Chapter Eight: The Wall Serpent (Part One)

“A snake with extraordinary speed?” Lei Yan couldn’t help but furrow his brows. Speed was not his forte; in most cases, he could only enhance it by channeling his inner force, but even then, he was no faster than an ordinary martial artist. Compared to innate warriors, he was still lacking by a wide margin.

“It seems I’ll have to make some preparations. Let’s hope it’s merely a beast and not a cultivator,” Lei Yan mused silently.

Seeing the expression on Lei Yan’s face, Yuan Hou clapped him on the shoulder and laughed, “What’s this, Brother Lei, are you nervous? To tell you the truth, there are thirty-two martial artists gathered here. Most are useless, but there are indeed a few formidable ones. For instance, that fellow leaning against the wooden post over there—that’s Li Yun, the hall master of the Li clan. And the one lying on the ground is Sun Jin, the banner leader of the Sun family.”

Lei Yan followed Yuan Hou’s gesture. Li Yun and Sun Jin were the two innate warriors he had noticed earlier. Li Yun stood alone in a corner, leaning against a wooden post with his eyes closed, resting. Sun Jin lay relaxed on the ground, leisurely watching Lei Yan’s group. Lei Yan smiled and nodded at Sun Jin, who returned the gesture politely before clasping his hands behind his head and gazing up at the sky.

Just then, the village chief of Wanjia Village entered the training grounds and called out, “Honored guests, the beast may appear in the dead of night, and its exact location is uncertain. You may choose a good spot and wait in ambush. By midnight, I am sure you will be able to slay it.”

As soon as the chief finished speaking, someone in the training grounds responded loudly, “The chief is right! We should spread out. That way, we can look out for each other and prevent the beast from escaping.”

His suggestion was met with approval by the assembled martial artists. Li Yun, the expert from the Li clan, was the first to leap onto a distant rooftop, his steps light and swift, leaving a trailing shadow behind before vanishing from sight. Sun Jin sprang to his feet and jumped onto the nearest rooftop. One by one, the martial artists dispersed, some slipping into courtyards, others ascending rooftops, each seeking a favorable position for their vigil.

Seeing everyone depart, Yuan Hou turned to Lei Yan and urged, “Brother Lei, you should hurry and find yourself a good spot. I’ll be off ahead.” With a light step, Yuan Hou floated up onto a rooftop like a feather, and after a few quick movements, disappeared from Lei Yan’s view.

“There’s barely enough time to prepare,” Lei Yan remarked with a smile and a shake of his head. He needed to make some arrangements. He was fairly certain the beast was a serpent, but many questions remained. For one, why had the serpent, a beast, not devoured anyone? And why was the wound on the child’s chest so neat?

As he walked northeast, Lei Yan took some white powder from his enchanted pouch and scattered it in the air. The powder was odorless and nontoxic, much like ordinary dust. However, if it came into contact with blood, it would emit a faint glow. With time so short, this was all he could manage, but he hoped it would help the martial artists spot the beast in the dark. Of course, this was only to aid them; he himself required no such measures, for his supernatural abilities allowed him to sense everything around him, even in the deepest darkness.

Upon reaching the northeast corner, Lei Yan vaulted onto a rooftop and sat cross-legged atop it. His abilities spread out simultaneously, but in a village spanning several miles, he could only sense his immediate surroundings.

The white-haired elder watched as the martial artists left, a trace of sorrow in his eyes. He sighed, “Now, we can only rely on these experts. If they fail, we’ll have to follow through with our earlier plan and leave this place behind.”

The villagers beside him fell silent upon hearing this. The prospect of abandoning the land their ancestors had lived on weighed heavily on their hearts.

“Tonight, everyone must endure a little longer. Patrol carefully,” the elder instructed.

“Yes, Chief!” The village’s finest men raised their torches and weapons, splitting into teams to patrol the settlement.

Yuan Hou lay idly on a rooftop, legs crossed and swaying, confident in his unmatched skills.

“As long as the beast appears, I’ll let it taste Master Hou’s flying blade! No matter how fast you are, you won’t escape. Let’s see what manner of creature you truly are!” Yuan Hou muttered to himself.

Time passed, and Yuan Hou’s eyes kept scanning his surroundings, his ears attentive, but all remained quiet. He couldn’t help but grumble, “It’s been over two hours already; how is there still no sign?”

Suddenly,

A faint hissing sound reached Yuan Hou’s ears, lighting up his eyes. He flipped over and landed noiselessly on the ground, as quietly as a falling leaf. With barely a whisper of sound, he moved forward in a few swift steps and leapt into a nearby courtyard.

The courtyard was silent. Looking ahead, Yuan Hou saw the door to the thatched house standing wide open. At this hour, no family would dare leave their door unlatched. He immediately deduced this was the work of the beast and was startled, “Is it a person or a monster?”

As Yuan Hou hesitated, a long shadow shot out from inside the house. In the darkness, he glimpsed a black serpent, its body covered in gleaming scales. Beneath it was a child; from the child’s lack of movement, Yuan Hou judged he must either be dead or unconscious.

“It is a beast after all! Trying to escape?” Yuan Hou leapt into pursuit, following closely. As he cleared the courtyard, his hand released a flashing flying blade at the beast.

With a sharp whistle, the blade shot straight at the dark shadow.

A metallic clang rang out, sparks flew from the creature’s dense scales, and the serpent darted into a nearby alley, disappearing from Yuan Hou’s sight.

Cold apprehension gripped Yuan Hou’s heart. As an innate warrior, the force behind his flying blade could pierce steel armor, yet it had failed to penetrate the creature’s scales. Even more infuriating was that the beast had fled without a fight; in that brief moment, he had neither seen its true form nor rescued the child.

“The beast has appeared!” Yuan Hou shouted angrily, his cry echoing across the skies of Wanjia Village.

The call was quickly taken up, and in moments, nearly everyone in the village rushed out, weapons in hand, shouting.

“The beast is here!” someone cried.

“It’s running north!” came another shout.

As voices rose throughout the crowded village, the beast found it nearly impossible to escape unseen.