Chapter 44: The Heavenly Demon Patriarch
The villagers of Zhang Stockade Village crowded around, and one of them quickly said, "A night watchman has died!"
The old man pondered for a moment, then said, "Has the night watchman's body been buried? He was most likely a demon; he might undergo a corpse transformation."
The villagers of Zhang Stockade Village were startled and quickly led the two to the night watchman's grave, saying, "He was buried yesterday. Two masters..."
The old man pointed with his finger, and the earthen grave split open on both sides. A thin wooden coffin rose slowly from the pit, floating before everyone.
Clang, clang, clang—
One by one, the coffin nails came loose on their own. The coffin lid flipped open, and the coffin fell to the ground, but the night watchman's corpse remained suspended in the air, its face covered by a white funeral banner.
The old man and the youth took the white banner, examined it, exchanged glances, and nodded silently. The old man muttered an incantation, pointed his finger, and the night watchman's corpse immediately burst into flames, turning to ashes in moments.
Many villagers quickly bowed in thanks and offered gold and silver as payment. The youth hurriedly waved his hands, but the old man said, "No merit, no reward; but with merit, reward is due. Accept it."
Only then did the youth take the payment. The old man asked, "Where does the youth who killed the great serpent live? Who are the people around him?"
"He is from the Village of Crippled Elders. He lives with Blind and Granny Si. Follow the river upstream, about forty li from here."
The old man thanked them, and the pair left Zhang Stockade Village, heading upstream along the river.
After walking several li, the old man sighed and said, "When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. Hall Master Mo's lamp has gone out. That night watchman was our Sacred Sect's Hall Master Mo. His Spontaneous Innate Art went astray; he used infants for cultivation. Though he deserved to die, he was still a hall master of our Sacred Sect. The one who killed him was likely the Spear God, nailing both his soul and body. There are sword marks on the white banner. Hall Master Mo met her before encountering the Spear God—the Sect Leader's Wife."
The youth listened silently.
The old man continued, "The Sect Leader's Wife has always been elusive, hiding away. Our Sacred Sect's experts entered the Great Ruins to search for her whereabouts but found nothing. Who would have thought Hall Master Mo would encounter her here? Patriarch, this journey has not been in vain."
The youth spoke, his voice extremely aged and forceful: "After the Sect Leader's Wife killed the Sect Leader, she stole our sect's sacred scripture, the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra. She has been gone for forty years. Alas, we have searched for her for forty years, and finally we have found him."
In the early morning at the Village of Crippled Elders, after breakfast, the Apothecary moved the Village Chief to the village entrance, set up a small stove, boiled some water, and brewed a pot of tea. Then they heard the cry of the hen-dragon from within the village.
"The chicken laid an egg! Mu'er, go to the henhouse and fetch the egg."
Granny Si urged Qin Mu to fetch the egg. Just as Qin Mu crawled into the henhouse, the hen-dragon chased him all over the place, pecking his head and face until they bled.
This hen-dragon was ferocious beyond measure. It opened its mouth and spat a fire snake over ten feet long. Its feathers were as sharp as swords, and its claws could crush iron into mud. Qin Mu fought several rounds with this hen, found himself outmatched, and quickly ran away.
"Mu'er, don't you even have the strength to truss a chicken?" the Butcher laughed heartily, watching Qin Mu being chased all over the village by the hen-dragon.
Granny Si took the opportunity to pick up the egg. The hen-dragon, unable to catch Qin Mu, strutted back to the henhouse, only to find its egg missing. Enraged again, it gave chase once more, attacking relentlessly.
After all the commotion, Qin Mu perked up, shaking off the defeat at the hands of the hen-dragon. He strapped the butcher knife to his back, shouldered the sword case, slung a large iron hammer over his shoulder, stuffed a few Body-Stabilizing Pills into his chest, and picked up the Xi Qi Luo monk's staff, setting off from the village with great enthusiasm.
Today was his first time going hunting alone, and Qin Mu had long looked forward to this day. But being bested by the hen-dragon had dampened his spirits somewhat.
Just as he stepped out of the village, he saw an old man and a youth walking toward the Village of Crippled Elders, looking like itinerant Daoist priests.
The pair stopped at the village entrance, glanced at the Village Chief and the Apothecary who were drinking tea, and greeted them. "May we trouble you for a cup of tea?"
The Village Chief raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "When guests arrive from afar, how could we be remiss?"
The Apothecary poured tea for the pair. They sat down, with the youth sitting opposite the Village Chief and the old man standing to one side.
"Is this the youth who slew the serpent?" the old man asked kindly, looking at Qin Mu.
Qin Mu was about to speak when the Village Chief said calmly, "Mu'er, this has nothing to do with you. Go about your own business."
Qin Mu nodded and headed into the forest.
Once he was far away, the youth sitting opposite the Village Chief spoke, his voice incredibly aged. "We've met before, haven't we?"
The Village Chief nodded. "Yes."
The youth smiled. "There are very few of our generation still alive. It's rare to meet you. I'm very pleased."
"As am I," the Village Chief replied indifferently.
The youth chuckled. "I've come to see Granny Si. Our sect has been without a sect leader for forty years. Granny Si must give us an explanation."
The Village Chief shook his head. "Once you enter this village, you have nothing to do with the outside world."
The youth's eyes flickered. "Then I won't go in. Have her come out. I have questions for her."
The Village Chief shook his head again. "She's out."
