When A Qiang’s words fell, the narrow alley sank into silence.

　　The night wind swept through, carrying an indescribable chill, as though even the air itself had grown heavy.

　　Yi Chen’s gaze hardened. In a low voice he asked, “You speak of ‘retribution.’ What do you mean by that?”

　　A Qiang gave a bitter smile, lifting a hand to gesture at his crippled leg, his voice hoarse. “Do you know why she became what she is today?”

　　Qing Nianli felt a stir in her heart and stepped forward, her tone deliberately softened. “Brother A Qiang, if you know the truth, please tell us. We came precisely to uncover what happened and to stop her from harming others.”

　　A Qiang fell silent for a long while, as though weighing something again and again in his mind. At last, as if he had made up his resolve, he spoke slowly.

　　“Chu Qiqi was not a demon to begin with.”

　　The moment those words were spoken, both Yi Chen and Qing Nianli were shaken.

　　“She was once the most illfated woman in our village,” A Qiang said, his eyes drifting into the distance as if recalling scenes from years past. “Widowed at a young age. Her husband disappeared while hunting in the mountains—no body found, no trace left behind.”

　　“But the villagers… did not believe her.”

　　A Qiang’s voice sank lower, yet the restrained anger within it became all the more palpable.

　　“Some said she had brought misfortune upon her husband. Others said she was too beautiful and had attracted something unclean from the mountains. Rumors spread, one after another, and filthy accusations were heaped upon her without restraint.”

　　Qing Nianli’s brows knit tightly; she could already guess what followed.

　　“And then?” Yi Chen pressed.

　　“And then…” A Qiang closed his eyes, his fingers slowly whitening. “One night, several drunken men broke into her house.”

　　The air seemed to freeze at once.

　　Qing Nianli’s face drained of color, her fingers curling involuntarily.

　　A Qiang’s voice was hoarse and tightly controlled, yet all the more cruel for it. “Her cries that night echoed through half the village, but no one dared to come out. The next day, she was like a different person—she spoke to no one, looked at no one.”

　　“I went to see her. She just sat there, staring at the empty bed.”

　　He gave a selfmocking laugh. “That was when I knew—her heart was already dead.”

　　“But it didn’t end there,” he continued. “A few days later, those men met with misfortune one after another. Some went mad in the night; others died suddenly in their homes. And after that… people in the village began to disappear.”

　　Yi Chen slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles paling.

　　“When did she become a demon?” he asked.

　　A Qiang shook his head. “No one knows. We only know that one night, someone saw her enter the back mountain alone. When she came out, her eyes were no longer the same.”

　　“Cold as ice. Dark as night.”

　　Qing Nianli spoke softly, “So… she targets men?”

　　A Qiang nodded, then hesitated. “Yes—but not entirely. Children… she has never harmed them.”

　　“Those children were taken from other demons or wicked men. She never said it outright, but we all could see—she was protecting them.”

　　At those words, Qing Nianli’s heart trembled.

　　She recalled the innocent smiles of the children in the cave, and the unguarded trust with which they had called her “Aunt Chu.”

　　“But in the end, she has still harmed the innocent,” Yi Chen said slowly, his tone low and restrained. “Draining men of their essence and taking lives—this is the path of demonic evil.”

　　A Qiang nodded bitterly. “Yes… that’s why I say it is retribution.”

　　“She hates men, but the ones she truly ought to hate were never all of them.”

　　After that, silence fell once more.