Night Sacrifice

The front courtyard of the garrison crackled with torchlight, stretching the figures into ghostly, swaying shadows. The four teams assembled once more, but Team Ding's numbers were painfully conspicuous. Including its captain, Wei Dayong, there were only three men. Yet beside the team stood five figures with their hands bound behind their backs and rags stuffed into their mouths, able to make only muffled whimpers.

Wei Dayong's face looked deathly pale beneath the firelight. He said nothing, merely led the way in silence toward the armory. Wang Quan and Hou San followed behind him, each taking a familiar standard-issue saber from the rack. The hilts were cold in their hands, as though still carrying the stench of last night's blood and mud.

Then Wei Dayong took several thicker hemp ropes from the corner. Without a word, he tightened them around the waists of the five Blood Tax prisoners, then stuffed the long rope ends into the hands of himself, Wang Quan, and Hou San. He held two, while Wang Quan and Hou San each held one. The chosen prisoners seemed to sense what was coming and struggled even harder, terror filling their eyes. But beneath the rags gagging them and the ropes binding their waists, all their struggles were futile.

"Move." Wei Dayong's voice was hoarse as he stepped forward first. He walked slowly, his left arm still hanging uselessly, yet every step landed firmly. Wang Quan and Hou San silently followed, leading the prisoners assigned to them. The entire garrison was dead silent, save for footsteps, the crackle of torches, and the whimpers of those being dragged along. No one spoke. They barely even met one another's eyes. The air was so heavy it seemed one could wring water from it.

They did not leave through the city gate. Instead, they went around to a concealed side gate on the western side of the garrison, one used only by carts and horses. After inspecting Wei Dayong's token, the guard silently pulled open the heavy bar. The hinges turned with a teeth-grating creak, and a night wind far colder and more desolate than anything within the city poured in, carrying the scent of soil and the reek of a distant marsh.

Outside the gate lay boundless darkness and a silent wilderness.

The team left the last patch of shadow cast by the city walls and vanished completely into the wasteland. Moonlight barely illuminated the pitted dirt road beneath their feet. Shadows flickered all around them, as though countless indescribable things were lying in ambush.

After walking for roughly half an hour, they had put every trace of human activity far behind them. Ahead lay a stretch of low hills, jagged with scattered rocks and clawlike dead trees. Wei Dayong finally slowed.

He stopped and turned, sweeping his gaze across the faces of his two remaining team members. Beneath the firelight, his eyes were weary yet sharp, like twin clusters of embers on the verge of going out.

"Listen carefully," he said, his voice low but every word clear. "No matter what you see or hear later, you are not to move or make a sound without my order. Keep control of the goods in your hands, and keep control of yourselves. If anyone dares act recklessly..." He paused, his gaze cold as ice. "You won't have to wait for those things to make a move. I'll be the first to purge my own ranks. Understood?"

Wang Quan's heart clenched, and he nodded. Hou San also answered in a low voice, his face ghastly pale beneath the moonlight.

Just then, Wei Dayong suddenly moved close to Wang Quan and whispered almost directly against his ear, "Hold out your hand."

Wang Quan froze for a moment, then obediently spread his left hand slightly beneath his right hand, which held the rope.

Wei Dayong swiftly reached into his robes and slipped something into Wang Quan's palm. It was about the size of a thumb, round and warm to the touch, carrying a strange, spicy medicinal scent.

"Keep it safe." Wei Dayong's lips barely moved, and his voice was almost inaudible. "If things go wrong and you reach a dead end, swallow it. It might... let you fight your way out with half a life."

With that, he immediately withdrew, as if nothing had happened, and merely checked the knots around the two prisoners he was leading.

Wang Quan's heart pounded wildly. He quickly clenched the pill and hid it in his sleeve. At the same time, several lines of text surfaced automatically in his mind:

Item detected: Exploding Pill

[Effect: After swallowing, stimulates potential and forcibly raises the user's strength to the Martial Realm for approximately half an hour. Its power rapidly declines over time and causes severe weakness, damaged meridians, and other lasting consequences.]

