Chapter Eleven: Devouring the Orphan’s Share (Please Keep Reading!)

This elder was one of the patriarchs of the Zhao Family Village. When he heard that the young master from the Su family had arrived, he immediately thought of Su Ming. Now, having reached the mortuary and surveyed the room without seeing any sign of the Su family’s young master, he couldn’t help but voice his doubt.

“This is Young Master Su Ye of the Su family—why don’t you come over quickly?” Gao Yuan moved to stand beside Su Ye, speaking in a low, urgent tone, afraid of provoking Su Ye’s displeasure.

Upon hearing Su Ye’s name, the Zhao family elder’s face showed a flash of surprise. The lands that now belonged to the Su family had once been the property of the Lin family; the elder naturally knew of Su Ye’s existence. But ever since calamity had befallen the Lin family, he had not seen Su Ye again—only heard that the current Su patriarch did not favor this young master. He had not expected to encounter him here today.

Su Ye cast only a fleeting glance at the Zhao elder, giving him no further attention. The elder dared not speak rashly, standing there nervously, hoping the other elders would arrive soon.

He did not have long to wait. Soon, the remaining four elders of Zhao Family Village arrived, and all five were assembled before Su Ye.

“Now that you are all here, which of you will tell me the origin of this monster plaguing Zhao Family Village?” Su Ye’s voice was frosty, his gaze scrutinizing the five elders before him.

These five had weathered many storms in their long lives, yet even they felt immense pressure under Su Ye’s cold eyes. Still, they forced themselves to reply, insisting they knew nothing about the creature.

Zhao Bai gave a cold snort, his voice hard as iron: “My time is limited. If you persist in hiding the truth, then be prepared for that monster to slaughter everyone in Zhao Family Village!”

As Su Ye’s words fell, he gestured for Gao Yuan and the Su family guards to follow him and leave. He could see at a glance these five were lying, deliberately withholding information. He felt no obligation to save those with such twisted hearts. If they refused to speak, then let them never speak again.

The five elders’ faces showed shock; they had not expected Su Ye to simply walk away.

“Young Master Su, please wait! We’ll tell you everything we know!” The five elders rushed to block his path, their voices raised in unison.

“If you have something to say, then say it,” Su Ye replied softly, looking at the five elders, rain streaming down their faces as they stood outside the mortuary. Accustomed to a life of privilege, they had never suffered such indignity, but now Zhao Family Village’s problems could only be solved by the Su family.

When monsters harmed the common folk, the people were supposed to report the matter to the local Daoist or Buddhist authorities. Yet both sects had lost their power in Jinhua County; Zhao Family Village had nowhere to turn for help. Though the elders were resentful, they still shared what they knew about the monster with Su Ye.

“It wasn’t our intention to hide the truth from you, Young Master Su. We only feared your blame. The creature is, in fact, a calico cat once kept by a family in our village…”

After finishing their account, the five wiped the rain from their faces, their expressions hopeful as they awaited Su Ye’s response.

“I will give you one final chance,” Su Ye’s voice was icy. While it was possible the monster was once a calico cat kept by a family in the village, he knew the truth was not as simple as these five claimed.

“Young Master Su, let me tell you the real story.”

Suddenly, a woman in mourning clothes stepped forward from behind Su Ye, her voice ringing clear as she hurried to stand before him and reveal what she knew.

The moment she spoke, the five elders’ faces changed dramatically. The others present in the mortuary tried in vain to stop her from speaking, their faces shadowed with worry.

“Young Master Su, the monster is indeed a calico cat once kept by a family here, but it did not suddenly turn feral and kill its masters, as the elders claim. The truth is, the family was murdered by us. The cat now seeks vengeance for its slain owners.”

As she recalled the dark, rain-soaked night and the deeds committed by Zhao Family Village, the woman in mourning could not help but tremble. Thinking of her deceased husband, she broke down in tears.

“On the ninth day of last month…”

With the truth revealed, the faces of everyone from Zhao Family Village, including the five elders, turned ashen. Their eyes darted about, no one daring to meet Su Ye’s gaze.

“You truly are deserving of your fate,” Su Ye sneered. “Where did you bury the mother and daughter?”

More than half a year before, Li Ping and her daughter had returned to Zhao Family Village bearing her husband’s coffin. Her husband, Zhao Shu, was born in the village. He had left years before to do business, married a wife in another province, and had only a single daughter. He died suddenly of a mysterious illness, gone within half a month.

After his death, Li Ping brought his body home for burial in the ancestral tombs, intending to leave the village once the funeral was done. But the village head and the elders detained her, demanding she hand over all Zhao Shu’s property to the clan, arguing that since Zhao Shu left no son, his assets could not go to Li Ping and her daughter.

Li Ping refused, and so she was held captive in the village for half a year. On the ninth day of the last month, the patience of the village head and elders finally ran out. They falsely accused Li Ping of adultery during her mourning and sentenced her to be buried alive.

In truth, Li Ping had indeed been violated, and the one who defiled her was none other than the village head, Zhao Qi.

That day, Li Ping’s four-year-old daughter tried to stop them, only to be killed by Zhao Qi, who hurled her to the ground.

Afterwards, Zhao Qi fabricated an excuse and, with the cooperation of the entire village, had the broken-spirited Li Ping buried alive.

The matter seemed settled. But seven days after Li Ping’s burial, Zhao Qi died a gruesome death in his home. From then on, young men in the village began dying one after another.

Only then did the villagers suspect that the deaths were linked to Li Ping. They saw with their own eyes that the killer was a calico cat—Li Ping’s beloved pet in life.