As I peered inside, a shiver ran down my spine, raising goosebumps.
It wasn't the terrifying appearance of the monsters within.
It was their actions that chilled me to the bone.
Inside the house, I saw three monsters.
They were all humanoid, clad in tattered rags, their faces obscured.
They sat around a fire, conversing animatedly.
In front of the fire, a large pot was suspended.
Steam billowed from the pot, in which meat was being cooked.
The savory aroma emanated from the pot.
This, in itself, was not unusual. What was truly unbearable was the contents of the large pot.
For, through a gap in the window, I saw it.
Inside the colossal iron pot was a human head.
The flesh and blood on the head had been cooked to mush...
The three monsters were gnawing on human bones in their hands.
The bloody scene was utterly nauseating.
The meat aroma that had seemed so appetizing moments before,
now made me want to retch.
I gagged, stifling any sound, covering my mouth.
Though I knew these monsters harmed humans,
this particular method of harm was difficult for me to accept.
My breathing grew ragged.
Lao Mo and Xia Qiu Xi, seeing me recoil, their expressions turned grim.
They looked at me with confusion.
I motioned for them to see for themselves.
Both of them poked their heads out to look inside.
They too, gasped and recoiled, seeing the horrific scene.
Their faces contorted with disgust and revulsion.
The others, my master and his companions, had faced far greater trials.
Their emotions remained largely unchanged as they continued to observe the monsters.
I took a moment to compose myself, then cautiously peered inside again.
The little fox also scrambled to the door crack, observing the interior.
At that moment, one of the monsters, holding a long wooden stick, stirred the contents of the pot.
It continuously added plants to the large iron pot.
It rasped, saying:
"Brother Rat, for you to visit us, you've brought such a delicacy.
Today, my brothers and I must surely treat Brother Rat well."
As it spoke, I clearly saw the monster's appearance.
Though its face was human, it was covered in black scales, and its eyes were serpentine.
A sinister grin played on its face.
As it spoke, it constantly flicked its forked tongue.
The moment its words fell, another monster in grey robes, seated on the ground, turned its head.
It sniffed the large pot:
"Fragrant!
No wonder humans prefer cooked food.
Simmering it with these herbs makes it so aromatic, and greatly invigorating!"
As it spoke, a patch of bare, dark skin was visible behind the grey-robed monster's backside.
It was a rat's tail.
Damn it, it was indeed a snake and a rat in league.
The other monster also spoke up:
"Eldest Brother, how much longer? I can't wait any longer."
After speaking, that monster also flicked its tongue.
Tilting its head slightly, I saw its appearance clearly.
It had a long face, but its face was covered in green snake scales.
"Hahaha! Almost ready, almost ready. Second brother, go fetch the wine from the room next door.
We'll drink and eat meat together soon."
The green-scaled snake demon, called Second Brother, nodded and stood up.
Only then did we see clearly.
This snake demon had no feet, but a long, green snake tail.
It flicked its tail a couple of times and turned to leave.
Seeing this, we all abruptly pulled back our heads and looked at Master and the other two.
Awaiting their further instructions.
Master and his companions quickly signaled to us.
The signal was simple: to remain still.
When the green-scaled snake demon emerged, we were to strike.
We all nodded.
Simultaneously, we drew the peach wood swords from our sword bags.
I held the Seven-Star Peach Wood Sword tightly in my hand.
Lao Mo also took out his twin peach wood axes.
Xia Qiu Xi, too, drew her portable wooden sword.
The three monsters inside the house were completely unaware of our presence, lurking at the doorway.
After all, we had the breath-concealing talismans, and as long as we made no sound,
it would be difficult for them to sense us.
The green-scaled snake demon swayed its tail and quickly approached the doorway.
With a creak, the dilapidated door was pushed open.
Then the snake demon, tail wriggling, crawled out.
We were all poised for action.
The moment the snake demon emerged and crawled out of the doorway,
my Master let out a low growl:
"Attack!"
Instantly, Master, Uncle Tang, and Daoist Cloud Blossom attacked with their swords.
We juniors also gripped our peach wood swords and charged forward.
We intended to use the element of surprise to take down one monster first.
And then deal with the other two.
The green-scaled snake demon and the two monsters inside heard the commotion.
They all turned to look.
But it was too late.
My Master leaped into the air, thrusting his sword forward.
The snake demon, seeing this, looked terrified and hurriedly dodged.
"Human..."
But before it could finish, my Master's sword pierced the snake demon's left shoulder.
The snake demon yelped in pain and retreated in a panic.
But where could it retreat?
Uncle Tang and Daoist Cloud Blossom also swung their swords.
With a series of swift sword clashes, the green-scaled snake demon was successively struck and knocked to the ground.
Blood flowed freely.
We juniors seized the opportunity.
We immediately swarmed forward, aiming to strike down the green-scaled snake demon...