The serpent spirit seemed highly pleased with Granny Fan's reaction and burst into another fit of laughter, swaying back and forth. "Before I leave, a final piece of advice! Just as you yourself said, one must know when to advance and when to retreat. This thing—forget one of you, even ten of you couldn't afford to offend it!"

The last syllable had barely left its mouth when Granny Fan’s vision swam. At the same instant, Village Head Tian collapsed onto the ground; the expression on his face was no longer the distorted grimace it had been. This, at least, indicated that the serpent spirit had truly departed. Nevertheless, Granny Fan remained cautious. She crouched down and pressed hard on the left middle finger of Village Head Tian’s hand with two fingers, maintaining the pressure until he finally let out an agonizing yelp. Hearing a distinctly male voice, Granny Fan finally slumped onto the floor, breathing heavily in immense relief. The facade of forced composure she had maintained moments before vanished completely, leaving her face a sickly yellow. Countless beads of sweat streamed down like little rivers, making her aged face utterly wretched. Her outer garment clung to her back, soaking a large patch.

Looking around the room, what had been relatively tidy moments ago was now in utter disarray. Tables were propped up one way, chairs lay strewn another. The incense burner had rolled everywhere, and pillows and quilts flew about as if a thief had robbed the place, only to have a wild bear and a wolf then ransack it together. Old Man Liu had already been carefully settled onto the kang by his dutiful eldest son, Liu Dashao, who tucked a thick cotton quilt around him. Seeing Granny Fan's depleted state, Liu Dashao felt a pang of guilt and looked for a water jug to pour her a cup to restore her strength. But after searching for a long time, he couldn't find the water jug anywhere in the room. A closer inspection revealed that the chaotic battle had knocked the jug to the floor, denting one corner. The boiling water had poured from the spout, pooling into a small puddle—it seemed there was no immediate source of relief. Fortunately, although the cups in the bedroom had also been shattered, a few survivors remained in the living area. With no other option, Liu Dashao casually grabbed one of the surviving cups, stepped into the courtyard, lowered the well winch, drew a bucket of water from the still-clear old well, poured a little into the cup, and returned to the room to hand it to Granny Fan.

"Granny, you must be exhausted. Have a sip of water," Liu Dashao offered the teacup. This reminder did more than prompt her; it instantly made Granny Fan realize the fire raging in her throat was so intense it felt like smoke, and her lips were parched—she barely had enough saliva. Just as she reached out to take the cup, she discovered she couldn't lift her hand at all. Even attempting to twitch a pinky finger felt as difficult as scaling a mountain. Alas! It seemed the physical and mental strain of the preceding combat had entirely depleted the strength of this elder, now well past her sixties.

"Child, Granny can't move. Please, help pour some water for Granny," Granny Fan managed to rasp out through clenched teeth. Immediately, the sharp cramping in her lower abdomen returned; her faint smile vanished, and her back, which had just dried from the breeze, was suddenly soaked by a fresh downpour.

"I understand, Granny, don't strain yourself." Liu Dashao, who possessed some rudimentary medical knowledge, grasped the situation from Granny Fan's reaction. Thus, he took two quick steps and steadied her waist with one arm, holding the teacup to her lips with the other, pouring the water down in slow sips. It was clear Granny Fan was desperately thirsty; the moment the water touched her tongue, she began to gulp it down ravenously, as if she hadn't seen water in a thousand lifetimes. However, this village well water, unfiltered and untested, naturally contained a fair amount of mineral salt. At first, she noticed nothing, but after about ten seconds, a wave of intense discomfort washed over her, causing Granny Fan to repeatedly grimace.

"Make do with this! The water jug was knocked over inside, and there were no spares. So I drew water from the well. Otherwise, by the time I could boil some, you might have breathed your last breath." Liu Dashao explained.

"It's fine," Granny Fan nodded, adding a quiet "Thank you."

"No need to thank me. In truth, the lives of everyone in this house were saved by you, Granny Fan. We are the ones who should be grateful!" Liu Dashao returned a smile, though his eyes blinked in sudden confusion. Wait a minute? During the fight, besides his father and Village Head Tian who suffered, hadn't Dogdan’s father and Little Mazi’s mother remained untouched? Where were they now?

Achoo. Why did the perfectly fine house suddenly smell strongly of stale urine? Liu Dashao’s train of thought was abruptly halted as he sniffed the air and muttered in disgust. The room’s ventilation was already poor, but this odor was intensely concentrated, thick like the ultra-rich milk advertised on television. Even Liu Dashao, naturally immune to lesser smells, fought back a gag. What about the others? He saw the cluster of opportunistic flies hovering around, buzzing like Japanese bombers. Following the path of the flies, Liu Dashao discovered Dogdan’s father and Little Mazi’s mother huddled inside the large cabinet tucked into the corner of the room, left slightly ajar. Seeing Dogdan’s father’s ashen, terrified expression and the damp patch on his trousers, it was clear the smell was his handiwork.

