SWORD OF THE DEMON WOLF

The Four Demon Sickles

Xiao Chen chose to hide behind the wall of a villager’s house. But something puzzled him—none of the villagers dared to come out of their homes to even take a peek. Whether it was fear or something else, he didn’t know.

Meanwhile, his father, Xiao Yu, was still fiercely fighting against four black-clad warriors wielding large sickles as their weapons.

"Hand over the scroll, Xiao Yu! We promise to spare your life and your family’s," said one of them after launching an attack that Xiao Yu narrowly dodged.

"You think I’d believe the words of foul men like you? Even if my life is the price, I’ll never give it to you!" Xiao Yu shouted as he leapt backward several steps.

"It seems there’s no reasoning with you, Xiao Yu. Even if you hide in a rat hole, we’ll find the both of you and take the Heaven’s Ruler Scroll from your hands!"

"Leave my wife out of this, scum! Your business is with me—Li Lan has nothing to do with any of this!" Xiao Yu snapped.

The forty-five-year-old man’s thoughts flickered to his wife, who was lying ill in bed. She had been sick for more than a month. Five healers had been brought in, but all had given up trying to treat the mysterious illness plaguing Li Lan.

"Hahahaha! Why would I let your wife go so easily, Xiao Yu? You two were once legendary warriors who vanished from the martial world for two decades—after finding the Heaven’s Ruler Scroll," one of his attackers replied mockingly.

"You have no right to that scroll. You’d better forget your foolish ambitions!" Xiao Yu roared. His eyes suddenly narrowed as he faintly noticed his son hiding between the narrow gaps of the village houses.

Worry for the safety of his only child crept into his heart. Xiao Yu decided to lure his enemies away from the house. His goal was to give his son the chance to return home and take care of his mother.

Suddenly, Xiao Yu dashed off without warning, running as fast as he could away from the battleground in front of his home.

His abrupt departure enraged the four men who had been trying to seize the Heaven’s Ruler Scroll.

"Don’t run, you bastard!"

Without hesitation, all four took off at full speed after him.

Once Xiao Yu and his pursuers had gone, Xiao Chen emerged from his hiding spot and sprinted home. He had to check on his mother, who was alone in the house.

Without knocking or greeting,

Xiao Chen barged into the house, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Mother...!"

Of course, the first place he rushed to was his parents’ bedroom.

Standing before the door, the twenty-year-old young man immediately pushed it open and burst inside. He saw his mother lying in bed, covered almost entirely by a blanket. Only her head was exposed.

"Xiao Chen... where have you been, my son? Why are you only coming home this late?" Li Lan asked weakly.

"I’m sorry, Mother. There was... trouble with Lu Han at the edge of the forest," Xiao Chen replied.

"Did the son of Lu Feng beat you again?"

Xiao Chen nodded slowly. Then his mind returned to his father, who was battling four men alone.

"Mother, who are those four men attacking Father? And why have you and Father never told me you knew martial arts?"

"Your father and I didn’t want you to follow in our footsteps, my son," Li Lan replied softly. Crystal-like tears slid down from the corners of her eyes.

"If anything happens to me, dig beneath this bed. Take the metal box buried there. Then go find the old hermit atop Mount Huashan," Li Lan continued.

"What are you saying, Mother? You and Father will be fine," Xiao Chen said as he gently wiped his mother’s tears.

Li Lan was growing weaker. Her eyes dulled as if she were falling into a deep sleep. "Xiao Chen, promise me you’ll always walk the path of righteousness. Make your father and me proud of you."

Xiao Chen nodded, "I promise, Mother. But you must recover so that—"

He stopped mid-sentence. His mother’s eyes had closed tightly.

"Mother..." he shook her gently, but there was no response from Li Lan.

Over and over again, Xiao Chen called her name, but she never answered. Li Lan had passed on from this world.

The young man broke into sobs. His wails echoed through the house, calling out for the mother who had loved him so dearly—now gone forever.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yu’s strategy had worked. The four sickle-wielding men had followed him to the edge of the forest—ironically, the exact place where Lu Han and his gang had beaten Xiao Chen.

"If you think I ran because I was afraid, you’re dead wrong. I just didn’t want you to drag my family into this!" Xiao Yu said, drawing his sword.

The four men looked at each other. It suddenly dawned on them that they’d been lured away.

"You bastard! You may have tricked us, Xiao Yu—but it won’t save you from death. The Heaven’s Ruler Scroll will be ours!" barked one of the Four Demon Sickles.

"Brothers, let’s finish him off!" he added.

The four dark sect warriors, known as the Four Demon Sickles, began channeling protective energy throughout their bodies. Each took up their stance, preparing to unleash their strongest techniques.

Xiao Yu stood his ground. He, too, took up a stance, bracing himself for the onslaught. His sword was held horizontally, the blade’s tip aimed forward.

With a single breath, the Four Demon Sickles attacked in unison. They gave Xiao Yu no time to retaliate or find an opening. Their synchronized strikes showed they had experience fighting together.

Their relentless, multi-directional assault prevented Xiao Yu from using his signature sword technique. But his speed allowed him to keep pace with their attacks.

Within moments, they had exchanged dozens of blows, but not one of the Four Demon Sickles had landed a solid hit. Nor had Xiao Yu managed to strike them.