Chapter Six: Journey to Ten Thousand Families Village

Late at night, a gentle breeze softly swept through Bar Village. Lei Yan sat with his eyes closed, tirelessly practicing the transmission of internal force. The transmission of internal force closely resembled an internal force attack; both involved channeling energy into the human body to inflict damage. Yet, unlike an attack, which forcibly broke through defenses, transmission sought resonance with the recipient’s internal force, directly destroying muscles, meridians, and bones from within.

At some unknown hour, Qing Ling stepped out from the thatched cottage and stood quietly on the empty ground, watching Lei Yan cultivate. Visible blue light emanated from Lei Yan’s palm, splitting in the air into strands no finer than hair, only to flicker and vanish instantly. Clearly, Lei Yan had not yet mastered this power.

As time passed, the horizon began to glow with the pale light of dawn. Lei Yan’s fists gradually softened, as if he had finally found the rhythm. The hair-like blue strands of light began to linger in the air, winding around his hand like the tentacles of some creature.

Suddenly, Lei Yan opened his eyes and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “So the transmission must be formed with softness and unleashed with strength!”

“It seems you’ve made a breakthrough,” Qing Ling remarked, her tone oddly sarcastic, as if Lei Yan’s progress left her less than pleased.

Lei Yan was in high spirits and smiled lightly. “You could say that.”

Suddenly, a commotion echoed from outside the village. Lei Yan and Qing Ling looked instinctively toward the entrance. Several armed warriors entered from beyond the village, greeted by the patrolling villagers.

“How was the harvest this trip?” one villager asked.

“Excellent! We traded for a hundred taels of silver in one go—enough to keep the village fed for a month!” a burly man replied, grinning.

“I heard that Wan Family Village tried to steal children from us?” the burly man continued.

“Hmph! Wan Family Village is truly mad—they stole the chief’s grandson and granddaughter. Luckily, the children were rescued,” a villager replied angrily.

The burly man sighed, “Don’t be upset. Anyone would lose their head if faced with such a thing. Their village has suffered enough. When we passed by yesterday, we saw many corpses of adults.”

“They killed even the adults?” asked a villager.

“Yes, and it’s strange—the murdered children had their hearts removed, but the adults were untouched. Perhaps some kind of monster is behind it,” the burly man answered.

“Whether it’s a monster or not, Wan Family Village has spent everything they have, offering all their savings as a reward to catch the culprit. Even I feel tempted,” said a warrior holding a bow.

“Hmph, do you think you’re lucky enough to claim it?” The burly man glared at the archer.

Silenced by the rebuke, the archer said no more.

Lei Yan and Qing Ling heard every word clearly. Lei Yan frowned slightly. From the clues, the attacks targeted only children, while adults were likely slain out of anger. If a cultivator was behind this, sending more warriors would only mean more deaths. Yet, if it was truly a cultivator, there would be no need for such trouble—they could have taken all the children at once. Why take one each day? Something about this felt off.

“Do you think it’s the work of a monster?” Qing Ling asked.

“It’s possible! Pack up—we’ll go and see for ourselves,” Lei Yan said, turning toward the cottage.

After bidding farewell to Batu and the others, Lei Yan and Qing Ling set out for Wan Family Village. From Batu, Lei Yan learned that Wan Family Village lay directly north, just beyond a small grove. Once they reached the main road and continued north, the village would appear.

They traveled on foot, and since Qing Ling lacked true essence, she needed to rest frequently. By dusk, they arrived at an inn several miles from Wan Family Village. Lei Yan decided to stay there for the night.

The inn was bustling, with warriors gathered in groups at tables and merchants enjoying food and drink. Lei Yan and Qing Ling’s arrival caused no ripple in the lively atmosphere. A cheerful attendant hurried up to greet them. “Welcome, please come inside!”

“Attendant, prepare two rooms and bring some food,” Lei Yan said.

“Certainly! Please follow me.” Guided by the attendant, Lei Yan and Qing Ling settled into their rooms.

Soon after, the attendant brought some small dishes to Lei Yan’s room. Lei Yan handed him a silver ingot and asked with a smile, “Has something happened at Wan Family Village lately?”

The attendant, delighted with his silver, replied, “You’re well-informed! Wan Family Village has suffered a disaster recently—children have been dying mysteriously, and now even adults are affected. This time, the village spent everything to hire experts to eliminate the monster.”

“Monster? You think a monster did it?” Lei Yan asked.

“That’s right! There are so many warriors in Wan Family Village now. Just last night, one saw a long shadow—like a snake! But no one knows for sure.”

“All right, you may go,” Lei Yan instructed.

After the attendant left, Qing Ling looked at Lei Yan. “Do you believe him?”

“He reminded me—didn’t Batay say all the children were found on Blood Orchid Slope? That makes me think of the Blood Orchid itself. Perhaps the slope was named for its abundance of Blood Orchids. If so, the culprit might indeed be a python,” Lei Yan replied with a smile.

Qing Ling nodded. Blood Orchids easily attracted snakes, so she agreed with Lei Yan’s guess.

“Let’s eat first. When night falls, I’ll go investigate. Wait here for my return,” Lei Yan said.

“Hmph! I’ll stay, but only if you agree to split whatever you find with me. If not, I’ll follow you even if it costs my life,” Qing Ling retorted coldly.

“Deal. No problem,” Lei Yan answered readily.

Qing Ling was taken aback by his easy acceptance, feeling a pang of regret that perhaps she should have asked for more.

As night descended, Lei Yan left the inn and headed straight for Wan Family Village. The village was only a few miles away, and with the aid of his internal force, Lei Yan arrived in moments, greeted by the bright lights of Wan Family Village.