Slaying the Devil

(Expanded version of 100,000 words) Volume One: A poor family's journey to immortality, broken bones into mud (about 18,000 words) Chapter 1 The Ants in Kushui Village The extreme north of the wilderness is a bitter cold land. This is a corner forgotten by the whole world. It snows all year round. The land is so dry that you can insert your fingers into it. Even the water in the river is as bitter as rust, hence the name "Bitter Water Village". There are about a hundred families in the village who live in low adobe houses with thatched roofs, which are exposed to wind and snow in winter. For generations, villagers have made a living by chewing tree bark, digging grass roots, and hunting lean wolves and frozen rats in the wilderness. Human life is as cheap as grass, and starvation is a common occurrence in the wilderness. Lin Kusheng was born here. His parents are the most honest farmers in the village. His father's name is Lin Mancang and his mother's name is Xiulian. Their biggest wish is for their children to survive the winter. When Lin Kusheng was five years old, a wave of wild beasts that had not been seen in a century swept through Kushui Village. That day, the sky was leaden gray, and the wind carried snow particles that hit my face painfully. The dogs at the entrance of the village suddenly started barking wildly, followed by the shaking of the earth, and the roar of a giant beast in the distance. "It's a wave of wild beasts! Hide quickly!" The men in the village picked up hatchets and hoes and tried to stop the tide of wild beasts, but in the face of the rough-skinned and thick-bodied demon wolves and giant bears, their resistance was like a mantis's arm acting as a cart. Lin Kusheng's parents stuffed him into the kang hole, covered him with wooden boards, and covered him with several layers of quilts. "Kusheng, don't make a sound, don't come out." Mother's voice was filled with tears, "Wait until your parents come back to pick you up."