Chapter 77
After learning about the situation, the three arrived at a deserted wasteland. Lin Jichen sighed and said, "The demons could return at any moment. What should we do?"
Zhou Xuanzhi looked at the laborers and said firmly, "Take them away, take them to the outskirts of the Yan Yue Sect."
These people are farmers who toil in the soil for a living, and it's too difficult to get them to leave this land that's about to be harvested.
Shen Junning looked at the villagers, sighed, and said, "We have to give it a try."
"In that case, I'll go borrow a boat and take everyone with me." Lin Jichen said, standing up to contact his fellow disciples at Tianyu Mountain and ask who was in charge of the large ship.
While waiting for Lin Jichen to contact his fellow disciples at Tianyu Mountain, Zhou Xuanzhi gazed into the distance, lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about?" Shen Junning asked curiously.
Zhou Xuanzhi's eyes revealed worry: "What if the demons invade now?"
Shen Junning sighed silently. He had naturally thought of this as well, but what could he do? There were only three of them, and there was a traitor in the Immortal Sect. If the traitor held a high position, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Lin Jichen returned and looked at Zhou Xuanzhi and Shen Junning, saying, "We can borrow a boat, but we don't have enough food. Since we're going to take all the people from the nearby villages with us, we need enough rations. They'll also need food when we get there."
"Save their lives first, and we'll figure out the rest later," Zhou Xuanzhi said, looking at the workers.
Over the next few days, the three helped the villagers prepare for their evacuation.
The villagers around the large ship that was floating in the air all saw it, and someone asked, "What's that big ship for?"
Lin Jichen turned to look at the villagers who had gathered around and said to them, "Let's leave this place." But then, thinking that some of these people had a special attachment to their homeland, he felt that this was not the right thing to say. "Let's leave for now. Once we drive the demons back, we'll bring you all back."
"What? Leave? The land is about to be harvested, how can we leave? If we leave, will you harvest the land for us?" The old man in the village was unhappy. "You young people talk a good game, but you don't know anything about farming. You want to leave? I'm not leaving."
Hearing what the old man said, some of the people there were just as determined as he was and refused to leave.
"The autumn harvest is just around the corner, and I'm counting on these crops to make a living for the New Year."
The others were also unhappy: "You want me to leave? There are still vegetables I planted in that field. Can you take those vegetables with you?"
Seeing the situation, Lin Jichen was at her wits' end and rushed over to help her out, saying, "I know everyone has feelings for their homeland and knows there are still crops in the fields, but everyone knows the situation in the village down the mountain. If we don't leave now, what will we do if the demons come back?"
"Moreover, we're not abandoning this place; we're just leaving temporarily. Once we drive the demons away and protect this land, we'll bring everyone back," Zhou Xuanzhi explained patiently.
Upon hearing Zhou Xuanzhi's explanation, some people began to hesitate. It wasn't that they didn't want to leave, but rather that they had a deep attachment to this land.
"I know how much you all love this land, but right now, we have to leave." Lin Jichen looked at the hesitant people and said earnestly, "We can't let the demons hurt our families."
Hearing Lin Jichen's words, some people began to waver. But what good would leaving do? The old man looked at the two of them and asked calmly, "Do you have money? We need to pay taxes; do you have the money to pay for us?"
The man who had just wavered shook his head again and said, "We're not leaving. The imperial court will come down to collect grain after the autumn harvest, and we have no money."
Hearing this, Lin Jichen was furious. All for tax revenue? She was about to step forward to say something when Zhou Xuanzhi stopped her. Turning around, she saw the other man shaking his head, signaling her not to speak.
Zhou Xuanzhi did not want to escalate the conflict, so he calmly replied, "We really don't have any money, and we have no way to get the court to waive taxes this year. We can send people to help everyone harvest their crops."
Upon hearing this, the villagers, who had been excited just moments before, immediately fell silent.
Zhou Xuanzhi looked at them and said, "We know how much you all care about this land, but right now, we have to leave."
Hearing this, the villagers, who had been hesitant, wavered again. If they didn't leave, their fate would be the same as that of the village at the foot of the mountain.
Seeing everyone's hesitation, Zhou Xuanzhi assured them, "I assure you that this year's crops will definitely be harvested, the taxes will be paid to the court, and seeds will be left for you to plant next year."
An old man saw that some young people still wanted to leave, and he sighed and said, "Those of you who want to leave, then go ahead! I'm old and can't walk anymore, and I can't bear to leave these crops."
The old man's son was very anxious when he saw his father like this. "Dad, what time is it now? You didn't see that demon eating people in the village down the mountain."
"What? I'm so old, my flesh is too tough to eat? I'll help them with whatever chores they need, don't they need someone to sweep the floor?" The old man looked at his son in confusion. "What does a little brat know? I'm so old, what haven't I seen? Back when the imperial court fought those rebellious princes, they didn't do anything to me, did they?"
That makes sense. During the previous war, so many soldiers didn't do anything to the old man, did they? Don't those demons need someone to sweep the floor and haul away the corpses?
"You young people are so easily swayed by rumors, you're so inexperienced." Although the old man was looking at his son when he said this, anyone could tell that he was speaking to the two young cultivators.
