Chapter 14 — The Raw Heart and The Alien of Meng Village
A Storm of Blood, Fear, and Quiet Resolve
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The Weight of the Alpha
The courtyard was a battlefield.
Broken fence. Blood-soaked snow. Wolf corpses frozen stiff in grotesque positions.
Long Tan stepped toward the largest one—the Alpha. Even with one functioning arm, he refused to leave it outside for scavengers. Old Zhang followed behind him, gripping the wolf's hind legs.
"Pull," Long Tan said through clenched teeth.
They heaved.
The Alpha weighed as much as a small cow. Long Tan's right arm was useless—purple, swollen, and hanging dead at his side. Every movement pulled on torn muscles and bitten flesh. Even breathing hurt.
Scrape. Thump.
They finally dragged the beast into the hut.
Long Tan leaned against the doorframe, panting. His breath fogged the cold air. Blood dripped from his injured arm.
Old Zhang stared at him, trembling. His legs were barely holding up.
"Zhang," Long Tan said quietly.
"Y-Yes, Lord Long?" Zhang stuttered. He had never called anyone "Lord" in his life, but after what he saw tonight, it slipped out naturally.
"You should go home."
"But I can help—I can move the smaller wolves, maybe—"
"Xiao Yu is alone," Long Tan interrupted softly. "She must be terrified after all that howling. Go comfort her."
Old Zhang froze.
He pictured his little daughter curled inside the locked wooden box, shaking in fear.
His eyes turned red. He bowed his head deeply—not because he felt forced, but because he no longer knew how else to show respect.
"I… I understand. Thank you."
He ran into the snowy darkness, half from fear, half from gratitude.
---
The Savage Feast
Long Tan shut the door and bolted it.
Su Lan rushed to his side. Her eyes widened at the sight of his ruined arm.
"Tan… your arm looks like it exploded."
"Overloaded muscle fibers," he muttered. "I forced too much Yang Qi. It will heal."
He nodded toward the Alpha.
"San, bring the sharp knife."
Little San didn't flinch. He darted to the table and grabbed the skinning knife, handing it over with both hands like an offering.
Long Tan crouched beside the massive beast.
Instead of skinning it first, he cut straight down the sternum.
Crack. Rip.
Steam burst out.
He reached in and lifted the heart.
It was enormous—dark crimson, pulsing faintly even in death, streaked with veins of silver. Pure vitality.
"Should I boil water?" Su Lan asked instinctively.
"No. Fire ruins Essence."
He raised the raw heart.
"I need the Blood Vitality now."
Su Lan covered her mouth with her hand.
Long Tan bit down.
SQUELCH.
Hot blood filled his mouth. The taste was brutal—iron, rust, rot, wildness, and power. His face twisted, but he forced himself to chew.
Long Hao, lying in the crib, stopped kicking. His dark eyes glowed faintly. He wasn't frightened—he was fascinated by the swirling Qi around his father.
Long Tan swallowed the last chunk and wiped his mouth.
"Guard me," he said simply.
---
The Cost of Healing
He sat cross-legged on the cold floor.
BOOM.
The Alpha's Essence erupted inside him.
It was not gentle.
It wanted to tear him apart from the inside.
Long Tan roared inside his mind:
"Submit."
He activated the Sun & Moon Refining Technique.
The violent vitality was forced down his meridians toward his ruined arm.
Sizzle…
His veins felt like they were on fire. Invisible insects crawled under his skin, sewing muscle fibers back together. The bruised flesh began to lighten.
Time lost meaning.
Minutes became hours.
Su Lan stayed by his side, Little San guarding the door with a wooden stick. Even baby Long Hao watched quietly, sensing the heavy atmosphere.
Finally—
Long Tan exhaled a long breath of gray mist.
He opened his eyes.
He checked his body:
Swelling gone
Tendon tears repaired
Bone cracks fused
Muscles still tender and sore
Total recovery: 40%
His strength rose only slightly:
360 Jin → 375 Jin (+15 Jin)
He frowned.
"If I were uninjured, this heart alone should've given me 40–50 Jin. Most of it went into repairing damage. What a waste."
But at least he wasn't crippled.
---
The Alien of Meng Village
Outside, dawn broke over the snow.
A scream echoed.
"WOLVES! DEAD WOLVES!"
Villagers peeked from their homes cautiously, then gathered near Long Tan's fence, keeping a safe distance.
Their eyes widened.
Seven wolves lay in the snow—six common ones, and the tracks of something enormous dragged inside.
Blood formed a wide red circle around Long Tan's courtyard.
Old Zhang arrived last, holding Xiao Yu's hand. His voice cracked as he spoke:
"He fought them alone."
Gasps erupted.
"Alone? Impossible!"
"Even hunters in Meng City couldn't kill an Alpha!"
"Where is the Alpha body?!"
"Inside," Zhang said with reverence.
"He dragged it inside."
The villagers fell silent.
A few took two steps back, instinctively.
"Is… is Long Tan even human?"
"No mortal could do this."
"Maybe he's… not from our world."
"An alien… a demon… something else."
Fear spread like wildfire.
The greedy ones who had thought of stealing Su Lan's soap recipe froze. No one would dare. Not anymore.
The Long family home became a sacred, terrifying, untouchable place.
---
The Nap and The Soup
Inside the hut, Long Tan struggled to stand.
"I… need to peel the skin… harvest the claws…"
His legs collapsed slightly.
Su Lan pushed him gently onto the bed.
"Enough."
Her voice was firm for the first time.
"The wolves won't run away. But if you collapse, who will protect us tomorrow?"
She handed him a steaming bowl.
"Drink."
It was Peach Leaf Soup—cool, soothing, gently nourishing. The perfect counter to wild vitality.
Long Tan drank it slowly. The heat in his veins calmed.
"Four or five days," he murmured. "I'll be healed. Then… we go to Yan Merchant."
He didn't even finish the sentence.
He fell asleep instantly.
Su Lan covered him with a quilt.
Then she turned toward the Alpha's corpse, picked up the knife, and tightened her grip.
"Rest, husband," she whispered.
"I will take care of the rest."
A soft system chime rang:
Ding…
[Family Prestige Updated: Fear & Awe.]
[Strength: 375 Jin (Recovering).]
[AUTHOR'S NOTE]
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