Something Was Off About Dawang Village, Right?!
"What do you mean?"
The three visitors from the underground city stood up, staring at Li Mo with unfriendly expressions. They had encountered resistance and opposition before, quite a few times.
Even Jiang Yu, who issued the decree, probably didn't expect that the subjugated cities would be so ruthless in taking back the benefits they had received.
Using a trivial matter as a pretext, they dared to drive the villagers of Rencheng to the brink of starvation.
This confidence, aside from his craving for food, doesn't stem from the fact that he doesn't need to consume anything from the Celestials.
"I think your suggestion is pointless."
Li Mo filled the teacup with tea. "Open the door and see the guest out!"
The villager opened the Ancestral Hall's door, revealing a sea of dark faces peering inside.
They were all calm.
More than a decade ago, Dawang Village, like any other ordinary village, was terrified of demons.
Now, they have worked together to drive away and kill several demons that have wandered into the vicinity of the village.
They weren't even afraid of those terrifying things, let alone a few stronger individuals.
Moreover, Village Chief Li would explain the principles to them every now and then.
The city will inevitably encounter years of famine. If everyone goes hungry, they will have no choice but to sell the land they have worked so hard to cultivate.
The land will fall into the hands of the townspeople who have enough food, and once the year of famine is over, the good harvests that follow will no longer belong to their descendants.
Other reasons, people may not understand, but only this land that gave them birth and nurtured them.
"Please, once the door is closed again, it won't be openable as you please."
"..."
Seeing this, the young man from the underground city was about to make an example of him when he was stopped.
The middle-aged man cupped his hands in greeting to Li Mo: "We'll meet again someday!"
Having said that, he led the two away.
"Uncle Deng, they're just a bunch of villagers. They wouldn't even take a drink offered to them. Why did they stop me just now?" the young man said indignantly.
The middle-aged man surnamed Deng glanced at him and snorted:
"Don't you think the displays in the ancestral Ancestral Hall just now were strange?"
The tea table was made from the roots of the Hundred-Armed Tree Demon; the burning incense and candles were made from the oil of human-snake hybrids; and the mat beneath their feet was made from the fur of the Black Wind Bear.
It's unbelievable! After encountering so many demons, this Great King Village is surprisingly peaceful and serene!
These villagers also seem to have practiced some kind of dubious martial arts!
"If we had acted just now, we probably wouldn't have made it out of the Ancestral Hall..."
The woman from the underground city looked shaken and asked again:
"But this Great King Village is so prosperous. If we fail to bring it under our control, how will we explain ourselves?"
"If we can't control the Great King Village, can't the Celestial Clan?"
"I find the martial arts techniques of those people strange, imbued with the aura of demons. They may have already colluded with demons. This is a matter of great importance and must be decided by the Heavenly City Clan!"
The middle-aged man mounted his horse.
Three fast horses left the village, and a figure slid down from a tree.
Dong Erniu, the little bean sprout who used to follow Li Mo around wanting to play with his 'good sword,' has now grown into a young man with exceptional talent.
He hid in the tree so well that even the warriors of the dungeon didn't notice him.
He immediately went to the Ancestral Hall.
On the other side...
The trio had passed through an even higher and more magnificent city wall and had paid homage to the Celestial Clan stationed in their Square.
This Celestial being was depicted as a wild woman with wheat-colored skin and black hair that moved without wind; she appeared to be in her early thirties.
I heard that she is extraordinary even among the Celestials, as her innate auspicious light is purple, and she can summon boundless storms with every move she makes.
"Is someone in the city colluding with demons?"
Feng Zhi frowned, her tone unfriendly. "This is such a trivial matter; you can handle it yourselves. Why bother me?"
In her eyes, there was little difference between people from the human city and people from the underground city.
"The villagers of Dawang Village seem to have gained power from demons."
The three men trembled, and only the middle-aged man could barely speak.
The words had barely left his mouth.
The woman opposite suddenly stood up, and with a slight raise of her hand, a gust of wind swept the middle-aged man in front of her:
"Is what you just said true?"
"Absolutely true!"
Feng Zhi nodded and flicked her sleeve.
This is a very important matter, and she must go and confirm it in person.
The swirling wind carried her and the three of them straight up into the azure sky, howling past high above.
In just fifteen minutes, she followed the directions and traversed the long journey to reach the outskirts of Dawang Village.
The view is filled with neat fields and lush green mountains and rivers.
People are working in the fields, and hunters are hunting in the mountains.
The farmers working in the fields did not bend over; instead, they crouched low, like giant mantises hunting prey, using their sickles as hand blades to cut down large swaths of weeds with a single swing.
A man, annoyed that the ox was plowing too slowly, pushed the old ox aside to let it rest and graze, then harnessed the plow and started tilling the field himself.
The scenery in the farmland is bizarre enough.
The hunting scenes in the mountains were even more outrageous.
The hunter pointed at the wild boar opposite him, beckoning it with a disdainful gesture:
"You dead pig, come here!"
"Hmph?!"
The wild boar had never been treated like this before. Enraged, it charged forward, attempting to kill the hunter.
The hunter let out a "hey," got into position, and charged in hard.
Bump--
Surprisingly, it was the rather large wild boar that flew out of the air, becoming unconscious during the impact.
"Hey, I knew something was off about Dawang Village!"
The middle-aged men in the underground city pointed and gestured confidently.
Who's a good person who farms and hunts like this?
"Mantis, Wild Bull, Iron-horned Rhinoceros..."
Feng Zhi could indeed see the shadows of those demons in them.
It doesn't share the same feel, but it is definitely imitating!
And...
It had no trace of demons; quite the opposite.
Are there members of the same clan living in seclusion in the village?
A raging storm raged within her, a pale blue light appeared in her eyes, and she landed on the ground, walking towards the direction from which the aura had come.
The Celestials are a loosely organized group, and it's quite normal for some to travel outside. It's just that the human city is too large, so encountering them is not common.
Just then, she saw a farmhouse courtyard.
Through the door, a serene figure could be seen.
She wore braided pigtails and coarse cloth clothes, her face was as white as snow, and her lips were moist and lustrous, like a supreme beauty who had suddenly entered this world.
The Celestials are all imbued with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and are all exceptionally handsome.
But compared to her, even she seemed to pale in comparison to that aloof and cold beauty.
Ying Bing, clutching the freshly washed clothes in her arms, frowned as she looked at the sky.
"Suddenly, a strong wind blew."
Li Mo also came over to help her collect the clothes.
"This is the root of all evil! The village chief of this place!"
The middle-aged man from the underground city pointed at him and said.
Li Mo: "?"
Village Chief Li thought to himself, "Even the worst evil isn't led by 'Li'."
Well, this is a side story. If it gets too long, wouldn't it be like starting a new book? (What have you all been doing? Is this still the story of the reborn empress?)
Then there's the plot about that aspect, the hammer and the sickle. I won't write what I shouldn't, nor will I delve too deeply into the details. It's mainly based on the book's fundamental worldview, and yes, it's absolutely positive!
Mwah! -3-