Chapter 11: Confronting Terror

Lu Yan was not optimistic about the situation.

If the murderer of Zhao Zhuang and his wife was truly the monster from two years ago, then Liu’s clan, who had failed to eradicate it back then, would not find it any easier now.

This time, the Crimson Guards arrived swiftly and in force—a full squad of ten men.

Yet, Zhang Jun and Chen Ji were not among them.

The Crimson Guards carefully examined the bodies of Zhao Zhuang and his wife. Two of them wrapped the corpses in mats and carried them away.

“Villagers, do not panic. It is merely the work of a notorious thief. Liu’s clan has already dispatched their martial forces and will soon apprehend the culprit,” one of the Crimson Guards declared loudly, soothing the crowd.

Indeed, hearing this brought some comfort to the villagers.

Only the original inhabitants of the village could not conceal their fear.

“Moreover, anyone who dares spread rumors will be punished without mercy,” the Crimson Guard added coldly, his gaze as sharp as a blade sweeping over the crowd, before striding away.

“Outside the city, it’s becoming more and more dangerous. I must save up quickly to buy a house inside the city,” Lu Yan murmured.

On their way home, the family of three was filled with anxiety.

“Father, Mother, during these days, you mustn’t go out to work. Stay at home, and if anything seems amiss, hide in the cellar,” Lu Yan instructed.

“Yan’er, will you still go out hunting?” Wang Cui asked worriedly.

“Mother, don’t worry. Even if there is a monster, it seems to only appear at night and stays hidden during the day. I’ll return by dusk,” Lu Yan replied.

He went home, took his hunting bow, and set off into the mountains.

By dusk, Lu Yan returned carrying two mountain deer.

That night passed uneventfully. The next day, Lu Yan went hunting again, returning in the afternoon to sell his game in the city.

Thus, seven days went by without incident, and the villagers gradually relaxed.

Late at night, a crescent moon hung in the sky, its dim light scattered across the land.

Lu Yan suddenly became alert.

He had been sleeping with heightened vigilance lately, and just now he heard a strange sound.

It was an eerie, complex sound—half whisper, half low growl—laced with pain and reluctance, yet tinged with excitement.

It was very close to Lu Yan’s house, seemingly coming from their neighbor, Zhang Da Fu’s home.

Lu Yan’s house sat at the edge of Kao Shan Village, near the wooden fence; on the outskirts, there were a few neighbors—the Hai family and Zhang Da Fu’s family.

“Could it be the monster?” Lu Yan’s heart tightened.

He got up, took his hunting bow, nocked an arrow, ready for battle at any moment.

Zhang Da Fu’s house was close; if it was truly the monster, it could come to their house at any time.

If anything seemed wrong, he would immediately wake his parents and hide in the cellar.

Though the cellar might not guarantee safety, it at least offered some protection.

After a while, the sound did not approach, remaining at Zhang Da Fu’s house.

Driven by curiosity, Lu Yan gathered his courage, gently opened the door, and stepped outside.

The sound was faint, audible only in the silence of the night. Lu Yan’s hearing, far keener than most, was the only reason he noticed it.

He climbed a large locust tree beside his home, hiding among its dense leaves, and looked down toward Zhang Da Fu’s house.

What he saw made his skin crawl, his hair stand on end.

The Zhang family was engaged in something extremely bizarre.

All four stood side by side in the courtyard, eyes wide open, vacant and lifeless, muttering to themselves as if sleepwalking.

Suddenly, Zhang Da Fu extended a finger and began gouging out his own eyeball. His strength was unnaturally great, pulling it out by force.

Strangely, Zhang Da Fu did not utter a sound, nor did he show any sign of pain, as if the eye he gouged out was not his own.

His wife and children stood woodenly by his side, expressionless.

After removing his eyeball, Zhang Da Fu held it in his palms, as if offering it to someone.

Suddenly, a long-necked head emerged from the shadows in the courtyard.

It was unmistakably a human neck, yet it stretched two meters long. Atop it was an ugly face, excited yet tinged with pain. It opened its mouth and inhaled, sucking both of Zhang Da Fu’s eyeballs into its maw, chewing them with evident enjoyment.

Once finished, the neck retracted, disappearing into the shadows.

Next, Zhang Da Fu’s wife began gouging out her own eyeballs...

“Vengeful spirit... monster...” Lu Yan’s heart raced, chills running through him.

He was certain—the monster that killed Zhao Zhuang and his wife had returned.

His left hand gripped the hunting bow tightly, veins bulging.

He forced himself to resist the urge to intervene.

The Liu clan had failed to destroy this creature after many attempts; it far surpassed him in strength. If he acted, he would surely die.

And not only he, but Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui would likely perish as well.

He had to endure.

