Chapter 19
Brother Wu returned to the magistrate’s office and went to the west wing to find Li Xinjun. He knocked on the door, and Li Xinjun emerged. He recounted the events of the night. As Li Xinjun listened, her heart grew heavy. Upon hearing the end of his tale, she immediately tried to rush out to find Song Ling, but Brother Wu held her back.
“Little Jun, calm down. Doctor Song told me to tell you to wait for her here. She will return after dealing with the jiangshi king.”
“Brother Wu, do you know how dangerous it is for Sister Ling to face the jiangshi king alone? I have to go help her!”
“Little Jun, Doctor Song left a long time ago. Where would you even begin to search for her? And in your current condition, you would only be a burden to her. It’s better to wait here. Wouldn’t it be worse if she returned and couldn’t find you?”
“Brother Wu, I can’t just stay here. I can’t let her face that danger alone. Let me go!”
“Little Jun, listen to me. Calm down…”
“Bang! Bang! Bang!” Suddenly, frantic pounding on the main gate echoed through the courtyard. “Bang! Bang! Bang! Sir! Sir! Help! Sir!”
Their conversation was interrupted. They rushed to the main hall, where Minister Chen and Magistrate Wang were already waiting. Ah Qi ran to open the gate. A group of villagers stood outside, covered in injuries, their clothes torn and tattered, their faces filled with terror.
Ah Qi helped one of the villagers to his feet. “Brother You, what are you doing here? How did you get hurt?”
“Ah Qi, the south end of the village… There are many monsters there!”
Minister Chen, Magistrate Wang, Li Xinjun, and Brother Wu, who had just arrived behind Ah Qi, were stunned by Brother You’s words. Minister Chen stepped forward anxiously. “You said there are monsters in the south end of the village?”
“Yes! They’re terrifying! They attack and bite anyone they see. Many people have been killed! Even my wife… Waaah! Sir, please send help!”
“Brother Wu, gather all the soldiers and send them to the south end of the village immediately! Ah Qi, take these injured villagers to Doctor Huang. Miss Li, Magistrate Wang, let’s go to the south end. I fear that the jiangshi king might have gone there.” Minister Chen issued his orders and then rushed towards the south end of the village.
Li Xinjun followed Minister Chen and Magistrate Wang. Many villagers were fleeing in the opposite direction. They continued towards the commotion and found bodies scattered everywhere, their necks bearing the telltale bite and claw marks of jiangshi attacks.
“This is bad. It seems the jiangshi king is indeed here. I wonder if Doctor Song is also here.”
Hearing that Song Ling might be ahead, Li Xinjun, ignoring Minister Chen and Magistrate Wang, ran towards the source of the screams.
“Sister Ling! Sister Ling! Where are you?”
She called out as she ran. She saw some men, armed with hoes and wooden sticks, fighting a jiangshi, defending their homes with their lives. Without hesitation, Li Xinjun drew her sword and charged forward, attacking the jiangshi. Consumed by worry for Song Ling’s safety, she managed to pierce the jiangshi’s heart with a single blow. The jiangshi collapsed, motionless.
Li Xinjun retrieved her sword and turned to the man beside her. “Sir, have you seen Doctor Song?”
The man, who had narrowly escaped death, shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen Doctor Song. Miss Li, can you please help me? My wife is trapped in that house over there. There are many monsters there. I had to protect my daughter and bring her here. I couldn’t save my wife. Please help her.”
“Take your daughter to the magistrate’s office. I’ll go rescue your wife.”
Li Xinjun ran towards the house surrounded by jiangshi. She recognized one of the jiangshi as one of the corpses she had seen at the mortuary. Rage surged within her. If Magistrate Wang hadn’t prevented them from cremating the bodies, this wouldn’t have happened.
She saw a woman crying for help from the window. It must be the man’s wife. Knowing that she couldn’t fight so many jiangshi at once, she shouted to the woman,
“Don’t be afraid, ma’am! I’m coming to rescue you! I’ll distract the jiangshi, and you run out, okay?”
The woman nodded in understanding. Li Xinjun charged into the fray, swinging her sword wildly, and then ran towards another house. The jiangshi, enraged, gave chase.
“Now, ma’am! Run!” Li Xinjun shouted to the woman as she fought the jiangshi.
