Chapter 56: I Have Come for Revenge

“Of course I’m seeking revenge! First, I want to find the villain who injured my right leg! If it weren’t for this injury... by the full moon night, I could have undergone my tribulation!” Zhang Yang’s heart pounded like a drum.

He didn’t want to believe in such supernatural nonsense, but logically, Qian Xiuju, who hadn’t gone up the mountain for the patrol hunt, couldn’t have known that a yellow marten had an injured leg.

Even if she had overheard Zhao Dong’s words when she was barely conscious, she shouldn’t have known such detailed information now—that the yellow marten was hurt on its right leg!

Could it be...

Zhang Yang steadied his mind and continued to question Qian Xiuju.

“You were wandering around the mountain late at night and ran into the patrol hunters. Accidentally getting hurt by them is understandable,” he said.

“Besides, they only injured your leg and didn’t take your life. Why hold such a grudge?”

“Because they stopped me from undergoing my tribulation! Why shouldn’t I hold a grudge?!” Qian Xiuju’s voice became sharper, full of resentment.

Zhang Yang replied, his voice low and steady, “The hunters knew that yellow martens hold grudges dearly, yet they spared your life. That balances the scales. If you have a chance to become immortal in the future, you must not carry grudges; otherwise, enlightenment will be difficult.”

He sounded like an old Taoist priest often giving sermons in a temple.

Qian Xiuju seemed swayed, but then her eyes rolled in a strange and eerie way, as if she suddenly realized something, and she looked at Zhang Yang like an enemy.

“You’ve said so many nice things... don’t tell me you’re the one who injured me?!” she accused.

Zhang Yang showed her the hunting rifle in his hand. “You must have seen this before, right? If it were me, one shot would be fatal—you wouldn’t be alive now.”

Qian Xiuju’s eyes rolled again, but the amplitude and speed were unnatural, almost terrifying.

Zhang Yang pressed on, “Honestly, the person that night didn’t mean to hurt you! It was a conflict between two villages over wolf hunting, and in the chaos, you got hurt by mistake.”

He had become quite skilled at misleading others—he almost believed his own words.

“So always think positively! If you had died that night, there’d be no chance to seek justice. You’re alive, only lost a bit of your cultivation. Just rebuild it!”

Qian Xiuju glared at him. “No! I want a proper explanation today!”

Zhang Yang frowned. “If you keep acting all supernatural, offending both villages, everyone will hate yellow martens. How will your family survive on the mountain?”

He pointed at her frail body. “Even if the owner of this body has no grudge with you, why bother a little girl?”

“No grudge?” Qian Xiuju grew agitated again. “If it weren’t for this little girl telling her father she wanted a yellow marten’s fur hat, would I have come after her?”

She began baring her teeth fiercely. “She even said the yellow marten smells strong, so she must boil it alive first, scald it until it’s fat and dead, then skin it! To keep the entire pelt intact!”

“The real villain! She’s the biggest villain of all!” Zhang Yang was speechless.

Good deeds bring good results, but evil deeds... especially when heard by the yellow marten itself, are beyond redemption.

Qian Xiuju chuckled wickedly in a way that chilled everyone present.

“Let go of me! I’m going to let her die here on this mountain!”

Zhang Yang didn’t move.

Back when he did business along the coast, he had heard stories of strange spirits causing trouble—monkey-like sea creatures stealing children, mermaids seducing sailors to eat their hearts and livers.

Back then, it was just folklore. Now, it was reality.

There were folk methods to deal with such possessions. Supposedly, if a demon possesses someone, you only need to find a person with a strong and correct destiny, and mark the possessed’s forehead with fresh blood to drive away the evil.

Zhang Yang thought his destiny must be strong—otherwise, he couldn’t have lived twice.

But he didn’t want to take risks. He planned to suggest the idea to the team leader later and let him decide.

Just as he thought this, Qian Xiuju suddenly burst out!

She shook off the thick cotton coat covering him and broke the grass rope with nearly impossible strength!

“You dare to call more people here... You don’t take me seriously!”

She crawled on the ground like a wild beast, her hands clawing the bare snow.

Her posture was exactly like a yellow marten’s!

“I will never let you go easily!”

After saying this, she fled swiftly in that beast-like stance.

The group didn’t react in time, and when they did, they dared not fire.

“This... this is too eerie!” Gao Wu sighed helplessly. “This deep mountain forest is truly no place for ordinary people! One wrong move and you could lose your life!”

Zhang Yang calmed himself. “Did you hear what she said? The team leader should be arriving soon. You two lead him here; I’ll chase after her!”

“Yangzi! You’re really going after her?” Gao Wen, harboring deep grudges with the villagers, didn’t want Zhang Yang involved and tried to stop him.

But Zhang Yang had his own concerns.

“If we let her run wild, stirring trouble and spreading fear, no one will live well. It’s better to catch her sooner.”

Gao Wen sighed and let him go.

Zhang Yang picked up the cotton coat from the ground, wrapped it around himself in one piece, and ran in the direction Qian Xiuju had fled.

Yet, she vanished without a trace.

They searched the mountain all night but never found her again.

Zhang Haiquan had already heard Zhao Dong’s story once and found it incredible.

He didn’t believe a word.

But after meeting Zhang Yang and hearing the updates, his face turned extremely grim.

“Why are there so many strange things happening this year?!” Zhang Haiquan scolded.

No one could answer.

Everyone was tired, and silence fell over the group.

Zhang Haiquan clasped his hands behind his back and ordered, “No one is to speak of tonight’s events once we return to the village!”

“When dawn breaks more, I’ll go ask Qian Weiguo about the situation!”

He glanced at Zhang Yang. “Don’t worry, I won’t say you were the one who found out.”

The two militia squads were already at odds, hostile to each other. If this trouble escalated, there might be another fight.

Zhang Yang thanked them repeatedly, then led his men back to the village to rest.

...

At first light, Qian Weiguo’s wife dragged him out of bed and forced him to go wake their youngest daughter for breakfast.

Qian Weiguo had a restless night, feeling as if something heavy pressed on him. Now he was up but still drowsy.

He knew his daughter Qian Xiuju loved to sleep in. Calling her this early probably wouldn’t work.

Better to wake himself properly first, then boil water, wash his face, and then call her.

Half asleep, Qian Weiguo walked to the well by their house.