Lin Jichen couldn't help but say, "Old man, mortals and demons are still different."
The old man didn't even lift his eyelids when he heard Lin Jichen's voice. He waved his hand and said, "I have nothing to do with a young girl like you."
"Oh! So she's disgusted with me." Lin Jichen finally realized, and looked at Zhou Xuanzhi beside her, asking, "Senior Brother Zhou, what would Junior Uncle do in this situation?" She was simply curious.
Knowing her master's temper, she was probably already angry by now, and only the sect leader could stop her when she was angry. Zhou Xuanzhi didn't answer Lin Jichen's question, after all, she wanted to emulate her master.
He approached the old man and said, “We cannot view the demons from the perspective of mortals. In the eyes of the demons, everyone has only one purpose: to be eaten. This applies not only to everyone but also to us. If we fall into the hands of the demons, we will also be their food.”
"Old man, you think the demons might need you to do something they're unwilling to do, but what can you do for the demons?" The old man naturally didn't want to hear this. He glared and was about to say something when he saw Zhou Xuanzhi wave his sleeve, and the fallen leaves on the ground automatically gathered into a pile. With just a flick of his finger, a stone table not far away was filled with food.
Seeing that the old man was silent, Lin Jichen said, "Old man, you've seen it too. We have this power, and so do the demons. Besides, did you go to the village down the mountain after the incident? It was littered with the remains of corpses, but they didn't care at all. Have you ever seen anyone go to a restaurant and then clean it up afterwards? Would that person pay money to suffer?"
He could tolerate being lectured by a young man, but now he was being lectured by a young woman—who could stand for that? He angrily pointed at Lin Jichen and demanded, "Who is your master? How did he teach you? How dare you speak to me like that?"
The old man then said, "Since you're a young girl, I won't bother with you."
Lin Jichen was almost laughing in anger. "Little girl? Is your village all about respecting the elderly? We call you 'uncle' because of your age. Did you even ask how old I am?"
Zhou Xuanzhi quickly stopped Lin Jichen. He had finally managed to persuade some of the young people, and if he offended all the elderly people who came in, how could these young people not listen to their elders?
“Go see if Senior Brother Shen can help,” Zhou Xuanzhi advised. “You’ve been down the mountain for so long, you’ve seen everything, go quickly.”
It was rare to see Zhou Xuanzhi like this. Lin Jichen shut his mouth, didn't even look at the situation, and turned around to jump onto the ship in the air.
Zhou Xuanzhi watched Lin Jichen leave, then turned to the hesitant villagers. He took a deep breath and said to the crowd, "I am a disciple of Tianyu Mountain. I have been cultivating for many years and have dealt with many cases of demons eating people. Not long ago, the various sects of the immortal sects held the Immortal Alliance Conference in the capital to discuss the matter of the demon race. During this period, the demon race invaded the capital."
Demons have appeared in the capital? That's terrible! Those high-ranking officials and nobles have the protection of immortal sects, but ordinary people like us have to rely on ourselves. Why not take advantage of this opportunity and follow them?
Seeing the furrowed brows and anxious expressions on everyone's faces, Zhou Xuanzhi continued, "We are not abandoning this place, but only leaving temporarily. After we drive away the demons and protect this land, we will bring you all back. We can arrange everything here so that you will have no worries during your absence."
Hearing Zhou Xuanzhi's words, the villagers began to waver. If they didn't leave, their families and friends might be harmed. They didn't want to give up this land either, but the reality forced them to make this decision.
"Board this large ship. It will only take a day to reach the territory of the Yan Yue Sect. There, there will be no demons or monsters. Our Tianyu Mountain will take care of you."
Hearing Zhou Xuanzhi's assurance, the villagers finally made up their minds. They knew that only by leaving could they avoid the tragedy that befell the village below. So, they began packing their belongings, preparing to leave this once familiar land.
Zhou Xuanzhi and Shen Junning also got busy, ensuring the safety and comfort of the villagers. Shen Junning was in charge of setting up an array to protect the villagers, while Zhou Xuanzhi began instructing them on how to use the array to fight against the demons. They also selected some young and strong villagers to be responsible for carrying supplies and caring for the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled.
In one day, the villagers finally prepared everything. They bid farewell to their homes and embarked on their journey to the Yan Yue Sect's territory.
The atmosphere in the village was heavy on the day the villagers left. The elderly left their homes with reluctance, while the young took on the responsibility of protecting everyone. The children stopped crying and quietly followed in the footsteps of the adults.
Shen Junning had already prepared food for the journey. After the villagers boarded the boat, he began to count the number of people. Looking at the group of over a thousand people, he was a little worried about how to solve the food problem in Yan Yue Sect.
Standing at the bow of the boat, Zhou Xuanzhi activated the formation, and the boat slowly sailed away from the village. The villagers watched the land recede into the distance, their hearts filled with reluctance and worry.
After finishing all that, he remembered there was one more person. He asked Shen Junning, "Senior Brother Shen, have you seen Junior Sister Lin?"
"She said the villagers would feel awkward seeing her, so to avoid that, she went ahead to clear the way." Although I wasn't familiar with this junior sister Lin, I still felt wronged for a while after yesterday's situation.
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