Descendants of the False Gods - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The Massacre of the “Elderly Village” (1)

After returning to the manor, the two children fell ill due to the cold. By the time they recovered and saw the wolf cubs again, the little creatures had already grown into fluffy balls over a foot long.

Children naturally have no resistance to such adorable animals. Apart from eating and training, they spent the rest of their time playing with the wolf cubs. Each brother adopted one, naming them after the “Dragon” and “Tiger” from the Longhu mountain range, to commemorate their birthplace.

The older brother wished his cub could be as chubby as his younger brother’s, while the younger brother hoped his cub wouldn’t be so lazy, eating and sleeping all day. Ideally, it would be as lean and agile as his older brother’s wolf. Thus, the slightly larger and leaner cub was named “Fat Dragon,” while the rounder and plumper one was called “Thin Tiger.”

After the encounter with the wolves in the cave, the brothers’ daily training also changed. Lan began training with heavier and larger wooden swords, growing fond of wielding them with both hands. Luo, on the other hand, took a liking to shields and started practicing sword-shield combinations. Since he had to hold a shield in one hand, his wooden sword became shorter for ease of use.

Their archery practice also evolved, focusing on shooting moving targets while on the move. From time to time, Yan Tie took them to the back mountains for hunting, allowing them to shoot live targets.

As time passed, the two wolf cubs grew to the size of adult dogs, constantly running around the mountain, playing and causing mischief. The two children and their wolf companions had become the little tyrants of Tiger Roar Peak.

Two years passed quickly. The children had grown over a meter tall, and their training weapons were replaced with real weapons, scaled down to fit their size. By the age of eight, they were already hunting alone in the back mountains.

Although Yan Tie was always uneasy and secretly followed them, the brothers had truly learned to navigate the wilderness independently. Of course, they weren’t alone—their two spirit wolves had grown up alongside them.

Yes, in two years, the cubs had matured into full-grown adult wolves. They were now taller than Yan Tie, and if they teamed up, even he might not be their match. Whenever he tried to follow closely on hunts, the wolves would quickly detect him, forcing him to keep his distance, watching and listening from afar.

One thing reassured him: the two spirit wolves saw the children as their masters. Whenever Yan Tie scolded the boys, the wolves would growl in discontent, making him suspect they were descended from some kind of mutant dog.

Winter arrived once again. The brothers started spending their days nestled in the mountain cave. Yan Tie had expressed his concerns about them staying alone in the mountains, but they insisted, wanting to remain with the spirit wolves, which couldn’t be kept in the village.

The wolves still roamed daily and often brought back wild chickens and rabbits as tribute to the brothers.

Winter in the mountain village was always covered in snow. In this season, the village was at its most peaceful. Travelers rarely passed through due to the heavy snowfall that followed every winter night. Merchants completed their last trades in autumn before settling in for the season.

However, tonight, an uninvited group arrived. They did not enter from the village road but climbed over the eastern slope from the main road connecting Wang County to the Imperial County, approaching the village from behind.

A hundred men, all dressed in white, camouflaged against the snowy hillside, watched the village from above during the day. As night fell, they began their descent.

Their white garments blended seamlessly with the falling snow, unnoticed by the villagers except for a few barking dogs. The elderly villagers retired early, and apart from a few grumbling elders who were awakened by the dogs, the village soon returned to silence.

The intruders descended slowly but accelerated as they neared the village, spreading out rapidly. When the elderly scolded their barking dogs, the attackers froze, merging with the snow again. As the village quieted, they moved once more.

Once inside the village, they pressed against the outer walls of the homes. The village houses, built against the mountain, were grouped into small clusters. Though the hundred men couldn’t cover all homes at once, most were already within their control.

A crimson signal flare shot up from Little Mirror Lake, soaring high but not exploding. The moment the white-clad figures saw the signal, they sprang into action, some pushing doors open, others climbing through windows. Their movements were swift and silent, not disturbing the sleeping elders.

Moments later, some emerged and entered the next house, methodically “sweeping” through like locusts ravaging a field. Occasionally, muffled “mmph, mmph” sounds—like someone trying to scream with their mouth covered—escaped from within.

One house, its door ajar, revealed an elderly man covered in blood crawling to the entrance. He reached for the wooden mallet beside the door and struck the village alarm twice before collapsing lifelessly.

In the stillness of the village night, the sound of the mallet was particularly crisp, echoing far and wide.

Another crimson flare soared into the sky, but this time, it exploded into a dazzling display, illuminating the entire village.

Seeing this, the white-clad figures abandoned stealth. They kicked down the flimsy wooden doors and stormed inside, triggering cries of surprise and screams of agony.

The alarm startled the elders who had yet to be attacked. Out of concern for their neighbors, they stepped outside to investigate. Those nearest the attackers were slain instantly—some stabbed in the chest as soon as they opened their doors, others frozen in shock before being cut down.

Only those further away, sensing danger, retreated indoors to prepare for a counterattack.

The Xin Clan’s younger generation had long since left—either adventuring or managing family businesses elsewhere. Since childhood, they were trained in combat to prepare for the dangers of the outside world. The Xin Clan, after all, were descendants of the empire’s first intelligence corps. The elders, now retired, had settled in Yan Village, leading outsiders to call it the “Elderly Village.”

Despite their age and waning strength, their battle instincts remained.

The alarm had also roused the village chief, Yan Tie, filling him with unease. Why would someone sound the alarm so late at night?

Since the spirit wolf incident two years ago, he had worried about the village’s security, even modifying the iron gate’s fence into removable iron spears.

Hearing the alarm, Yan Tie hurriedly dressed and stepped out. He was used to taking the side exit, so he instinctively opened the small door.

Yan Village Manor had been built over two hundred years ago when the Xin Clan first settled here. It was surrounded by tall walls and a grand iron gate. Beyond the gate lay a vast courtyard, leading to a magnificent banquet hall. To the right was the ancestral shrine, and to the left, a garden path leading to the back quarters—where rows of simple houses served as kitchens, bedrooms, storage, and guest rooms.

Beyond the kitchen was a small gate opening to Little Mirror Lake.

From the small gate, Yan Tie saw that several wooden houses at the farthest edge of the village were already ablaze, the firelight casting long shadows of white-clad figures on the snow-covered road.

One thought flashed in his mind: “Enemy attack!” He rushed back to the kitchen, grabbed his hunting bow, and shouted a warning as he seized his blade and dashed out.

Taking an iron spear from the gate, he charged toward the nearest white-clad assailant…