bookandnovel Chapter 4 Night Raid
Chapter 4 Night Raid
Wang Yuan swallowed the last bite of cornbread and drank a sip of cured meat soup, but his hunger was not relieved much; in fact, it became even stronger.
Watching his mother and younger sister huddled together in front of the stove, slowly eating, Wang Yuan couldn't bring himself to say the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Tonight, he ate more food than his mother and younger sister combined.
"Xiao Yuan!"
A shout came from outside; it was Uncle Tie Jun!
Wang Yuan quickly got up and went out of the kitchen. It was already dark outside. By the light of the candlelight coming from the castle of Master Wang's house, Wang Yuan saw Uncle Tie Jun standing outside the courtyard gate with his body hunched over.
"Uncle Tie Jun!"
Wang Yuan opened the courtyard gate and said, "It's cold outside, come inside and warm up."
"I'm not going in, here, take this!"
Uncle Tie Jun took something out of his pocket and stuffed it into Wang Yuan's hand. Wang Yuan immediately recognized it as a hot meat dumpling. "Keep it for yourself. You're still growing, and you still have to go up the mountain to collect firewood. If you don't eat more, you won't make it through the winter."
"Uncle Tie Jun!"
"The patrol team steamed a lot of meat dumplings today, and everyone couldn't finish them, so I secretly took one for you."
Wang Yuan tucked it into his pocket and did not refuse again.
Tie Jun was a brother of his father, who shared the same grandfather. The two had a very good relationship during their lifetime.
After his father died, Uncle Tiejun took good care of the family of three, especially Wang Yuan, whom he treated almost like his own son.
Wang Yuan also knew about the patrol team's meals. Although they were much better than those of ordinary families, they weren't so good that they could eat more meat dumplings than they could finish.
I only eat white rice dumplings with meat a few times a month, and I only eat one of each kind.
Uncle Tie Jun couldn't bear to eat it, so he brought it back for himself.
"Uncle Tie Jun, did the giant crossbow project you mentioned today come to fruition?"
"Didn't work out?"
A hint of worry flashed in Wang Tiejun's eyes. He sighed and said, "If Master Wang doesn't give in, who in this world would be willing to hand over such a powerful weapon to someone else? Lately, make sure to close the doors and windows when you sleep. If you hear any noise, remember to run outside. Staying at home is the safest place."
"understood."
"Okay, I'm leaving!"
Wang Yuan watched Wang Tiejun disappear into the darkness before turning and going back into the house.
"Second Uncle is here, what's up?"
"A reminder to keep our doors and windows closed; things might not be peaceful lately!"
Wang Yuan replied to his mother, got up and went back to his room. He closed the door, took out a meat-filled rice dumpling, and began to wolf it down.
Meat dumplings are made of white rice and mixed with fatty oil and lean meat, making them fragrant and sticky.
Wang Yuan swore that this was the best food he had ever eaten in his two lives.
"If I could eat zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) every day, I wouldn't trade it for a throne!"
Wang Yuan felt a warm sensation in his stomach and sighed with lingering satisfaction.
After chopping firewood for half a day and practicing swordsmanship in the afternoon, Wang Yuan's already malnourished body was exhausted. He collapsed onto the bed, covered himself with the blanket, and fell fast asleep.
In the middle of the night, Wang Yuan suddenly woke up.
I opened my eyes to complete silence.
However, a chilling aura wafted from outside the house.
Wang Yuan slowly sat up, his muscles tense. His keen senses allowed him to detect the aura of the Black Bear, which was stronger and more terrifying than the one he had encountered at Black Wind Ridge yesterday.
"Did that beast sneak into the village?"
Wang Yuan's head buzzed; he felt a bit incredulous.
It was quiet outside. This beast managed to sneak into the village without alerting anyone.
It should be noted that Wangjiazhai is backed by a mountain on one side and surrounded by mountains on the other two sides. There is only one entrance and exit, which is surrounded by tall wooden stakes and patrolled by team members at night.
How did this beast sneak into the village without alerting anyone?
Click...
The wooden fence of the courtyard snapped in two, and Wang Yuan smelled a strong stench of blood. Black Bear had already entered the courtyard and was heading straight for the house.
Wang Yuan hesitated for a moment, then remembered his mother and younger sister sleeping in the inner room.
After spending several days together, how could there be no feelings at all? Wang Yuan couldn't bear to watch someone die. In a flash, Wang Yuan sat up in bed, his right hand forming a fist, and the Starfire Sword appeared in his right hand.
Holding the Starfire Sword, Wang Yuan felt the terrifying power contained within it. His fear gradually subsided, and a murderous glint flashed in his eyes.
