Someone had died,
and there was a Demon Beast in the river.
Either one of these things was undoubtedly a huge problem.
Han Qinhu stood to one side, waiting for Shen Changchuan to respond.
Shen Changchuan pondered for a moment.
"Write down the names of the two who died. When the Spirit Grain is harvested, give each of their families ten catties of Spirit Grain as compensation."
As far as he knew,
when people had died while farming the Spirit Fields during Shen Shiying's tenure as guardian of Dawan Village, they had simply been wrapped in straw mats and buried. There had never been any compensation.
But Shen Changchuan felt that was wrong.
After all, they had been injured in the line of duty. They deserved compensation, and even a modest amount could help steady people's hearts.
He consoled himself inwardly.
If I get the chance, I'll look after them a little in the future. That's all I can do.
Ten catties of Spirit Grain might not sound like much. It was only worth one Spirit Stone.
But they were mortals, and Spirit Grain was a spiritual treasure.
Those ten catties of Spirit Grain,
among mortals, were nearly worth their weight in gold.
They might even allow a mortal to awaken their spiritual roots and step onto the path of cultivation in a single day.
That was more than enough compensation for them.
Giving them more might actually do more harm than good.
The consequences of a child carrying a gold brick through a busy market—
the ancients had made those perfectly clear.
If he felt guilty,
then if any of their descendants succeeded in awakening their spiritual roots, he could simply look after them a little more.
"As for the Demon Beast in the river, we'll have to try to kill it."
"After all, the river is too close to the village. It'll remain a threat if we leave it there."
Shen Changchuan gazed at the murky water before him, his eyes deep and unreadable.
"Changchuan, you're truly benevolent. I'm sure those two will be grateful for your generosity, even in the underworld."
Han Qinhu sighed with feeling.
There was even a hint of envy in his voice.
Those two had certainly struck it lucky.
So many mortal martial artists served the immortals like dogs, only to lose their lives without ever receiving anything connected to spiritual treasures in return.
If those two could come back to life,
they would probably say it had been worth it!
"How should we deal with the beast in the river? If we go into the water, it'll have the home-field advantage. If we act rashly, won't we just be playing into its hands?"
Han Qinhu gathered his thoughts and asked hesitantly, thinking of the Demon Beast in the river.
"A gentleman doesn't stand beneath a crumbling wall. I'm certainly not going to jump into the water and fight it."
"So we'll need another way."
"Grandfather, could you help me get a goat?"
Although he didn't know what Shen Changchuan was planning, Han Qinhu went to fetch one as requested.
Meanwhile,
Shen Changchuan stood on the riverbank.
His fingers formed a hand seal, and a faint white glow appeared in his eyes.
At that moment, his gaze seemed to pierce through layers of mist and see the thin strands of Water Vein Essence flowing beneath the river's surface.
He also saw wisps of extremely faint demonic qi rising above the water.
"Just as I thought. It won't be that easy."
"With the Water Vein Essence masking it, there's no way I can find its location so easily."
Shen Changchuan shook his head slightly.
Then he withdrew the Spirit Eye Technique, no longer wasting his magical power.
Fortunately, he hadn't pinned his hopes on the Spirit Eye Technique in the first place. Its progress was only at 51%; it wasn't yet perfected and hadn't developed any special properties.
The Spirit Eye Technique would be useful,
just not yet.
Shen Changchuan could only wait.
A quarter of an hour later,
Han Qinhu finally returned with several people, carrying a goat whose front and hind legs had been tied together.
"Changchuan, are you planning to 'go fishing' with this goat?"
As they carried the goat over, Han Qinhu asked Shen Changchuan.
He hadn't understood at first,
but he'd since guessed what Shen Changchuan was planning.
"That's right."
"If I go into the water, I doubt I'll be able to use even thirty percent of my strength. I can't fight it in the river."
"The only way is to lure the snake out of its hole. We'll use the goat as bait and create an opening for me to strike."
