Chapter 191: The Villagers’ Movements

Chang Yang’s heart gave a jolt, and he immediately ordered, “Quick, lead the way!”

That disciple finally turned around and led everyone toward the southern side of the village. After passing through several small paths, they really did see flickers of firelight not far ahead in the medicinal fields.

The group quickened their pace. When they got closer, they realized the firelight wasn’t from a blaze but from torches being held up. Faintly, they could even hear shouts of anger. A large crowd had gathered there—men and women alike, and even children on the outer edge watching the commotion. No wonder the village seemed deserted; everyone had come here.

The men appeared to have surrounded something, each holding tools like hoes and sickles, their faces filled with rage as they pointed and shouted.

“We finally found this bringer of misfortune! He’s right in this cave!”

“Quick, kill him! The people in the village died because of him!”

“That’s right! If we let him stay, the whole village will be doomed! We can’t let this jinx keep causing harm!”

“These past few years, how many people has he brought death to? Even the medicinal fields were ruined because of him!”

“The whole village worked so hard for so many years, and because of him, it’s all been for nothing! This time, we can’t let him escape again!”

“Just killing him would be too easy! He should be offered as a sacrifice to heaven! It’s him who angered the heavens and brought calamity upon our village!”

“Everyone, give me a hand! Smash the rocks blocking the cave entrance! Tonight, we’ll deal with this cursed star once and for all!”

“Those in the back, seal off the way out—don’t let him run!”

The area filled with the sound of thud, thud, thud—as if something was being struck. The sound lasted only for a short while, a few dozen beats or so, before it stopped, followed by a burst of commotion among the crowd.

When Yun Jiao and the others arrived, they happened to see a group dragging out a dark figure from the cave ahead. It was too dim to see the person’s face clearly, but from a distance, the figure was extremely small—not even half the size of any of the villagers at the entrance.

It was a child!

Everyone was shocked. Just as the villagers at the cave entrance raised their tools, ready to strike the child, Chang Yang’s breath caught, and he shouted loudly, “Stop!”

The villagers froze mid-action. When they turned and saw who had arrived, their faces shifted subtly—some seemed to recognize the newcomers, guilt flickering in their eyes.

“Valley Master Chang!” an old man nearby exclaimed, recognizing Chang Yang at the front. He immediately came forward, cupping his fists. “So late at night… why have you come personally?”

Chang Yang swept his gaze over the crowd, his eyes falling on the child still being dragged by the villagers. Compassion as a healer rose within him; he strode forward at once to stop them. “What are you doing? Let go of that child!”

The villagers, startled by the sudden appearance of these people, quickly released their grip. The child fell heavily to the ground. Several of Chang Yang’s people stepped forward immediately; one of the spirit-healer disciples carefully supported the child and laid him flat. Only then did they see clearly—it was a boy, looking no more than four or five years old. His body was covered in wounds; his clothes were tattered to mere strips of cloth. His hands and legs hung limply at his sides, his face smeared with dirt and dark streaks of dried blood.

A quick glance told Chang Yang that the boy’s limbs were broken, his body bearing multiple old injuries, and he was so thin he looked like skin stretched over bone.

The more he looked, the more alarmed he became. He turned to a nearby disciple and said, “Take out a Rejuvenation Pill.”

“Yes!” The disciple hurriedly pulled a bottle from his medicine box and poured out a pill, about to feed it to the child.

But the villagers panicked, and the old man who had spoken earlier quickly shouted, “Valley Master, you can’t save him!” The villagers closed in again, making Chang Yang frown, troubled.

Yun Jiao stepped forward and said, “I’ll take over—you tend to the others.”

Chang Yang stepped aside and handed the child to her. Yun Jiao crouched down to continue the examination.

Beside her, Ye Yuan furrowed his brows, glancing once at the child on the ground. He seemed to want to say something but ultimately remained silent.

“Village Chief! What in the world happened? Why would you treat this child like this?” Chang Yang demanded solemnly.

The old man hurriedly replied, “Valley Master, this child is a cursed star!”

Chang Yang looked over the crowd. “What cursed star? There’s not the slightest trace of evil energy on him. Where did you get such nonsense?”

“It’s true, Valley Master!” the old man insisted anxiously. “The village’s medicinal fields were ruined all because of him!”

As soon as he said that, the villagers erupted in complaints.

“That’s right! He was born and his father died right after. Later, the entire Li family was brought to ruin by him!”

“And old Lady Wang next door too—she was always healthy, but just because she brought him a meal, she died the next day!”

“Four years ago, a wandering celestial master read his fortune—said his fate was too wicked, that he was born a cursed star who brings disaster to others!”

“So he mustn’t stay in the village! Otherwise, he’ll destroy us all!”

“…”

The more the villagers spoke, the angrier they became. Their eyes toward the child burned with hatred. If they weren’t all medicine farmers affiliated with the Medical Valley, they would have driven these outsiders out long ago.

But Chang Yang’s expression only grew darker as he listened. He looked to the old man leading them. “Village Chief, the matter of the ruined medicinal fields still needs proper investigation. Unless someone deliberately used a spell, it’s most likely the work of an earth-dragon’s movement. No matter how you look at it, it has nothing to do with this child.”

“An earth-dragon?” The old man frowned but still refused to believe. “But he is a cursed star!”

“There are a hundred acres of medicinal fields here,” Chang Yang said sternly. “Even if he were cursed, how could a single child destroy so much in one night?”

“Maybe… maybe cursed stars know some kind of demon magic!” a villager argued.

Chang Yang sighed and shook his head. “If this child really knew any demon magic, could you have treated him like this?”

The crowd fell silent, their anger slowly cooling. Then a woman suddenly thought of something and said, “But what about the people who got sick in the village?”

“That’s right!” another villager added loudly. “Even if he didn’t destroy the fields, the strange illness spreading through the village came from him! We all saw him bite Zhao Erniu—and the next day Zhao Erniu came down with that strange disease!”

Bite someone?

Chang Yang froze. Zhao Erniu—that was the patient he had brought back to the Medical Valley. Thinking carefully, that man’s neck and arm indeed had bite marks. Daoist Yun had also said that the demonic energy entered through those wounds. The size of the marks did look like a child’s bite. Could this boy really be connected?

He turned and looked again at the dying child, hesitation flickering across his face.

Meanwhile, Yun Jiao continued her examination. The child’s injuries were severe—both external and internal trauma, clearly caused by brutal force. The sight was chilling. Even for an adult, surviving such damage would be difficult. Yet this boy hadn’t uttered a single sound since the beginning, as if he felt no pain at all, letting them examine him without resistance.

His eyes were open, but within them was only emptiness—no hint of a will to live. If not for the faint rise and fall of his small chest and the beads of sweat born of suppressed pain on his forehead, one might think he was already dead.

(End of Chapter)