He jumped off the bed lightly and quickly came to the door. Wang Yuan stood to the side with his sword in hand.
A few breaths later, the door opened slightly, and a bear paw pressed down on it. The terrifying force snapped the bolt, producing a soft cracking sound.
This black bear seems to have gained intelligence, as it knows how to use its strength cleverly so as not to wake the people inside the house!
Wang Yuan felt a chill run down his spine, thinking that this beast was ridiculously clever!
He only had enough spiritual power for one strike, so he had to rely on the power of the Starfire Sword to kill or repel Black Bear in one blow.
Squeak...
The door split open to both sides, and in front of the pitch-black doorway, a huge shadow blocked the entire entrance, with only two blood-red eyes gleaming coldly in the darkness.
The next moment, Wang Yuan moved.
The spiritual energy from his lungs instantly flowed into the Starfire Sword, and half of the terrifying power contained within the Starfire Sword was mobilized. A crimson light instantly bloomed on the sword.
Wang Yuan thrust out his sword, a cold light like a shooting star, heading straight for the black bear's eyes.
Swordsmanship, a flash of cold light!
With this thrust, Wang Yuan felt that the power of this move, enhanced by the Starfire Sword, was more than ten times greater than when he used it with a woodcutter's knife.
The wood-chopping knife pierced through the wood nearly halfway into the stake.
The power of this sword strike is enough to pierce through a wooden stake as thick as an adult's waist.
puff!
Wang Yuan felt as if the sword had pierced through tough cowhide. However, once the cowhide was pierced, a terrifying force came through the sword, and Wang Yuan was thrown to the ground. The Starfire Sword almost slipped from his hand!
Roar……
Black Bear let out a terrified roar, and then a dark figure rushed out of the courtyard and ran straight towards the back mountain of Wangjiazhai, crashing into several houses along the way.
This alarmed the entire village, and countless candles and torches were lit to dispel the darkness.
Wang Yuan struggled to his feet, quickly put the Starfire Sword into his equipment slot, and then walked out of the courtyard. He saw Black Bear, like a black whirlwind, his huge body extremely agile, climbing up the cliff behind the village like an ape.
Before long, they climbed up the hundred-foot cliff and disappeared into the mountains.
"It's practically a spirit!"
Even bears can walk on such steep mountain walls as if they were on flat ground; Wangjiazhai has no more natural defenses.
Will this thing hold a grudge? I stabbed it with my sword, will Black Bear come to retaliate in the middle of the night?
Upon realizing this, Wang Yuan felt a chill creep into his heart.
"If I were stronger, that one sword strike would have severed its head!"
Wang Yuan clenched his fist, his desire for power growing ever stronger.
At the same time, a question arose in his mind: with so many households in Wangjia Village, why did the black bear find its way into his house? Was it a coincidence, or did the creature remember his scent during the day and come looking for him especially at night?
"Xiao Yuan, what happened?"
The mother came out wearing a cotton-padded coat, and looked at the collapsed courtyard with fear and unease in her eyes.
"It seems a bear sneaked into the village, but for some reason it ran away. Mother, you go back inside first, I'll check the situation."
Wang Yuan sent his mother away, lit a torch, and quickly cleaned up the blood that Hei Xiazi had left on the ground.
A short while later, Tie Jun arrived hastily, carrying a spear and bow. Upon seeing the collapsed courtyard wall, his expression changed drastically. Then, seeing that Wang Yuan was unharmed in the courtyard, he breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Is anyone else in the house injured?"
"no."
Wang Yuan shook his head, listening to the crying coming from the village, and asked, "Uncle Tiejun, what's the situation now?"
"Don't even mention it, eight households in the village were attacked."
Uncle Tiejun leaned closer and whispered, "Someone saw the black bear from Black Wind Ridge climb up the cliff behind the mountain. It's probably become a spirit. All eight families in those areas were wiped out. The adults' bodies are still here, but the children's bodies have disappeared."
"Fairies like to eat children!"
When Wang Yuan thought of this legend, he felt a chill run down his spine.
The bear has crept into my house; it's likely he's set his sights on the younger sister.
"The village is gathering men; all boys over twelve years old must come. Take your weapons and come with me to assemble!"
"Okay, I'll go tell Mother!"
Wang Yuan nodded, turned around and went back into the house to tell his mother, then took his bow, arrows, and wood-chopping knife and followed Uncle Tie Jun out of the house.
With such a big incident, the whole village is in a state of panic, and they definitely need to come up with a way to exorcise the demon.
It is foreseeable that talented individuals will soon arrive at the village.
I know very little about the cultivation world, but perhaps I can take this opportunity to learn some information.