Unsettled Days

They thought that once they returned to the village, they wouldn't see anyone too soon, but to their surprise, there were already people waiting for them at the door for quite some time.

The figure stood alone at the village entrance, motionless, as if it had grown out of the twilight.

The person blocking the road was none other than the village chief!

The village chief's face was filled with an overwhelming sense of sorrow, and his eyes even held a hint of barely suppressed grief.

His cloudy old eyes seemed to hold a pool of bitterness that could not be dissolved, and one glance was enough to feel the heaviness in his heart.

Upon seeing Zhou Lingxuan and the others from afar, they hurriedly went to greet them, nearly tripping and falling several times on the road.

He staggered, yet he still rushed forward as if desperately, as if slowing down even a step would mean missing some incredible opportunity, or completely extinguishing some hope.

Zhou Lingxuan glanced at the other person, said nothing, and just stared at the other person silently, with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

He stood there quietly, like a sword yet to be drawn, his aura restrained, yet possessing a coldness that made people afraid to approach.

Their attitude at the first meeting already made everything clear. No matter how respectful he appeared, he couldn't change the facts, nor could he get them to help him.

The respect was mixed with fear, and beneath that fear lay resentment. In Zhou Lingxuan's eyes, it was nothing more than the usual demeanor of an ordinary person.

He only killed a Hidden Wind Wolf, which will not bring any additional changes to the village, nor will it change their exploited situation.

The wolf is dead, but we've lost one beast. Perhaps a new monster will take its place tomorrow, and everything will remain the same.

Although the monsters in the mountains don't appear frequently, they still cause these villagers a great deal of suffering!

The monster came and went without a trace, occasionally snatching away livestock and sometimes even killing people. The villagers kept their doors and windows closed every night, but they still couldn't escape the deep-seated fear.

But no matter how difficult it is, it won't lead to their demise. That's why the sect won't send anyone, nor will it make any other gestures.

In the eyes of the sect, the fact that these mortals are still alive is already the greatest blessing.

"Would the esteemed immortals be willing to rest in the village for a while before returning?"

There was no pleading, just a banquet. But the problem was, what could a remote village possibly offer them?

In this remote and impoverished area, even a decent piece of meat is hard to find, let alone delicacies or elixirs of immortality.

Slaughtering cattle and sheep, can't we just live like this anymore!

Putting everything else aside, the village chief has spared no expense on food alone, not to mention accommodation.

That meager fortune, even if turned upside down, probably couldn't withstand such a drastic loss.

If things go wrong, we might offend them, which would be a completely unprofitable deal. Why would the village chief go to such lengths?

Unless he has a compelling reason to host a banquet and must keep them in the village.

The disciples of the Enforcement Hall naturally did not express their opinions, but stood calmly in place, waiting for Zhou Lingxuan to give orders.

They stood ramrod straight, like two stone sculptures, their faces devoid of any superfluous expression.

Since it was a rare opportunity to come down the mountain, Zhou Lingxuan also wanted to take a look.

If it were just an ordinary person who dared to scheme against them, it made him even more curious about what gave them such audacity.

Where did that courage come from, and what did it rely on? This piqued his interest.

Before he transmigrated, he did stay in the village for a while, but since he went up the mountain, he has been completely focused on sword forging and has been oblivious to everything else.

He had long since forgotten those mundane worldly matters, and now, stepping onto this muddy ground again, he felt somewhat unfamiliar with it.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Village Chief."

Upon hearing Zhou Lingxuan's words, the village chief's already wrinkled face broke into a wide smile, like an old chrysanthemum.

The smile stretched across his wrinkled face, but it couldn't hide the relieved joy deep in his eyes.

The villages under the Heavenly Sword Sect were generally cleaner and tidier than the surrounding villages.

They were indeed harassed by demonic beasts, but not to the point of extinction.

The village chief led them into the village, where they occasionally bumped into a few villagers, all of whom retreated with sorrowful expressions.

Those people stopped far away, shrinking into corners or behind trees, not daring to even breathe.

Their appearance made them look like ferocious beasts hiding in the deep mountains.

That fearful look didn't seem like reverence for cultivators, but rather a deep-seated terror!

The fear was etched into their very bones, making them afraid to even look directly at each other.

Zhou Lingxuan said nothing, his expression serious, even somewhat sullen.

He pursed his lips, his gaze sweeping over the dodging figures, a complex mix of emotions swirling within him.

The two disciples from the Enforcement Hall seemed oblivious to this, or perhaps they were already used to such apprehensive expressions.

Indeed, within the Heavenly Sword Sect, all the other disciples would appear this nervous upon seeing members of the Enforcement Hall.

These wary expressions were commonplace among the disciples of the Enforcement Hall, but they were unusual for Zhou Lingxuan.

The village chief vacated their best room, but it was only a slightly grander thatched hut.

The wall plaster looked freshly applied recently, and it had a pleasant, new smell.

The smell lingered in the air, a mixture of damp earth and the raw scent of grass and trees, and it wasn't actually that unpleasant.

Yet it also faintly revealed a fishy or foul smell.

Zhou Lingxuan looked around but couldn't find the source. He muttered to himself, but the village chief was knocking on the door outside.

"Master, we've prepared a meal, with freshly caught fish. Would you like to try some?"

fish?

If it's fish, then a fishy smell is understandable, but something still feels off.

It didn't quite smell like fish; it smelled more like blood, but it was mixed with other odors, which left him somewhat puzzled.

The scent seeped into the nostrils in wisps, barely perceptible, yet it sent a slight chill through one's heart.

But no matter what the village chief was plotting behind the scenes, he was ultimately just an ordinary person, and no one could defeat him in a real fight.

It was precisely because of his strength that Zhou Lingxuan was so confident, not to mention that even if he couldn't beat them, there were still two disciples from the Enforcement Hall.

The village chief's family seemed to live in extreme poverty; the clothes they wore were even considered tattered.

The tables, chairs, and benches were all chipped and torn, but they were still covered with clean white silk.

This half-foot-wide strip of silk probably cost them several years' worth of savings.

It would cost a lot of money just to let them stay for one night; the village chief's request was no small matter.

Even if he asked for something as trivial as a grain of rice, they might not agree.

To risk everything for a vague and unrealistic plan is utterly foolish.

Zhou Lingxuan clearly disagreed with the village chief's current actions, but he was powerless to change anything, especially the choice the village chief had made.

He was once a mortal, and now he is only one level above the mortals he once was, but he is not a kind and benevolent person.

In this world of cultivation, truly kind-hearted people will only die a miserable death, and he simply doesn't want to die.

A truly good person can't improve the lives of the people here just by talking.

His intervention this time can only allow them to live a peaceful life for a short period of time, but what about after that?