The convoy pressed forward beneath the blazing sun. Every face was solemn, every body taut, an atmosphere of tension and unease spreading through the silence.
The column rode a uniform string of black horses. Beasts carrying demonic bloodlines, they stood nearly as tall as a man, their coats a glossy black, their eyes blood-red.
The heat and the wilderness seemed to stir the demonic nature buried deep in their bones. The black horses, thoroughly tamed back in the city, now snorted ceaselessly, their bell-like crimson eyes all but dripping blood, restless and agitated.
Squire Wang, who hadn't ridden a horse in over thirty years, struggled to control his increasingly frantic mount, drenched in sweat.
The convoy numbered more than forty people and six wagons of goods, but only three carriages.
One carriage was crammed with Squire Wang's aged mother and his wives and concubines; the other two held the guards' relatives—the guards had all been handpicked, men who had proven loyal and reliable in ordinary times, and a small number had family with them.
Only by bringing the guards' loved ones along could he bind them fast to this great ship of flight.
Beyond that, three death-sworn warriors clustered at Squire Wang's side—orphans taken in by the Wang household from childhood and indoctrinated with loyalty, far more reliable than ordinary guards.
However, those with the requisite bone-root—able to cultivate True Qi—were one in a hundred. The Wang family was no more than a local tyrant of Luyuan County, without the means to raise guards who were both utterly devoted and deeply advanced in cultivation base. Their usual method for training death-sworn warriors was simply to take in orphans and brainwash them—but such a practice destroyed a child's spirit and creativity. A successfully brainwashed child could never achieve much on the path of cultivation, while those who weren't brainwashed lacked sufficient loyalty.
As a result, when it truly mattered, the death-sworn warriors Squire Wang could really rely on numbered only three—two at the Human Realm, one at the Earth Realm—and even they might not be a hundred percent reliable.
"My lord, we've scouted ahead. There are no demons in that stretch of woods."
Accompanied by hoofbeats growing from distant to near, two sweat-soaked guards rode up from ahead to report to Squire Wang.
"Neiiigh—"
One of the black horses suddenly reared up on its forelegs, nearly throwing the guard on its back to the ground. Startled and angry, he barked a few sharp rebukes before he barely managed to calm it down.
"The day's too hot—even the horses can't take it. Let's rest in those woods for an hour... a half hour, then."
Squire Wang's decision let those around him breathe a little easier.
After a whole morning of travel beneath the scorching sun, guarding against demons while fretting over the court's pursuers, worn down in both body and spirit—even the guards with their True Qi cultivation couldn't help but show their fatigue.
Once in the woods, Squire Wang dismounted with effort, the burning pain in his legs setting him grimacing and baring his teeth for a good while. Supported by a death-sworn warrior, he walked a few slow circles before hurriedly taking a waterskin and tipping it back into his mouth.
"Snort! Snort!"
The cool shade of the woods did nothing to settle the demon horses. They shoved this way and that, snorting one after another without pause.
"Beasts! Behave, or I'll slaughter you for meat!"
Drenched in sweat, the guard finally managed to tether them to the trees, then said to Squire Wang: "They're probably coming into their foaling season... We'll feed them some medicine in a bit and they'll be fine."
"Mm."
Squire Wang patted his shoulder and offered a few gentle words of encouragement.
Before long, seeing his household members climbing out of the carriages to sit and cool off in the shade, and the guards taking out dry rations and water to share, Squire Wang cupped his hands and said:
"You've all worked so hard... As the head of this family, I've dragged you all into leaving your homes behind. I'm ashamed, truly ashamed..."
"How could this be your fault, my lord? If anyone's to blame, it's just our own bad luck—disaster falling from the sky, drawing the Demon Suppression Bureau and that demon woman down on us... For you to lead us toward a way to live is already a mountain of kindness."
The moment Squire Wang finished speaking, a confidant leapt out to play his part in the little show, drawing sidelong glances from the crowd.
Squire Wang made a few more insincere self-reproaches, then changed his tune and solemnly promised:
"The road to Linchuan County is long, over high mountains and distant waters, and beset with hardship. We must pull together in the same boat if we're to turn danger into safety."
"And of course, you have all shared these troubles with me, and I, Wang, am no ingrate."
He pointed at the six wagons of goods and declared with iron resolve:
"Three of these wagons hold grain and clothing, and three hold treasure—the entire savings of the Wang family, accumulated over all these years."
