A Man with a Cat's Face

At dusk, the four of them returned to the village's central square.

At the edge of the square, the doors of one of the houses stood open. Black smoke rose from its tall chimney, and a breeze carried the fragrance of grain.

Shan Renhu didn't immediately lead Jiang Yan and the others over. Instead, he stood at the edge of the square, watching several members of another patrol team in the middle.

"From now on, you don't need to do this when you come back for lunch. But when you return at dusk or after a night watch, you must stand beneath a Rune Soldier for a while before eating or doing anything else."

Shan Renhu reminded them.

He looked at Jiang Yan. From their interactions that day, he'd realized the young man was clever, but hazy on some basic things.

Jiang Yan glanced at Shan Renhu and nodded solemnly.

Rune Soldiers could suppress the strange and defend the village. If someone had been possessed by the strange or afflicted with a curse, spending a little time near one would likely make it show itself.

"Brother Shan, does that mean that beneath a Rune Soldier, all possession by the strange and all curses will be revealed?"

Meng Sheng watched one patrol team after another enter and leave, then asked Shan Renhu for guidance.

"You have the talent to practice martial arts, and you've trained before. You don't know this?"

"I..." Meng Sheng's face suddenly flushed red. He muttered a few words under his breath, too quietly for anyone to make out.

Seeing Meng Sheng like that, Shan Renhu understood.

The fellow had probably been tested for martial arts aptitude in his old village, but was too afraid of dying to join the village patrol.

If he'd trained before, he'd likely only sneaked a look at the village's martial artists practicing and secretly memorized their stances.

In fact, there were plenty of people like Meng Sheng. Though they had the talent to practice martial arts, they wouldn't join the Patrol Team. They enjoyed the protection others provided, content to be peaceful dogs in the village.

There were a hundred kinds of people, and a thousand leaves on a tree. Once tested and found to have the talent for martial arts, some people would either devote themselves to the martial path and grow stronger, or envy the Patrol Team's astonishingly high pay and join up.

Some ordinary people, even without the talent for martial arts, were willing to take a chance for the Patrol Team's generous wages.

After all, even if ordinary people couldn't become Martial Apprentices, practicing martial arts could still strengthen their bodies.

Meng Sheng had probably joined the Dahe Gang after being driven into a corner. The Gang's mines had squeezed him far too hard. Beyond barely having enough to eat, he couldn't hope for anything else.

That kind of life had a clear end in sight.

Given any other opportunity, people would do whatever they could to escape the life of a miner.

"Rune Soldiers aren't omnipotent, of course. This is just a routine check."

Shan Renhu said coldly.

"Truth is, once you're possessed by the strange, there's basically no hope. The same goes for those instant-death curses. If we find them here, we can deal with the trouble right here."

"If we fail to detect someone possessed by the strange, it could cause even bigger problems."

"Are there strange beings that can hide from a Rune Soldier's inspection?"

Jiang Yan asked.

Shan Renhu's face instantly darkened. "Of course. The strange in the wilderness comes in all shapes and forms; new varieties even appear. There's no inspection method that can guarantee absolute safety."

"Then it comes down to luck."

Jiang Yan's face darkened. He understood now: even Rune Soldiers weren't all-powerful. Even inside the village, someone could be possessed or cursed by a special kind of strange. There was no place here that was absolutely safe, and the Patrol Team's rounds along the village's edge were the first line of defense for the village.

No wonder the benefits were so good: free martial arts manuals and high pay. It was just as Old Shan had said—every bit of it had been earned by gambling with their lives.

Meng Sheng looked troubled, too.

As they spoke, the four of them reached the middle of the square. Jiang Yan looked up. The dark Big Carp Talisman Soldier still looked so ordinary.

After standing for about twenty breaths, Shan Renhu looked over the four of them. Seeing nothing else amiss, he nodded. "All right, let's go."

They left the square and headed for the house where the food was being prepared.

As the four of them ate, Patrol Team members who'd been on daytime duty hurried back. Their day's patrol was over, and a hint of relief showed on many of their weary faces.

"After you finish eating, head back. Don't wander around the village tonight. We don't want anyone getting the wrong idea."

Jiang Yan and the other two fell quiet, slowly digesting what Shan Renhu had just said.

"Huh?" Meng Sheng looked up and saw someone whose face was bright red, so vivid it looked ready to drip blood.

"That... that person..."

His fingers trembled, and in his haste, his words stuttered again.

Even without him saying anything, many people had noticed. Old Shan set down his bowl, picked up his spear, and walked over with a grave expression.

Tang Long was there, too. He shouted, "Rookies, stay back!"

As people spoke and ran around, the red-faced man collapsed to the ground.

"Captain Tang, should we...?"

Old Shan approached Tang Long and made a slicing gesture across his throat as he spoke.

Tang Long fell silent. The man looked either possessed or afflicted with a terrible curse. Killing him now would save them a lot of trouble.

"Cough, cough."

Just then, the fallen man suddenly coughed several times. "Hrk, hrk, hrk."

He let out an incoherent, sobbing noise.

"Old Liu, how are you feeling?"

Tang Long drew his sword, body taut and eyes cold.

"Cough, cough."

Old Liu lay face down on the ground. No one could see his expression. He coughed again. "I... I'm okay. I don't know what happened just now. My head suddenly got hot, and I felt a little confused."

Tang Long made a small gesture, signaling everyone to spread out and form a wide circle.

"If you're better, get up."

"Y-yeah... meow. I need to get up, hurry back..."

After saying that, Old Liu fell silent for a moment.

"Captain Tang." For some reason, Old Liu's voice had turned hoarse and sharp.

"I-I don't think I can stand. Give me a hand."

"Sure."

Tang Long replied unhurriedly, but didn't move a step.

In the middle of the square, the Big Carp Talisman Soldier turned slowly. A yellow light gathered in its mouth.

"Captain Tang, why aren't you coming over?"

"Come here, come here?"

"Come on, come over!"

By the end, Old Liu was almost shrieking.

Hiss!

Jiang Yan, watching coldly from a short distance away, suddenly felt a chill pass through his skin and sink into his bones.

It was as if venomous snakes were crawling all over him, while a nauseating, warped sensation lingered.

A blood-soaked hand reached out.

Old Liu finally raised his head, but he had a cat's face. He stuck out a small, soft tongue, his cold yellow eyes—distinctly feline—fixed on Tang Long.

"Captain Tang, why won't you help me up?" His mouth stretched to an absurd width, revealing rows of fine, sharp teeth. "I'm getting angry."

Tang Long fell silent for a moment, then said coldly, "A Cat-Faced Man?"