The first part, Miao Village Witch Ancestor, Chapter One, Section Four

The monster let out a final roar, then its lifeless body collapsed. The white-haired man, still not satisfied, raised his sword high and, with a single sharp motion, split the monster's body in two from its chest upwards. The creature had no chance of survival now.

The hilt of the sword was stained with the monster's black blood. After a brief pause, the white-haired man left the sword embedded in the creature's body without pulling it out. This decision benefited the others, especially Shen Yuanchao.

Approaching the white-haired man, Shen Yuanchao, still shaken by the ordeal, said, "Comrade, we owe you our lives. Without you, we wouldn't have known what would have become of us. We still don't know what that creature was. Our guns couldn't kill it. But before anything else, may I ask which unit you belong to?"

The white-haired man glanced at Shen Yuanchao, hesitating before finally responding, "You don't need to know who I am. Knowing too much won't benefit you. Today's events will be explained to you by someone else."

Shen Yuanchao had not expected to gather much information from the man. With that response, it was clear the white-haired man had no intention of sharing further details. Shen Yuanchao thanked him and turned his attention to Zhang Zhu's lifeless body. After a moment's pause, he removed his own military coat and draped it over the corpse.

Jiang Zida approached the white-haired man and began, "Sir..." But then he noticed the man's full head of white hair and corrected himself, "This comrade, what should we do with the monster's body? Should we wrap it in a sack? It's... definitely not coming back to life, is it?"

The white-haired man did not seem interested in answering Jiang Zida's series of questions, but he did provide an answer through his actions.

He took a small porcelain bottle from his coat pocket and opened it, pouring a string of red droplets onto the monster's body. The droplets ignited in mid-air, forming a string of fireballs. When the fireballs landed on the monster's body, it immediately engulfed it in flames, crackling and hissing. The monster's body burned with an eerie black flame. Within two minutes, the black flames suddenly surged, completely engulfing the red outer flames. The monster's body was reduced to a column of blue smoke. As the smoke dispersed, there was not a trace of ash left on the empty floor. Only the sword remained, lying alone on the ground.

Shen Yuanchao, Jiang Zida, and the others stared in astonishment. They had studied in school that water was composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Although hydrogen and oxygen were combustible, they had never seen water burn so thoroughly.

The radio in the corner suddenly came to life, playing a song, "We both talk about Liaozhai, I also talk about Liaozhai..."

Shen Yuanchao kicked the radio out of the carriage. The white-haired man looked at him and, without addressing anyone else, said, "You helped me once. In the future, I'll repay the favor. If, for any reason, I can't, I'll repay it to your descendants."

With those words, the white-haired man turned and jumped out of the speeding train, disappearing into the fleeting landscape.

While Jiang Zida was still in shock, Shen Yuanchao quietly approached the spot where the sword had fallen...

Seven hours later, the train stopped at the Western Station in the capital. Zhang Zhu's body was taken away. Shen Yuanchao, Jiang Zida, and the other two were brought to a military guesthouse outside the Sixth Ring Road. For three consecutive days, they received only meals, and no one contacted them. It wasn't until the fourth day that a staff officer named Zhang arrived.

Zhang brought news. Due to Shen Yuanchao, Jiang Zida, and the other two comrades' heroic actions in extinguishing the wildfire in the Great Xing'an Mountains, they were awarded third-class merits and promoted by two ranks. Shen Yuanchao, in particular, was awarded second-class merit and promoted by three ranks. Additionally, Li Maocai and Zhang Zhu each received an additional first-class merit and were posthumously honored as martyrs.

Furthermore, they received verbal instructions: the unidentified creature found at the fire scene had been identified through photo comparison by experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences as a wild brown bear native to the Great Xing'an Mountains. To prevent unnecessary rumors, all details related to the "wildman bear" were classified under the first-level confidentiality regulations. All military personnel involved were expected to strictly adhere to these confidentiality measures.