Chapter Twelve: The King of Hell Calls the Roll

In Little River Village, about twenty Qi practitioners had arrived ahead of time and gathered. These practitioners could be roughly divided into two categories.

The first were orthodox Qi cultivators from Red Crow City, led by the Li family.

The second group consisted of scattered cultivators from various places—some from the foot of Green Deer Mountain, others from a populous town near the vast Red Crow metropolis.

This second group was the largest, numbering over a dozen, a motley crew of all trades: arrogant and domineering warriors, Daoist priests with an ethereal aura, and rough-and-tumble heroes with a bandit’s air.

“Utterly shameless…” Chen Xuan thought to himself, then folded his hands behind his back and strolled leisurely toward the residence he once called home in Little River Village.

He vaguely remembered that when he left years ago, he entrusted the courtyard to a familiar farming family in the village to watch over.

Low earthen walls enclosed a simple courtyard, with a few shabby, low-roofed houses inside, smoke curling gently from the chimneys.

In the yard, a middle-aged man with a limp was chopping wood, while a young woman, not unattractive, squatted silently heating water. The faint cries of a child drifted from one of the nearby rooms.

Chen Xuan paused at the door, peered inside with a smile, and took in the scene.

The couple, both around thirty, soon noticed him. Their faces quickly fell into despair.

The young woman, catching the gentle smile on Chen Xuan's face, immediately clutched at her collar, lowered her head, and hurried into the back bedroom.

“I’ve been seen… I’ve been caught…” she whispered.

The middle-aged man ground his teeth, tightly gripping a stone axe before his strength gave out. His face was filled with humiliation, trembling like a leaf, and he slowly knelt, burying his face in the earth.

“It’s my family’s turn… finally it’s my family’s turn…”

Chen Xuan’s smile faded as he understood the situation. Then, a silent, knowing smile returned to his face.

Old acquaintances had long forgotten him.

Now, upon meeting again, only a profound fear of Qi practitioners remained, ingrained to their very bones.

After a moment, footsteps echoed, followed by rough, boisterous voices.

Three men, carrying plain broadswords on their backs, exuded a fierce aura. They resembled wandering heroes from the martial world or notorious bandits from the wilds. Laughing and chatting, they strode around the corner toward the courtyard.

“Did you see that? People from Green Deer Mountain dared to stay in the mountains overnight.”

“Such nerve…”

“Why not come back at night? Rural women have their charms. That young woman at the east end of the village last night, huh…”

“That family was unwise to resist. After it was done, Brother Zheng slashed them all multiple times.”

“…”

The leader, a black-faced, burly man named Zheng Tu, made a cup-shaping gesture with his fingers and grinned wickedly.

“Second brother, third brother, don’t complain. I spotted another fine-looking one this morning, even younger, with softer skin, living right here.”

“Big brother’s eye for talent is sharp,” the tall, lean second brother praised, giving a thumbs-up.

After a long, desolate journey through a harsh wasteland, these men had endured enough hardship.

Finally reaching a human village, they found at last some things to ease their fatigue and frustration.

“Brother Zheng, there’s a man at the courtyard gate… a Qi practitioner,” the third brother, walking last, suddenly said.

The three stopped and looked toward the courtyard.

Chen Xuan stood silently, arms hanging by his sides, expression unreadable as he turned his face slightly away, eyes lowered.

In the narrow alley, about twenty meters apart, their gazes met.

Zheng Tu, nearly two meters tall with a face full of scars and a broad, muscular frame, frowned slightly and exchanged a glance with his companions before continuing toward the courtyard.

An ordinary Qi practitioner, with robust vitality.

But just one man.

No threat to them.

Qi cultivators begin their path to transcendence with varying strength, but the difference is rarely more than a few hundred to a thousand jin.

Though puzzled why the young man stood at the gate, the three men were not overly wary.

Zheng Tu reached the courtyard gate, scanning Chen Xuan up and down before smiling and asking, “Fellow Daoist, are you new here and unable to find a suitable place to stay?”

Chen Xuan nodded.

“Oh, I guessed as much,” Zheng Tu replied kindly. “But this courtyard was already chosen by the three of us to stay tonight. Why don’t you look elsewhere?”

Little River Village had dozens of households, plenty of empty rooms and common folk willing to serve.

Zheng Tu spoke tactfully, polite and courteous, unwilling to sour relations over a minor matter with a Qi cultivator.

Chen Xuan squinted at him and said, “But I think this courtyard has a nice environment, and that young woman inside looks quite appealing. Why don’t you let me have it?”

This was a rather direct provocation. Anyone hearing it would feel uncomfortable.

Zheng Tu was stunned, eyes wide.

“Uh…”

Well, this young man looked respectable but was just as shameless as the rest.

A perfect gentleman.

Zheng Tu sneered inwardly but showed no sign of it on his face. Instead, he laughed heartily.

