The Drum

"Please... come, God..." The familiar deep voice of Li Zhi echoed through the forest, and the strange, deformed figure of Er Shen began to shake, synchronized with the chant.

"Sunset in the west, night falls, every household locks its doors, magpies and crows fly to the big trees, house sparrows and turtles scurry to the eaves, the road grows shorter—ah!!"

But the ritual chant was abruptly cut off, leaving Er Shen stunned. He looked up at Li Huowang, who was smirking slightly, and the situation took a sudden turn.

"You came here to test me, but didn't I also test you?" Li Huowang's words were calm but sharp. "I've been deceived by monks once before. I've learned my lesson. I have to stay on guard."

Before Er Shen could react, scattered footsteps echoed from the forest. It was Gouwa, Shazi, and the others. They were armed, pushing a blood-covered Li Zhi forward. In the hands of the little man, Xiaoman, was the old drum that Li Zhi used in his shamanistic rituals.

Li Huowang stepped forward and took the drum from Xiaoman, casually throwing it to the ground. With one swift motion, he thrust his sword through it, and with a sharp "pu!" sound, the taut surface of the drum was easily pierced.

"This must be your most important object. Without it, I assume none of your gods will come, will they?" Li Huowang's words were biting, and as he had learned over the past few days, no matter how powerful these shamans' gods might be, the practitioners themselves were mere mortal bodies. Once you controlled them, everything else fell into place.

Despite the surrounding blades glinting coldly in the dark, Li Zhi showed no fear or hatred, only a faint, helpless smile. "Actually, I can't control any of this."

"Clang!" A sharp, dark sword pressed to Li Zhi's neck.

"Are you still trying to lie to me? Tell Er Shen to stop resisting!"

Li Huowang's gaze locked onto the grotesque figure of Er Shen in the distance, but Li Zhi was trapped. The real threat lay in the strange being in the woods.

Li Zhi laughed bitterly. "You think I'll suddenly feel pity and let you go just because you threaten me?"

The smile didn't falter, even as Li Huowang pressed the blade harder.

"Heh, that can't be," Li Zhi said nonchalantly, accepting his fate with eerie calm.

Li Huowang thought for a moment, then asked, "What is 'Xin Su'? Why do you call me that?"

That word, "Xin Su," had appeared twice now, and it was clearly the key to understanding what was happening. Why were they targeting him?

Li Zhi sighed heavily. "You really don't know, do you? I was fooled by that blood-stained robe of yours."

Li Huowang clenched his teeth. "What is Xin Su? Tell me!"

Li Zhi gave a dry laugh. "You're quick-witted, but you won't beat the Old Immortal."

In an instant, Li Zhi's eyes began to bulge with blood, lengthening, and sharp spines grew from the sides of his face. His nose twisted, and his whole face began to transform, taking on the monstrous features of Er Shen.

Li Huowang pressed harder on the sword, but beneath the skin, he encountered not blood vessels, but rows of hard, snake-like scales.

"Kill him!" Li Huowang shouted.

With a gust of wind, a massive wooden club smashed into Li Zhi's head, splattering blood and sending the half-transformed figure of Li Zhi crashing to the ground.

"Boom, boom, boom!!" The sound of a drum echoed from deep within the forest, pulling everyone's attention.

Li Huowang glanced at the broken drum on the ground, perplexed. "The drum? How is there still a drum sound? I destroyed Li Zhi's drum!"

"Please... come, God..."

The chant continued as a shadowy figure stumbled out of the woods—it was Er Shen... or perhaps it was Li Zhi. With his face now fully transformed, Er Shen had swapped places with Li Zhi. The transformation was so complete that it was hard to tell who was who.

"Boom, boom, boom!" The drumbeat grew louder, and as the group watched in shock, Li Zhi, or rather Er Shen in his guise, began to rip open his own abdomen. One hand pulled at the flesh, and the other beat the makeshift drum.

Without the original drum, Li Zhi was using his own skin as a drumhead.

"Boom, boom, boom!!"

"Sunset in the west, night falls, every household locks its doors..." Er Shen, or Li Zhi in this new form, continued the chant at an alarming speed.

The horrific transformation seemed to grant him unearthly strength. As the last of his skin tore, the bleeding body of Er Shen—no, now Li Zhi—began to rise, despite most of his head having collapsed.

"Shh..." Li Huowang's mind raced. It was clear now. No matter how many times they killed Er Shen, he kept coming back. Li Zhi's transformation was a key component of this endless cycle.

Suddenly, a powerful force shot out from Er Shen's twisted form, forcing the others to release their weapons.

"We have to stop Li Zhi's drum!" Li Huowang realized. The drum was the source of the ritual, and without it, the transformation couldn't continue.

He quickly pulled a brass bell from his belt.

"Cling, cling, cling!" The sound of the bell rang, reverberating through the woods, clashing with the drumbeat.

The two sounds intertwined, a battle of magic and will. Lines of energy began to converge, coalescing into a spectral figure—You Lao Ye, the "Old Master."

Li Huowang shook his head, trying to clear the dizziness from his mind as You Lao Ye split into four figures, charging toward Li Zhi.

Despite the grotesque body and the blood still gushing from the wounds, Li Zhi—now more of a monstrous entity than a man—chanted faster and faster, his speed doubling.

"On the table, the feast is set. Eat well, drink well, with fat beef and lamb, lean chicken and ducks, the Old Immortal demands only the meat of those who forget their roots. The helpers must prepare it, yes!" The chant grew more distorted, the power behind it escalating.

Li Huowang's neck suddenly felt sharp pain. Before he could react, Er Shen had appeared behind him, its mouth wide open, full of sharp teeth, sinking into his shoulder.