Xu Lang held the still-warm body in his arms, a body that was rapidly turning cold, and his mind went blank.
Blood.
Thick blood, reeking of iron, soaked through his clothes and clung stickily to his skin.
The overpowering stench forced its way into his nose, making his stomach churn violently.
“Erniu!”
Xu Lang’s roar caught in his throat. He lowered his head and looked at his childhood friend’s face, that honest face that always carried a foolish grin. Now it was ashen, drained of all color.
The gaping slash across his chest had nearly split him in two.
The rough wooden stake embedded in his abdomen had pierced straight through him.
“Husband!”
“What happened?”
The women inside heard the commotion and rushed out one after another.
When they saw the bloody scene at the doorway, screams and sobs broke out.
Xia Zhiruo’s face turned deathly pale, and she collapsed to the ground in fright.
Li Xiuzhi’s legs gave out as well. If Hua Yourong had not caught her in time, she would have fallen too.
“Erniu…”
Hua Yourong looked at the horrifying wounds, her lips trembling. She knew some medicine. With just one glance, she understood that Wang Erniu… was beyond saving.
Murong Yanran reacted the fastest. She dashed to Xu Lang’s side in a single stride, and the sharp aura of a martial artist burst from her.
“Be careful!”
The moment her words fell—
Whoosh!
A sharp tearing sound sliced through the air from the darkness outside the courtyard.
A black arrow, wrapped in the scent of death, shot straight toward Xu Lang’s face.
Xu Lang’s mind went blank. Instinctively, he leaned back while holding Wang Erniu’s body, narrowly dodging the fatal strike.
Thud!
The arrow embedded itself fiercely into the doorframe, the shaft trembling with a low hum.
“Get inside!”
Xu Lang’s eyes were blood-red. Grief and killing intent clashed wildly in his chest.
Using all his strength, he dragged Wang Erniu’s body into the house and kicked the wooden door shut with a loud bang.
“Yourong, take them to the side room. Stay away from the doors and windows!” Murong Yanran shouted sharply. She did not retreat. Instead, she grabbed a wooden bar used as a latch and stood guard at the main bedroom entrance.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several more arrows shot in succession. The force was so great that they pierced straight through the not-so-thick wooden door and walls, burying themselves into the floor inside the house.
Xia Zhiruo and Li Xiuzhi clung to each other in the corner, trembling so badly they did not even dare cry aloud.
Hua Yourong forced herself to suppress her fear, shielding them behind her while staring fixedly at the door.
“Xu Lang! You turtle hiding in your shell! Get your ass out here!”
“That good buddy of yours, Wang Erniu, right? What a loyal dog! Damn it, eavesdropping on me and trying to run and tip you off? I gave him one slash and taught him what happens when you meddle!”
Zhao Dahu’s voice was full of mockery and cruelty.
“Do you know what he said before he died? He begged me, begged me to spare his wife and child! Hahaha! What a fool! I agreed, but after I kill you, I’ll sell his wife to a brothel and break that brat’s legs, toss him onto the streets to beg! Let their whole family be together!”
Vicious.
Shameless.
Inside the house, Xu Lang gently laid Wang Erniu’s body on the ground. He reached out, wanting to close the eyes of his childhood friend who had died with them wide open, but his hands shook so violently that he failed several times.
“Erniu…”
Xu Lang’s teeth ground together, every word squeezed out between clenched jaws.
He remembered when they were children, how Wang Erniu always followed behind him, calling him Brother Lang this and Brother Lang that.
He remembered how Wang Erniu had shared half of his only coarse corn bun with him.
He remembered this afternoon, how that simple man had held the broken clay jar and cried like a child…
A monstrous wave of rage exploded from the depths of Xu Lang’s heart, burning through his limbs and bones with searing pain.
He slowly stood up. The redness in his eyes faded, and all grief and shock drained away, leaving only cold, bone-chilling killing intent.
He walked to the wall and took down the mulberry wood longbow he had just made that afternoon.
“Zhao Dahu.”
Xu Lang’s voice was terrifyingly calm, yet carried a madness that sent chills down the spine.
“You wanted me to come out, didn’t you?”
“I’m right here.”
He drew the bow. A sharpened wooden arrow rested on the string. He pressed himself against the wall, listening carefully to the movements outside.
“Hahaha! Finally got the guts to speak? I thought you pissed yourself!” Zhao Dahu laughed wildly. “What? Want to trade arrows with me? That junk of yours can pierce my hide?”
As he cursed, Zhao Dahu shifted his footing, trying to find a better angle.
Now!
Xu Lang’s ears caught the faint sound of footsteps. In his mind, the opponent’s position formed instantly.
He spun around abruptly and released the bowstring toward a specific spot through the wall.
“Go keep Erniu company!”
Whoosh!
The wooden arrow roared out, carrying all of Xu Lang’s fury. It pierced through the thin wooden wall and shot into the darkness outside.
“Gah!”
A muffled groan filled with pain and disbelief came from outside.
Then came the sound of a heavy body hitting the ground.
“Hu… Brother Hu!”
“You… you’ve been hit!”
“Damn it… impossible…” Zhao Dahu’s voice trembled with fear and weakness. “How did he… how did he know I was here…”
He struggled to lift his hunting bow to retaliate.
Xu Lang gave him no chance.
He nocked another arrow. Following the sound of Zhao Dahu’s labored breathing, he released again.
Crack!
The sharp snap of breaking wood echoed outside, accompanied by another scream from Zhao Dahu.
“My bow! My bow is broken!”
The snapped bow struck Zhao Dahu’s left eye, leaving him temporarily blinded.
In the darkness, the lackeys completely panicked.
They had thought this would be an easy hunt. First poison-arrow Xu Lang to death, then set fire to the house and destroy the evidence.
Who could have imagined that Xu Lang was a monster?
Shooting through a wall, he had wounded battle-hardened Brother Hu with one arrow. The second arrow had precisely shattered his bow.
Was he human or a ghost?
“Run! Run!”
One lackey, terrified out of his wits, threw down his torch and bolted toward the outskirts of the village.
The torch fell to the ground, illuminating the courtyard.
Zhao Dahu clutched his bleeding right chest, his face filled with horror as he lay on the ground. At his feet, his hunting bow had snapped cleanly in two.
Trying to run?
A cruel smile appeared on Xu Lang’s face.
He kicked the door open and stepped outside, drawing and nocking an arrow in one fluid motion.
Whoosh!
The lackey running in front felt a sharp pain in his back. He did not even have time to scream before he fell face-first to the ground.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two more arrows.
One pierced through a fleeing lackey’s neck. The other went straight through another’s skull. Both died on the spot.
In the blink of an eye, only Zhao Dahu remained in the courtyard, struggling to crawl away.
Xu Lang walked toward him step by step, the longbow in his hand drawn full once more.
“D-Don’t… don’t kill me!”
Looking at Xu Lang approaching, Zhao Dahu finally felt true fear. Dragging his wounded body, he crawled backward with both hands and feet. “Xu Lang! Lord Lang! I was wrong! I’ll kowtow to you! Spare me!”
Xu Lang said nothing.
He simply released the bowstring.
Thud!
The arrow sank deep into Zhao Dahu’s thigh, pinning him firmly to the ground.
“Ahhh—!”
A pig-slaughtering scream tore through the silent night sky.