Wavering

Wavering

The first to notice the change was Luo Qingqing, standing on the top floor of the inn.

"We have a problem."

"That is... a Demon?" Luo You'er exclaimed from where she leaned over the window. "Didn't they say Demons would no longer be born during Evil Night a hundred years later?"

"That is indeed what the books record." Luo Qingqing frowned slightly. "But as for what is really happening with the Qingshan Array, I'm afraid only the upper ranks of the Bureau of Military Affairs know."

Compared to Mei, Demons were larger and more destructive, and sunlight affected them less. Among all Evil Spirits, Demons were not the most bizarre and unpredictable, nor were they the most perilous to deal with, but they were the monsters defenders least wanted to see. For one, like Mei, they often appeared in swarms. For another, they were enormous. Their size meant that towering walls were no longer a sufficiently safe barrier. Once a gap appeared in the illumination, the Mei behind them would pour through in droves, until the defensive line completely collapsed.

"I told you not to listen to that guy!" Luo Fengqing had just returned to the room. Seeing this, he could not help complaining, "If we had defended the well passages from the start, we wouldn't have needed to worry about whether Demons would appear during Evil Night! What are you going to do now? If we head for the Dry Well, we might still make it in time!"

"Senior Brother, there are Mei everywhere outside..." Luo You'er reminded him. "Besides, all the entrances have already been sealed."

"I had them leave one open. Naturally, the Fang family doesn't know that." Luo Fengqing looked toward Luo Qingqing. "I know your talent is exceptional. You have encountered almost no obstacles on the path of cultivation, and in that regard, I cannot compare with you. But I am a few years older than you, and I understand better how treacherous people's hearts can be. If a section of the wall is breached, your backup plan will have no chance of being carried out—Sanmen will never retreat to the center as you expect. They will only scream and scatter like birds and beasts. At that point, anyone standing in the way of those fleeing will be regarded as an enemy more hateful than the Evil Spirits!"

"So you secretly kept a Dry Well from me?"

"If I had told you, would you have agreed to it?" Luo Fengqing's tone was somewhat helpless. "The last time you listened to my advice was probably several years ago. Qingqing, you are not the only one thinking of the Luo Family."

Luo You'er interjected again, "But everyone has already been split into different groups. How are we supposed to call them back? We can't just slip away on our own, can we?"

"I prepared for that as well." Luo Fengqing wore an expression as though everything lay within the palm of his hand. "I have already notified some of them and told them to act upon seeing the signal. Once emerald-green flames appear atop the inn, it will mean we are to evacuate Qingshan Town. At that time, they will take the Luo Family disciples beside them and leave together!"

"So that was what you had been busy with?" Luo Qingqing asked, slightly surprised. She had thought he was still angry and that was why he had rarely met with her these past two days.

"It never hurts to prepare an extra hand. That way, at most half a quarter-hour will be needed for most of the scattered Luo Family members to gather together and head for the reserved Dry Well."

Most, not all.

Luo Qingqing closed her eyes. Naturally, she knew who would not receive notification—fellow disciples like Luo Tang and Luo Changtian, who trusted her absolutely and reported any situation to her, would only be obstacles to her senior brother's plan.

"As for the Mei outside, you need not worry too much either. Without the Luo Family members, the earthen walls on all four sides will surely be full of holes." Luo Fengqing continued, "Those Sanmen have no other talents, but when it comes to fleeing, they will never lag behind. It is perfect to let them draw the Mei's attention. Once the examinees fall into chaos, that will be our chance to withdraw."

At this point, everyone in the room turned their eyes toward Luo Qingqing.

What treacherous hearts, what unreliable Sanmen... The one here most capable of shaking people's resolve, the first one wanting to run away, was clearly you, Senior Brother!

Luo Qingqing opened her eyes, but no longer looked at Luo Fengqing. Instead, she directly instructed Luo You'er, "Keep an eye on Senior Brother. Don't let him throw copper powder or anything like that into the brazier."

Luo Fengqing's face instantly turned ashen.

"Huh? Then what about you?" Luo You'er asked in surprise.

"I'm going to support Fei Nian. Stopping a Demon is indeed difficult, but it is not impossible." Luo Qingqing spoke each word distinctly. "Judging from its size alone, it has not reached the point where only a high-grade sorcerer can eliminate it."

"But I can't beat Senior Brother..." Luo You'er looked as though she was about to cry.

"Then stand there and let him hit you!" Luo Qingqing drew her wooden sword and walked toward the door without looking back. "I want to see whether he truly has the resolve to abandon those Luo Family disciples still fighting, right in front of everyone, and flee Qingshan Town first!"

"That thing is heading toward the West Wall. Should we... avoid it for now?"

Zhang Yan, who had previously wanted to measure himself against the Fei Clan genius, had now shrunk behind the battlements.

In fact, it was not just him. Ever since this abnormal monster appeared, everyone's morale had been crushed. Clearly, no one was confident they could dispose of it as easily as they had the Mei.

This must be the 'Demon' Li mentioned, Xia Fan thought. According to the Bureau of Military Affairs' classification, Demons and Mei had no essential difference, merely a difference in size. Yet he felt that the thing before him was not simply a larger version.

