SWORD OF THE DEMON WOLF

The Death of Both Parents

Unwittingly, the battle had been raging for nearly an hour. Xiao Yu was starting to run out of stamina and inner strength, as evidenced by his slowing movements.

The Four Demon Sickles seized the opportunity, intensifying their attacks with overwhelming force. They left Xiao Yu no opening to counterattack.

Now, Xiao Yu could only defend. He realized his time in this world was nearly over. He prayed to the gods that Xiao Chen would avenge his death—and that his only son would master the Heaven’s Ruler Scroll to use it for righteousness.

“Die now, Xiao Yu!” yelled one of the Four Demon Sickles. His oversized sickle swung down toward Xiao Yu’s exposed shoulder.

Creesh!

“Aaaagh!”

Xiao Yu screamed as the massive sickle struck his shoulder dead-on, simultaneously severing his right arm holding the sword.

Blood gushed onto the earth. Xiao Yu’s sword lay on the ground, still tightly clenched in his fallen hand.

The nearly fifty-year-old man collapsed to his knees, utterly defenseless. He squeezed his eyes shut to endure the unbearable pain.

“Hahaha… finally you’re at death’s door, Xiao Yu! One last time, tell me—where have you hidden the Heaven’s Ruler Scroll?” demanded a tall, curly-haired member of the Four Demon Sickles.

Xiao Yu’s eyes, closed in agony, slowly opened. A weak smile managed to cross his lips despite the agony.

“Come closer, Sing Kwan. I will tell you… only you…” he rasped.

The tall, curly-haired man, Sing Kwan, leaned in to hear the dying man’s confession.

Xiao Yu muttered as if whispering, then said, “I’ve told you… take it whenever you want.”

With those final words, Xiao Yu’s body slumped to the ground. He died from blood loss—the wound fatal.

“So, where did he hide it, Sing Kwan? Let’s get it now!” asked one of the other men.

“I do not know,” Sing Kwan replied, clearly confused. He hadn’t heard the confession.

“Don’t lie, Sing Kwan! We saw him whisper to you!” another accused.

“Are you hoping to keep it for yourself?” the muscular, medium-height man sneered.

“I swear…I heard nothing!” Sing Kwan exploded in frustration, tired of their accusations.

“Let’s stop arguing. It’s obviously a trick to sow discord. Search his house—he must’ve kept the scroll close!” one suggested, attempting to restore rational thinking.

All four of the Four Demon Sickles agreed and sped back toward Xiao Yu’s home under the cover of night.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chen still sat motionless on the edge of the bed, staring at his mother’s stiff, lifeless body.

Moments later, he jolted upright, remembering his father’s battle with the Four Demon Sickles. “Father…” he whispered.

He dashed from his parents’ bedroom, not slowing even as he ran through the dark night in search of his father, recalling the direction—toward the forest.

His eyes, well-adapted to darkness, scanned the surroundings eagerly for any sign of him.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Chen passed the Four Demon Sickles on his way. He stifled any visible reaction so as not to arouse their suspicion.

A terrible premonition gripped him. Meeting the Four Demon Sickles could only mean his father was in grave danger.

His anxiety peaked as he reached the forest’s edge. From about twenty meters away, he saw a dark figure lying on the ground. Unsure, Xiao Chen hurried closer.

A horrified scream escaped his lips. The motionless figure was his father—and even more grotesquely, his right arm was severed and lying apart from his body.

“Faaather!”

The young man—who had never once complained of pain or cried—broke down crying twice in one night. The deaths of both parents shattered his heart in an instant.

His devoted, loving parents had both been taken from him. Now utterly alone, he had no one left to call family.

Xiao Chen’s rage ignited in that moment. He vowed to avenge his father’s hideously brutal murder by the Four Demon Sickles.

He glared at his father’s severed sword-wielding hand. The sight fueled his fury.

“I will avenge Father!” he screamed into the pitch-black night.

He grabbed the sword and sprinted home as fast as he could. He knew the Four Demon Sickles would return to search for the Heaven’s Ruler Scroll inside his home. His mother had instructed him to retrieve the scroll buried under the bed—surely those monsters wouldn’t leave empty-handed.

Inside Xiao Yu’s house, the sounds of objects being thrown and smashed echoed repeatedly. Cabinets and every potential hiding place for the scroll were ruthlessly searched by the damned quartet.

But their efforts were futile. The scroll they had desperately sought was nowhere to be found.

In their perverse rage, they violated Li Lan’s corpse one by one. The still-beautiful forty-year-old woman was desecrated by the corrupted minds of the four black-clad warriors.

When Xiao Chen returned to his mother’s bedroom, the sight that greeted him broke his control entirely.

“You monsters! What have you done to my mother’s body?!” he roared, shocking the Four Demon Sickles who were still desecrating Li Lan’s corpse.