strokinit Chapter 17 Under the Blood-Red Locust Tree
Chapter 17 Under the Blood-Red Locust Tree
The twilight, like blood, painted the low houses and winding dirt roads of Black Mountain Valley.
Every household had its doors and windows tightly shut, and not a wisp of smoke could be seen. The deathly silence was filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.
Only under the crooked old locust tree at the village entrance, a few dim yellow lights flickered, mixed with rough laughter and the clinking of wine bowls.
Yang Jin lay prone behind a bush on a dirt slope outside the village, a dull pain shooting through his chest with each labored breath, cold sweat mixed with dust sliding down his forehead.
He gripped the heavy wood axe tightly in his hand; the rough texture of the wooden handle pressed against his palm, but it calmed his chaotic and turbulent emotions somewhat.
Atu lurked in the soil beneath his feet, conveying a sense of vigilance and readiness to strike at any moment.
His gaze, sharp as a knife, pierced through the deepening twilight, locking onto the old locust tree.
A small bonfire burned under the tree, casting the light on five crooked figures.
The leader was Ma Liu, his shirt open, one leg propped up on a rock, tearing at a roast chicken he'd stolen from somewhere by the firelight, his mouth glistening with oil.
The other four thugs, three of them sat around the fire drinking and gambling, shouting and yelling, while the other one crossed his arms, leaned against the tree trunk, and dozed off.
Several empty wine jars and gnawed bones lay scattered at their feet.
And right above their heads, on the thick, outstretched branches of the locust tree, hung a stiff, hunched gray shadow with a rough hemp rope.
That was Shi Jian.
The old man's tattered clothes were stained with large patches of dark brown blood, and his gray hair hung down in disarray, obscuring his face.
As the evening breeze blew by, its withered body swayed gently, like the last remaining leaf on an autumn branch, silently proclaiming injustice and cruelty.
A surge of scorching blood rushed to Yang Jin's head, his vision blurred, his axe-wielding hand turned white from the force, and the wound throbbed with excruciating pain.
But he gritted his teeth, suppressing his surging grief and murderous intent, slowly turning it into cold, hard ice.
We must not act rashly.
The five enemies, though all thugs and ruffians, were armed with clubs and knives and were gathered together.
I am still recovering from serious injuries and have limited strength. I must kill with one blow and not get bogged down in a prolonged fight.
He observed the terrain.
The old locust tree is located in a small open space at the entrance of the village. On one side is the dirt road leading into the village, and on the other side is a low slope overgrown with weeds and a few abandoned mud houses.
Ma Liu and the others stood with their backs to the locust tree, facing the direction of the village, their attention mainly focused on the village and the campfire.
Opportunity lies behind us.
Yang Jin gently patted the soil beneath his feet.
A-Tu understood and silently crept towards the weeds and abandoned earthen houses behind the locust tree, like a shadow from the ground.
He endured the pain and, using the earthen slope and shadows as cover, moved slowly towards the abandoned earthen houses, like the most patient hunter.
With each step he took, his chest felt like it was being torn apart, and his lungs burned with pain, but his eyes remained clear and cold, fixed on his target.
Time passed slowly, and twilight completely swallowed the last rays of daylight, leaving only the campfire flickering in the darkness.
"Damn it, this damn job is cold and unlucky!" a thug spat after taking a swig of liquor. "Shouldering this old coffin, what a fucking misfortune!"
"Enough nonsense! Sixth Master said that if we keep watch for three days, Young Master Sun will reward us handsomely!" Another thug chimed in, his eyes glancing at the chicken leg in Ma Liu's hand.
Ma Liu tore off the last piece of chicken, tossed the bone aside, wiped his mouth, and, with drunken squinting eyes, looked up at the swaying shadow in the tree. He chuckled coldly, "Old man, you won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! If you had just told me where that little bastard was, this wouldn't have happened! Bah! Even in death, he's still hanging here to feed the crows!"
He let out a burp, staggered to his feet, walked to the locust tree, and surprisingly unbuckled his belt and started urinating right up to the roots, all the while cursing under his breath.
It's now!
A chilling light flashed in Yang Jin's eyes!
Like a cheetah that has been gathering its strength, he suddenly leaped out from the shadow of the abandoned mud house!
