chapter 9
Grandpa Eighteen’s expression shifted. The hand holding the knife trembled as he said coldly, “Shuanzi, you may eat whatever you like, but you must watch what you say.”
I gave him a mocking smile. “Oh, spare me. Weren’t you waiting near the woods for me all along? I shouted once, and you appeared within seconds, fully dressed, with even your shoelaces tied neatly.”
“Weasels love poultry. Yet instead of throwing black dog blood on them, you used blood from a black-boned chicken. You weren’t trying to repel this creature. You were feeding it strength for whatever you had planned next.”
His face grew more vicious with every word. At that point I no longer cared, and I poured out every suspicion in my mind.
“You told me to sleep without fear. The moment you left, the creature came. It made far more noise breaking into that room than I made shouting in the woods last night. How did you hear me then, but not hear it tonight?”
“After it escaped, I closed the door so softly I barely made a sound. How did you hear that?”
“Who else in the village keeps enough chickens and ducks to produce all the feathers inside this cave?”
“And the blood trail here appeared and disappeared at perfect intervals. You left it for me to follow, didn’t you?”
I glanced at the knife in his hand. “If I hadn’t turned around just now, that blade would already be in my back. Am I wrong?”
The more I said, the uglier his face became. In the end, his anger turned into laughter.
“Heh. You truly are the first university student our village has produced. That brain of yours works well.”
“Very well. Since you’ve guessed it, there is no point pretending. The Weasel Immortal is mine.”
He admitted it without shame, then began telling his story like a doomed villain on television.
“My master was a Daoist obsessed with forbidden arts. I learned face-reading and fortune casting from him.”
“After he died, I inherited everything he knew. Years of wandering exhausted me, so I finally settled in your village to complete my great plan for immortality.”
“Then why did you kill people?” I stared at him, forcing out the question that mattered most.
“Why did you kill my brother? Why? Why?” I brandished the ax at him.
“You and Kanzi happened to possess fates that matched the creature’s needs. It is harvest season, and I knew your brother would be guarding the fields. With no one else there at night, it was the perfect chance to release the creature and let it feast.”
He ignored the fury in my eyes and sank into his memories.
“You and Kanzi were both Fire Roosters born during the Hour of the Snake. The fire of that hour brings abundance—strong life and strong fortune.”
“Eating one of you is worth thirty years of cultivation. Once its power reached the next stage, it could transfer that power into me.”
“Then I would live forever.” He closed his eyes in bliss. “You cannot imagine what it cost me to raise the beast. Taming it alone took years. I fed it every rare kind of poultry I could find before it developed even this much intelligence.”
He opened his eyes. “You should thank me. I made it eat only Kanzi’s organs. At least your parents still had a human skin to bury.”
“Then why bother saving me last night?”
Grandpa Eighteen chuckled as if I had told a joke. “Save you?”
“If the beast killed you by itself, that would’ve been fine. But it tried to share you with those smaller creatures. How could I harvest your complete vital essence after they tore you apart?”
His gaze shifted to the injured weasel on the feather mound. “Wretched animal. You nearly ruined everything.”
“It makes no difference now. It can eat you here.” His voice was relaxed, as if I were already meat on his plate. “And really, you brought this on yourself. Your parents are such decent people that I couldn’t bear to make them lose both sons at once. That is why I lied and said close relatives couldn’t approach the mourning hall.”
“If you hadn’t returned, I would have spared you. Think of it as repayment for all the years your parents looked after a solitary old man.” Regret filled his voice. “Unfortunately, you threw that chance away.”