Witch Hunter: Goujian Sword

January 31, 2023

Muzhe stared at the giant wasps above that he controlled.

"My village people were once given a message by him. He said, 'Whoever wishes to live forever and be happy eternally, then eat this fruit.'

"He brought a fruit that looks like an apple but its not an apple. The skin of the fruit is black. Like a fruit from forbidden lands."

Muzhe tore the left sleeve of his shirt. There was a glowing black blood-colored inverted cross rune tattoo.

"Those who eat that apple are given a chance to have their wishes granted. But the price is their own lives.

"Most people, after taking one bite of that black apple, go mad, and this tattoo appears somewhere on their body. Out of fifty villagers, I am the only one who succeeded and kept my sanity."

Muzhe scratched his own dry face with his fingers. He made five claw-like scratches from his forehead to his cheek. Black blood flowed from the wounds.

"After he spread those fruits, my village became a place of madness. At first, all our wishes came true in one night. But what they saw with their eyes was only an illusion that drove them insane.

"Children, adults, and the elderly did immoral things. They lost their minds, leaving habits and behaviors no different from animals. Having sex with each other, killing, with wide grins on their faces.

"I... who managed to keep my consciousness... took my family and my brother away from that village, separating from those cursed madmen who tried to kill anyone with reason.

"My body slowly rotted after eating the fruit. After days of fleeing toward the forbidden forest, I was forced to kill my own brother."

The Village Chief raised his head and closed his eyes. He looked like a man full of regret.

Hubei and Sizhu stood seven steps in front of him whispering while Muzhe told his life story.

"Hah... Qing's father... I will open the way... Go to the village and warn everyone there... Tell them the Village Chief is a Witch... Save yourself and your children as far away from this village as you can..."

"But what about you, Master Sizhu? And the three-day curse?"

"That's just a lie he made to scare you... Hah... the wasps won't chase you if you manage to escape this river and hill territory..."

"I know you are planning something. I won't let anyone break my rules!"

Two wasps from the right and left suddenly rushed at Sizhu and Hubei. They prepared to stab and slice with their legs and blood-sucking stingers in their abdomens.

"Now!.. Haa!.."

Sizhu rubbed his wooden staff, which had been waiting for the tip to catch fire from the grass near them. The trail of wooden staff shifted on the ground, then spun widely to strike both wasps charging forward.

The fire at the tip of the staff was strong enough to deliver a heavy blow that split the body of the first wasp hit by Sizhu's fiery staff. It then straightly hit the next target, which had nearly stabbed its stinger into Sizhu's face.

Both wasps' innards exploded simultaneously, red like the flame of the staff as it finished spinning across. They fell to the ground scattered with a foul stench.

At that moment, Hubei ran away from Sizhu, who seemed still able to stand tall after performing the blood flow reversal technique taught by his master. Although not completely removing the poison from the wound on his left upper arm and back, it gave Sizhu enough strength to finish off several more wasps with him.

"Argh! You!!! I won't let you!"

Muzhe stretched out his hand as his face began to change along with his controlled magical creatures falling. From his dry, pus-filled wrinkles emerged blackish-yellow fur. With horns or more precisely antennae sprouting from his head.

"Chase and kill them!!!"

Seeing the outstretched hand and their master's shout, the giant wasps started buzzing in unison, chasing Hubei, who suddenly ran toward the village.

"Hah... focus on running! Save the villagers!"

Sizhu blocked the path of several low-flying wasps chasing after him, striking them with his wooden staff burning at both ends.

BLAR! BLAR! BLAR!

He struck left, quickly spun his staff, then hit the wasp flying at his right side, then forced his body to jump and spin upwards, striking wasps straight with one fiery staff spin using his right hand.

Nine wasps, split in two with their bodies burning, began to fall, showering the dry ground with black blood and their guts.

Two wasps escaped chasing Hubei running.

While Sizhu held off the dozen others so they wouldn't follow Hubei.

The dozen wasps that were held back stopped charging and began to form a formation watching Sizhu's technique that had slaughtered several of their companions in one swift move.

Hissing and buzzing while dripping saliva and venom from each stinger in their abdomens.

"Hah... Hah... I won't let you pass... I will exterminate disgusting creatures like you!"

Staring with wide, sharp eyes, Sizhu shouted at Muzhe, who stood with trembling legs seventeen steps ahead.

Raising his fiery staff at both ends forward, he stood tall inviting the Village Chief to duel.

"SIZHU!"

***

One drop. Two drops. Followed by dozens of other raindrops.

The beginning of tonight's rain fell in drizzles. Gradually, the clouds darkened. Covering the starry night sky after previously allowing the moonlight to shine. As if announcing that tonight would be a night full of misfortune.

"QING!!! YAOYAO!!!"

Hubei shouted seeing his house just a few steps from his hurried run. Two giant wasps chased him in the sky at the same speed.

"Hoaam... Father? What's wrong?"

Hubei entered his house then hurriedly pushed a wooden bar and any heavy objects in front of the door.

Bruk! Bruk!

Outside the wooden window, the two mindless wasps tried to break down the door. But only a few small slashes appeared.

Qing and Yaoyao woke up with scared and confused faces. They immediately got up and ran behind their father's back.

Hubei knelt down, holding both his children's faces.

"Qing'er, Yaoyao'er, listen to your father. Hide in the room then escape from this village as far as you can while I lure them away from you."

Bruk! Bruk!

Qing and Yaoyao became even more confused by their father's sudden words, while the sounds of the crashing door became louder and the slash holes grew bigger.

"Father? What will you do? Where is brother Sizhu?"

"There's no time to explain!"

Hubei then dragged his two children into their room and wedged the wooden door with a large long beam from the ceiling, leaning from the corner of the room to the door, so that the door was locked from the outside because the beam blocked it.

Qing and Yaoyao immediately tried to open the door and pounded it once they realized their father blocked the door with something.

Brak! Brak!

"Father! Father!"

The two kids screamed while crying. They did not understand what was happening or why their father acted like that.

"Don't make noise Qing'er, Yaoyao'er! Father will be safe! Take care of Yaoyao after I go distract them!"

What is father going to do? Is father chased by that creature?

"Father! Father! Don't go!"

"Fathel! Fathel! Don't go!"

Bruk! Bruk!

BRUK! BRUK!

"Be quiet!"

BRUK!

Hearing the front door being broken open, Qing forcibly closed his mouth and his younger sister's mouth.

Yaoyao struggled trying to get free and screamed louder, but stopped when seeing her brother's pale face decorated with stopped tears.

The sound of footsteps was heard in the living room, like someone hastily taking something then bumping into many things including walls.

The buzzing of bees with a frightening hissing sound was heard. Items fell in the kitchen, several hard consecutive bangs.

Bruk!

The next moment, the sound of chaos came from the kitchen, then running footsteps outside.

The noisy buzzing of wasp wings in the living room disappeared. The atmosphere slowly returned to silence after the tense commotion.

"Brothel... Father..."

Yaoyao tightly hugged her brother while sobbing. Qing also hugged his sister shedding tears.

Father... father... May father be safe...

***