NOVEL NEXT Ch. 17
Chapter 17: Snake Demon
“Looks like it might truly be as Uncle Sanjiang’s note said—there is a snake demon near our village.”
After listening to the analysis of Hong Tianyun and Hong Sheng, Hong Xiu said:
“Say, Uncle Yun, Hong Sheng, do you think… could it be that someone killed Uncle Sanjiang, and then deliberately staged all of this as a false appearance?”
After putting forth this guess, Hong Xiu immediately felt he was making perfect sense:
“Think about it, the wooden door—just a few strikes with a hammer, and it could be made to look like this.”
“The bloodstains were left after the murderer used a blunt weapon to kill Uncle Sanjiang.”
“As for the words ‘snake demon’ on the wall, that’s even simpler. That person only needed to pretend it was Uncle Sanjiang’s last writing.”
At this moment, compared to believing that Uncle Sanjiang was killed by a snake demon, Hong Xiu instead much preferred it to have been caused by human hands.
After all, a snake demon was far too frightening.
He still needed to go into the mountains in the future...
However, facing his hopeful gaze—and even Hong Tianyun, who seemed somewhat swayed by Hong Xiu’s words—Hong Sheng shook his head firmly:
“Absolutely impossible.”
Hong Xiu became a little angry:
“Why not? Just because of the deductions you made earlier? Couldn’t all of those be staged by human hands?”
“Pushing everything onto some nonexistent snake demon—don’t you think that’s far too arbitrary?!”
Hong Sheng shook his head, undeterred by Hong Xiu’s momentum:
“I also don’t want to believe that Uncle Sanjiang died at the hands of a snake demon. After all, as scholars, we don’t speak of strange powers and chaotic spirits.”
“But at the very least, I can conclude this: Uncle Sanjiang’s disappearance, and even his death, were definitely not man-made.”
Hong Tianyun stopped Hong Xiu and looked at Hong Sheng:
“Your reasoning?”
Hong Sheng did not rush to explain, but instead looked at the two:
“Brother Hong Xiu, let me ask you a question—neither you nor Uncle Yun can recognize the character ‘妖’ (demon), right?”
Exposed for their lack of education, both Hong Tianyun and Hong Xiu looked somewhat embarrassed.
Fortunately, Hong Sheng did not press the matter:
“Then tell me, in our village, how many people can recognize the two characters ‘snake demon’ and even write them out?”
Hong Tianyun and Hong Xiu’s faces immediately changed.
Indeed—the Hongjia Village was a snake-catching village.
Aside from the village schoolteacher, the corpse retriever Hong Sanjiang who wrote funeral orations, and a handful of people like Hong Sheng, the villagers were basically illiterate.
They could only recognize the character “snake” because their village specialized in catching snakes.
Seeing the two of them suddenly realize the point, Hong Sheng said calmly:
“If someone literate truly wanted to frame things on a snake demon, then it would actually be easy to identify who did it, since there are only a few literate people in the village.”
Hong Sheng stood up, walked around, and examined the furnishings of the house:
“Assume this really wasn’t the work of a snake demon, but of a human. Judging from the scene, it would most likely be a crime of passion—an impulsive killing without premeditation.”
“And crimes of passion generally arise from just two causes: one, for wealth; two, from enmity.”
“If it was for wealth—Uncle Sanjiang’s household was relatively well-off for Hongjia Village. How could the murderer possibly leave behind all of Uncle Sanjiang’s belongings untouched?”
Hong Tianyun looked around and indeed found that, just as Hong Sheng said, aside from signs of a struggle at the doorway, none of the valuable possessions in the house had been touched.
Eliminating the first motive, Hong Sheng continued at an unhurried pace:
“As for the second cause, that’s even easier to determine.”
“Uncle Sanjiang had lived in solitude for many years. Aside from helping with burials, he rarely interacted with villagers. Even when he bought wine, he paid on the spot. There was no basis for grudges.”
“Uncle Sanjiang clearly encountered trouble at home. Even if the older generation had grudges with him, why would he invite them into his home?”
“Moreover, the literate villagers have no conflicts with Uncle Sanjiang at all.”
After hearing Hong Sheng’s orderly and clear analysis, even Hong Xiu was left speechless.
Finally, Hong Sheng pulled out an object.
It was something he had just picked up from the ground—a half piece of snake scale, chopped off by a sharp tool.
He presented it to Hong Tianyun and Hong Xiu:
“So, my bold deduction is this: a large python with intelligence—or perhaps even a snake demon—broke into the house. During the struggle with Uncle Sanjiang, it had half a scale cut off, then strangled Uncle Sanjiang to death before fleeing toward the mountain.”
