When the Swallows Came at the Spring Festival

Beneath the night sky, the Mountain Gate of the Azure Cloud Pavilion was utterly silent.

A silence thick with oppression.

No one spoke, and no one moved.

It seemed no one dared believe that anyone who stepped forward would truly be safe.

Who would believe a Human Demon's promises? Who would dare?

The woman wearing the Faceless Mask stood with her hands on her hips, seemingly quite pleased with the atmosphere.

The more uneasy and terrified they were, the more pleased she became.

"I like it when you don't listen. That way, I get to kill more people!" she said, her tone lively.

"Here's what we'll do. I'll count to three. When I get to three, if nobody has stepped forward, I'll start killing again. One by one. Who dies first and who dies last will be up to luck!"

"Whether you're willing or not, that's what we're doing!"

She clapped her hands and immediately began to count—

"One!"

"Two!"

"I-I'm a member of the Chi family!"

Before she'd finished counting to three, someone couldn't take the pressure anymore and stepped forward with a stiff upper lip. His voice weakened without his realizing it, trembling with fear. "My surname is Chi."

"Very good!" The woman seemed delighted.

"Come over here!" She traced a circle in the air over an empty patch of ground with her finger. "Everyone from the Feng and Chi families, come stand over here. Hurry up. I have a task for you!"

"Don't be afraid. What's there to fear?" she said. "If I wanted to kill you, why would I bother singling you out? Right?"

That made a fair amount of sense, and it was clearly much more persuasive.

Four more people immediately stepped forward. One of them was Feng Yue, the last remaining senior member of