Return to the Village

"Little fellow, we meet again."

The voice suddenly came from behind Lu Jun, startling him. He hurriedly turned around.

Standing behind him was none other than the blind old beggar he had met once before.

"Why is it you?" Lu Jun backed away repeatedly, his expression wary.

"Don't be nervous." The blind old beggar casually waved his hand and continued greeting Lu Jun with a smile.

"Little fellow, you seem to be in a bit of trouble..."

The wariness in Lu Jun's eyes did not ease.

The old beggar before him was mysterious, yet carried an unsettling strangeness.

He could see demonic aura, and could even determine that Grandpa could transform into a demon from the demonic aura on Lu Jun's body.

Lu Jun even suspected that the strange events occurring in Huang Family Village recently were related to this man.

"You... who exactly are you?"

Lu Jun's expression turned grim.

The old beggar spread his arms and turned in a circle before Lu Jun. "Am I not exactly what you see—a blind old beggar?"

Lu Jun remained silent.

"Little fellow, it seems you successfully confirmed it yesterday too—that the person in your family is a demon, right?" the old beggar said with a grin.

Lu Jun continued to say nothing.

The old beggar smiled and went on, "Let this old man guess what that person in your family told you..."

"He told you that the villagers in the village had been infected by a curse. Every night, they turned into demons and became bloodthirsty and savage like monsters..."

"But the villagers didn't want to hurt anyone, so they tied themselves up with iron chains every night..."

Lu Jun's expression shifted slightly.

The blind old beggar continued, "Then you were still very afraid, so you used this raft to escape at dusk... right?"

Lu Jun's expression darkened. He gently shook his head. "Wrong."

The blind old beggar gave a soft exclamation. "Oh? What was wrong?"

"I'm from Huang Family Village. I grew up alongside everyone there. Even if they turned into monsters, they were still the villagers I spent every day with. I wasn't afraid."

"I left because I wanted to save everyone completely..."

A flash of determination passed through Lu Jun's eyes.

"Hahahahaha..." The blind old beggar suddenly burst into laughter, laughing without end.

"As expected, little fellow, there's something wrong with your head..."

"Not just you. Everyone in your entire village has something wrong with their heads..."

Before Lu Jun could refute him, the blind old beggar suddenly leaned closer and asked, "Little fellow, what's your name?"

Irritated, Lu Jun replied crossly, "Lu Jun."

The blind old beggar continued, "Then what's your father's name..."

Lu Jun blurted out, "Lu... Lu..."

Halfway through, Lu Jun's voice abruptly caught in his throat. It was as if something were lodged there; no matter how hard he tried, he could not say his father's name.

In that instant, a great terror suddenly enveloped Lu Jun's heart.

What was my father's name again?

Has my soul-loss disorder returned?

Lu Jun felt a chill creep up his back.

He clearly remembered his father's name.

His own old man had told him personally.

But now, his memories seemed to be covered by a strange blankness. No matter what he did, he could not recall it.

The blind old beggar continued in a mocking tone, "Heh heh, how strange. This place is called Huang Family Village, and everyone in the village is surnamed Huang. So why is there someone surnamed 'Lu'?"

Lu Jun's face flushed slightly. Bracing himself, he said, "I once suffered from soul-loss disorder... so naturally, I forgot some things."

The old beggar stopped laughing. He no longer mocked Lu Jun in that strange, sarcastic tone. Instead, with calm, empty eyes and his pale, indifferent gaze, he spoke softly.

"But, child, do you truly believe that you suffered from soul-loss disorder?"

Lu Jun was speechless.

In an instant, countless events from the past surged into his mind.

They were clearly things he seemed to have personally experienced, yet at this moment they felt both familiar and foreign.

An endless strangeness seeped through them.

That strangeness transformed into fear, then into a pair of absurd hands that coiled tightly around Lu Jun's neck, nearly choking him.

"Ah, little fellow, there's something seriously wrong with your head..." The blind old beggar sighed softly.

Lu Jun was dazed. It was the bewilderment of suddenly finding himself separated from another life.

I...

Who exactly am I...?

A chill traveled from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.

After a long while.

Lu Jun held an ancient-looking bronze lamp in one hand and a simple, antique saber in the other.

