"Knock, knock, knock."
A slightly immature voice was heard from outside the door.
"Immortal, are you awake?"
Pei Laoliu opened the door, and standing outside was the young man named Li Qiang, who came yesterday.
"It’s you, what’s the matter?"
"Immortal, the village chief has gathered the villagers at home, intending to follow your advice to form a hunting party and go into the mountains to hunt that demon. Do you have time to take a look now?"
Pei Laoliu nodded upon hearing this, took the Mountain and River Sword inside, and followed him.
The village chief’s house was in the middle of the village, where many villagers had already gathered, each with an iron tool in hand, looking indignant.
In the crowd, Li Yuan saw Pei Laoliu coming over led by Li Qiang and hurried up to greet him.
"Immortal, you’re here. I hope you rested well last night. Our East Origin Village is a remote place with many shortcomings, and I hope you can forgive us."
After speaking, he glanced reproachfully at Li Qiang and said:
"Gou Danzi, I told you to fetch the Immortal, why did you come back so quickly? Didn’t even think to offer the Immortal some breakfast, truly undisciplined!"
Li Qiang was embarrassed by the scolding, his face flushed, he lowered his head, not daring to look at Pei Laoliu, only muttering a few responses.
Master Liu waved his hand, he had a few red fruits in his pocket, eating one could keep him full all day, so he wasn’t hungry.
These fruits were picked from the World Tree, easy to carry and long-lasting, becoming an essential supply for Star Alliance members on missions.
"No need to be so formal, Village Chief Li. For someone like me practicing cultivation, living off nature is a common feat, nothing to worry about. On the contrary, your place here, with its beautiful mountains and clear waters, fresh air, is delightful. I’ve been holed up in my abode cultivating for so long, it’s been a while since I’ve felt such nature, splendid, splendid."
Seeing his nonchalant demeanor and claiming he could live off nature, Li Yuan was filled with respect, silently acknowledging that this Daoist was indeed otherworldly, not tainted by mortal needs, truly profound.
Others around felt the same, and hearing Pei Laoliu praising their village, although a bit overwhelmed, they could not help but feel a moment of joy for being praised by such an enlightened person.
"Alright, today you gathered everyone and brought these tools, must have been quite a task, which really surprised me."
His impression of this Village Chief Li improved significantly because of this.
After all, just yesterday, the villagers were timid, afraid to offend the Mountain God. But today, they united to confront that monster, thanks in no small part to Li Yuan.
Of course, the main reason was himself. Without the divine skills he showed as an ’Immortal’ giving them confidence, these people probably wouldn’t have made up their minds so quickly.
Pei Laoliu silently praised himself one last time, conceding this felt much stronger than only relying on words before.
He thought to himself, but his mouth did not stop, surveying the weapons around, he said:
"It’s just that your weapons are really too shabby, but with people united, there’s strength in numbers. I’ll hold the line, and with everyone working together, that demon beast will certainly be captured!" The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the NovᴇlFir(e).nᴇt
East Origin Village is next to East Origin Mountain, the villagers are mostly hunters, so having some weapons ready is necessary.
But here, the resources are limited, and crafting iron tools is challenging, the whole village only has a few. Most are just farming tools, basically lacking in killing power.
Li Yuan also knew this, so everyone’s hope rested on Pei Laoliu. Now hearing him clearly say he would help with the demon extermination, everyone was overjoyed, excited beyond measure.
"Thank you, Immortal! With your assistance, we ought to achieve a great victory this time! Immortal, so merciful, please accept my salute!"
Li Yuan bent his legs to kneel, but Pei Laoliu stopped him.
The habit of these people to kneel at every turn was quite unsettling.
"No need for kneeling. Ridding the people of harm is my duty as a cultivator. Moreover, by helping you, I also repay your hospitality from last night. No need for formalities."
Pei Laoliu addressed the crowd:
"Now that everyone is ready with weapons, do you have any plans for demon extermination?"
The crowd was stunned, but Li Yuan responded first:
"We gathered the able-bodied, and usually, that monster likes hiding in the woods. We’ll have a few hunters lead us to places where snakes frequent, and we’re sure to find that demon! Then we can all charge together, and with the Immortal’s help, we can naturally kill it!"
Pei Laoliu rolled his eyes at the words.
Alright, these hunters who have lived in the mountains for so long, he thought they would have some good strategy, but this was all they came up with?
Isn’t this just everyone gathering and then rushing in recklessly? What’s the difference from having no plan?
Seeing his expression, Li Yuan realized he had oversimplified matters, and said bitterly:
"I am inexperienced, please forgive me... it’s just that this demon snake is something we’ve never encountered before, we don’t know how to deal with it, and we ask the Immortal to guide us..."