"I, Wang, swear this: once we reach Linchuan County, of those three wagons of treasure I will take only half a wagon. The rest is yours to divide among yourselves. And should any brother meet an unfortunate end, his family will still receive a share—surely enough to live free of want for the rest of their days."
"Should I break this oath, may I, Wang, be struck by heaven's lightning and devoured by a horde of demons."
Squire Wang's speech left the crowd exchanging glances—but then their eyes lit up, and cheers and applause rang out loud enough to shake the leaves:
"The lord is generous!"
"We'll gladly die for you, my lord!"
Under the promise of such rich rewards, the heavy, anxious mood in the ranks was swept clean away, and the guards' fighting spirit soared to unprecedented heights.
Squire Wang offered a few more soothing words before picking up some jerky, a large flatbread, and a flask of water, and walking over to his wives and concubines.
"Old Wang, have you lost your mind?!"
The second wife, cradling the young master in his swaddling clothes, said impatiently: "We already couldn't take all those shops and lands with us, and now you're giving all our money to the servants? How are we supposed to live after this?"
Squire Wang paid her no mind and lowered his head to eat and drink.
In times like these, death-sworn warriors turning on their masters was hardly rare. Now, with a whole family of old and young, women and children out in this desolate wilderness, and beautiful wives lovely as flowers besides—if he didn't spread his wealth to ward off disaster, how would that differ from a small child carrying a fortune through a bustling market?
Did she really think that pack of guards were all vegetarian saints?!
But the second wife would not let it go, and even began wiping away tears as she held the young master:
"Oh my poor, ill-fated child, how are the two of us to live from now on..."
"No matter how much money there is, you need to be alive to spend it! That box of jewelry alone that you've hidden under the carriage—pawn it and it'd be enough for you two to live a lifetime. Did you really think I don't know?"
Squire Wang growled in a lowered voice, his face turning suddenly ferocious, and the second wife paled in fright.
Seeing her fall silent, Squire Wang closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. Once he'd forced his emotions under control, he softened his tone and patiently explained:
"No matter how much money that pack of guards divides up, once they've squandered it all, they'll go right back to being obedient servants."
"But we're different. I know how to curry favor with the officials, and I know exactly whose boots are worth licking... Once we reach Linchuan County, with capital in hand, in a few short years we'll have the business built back up again."
"And by then, we'll buy an even bigger estate..."
Suddenly, Squire Wang sensed a commotion on the northern edge of the little woods.
"What is it?"
Ignoring his aching body, he forced himself to his feet to ask.
"It's nothing, my lord. Just a few low-grade sprites. I'll go deal with them right now."
The guard's voice carried from a distance, easing Squire Wang's nerves a little.
Although they weren't traveling the official road, thanks to intelligence gathered over the years, Squire Wang knew well enough which dangerous places to avoid between Luyuan County and Linchuan County, and where the demons were most rampant... So long as they followed the planned route, some peril was unavoidable, but the odds of reaching their destination were still quite high.
According to his information, few demons roamed this region—it was a relatively safe zone.
Before long, shrieks and howls—some shrill, some hoarse—echoed through the woods, only to be drowned out by the guards' laughter and banter. Squire Wang's promise had indeed done much to invigorate the whole company's morale.
But no sooner had Squire Wang settled against a tree trunk to snatch a moment's rest than a stir came from the other side of the woods.
"Now what?"
Squire Wang raised his voice and asked with a frown.
"There are rotting corpses and Gravedigger Ghouls headed this way... but not many. We can handle it."
Hearing the guard's reply, Squire Wang said no more and tried to seize the chance to rest, but his brow knit of its own accord.
"It's a Fatso—a Fatso! Quick, shoot it down!"
The guard's slightly urgent shout snapped open Squire Wang's eyelids, barely shut a moment ago. Alarmed and uncertain, he rose to his feet, paced two tight circles, and then said in a low, heavy voice:
"Pack up, quickly! We move on!"
To meet danger once or twice in a place so sparse with demons might be coincidence, but three times was proof enough that something was wrong. Such an ominous sign set alarm bells clanging in Squire Wang's heart.
Though he didn't know exactly what was happening, right now flight was the best option.
"Loose! Loose your arrows!"
Amid the alarmed, furious shouts, several arrows split the air, streaking toward the "Fatso."
