Chapter 28: Returning to the Village

These two men were not difficult to deal with. They were idle bachelors from Li Family Village, without parents, wives, or children. Though they had some distant kin in the village, everyone found them intolerable, and their reputation was poor. Even if they disappeared, few would care. If, one day, word spread that they had died, the news would merely circulate in the village for a while—and that would be the end of it.

They posed no real problem.

The problem was his own situation, which was far from good.

As expected, his vital energy had been depleted once again. On top of that, both his arms felt as if they were broken. This was not something he could conceal.

If Uncle Nine and Aunt Nine pressed him for answers, how was he to explain? Even a fool would understand that the Demon-Slaying Compendium must never be revealed. Although it now resided in his mind, seemingly bound to him, in this vast world—where even the guards of a merchant in a county town possessed incredible strength—who knew how many formidable individuals existed?

And besides…

There were demons.

If demons learned he possessed a treasure that could slay them and make him stronger, it was easy to imagine their reaction. If word spread, those with centuries or even millennia of cultivation might come knocking at his door.

He would take the secret of the Demon-Slaying Compendium to his grave.

So, how could he explain his sudden exhaustion and grievously injured arms?

Li Mu frowned deeply, countless ideas flashing through his mind, but none offered a perfect explanation for his current predicament. After much deliberation, he realized he had only one option.

“Hide it.”

“There’s nothing else I can do.”

He could not let his current weakness be exposed, especially to Uncle Nine and Aunt Nine. Uncle Nine was a martial man; if he noticed, he would be suspicious. Aunt Nine would surely tell him if she discovered anything…

His thoughts grew clearer, and summoning his strength, he began to think carefully. After a long while, some ideas formed in his mind. He struggled to his feet and walked to the big blue ox.

The ox had struggled earlier, leaving its forelegs thoroughly tangled in rope. Unable to stand, it let out plaintive moos as Li Mu approached.

Li Mu used the last of his strength to untangle the ropes.

What was usually a simple task now caused sweat to bead on his forehead. The worst was his right arm; the injury was severe, rendering it completely useless. But after examining it, he was certain the bone was intact—the damage was mostly torn muscles and tendons. The force unleashed by the “strength of the blue ox” had been too much; his muscle and tendon strength could not withstand it, likely tearing many muscle fibers.

But the herbs in this world were remarkable. The black ointment his Third Grandfather made could cure such injuries. The good news was, he still had more than half a jar of it in his room.

He could treat himself without troubling Third Grandfather.

As he gathered the rope, he glanced at the two corpses. After a moment’s thought, he walked over, gritted his teeth, and picked up a stone with his left hand, smashing it down onto their faces.

After just a few blows, their faces were mangled beyond recognition.

He left the bodies as they were. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to do more, but he simply had no strength left.

Fortunately, night had fallen, and in this era, few ventured outside after dark. If nothing unexpected happened, their bodies would not be discovered until morning.

With their faces destroyed, it would be difficult to determine their identities. If he was lucky, a wild beast might wander by during the night and devour their remains—an even better outcome.

Even if their identities were discovered, it would matter little. They had left the village to rob him, and would not dare mention it. Under such circumstances, no one would associate their deaths with him.

As long as he concealed his weakness well enough, suspicion would remain low.

With that in mind, Li Mu bent down and searched the bodies.

Surprisingly, he found a few coins of silver.

He was taken aback, but quickly realized that idle men like them would carry all their money on their person. That must have been why they had assumed Li Mu would do the same.

Besides that, there was nothing else.

Two firewood knives lay beside the corpses. After some thought, Li Mu grit his teeth again, picked up the knives, and hacked at the bodies a few times, drawing more blood.

With a pale face, he wiped the blades clean with their clothes and placed them in the basket on the ox’s back.

A wild beast’s nose was sharp; the more blood there was, the likelier it was to attract them.

No longer lingering, Li Mu retrieved the coins he had tossed aside earlier and tucked them back into his breast.

He then grabbed a handful of dirt and smeared it on his face to mask his likely pallor. Cold sweat still clung to his brow as he took a deep breath and approached the big blue ox.

The ox obediently knelt, and Li Mu struggled to mount it, inhaling deeply.

He cast one last glance at the corpses, then rode toward the village without another look.

…

…

By the time Li Mu returned to Li Family Village, the moon hung high among the willow branches.

The place where the two men had ambushed him was neither close nor far from the village.

Tonight, the moonlight was bright. Under the big pagoda tree at the village entrance, many villagers were chatting and cooling themselves, no firelight needed; the moonlight was enough to see clearly.

Several people held palm fans, lazily swatting at mosquitoes as they chatted, enjoying the leisure. Children ran wild—some chasing, some hiding, laughter and crying mingled with adults’ shouts, chickens and dogs scattered, the scene lively and chaotic.

Having just survived a deadly struggle, Li Mu was momentarily dazed at the sight of such worldly bustle.

Lost in thought, Li Mu’s return atop the ox quickly drew villagers’ attention. An old man chuckled and called out, “Mu, you’re back? You’re a bit late tonight.”

Li Mu snapped out of it, composed himself, and recognized the speaker by moonlight.

“Third Grandfather. Yes, the last animal’s hoof was troublesome today, so I was delayed.”

His voice was natural, even deliberately cheerful, betraying no hint of weakness.

“Very good,” Third Grandfather replied, chuckling.

Li Mu rode past, greeting villagers—this uncle, that aunt, this grandfather, that grandmother, this cousin, that sister—his manners as polite and gentle as ever.

He then excused himself, explaining he was late and worried Aunt Nine might be anxious.

As Li Mu departed, villagers continued their cheerful chatter.

“At last, Old Li can rest easy. Mu is doing better and better these days.”

“Old Li had a good son.”

They praised him, one after another.

Someone suddenly wondered aloud, “Speaking of which, Mu has been fixing hooves for quite some time now. I wonder how much silver he’s made?”

The question startled the villagers, and for a moment, all fell quiet.