The woman seized the opportunity, flung open the door, and ran out. She encountered Minister Chen and Magistrate Wang, who immediately directed her towards the magistrate’s office. Seeing Li Xinjun battling three jiangshi alone, Minister Chen drew his sword and rushed to her aid.
“Miss Li, I’m here to help!”
Minister Chen, skilled in martial arts, fought like a seasoned warrior. He leaped into the air and decapitated one of the jiangshi with a single blow. However, to his surprise, the headless jiangshi continued to move, blindly lashing out.
“Damn it! It’s still alive without its head!” He kicked the headless jiangshi away.
“Minister Chen, you have to pierce their hearts!”
“Alright! I’ll try my best!”
Minister Chen joined Li Xinjun, their backs against each other as they fought the remaining jiangshi. They slashed and stabbed with their swords, but the jiangshi were incredibly tough. Their bodies were almost impenetrable, and they were incredibly strong and impervious to pain. Defeating them was no easy feat.
Slowly, they were forced back into a corner, their strength waning. Li Xinjun noticed that the headless jiangshi, seemingly blind, was bumping into the wall of a nearby house.
An idea struck her. She leaped up and stabbed the jiangshi in front of her in both eyes. The jiangshi, now blind, relied on its sense of smell to locate them, confirming her theory.
“Minister Chen, attack their eyes!”
Without hesitation, Minister Chen slashed at the jiangshi’s eyes. The eyeballs were easily destroyed. Li Xinjun, holding her breath, cautiously approached the blinded jiangshi and, with all her might, plunged her sword into its heart, killing it instantly.
“Minister Chen, it can’t see you now. Try holding your breath and approaching it.”
Minister Chen followed her instructions, holding his breath. The jiangshi slowed down, sniffing the air for their scent. Minister Chen slowly moved behind the jiangshi and, with a swift thrust, pierced its heart with his sword. They had defeated two jiangshi by exploiting their weakness.
Brother Wu arrived at that moment. He didn’t notice the severed head of the jiangshi lying on the ground and accidentally kicked it. The jiangshi head snapped at his boot, startling him.
“Argh! What the–! Get off me! Argh!”
Brother Wu hopped around, trying to shake the head off his foot. The jiangshi hadn’t bitten him, but it had given him quite a fright. He punched the head, but it wouldn’t let go.
“Get off my foot, you damn thing! Let go!” He pounded on the head, but it clung on tight.
“Help me! Get this thing off me!”
Ah Qi rushed forward and grabbed the jiangshi head. Brother Wu pulled his foot back, and they engaged in a tug-of-war. With a final yank, they managed to pull the head off. However, Brother Wu lost his balance and fell backward, his fist accidentally connecting with Magistrate Wang’s face. The impact sent blood gushing from Magistrate Wang’s nose, and he bit his lip.
Li Xinjun couldn’t help but chuckle. Magistrate Wang, clutching his bleeding nose, glared at Brother Wu, who looked at him apologetically.
“Magistrate Wang, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!”
Magistrate Wang was about to say something, but Li Xinjun intervened, trying to defuse the situation.
“Don’t worry, Brother Wu. Magistrate Wang is a magnanimous man. He won’t hold it against you, right, Magistrate Wang?”
Magistrate Wang, forced to save face, nodded with a pained smile.
Li Xinjun, remembering that she still hadn’t found Song Ling, turned to Brother Wu.
“By the way, Brother Wu, did you see the jiangshi king or Sister Ling when you came here?”
“Weren’t you the first one to arrive? When I got here, I only saw villagers fleeing. There was no one else.”
Li Xinjun clenched her fists. She realized that these jiangshi were just the ones that had transformed at the mortuary. The jiangshi king wasn’t here, which meant Song Ling wouldn’t be here either. She was torn. If she didn’t stay and deal with the situation here, more villagers would be harmed. But if she didn’t go after Song Ling now, she might never find her.
At that moment, some of the injured villagers lying on the ground suddenly stirred. They rose unsteadily, their eyes glowing red, their mouths open, revealing sharp fangs. Li Xinjun was shocked. Why had they transformed so quickly?
Without hesitation, she pushed Magistrate Wang aside and charged at the newly transformed jiangshi. Magistrate Wang, caught off guard, lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, rolling twice. He was about to yell at Li Xinjun when he noticed the approaching jiangshi and scrambled away in terror.
