Chapter 51: A Frenzied Dance of Demons 44

Monsters?!

Everyone immediately became alert, gripping their weapons tightly.

The soldier who spotted the monster backed away, pointing at one of the houses. “The monster is inside! Its body is covered in white threads!”

Anyao signaled to a nearby cultivator to investigate. This cultivator belonged to the beast clan and had assumed a human form, towering almost as high as the roof. With a single punch, he smashed the thick wooden door to splinters.

He reached into the house and pulled out a child!

The little boy was lifted high into the air by the giant cultivator. He screamed and struggled violently, but the cultivator remained unmoved. Frowning, he said, “It’s not a monster—it’s just a little boy. How strange. Why isn’t he affected by the white threads?”

The boy’s body was wrapped in many white filaments, yet his arms and legs moved freely, showing no sign of being hindered.

Shi Xianyu stepped closer, recognizing the boy. She called out in astonishment, “Xiaoman?!”

Seeing that she knew him, the cultivator immediately let go. The boy tumbled to the ground, rolled over, and scrambled toward Shi Xianyu, clutching her leg and crying as if he had found a savior. “Daoist!”

Shi Xianyu quickly asked, “Xiaoman, what happened in the village? How did things turn out like this—”

Before she could finish, Linyuan suddenly strode forward, grabbed Xiaoman by the collar, and hurled him away.

“Linyuan! What are you doing?!” Shi Xianyu was stunned. Linyuan’s strength was formidable—she watched in shock as the boy’s small body flew through the air and landed heavily on the ground.

Linyuan blocked her path, refusing to let her approach the child.

Shen Xiao spoke in a low voice, “Xiaoyu, don’t be hasty. Let me take a look first.”

Anyao seemed to sense something as well. She signaled her subordinates to withdraw and cautiously kept a safe distance from the boy.

Xiaoman sat up, dazed from the fall. His face was filled with confusion, as if he couldn’t understand why the daoists who once saved the village were suddenly treating him this way.

Shen Xiao approached and knelt before him, speaking gently. “Your name is Xiaoman?”

He nodded. “Yes, my name is Xia Xiaoman.”

Shen Xiao asked, “Xiaoman, can you tell us what happened in the village?”

As soon as he was asked, Xiaoman’s lips quivered as if he were about to cry, but for some reason, not a single tear fell.

“A few days ago, a lot of soldiers suddenly came to the village! They stole things and killed people! They killed so many! My father and mother, and Grandpa Zhang from next door—they all died. Wang Ji tried to hide us, but he was killed too! Then Lady Wan suddenly appeared. I don’t know how, but she… she started to emit all these white threads, and they wrapped up all the soldiers who were killing and burning!”

As Xiaoman recalled the events, his little face turned deathly pale.

“They’re all dead… everyone is dead. Lady Wan too. I’m the only one left…”

Shen Xiao listened, his expression becoming strange. Though he wore a smile, grief welled up in his eyes.

He drew a slow breath, striving for a calm tone. “Xiaoman, think carefully. How did you escape those murderous soldiers?”

“I couldn’t. They came too fast! Wang Ji had just pushed me into the house when they burst in and stabbed Wang Ji through the stomach—I saw it with my own eyes!” Xiaoman said in terror. “They tried to kill me too! They were worse than any man-eating monster!”

Shen Xiao looked at him sadly. “And then? Did you escape?”

“No! They slashed me with their knives!” Xiaoman pointed all over his body, “Here, here… and here! They cut me so many times! It hurt so bad!”

Shen Xiao could not go on, his throat tight with sorrow.

When Shen Xiao fell silent, Xiaoman thought he wasn’t believed and cried out anxiously, “Daoist, I’m not lying! Look! Those people were ruthless killers…”

He pulled open his clothes to show Shen Xiao his wounds—

But not a drop of blood seeped from the gashes. There were only some flat slits in the skin, and as he pulled the skin apart, inside was a dense, snow-white mass of threads.

Xiaoman stared at his own wound, dumbfounded.

Anyao quietly moved to Shen Xiao’s side and whispered, “It seems this child has already died…”

Shen Xiao lowered his head, replying weakly, “His desire to live was so strong that, unusually, he achieved a kind of symbiosis with the white fungus inside his body.”

“Rather than symbiosis, it’s more like the white fungus entangled itself with the human soul’s longing to live,” Anyao sighed softly, trying to persuade Shen Xiao. “Existing in this state—neither human nor ghost—what difference is there from a monster? Besides, he still carries the fungus. If it spreads, it will bring new disaster. It’s hard, but… better to deal with it quickly.”

Panic overtook Xia Xiaoman’s face. He looked at Shen Xiao, then at Shi Xianyu and Linyuan in confusion. “What are you saying? Who’s dead? How could I be dead… If I’m dead, how can I still be here talking to you? You’re lying! You’re all liars! Big liars!!”

The little boy broke down, wailing. Countless white threads poured from his sleeves and collar.

Anyao retreated warily, raising her hand to give the order to destroy this creature, but Shen Xiao suddenly stepped in front of Xiaoman.

“Miss An, wait,” he said.

Anyao hesitated. “I understand how you feel, but in this state, there’s no reason for him to go on living.”

“These white threads only cause numbness; they have no other toxicity, and they dissolve in strong light,” Shen Xiao said calmly, meeting Anyao’s gaze. “Miss An, he’s not as great a threat as you imagine. Let him live.”

“But…” Anyao bit her lip. Facing such a small child, she couldn’t bear it either. Yet she had also seen: the child’s body was full of white threads—he was not truly alive.

Shen Xiao said, “I’ll take him with me to cultivate. He will not leave my side. If anything happens to me, I’ll see to it that he’s properly cared for before my death.”

Anyao was torn. To let it be felt dangerous, but to oppose Shen Xiao over it seemed unnecessary.

At last, she lowered her raised hand and let out a heavy sigh. “I hope you keep your word. Never let these white threads spread again.”

Shen Xiao turned, knelt, and asked Xia Xiaoman, “Would you like to come with me from now on?”

Hearing someone was willing to take him in, Xiaoman’s emotions slowly calmed. He looked at Shen Xiao’s face and nodded without hesitation.

“Good boy.” Shen Xiao smiled gently, reaching out to pat his head.

Xiaoman looked up at him, hopeful. “Daoist, could you take in a few more people?”

Shen Xiao was slightly taken aback. “Who else?”

Xiaoman turned and ran into the house, stopping at the entrance to the cellar. “Everyone… is hiding down here.”

Shen Xiao’s eyes widened in surprise and joy. He hurried inside and lifted open the cellar door.

Below, seven or eight children huddled together, all unconscious from days without food.