Looking at the half snake scale in Hong Sheng’s hand, Hong Tianyun and Hong Xiu’s expressions darkened.
“A snake demon? Could it be that Uncle Sanjiang truly died at the hands of a snake demon? But why have we never encountered a snake demon before?”
“Could demons really exist?”
Hong Xiu muttered to himself.
Hong Sheng shook his head, indicating he did not know either.
The atmosphere grew quiet, until Hong Tianyun spoke up:
“Actually, a snake demon… perhaps it really does exist.”
Hong Sheng and Hong Xiu both turned to him:
“Uncle Yun?”
Hong Tianyun seemed to fall into memory:
“You two are still young, and you wouldn’t know. Even I have nearly forgotten it.”
“In the past, Hongjia Village was completely isolated from the world. We had no dealings with outsiders, didn’t even know which dynasty ruled beyond the mountains, or who was sovereign.”
Hong Xiu looked at Hong Tianyun in shock.
Could such a thing really have happened?
“When I was about five or six years old, outsiders came to Hongjia Village for the first time. They told us that beyond the mountains lay the Great Qian Dynasty.”
“They wore Taoist robes, carrying wooden swords and yellow talismans. They said they were people of the Great Qian Dynasty’s Bureau of Heaven Monitoring.”
Hong Sheng had heard of the Bureau of Heaven Monitoring.
It was an office of the Great Qian Dynasty, in charge of astronomy and calendars.
But there were rumors—that astronomy and calendars were only secondary.
Their true purpose was to observe the world’s fate, maintain order, and suppress evil spirits.
Could the rumors of the Bureau be true?
Hong Tianyun continued:
“Our Hongjia Village was cut off from the world. We hadn’t even paid taxes to the court. When these people arrived, claiming they were from the Bureau of Heaven Monitoring and saying the Great Qian ruled outside, we were afraid they came to assert the dynasty’s authority.”
“But they didn’t.”
“They stayed in our village for one night, then went into the mountains. They didn’t come back down until seven days later.”
Hong Xiu was already deeply absorbed in the tale and couldn’t help but ask:
“What were they doing in the mountains?”
Hong Tianyun said:
“At that time, our elders forbade us from going outside. But while my parents weren’t paying attention, I snuck out.”
“And so I saw it. Beside the men from the Bureau was an enormous bear, so large it was even bigger than Uncle Sanjiang’s house.”
“They said that beast was a demonic beast from the mountain, secretly devouring the mountain’s fortune.”
Hong Sheng and Hong Xiu were dumbstruck:
“A bear bigger than this entire house?! Did the Bureau kill it?”
Hong Tianyun shook his head:
“When I got close, I saw it wasn’t dead. Its eyes were still blinking.”
“The men from the Bureau said they were taking it back with them. As for what else they said, I didn’t hear—because I had already been caught for sneaking out.”
Breaking free of his memories, Hong Tianyun looked at Hong Sheng and Hong Xiu:
“That was a childhood memory. After so many years without encountering any more demonic beasts, I had forgotten it completely.”
“If not for Sanjiang writing down the words ‘snake demon,’ I would never have remembered it.”
“Sanjiang was older than me. Perhaps he also remembered that matter, which was why he left behind the words ‘snake demon’—to warn us that monsters had appeared again.”
Hong Xiu’s face grew terribly grim:
“Uncle Yun, then what should we do? If there truly is a demonic beast in the mountain, it has already eaten Uncle Sanjiang.
Won’t it come down to the village next to eat people?”
Hong Xiu’s legs were already trembling.
If not for Hong Tianyun being beside him, he might have bolted back to the village already.
In contrast, Hong Sheng remained calm after voicing his deductions.
Hong Tianyun stroked his stubble and said:
“If this snake demon matter is true, then first, we must notify the villagers—tell them not to enter the mountains for now.”
“Also, I must go out on a trip.”
Hong Xiu asked instinctively:
“To do what?”
“I must find the men of the Bureau of Heaven Monitoring. Since decades ago they came here to slay demons, then surely today they will also be willing.”
At those words, Hong Xiu was overjoyed:
“Yes! Decades ago, they came to slay demons. Surely they will come now as well. Uncle Yun, hurry and find the Bureau!”
Hong Tianyun nodded:
“No time should be wasted. Hong Sheng, give me that half snake scale. I’ll go seek out the Bureau and see if they can come to Hongjia Village to catch the demon!”
“Alright, Uncle Yun.”