Revenge

Chapter 28: Revenge

By the end of his words, he was weeping bitterly, tears and snot streaming down his face, unable to speak further.

The few men from the Demon Suppression Bureau exchanged glances, none able to utter a single word.

Zhao Hu opened his mouth, wanting to curse, but seeing the old man's face streaked with tears and mucus, he couldn't force out a single syllable.

A long silence passed.

Finally, Jiang Yuechu spoke, "So, that demon—was it to avenge her?"

"Avenge her?"

The old man froze, then suddenly laughed, "Yes! Avenge her!"

"It destroyed my daughter, ruined the Zhang Family's reputation, and now it's cut off the livelihood of our entire village!"

"This water—can't be drunk! This land—can't be farmed! Our whole village, young and old, can only wait here to die!"

"Honored officials!" He fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly to Liu Chen and the others, "I beg you, kill that beast! I beg you!"

Liu Chen dismounted in one motion, helped him up, his expression grave.

"Elder, please rise first."

"That demon hides beneath the water. We are not skilled in swimming, so how can we..."

The old man wiped the tears from his face, then suddenly spoke, "Honored officials, rest assured. That beast... though a demon, is also a lovesick fool. My poor daughter was sunk in the Backwater Bay west of the village. That demon... that demon often wanders that bay late at night."

"If the honored officials set an ambush at Backwater Bay, you will surely wait for that beast to show itself!"

Liu Chen exchanged a glance with Old Wang, both seeing the flicker of intent in each other's eyes.

This was indeed a plan.

Waiting by the stump for the rabbit was far better than stumbling aimlessly along the riverbank like headless flies.

Moreover, the Yellow Battalion had been here; they must have asked about Xing'er's drowning in the pond.

Given their methods, they would surely follow the clues and investigate Backwater Bay.

But now, their whereabouts were unknown—neither seen alive nor found dead.

That demon was almost certainly at Backwater Bay!

Liu Chen looked at the old man kneeling before him, trembling, his heart a tangled mess of emotions.

"I understand."

He turned to the men behind him and said, "We set out immediately for Backwater Bay."

Seeing this, the village head's face flashed with joy. He scrambled to his feet and bowed repeatedly to the group.

"Thank you, honored officials! Thank you all for ridding Black Water Village of this great scourge!"

"This old man will prepare some wine and meat to see you off!"

Liu Chen raised a hand, cutting him off.

"No need for wine or meat."

"We are men of the Demon Suppression Bureau. Slaying demons and vanquishing evil is our duty. There is no need for thanks."

The village head's smile grew even brighter, "Yes, yes, of course, honored officials."

But Liu Chen's next words froze that smile instantly.

"However..."

Liu Chen's tone turned abruptly cold.

"Your daughter Xing'er's matter—though it began with a demon—you took the law into your own hands and drowned her in the pond. This is not permitted under the laws of the Great Tang."

"Once we have dealt with that demon, we will report this truthfully to the county magistrate."

"When the time comes, whatever punishment is due will be decided by the imperial court."

"You... take care of yourselves."

The village head opened his mouth, as if to say something, but meeting Liu Chen's icy gaze, he couldn't force out a single word.

"Hyah!"

Liu Chen said no more. He flicked the reins, and the Crimson-Eyed Stallion neighed, charging ahead toward the west end of the village.

Jiang Yuechu and the others silently followed.

Only the villagers of Black Water Village were left standing dumbfounded, staring at the eight retreating figures, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

Backwater Bay was no more than seven or eight li from Black Water Village.

It was called a bay, but it was really just a deep pool formed where the Black River took a bend, slowing the current.

The group dismounted, tied the Crimson-Eyed Stallions at a distance, and each drew their Horizontal Blades, creeping cautiously toward the edge of the pool.

The muddy ground by the bay was slick and sludgy, sinking softly underfoot, leaving a trail of uneven footprints.

"Everyone, be thorough. Look for any clues."

The men acknowledged the order and split into pairs, spreading out to search.

Before they had gone far, Zhao Hu suddenly stopped.

"Chief, what's this?"

The others gathered around at his call.

In the muddy ground, a black object was visible, looking like the sole of some kind of leather boot.

Liu Chen frowned and shot a glance at the man beside him.

That man stepped forward, used his scabbard to push aside the muck, then reached down and yanked.

With a squelch.

What came out wasn't just a single black boot of Demon Suppression Bureau standard issue.

There was also a leg, still attached to the boot, swollen and pale from soaking, severed cleanly at the knee.

"..."

An indescribable chill crawled up everyone's spine.

"It's one of ours..."

Zhao Hu took a deep breath, rushed a few steps to the edge of the pool, and ignoring the mud, began digging through the silt by the water with his bare hands.

Soon, he uncovered another severed arm.

The hand on the arm still clutched the broken half of a blade hilt.

"Damn it!"

Zhao Hu punched the ground, splattering mud everywhere.

The Demon Suppression Bureau's standard Horizontal Blades were forged from dark iron, rarely breaking even when clashing with demons.

Yet this blade had been snapped clean in two.

What kind of terrifying monster had the Yellow Battalion men encountered?

"Chief, there's more over here!"

Not far away, Old Wang pointed at a withered tree.

On a branch of that dead tree hung a piece of black-red fabric, faded from soaking—a corner of a Demon Suppression Bureau uniform.

Liu Chen walked over to the severed arm, crouched down, and examined the half-hilt closely.

"It's Wang Xian, the Yellow Battalion squad leader."

He recognized the unique pattern of cord wrapped around the hilt.

"Wang Xian was a good hand at the String-Hearing Rear Realm. His Wind-Chasing Blade could handle even late String-Hearing demons... but now..."

A martial artist at the String-Hearing Rear Realm, along with his entire squad, had died silently in this muddy swamp.

Still.

One thing was certain now.

That demon would definitely show up here!

"Then... what do we do now?" one of the men couldn't help asking.

"Wait."

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes, staring at the foul-smelling river.

"Since the Yellow Battalion brothers met their end here, the demon will naturally appear in this spot."

"Everyone, fall back ten zhang. Find your positions and conceal yourselves!"

"Draw your blades, hold your pills in your mouths. At the first sign of movement, strike immediately!"

At the command, the men moved at once.

Eight Demon Suppression Guards quickly scattered, each finding a dead tree or rock as cover, hiding their forms in the shadows.

Clang--

A series of crisp blade rings sounded by the deathly still pool, then faded away.

Time trickled by, drop by drop.

The sun gradually sank westward, burning the clouds on the horizon into a magnificent blood-red.

The light by the pool dimmed along with it.

Just as the men were nearly losing patience from the wait.

Gurgle...

Gurgle...

A faint sound came from the shallow water at the pool's edge.

In the murky mud, a string of fist-sized bubbles rose.

A stench mixed with rotting waterweed spread through the air.

Here it comes!