his haunting memories. He brushed past his second son, Chen Qushui, who had come to greet him.
Clutching a torch, Chen Erniu gazed at the bloody, lifeless body on the ground with its head laid bare. Overwhelmed with grief and tears streaming down his face, he clenched his teeth and asked, “Who is this?”
“Old Ye, the village chief,” Chen Qiushui responded, his voice low and uneasy as he noticed the tears on his father’s face.
“Gather everyone in the village. Light the torches, arm yourselves with weapons,” Chen Erniu’s command was firm, but his thoughts were interrupted by a villager rushing in from the entrance.
“Manager Chen! The main family has sent word asking if anything unusual has occurred at Lichuankou Village?” the villager blurted out upon seeing him.
This question left Chen Erniu momentarily stunned, his heart racing with both horror and suspicion.
The news couldn’t have traveled from Lichuankou Village to Lijing Village that quickly! Even if there are informants in this village, they shouldn’t be able to travel there so swiftly. It seems like the main family knew as soon as someone in this village died. Hopefully, they have some ways to deal with that demon, he thought.
The furrow of his brow eased as he felt a wave of relief and replied loudly, “I suspect this village is under attack by a demon. Someone is already on his way there to alert the main family!”
————
Li Xiangping gazed silently at the bluish-gray mirror on the platform. The once-broken mirror appeared slightly mended compared to when he had found it. Yet it still seemed fragile, as if it could shatter at any moment. The faint silvery white light radiating from the mirror looked rather ethereal.
“How long since that man left?” he asked.
“A quarter of an hour,” Li Tongya replied, looking out the window with a hint of anxiety.
He set down the wooden slip he had been holding and suggested, “We should head outside. I’m concerned those people might come to the backyard since they don’t see us around.”
Li Xiangping cast a glance at Li Xuanxuan, who was sitting in meditation, then decisively said, “Let’s go.”
As soon as they stepped out of the backyard, they saw Li Yesheng in the main courtyard, pacing around anxiously.
His face lit up upon seeing Li Tongya and Li Xiangping, then quickly exclaimed, “Someone from Lichuankou Village has sent word—a corpse had been found with its brain ripped out!”
“Brain ripped out?” Li Xiangping was taken aback by the news. He looked at Li Tongya and said, “This must be the work of a demon.”
“Indeed.” Li Tongya nodded solemnly.
He thought for a moment then said, “The demon took the brain and then fled. It seems to fear human presence, which suggests its low cultivation realm. I’m guessing it’s probably still in the Embryonic Breathing Realm. If it were in the Qi Cultivation Realm, it could have slain everyone in the village and escaped under a cover of fog.”
“I’ll go investigate!” Li Xiangping decided after a moment.
Frowning slightly, he instructed Li Yesheng, “Gather all the able-bodied men in the village and arm them.”
“Understood!” Li Yesheng responded promptly before rushing off to carry out the instructions.
Watching Li Yesheng’s retreating figure, Li Tongya’s frown deepened as he voiced his concern, “We don’t know for sure yet how strong the demon is. It might be unwise for us to confront it.”
“If I don’t act today, the hard-earned respect our Li Family has established in these villages will vanish. I must go!”
“Second Brother, stay and protect the mountain. I’ll handle the investigation. You know I’m not one to take unnecessary risks. And if by chance, things go awry, the Li Family will still have you. At worst, we abandon Lichuankou Village and seek assistance from the sect.”
With that, Li Xiangping gave Li Tongya a nod of determination. He then grabbed his bow and arrows, donned his yellowish-brown rattan armor, and swiftly descended the mountain.