Ill-Fated Bond (Part 1)

Ill-Fated Bond (Part 1)

Li Changhu saw the young man flip open the animal hide, revealing a flash of cold light. Those savage, keen eyes, like a wild beast's, did not blink as they fixed on Li Changhu's own with vicious delight.

The cold flash shot forth like lightning, stabbing straight for Li Changhu's throat. In his terror, he only had time to take one step back and hurriedly raise a hand to block it.

Too fast! This thrust had been practiced for twenty-two years—how many bundles of straw had it pierced to ruin, how many nights of hatred had been smothered beneath it?

That cold flash was clearly a streak of bright silver lightning, yet it nimbly slipped past Li Changhu's blocking hand like a darting fish and plunged straight through his throat.

Li Changhu only managed a few blood-choked whimpers before crashing heavily to the ground. His vision blurred as he vaguely heard screams and furious shouts around him.

"Beast!!!"

Tian Shoushui, standing behind Li Changhu, let out a heart-rending roar. He was shorter than Li Changhu and had been completely blocked from view; only when Li Changhu fell did he understand what had happened.

His eyes went red, veins bulging across his forehead as he reached for the young man.

Having landed his blow, the young man abandoned the dagger. Taking advantage of everyone rushing to help Li Changhu, he rolled across the ground to evade Tian Shoushui's grasping hand, then crashed into the refugees like a nimble Mouse Deer.

Tian Shoushui sprang after him. The refugees scattered as though a nest had been kicked apart, and he only caught sight of the young man slipping into the Reed Marshes at the edge of the village, fleeing into the distance in a wisp of smoke.

"Damn it."

Without looking back, Tian Shoushui followed the trail into the Reed Marshes, leaving behind the refugees huddled together in panic.

"Plague-ridden bastard! You dog-begotten thing!"

Everyone finally came to their senses. The middle-aged man had been pinned tightly against the wall by the villagers, crying and cursing as he wailed:

"It truly had nothing to do with this lowly man!! I don't know that young man—he joined us on the road!"

"Shut up!"

Liu Linfeng cursed, his face pale and ashen. Gritting his teeth, he supported the fallen Li Changhu and shot the middle-aged man a vicious glare, utterly at a loss for what to do.

Watching his nephew spit bloody foam, clearly beyond saving, his mind was a muddle. How was he supposed to explain this to his younger sister? How was he supposed to explain it to Li Mutian? His nephew had died for nothing right before his eyes!

Ren Ping'an sat blankly on the ground. His daughter, Ren Shi, had only just become pregnant after marrying Li Changhu, and now Li Changhu was dead. The child he had watched grow up had died just like that!

Everyone was panicking. Li Changhu lay on the ground with his eyes open, staring at the sky as he felt scorching blood flow from his chest, his consciousness gradually fading.

I've only let Xiang Ping down. His joyous occasion will have to become a funeral.

Li Changhu's lingering awareness thought dimly. Pain and suffocation finally dragged him into boundless darkness.

Amid the chaos, unseen by all, a silver gleam quietly rose from his dantian. Trailing a tail behind it, it flew toward the sky like a fledgling swallow returning to its mother's breast, circled once, then headed for the Li Clan's Backyard.

Not far away.

Old Man Xu stood hunched over, trembling in place. He watched the young man plunge a blade into Li Changhu's neck, the tip even protruding faintly from the back of his neck. He felt a surge of blood and rage rush from his chest and belly into his head, his vision turning black in waves as he nearly fainted.

"An ill-fated bond!"

Tears streamed down his aged face. He clenched a string of grass crickets he had meant to bring Li Changhu, pressing a hand to his aching chest.

"Beast..."

Old Man Xu drew a harsh breath, wiped the tears from his face, and started running toward the Back Mountain, muttering endlessly:

"This old man outlived his wife, watched his master's household perish, and has seen more people than the dung your wild-wolf hide has dragged through. Just wait! Just wait! This old man is coming to meet you!"

Li Clan.

Lu Jiangxian silently sighed in the Ancestral Hall. He had awakened when Li Changhu was attacked, but the village entrance was simply too far away. There was nothing he could do but watch helplessly as it all unfolded.

Looking at the silver gleam circling the edge of the mirror like a butterfly, he knew that with a mere thought, this Talisman Seed could turn into pure essence to nourish his soul.

Yet Li Changhu had not cultivated the Mystic Realm, and the Talisman Seed offered little benefit. With a sigh, Lu Jiangxian reversed his hand seals and used the Mystic Pearl Offering Spirit Art to stir the Spiritual Sense within the Talisman Seed. Strands of mana drawn from it emerged in the courtyard and extended toward the members of the Li Clan within.

Li Mutian had lain awake for over an hour before finally drifting into a hazy sleep. Then he saw moonlight pouring through the window and door cracks like water. Outside, it was bright as day, and his eldest son, Li Changhu, stood quietly beside the bed, looking at him.

"What happened?"

Li Mutian asked his eldest son in a hoarse voice.

Li Changhu pressed his lips together without speaking, gazing intently at Li Mutian's face as though he wanted to commit it forever to memory.

"Cough, cough, cough."

Li Mutian coughed hard several times, then frowned and asked, "Changhu, what happened?"

But Li Changhu bent down and gave his father a deeply respectful bow, speaking through a choked voice:

"Father, take care..."

As soon as the words fell, Li Changhu's figure scattered on the wind like grains of sand. The watery moonlight slowly dimmed, and the courtyard, bright as day, darkened as well.

Li Mutian was seized by dread. He reached out to grab him, shouting without pause.

"Child, speak! Changhu! Li Changhu!"

He jolted awake from the bed, staring blankly out the window.

Side room.

"Can one dream while cultivating?"

In the side room, Li Chijing opened his eyes, his face streaked with tears. He rose and walked outside, where he saw Li Tongya sitting at the wooden table.

Seeing his younger brother emerge, Li Tongya hurriedly wiped away the tear tracks on his face and forced a smile. "What is it?"

Li Chijing only stared blankly at his brother before looking up and asking, "Where's Eldest Brother?"

"Eldest Brother was called out early this morning by the Tenants. There may be something going on in the fields."

Li Tongya smiled as he answered.

Then the door creaked open. Li Mutian stood in the doorway, his face full of unease as he called out:

"Tongya! Go bring your eldest brother back... Forget it, I'll go myself."

Li Mutian hastily put on his shoes. Reaching the front courtyard, he pushed open the gate—and froze.

A large crowd of villagers had gathered outside, all holding torches and weeping silently. Three people knelt below the stone Steps, beside an object covered in white cloth.

Seeing the ashamed and grief-stricken expressions on Tian Shoushui and Ren Ping'an, Li Mutian's unease reached its peak. His hands trembling, he walked down the Steps, pushed aside the tearful Liu Linfeng who came forward to support him, and gently lifted the white cloth.

Li Mutian's vision went black, and he nearly fainted. The brothers who had followed behind him also looked deeply unsettled. Li Chijing stepped forward to look, then dropped to his knees with a thud, crying out in grief:

"Brother!"

He threw himself onto Li Changhu and checked for breath. Then Li Chijing suddenly raised his head, tears streaming as he looked at the surrounding villagers and shouted harshly:

"Who?! Who was it?! Who dared?!"

The furious shout was like a tiger's roar, startling everyone into stumbling back several steps as they stared at him in terror.