It was a headless rotting corpse, seven feet tall just to the stump of its neck, its dull-yellow skin pitted and cratered, maggots squirming within.
Its limbs were withered and gaunt, yet it bore a bulging, swollen belly, more distended than a pregnant woman about to give birth.
One arrow after another pierced through the corpse-oil-oozing flesh, but the "Fatso" merely swayed and kept pressing toward the woods.
The guards nocked and loosed without pause, and amid the ceaseless twang of bowstrings, the "Fatso" was soon stuck full of arrows like a hedgehog.
Not until an arrow infused with Earth Realm True Qi pierced its heart did this dead thing—incapable of feeling pain—finally change.
It began to run, its posture comical and grotesque, yet its speed suddenly multiplied several times over. A hazy yellow glow surfaced across its body, brightest and ever more blazing over its round, swollen belly.
"Get down!"
The guards flung themselves without hesitation behind tree trunks and into mud pits, and then a thunderous roar erupted, stabbing pain into everyone's eardrums.
The "Fatso" exploded. Centered on its abdomen, it left a scorched crater several yards across, while the highly toxic, corrosive corpse oil and shredded flesh from its belly splattered onto tree trunks a hundred meters away. The bark soon gave off a hissing sizzle, quickly forming sticky, pitch-black pits.
"Good thing there was only one..."
A crew-cut guard climbed out of a mud pit, brushed the dust off himself, and said with lingering fear: "This place is a bit cursed. Let's hurry and go—if a few more of those show up, we won't be able to take it."
"Hey, don't just stand there. Scared stiff? Come on, it's not that bad—you didn't even scrape your skin."
He clapped his dumbstruck companion on the shoulder, teasing him.
But his companion ignored him, staring fixedly out beyond the woods, sweat pouring down like rain.
The guard saw despair in his companion's eyes. His heart lurched, and he slowly turned his head.
Rotting corpses in droves were staggering toward the woods, and among them hunched, stooping Gravedigger Ghouls, and Toad Demons with great dust-caked eyes bulging and cheeks puffing in and out...
"We're surrounded!!"
The next second, shrill, agonized screams echoed through the woods.
Crunch.
On a hilltop not far off, Li Fei bit clean through a block of instant noodles, gazing out at the eerie figures swaying and closing in on the little woods, the bloodcurdling snarls and howls rising one after another.
At her feet lay a ring of demon corpses, cut down and sundered.
"Ten-Mile Fragrance really works wonders..."
Li Fei marveled, quietly waiting for her moment to make an entrance.
[Ten-Mile Fragrance]
Description: Refined from fresh blood, viscera, cinnamon, and the like, it gives off a fragrance that lures blood-thirsty creatures.
Price: 10 Wealth Points (one packet, 50g)
With a catty of Ten-Mile Fragrance and a single cast of [Summon Sprite], Li Fei had easily gathered every demon and ghoul in the area toward the little woods—even the horses with demonic bloodlines had turned violent and restless.
Of course, were it not for Qiao'er's sake, she could even have saved the 100 Wealth Points—a single sword would have been enough.
As for her Morality Value sliding to -32, that was nothing worth minding. In the folded space, if you didn't burn, kill, and plunder, were you supposed to trade in peace instead?
Crunch, crunch, crunch...
Li Fei chewed her instant noodles, watching the slaughter between men and demons without a shred of pity.
The woods had descended into utter chaos, cries and screams rising on every side. Drawing on years of accumulated authority and the death-sworn warriors holding the line, Squire Wang barely managed to gather his people together—but the horses had fallen completely into a frenzy and no longer obeyed a single command.
In the end, they could only abandon the wagons and horses and break out together toward the south, trying to cut their way to a sliver of survival.
Some guards hoisted aged parents or children onto their backs; others turned a blind eye to the wailing cries behind them.
"Old Wang! Old Wang!"
The second wife hurriedly fished a box out from under the carriage and, clutching the young master, stumbled toward Squire Wang: "Slow down, wait for me."
"At a time like this, you still have the mind to fret over that wretched jewelry of yours!"
Squire Wang cursed with a cold face, blind to her weeping.
He gripped his saber tightly, but the thing gave him no sense of safety at all.
The guards formed a ring on the outside, eyes bloodshot as they fought the demons to the death, the panic-stricken household protected within the circle, and Squire Wang's own family at the very center.
