Chapter 47: A Village Under Siege, A Hero’s Reckoning

Lu Hongzhuang remained rigid, not daring to stir, fearing she might disturb Su Qinghan’s peaceful slumber.

Su Qinghan’s head lay nestled on her lap, her breathing soft and even. Each warm exhalation, seeping through the thin fabric, sent a tremor through Lu Hongzhuang’s very core.

She lowered her gaze, observing Su Qinghan’s pale, yet remarkably serene, sleeping face. Her own mind, however, churned into a chaotic mess.

‘The Heavenly Master Dao, its introductory incantation.’

Lu Hongzhuang drew a deep, steadying breath, compelling herself to regain her composure.

Daring not to tarry, she retrieved paper and brush from her satchel. Bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window, she began to meticulously transcribe the arcane and profound incantation, stroke by careful stroke, using the task to divert her tumultuous thoughts.

With each character she penned, it felt as though it were being etched directly onto her heart.

Once finished, she delved into a meticulous study of the text. The more she read, the more profound and enigmatic it seemed, each character brimming with a supreme, inherent truth.

Just as she became utterly absorbed, the sudden flutter of wings abruptly shattered the night’s profound stillness.

“Flap flap—”

A grey pigeon alighted on the windowsill, then, with practiced ease, hopped onto the table, cocking its head to coo twice.

‘Another carrier pigeon!’

Lu Hongzhuang’s heart clenched. She swiftly reached out to unfasten the small bamboo tube from the pigeon’s leg.

‘It was almost nightfall, and a carrier pigeon was still delivering a message—this could only mean a grave emergency!’

She unfurled the tiny strip of paper. Upon it, only a few hastily scrawled words were visible, the strokes so forceful they seemed to press through to the other side.

“Qili Village attacked, demon leader, urgent assistance!”

Lu Hongzhuang’s countenance shifted dramatically in an instant.

‘Qili Village! It’s just east of Moonfall Town!’

She abruptly stomped her foot, preparing to rise, when a chilling sensation surged from the soles of her feet directly to the crown of her head.

“Thump!”

A dull thud.

Only then did Lu Hongzhuang’s mind catch up—she had completely forgotten there was still someone resting on her lap!

Su Qinghan felt her ‘pillow’ abruptly and rapidly ascend. The very next second, her forehead connected with a jarring thud against the unyielding corner of the table.

“Damn it!”

Clutching her throbbing forehead, she shot upright, tears threatening to spill from the sheer agony.

“What happened? Was that an earthquake?”

Lu Hongzhuang gazed at the rapidly reddening welt on Su Qinghan’s forehead, a fleeting expression of panic and guilt washing over her face.

Without a moment’s thought, she immediately knelt, extending a hand to gently rub Su Qinghan’s forehead, her expression remarkably composed despite the inner turmoil.

“What’s wrong, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare? It’s fine, nothing to worry about.”

An almost imperceptible tremor laced her voice.

“I’ll help you to the bed to rest for a bit.”

Su Qinghan, still dazed from the rubbing, felt her mind struggle to clear.

“A nightmare? What kind of nightmare leaves a bump on my head that hurts this much?”

Lu Hongzhuang offered no reply. Instead, she deftly guided Su Qinghan, half-supporting and half-cradling her, onto the bed, then considerately drew the covers up to her chin.

“I need to go out for a while. You rest well; once you’re asleep, it won’t hurt anymore.”

With those words, she turned and made to leave.

Su Qinghan was just about to inquire about her destination when she observed Lu Hongzhuang approach the table and seize the handles of her wheelchair.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

Lu Hongzhuang continued her stride without a break, pushing the wheelchair out of the room without so much as a glance backward.

“I’m ensuring you get proper rest, to prevent you from wandering off.”

As the words left her lips, Lu Hongzhuang herself paused, a flicker of surprise crossing her own mind.

‘She couldn’t quite grasp why she had acted in such a manner.’

‘Perhaps, it was merely an unconscious instinct, a desire to prevent this person from accompanying her to such a perilous location.’

“Hey!”

The room door slammed shut with a decisive ‘bang,’ effectively silencing Su Qinghan’s protests.

Pushing the wheelchair, Lu Hongzhuang swiftly entered the courtyard, where she addressed Master Qian’s Guard, who had emerged upon hearing the commotion.

“Keep a vigilant watch over the white-robed female hero in that room. Under no circumstances is she to be allowed out.”

The guard blinked in surprise, then quickly clasped his fist in a respectful bow, responding, “Understood! Rest assured, Lady Hero!”

Lu Hongzhuang simply nodded, offering no further words.

She deposited the wheelchair into a corner, then with a light tap of her toe on the ground, she sprang into the air. Like a crimson swallow, she ascended, gracefully clearing the tall courtyard wall before vanishing into the fading light of the sunset.

The guard remained rooted to the spot, his face etched with profound admiration as he watched the direction of her disappearance.

After a long moment, he finally averted his gaze. He then glanced at the wide-open mansion gate nearby, a perplexed hand rising to scratch his head.

“Truly a great hero, she doesn’t even bother with the gate that’s right there. So extraordinary, so unique.”