"You... both of you?" Liu Dashao pointed at Dogdan’s father, momentarily speechless.

"Ghost! Ghost! The demon is eating people!" Dogdan’s father’s nerves hadn't fully settled. Hearing a voice approach, he imagined the serpent spirit had devoured everyone outside, bone and skin, swallowing every scrap, and was now coming for him. This was intolerable! Dogdan’s father desperately wished his body were smaller, trying to shrink further into the cabinet. But the cabinet was barely big enough. Little Mazi’s mother, who was screaming silently beside him, kept bumping against the corners. To an observer, one might think the man and woman were hiding in there doing something illicit.

"Uncle, it’s me! Dashao!" Liu Dashao, fighting a smile, pressed down on the trembling Dogdan’s father. The stench of urine made his face contort with embarrassment.

"Don't... don't kill me, eat her first! Eat the one next to me..." Dogdan’s father yelled out.

"Ahem..." Liu Dashao was left utterly speechless. He knew Dogdan’s father was naturally timid and unsophisticated, just a simple, honest man. But he never imagined a grown man could be so cowardly—it was unheard of, past or present.

"Can you please open your eyes and look? I am Liu Dashao! Your son’s friend. Granny Fan already drove the demon away!" Liu Dashao explained.

"I won't open them, I won't! If I open them, you’ll eat me..." Dogdan’s father thrashed his hands, trying to wrench free from Liu Dashao’s grip.

"Enough!" Liu Dashao was not a patient man, and his tolerance had limits; repeated antics would provoke even a clay Buddha to anger. He delivered a sharp kick to the cabinet, jarring both occupants inside and stunning them into silence; their wailing stopped.

"Gentlemen, Auntie, please come out! The demon is definitely gone. This is so utterly annoying!" Liu Dashao rolled his eyes and walked past them toward the beds, paying them no further mind. He had assumed that once the demon was defeated, Tian Guoqiang and the other two would immediately recover or at least improve. But regretfully, the black shadow over their faces had not receded. Upon checking their pulses, they were significantly fainter than before. If he hadn't been paying close attention, he might not have even registered that they were alive.

Liu Dashao’s face changed drastically. "Granny Fan, look quickly! You chased the demon off, so why are Guoqiang and the others getting worse?"

"Hmph, superstition is superstition. Pretending to be divine and faking things—now the truth is exposed, isn't it?" Village Head Tian had woken up at some unknown point. Looking healthy, he appeared mostly recovered. But as soon as he regained consciousness, without inquiring about anything else, he launched into a tirade against Granny Fan, who was 'endangering socialist unity and stability.' He mocked and ridiculed her with a domineering air, as if he hadn't just fainted from terror upon seeing the serpent spirit. He now stood with his hands behind his back, pacing before Granny Fan, delivering a heartfelt lecture: "I told you long ago, my child and the others are suffering from an acute illness, possibly food poisoning. You wouldn't listen! Insisting on calling her over—wasn't that just delaying treatment? With the time wasted, we could have contacted Old Man Hu in the next village for his tractor and delivered them to the town hospital for treatment by now."

Faced with Village Head Tian’s nagging, Granny Fan once again showcased her talent for thick skin. Settling her old legs cross-legged, she tended to her injuries, completely ignoring his words, treating them as non-existent. Only when Liu Dashao spoke did she wipe her brow, open her weary eyes, and say, "Dashao, go see if Guoqiang’s Yintang is dark."

"Oh? Let me check!" Liu Dashao leaned over the kang and examined the faces of Tian Guoqiang and the others closely. Indeed, just as Granny Fan claimed, in the center of each of their foreheads—right between the eyebrows—was a coin-sized mark, entirely black at the center, fading outwards. The closer the edge, the paler the color, like a drop of ink bled onto blotting paper. Liu Dashao tried to wipe it away, but after rubbing for a long time—even managing to roll up a small ball of grime from Tian Guoqiang's pores—the mark would not fade. Defeated, he stopped. In truth, if Liu Dashao hadn't known Tian Guoqiang and the others since childhood and seen them daily, he might have genuinely believed it was a birthmark.

"That's right. It's not just Qiangzi; Dogdan and Little Mazi have it too," Liu Dashao reported truthfully.

"Look closer again. Tell me if that black mark is deep or shallow?"