Chapter 4, Startled News

A family enjoys rare delicacies and warmth. As Lian Jun gazes at the satisfied smiles of his parents, he feels his heart, once as cold as ice, begin to melt. This is what a true home is—a place without luxurious houses or beautiful rooms, without silks and satins, or exquisite delicacies and fine wines, but filled only with pure familial love. Even if they are a bit poor, he accepts it; he has grown accustomed to the intrigues among the wealthy, and this ordinary happiness is, in fact, something to yearn for yet remain out of reach.

Xiao Qiu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. "Uncle Lian, you, you quickly go take a look, Hu Tou, Hu Tou is experiencing something strange, it seems, it seems..." Being still young, she found herself at a loss for words as she spoke, and could only pull Lian Yun to run outside. Seeing this, Jin Yang and Lian Jun felt something was amiss and followed them out.

"Xiao Qiu, what is so urgent? You look out of breath. Quickly sit down and take a breather, and speak slowly." Jin Yang has always liked this child, and he pulled her over and pressed her down onto the bamboo chair.

Lian Yunfei was just about to speak when a sharp whistle suddenly echoed from above. He looked up and saw that, at some point, more than a dozen strange birds were soaring in the sky, and faint silhouettes of people could be seen on the birds. The villagers also noticed this unusual sight and soon became flustered, hurriedly retreating to their homes. In a short while, only a few people remained in the open space. The Lian couple also intended to pull their son to hide, but their feet seemed rooted to the ground, leaving them helplessly watching as several people leaped down from the strange birds.

In the center of the open space, the tiger head remained oblivious, sitting cross-legged, its silvery radiance growing ever brighter, soon forming a silvery cocoon of light. A few figures, draped in black veils and wielding gleaming blades, floated down from the back of a bird. Unfazed by this strange phenomenon, they instead lunged viciously at the meditating tiger head. Upon witnessing this, Lian Jun could not help but exclaim in shock, inadvertently bringing about a deadly calamity, as several black-clad individuals abandoned the tiger head and charged towards the Lian couple.

Despite being well-read and experienced, the village chief, Old Man Zhao, who leaned on his cane, was seeing such an extraordinary sight for the first time. He stood there, stunned and lost in thought, completely at a loss. Zhao Village was merely a small settlement near Qingyuan City, where the residents were typically straightforward hunters who adhered to the mundane. They had never encountered such bizarre and supernatural occurrences, which left most villagers pointing and whispering, their faces filled with shock and confusion. Zhao Village was merely a small settlement near Qingyuan City, where the residents were typically straightforward hunters who adhered to the mundane. They had never encountered such bizarre and supernatural occurrences, which left most villagers pointing and whispering, their faces filled with shock and confusion

Upon hearing the term "soul power," the group of men in blue simultaneously changed their expressions and immediately attempted to take the bloodied Lian Jun away. However, they were obstructed by the Lian couple. Seeing these mysterious individuals incite a massacre in the village, how could they allow their son to be taken away? After pleading desperately, the leader, growing impatient, ultimately took both of them onto the strange bird, and the group vanished into the vast sky in an instant. Before departing, one of them was drawn to the Thunder Eagle soaring high above and whispered a few words to the leader before temporarily pursuing it.

A crowd had gathered in the open space in front of the village. Lian Yunfei managed to push through the crowd and finally saw the village chief's grandson, Hutu, sitting on the ground with his eyes tightly closed, a strange light faintly emanating from his body. When he asked the onlookers, no one knew exactly what had happened. They only knew that an hour ago, Hutu, who had been chopping firewood, suddenly ran to the village front and the open space, and this was the scene now. Filled with curiosity, Lian Jun wanted to step forward to see what was going on, but he could only approach within three feet of Hutu's side, unable to advance any further.

The Zhao Village lay in utter disarray, and no one knew the reason behind the recent events. The surviving villagers only understood that they had lost their loved ones, lost their children, and everything felt like the most terrifying nightmare. The only evidence of that massacre was the bodies strewn across the ground and the bloodstains that had stained the dust.

The black-clad individuals who completed their mission ultimately could not escape the slaughter, as if to vent their anger; their opponents employed the most brutal methods to send them to the underworld. In the aftermath of the Zhao Village incident, there were cries of anguish from the wounded everywhere, and nearly all the children and youths had fallen victim to the poison. Horrifying corpses were seen scattered all around.

Just as the family of three was enjoying delicious rabbit meat while chatting and laughing, a sudden commotion of exclamations arose from outside. Moments later, the front door was pushed open with a bang, and a girl of about eight or nine stumbled in. "Uncle Lian, it's, it's not good!" Perhaps due to her hurried run, the girl appeared somewhat out of breath.

The once peaceful village suddenly transformed into a battlefield, as two groups of people from different backgrounds engaged in a fierce fight without any explanation. In the end, those who arrived later were still a step too late; the tiger head encased in silver silk could not withstand the relentless blows. As the silver light dissipated, it ultimately fell into a pool of blood. Until his last moments, this simple rural youth remained unaware of what had truly transpired, staring wide-eyed at the once clear sky.

Lian Junru never expected that the situation would take a sudden turn. As he watched the glinting blade coming towards him, he thought to himself that he was undoubtedly doomed. In an instant, several deafening long howls echoed through the air, and suddenly, a few figures in blue appeared in the open space. As they moved swiftly, Lian Junru felt a sharp pain all over his body, and his vision blurred, ultimately causing him to faint.

The leader gently pushed aside the couple, reached out to probe the nose of Lian Junru, and immediately showed a look of joy. "He is still alive!" He disregarded how his words might surprise others and waved to his companions, saying, "Quickly wrap up the corpse of the boy from the silver cocoon; no matter what, we must bring it back!" As he spoke, he pointed to Lian Junru on the ground, "This boy should also be taken back; it seems he has been eroded by soul power, and he might be of use!" "Quickly wrap up the corpse of the boy from the silver cocoon; no matter what, we must bring it back!" As he spoke, he pointed to Lian Junru on the ground, "This boy should also be taken back; it seems he has been eroded by soul power, and he might be of use!"

The leader in blue stood in the center of this battlefield, his eyes glinting with a cold light as he surveyed the surroundings. After a long while, he let out a deep sigh. "I didn't expect to be a step too late again. Is this fate?" he murmured to himself. Several other individuals in blue, having presumably assessed the situation in the village, approached him and shook their heads in dismay, clearly having found nothing. They had initially believed they could achieve success in one fell swoop, but unexpectedly, they were outpaced by others, resulting not only in failure but also in the loss of their last glimmer of hope. As individuals burdened with heavy responsibilities from birth, how could they possibly accept this outcome?

The leader glanced once more at the surviving villagers, just about to give the order to leave, when he suddenly felt a movement at his feet. Looking down, he saw a blood-soaked young boy slightly stirring, with a faint silver glow appearing on his body. This unusual sight immediately startled him. However, not far away, the Lian couple acted even faster, rushing to pick up the boy and exclaiming, "Junru, are you alright?"