Chapter Eighteen: Mourning

With the barrier gone, the river demons surged into the city. The governor, who had been directing the suppression of the chaos within the city, wore an expression of utter despair. The inspector charged with defending the county seat let out a sorrowful sigh; helpless, he could only fight on with all his might.

Floodwaters raged, and the water demons shrieked triumphantly.

Within the city, the most tragic scenes unfolded, just as they had eight hundred years before.

The Jiang Family.

“Alas!” The elder surveyed the surroundings with a heavy sigh. “After such a calamity, our Jiang family will surely fall into decline once more. Fortunately, little An has broken through to the Initiate Realm; he can still hold us together. But to see new branches grow and the clan flourish as it once did… Who knows how many years that will take?”

“Great-grandfather, as long as we remain, the Jiang family will never perish!” Nangong Yue said, supporting the grievously wounded Jiang Zheng’an. The tear tracks on her cheeks had not yet dried in the wind.

The elder nodded and placed a palm on Jiang Zheng’an’s chest, healing him. After a moment, seeing color return to Jiang Zheng’an’s face, he withdrew his hand. “Your external wounds are nothing serious. The internal injuries from invoking the secret arts will take time, but they are not fatal. Do not worry.”

“Thank you, Great-grandfather!” Jiang Zheng’an said.

Waving his hand, the elder instructed, “From now on, the Jiang family is in your hands. My seclusion chamber is comparatively safe. In a moment, all of you should go there and remain until the calamity has passed. This time, our family has suffered too much bloodshed. You must preserve what remains.”

“Great-grandfather, you…!” Jiang Zheng’an’s expression changed.

“Colluding with fiends—this mess must be cleansed with the blood of our own Jiang family,” the elder said, looking kindly at Jiang Fan and Jiang Shan. “You two have done well. But as for you…” His gaze settled on Jiang Fan, and his lips moved in a silent transmission of sound. “Little one, the family has passed down that perfecting the Mystic Dao Diagram before the age of twenty brings great fortune. You still have a chance, but remember—never reveal this secret to anyone.”

Jiang Fan opened his mouth, about to ask, but the elder stopped him. “You wonder why it hasn't happened before, don’t you? How could it not have? The later stages of the Mystic Dao Diagram become ever more difficult, but producing one or two before twenty is not so rare. Yet, after perfecting their cultivation, they all vanished without a trace, never to be seen again!”

Jiang Fan’s face betrayed his astonishment.

The elder hesitated, then sighed. “This secret has survived to the present, but no one has ever unraveled it. Whether it brings fortune or disaster, no one can say. The rest is up to you…” Taking a step, he paused, and this time spoke to everyone. “I do not know the full truth, but this encirclement of the city by demons, this grand design, may be tied to our Jiang family’s Mystic Dao Diagram.”

Without further delay, he soared into the air, striking down over a dozen lesser demons with a single palm, and obliterated all the demon slaves surrounding the Jiang estate.

“Changyuan, do you still recognize me?” the elder called out.

“Who are you… Rengong?” Upon a five-story pavilion, an aged man was directing powerful cultivators against the water demons. Hearing the voice, he looked over, uncertain.

“It is I,” the elder confirmed with a nod.

“You still live, Rengong? In that case, I must implore you to help rid the county of these demons for the sake of its people!”

“It is my duty. But…” The elder paused, choosing his words carefully. “Changyuan, one of my family’s own was enslaved by fiends, set this trap, and sacrificed kin—father, brother, even son—for a blood ritual. My family has suffered nearly to extinction, only a handful remain. Yet, it was still our kin who brought this calamity. I am willing to stake my life to wash away this sin. But may the remaining descendants be spared?”

“Those enslaved by fiends are no longer human. The innocent bear no guilt,” Changyuan replied. “Rengong, it need not come to this. Only if you remain can you protect more people.”

“My mind is made up.”

“Ah! Rengong, your virtue is boundless!” Changyuan said, turning his gaze to the rooftop of the governor’s residence, where a middle-aged man stood. “Governor, do you consent?”

“I have never met the elder before, but Rengong’s righteousness is a deed of great merit, and will be sung by generations to come,” the governor replied.

Though the Jiang family’s name was never spoken, their agreement was clear.

“Very well!” The elder let out a long, soaring cry that shook the entire county seat. “With all my blood, I will slay every demon and fiend!”

His aura flared, distorting the air, his presence pressing down upon the city.

“Die! Die! Die!”

He moved with lightning speed; with each thunderous shout, dozens of water demons fell to his fists.

A Dao Initiate-level water demon was shattered midair with a single punch.

Undefeated and unmatched, wherever his gaze fell, he slew his foes, and for a moment, the city’s desperate situation eased.

Back at the Jiang estate.

“Great-grandfather…!” Jiang Zheng’an gazed into the distance, tears in his eyes.

“How could our Jiang family produce such a beast as Jiang Zhengde?” Nangong Yue cursed bitterly. “To clean up this mess, to ensure our family’s survival, Great-grandfather…” Her tears flowed anew.

“Bewitched by fiends, no one could help it. But why must Great-grandfather sacrifice himself?” Jiang Fan asked, his heart heavy.

In this battle, he had been little more than a bystander. He harbored grand ambitions, but lacked the strength to realize them. For the first time, Jiang Fan felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness, and a cold, marrow-deep cruelty.

“Within the empire, colluding with fiends is a capital offense. Once exposed, the world will unite to hunt them down. Even innocent kin are shamed, scorned, and forever watched,” Jiang Zheng’an said. “Jiang Zhengde not only conspired with fiends, but became a key to their ritual—this is a crime beyond measure. Even if our family were wiped out, it would not be enough to atone. Great-grandfather is sacrificing himself for our sake, burning his life, reaching his limit, and slaying demons to atone. At this moment, the governor and inspector both need such a powerful ally; that is why they accepted his offer and agreed to let the Jiang family’s past be forgiven. Otherwise, we would never recover.”

“Great-grandfather… he is doomed,” Jiang Zheng’an’s eyes were bloodshot as he forced his grief down. “Come, into Great-grandfather’s seclusion chamber!”

The group hurried to the forbidden ground behind the estate, where a crypt awaited.

“You all go in. I’ll keep watch outside, and monitor the situation,” Nangong Yue urged them, choosing to remain alone outside.

At midnight—

“Ha ha ha! I sought righteousness and found it; what a fitting death! May future generations remember: the crimes of fiends are unforgivable—whenever they are seen, they must be slain, until all are purged and peace returns! Alas, I shall not see that day when the world is cleansed of all demons. What a pity!”

A long, resounding cry echoed through the county seat.

Then, from the place where the fiends had gathered in greatest number, a blinding light erupted, followed by a thunderous explosion.

“Great-grandfather, may you go in peace!”

Nangong Yue, perched on a rooftop, closed her eyes.

“Great-grandfather, rest easy. The Jiang family will surely rise again!”

In the crypt, Jiang Zheng’an knelt on the ground.

Jiang Fan, Jiang Shan, Xiao Qing, and Xiao Qian all wept in silent tribute.

At the governor’s residence, Inspector Changyuan and Governor Zhang Cheng had already gathered together.

Though their bodies were spattered with blood, neither had suffered grave wounds.

“Alas,” the governor sighed, “Elder Jiang’s virtue is boundless. We must shelter the remaining Jiang family descendants.”

“Indeed,” Changyuan nodded, his face full of sorrow and indignation.

“Has reinforcements still not arrived?”

“I’ve only just learned. They will come when they come,” Wang Jian replied with a heavy sigh.

“Damn it!” the governor raged. “Why?”