The old man could no longer hold back and was about to speak when the youth raised his hand, smiling. "We've waited forty years; there's no need to rush. Enforcement Elder, the Sect Leader's Wife isn't in the village. Summon the strongmen and build a manor here. We'll stay overnight."
The old man bowed in acknowledgment. A demonic aura shot up from the top of his head, forming a huge "command" character in the sky.
The youth sipped his tea slowly. An hour later, the villagers of the Village of Crippled Elders put down their work and stepped out of their homes, looking up.
In the forest, massive giants with bulging muscles moved through the trees, flattening the woods as they passed. Four of these giants carried a single stone statue, and there were four statues in total. They trudged forward, panting heavily, their footsteps crushing rocks into mud that oozed between their toes!
The faces of these sixteen giants were flushed red, showing that even for strongmen like them, the statues were unbearably heavy.
The sixteen giants carefully set down the statues, placing them at the four cardinal points—east, south, west, and north—right next to the Village of Crippled Elders.
Soon after, a multi-story ship sailed in and docked by the river. A hundred or so carpenters disembarked, felled trees near the village, and began building houses. Within half an hour, several wooden buildings were completed, fully furnished. The carpenters returned to the ship, brought down gold and silver vessels, pots, pans, and utensils, then boarded again. The ship left the riverbank and sailed away.
Then another ship arrived. Painters came ashore, lacquered the furniture and wooden buildings, finished their work, boarded, and departed.
Next came a ship of stonemasons. They quarried rocks, carved statues, polished stone slabs, and paved the ground of the new manor. Afterward, they too left by boat.
A moment later, a burly man with a thick beard arrived, covered in dust. He bowed and said, "Patriarch! Enforcement Senior Brother."
The old man said, "Left Envoy, the manor is built. Find yourself a room."
The burly man entered the newly built manor next to the Village of Crippled Elders, went into a room, sat down cross-legged, and remained silent.
After another moment, a ragged old woman came, greeted the youth and the old man, and also entered the manor to find an empty room to stay in. Then a fisherman arrived on a small skiff, docked by the river, and carrying a fish basket and a fishing rod, entered the manor to settle in.
Soon after, more strange people arrived. Some looked like wealthy landlords, others like merchants, and still others like private tutors, scholars heading for exams, or young courtesans selling themselves in brothels. Every trade and profession was represented.
Horse Ye's face grew grim. He said in a low voice, "The Heavenly Demon Sect has three hundred and sixty trades and three hundred and sixty halls. Their hall masters once spread across the world, extremely secretive. I didn't expect that all three hundred and sixty hall masters have entered the Great Ruins over the past forty years, searching for their Sect Leader's Wife. They will likely all come here and settle down next door to us!"
The Cripple's smile grew even wider. He grinned and said, "Where is Old Lady Si? All these people are here for her!"
The Deaf Man said, "I saw Granny transform into a musk deer and leave the village before Mu'er. She was probably worried about him going hunting alone and wanted to protect him secretly. She probably doesn't know yet that the Heavenly Demon Sect has found this place. The Heavenly Demon Sect has practically moved their entire sect next door to us!"
...
Qin Mu walked deep into the mountain forest. After a while, a musk deer trotted over on light hooves, looked around, and found no trace of Qin Mu. Just as it was puzzled, Qin Mu jumped down from a tree and laughed. "Granny, since I'm hunting alone, please go back. I can take care of myself."
The musk deer said indignantly, "You little brat! Watch yourself out there, or you might die!" With that, it wagged its short tail and ran off.
Qin Mu continued forward. Before long, he saw a woolly mammoth drinking by a pond. He laughed and said, "Granny, I really can take care of myself. No need to follow."
The woolly mammoth grew angry, stomped its feet, and charged at him. Qin Mu circulated his primal energy, and the butcher knife clanged as it left its sheath. He said menacingly, "Since you're not Granny, then I'll kill you!"
The woolly mammoth turned and ran, speaking in human tongue: "You'd even kill your own granny? When you get back to the village, I'll spank your bottom!"
Qin Mu shook his head. After walking another six or seven li, he looked up at a large bird in the sky and said helplessly, "Granny, you really don't need to follow me."
The large bird tilted its head, looked at him, remained unmoved, and continued circling.
Qin Mu's eyes flickered. He grabbed a handful of pebbles from the ground and flicked them one after another. The stones shot through the air at different heights. After firing over a dozen stones, Qin Mu leaped up, landed on the first stone, pushed off, jumped to the second, and so on, ascending into the air until he was beside the large bird.
The large bird suddenly spoke in human tongue, shouting, "Alright, alright! I won't follow you anymore!" With that, it flapped its wings and flew away.
Qin Mu fell from midair, landing with a thud. His feet sank a foot deep into the soil. The boy looked up, but the bird in the sky was already gone.
"Granny will probably still follow me."
Qin Mu kept an eye on his surroundings but found nothing unusual. He walked another few li until he came upon a waterfall. The scenery was beautiful—mountains and water. Beside the waterfall stood a thatched hut. Outside the hut was a stone statue, half-buried in the ground, tilted to one side.
Smoke was rising from the chimney of the thatched hut, indicating someone lived there.
"In this desolate mountain wilderness, who would live here? Could it be some reclusive senior expert?"
Just as he thought this, he saw a white fox emerge from the thatched hut, pick up a bamboo tube, and then return inside.