Brother Wu and the other soldiers also joined the fight. These jiangshi were different from the others. They were agile, their bodies not as rigid, similar to humans, making them easier to deal with. However, they clearly possessed cognitive abilities.
Li Xinjun, swift and skilled, dispatched them one by one, unaware that they could speak. As Minister Chen was about to strike one of the jiangshi, it suddenly spoke.
“Don’t kill me!”
Minister Chen froze, staring at the talking jiangshi, his mind reeling. Was this creature before him, seemingly transformed, still human?
The jiangshi, sensing his hesitation, lunged at him, aiming for his neck. Minister Chen, quick on his feet, managed to block its jaw with his hand, narrowly avoiding a bite.
The jiangshi was incredibly strong. It grabbed Minister Chen’s hand, forcing it open, and spoke again,
“Sir, you’re an official. You’re supposed to serve the people. All we need is a little bit of your blood. You should cooperate.”
Minister Chen, struggling to break free, replied, “What are you? You can speak like a normal person?”
“I’m just a villager from Chen Family Village, sir. I’m starving. Please, just let me have a little blood. Just a taste.”
The talking jiangshi lunged at Minister Chen’s neck again. Just as its fangs were about to pierce his flesh, Ah Qi, who had just finished off another jiangshi, arrived and kicked the creature away. He then plunged his spear into its chest.
Minister Chen, relieved, grabbed his broadsword and got to his feet. He thanked Ah Qi, who simply nodded and then turned to help the others.
Minister Chen joined Li Xinjun in the fight and said to her,
“Miss Li, these jiangshi are different from the ones we encountered before. They can talk and think.” He slashed at a jiangshi as he spoke.
Li Xinjun looked at him, confused. “What? They can talk?”
Another jiangshi charged at her. Li Xinjun spun around and severed its arms and legs. The jiangshi collapsed, but it wasn’t dead. Li Xinjun stepped on its head, holding her sword to its throat.
“Can you speak?”
The jiangshi didn’t answer. It thrashed on the ground, its mouth open, trying to bite the sword. Li Xinjun crouched down and held out her injured left hand, the blood seeping through the bandages driving the jiangshi into a frenzy.
“Blood! I want blood! Roar!”
“Hmph, so you really can talk.”
Li Xinjun smirked, stood up, and ordered the soldiers,
“Take this jiangshi back to the magistrate’s office. Don’t kill it.”
A soldier stepped forward, stuffed a rag into the jiangshi’s mouth, and bound it with ropes, ensuring it couldn’t bite anyone. He then hoisted the jiangshi onto his shoulder and carried it back to the magistrate’s office.
Li Xinjun helped Minister Chen finish off the remaining jiangshi and then pulled him aside.
“Minister Chen, judging by the situation, we can’t let these people live. The situation is chaotic, and the transformation is happening much faster now. We need to take drastic measures and cremate all the dead and injured to prevent further spread.”
Minister Chen’s face darkened. He knew that Li Xinjun was right. They couldn’t afford to delay any longer. Otherwise, even the villagers who had escaped would be at risk. With a heavy heart, he gritted his teeth and said,
“Issue the order. After we eliminate all the jiangshi, cremate all the bodies.”
Magistrate Wang, who was hiding nearby, overheard Minister Chen’s order and looked at him in shock. He protested,
“Minister Chen, you can’t do that! Have you considered the consequences? This could cost us our positions!”
Minister Chen glared at him. “Magistrate Wang, are you only concerned about your own career at a time like this? I seriously question your competence as an official.”
Minister Chen was furious. He had never imagined that Magistrate Wang was such a self-serving person. He had always considered him to be a diligent official, but it turned out that he only cared about his own advancement. Magistrate Wang, seeing Minister Chen’s anger, was afraid. However, remembering that he could be implicated if the court found out, he continued,
“Minister Chen, I know I am shortsighted, but this matter is of great consequence. I fear that the Emperor will punish us. Why don’t we wait a couple more days? We’ve already informed the court. We should receive a reply soon. We can decide then, can’t we?”
“You! Is this how you delayed the cremation before? Look around you! If you had acted decisively then, would we be in this situation now? And you still want to delay? You’re utterly incompetent! Don’t worry, if the Emperor blames us, I will take full responsibility. Surely you have no objections now!” Minister Chen turned away, refusing to engage with Magistrate Wang any further.
Leave a Reply