There were no shouts, only the dull sound of footsteps and the sound of wind cutting through the air!
It wasn't at its peak speed, but it carried an indomitable, life-or-death ferocity!
Our first target is that green-skinned guy who's leaning against a tree trunk and dozing off!
With Yang Jin's full weight and the boiling hatred in his chest, the axe cleaved diagonally upwards!
"Pfft!"
The dull thud of a blunt axe striking flesh was especially clear in the still night!
Before the shrew could even open his eyes, half of his neck was cleaved open, blood gushing out like a fountain, and his body slumped to the side.
"Who?!" The other three gamblers were startled and turned around in horror.
Yang Jin didn't stop at all, and swung his axe horizontally!
The second thug frantically raised his wooden stick, which was knocked out of his hand. The axe blade struck his shoulder blade hard, and with a cracking sound, the man screamed and fell to the ground.
"It's...it's Yang Jin, the zombie! He's here!"
The third thug was terrified and screamed, frantically grabbing the knife on the ground.
Ma Liu, who was urinating, was startled by the sudden turn of events and sobered up considerably. He hurriedly pulled up his pants and turned around.
At that very moment, another unexpected event occurred!
Suddenly, Atu burst out of the ground from the weeds behind the locust tree!
Its thick body, like a battering ram, slammed into the fourth green-skinned man's waist, which was facing away from it!
At the same time, its mouth opened wide, and a stream of sticky liquid with a pungent, sour smell sprayed out, drenching the face of the shrew who had just grabbed the knife!
"Ah! My eyes! What is that!?"
The thug covered his face, screamed, and fell to the ground, rolling around frantically.
In the blink of an eye, four of the five were gone!
One person died, two were seriously injured and collapsed to the ground groaning, and one was injured by Atu's acid and lost his fighting ability.
Ma Liu finally saw the newcomer clearly—Yang Jin, who was disheveled, pale as paper, with blood seeping from the bandage on his chest, but whose cold eyes made Ma Liu's soul tremble!
And that hideous, terrifying giant worm that crawled out of the ground!
"Yang...Yang Jin! You...you're not dead?!"
Ma Liu's voice trembled, and he subconsciously stepped back, tripping over the wine jar and staggering.
He wanted to shout, he wanted to run, but his calves were cramping.
Yang Jin didn't look at him, or even at the enemy screaming in agony on the ground.
His gaze passed over the campfire, past Ma Liu, and fixed directly and intently on the gray shadow hanging from the top of the locust tree branch.
Stone Duke...
He walked step by step toward the locust tree.
His steps were heavy, yet unusually firm.
Every step left a deep footprint in the soil.
The excruciating pain in his chest seemed to disappear, leaving only a feeling of his heart being clenched tightly by an icy hand, making it hard for him to breathe.
"No...don't come any closer!" Ma Liu screamed, his voice trembling with fear, grabbing a burning piece of firewood from the ground and waving it at Yang Jin. "Young Master Sun won't let you get away with this! The martial arts school's people are on their way!"
Yang Jin acted as if he hadn't heard.
He walked to the locust tree and looked up.
The flickering firelight illuminated the old man's pale, stiff profile, where the familiar, deeply lined wrinkles now held a testament to pain and resilience.
Dark blood clots stained his gray beard.
puff.
Yang Jin knelt down and kowtowed three times to the hanging old man.
His forehead touched the ground; it was cold and hard.
Then he stood up and glanced at the rough hemp rope hanging there.
Without an axe, he reached out and grasped the rope.
"You... what do you want to do?!" Ma Liu, both frightened and furious at being ignored, brandished his torch and tried to approach. "Put it down!"
Yang Jin suddenly turned around!
That one glance sent Ma Liu plummeting into an icy abyss!
Those weren't human eyes at all; they were the eyes of a wounded beast, a demon crawling out of hell, its surging blood and killing intent almost devouring him!
"You..." Ma Liu's remaining harsh words were stuck in his throat.
Yang Jin ignored him, exerted force with both arms, and the blood and qi under the stone skin surged, combined with his weight, and he suddenly plummeted downwards!
"stretch!"
The rope snapped instantly!
Shi Jian's body fell to the ground.
Yang Jin stepped forward, using his injured body as a buffer, to catch the cold, stiff, and seemingly weightless body.
