Chapter 28: The Whole Family
This time, things had truly escalated. Due to years of worship and the secret rituals performed by Xu Miaozhu, the Dragon Lord Temple's idol had established a connection with the river dragon. Normally, Xu Miaozhu used this idol to communicate with the dragon in the river. Now that the idol was shattered, the first to sense it was the dragon.
This was a blatant affront. Xu Miaozhu could forget about seeking benefits from the dragon; he needed to think about how to appease the Dragon Lord's wrath. He could pull some underhanded tricks and reap some benefits because the Dragon Lord was unaware or indifferent. But now it was different. The idol, representing the Dragon Lord's face on earth, was destroyed. This time, the Dragon Lord would truly cause trouble.
"How dare you!" Xu Miaozhu, in his sixties, wore a traditional priest's robe and had a long white beard. At first glance, he appeared imposing, but his frantic expression soon overshadowed it.
Chanting an incantation, serpentine energies surrounded him. A mass of sticky black substance materialized and shot towards Lu Li, accompanied by a foul stench.
The townsfolk who had come to worship were terrified by the earlier incident and fled in all directions. The foul stench knocked out those who hadn't yet escaped, making them foam at the mouth.
A shadowy tendril rose from the ground to intercept the black mass. The shadow was struck and emitted a thick white smoke, increasing the stench.
Lu Li silently retracted the shadow, noting that the substance had corroded about a basketball-sized portion of it. The shadow would need a long time to recover in the darkness.
Xu Miaozhu continued chanting, and the serpentine energies around him grew, transforming into a massive black snake. It roared furiously, exuding an authority different from a tiger's.
Xu Miaozhu's eyes rolled back, displaying numerous serpentine patterns. In a strange tone, he said, "Foolish mortal, you dare destroy my idol. What is your punishment?"
The dragon in the river had not yet emerged but had already manifested a spectral form through Xu Miaozhu, demanding answers from Lu Li. However, the dragon didn't wait for a response and the black snake lunged at Lu Li.
Lu Li swiftly moved his feet, holding an umbrella in one hand and forming a black spear in the other. He parried the snake's attack, deflecting it into a pillar, which was corroded severely. The snake quickly turned back to attack.
Noting the corroded spearhead, Lu Li infused it with shadow magic to reform the tip and launched it, pinning the snake to a pillar and unleashing a burst of thorns.
The thorns were quickly corroded, emitting thick smoke. The snake, now much smaller, was reduced to the size of a loach.
Seeing the weakened snake, Lu Li smiled. He approached Xu Miaozhu, who, in the dragon's voice, taunted, "Ignorant mortal, are you ready to face my wrath?"
Without replying, Lu Li struck Xu Miaozhu's neck, knocking him out. The black snake let out an angry roar before dissipating into smoke.
Seeing the temple filled with smoke, Lu Li frowned. He had been holding his breath and sealing his pores, knowing the smoke was harmful. Within him, shadow magic formed a structure, instilling a sense of confidence.
Black bat wings made of shadows emerged from Lu Li's back. With a flap, they cleared the smoke from the temple, dispersing it into the air. He was certain the wind he generated could dispel the smoke.
As the smoke cleared, the townsfolk who had collapsed began to awaken. Seeing Lu Li holding the unconscious Xu Miaozhu by the shattered idol, they screamed and fled the temple.
Once everyone had left, Lu Li exited the temple, tossing Xu Miaozhu aside. He summoned several shadow spears, which flew into the temple's pillars and walls, causing them to collapse into ruins.
Turning around, Lu Li saw Zhou Chu leading a group of twenty men and women tied by a rope—Xu Miaozhu's family. Seeing the ruined temple and the unconscious Xu Miaozhu, Zhou Chu laughed heartily.
When Xu Miaozhu awoke, he saw the dark sky and felt the strong river wind. The cries and pleas for mercy in his ears were painfully familiar.
He recognized the sounds from his annual sacrifices, where children were thrown into the river. Now, these pleas were from his own family.
Xu Miaozhu turned to see Zhou Chu throwing his favorite daughter into the river, where she screamed for help alongside two of his kin.
"Hey, you're awake. Don't you love sacrifices? Should we leave this to you?" Lu Li's mocking voice reached Xu Miaozhu.
Xu Miaozhu, trembling, watched as river dragons devoured his kin. He shouted at Zhou Chu, "You devils, stop this…"
But Zhou Chu ignored him, throwing another of Xu Miaozhu's sons into the river. Lu Li, smiling, added, "You're too old for this. We'll handle the sacrifices. With your whole family here, there will be enough offerings. Consider it repayment from the townsfolk."