Chapter 934: Offering Treasure

Inside the Stone House, a single lamp flickered dimly.

The old village chief, who had just brought food and drink to Wang Chen, suddenly knelt before him with a resounding thud!

Wang Chen calmly inquired, “Old village chief, why are you performing such a deep bow?”

The old village chief kowtowed three times, his forehead striking the ground with such force that it swelled and bled.

“Please spare my life, I have committed a grave sin!”

“Rise and speak.”

Wang Chen said lightly, “First, explain clearly so that I may judge whether you truly deserve such a fate.”

With a troubled expression, the old village chief stood up and hesitantly recounted the events.

Years ago, he had noticed something unusual about the village hunter, Zhang Shi Tou, suspecting he was possessed by evil spirits.

However, the old village chief did not publicize this matter or report it to the county.

First, he lacked direct evidence to prove his suspicions, and second, he was apprehensive.

If Zhang Shi Tou was not possessed and he reported him to the Blood Guard for investigation, he would not only offend the volatile hunter but could also find himself in serious trouble.

Falsely reporting a case of possession was no small offense; the Blood Guard would not take kindly to making a fruitless trip.

Yet if Zhang Shi Tou truly was possessed, not only would the old village chief gain much merit, but the entire Kao Mountain Village would be thoroughly purged to ensure no one else was possessed.

The old village chief had witnessed corrupt officials abusing their power by oppressing the people more than once; Kao Mountain Village was already too poor, otherwise, such events would be more frequent.

Thus, he secretly hoped for the best and kept his concerns hidden.

For years, Kao Mountain Village had been peaceful, and Zhang Shi Tou displayed no further unusual behavior, allowing the old village chief to rest easy.

Or more accurately, even if Zhang Shi Tou had quirks, he chose to ignore them.

As long as it did not affect the village, everything was fine!

He never expected that Zhang Xiao Qi’s family would suddenly be murdered.

Such a significant event was impossible to conceal, forcing the old village chief to send someone to the county for assistance.

When Wang Chen returned from slaying demons and mentioned Zhang Shi Tou, the old village chief felt an involuntary sense of guilt rise within him. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, finally unable to resist confessing to Wang Chen.

He knew very well that confessing was very different from being found out by Wang Chen!

“M-my lord.”

The old village chief swallowed hard, reaching into his robe to pull out an object, trembling as he placed it on the table. “This is something I stumbled upon many years ago; it has some peculiar properties, and I wish to offer it to you as a token of gratitude!”

The object was wrapped in layers of burlap, concealing its true appearance, but the old village chief’s demeanor and tone indicated that it was undoubtedly something extraordinary.

How intriguing!

Wang Chen looked deeply at the old village chief, then reached for the object and unwrapped the burlap covering.

As the object revealed itself, Wang Chen’s gaze instantly sharpened!

This is a spearhead, half a foot long and four fingers wide, its dark golden texture exuding an ancient and profound aura. The surface is intricately engraved with fine lines, and the edges are straight and razor-sharp.

Yet, these were not the reasons that astonished Wang Chen.

At the very center of the spearhead, a true seal character was prominently etched: "Zhu!"

It is crucial to understand that the script and language of Cangqing differ from those of the Haotian Realm, and thus, true seal characters naturally do not exist there.

This spearhead, bearing the true seal character "Zhu," most likely originated from the upper realm or is closely linked to visitors from that realm.

However, Wang Chen was absolutely certain that this spearhead was not a product of Cangqing!

He glanced at the old village chief with a trace of suspicion.

How could this man have obtained such a treasure and kept it for so many years?

Wang Chen gently lifted the spearhead.

A peculiar sensation washed over him, as if the object in his hand was transmitting some message.

But it was exceedingly faint.

Wang Chen’s mind raced, and he suddenly asked, “Where did you get this?”

“I want the truth!”

The old village chief trembled, hesitated for a moment, and then revealed the truth.

In his youth, he had ventured out with others and befriended a group of tomb robbers. This spearhead had been unearthed from an ancient tomb.

At that time, the tomb contained no burial items, only a grayish-white skeleton lying within.

The skeleton’s right hand clutched the spearhead, which shimmered with a rainbow of light, clearly a treasure of immense value.

Then, a conflict erupted among the tomb robbers!

In a brutal skirmish, the old village chief was fortunate to be the last survivor, though he suffered severe injuries.

He returned to Kao Mountain Village with the spearhead and never left his hometown again.

“It… it should be able to ward off evil spirits…”

The old village chief uttered these words with great difficulty, his heart heavy with sorrow.

This brought back memories of his journey back to Kao Mountain Village, wounded and weary, when he had encountered what he believed to be a demon.

At that moment, the spearhead had displayed its extraordinary power, driving the demon away.

The old village chief’s suspicion that Zhang Shi Tou had been possessed was directly tied to the spearhead!

He had not wished to speak of these matters, nor had he wanted to present the spearhead.

But he knew all too well that the young Wang Chen was not someone to be trifled with. If he did not offer this item to save his life, his family might suffer the consequences.

After all, he did not have many years left; rather than leave this item to his family, it would be better to give it to Wang Chen!

“Very well.”

Wang Chen flicked his wrist, storing the spearhead away, and then tossed a silver note to the old village chief. “I’ll take this, but I won’t take it for nothing.”

In truth, even if the old village chief had not offered the spearhead as a “bribe,” Wang Chen would not have made a fuss over it.

But since the old man had shown such awareness, Wang Chen felt compelled to show some generosity to avoid any lingering karma.

The old village chief dared not accept it. “I cannot.”

“Take it!”

Wang Chen’s expression darkened. “Enough with the nonsense!”

The old village chief immediately complied and accepted the silver note.

“Good.”

Wang Chen waved his hand dismissively. “This matter is settled. I will report it to the Wei Hall and will not involve you.”

He had no intention of making things difficult for the old village chief.

After the old village chief left, repeatedly expressing his gratitude, Wang Chen took out the spearhead once more and examined it closely.

After a moment of thought, he retrieved his own feather spear and removed its spearhead.

Wang Chen attempted to fit the newly acquired spearhead onto the spear shaft, but found that they did not match in size. However, after applying a bit of force, he heard a “click,” and to his surprise, it fit together perfectly!

Indeed, there was something extraordinary about it!

Wang Chen channeled life energy into the spear.

The new spearhead immediately emitted a faint glow; the runes lit up one by one, and the engraved character “Zhu” shimmered in a blood-red hue, pulsating rhythmically like a heartbeat.