At first glance, there were congealed blood clots and broken bones.
The old man's body returned to the ground in such a tragic way.
Yang Jin carefully laid Shi Jian's body flat, took off his own old, worn-out coat that Widow Li had washed and dried, and gently covered the old man's body, concealing his weathered, unseeing face.
After doing all this, he slowly straightened up and turned to Ma Liu, who was still in shock.
"now you."
Yang Jin spoke, his voice hoarse and dry, like sandpaper being rubbed.
As if waking from a dream, Ma Liu let out a strange cry, hurled the burning firewood in his hand at Yang Jin, and turned to run away!
He just wanted to get away from this killer and this terrifying place!
Yang Jin turned his head to avoid the flying torch and did not immediately give chase.
He bent down, picked up the blood-stained wood axe from the ground, and then strode in the direction Ma Liu had fled.
The speed was slow, even somewhat unsteady.
But every step was accompanied by a heavy sense of oppression.
"Help! Murder! Yang Jin has turned into a zombie and is killing people!"
Ma Liu galloped wildly, roaring at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing over the silent village.
From the cracks in the windows of a few houses near the village entrance, terrified eyes could be seen peeking out, but no one dared to make a sound, and no one was willing to come out.
In a panic, Ma Liu ran wildly toward the Sun family mansion in the village.
If we can get to the Sun family's house, we'll be saved!
However, he had just turned the corner of a mud house—
The ground suddenly bulged up, and Atu's ferocious mouth burst out of the ground, like a lurking trap, blocking his only way!
"ah--!"
Caught off guard, Ma Liu tripped and fell face-first to the ground, knocking out two of his front teeth and his mouth was full of blood.
He turned around in horror and saw Yang Jin dragging his axe, his figure approaching step by step, like a deadly figure in the dim moonlight.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! Sun Yaozu forced me to do it! Sun Yaozu made me do it! Spare me, Master Yang! Spare me!"
Ma Liu was in tears, kowtowing repeatedly, showing none of his usual arrogance.
Yang Jin stopped in front of him, looking down at this villain who had once bullied the villagers, acted as an accomplice to evil, and desecrated the corpse of Shi Gong.
"When Shi Gong begged you, did you spare him?" Yang Jin's voice was icy cold and devoid of any emotion.
Ma Liu froze, his eyes filled with nothing but despair and fear.
Yang Jin stopped talking nonsense, gripped the axe handle tightly with both hands, and raised it high.
There were no fancy techniques, only a single, all-out strike that embodied all the grief, pain, and hatred!
"No--!"
The piercing screams abruptly ceased.
The axe was deeply embedded in Ma Liu's chest, almost splitting him in two.
Blood splattered, staining the soil and Yang Jin's trouser legs red.
Yang Jin pulled out his axe, not even glancing at the corpse at his feet.
He turned around and walked back to the locust tree.
Atu had already dealt with the other three severely wounded but not dead green skins; his predatory instincts, honed deep within the mine, allowed him to handle them cleanly and efficiently.
The campfire was still burning, illuminating the five corpses under the tree and the old man lying quietly under his old clothes.
Yang Jin crouched down and carefully carried Shi Jian's body on his back.
The old man was very light, as light as a feather, yet as heavy as a mountain, pressing down on his back and on his heart.
He took one last look at the land soaked in the blood of Shi Gong and the filthy blood of his enemies, and at the villagers trembling behind the doors and windows, their eyes filled with complex emotions. Then, he turned around, carried Shi Jian on his back, and walked step by step toward the dark mountain path leading to the hanging burial cliff outside the village.
A-Tu wriggled and burrowed underground, like a loyal guardian following him down the slope.
His footsteps were heavy, and his shadow stretched long in the moonlight, lonely and resolute.
He did not return to Widow Li's house, nor did he go anywhere that might implicate others.
He had only one destination—the Hanging Burial Cliff.
The place where he "came back to life," the place where Shi Gong once wanted to check if he was alright.
Tonight, he will bury Shi Gong there.
Let him face the mountains, overlooking the mountain village he protected all his life, yet which ultimately harmed him.
The blood has been shed enough for now.
But the debt is far from being paid off.
Sun Yaozu, the Sun family... just wait.