Its body was still strewn with debris such as broken stones and withered branches, and its overall form still carried that hazy, mist-like quality. But there was far more pure black within it—if Mei were black mist wrapped beneath a shell, then this creature felt like black mist carrying fragments of shell within it.

Even more hair-raising was its appearance.

At first glance, this Demon looked as though it had mutated from a spider. It had six legs, but the ends of those legs resembled human palms. It seemed to crawl on its belly, yet had no obvious head or tail. Most bizarre of all, five or six Mei hung beneath its flat abdomen—their heads drooped, connected to the Demon by black cords, swaying back and forth as it crawled. Altogether, it looked like a gallows capable of moving on its own!

Though it too was exposed to the firelight, it had not become sluggish like the Mei. Instead, it advanced steadily toward the central area, and in less than a few minutes it had reached the edge of the wall.

"Don't panic!" Fei Nian appeared on the West Wall once more. Facing the Demon, which stood nearly as tall as the wall itself, he unleashed Flying Flower Flame. A blinding stream of fire shot straight into the target's back, scattering after impact like a blooming flower.

Led by him, several Fei Clan disciples also launched attacks. Flames darted everywhere, and explosions rang without end. Under such bombardment, the Demon not only stopped advancing, but even retreated two steps.

"It only looks big! Fighting it is no different from fighting Mei. As long as you don't let the Demon get close, it cannot harm you!"

Seeing that things were indeed as Fei Nian had said, some of the bolder examinees picked up medicinal herbs and Talismans, beginning to cast Sorcery Arts at the enemy two or three meters away.

Just then, a sudden change erupted. The Demon abruptly raised half its body and lunged straight at the wall!

After all, these walls were merely connected blue-brick houses, not proper stone ramparts. Under that lunge, they actually began to collapse.

The wooden planks laid over the top of the wall broke first, followed by the horizontal beams—they had originally only been meant to support rooftops, and this colossal creature had clearly exceeded their limits. Finally, whole sheets of brick and stone came down. Amid a thunderous crash, the West Wall suddenly lost half its height, and Qingshan Town's defensive line suffered its first breach.

The examinees at the collapse fared no better. Their earlier battles against Mei had made most of them accustomed to their enemies' stiffness and sluggishness. Faced with the Demon's not particularly swift lunge, hardly anyone reacted in time. At least two groups fell from the wall. One person was struck by falling bricks and boards, and was clearly more likely dead than alive.

Fei Nian had dodged the blow, but there was little room atop the wall. Before he could step into a safe area, the ground beneath his feet had vanished. He could only barely seize a broken roof beam and hang in midair, preventing himself from falling directly into the rubble.

But that also robbed him of the ability to resist.

The Demon let out a piercing shriek and raised its forepaw toward Fei Nian.

At that critical moment, a blue figure darted between them—

Luo Qingqing had reached the wall just in time!

Arriving alongside her was a bright silver gleam, and that light came from the tip of the sword in her hand!

That downward slash, swift as thunder and too fast to cover one's ears, severed one of the monster's palms.

Black mist gushed from the Demon's severed limb. Screaming miserably, it withdrew from the wall, while Fei Nian escaped danger and returned safely to the ground.

"So powerful..."

"Is this the strength of You Province's most outstanding generation of disciples?"

Luo Qingqing's clean, decisive movements drew a wave of amazed exclamations from the wall, but there was not the slightest hint of relief on her face. Instead, she turned back and shouted urgently, "Light new torches, quickly! Don't let the Mei come close!"

But her warning still came too late.

Xia Fan noticed that with part of the West Wall collapsed, two torches had been destroyed, and the ground below immediately became much darker. Around the Demon, the wall cast a distinct shadow. Though the surrounding torches still illuminated the area, the Mei's movements were no longer as halting as before.

In less than ten seconds, the Mei that had been wandering beneath the corner of the wall had already followed the shadows onto the wall. Xia Fan had not even seen how they climbed up!

"Qian Art—ahhh—!"

"Fall back!"

"Where is the reserve group?"

"Save me!"

Chaos spread in an instant.

The examinees who had mocked the Mei as living targets now became the Mei's prey. Their clumsy spellcasting could not keep up with the enemy's movements at all, while the Mei's attacks were simple and effective. All they needed was to get close to an examinee, and black mist would wrap around them layer by layer until it seeped into their bodies. Once a Mei swallowed an examinee, it would root itself where it stood and swell all over, looking like a series of pitch-black cocoons.

"Stop using Sorcery Arts! Pour your qi into your wooden swords, keep your eyes fixed on the target, then strike!" Luo Qingqing shouted as she cut down a Mei that had lunged at her.

Her situation was perilous beyond measure. The collapsed section of the wall was the darkest place to begin with. Merely dealing with the Mei had her scrambling, and at the same time, she had to guard against the Demon, which had crawled back into the breach and seemed intent on widening the collapse further.

"Why hasn't the reserve group come up yet—" Luo Tang could not help turning toward the small square, only to freeze where she stood.

Following her gaze, Xia Fan's heart sank sharply.

What reserve force was there on the west side of the square? The moment the wall collapsed with a deafening crash, the reserve examinees responsible for the West Wall had fled without a fight.