C11 The Experts of Kong Family Came to Visit

As the first light of dawn broke, Zhang Hao hurried back to the edge of Hillfar Village, laying down the corpse of the blood-furred wolf.

To his surprise, a villager caught sight of both Zhang Hao and the wolf's body and let out a piercing scream.

The scream sent the other villagers rushing out to find the massive corpse of the blood-furred wolf and a bloodstained Zhang Hao, which left them ashen-faced with shock.

After a moment of stunned silence, one of the villagers snapped out of it and cried out in alarm.

"Little Hao, what happened to you? Why are you all bloody? Come here, quick!"

Seeing the terror etched on the faces of the Hillfar people, Zhang Hao quickly tried to reassure them.

"Uh, everyone, please don't worry. It's dead."

Upon hearing Zhang Hao's assurance that the blood-furred wolf was indeed dead, the villagers' fear began to subside, though they still kept their distance.

As Zhang Hao moved toward the villagers, a middle-aged woman rushed to pull him back, her voice tinged with urgency.

"Little Hao, are you hurt? Why are you drenched in blood?"

The rest of the Hillfar villagers gathered around, their eyes reflecting deep concern.

"Don't worry, everyone. The blood on me is from the blood-furred wolf; I'm not injured."

Despite Zhang Hao's explanation, the middle-aged woman paid no heed, inspecting his body for any wounds.

It didn't take long for the crowd to realize that Zhang Hao was right.

While he was smeared with blood, there were no wounds on him, and the villagers breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Several women from Hillfar took charge, leading Zhang Hao away to wash off the blood.

Meanwhile, the other villagers cautiously approached the corpse of the blood-furred wolf.

Only after confirming that the beast had indeed breathed its last did they start to buzz with conversation.

"To think it's the corpse of a blood-furred wolf—this is incredible!"

"The blood-furred wolf is a late-period Blessed demonic beast. How on earth did it end up dead here?"

As the villagers continued their chatter, Zhang Hao returned, now clean of the bloodstains, and faced the curious crowd.

Seeing him approach, they couldn't resist asking.

"Hao, how did you come across the blood-furred wolf? And how did you end up covered in its blood?"

Faced with their inquisitive stares, Zhang Hao remained silent for a moment before beginning his explanation.

According to Zhang Hao, he encountered the recently deceased blood-furred wolf not far from the village entrance. He had transported the creature's body back to the entrance, which explained the bloodstains on him. Despite finding the story somewhat far-fetched, the villagers, remembering Zhang Hao's blood-soaked appearance from earlier, chose to believe him. After all, they couldn't think of any other plausible explanation, and his account did seem to make sense.

Once the details were clear, the villagers quickly turned their attention to the death of the blood-furred wolf. "The blood-furred wolf was the chief of the demonic beasts in this region. What could have killed such a powerful creature?" they wondered aloud. "Could the loud noises from the back mountain over the past year have been the sounds of the blood-furred wolf clashing with another formidable demonic beast?" It seemed likely, given the extensive destruction of trees and rocks on the mountain, all signs pointing to a fierce battle.

As they pieced together the nightly disturbances from the past year, the villagers felt their theories were consistent with the evidence. "Whatever beast slew the blood-furred wolf, it got what it deserved!" someone exclaimed. "It's highly possible that the blood-furred wolf was the same beast that killed Grandpa Zhao!"

Amidst the growing speculation, Zhang Hao interjected with a grave voice. Grandma Zhao, standing among the crowd, froze upon hearing his words. Seconds later, she burst into tears, her voice filled with a mix of sorrow and rage. "Old man, your death has been avenged! This cursed creature has finally met its fate!"

Zhang Hao, standing by her side, noticed the covetous looks on many villagers' faces as they eyed the blood-furred wolf's remains. The beast, a late-period Blessed demonic beast, was incredibly valuable—every part of it was considered a treasure. Its horn, claws, bones, and fur could all fetch a handsome price, enough to significantly improve the village's circumstances.

Zhang Hao remained indifferent to the villagers' greed. He had no intention of interfering with whatever they decided to do with the blood-furred wolf's body. Little did he know, however, that the corpse of the beast would soon bring calamity upon them.

Within just half a day, the body of a blood-furred wolf in the late Blessed stage was discovered in Hillfar Village. The news quickly spread through the neighboring villages and reached as far as Conriston City.

By that afternoon, a group from Conriston had made their way to Hillfar.

At the village entrance, several middle-aged men strode in.

The villagers, upon seeing the men, promptly offered their respects.

"We pay our respects to you, gentlemen."

These men were not ordinary; they were formidable members of the Kong family from Conriston.

Hillfar fell under the Kong family's domain and was directly governed by them.

Learning of the Kong family experts' arrival, all of Hillfar's villagers came out to greet them, careful not to show any disrespect.

"Where is the Village Chief of Hillfar? Have him come out to meet me," demanded one of the Kong family experts, as the villagers bowed before them.

The crowd momentarily froze, for their Village Chief had been Grandpa Zhao.

Grandpa Zhao had perished a year prior, bitten by a blood-furred wolf, and the village had since been without a chief.

At that moment, Grandma Zhao stepped forward and bowed with deference.

"Gentlemen, I have been serving temporarily as the Village Chief."

Upon hearing Grandma Zhao's declaration, there were no murmurs of dissent among the villagers.

With the highest seniority in Hillfar, Grandma Zhao's leadership was unquestioned; no one raised any objections to her authority.