But the reek of blood surging skyward soon drew even more demons, surrounding them on all sides. Against the tide of demons, one after another fell out of formation, and mournful howls rose everywhere.
Sated with blood, the demons grew only more rampant, a pitch-black demonic mist curling outward, hungering to devour every living thing.
Soon the ranks were torn to pieces. Beside Squire Wang's family, only the three death-sworn warriors remained, swinging their blades in silence, fighting drenched in blood.
"Aaah!"
Squire Wang's newly taken concubine suddenly let out a heart-rending scream.
An old creature with a withered face and sparse hair, its back bent like a bow, had seized her arm with a deformed hand gaunt as a chicken's claw, its blackened nails sinking into her tender flesh.
It was a Gravedigger Ghoul.
"Get off, get off!"
The concubine kicked and thrashed like a madwoman, even biting at the withered arm, but to no avail—amid a sinister, chilling laugh she was dragged into the horde of corpses.
Next, Squire Wang's first wife had her still-twitching heart torn out by a wolf-headed, human-bodied monster, which chewed it with wet, squelching smacks, its mouth stained crimson.
And Squire Wang's aged mother had vanished at some unknown moment, gone without a trace.
Three death-sworn warriors alone simply could not keep everyone safe.
"Old Wang, Old Wang, my legs have gone weak, I can't walk anymore."
The second wife, deathly pale, clutched at Squire Wang's sleeve, tears streaming down.
Squire Wang gripped his saber, his face iron-dark.
He couldn't cut down the demons, but he could cut down the one dragging him back.
"Old Wang!"
Just as Squire Wang was about to lash out, the second wife suddenly lunged forward and shoved him aside.
An arm covered in black fur punched through her chest, and the wooden box clutched to her breast shattered with it. Glittering golden jewelry clattered to the ground, only to be stained a piercing, dark crimson by her heart's blood.
This set of jewelry was what Squire Wang had given her when she married into the Wang family at sixteen.
"Hee-hee-hee."
The Demon Ape, black all over with its features scrunched into a knot, sucked at its blood-dripping paw and, as if it had seen something amusing, leapt up and down, cackling strangely without pause.
By the time Squire Wang staggered back to his feet, rotting corpses were already gnawing at the second wife.
She widened her tearful eyes, gazing deeply at Squire Wang, then suddenly wiped the blood from her face, forced out a ghastly pale smile, and with all her strength lifted the swaddled young master high, her bleeding hands refusing to let him fall.
Where there are those who sacrifice for the ones they love, there are naturally those who let the ones they love sacrifice for them.
Qiao'er gritted her teeth, supporting the trembling-legged, sallow-faced Wang Yutong as they pressed forward, constantly watching the positions of the demons and the three death-sworn warriors, doing all she could to keep herself and her young mistress in the safest possible spot.
But behind them, Squire Wang suddenly let out a grief-stricken, furious roar and, eyes all but splitting with rage, ran toward the second wife to take the child from her hands.
The Earth Realm death-sworn warrior followed like a shadow, shielding Squire Wang completely.
This tore a gaping breach in the already-loose defensive line the three death-sworn warriors had formed, exposing Qiao'er and Wang Yutong to the snarling, clawing demons.
"Hee-hee-hee-hee~"
Black qi swirled around the Demon Ape, its twisted monkey face wearing an eerie grin as it capered and danced its way toward the two of them.
Qiao'er's face went ashen. Forcing down her terror, like a hen shielding its chick, she spread her arms wide and planted herself in front of Wang Yutong.
"Don't come any closer!!"
With that shrill cry, Wang Yutong shoved Qiao'er out in front once again.
"..."
Qiao'er opened her mouth, and in the end let out a bitter, wretched laugh.
The young mistress she had adored for years had once again shoved her toward the abyss. Her heart like cold ashes, Qiao'er slowly closed her eyes, letting the strange cackling swell in her ears.
"Who gave you permission to reach out those claws?"
In the deathly silent darkness, Qiao'er suddenly caught a wisp of tea fragrance.
She opened her eyes in astonishment. A startling flash of sword-light streaked across her vision and vanished, and the grating, strange cackle cut off abruptly.
The monkey head, its expression frozen, slid free along a slanting line of blood at its neck and dropped to the ground with a thud.
"It seems I haven't arrived too late after all."
The demon woman stood sword in hand, her white dress whiter than snow. She looked at Qiao'er with a bright, charming smile, her beauty beyond compare.
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