Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Qin Ying was in the middle of studying the mysterious creature late at night when a sudden cat’s meow gave even her a start.
She hurriedly put away the Dragon Bone, shoving it back under the bed.
Opening the window to peek outside, she saw an elderly person standing below her building with a fat orange cat crouching at their feet, its ears flattened back in a ‘plane ear’ position.
The orange cat’s pupils were slit vertically, staring intently at Qin Ying’s window.
When Qin Ying opened the window and met its gaze, the cat took fright. Ignoring the elderly person’s calls, it bolted into the distance.
Recognizing the elderly person as her neighbor, Qin Ying hurried down to open the door.
Her neighbor, Granny Shi, was seventy-three years old this year, but she was hale and hearty, moving with a nimble gait.
She pressed a large bowl into Qin Ying’s hands, containing one meat dish and one vegetable dish.
“You ordered takeout yesterday, and you ordered takeout again for lunch today. I knew you hadn’t started cooking for yourself yet.”
Granny Shi truly lived up to her reputation as the head of the Neighborhood Intelligence Station; there was nothing she didn’t know.
She said, “Eat this. Don’t always eat takeout; it’s so unhygienic.”
Qin Ying gave a helpless smile. The only downside to her hometown was that any little thing happening at home was impossible to hide.
Holding the warm bowl, her heart felt a touch of warmth nonetheless. “Granny Shi, come in and sit for a while.”
Granny Shi waved her off. “I won’t. Rourou is acting a bit strange today, like he was spooked by something. I have to go find him.”
With that, the little old lady hurried away.
Holding the bowl, Qin Ying looked thoughtfully in the direction where the orange cat, Rourou, had fled.
That night, Qin Ying slept fitfully.
Whether it was because it was too hot or because she was too excited about her new discovery, she kept having strange, bizarre dreams.
In her dreams, she smelled the scent of burning Cogongrass and heard many faint, fragmented voices whispering in her ear.
When she woke up, however, Qin Ying felt very alert and energized, as if she had consumed some potent tonic in her dreams.
In the morning, the air conditioning repairman arrived and finally fixed the broken unit.
Qin Ying prepared to head out to a private ophthalmology hospital in the city.
Before leaving, she pulled the box out of her wardrobe.
She had intended to just take a quick look before going, but as soon as she opened the lid, she heard the pitter-patter of rain coming from inside the box.
Dove-gray thunderclouds shrouded the sky, with purple lightning snaking through them like serpents.
Strangely, Qin Ying’s vision was not obscured by the clouds; she could still clearly see the city beneath them.
In front of Yunwu County City, there was a white deer about the size of a thumb, using the four horns on its head to ram the city walls.
The tiny people in the city stood atop the walls, battling this Four-Horned White Deer.
A rain of arrows poured down below the city, peppering the white deer until it looked like a small barrel cactus.
As the arrows grew more frequent, the Four-Horned White Deer grew enraged, tilting its head back to let out a long, high-pitched cry.
With a crack of thunder, the rain inside the box intensified.
Han Lie stood on the city wall directing the defense, continuously firing arrows from his hand. Even though he wore bracers, his fingers were already dripping with blood.
Qin Ying was a bit bewildered.
What kind of cursed place was the world inside this box? First a great drought, and now this strange creature attacking the city under the cover of rain.
Seeing that the Four-Horned White Deer was still ramming the wall and that the wall was on the verge of collapsing, Qin Ying hurried to find something to stop it.
At this moment, it was five minutes before twelve noon.
Heavy rain lashed against the walls of Yunwu County City.
An unwelcome guest had arrived along with the storm.
The torrential rain drummed against the armor of the defending soldiers; the pea-sized droplets were so heavy people could hardly keep their eyes open.
“If that beast hits it a few more times, the wall will collapse!”
The soldier beside Han Lie was covered in water, though whether it was sweat or rain was impossible to tell.
Han Lie stood atop the wall, pressing against the edge of the parapet to look down.
Rumble-
Lightning illuminated the pitch-black sky for a fleeting moment.