Martial Realm! A temporary boost! Wang Quan's pupils constricted. So, above ordinary mortals, the first clearly defined realm was called the Martial Realm! This tiny pill could actually let someone briefly step into that level? The price was enormous, but it was unquestionably a trump card for a critical moment. Had Wei Dayong given it to him because he had noticed something, or merely because of the sliver of "value" Wang Quan had displayed yesterday?

Before he could think any further, Wei Dayong had already started walking again, heading toward a wind-sheltered hollow deep among the hills. The darkness there seemed unusually thick, so dense that even the moonlight struggled to penetrate it.

Two enormous shadows were already waiting in the middle of the hollow.

They were the Pig Demon from the previous night. Beside it stood an even more hulking figure. That creature also walked upright like a man, stood nearly a zhang tall, and was covered in thick, iron-gray bristles. Two curved horns glinted darkly beneath the moonlight atop its massive bull's head, while scorching white vapor blasted from its nostrils. In its hands was a mace as thick as a man's leg, covered in savage wooden spikes.

A pig and a bull merely stood there, yet an oppressive force of suffocating savagery and bloodlust washed over them. The five prisoners seemed to sense the aura of natural predators, and their struggles intensified at once. Their muffled cries brimmed with despair.

"Hmph. You're fairly punctual." The Pig Demon snorted. Its scarlet eyes swept over Wei Dayong's trio before finally landing on the goods behind them. Its voice was laced with undisguised greed and impatience.

The Bull Demon stepped forward. Boom! The earth trembled faintly, and an invisible wave of air rippled outward. It lowered its bull's head and looked over the five prisoners one by one, weighing them with a crude gaze as though judging the fat and leanness of livestock.

"Big Brother," the Bull Demon's voice rumbled like thunder, carrying a mooing resonance. "Three are sturdy, and their Blood Qi is decent. The other two..." It gestured with the mace at two sickly, yellow-faced middle-aged prisoners who had already collapsed in terror. "They're limp and drooping, with their vital essence nearly scattered. They're too stringy even to fill a gap between the teeth."

At those words, the Pig Demon's scarlet eyes narrowed, and Fierce Light erupted from them. Its enormous body suddenly blurred, moving so quickly it left an afterimage. In the next instant, it appeared directly in front of Wei Dayong. Its pig face, covered in stiff bristles and dripping foul-smelling saliva, was almost pressed against his nose.

"Hrr..." Its scorching breath, thick with decay, blasted across Wei Dayong's face. The Pig Demon's tusks parted and closed as viscous saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth. Several drops splashed onto Wei Dayong's cheek, hissing softly as they instantly burned red spots into his skin. His flesh showed signs of corrosion.

"What I said yesterday..." The Pig Demon's voice was squeezed from the depths of its throat, low and slow, yet containing the fury of a volcano. "Did you not understand? Or did you think... this old pig was too easygoing? Hm?!"

That final "hm" exploded like thunder, leaving everyone's eardrums buzzing. Wei Dayong's entire body stiffened. Agony tore through the corroded skin on his face, but he did not dare move—not even to turn his head away from the disgusting saliva.

"L-Lord Pig, please calm down!" Wei Dayong's voice trembled uncontrollably. His waist bent nearly to the ground. "This humble one understood, every word is engraved in my heart! These... these truly are the best we could select from the garrison prison! Every one of them is strong and sturdy, criminals who committed all manner of wickedness, with abundant Blood Qi..."

"Bullshit!" The Pig Demon interrupted him, spraying saliva across Wei Dayong's face. "The best? These? You call those two half-dead wretches the best? Do you take me for a collector of junk?!"

