Descendants of the False Gods - Chapter 21

Chapter 021: The “Elder Village” Massacre (3)

Yan Tie arrived at the abandoned backyard, pushing aside a large stone that was one person wide and tall. Beneath it, a hole was revealed. Once inside, he pulled the stone back into place.

It turned out that there was a sliding groove beneath the stone, making it easy to move. On a normal day, it would have been hard to spot that the stone was unusual, but today, in the heavy snow, the snow pushed aside by the sliding stone exposed it.

However, Yan Tie didn’t pay much attention to this. Soon, his father would disconnect the rope tied to the oil lamp. When the oil lamp tipped over, it would ignite the oil on the ground, turning the backyard into a sea of fire. If his younger brother, Yan Bo, had also set up gunpowder, the backyard would become a ruin, and anyone entering would be killed or injured.

Yan Tie crawled through the hole and reached the bottom. He lit a firestick to light the torch on the wall. Extinguishing the firestick, he slowly leaned against the wall, took off his jacket, and poured some liquor on his wounds to clean them. Biting down hard, he endured the intense pain, suppressing any cries.

After a long while, he took deep breaths to steady himself, waiting for the alcohol’s effect to wear off. When the pain subsided, he took out some medicinal powder and poured it carefully onto the long cut, then wrapped the wound with bandages.

Once dressed, Yan Tie took a few more deep breaths to calm himself before holding the torch and heading forward through the tunnel.

The tunnel was built along the hillside, gradually rising higher. After walking for a while, he heard a series of loud explosions—”Boom! Boom! Boom!”—and tears streamed down his face again. Still, he didn’t stop, though he knew that the Elder Village was gone. The peaceful village had turned into a wasteland, just like Xingyue City had years ago, completely disappearing from his world.

After walking about a hundred meters, he encountered a sloping staircase. He climbed it and reached a dead end, rubbing out the torch in the dirt.

He pushed a stone slab overhead, letting the moonlight filter in through the gap.

He listened patiently to the wind coming through the cracks in the stone, hearing the nearby wind and rustling leaves, as well as shouting from a distant manor.

From the sounds, it was clear that no one was nearby. The white-clad assassins in the village had suffered significant losses. At least those who had entered the yard were mostly dead, but the remaining assassins were still plenty, judging by the shouting.

Yan Tie exited the tunnel and restored the entrance. As he walked away, he kicked a nearby tree, causing the snow on it to fall, covering the hole. He then began to move toward the mountain, using the trees for cover.

To avoid detection, he carefully walked up the reverse slope of the hill before heading toward the cave. Now, from his position, he could stretch his neck and see the village below. A slight bend and he was hidden by the snow-covered slope.

Before reaching the mountaintop, Yan Tie saw his younger brother and two children—along with two wolves.

Upon meeting, Yan Bo handed Yan Tie a wolf pelt coat. Yan Tie had only grabbed a coat when he left, not minding the cold, but now he truly felt the chill and quickly put on the fur coat. While dressing, Yan Bo asked, “Father didn’t come?”

Without lifting his head, Yan Tie simply replied, “He’s gone.”

Yan Bo responded with a quiet, “Oh.”

After a moment of silence, Yan Bo added, “Let’s go.” Their tone was flat, and the atmosphere grew colder.

The group—two adults, two children, and two wolves—headed into the valley between the mountains. The distant noise from the village grew fainter, and the walking atmosphere became increasingly oppressive.

The oppressive air made it feel as if the air itself had frozen. Sensing this, Yan Bo decided to break the silence. He glanced at Yan Tie, walking ahead, and asked, “How did you get injured?”

Yan Tie lifted his head, glanced at the white snow ahead, and continued walking. “A group of white-clad people, an organized group. They lack teamwork, not like an army—more like assassins. Their leader had a weapon called ‘Mo Wu,’ a sword. I don’t know what ‘Mo Wu’ is. An old man in the village told me. He cut through an iron spear and left me with a long wound. I couldn’t win, so I thought I’d quickly bring you out of there.”

“The village is gone. I originally wanted to save them, but I’m not capable of doing that… I ran… Wuwuwu… Ahh!”

Yan Tie spoke incoherently, pouring out everything that had been on his mind, and started crying. The two children also began crying, letting out their emotions. After a while, he felt slightly better, wiped away his tears, and continued walking.

Yan Bo didn’t know how to comfort him, so he changed the topic. “I’ve seen ‘Mo Wu’ in books. It’s a weapon inscribed with a magic circle. These kinds of weapons are rare, only the Elves and Dwarves can craft them.”

“Uncle, what are the Elves and Dwarves?” The children’s curiosity never ceased, even in sad times.

“The Elves are an ancient race, said to be thousands of years old. After a catastrophic disaster thousands of years ago, many Elves died, leaving only a few to survive. They live in the Great Wood Forest to the west of the Empire. They’re powerful magicians, they make magic potions, and they inscribe magic on weapons, but they don’t dare leave the Great Wood Forest. They fear another disaster will strike.”

Perhaps due to the cold, Yan Bo’s unhealed knee began to hurt again. He stopped and rubbed it, then smiled at the children, still with tears on their faces. He continued, “The Dwarves also have a long history. They’re a race that loves mining in the mountains. Their metalworking is incredible, and the weapons and armor they craft are the best on the continent. Most Dwarves can’t use magic, so they learned to inscribe magic onto their weapons to make them stronger. They also lost many in the Great Disaster, and now they’re only found on the Great Snow Mountains to the north of the Great Wood Forest.”

“Uncle, can we learn magic?”

“Uncle, which is stronger, martial arts or magic?” The children kept asking, unable to stop.

The vast sky seemed endless as they walked past the valley.

Footnotes:

1. 1. 1. 1. Mo Wu(魔武): Refers to weapons inscribed with magical symbols or runes that imbue them with magical properties.

1. 1. 1. 1. Elves and Dwarves: Fantasy races with distinct traits. Elves are often depicted as magical and ancient, living in secluded forests, while Dwarves are known for their prowess in crafting and mining, particularly in metals and weaponry.