Return to the Village

"Little one, we meet again."

Startled by the voice from behind him, Lu Jun quickly turned around.

He saw the blind old beggar he had met before standing right behind him.

"How is it you!" Lu Jun took a few steps back, his expression guarded.

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

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

Lu Jun's guarded expression didn't relax.

The old beggar in front of him was mysterious and somewhat eerie.

He could see demonic energy, and based on the demonic energy radiating from Lu Jun, he could tell the old man could transform into a demon.

Lu Jun even suspected that the recent strange occurrences in Huang Family Village were related to him.

"You... who exactly are you?"

Lu Jun's expression was stern.

The old beggar spread his hands and gestured in a circle towards Lu Jun: "Aren't I just what you see, a blind old beggar?"

Lu Jun remained silent.

"Little one, it seems you successfully confirmed yesterday that the one in your house is a demon, right?" the old beggar said with a grin.

Lu Jun was still silent.

The old beggar smiled and continued, "Let this old man guess how the one in your house explained it to you..."

"He told you that the villagers in the village were infected with a curse, and every night they would transform into demons, becoming bloodthirsty and brutal like demons..."

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

Lu Jun's expression shifted slightly.

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

Lu Jun's expression turned somber, and he gently shook his head: "You're wrong."

The blind old beggar raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Where did I go wrong?"

"I am from Huang Family Village. I grew up with everyone here. Even if they turn into monsters, they are still the villagers I grew up with. I am not afraid."

"I came out to save everyone completely..."

A look of determination flashed in Lu Jun's eyes.

"Hahahahaha..." The blind old beggar suddenly burst into laughter, unable to stop.

"As expected, little one, there's something wrong with your brain..."

"Not just you, but all of you in the village have something wrong with your brains..."

Before Lu Jun could retort, the blind old beggar suddenly leaned in and said to Lu Jun, "Little one, what's your name?"

Lu Jun, feeling annoyed, replied impatiently, "Lu Jun."

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

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

Mid-sentence, Lu Jun's voice suddenly got stuck, as if something was lodged in his throat. He couldn't say his father's name no matter how hard he tried.

Suddenly, Lu Jun's heart was engulfed by a great terror.

My father... what was his name?

Has my soul-losing sickness acted up again?

Lu Jun felt a chill run down his spine.

He clearly remembered his father's name.

His own old man had told him directly.

But now, his memory was covered by a strange blankness. He couldn't recall it no matter what.

The blind old beggar continued sarcastically, "Heh heh, how strange. This place is called Huang Family Village, and everyone in the village is surnamed Huang. Why is there one surnamed 'Lu'?"

Lu Jun's face flushed slightly, and he gritted his teeth, "I had soul-losing sickness before... so I naturally forgot some things."

The old beggar stopped smiling and mocking Lu Jun sarcastically. Instead, with a calm, blank gaze from his pale, indifferent eyes, he spoke softly.

"But, child, do you really think you have soul-losing sickness?"

Lu Jun was speechless.

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

Everything that seemed to be his own past experiences now felt both familiar and strange.

It was filled with endless peculiarity.

These strange entities transformed into fear, transforming into a pair of absurd giant hands that tightly wrapped around Lu Jun's neck, nearly suffocating him.

"Sigh, little one, your mind is seriously troubled..." the blind old beggar sighed softly.

Lu Jun was in a daze, a daze filled with the confusion of being separated by worlds.

I...

Who am I...

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

After a long while.

Lu Jun held an ancient bronze lamp with a rustic appearance and a rustic great saber in his hands.

"I hope you weren't lying to me..." Lu Jun said with a complex expression.

The blind old beggar smiled and once again showed Lu Jun the token hanging from his waist.

The front of the token was engraved with three large characters: 'Demon Slaying Division', and the back had two large characters: 'Golden Robe'.

"Right, after the flame of the Concealment Lamp extinguishes, your figure will reappear, so remember to act quickly..."

Lu Jun nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait..." the blind old man suddenly called out to Lu Jun, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity: "If it doesn't work out, don't force it. You must leave the village before the Concealment Lamp goes out!"

Lu Jun's expression grew serious. He nodded deeply at the blind old man, then jogged towards Huang Family Village.

Not long after Lu Jun left.

Two figures appeared behind the blind old beggar.

The two figures, a man and a woman, wore silver armor underneath, with breastplates on their chests and flowing sleeves. Their waists were cinched with jade-colored belts.

Their faces were covered with ferocious Taotie masks. Taotie feed on malice and malevolent spirits, consuming unholy things, symbolizing 'using ferocity to overcome ferocity'.

Both of them also wore Demon Slaying Division tokens on their waists, but the backs of their tokens bore the two characters: 'Bronze Robe'.

The female Demon Slaying envoy spoke to the old man: "Golden Robe, after searching thoroughly, my subordinates could find no record of that young man's household registration. We've checked all the villages, towns, and even prefectures within a hundred-mile radius, but there's absolutely no information about him."

The blind old beggar raised an eyebrow: "That's a rare occurrence... Could he be someone who fell from the sky..."

"Golden Robe, is it really reliable to entrust such an important task to that young man..." the male Demon Slaying envoy asked.

The blind old man retorted impatiently: "Or do you want to go in?"

The male Demon Slaying envoy chuckled twice and quickly waved his hands: "Never mind that... that Mirage is too bizarre..."

The blind old man sighed faintly: "If there was absolutely no one else, why would we have to let a little fellow take such a risk... But without him, we have no way of entering this village at all..."

The female Demon Slaying envoy comforted him: "Golden Robe, the Concealment Lamp and the Bright Saber are both excellent magical treasures."

"The Concealment Lamp hides the figure, and the Bright Saber cuts through anything. As long as we can break through the domain, we can rush in to rescue them. That young man looks quite sharp, he'll be fine..."

At this moment, it was already evening.

The coolness brought by the autumn wind blew on Lu Jun's still damp clothes, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

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

The lamp was not emitting the usual bright orange-yellow flame, but a deep, tranquil blue flame.

Suddenly, Lu Jun stopped. He saw two patrol officers holding lanterns at the village entrance.

"According to that old man, as long as the lamp's flame is still lit, they won't be able to see me..."

Lu Jun held his breath, his heart pounding to an extreme. He walked directly towards the two officers, holding the bronze lamp.

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

"Yeah, sigh. I heard there's going to be a big event tonight. The village chief shook the sacred cup, and the 'Huang Pi Dao Master' is going to be invited out for a parade tonight... It's a shame we two were chosen for patrol..."

"It's okay, someone will come to relieve us soon, maybe we can even catch a glimpse of the parade's tail..."

Suddenly, a gust of cool breeze blew past the person named A Qiu.

A Qiu subconsciously turned his head and looked at the empty space beside him, shivering slightly.

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

"Nothing, it's just this weird weather that's a bit eerie. I thought something ghost-like just brushed past me." A Qiu explained.

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

"Hahaha, stop joking. What demons or ghosts are there in this world!"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Under the moonlight, their shadows were cast.

However, their shadows were a little strange—on each of their bodies, a fox head was grafted.

The corners of their mouths stretched all the way to the back of their heads, forming a silent, sinister grin, their sharp teeth glinting menacingly in the moonlight.