"Never! I wouldn't dare!" With a thud, Wei Dayong dropped directly to his knees on the cold, filthy ground. He buried his head low, his voice breaking into sobs. "Lord Pig, please see reason! It's truly... truly because the recent 'harvest' has been poor! The city's various masters and the various demon kings all need their share, and the refugees have stopped coming in... We truly racked our brains to gather these five! Next month! Next month there will definitely be good stock! The moment new refugees or some fool who doesn't know better comes in, I'll be the first to offer them to Lord Pig! I guarantee every one will be strong and full of Blood Qi! Please give us one more chance and spare us this time!"

Wei Dayong kowtowed like pounding garlic, his forehead striking the gravel with heavy thuds. At that moment, he was as humble as an ant. There was not the slightest trace left of the ruthless captain who had fought desperately before the Corpse Puppets the night before.

The Pig Demon looked down at Wei Dayong trembling beside its feet. A cruel, amused satisfaction flickered through its scarlet eyes. This was precisely the complete submission and terror it wanted.

Silence lasted several breaths. Only the night wind moving through the rocks and Wei Dayong's suppressed panting and kowtows could be heard.

At last, the Pig Demon snorted and took half a step back, temporarily reining in its overwhelming savagery.

"Enough. Look at you, utterly pathetic." With a mud-stained hoof, the Pig Demon casually nudged Wei Dayong's head. "Let it go this time. Remember what you said. Next month, I want to see good stock. If you try to fob me off with such trash again..."

It did not finish, but the icy killing intent said everything.

"Yes, yes! Thank you for your mercy, Lord Pig! Thank you for your mercy!" As though pardoned by heaven, Wei Dayong kowtowed several more times before trembling to his feet. Tears and snot streamed down his face, mixing with the red corrosion marks and mud, leaving him utterly disheveled.

"Get lost." The Pig Demon waved a hoof impatiently, its gaze already fixed on the five trembling prisoners. Its scarlet tongue licked across its tusks.

The three men felt as though a great weight had been lifted and hurriedly turned around, wanting only to leave this nightmare behind as quickly as possible.

However, they had taken only two steps when—

"Hm? Pig Brother, wait!" The Bull Demon's thunderous voice suddenly rang out. It prodded one of the prisoners collapsed on the ground with a thick finger. He was a sickly, yellow-faced middle-aged man. His eyes were wide open, his face purplish-blue, and no breath remained between his nose and mouth. "This one... seems to have been scared to death? No, he's completely stopped breathing!"

The Bull Demon kicked the limp corpse with its hoof and grumbled unhappily, "What do we do with this thing? It's stone dead. Its flesh and vital essence have already begun dispersing. It's stringy and rank. Who would eat such unlucky meat? That makes the numbers wrong!"

The three men, who had been about to leave, instantly froze in place, as though drenched in invisible ice water. Wang Quan could even hear his own heart pounding like a war drum.

The Pig Demon slowly turned its head. Its scarlet eyes swept over Wei Dayong, Wang Quan, and Hou San. The violence that had just subsided in its gaze was like a wildfire doused in boiling oil—it roared back to life, fiercer and more frenzied than before.

"The numbers are wrong..." The Pig Demon's voice was terrifyingly low. It bared its pale tusks, saliva pouring out like a spring. "Since you can't deliver the full Blood Tax, then you can... make up the difference yourselves."

Its enormous hoof rose and pointed toward Wei Dayong. "You, go back and inform Captain Chen. Next time, prepare twice as much! As for these two..." Its gaze fell on Wang Quan and Hou San like tangible blades. "Consider them the interest for this time!"

Wei Dayong's entire body shook violently, and every trace of color drained from his face. He dropped to his knees again and slammed his head against the ground, kowtowing with loud thuds as he cried out in despair, "Lord Pig! Lord Pig, spare us! You can't do this! They're patrol soldiers! If they're gone, no one will patrol at night! Those brainless Corpse Puppets and wandering Nightmare Souls will approach the city walls, disturb the city, and violate the rules set by the lords and the city! Please show mercy, Lord Pig! Next month! Next month I'll make up the difference—no, I'll double it! Please be magnanimous and spare them this once!"

