[To Become a River of Stars] Dong Xiange - Chapter 110

At that moment, low, deep roars came from outside the house, as if dying cries were trapped within a body, about to burst through flesh and blood.

Everyone’s expressions turned stern, except for the old woman, who seemed not to hear, still wearing that wooden expression, not even moving her eyeballs. Instead, she walked outside with extreme calm.

Shiliu stared fixedly at her hunched back, her gaze examining the back of the old woman’s neck. She quietly stood on tiptoe, leaned close to Li Xuanci’s ear, and whispered a few words to him.

After hearing her, Li Xuanci also looked in that direction and said, “We’ll know once we take a look.”

The old woman walked ahead, pushed the door open, and her short figure stepped into the night, instantly swallowed by it. Li Xuanci was the first to follow, with Shiliu tugging at his sleeve, trailing behind like a little tail.

In the dim light, they saw the old woman quickly reach the side room, take a key from her bosom, and unlock the door. Instantly, the hoarse, suppressed roars could no longer be contained, pouring out from the slightly ajar door, sounding rather eerie.

Soon, strange sounds arose again—not made by a human, but more like the sound of beasts feeding, tearing at flesh and blood.

Shiliu, however, was bold. Hearing such strange movements, she was the first to want to charge forward, but Li Xuanci grabbed her wrist, shot her a warning glance, pulled her behind him, and told her to stay put. He himself stepped forward, walked to the door, and pushed it open with his sword hilt.

Creak— The old, thick wooden door made a grating sound, then swung open. Behind it was a terrifying, abnormal scene.

They saw the old woman, her face pained, fists clenched as if struggling, while a dark figure crouched over her neck, sharp fangs deeply embedded in her flesh. Gushing blood overflowed from the aged skin and was quickly swallowed down.

The old woman’s feet kicked weakly, but the dark figure on top of her didn’t pause in the slightest, still greedily sucking blood from this elderly body.

Shiliu couldn’t help but gasp in surprise, startling the blood-sucking monster. It turned its head sharply, its eyes in the darkness like those of a wild beast, quickly focusing on these strangers.

A flash of greedy bestiality passed through it. It released the old woman and charged at them with a roar.

When the dark figure stood straight, they realized it was actually a person—but disheveled, ragged, and with a ferocious face. Originally quite handsome features were twisted like a wax mask, human-like yet not human.

Its eyeballs bulged wide, with golden patterns flashing within. Its blood-stained mouth gaped open as it lunged forward.

Li Xuanci reacted extremely quickly. In an instant, a gleaming sword light burst from its sheath, carrying a fierce momentum as it thrust towards the charging figure. Just as it was about to pierce through, the strange man didn’t dodge or avoid, charging forward as if completely devoid of reason.

This time, Shiliu’s reaction wasn’t slow either. She was already holding Li Xuanci’s sleeve, and seeing this, she pulled him back desperately.

“Wait!” Her whole body hung like a weight, almost tipping backwards to restrain Li Xuanci’s sword.

Li Xuanci clicked his tongue softly, simply turned, and with one arm, pulled the troublesome weight into his embrace to keep her from causing more trouble. His other hand still held the sword, thrusting straight forward.

Shiliu was frantic, but her slender arms were no match for the thigh she was clinging to. She could only watch helplessly as the sword continued forward.

But just before the sword tip pierced the strange man’s flesh, it suddenly changed direction. Li Xuanci twisted his wrist, carving an extremely beautiful, intricate sword flower in the air.

After the clang of metal, he had avoided the blade and instead used the flat of the sword to strike hard at the man’s shoulder and neck, then downwards, hitting his knees squarely with a smack. Infused with internal force, the strange man, his major joints struck, instantly could no longer move and collapsed to the ground.

Only then did he withdraw his sword. Without even a glance at the motionless strange man on the ground, he looked down at Shiliu. She was somewhat dazed, then realized how ridiculous her earlier posture, hanging onto Li Xuanci like a weight, must have looked. Uncharacteristically ashamed, she averted her eyes.

Li Xuanci looked at the once very noisy weight who had now become a tight-lipped gourd. With a faint, mocking smile, he leaned an inch closer and whispered, “Just how much have you eaten? You’re so heavy, you nearly tore my sleeve.”

As he spoke, his breath brushed against the stray hairs at Shiliu’s temples. The fine, soft ends of her hair lightly pricked the corners of her eyes, a numb, tingling sensation spreading.

Even the thickest skin would redden under his words.

Shiliu raised her hand and rubbed her eyes, quite forcefully, suppressing the numb itch and hiding the unconscious embarrassment in her eyes. Then she looked up, glared at him, and said, “If it’s really torn, I’ll pay for it…”

Suddenly remembering that the money on her actually came from the private coffers of the man before her, her defiance deflated instantly. Lacking the capital to challenge him, she pursed her lips and changed her tune, “I’ll sew it up for you then.”

Her head was bowed in dejection, so she didn’t see Li Xuanci’s eyebrow twitch almost imperceptibly, nor the fleeting lift at the corner of his mouth before the hint of a smile vanished completely. When she looked up again, Li Xuanci still wore that aloof expression, merely uttering a single “Fine” before releasing his hold on her and turning to melt into the shadows.

His boot came down on the wrist of the strange man on the ground, pressing with such force it seemed the bones might shatter. The man emitted a muffled, wretched cry from his throat, piercingly shrill.

The old woman behind them, who had been barely clinging to life, finally regained some strength. Her turbid eyes turned towards them, and for the first time, her face showed a trace of emotion. A sound like a broken bellows wheezed from her lungs as she pleaded, “Don’t… don’t…”

But a flash of ruthlessness, swift as a meteor, crossed Li Xuanci’s face. He pressed down even harder, his black boot grinding against the wrist, producing a grotesque sound of bone and flesh grinding together.

The old woman trembled even more violently, as if some living emotion was breaking through the wrinkled, numb mask of her face. Her pleas of “Don’t…” grew more pitiful.

Li Xuanci tilted his head slightly, observing the two of them, and said with satisfaction, “It seems we can get them to talk now.”