The villagers of Shideng Village stared with wide eyes. A man clutching a piece of jerky took a tiny, cautious bite, and tears instantly began to stream down his face.
"This… this is meat… we haven't tasted meat in almost half a year…"
Li Dazhu felt a pang of bitterness watching them. Just a few days ago, they had been exactly the same.
But when Shitou stepped forward and said in a heavy voice, "Shideng Village will soon suffer a demon calamity. I was ordered to come and help everyone eliminate the demons," the villagers' excitement instantly cooled.
The leading man frowned and shook his head. "Shitou, it’s not that I don’t believe you, but our Shideng Village is protected by White Jade City. We provide food offerings every year. The immortal masters said that demons cannot enter the village. Look at how poor we are; we truly haven’t seen any powerful demons."
"Exactly," a woman so thin she was just a bag of bones added. "You three look so sturdy we almost didn't recognize you, but as for this demon calamity… we still have to rely on the immortal masters."
Some people looked hesitant, whispering as they eyed the bone blade at Shitou’s waist. "But several nearby villages are gone… what if a demon really does come…"
"What are you afraid of!" The leading man slapped his wood-cutting blade. "If a demon really comes, we’ll run to White Jade City. Once the immortal masters arrive, they can handle any demon! Shitou, we appreciate the thought. Why don’t you rest in the village first?"
Most of the villagers nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with a polite yet distant coldness. They envied the trio’s strong builds, but they still didn't believe a refugee youth could fight demons, nor did they believe Shideng Village, protected by immortal masters, would suffer a disaster.
Seeing the doubt in their eyes, Shitou didn't argue further. He simply tightened his grip on his bone blade. "Fine. We’ll stay in the village then."
The crowd dispersed. Someone whispered to the leader, "Their Daliang Village was wiped out by a snake demon. Look at Shitou; he escaped from the demon’s clutches. Could he actually have some skill?"
Another chimed in, "Yeah, and they have meat!"
The man frowned and snapped coldly, "You really believe that? If I said I was the White Jade Immortal, would you believe me?"
The two looked at each other, speechless.
An old woman said, "Exactly. A god in Dead Man’s Forest? He must take us for fools." She sneered and continued, "Everyone knows nothing good can come out of Dead Man’s Forest. It’s probably some evil spirit!"
Many people agreed with her.
"Yeah, yeah."
"I think Shitou’s bone armor looks sinister. Real immortal masters wouldn't dress like that. At first glance, you can tell it's nothing good!"
"He can't compare to the White Jade Immortal who protects us!"
A lean, monkey-like youth nearby joined the jeering. "And he says he wants to help us eliminate demons? Shideng Village is protected by the masters of White Jade City. Do we need some refugee meddling in our business? He probably just wants to trick us out of our grain!"
They tossed words back and forth, each convinced they had seen through Shitou and his companions' true faces. After all, the idea of being protected by immortal masters had long since taken root in their hearts.
However, a frail young girl in a green cloth dress, standing behind her parents, tugged at her father’s sleeve. Though thin, she looked more spirited than the other villagers, her eyes bright and clear with a composure beyond her years. Even though the village conditions were poor, she kept herself very clean; her faded cloth dress didn't have a single speck of mud.
"Hong Ling, what is it?" Father Hong crouched down halfway, placing great importance on his daughter's opinion.
Hong Ling was famous in the village for being precocious; she had been more sensible than other children since she was small. Among all the village children, she was the one with the most hope of entering the White Jade Sword Sect next year and becoming a personal disciple of an immortal master. Almost all affairs in the Hong family were decided by her.
Hong Ling shook her head and said nothing. She simply gave Shitou a deep look before pulling her parents away.
…
Two days passed in a flash. Shitou’s group stayed in a dilapidated hut at the edge of the village, occasionally helping the villagers repair fences, chop wood, or carry water. Although most people remained skeptical about the demon calamity—since the protection of the White Jade City immortals was the only thing giving them peace of mind—Daliang Village and Shideng Village had interacted frequently in the past, and many villagers knew each other.
Many soft-hearted people, figuring that Daliang Village had been destroyed and these three were homeless, thought to themselves: 'Who hasn't fallen on hard times? Even if they're just lying for some food, it's not like they're hurting anyone.' Thus, they brought over some food.
The food wasn't anything good—just seasonal wild vegetables, roots, and tree bark that the villagers usually ate.
Until the morning of the third day, several frantic bangs on a door shattered the silence of Shideng Village.
"Uncle Liu! Uncle Liu! Something’s wrong!"
Two young men scrambled to Liu Er's door, their voices thick with tears.
"The Wu family child… the child was snatched by a snake demon! Right under the old locust tree at the east end of the village!"
"A monster! There’s really a monster!" The other man was shaking so hard he couldn't even speak clearly.
"That snake… that snake is thicker than a water bucket. It flicked its tongue and coiled around the kid and took him. We couldn't stop it at all!"
The news spread like it had wings, reaching every corner of the village in the blink of an eye. Villagers who had been starting fires for breakfast immediately descended into a panic. Some grabbed hoes, others gripped kitchen knives, but not a single person dared to rush toward the east end.
"Our Shideng Village is… is protected by the White Jade Immortal. How could a snake demon dare…"
The monkey-like youth lost all his previous arrogance. His face was deathly pale as he shrank behind the crowd, unable to even hold his wood-cutting blade steady.
"Run… run for our lives!"
"Go to White Jade City and find the immortal masters!"
"Right, right, let's go find the immortal masters in White Jade City!"
The villagers were terrified, and many were lost in confusion.
"But… will White Jade City let us in?"
"Years ago, there were many villages hit by demon calamities. People fled to White Jade City, but the gate guards didn't let them in…"
"They just watched as people were eaten by monsters. If you aren't a lord from the city, the guards don't care at all…"
Someone immediately retorted, "We can’t just sit here and wait to die! That’s a monster!"
"Who can stop a monster from eating people?"
Just then, a figure suddenly charged out from the shack at the edge of the village. It was Shitou! He was already clad in his bone armor, his bone blade halfway out of its sheath. With a flash of cold light, he sped toward the east end of the village. Li Dazhu and the dark-faced man quickly followed, carrying their axes.
The villagers finally reacted, following behind in a dark mass and watching the commotion at the east end from a distance.
Under the old locust tree, a black snake as thick as a water bucket was coiled around the trunk, its tongue hissing. The Wu family child was coiled in the air by its body, his small face turning purple from suffocation, looking as if he would stop breathing at any moment.
The giant snake greedily stuffed the child into its mouth. Humans definitely tasted better when they were young!
Their leader had brought over a dozen snake demons this time. A village only had so many people; how could there be enough to go around? The black snake squinted its eyes in enjoyment. Fortunately, it was clever and fast, getting here first to see how a person tasted. Otherwise, once the main group arrived, it would be hard to get another fresh, tender child!
Their leader alone could swallow half a village in one gulp. It really was a clever little devil!
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