Crying and shouting, he reached out and seized Wang Quan and Hou San by their trouser legs, desperately trying to pull them down and signaling for them to kneel and beg for mercy as well.

Wang Quan felt a chill shoot from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head. He let the motion carry him down onto his knees, his heart nearly bursting from his chest. Hou San had already gone limp. Wei Dayong practically dragged him down, and he shook like a sieve. A wet patch quickly spread across his crotch, filling the air with the stench of urine.

The Pig Demon silently watched the three men kowtowing at its feet, humble as worms. There was no pity in its scarlet eyes, only pure, cruel amusement. It seemed to be savoring their terror at the brink of death.

After several breaths, a low, rolling gurgle rose from the Pig Demon's throat, like thunder brewing beneath heavy clouds.

"You're..." it began slowly. Its voice was not loud, yet it made the air congeal. "Teaching me how to do my job?"

The instant it spat out the final word, violent Monster Qi exploded! It abruptly raised a forehoof and kicked Wei Dayong hard in the chest.

Wei Dayong did not even have time to scream. His body flew backward like a torn cloth sack and slammed into the rocks several zhang away. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his chest visibly caved inward. He was clearly breathing out but no longer breathing in.

"To hell with your rules!" the Pig Demon roared, the sound stabbing painfully at their eardrums. Wei Dayong's words seemed to have enraged it completely—or perhaps it had merely needed an excuse to vent its murderous urges.

Its gaze, sharp as the most precise predator's, instantly locked onto Hou San, who was closest and had already wet himself in terror.

"N-No..." Hou San sprawled on the ground, kicking wildly as he tried to retreat, but he could not summon even the slightest strength.

The Pig Demon peeled back its mouth in an expression of utter savagery. It did not use a weapon. Instead, it thrust out a broad pig hoof, its claws sharp as hooks, and shot it forward like lightning, seizing Hou San's left arm with perfect accuracy.

"No!!!"

Hou San let out a shriek no human should have been able to make.

Crack!

A teeth-grating, muffled sound rang out as flesh and bone were forcibly torn apart.

An entire arm, still dangling from a few scraps of flesh and twitching faintly, was ripped clean from Hou San's shoulder by the Pig Demon! Blood gushed from the bowl-sized, hideous wound like a fountain, instantly dyeing the ground beneath him red.

"Gah!" Hou San's scream cut off abruptly. His eyes rolled back, and the agony and blood loss knocked him unconscious in an instant, though his body continued twitching involuntarily.

The Pig Demon paid no attention. It raised the severed arm before its face, greedily licked the warm blood from the torn end with its scarlet tongue, then opened its bloody maw and bit down with a crunch, tearing away most of the forearm. It chewed with relish, the crackle of crushed bones clearly audible.

"Mmm... just as I thought." The Pig Demon chewed as it spoke in a muffled, satisfied voice. Its gaze passed over the mangled Hou San and settled on Wang Quan, the only one still kneeling, his face drained of color. Its eyes lit with delighted surprise at discovering a "hidden delicacy." "So you dog servants have been hiding all the good stuff yourselves! This Blood Qi is far stronger than those useless prisoners!"

It swallowed the rest of the severed arm in two or three bites, then licked the blood from its tusks, unsatisfied. Its scarlet gaze became chains made flesh, binding Wang Quan firmly in place.

"Looks like none of you will be leaving tonight." The Pig Demon's voice brimmed with savage delight. "Perfect. I'm still not full. After I eat you all, I'll personally go find Captain Chen and have him 'carefully select' another batch of obedient dogs who know to hand over the good stock... As for you..."

It stepped forward, and its shadow completely swallowed the kneeling Wang Quan. The thick stench of blood and decay was almost suffocating.

"You'll obediently turn into our shit! Hahahaha!"