"I hope you haven't lied to me..." Lu Jun said, his expression complicated.

The blind old beggar smiled and shook the token at his waist toward Lu Jun again.

The front of the token was engraved with three large characters: "Demon Slaying Division." The back bore two large characters: "Gold Attire."

"By the way, once the flame of this Concealment Lamp goes out, your figure will appear. Remember to act quickly..."

Lu Jun nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait..." The blind old beggar suddenly called out to him, his tone carrying a hint of gravity. "If it doesn't work, don't force it. You must leave the village before the Concealment Lamp goes out!"

Lu Jun's expression grew solemn. He nodded deeply to the blind old beggar, then jogged toward Huang Family Village.

Not long after Lu Jun left.

Two figures appeared behind the blind old beggar.

The two figures, one man and one woman, wore silver armor robes beneath which protective mirrors covered their chests. Martial-and-civil sleeves hung over them, and belts of blue-white jade bound their waists.

Their faces were covered by ferocious Taotie masks. The Taotie fed on evil thoughts and wicked spirits, devouring all manner of sinister things—a symbol of "using ferocity to overcome ferocity."

Both wore Demon Slaying Division tokens at their waists, but the backs of their tokens bore the two large characters: "Copper Attire."

The female Demon Slayer Envoy spoke to the blind old man, "Lord Gold Attire, our men searched for that young man's household records but found nothing. They investigated every village, town, and even prefecture within a hundred-mile radius, yet found no information about him at all."

The blind old beggar raised his brows. "That is indeed a strange matter... Could he be someone who fell from the heavens...?"

"Lord Gold Attire, is it really reliable to entrust such an important matter to a boy like that?" the male Demon Slayer Envoy asked.

The blind old man said irritably, "Then why don't you go in?"

The male Demon Slayer Envoy chuckled twice and hurriedly waved his hands. "Forget it... That Misty Mirage is far too strange..."

The blind old man sighed quietly. "If we hadn't truly run out of candidates, why would we let a little fellow take such a risk? But aside from him, we can't enter this village at all..."

The female Demon Slayer Envoy consoled him, "Lord Gold Attire, the Concealment Lamp and Bright Saber are both excellent treasures."

"The Concealment Lamp hides one's form, while the Bright Saber can cut through anything. As long as he can break through the domain, we can rush in and rescue them. That boy looks clever enough too. He'll be fine..."

By then, dusk had already arrived.

The coolness carried by the autumn wind brushed against Lu Jun's clothes, which had not yet dried completely, making him shiver.

As he quickened his pace, Lu Jun carefully maintained the bronze lamp in his hand.

Unlike an ordinary lamp, it did not burn with a bright orange-yellow flame. Instead, it held a deep, tranquil blue fire.

Suddenly, Lu Jun stopped. He saw two patrol officers carrying lanterns and making their rounds at the village entrance.

"According to what that old man said, as long as the flame in this lamp is still burning, they can't see me..."

Lu Jun held his breath and focused his mind. His heart raced as he carried the bronze lamp and walked blatantly past the two men.

"A Qiu, it's truly cold tonight!"

"Yeah. Sigh, I heard tonight's going to be lively. The village chief cast the sacred blocks, and the 'Huang Pi Dao Master' will be invited out tonight for a parade... What a pity that we were chosen for patrol duty..."

"It's fine. Someone will come to relieve us soon. Maybe we can still catch the tail end of the parade..."

Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew past the man named A Qiu.

A Qiu instinctively turned his head and looked at the empty space beside him. He could not help shivering.

"What's wrong?" the other man asked.

"Nothing. The weather's just gloomy and eerie. For a moment, I thought some kind of ghostly thing had slipped past me." A Qiu explained.

"Whew, you scared me. I thought it was some demon or ghost..."

"Hahaha, don't be ridiculous. How could there be demons or ghosts in this world?"

The two exchanged glances and smiled at each other.

Under the moonlight, their shadows were cast onto the ground.

Yet there was something faintly strange about them—in place of each man's body was the head of a weasel.

Their mouths stretched all the way to the backs of their heads, forming silent, feral grins. Their sharp teeth glimmered with a sinister, icy light in the moonlight.