Chapter 27: I Possess a Treasure

The offering table was arranged by Curved Skinner’s brother-in-law, and no one in the village commented much about it. After all, the man had been gone for so long—he was probably dead. Death commands respect, and besides, the villagers feared Qu Qing might return one day to settle scores.

But no one expected Qu Qing to be so ruthless; upon his return, he immediately kicked over his father’s memorial hall.

“Old dog, all you ever did was drink. Drunk, you’d beat me and my mother, driving her to hang herself in despair.”

“When I reached the ninth rank, I crippled you without hesitation, and every time I saw you after, I’d beat you again. I cared nothing for human bonds or natural order.”

“But what I didn’t expect was for you, this useless wretch, to vanish. Now, what about the share you owe me?”

Qu Qing sat on the ground, his eyes bloodshot, demonic energy swirling a tribute fruit into his mouth, his sharp teeth crushing it with ease.

He looked at the small crowd gathered outside the door and flashed a fiendish grin at Old Master Lin.

“What are you all staring at out there? My father’s death might have something to do with you lot.”

“By this time tomorrow, I want one hundred taels of demon silver. If you can gather it, I’ll let my father’s matter rest. If not—well, you know the methods of Qu Qing.”

“Now get out of my sight.”

The group went pale with fright and hurried away.

...

“What kind of joke is this? How could we possibly come up with a hundred taels of demon silver?” Lin Changshan found the villagers’ report unbelievable—even more so that Curved Skinner’s son was greedier than his father.

“But this is Qu Qing we’re talking about—the scourge of the world, who dared to kill at ten years old.”

“That’s true, but where are we supposed to get that kind of money?”

Old Master Lin took a heavy draw on his long-unused pipe. Since falling ill and returning to the village, he hadn’t smoked in years, but today Qu Qing’s demand left him so troubled and helpless that he could only seek solace in tobacco.

“Qu Qing isn’t asking us to hand over the full sum at once. He wants to squeeze us dry like his father did.”

“He’ll leave us gasping, and from now on, all the demon money we manage to save will end up in his hands.”

Hearing this, several villagers suddenly understood.

“Changshan, why hasn’t Dali come?”

Lin Changshan’s face was troubled. “He’s sick, recovering at home. Besides, even if he came, what good would it do?”

“So what are we supposed to do now?”

“Maybe we should just give him the money from now on.”

“Nonsense, Ge Laosan, you’re talking rubbish! We’ve only just begun to live well, and you want to let things go back to the way they were so easily?”

“That’s right. If we agree too readily, Qu Qing will probably demand even more.”

“Why not this: last time, when we killed the wild boar demon, that official—let’s invite him here, offer him some demon silver, maybe he can negotiate for us.”

The group discussed the idea and found it feasible. They went straight off to invite the serpent-blooded lord.

...

A middle-aged serpent-blooded man, his body covered in red scales, was kicked out of Qu Qing’s courtyard.

“A mere ninth-rank snake spawn dares act so boldly? I’ll spare your life this time, but next time, keep your eyes open.”

The serpent-blooded man fell to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly.

“Thank you, my lord, for sparing me. It was these wretches—they put me up to it. If you wish, I can—”

“No need. Get lost.” Qu Qing lounged on a recliner, his body swaying gently.

“Yes, yes, I’ll go. But might I ask your name, my lord? That I may avoid any offense in future.”

Qu Qing snorted coldly. “And what are you, to inquire about my background? But I’m not afraid to tell you—last month, I entered the Guiyuan Mountain Sect. If you want revenge, you know where to find me.”

Resentment flashed in the serpent-blooded man’s eyes, but at Qu Qing’s words, terror took hold. He left in haste.

Though the serpent-blooded man had some local power, it was nothing compared to the Guiyuan Mountain Sect, which spanned two provinces. He would never reclaim his lost face.

Qu Qing turned his sharp-toothed grin on the villagers outside the courtyard.

“Don’t fret. You’re all laborers. If I killed you, who would I collect my hundred taels from? Go, hurry and gather the money.”

The villagers withdrew once again, gathering to discuss which families would select some of their able-bodied members to “voluntarily” sell themselves into Qu Qing’s service.

Tonight, they would decide who would go and who would stay.

...

On a night of moonless, howling wind, Ji Xun straightened his clothes, told Da Huang to stay home, and made his way to Qu Qing’s house.

When he reached the gate, he knocked lightly.

“Lord Qu, are you in?”

“Come in.”

Ji Xun pushed open the gate and entered quietly, as if afraid that a loud noise might offend the person inside.

Qu Qing’s voice came: “Who are you? What do you want, coming here so late?”

“My lord, I’m Wang Dali. When I was young, I used to catch fish with you.”

“I don’t remember. Don’t try to act familiar—if you have something to say, say it. If not, you can leave a hand behind before you go.”

Ji Xun’s face turned ashen at those words.

“M-my lord, I have something good I’d like to offer you.”

Qu Qing looked disdainful, clearly doubting that a peasant could have anything worth his notice.

“Let me see it. If I’m not satisfied, you’ll leave both hands behind.”

Ji Xun trembled “in fear,” taking from his pocket a yellow object about the size of a fingernail, bearing the marks of various beast bites.

Qu Qing’s interest was piqued. His demonic energy wrapped around the item and brought it before his eyes.

“Hm, this seems to be a wasp’s nest, and in this hive, there are no mid-third-rank wasps.”

“Where did you get it? Tell me everything, and don’t leave out a detail.”

“Well, it was like this: I was in the mountains that day and saw a bear—this big—fighting with a swarm of bees. In the end, the bear didn’t finish it all, dropped a piece, and I picked it up.”

Qu Qing said nothing, merely stared intently at Ji Xun.

Ji Xun, for his part, played the role of a frightened man to perfection.

“What do you want?”

“I... I’d like to be the village head, if my lord would permit...”

Qu Qing replied, “Fine. As long as you take me to the hive’s location, I’ll guarantee you the position. No time to lose—let’s go now.”

With that, Qu Qing rose from his recliner and strode out of the courtyard.

Ji Xun followed at a normal pace, not daring to hurry, feigning exhaustion as best he could.

It was only then he noticed Qu Qing’s body was shrouded in a black robe, its contents impossible to discern.

Perhaps this had something to do with the Qu family’s demonic blood. But in truth, Curved Skinner’s bloodline was already extremely diluted.

As for Qu Qing, whether he possessed any demonic blood at all was uncertain.

Indeed, no one in the village knew the true nature of this father and son’s bloodline.

Not even Curved Skinner’s brother-in-law had any idea what kind of demon blood flowed in their veins.