Chapter 212

Wei Huchen went into the village and selected eight strong, healthy villagers, pointing with his hand: "Drag them out."

His subordinates, Captains, surged in like wolves and tigers, yanking the villagers out by force.

The villagers wailed and cried, clutching their loved ones, unwilling to let them be dragged away—surely it boded no good.

But how could they stop them?

Wei Huchen led them out to the village entrance and forcibly fed them the pills.

The pills entered their bellies; the eight villagers twisted in agony, their bones warping, their bodies sprouting thick black fur, sharp claws, canine jaws, and fangs.

Dog Xian!

Under Wei Huchen's command, the eight Dog Xian sniffed wildly in all directions.

But their animal instincts kept them from chasing the dragon-serpent.

So they wandered aimlessly through the village.

Wei Huchen cursed repeatedly, whipping them several times; the Dog Xian whimpered mournfully, finally charging toward the distant Xiao Yu Shan.

Wei Huchen immediately led his men after them.

Fu Shuanghui lagged slightly behind and ordered Liang Yan: "Take all the villagers with you."

Without finding the sword case, it's not perfect.

But as long as I hold the Dragon-Slaying Sword, it's enough to deal with that dragon-serpent.

And you took that sword blow back then to save others.

Now their descendants are in my hands—will you still take another sword blow for them?

Hmph!

The two groups advanced, half a li apart; half an hour later, they entered Xiao Yu Shan.

Xiao Yu Shan also harbored many malevolent spirits.

But these outer-layer spirits were all of low caliber.

When Wei Huchen and his men encountered resistance, they easily dispatched them.

The group's pace did not slow much after entering the mountain.

Fu Shuanghui suddenly turned back, looking at the villagers being driven by her subordinate Captains.

The villagers' eyes blazed with hatred, yet over a hundred of them made no outcry—instead, they walked obediently.

Fu Shuanghui found this strange and called out: "Liang Yan, how did the brothers sent last time die?"

Liang Yan stepped forward: "Last time, nine brothers were sent out; only one returned."

The eight who died vanished one after another after entering the village; the sole survivor never saw how they died."

Fu Shuanghui frowned, muttering: "Swallowed by the dragon-serpent? Then why did one escape?"

Liang Yan said: "That brother was a Cultivator of the Literary Path, skilled in painting—he wore a painted scroll that disguised him as a villager."

Fu Shuanghui nodded.

She dispelled her doubts.

…

Inside Xiao Yu Shan, in a vast, damp, cold cave, lay a stone bed carved from massive rocks.

A giant serpent coiled upon it.

On its head grew a short, dark-red horn.

Its body bore four limbs with claws.

It lay there, its upper body raised, eyes tightly shut.

It looked as if… a person were meditating.

Suddenly, a cold wind stirred at the cave entrance; a figure stepped inside.

Its movements were stiff.

The serpent opened its eyes.

Its body trembled and blurred; the soul's eyes and the flesh's eyes remained unsynchronized.

The soul opened its eyes first; the body's eyes opened a moment later.

Then the soul and body slowly merged together.

"You're back," the serpent spoke in human voice.

The man appeared to be in his forties, with an utterly ordinary face.

Only his complexion was pale, devoid of any blood.

His eye sockets were dark blue-black.

After entering, his black hair writhed like a mass of worms.

He drew several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his hair.

"The Shanhe Bureau refuses to relent—they've taken every villager and are coming here."

The serpent sighed: "I've ultimately dragged you all into this."

The man shook his head: "Without you, they would never have existed—our ancestors would have perished long ago."

He did not mention the Dog Xian, to spare the serpent sorrow.

"I must save them," the serpent said earnestly. "This time, don't stop me—I must act."

The man said: "You may act, but don't kill—otherwise, in your current state, you'll instantly fall completely into malevolence!"

"The killing—I'll do it. Just like before."

The people from the Shanhe Bureau last time died by his hand.

But he never expected one of them disguised himself as a villager and escaped back.

The snake sighed again: "You let me go back then—why must you have suffered so many years?"

The man grinned, and from his mouth spilled many strange fleshy tendrils like octopus tentacles, writhing uncontrollably.

He forced those things back down his throat.

Then he said: "I've cared for my parents until their deaths, watched my children grow into adults, held my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Where is the suffering?"

"As for this form now—what of it? I'm doing exactly what I want to do, brimming with energy, not the least bit tired—on the contrary, I find joy in it."

"Fine," the snake shook its head. "I can't argue with you. Whatever you decide, I'll follow."

"I've already arranged it," the man said. "Over these past few years, to revive you, I intercepted many official boats on the canal—there's still plenty aboard that can be used now."

……

The deeper they went into the mountains, the stronger the malevolent spirits became.

Of the eight dog demons, only three remained.

Wei Huchen had also been wounded; six or seven of his captains had fallen.

He turned back to report to Lady Fu Shuanghui: "My lord, our losses are heavy…"

"Press on!" Lady Fu Shuanghui's voice was cold; in her gray-blue vertical pupils, not a trace of human emotion could be found.

"Your servant... Understood."

The group pressed forward; on the slope beside them, a weasel pushed aside the turf and emerged from its burrow, carefully studying the Shanhe Corps below, then retreated.

It sped through the underground, then burst out again from another valley.

As soon as it emerged, it squealed: "Tian Da Wang, Tian Da Wang—those people are almost at the Living Sacrifice Gully!"

"Good," Tian Da Wang pulled out two taels of silver and gave it to the weasel. "This is your pay."

The weasel happily bit the silver once, leaving several tooth marks, then quickly stuffed it into its yellow fur, as if afraid someone would steal it.

There was no choice—since returning to Huishan, the ways to earn money had dwindled.

Tian Da Wang hiring them to deliver messages was the largest job this family had ever received.

After the weasel left, Tian Da Wang sneered: "You want to use the Quhui Corps to wear us down—we'll use the mountain's malevolent spirits to wear you down!"

He had lived beneath Yu Shan for two hundred years—he had become one of the mountain's malevolent spirits himself.

Even the entire weasel family called him "Tian Da Wang!"

……

Wei Huchen led his men forward several more li, and ahead appeared a long gorge.

One side of the gorge was a gentle slope; the other, a sheer cliff a thousand ren high.

A small river flowed merrily out from the gorge's mouth.

Ancient rock carvings marked the cliff face.

After countless years, the outer rock layers had peeled away, and the colors had long faded into blur.

It was impossible to tell what the paintings depicted.

Yet each rock carving stood a hundred zhang tall—no one knew how they had been painted in ages past.

The three remaining dog demons, sensing some scent, grew restless with excitement and dashed swiftly into the gorge.

"Found it?"

Wei Huchen immediately led his men after them.

Lady Fu Shuanghui still kept half a li behind him.

(End of Chapter)