Chapter 1 To Kill or Not to Kill?

To kill or not to kill?

Wei Yuan pondered this sharp question before him.

There were justifiable reasons for both choices, as well as concerns that made either option problematic. If he were to kill her, then the Tian woman was already a huapi (painted skin demon), a monster and not a human, and killing evil was his duty. But if he were to let her go, then this demon had not harmed any innocent people after all; all she had done was repay grudges.

But reasons were, after all, just reasons.

Sufficient reasons and how to make a decision often had no necessary connection.

Whether to do many things in the world, and how to do them, also had nothing to do with reasons. Without personal experience, without being there, the words spoken and the decisions made were just from an outsider's perspective. How could they be compared to the person involved?

Wei Yuan looked at the illusory figure of the ancient Sili Xiaowei (Colonel Director of Retainers) beside him and sighed inwardly.

Judging from the fact that the huapi demon could appear in the modern world, this Sili Xiaowei had not been able to steel his heart to slay the demon. Wei Yuan hesitated to give an answer, and the Sili Xiaowei's illusory figure said calmly, "It seems you are still a newcomer. It's normal to hesitate in this situation."

He paused and said with a complicated expression, "I didn't kill her immediately."

"Her parents were not in good health at the time, and they had no children. Their eldest daughter was married far away, and she was the only one by their side. If she died, the two elders would have no one to support them, and they would probably be lonely and miserable in their old age. She begged me to give her time so that she could fulfill her filial duties before coming to die."

"Filial piety is the most important of all virtues. Her words were earnest, and I was only in my twenties at the time, just a Jiyao Zhishi (Demon-Catching Emissary) under the command of the Sili Xiaowei, upright and impulsive. I softened for a moment and agreed, placing a seal on her. Later, with her help, I also found the evidence that the lazy man of the Li family had murdered his wife and brought him to justice."

"After that, there was an urgent summons from the capital, and I quickly rushed to other places to track down demons."

"This went on for more than a decade."

In the calm narration, the illusory figure of the Sili Xiaowei slowly dissipated, and the scene before Wei Yuan's eyes changed.

………………

More than ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

The Jiyao Zhishi of that time had reached the age of forty. He constantly accumulated experience suppressing demons everywhere and was granted the title of Sili Xiaowei.

It was a time of war, with disasters everywhere.

Resentment was rampant, and demons were rampant.

Compared to those truly terrifying and ferocious great demons, the mere huapi had almost been forgotten. Only occasionally, during the brief moments of respite after slaying demons and ghosts, would he think of the beautiful woman who had knelt before him, swearing to the heavens with tears streaming down her face.

He had sent the Jiyao Zhishi under his command to investigate.

The report came back saying that the Liu couple lived in harmony, that the Tian woman managed the household, that she was gentle and virtuous, and that she was respectful and filial to her parents. In the past two years, her parents had become old and sick, so she had personally taken them in to take good care of them. The family had hundreds of acres of fertile land, pavilions and towers in their mansion, and she was also kind-hearted, often helping disaster-stricken people.

She had also given birth to a clever son for the Liu family.

The Sili Xiaowei suddenly realized that something was wrong.

That Tian woman was already a gu nu huapi (bone woman painted skin demon), her flesh and blood had already disappeared, leaving only a pile of bones. How could she give birth to a son?

He felt uneasy. He even put aside the important matters at hand and made a special trip to the town outskirts where he had first met her.

Where were the hundreds of acres of fertile land and the mansions with pavilions and towers?

All that was there were desolate wilderness, withered graves, and chaotic burials.

He hurriedly rushed into the town, not even going to see the local officials, and galloped straight to the Liu family's residence. He used his Wohu Yaopai (Crouching Tiger Badge) to order the servants of the residence to disperse, and asked if the lady was taking care of the child in the backyard. He immediately ignored the maids' obstruction and strode forward, one hand on his sword, and opened his eyes to look into the room.

One glance was enough to make his eyes tear apart.

More than ten years had passed, but the Tian woman's appearance was the same as it had been back then, with almost no changes. Even her skin was as delicate as a young girl's. At that moment, she was using a pair of dark scissors to tear off a slightly yellowed and withered piece of skin from her face, and then she walked to the bed. Many things were piled on the bed.

They looked like clothes, but when unfolded, they were all the skins of sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls.

The woman used scissors to cut a piece of skin from a girl's face and carefully贴 (tie, paste) it onto her own face.

There was also a six- or seven-year-old child on the bed.

He was swinging his feet and using a small knife to dissect his chest, looking angrily at the white bones and the rotten flesh between them. He pointed to his white spine and pouted, "Mother, Mother, I should grow taller. The other students in the school are taller than me. They all laugh at me."

The Tian woman tapped the child's forehead and said,

"Okay, okay, today I'll take apart your father's bones to add a section to yours."

The child clapped his hands and cheered.

Then he pointed to his stomach, innocently and adorably,

"And also, Mother, the county magistrate's liver is still good."

"The heart of the private school teacher is placed here, it has turned black and rotten."

"Well, a living person's heart, after six months, should be rotten."

"What should we do then?"

"Don't be afraid, there's a high-ranking official from the capital outside."

"His liver is even better."

The Sili Xiaowei turned his head sharply in shock and anger.

The maid, the cook, the old farmer selling vegetables, the teacher, and the man in official uniform were all standing expressionlessly behind him, crowded together, without saying a word.

All one hundred people in this house had turned into huapi.

………………

The Sili Xiaowei stood beside Wei Yuan and said slowly,

"When I finally killed that Madam Tian, I found that the skin underneath was also empty. It was just a skin bag. The real huapi had long since disappeared. Perhaps she had sensed something was wrong earlier and had already fled."

"That which is contrary to the world is a demon, that which has the spirituality of things is a spirit, that which has a soul that does not dissipate is a ghost, that which has the abnormality of things is a monster."

He whispered slowly, looking at Wei Yuan,

"Remember this, later generation. If they are spirits or ghosts, you can still make contact with them differently depending on the situation."

"The two categories of demon and monster, all those who are Sili Xiaowei, must kill upon seeing them, especially those who transform from human form into demons or monsters. You must not let them go."

"Contrary is demon, abnormal is monster."

"To become a demon or a monster from a human, they have long gone against the nature of humanity. The delicacies in our mouths are like yellow mud and withered grass in their mouths, while human flesh and blood are exceptionally sweet to them. The kindness they show is only the last remaining part of being human."

"But this kindness is like a tree without roots, water without a source. It will constantly disappear with time."

"And the ferocity of the demon or monster will increase day by day."

"If there are grievances, you should report them and uphold justice. But those who need our protection and pity are those who die because of grievances, not the demons that are born by borrowing the obsession of corpses. They themselves..."

The Sili Xiaowei paused and looked into Wei Yuan's eyes.

"They are not of our race. Kill them, without pardon!"

"On our three-foot sword's edge, there is only human clarity, with absolutely no room for personal feelings!"

ps: Thanks to 韶华易逝__流年似水 (Shao Hua Yi Shi__Liu Nian Si Shui) for the myriad reward, thank you~