“Since you’re one of us, it wouldn’t hurt to have some fun with an ordinary mortal woman a few times… but this courtyard, we can’t just give it up. Otherwise, people will look down on us. We have to save some face for the brothers.”

When traveling, harmony is precious.

They were strangers without deep grudges.

Zheng Tu believed his words were reasonable, faultless to any listener, offering maximum goodwill.

At this moment in Little River Village, the three brothers were a leading force, second only to the Li family from Red Crow City.

Zheng Tu’s cultivation was extremely advanced, with strength exceeding four thousand jin. Everyone recognized his talent and great stature.

There was no need for them to yield.

If the other party pushed further, it would be shameless.

Their blades were sharp and ready.

Chen Xuan listened and nodded thoughtfully.

“You’re very good at dealing with people. You must have many friends.”

Zheng Tu nodded. “I’m used to being kind to others.”

Chen Xuan inclined his head and stepped aside, opening the gate.

“Go ahead. I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Inside, the limping man knelt on the ground, his face ashen as he listened to his family being bartered like commodities. From a distant room came the faint sobbing of the woman.

Above, it felt as if a cloud of despair had descended.

…

At the far end of the alley, a black cat with a jade pendant tied by a red cord around its neck emerged. Behind its head rose a dark crescent moon, as if a god surveying the mortal world. It walked forward with graceful, indifferent steps.

The shadows crept onward.

The King of Hell began his roll call.

…

“You won’t make things difficult for us?”

Crazy…

Zheng Tu looked at the young man who had yielded the way with a calm demeanor and felt his thick face twitch. This young man spoke boldly—“won’t make things difficult”? Giving you face, do you really think you’re someone special?

What a nuisance.

Laughable.

But still, the other party was sensible, afraid of their numbers and power, and yielded.

They must be scared.

Zheng Tu sneered and called to his two companions. Together, they passed Chen Xuan and entered the courtyard.

“小兄弟, it’s never a bad thing to have more friends on the road... Not everyone is as kind as us…”

As he passed, Zheng Tu let fall a casual remark, “Today, brothers, we’ve given you enough face.”

Zheng Tu was kind, but he was also a fierce tiger at heart and wouldn’t tolerate being insulted lightly.

Enough face!!!

The three glanced sideways at the young man, assuming he was intimidated by their cold words.

Then, Zheng Tu lifted his left foot to step over the threshold, but suddenly felt a hand clap his shoulder.

“Hey.”

The young man’s calm voice sounded in his ear like thunder from a clear sky.

“Why step in with your left foot first?”

Zheng Tu turned in confusion, only to see a fist thrust forward.

“Boom!”

The punch came with overwhelming force, devouring the air itself—

At that moment, an unforeseen calamity and an enemy beyond all imagination appeared before him.

He had not sensed even a trace of killing intent beforehand.

…

…

In a room, candlelight flickered as several Qi practitioners from Red Crow City drank and exchanged cups.

“This Little River Village is full of filth. Some of these scattered cultivators have gone too far,” complained Chu Huogun, standing over the table and drinking the rice wine offered by the young Chu Qingling.

“Old man Li, you’re an orthodox cultivator from Red Crow City. Why don’t you step in and manage this?”

The Li family head, dressed in brocade robes with a square, stern face, snorted coldly.

“These mortals have no relation to me. I have greater matters to attend to. Stop beating around the bush and say what you want directly!”

He brought his family here to the southern wilderness through great hardship for a future—not to make enemies.

Old man Chu glared and cursed.

“I nearly saw the underworld with my own eyes, and you refused to help. Can’t I say a word? Your family is the strongest force here in Little River Village, representing Red Crow City’s honor. Only you can suppress these lawless scattered cultivators!”

The Li family head sneered and dismissed the serious topic, instead saying, “Don’t talk about the underworld—that’s just legend. Who’s ever seen it? By the way, where’s the young brother Xiao Wang who saved you? I’d like to meet him and judge his authenticity…”

Chu Huogun referred to Xiao Wang, whose post-transcendence body strength exceeded four thousand jin. Except for not practicing illusions, he was no less capable than their well-known elders.

Ha, such obvious flattery…

But if true, Xiao Wang would now be a formidable rival.

“Do you need to judge him? Don’t get any ideas,” Chu Huogun sneered. “You have different temperaments and can’t get along. If there’s a chance, I’ll introduce you.”

The Li family head inwardly thought, “A lie as expected. If he were truly capable, he’d want to meet the young hero…”

At that moment, a tremendous noise erupted outside.

The entire village shook violently; even the table trembled, spilling wine everywhere in chaos.

Boom!

It sounded like something being blasted with enormous force, like a cannonball tearing through a wall.

In the dusk of Little River Village, both mortals and Qi practitioners heard the sharp, sudden roar.

A harsh, unexpected sound.