The Zhang family, one by one, gouged out their eyes, offering them to the monster, then numbly walked into the living room, tied ropes to the beams, and hanged themselves. Soon, they were lifeless.

At that moment, a figure stepped out of the shadows.

It was a middle-aged man, tall and burly, his expression bizarre—pain, excitement, struggle all intertwined.

But the true horror was his chest.

From his chest protruded another head, with a long, flexible neck like a snake, swaying back and forth.

His hands were not human, shriveled like a corpse, with long, razor-sharp nails that sliced through flesh effortlessly. With a casual motion, he dug out Zhang Da Fu’s heart, handing it to the head on his chest, which bit off half with excitement.

He then offered the remaining heart to the other head, but this one growled, its face contorted in agony, shaking its head in resistance.

The chest head sneered, swallowing the rest of the heart.

Then he turned to extract the second victim’s heart.

Lu Yan’s muscles were taut, sweat soaking his body, his breathing heavy.

Suddenly, the monster spun around, the head on its chest staring directly at Lu Yan’s hiding place.

“Not good, I’ve been found,” Lu Yan thought, bracing himself, ready to strike first.

But the monster opened its mouth, filled with fangs, and unleashed a silent wave. It swept toward Lu Yan with incredible speed.

Lu Yan felt his head grow heavy, drowsiness overtaking him.

“No, I must not sleep,” Lu Yan bit his tongue, the pain jolting him awake. He summoned his inner energy, fully regaining consciousness.

He drew his bow, ready to shoot.

But the monster was suddenly enveloped in black mist, and with a palm strike, an icy, sinister force crossed dozens of meters in an instant, crashing toward Lu Yan.

Even before it struck, Lu Yan felt his skin sting, as if blades pressed against him.

It was fast—so fast that Lu Yan scarcely had time to dodge.

At the critical moment, he instinctively raised his iron bow to block.

Clang!

The iron bow warped, and Lu Yan felt as if hit by a speeding truck, his body thrown backward, crashing heavily to the ground, blood spraying from his mouth.

Worse still, a cold, eerie force invaded his body, roaming within him.

“What was that sound?”

“Yan’er, was that you?”

The commotion had awakened Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui.

The monster was surprised that Lu Yan survived, its murderous intent intensifying as it leaped toward him.

“This is it... will I die at the hands of this monster today?” Lu Yan thought, recalling the gruesome fate of Zhao Zhuang and the Zhang family, unwilling to resign himself.

But the gap between his strength and the monster’s was too vast—there was no hope.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just then, several arrows shot through the night like meteors, aiming for the monster.

Startled, the monster dodged two arrows, but the third pierced its body.

Immediately, figures leapt over the village fence—tall, burly men bearing war bows, each over six feet tall—the martial forces of the Liu clan.

Among them were several figures clad in crimson, elite Crimson Guards.

The monster turned to flee, its legs like springs, covering over ten meters in a single bound. With a crash, the wooden fence broke as if made of paper, leaving a gaping hole.

The monster escaped, racing toward the deep mountains.

“After him!”

“Don’t let him get away.”

“This time, we must capture it.”

The martial forces and Crimson Guard elites pursued with equal speed, and soon the village was quiet again.

“Yan’er, are you all right?” Wang Cui and Lu Qingshan called from inside, their voices full of concern.

Lu Yan wiped the blood from his mouth and entered the house, saying, “Father, Mother, I’m fine.”

Seeing him unharmed, his parents relaxed and asked what had happened.

“It seemed like a monster, but Liu’s martial experts pursued it,” Lu Yan replied.

“The monster came again?” Wang Cui’s face turned pale, her voice trembling.

“Liu’s clan sent many experts; they should be able to kill the monster. Don’t worry, Mother,” Lu Yan comforted her.

The commotion had awakened the entire village, but no one dared venture outside, hiding in their homes in fear.

“The cold, sinister force is gone,” Lu Yan checked himself, finding the invading power had vanished, his energy unobstructed.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, Lu Yan heard footsteps outside—more than ten people.

He stepped out to find a squad of Crimson Guards.

This time, Zhang Jun and Chen Ji were among them.

The Crimson Guards, torches in hand, searched Zhang Da Fu’s house, after which Zhang Jun and Chen Ji approached Lu Yan, clearly having seen him.

“Little brother Lu Yan, did you see anything?” Zhang Jun asked.

“I only glimpsed a shadow, which was chased by the martial forces into the mountains,” Lu Yan replied.

“Luckily you didn’t encounter it directly—it would have been dangerous,” Zhang Jun said, his expression grave.

“Brother Jun, what was it?” Lu Yan asked.

“The elders of Liu’s clan have forbidden us from discussing it. You’d best not ask further,” Zhang Jun waved his hand, hesitated, then whispered two words: “Martial Spirit.”

With that, he quickly departed.