Inside the room, Su Qinghan sat on the bed, her face a mask of utter bewilderment.

“What in the world… what new madness has possessed that girl now?”

Jiu Li’s languid voice drifted through her mind.

“Oh, you foolish thing, looks like you’ve been cast aside.”

Su Qinghan rolled her eyes internally.

“I suspect she’s just experiencing early menopause. Honestly, who cares?”

She mumbled a retort, then flopped back onto the plush pillow, yanking the covers over her head.

‘Sleep!’

‘The world is vast, but sleep is paramount!’

Qili Village.

The air hung heavy, thick with the unyielding stench of mingled blood and char, so dense it felt impossible to disperse.

Amidst the crumbling ruins, corpses lay scattered across the ravaged landscape, the flickering firelight casting an eerie glow upon faces etched with utter despair.

“Senior Brother Wang…”

In a secluded corner, a young demon exorcist’s voice trembled with fear. She and three other companions stood back-to-back, forming a tight circle, shielding the few surviving villagers behind them as their eyes warily pierced the surrounding darkness.

They were the final few who remained on their feet.

Senior Brother Wang, the man so addressed, gripped his blade, the muscles in his arm quivering uncontrollably from exhaustion.

He was on the verge of collapsing from sheer exhaustion.

From the oppressive darkness around them, rustling footsteps emerged, unhurried and deliberate, as if a predator were toying with its dying prey. Each sound reverberated, a hammer blow against their already frayed nerves.

Then, abruptly, the footsteps ceased.

A deathly silence.

After a protracted silence, the junior sister cautiously broke the stillness.

“Senior Brother Wang…” The junior sister’s teeth chattered uncontrollably. “Did… did he truly leave?”

No sooner had the words escaped her lips than she instinctively turned her head.

A pair of golden, utterly emotionless beast eyes stared back at her, chillingly close to her face.

“Ah—”

She yearned to scream, but an overwhelming terror seized her throat, stifling every possible sound.

A razor-sharp claw, sheathed in coarse black fur and gleaming with a metallic chill, lunged towards her neck, accompanied by a malevolent gust of wind that seemed to rip through the very air!

‘Ah, it’s over!’

The young girl closed her eyes, utterly resigned to her fate.

“Clang!”

A sharp, ringing clash of metal!

The searing pain she anticipated never arrived. The girl’s eyes snapped open.

A crimson figure, like a blazing inferno, stood resolutely before her.

The terrifying wolf’s claw was held at bay, firmly parried by a longsword.

The wolf demon Xuange slowly inclined its head, its golden pupils reflecting the distinct image of the newcomer.

‘Lu Hongzhuang!’

She surveyed the devastation, the village reduced to a veritable purgatory, and a fierce, unyielding rage erupted within her chest.

“Demon, die!”

Her left hand deftly produced a talisman, which she swiftly drew across the blade of her sword.

“By decree!”

With a resounding ‘boom,’ a torrent of fierce flames erupted along the sword’s edge!

Lu Hongzhuang flicked her wrist, executing a graceful sword flourish, and brought the flame-wreathed longsword arcing down directly upon Xuange’s head!

Xuange’s claw swept upward, colliding with the burning blade, producing a harsh, sizzling shriek as the air filled with the acrid stench of singed fur.

‘He instantly comprehended that this woman was a truly formidable opponent!’

Xuange, having no desire to prolong the engagement, used the force of the impact to spring backward. It turned tail and fled, vanishing into the dense, shadowy forest in a mere few bounds.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Lu Hongzhuang yearned to give chase, but a muffled groan from behind halted her.

“Senior Brother Wang!”

She whirled around, only to witness Senior Brother Wang, his strength utterly depleted from severe blood loss, finally succumb and collapse limply to the ground.

Lu Hongzhuang’s forward momentum abruptly ceased.

She clenched her jaw, ultimately deciding to remain.

‘Who knew if this was merely a diversion by the demon race?’

She swiftly moved forward, helping Senior Brother Wang to a sitting position, and assisted the junior sister—who was still utterly paralyzed by terror—in bandaging his wounds.

“Thank you… thank you, Senior Sister Lu, for coming to our aid…”

The junior sister, tears streaming down her face, choked out her words between sobs.

“But alas… Senior Brother Zhang, Senior Brother Xie, they…”

Unable to utter another word, she embraced Senior Brother Wang, her body wracked with convulsive sobs.

Lu Hongzhuang observed the grim scene, silently clenching her fists.

Deep within the dense forest, the wolf demon Xuange executed a series of agile leaps, silently alighting upon the crown of a colossal ancient tree.

He lowered his gaze, observing the fiery scorch marks marring his claws, and a chilling glint flickered within his golden pupils.

Immediately, he produced an item from within his robes.

That was a thread-bound, somewhat worn storybook.

In the moonlight, the ancient characters on the cover were faintly discernible:

‘Records of Demon Slaying and Ascension.’

It was precisely the same book Su Qinghan had used to taunt Lu Hongzhuang earlier.

Xuange’s coarse fingers gently caressed the pages as he murmured to himself.

“Soon…”

“It will be soon.”

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