In that single instant, Han Lie’s eyes met those of the giant beast confronting them beneath the city wall.
The behemoth stood over thirty feet long, its entire body covered in snow-white fur. It resembled a moose, but from its head sprouted four distinct antlers.
It was the Monstrous Beast-the Fuzhu.
The Fuzhu raised its head to look at Han Lie atop the wall, a low growl rumbling in its throat.
Wherever a Fuzhu appeared, heavy rain followed. If the creature became enraged or agitated, it would summon a full-blown storm. Consequently, the Fuzhu was regarded as a symbol of floods and tempests.
By all rights, a Fuzhu should never have appeared here during such a severe drought. However, the creature had sensed an anomaly; it had galloped across the water for days until it reached the base of Yunwu County City.
The Fuzhu backed away about a hundred feet, then charged toward the walls of Yunwu County City, its four hooves thundering.
The four massive antlers atop its head were its weapons, harder than anything else in existence.
With a deafening crash, it slammed into the wall. The cracks on the surface widened further as rainwater seeped into the fissures.
Han Lie took a deep breath. His right hand was a bloody mess from the constant strain of drawing his bow and firing. Blood mixed with rain, trickling down the edge of his palm as he looked toward the watchtower on the western side of the wall. “Are the Powerful Crossbows still not fixed?”
Standing beside Han Lie was the Yunwu County Commandant, Xu Tan.
Hearing Han Lie’s question, Xu Tan shook his head in fury. “The Bowstrings of the City Defense Crossbows are made from the dorsal tendons of the Ranyi beast. They require specialized personnel to oil and maintain them daily.”
“A year ago, the County Governor claimed the oil was too expensive and ordered that maintenance be reduced from once a day to once a month.”
“The Bowstrings of all sixteen City Defense Crossbows have gone slack. Though I’ve ordered the Artisans to perform emergency repairs, I…”
No one could say for sure if those precious strings could be restored. Now, the Fuzhu was right at the city gates.
Xu Tan felt a chill run through his body.
Most Monstrous Beasts stayed hidden in deep mountains or desolate barrens, but many vicious Disaster Beasts would attack human cities to prey on the inhabitants or cause havoc. The City Defense Crossbows were the strongest weapons available to deal with such Disaster Beasts.
As they spoke, the Fuzhu’s incredibly hard antlers slammed into the wall once more.
Following a dull, heavy thud, the cracks in the wall expanded even further.
Xu Tan’s eyes turned bloodshot with anxiety, and he couldn’t help but curse the County Governor. “That bastard Governor!”
Han Lie’s face remained cold and grim. He loathed the County Governor just as much, but cursing a dead man was useless now.
If this Monstrous Beast broke into the city, chaos would surely follow.
Han Lie drew his bow again, aiming for the Fuzhu’s eye.
Archery was a feat of both skill and strength. Every muscle in his body ached so intensely it felt as if his bones might collapse, yet his form did not waver in the slightest.
A single drop of rain rolled down his eyelash and fell.
Now!
Han Lie released his fingers, and a white-feathered arrow whistled through the air.
Catching the Fuzhu in a brief moment of inattention, the arrow struck it directly in the eyeball.
Compared to the Fuzhu’s massive size, the arrow was as thin as a toothpick. However, a strike to a vital spot like the eye could still inflict significant damage.
Blood sprayed out, staining one of the Fuzhu’s eyes a brilliant crimson.
The beast looked up at Han Lie on the wall. Like a stag in mating season, it let out a roar of primal fury.
With a violent swing of its massive head, it rammed the wall again.
With a heavy thud, that section of the wall finally gave way, collapsing slowly to reveal a gaping breach.
At this point, the Fuzhu seemed to lose its sense of urgency. It paced slowly, shaking its body like a dog to shed the rain and the arrows that were stuck in it like tiny thorns.
The Fuzhu blinked, and the small arrow lodged in its eye fell out. It walked to the breach in the wall and looked up at Han Lie.
A disturbingly human expression of malicious mockery appeared on its face-as if to say, *Look, you couldn’t stop me.*