Shen Changchuan didn't keep him guessing. He told him his plan directly.
"Fine. Wait a moment!"
Han Qinhu then called over Han Dayong.
Han Dayong was a little slow-witted and was often scolded by his father, Han Qinhu, for being an idiot, but he was extremely strong.
Soon,
a bamboo pole more than ten meters long was brought over.
After a bit of work,
the goat, weighing over a hundred catties, was suspended from a rope, whose other end was tied to the tip of the bamboo pole.
Han Dayong lifted the bamboo pole with one powerful heave.
With its legs bound, the goat was dangled over the river.
The goat sensed the danger
and struggled desperately.
But it was no use.
At that moment,
Shen Changchuan's eyes glowed white once more.
The Spirit Eye Technique activated,
allowing him to watch for changes on the river's surface.
At the same time,
his right hand had already formed the seal for the Gold Thorn Technique.
Magical power gathered and flowed through it, and a golden glow flickered faintly, revealing the vague outline of a golden thorn.
That was right—
only an outline.
This time, Shen Changchuan had no intention of using his two quasi-low-grade magical artifacts, the Gold Needles.
The reason was simple:
before reaching the Out of Body Realm, cultivators couldn't control magical artifacts with their divine sense from a distance.
If he failed to kill the Demon Beast with one strike,
the Gold Needle would fall into the water, and he wouldn't be able to retrieve it.
That would be a huge loss!
The Gold Thorn Technique itself was a spell, like the Fireball Technique or the Wind Blade Technique.
It was simply that, because it was a metal-element spell, combining it with a magical artifact could double its killing power.
But even without a Gold Needle to augment it,
as a perfected spell, it was still far more powerful than Shen Changchuan's unperfected offensive spells, such as the Fireball Technique and the Wind Blade Technique.
All the preparations were complete.
Everything was ready.
Now they only had to wait for the Demon Beast in the river to emerge.
The suspended goat descended little by little until it reached the spot where the boat had capsized.
The goat struggled constantly,
and ripples spread across the water beneath it.
A line of villagers stood behind Han Dayong, but they all held their breath and didn't dare make a sound, afraid the Demon Beast on the riverbed might be scared away.
Suddenly,
a patch of shadow appeared beneath the river, directly below where the goat was hanging.
"It's here!"
Shen Changchuan's nerves snapped taut!
And in that instant,
SPLASH!!!
The water burst apart.
A black shadow shot out.
A huge, ferocious mouth gaped open as it burst from the river, revealing rows of glistening, razor-sharp teeth. In one bite, it swallowed the entire goat!
WHOOSH!
A savage wave of demonic qi swept over them, striking the villagers like a blow. Their hearts seemed to clench in its grip, and they couldn't help crying out in alarm.
Everyone had been startled by the sudden attack.
They instinctively stumbled backward.
A Demon Beast!
That was a real Demon Beast!
But at that moment,
Shen Changchuan had no time to pay attention to anyone else's reaction.
The opening!
His gaze suddenly sharpened!
"Go!"
The Gold Thorn Technique he'd been preparing to unleash shot forth in an instant!
Under the Spirit Eye Technique,
Shen Changchuan saw everything clearly!
It was a Demon Beast shaped like a crocodile.
Under the gaze of Shen Changchuan's Spirit Eye Technique, even its lightning-fast attack had been laid bare!
He could even see where it was vulnerable!
Then,
a flash of golden light streaked through the air like lightning. In the span of a breath, it crossed a dozen meters, and the golden thorn formed from magical power shot toward the Crocodile Demon's head!
With the Spirit Eye Technique enhancing it, Shen Changchuan's Gold Thorn Technique became even more precise!
It struck almost perfectly,
aimed straight at the vulnerable spot where its head joined its ear!
But just as the golden thorn formed from magical power was about to pierce the Crocodile Demon's head,
it seemed to sense danger. Demonic qi instantly surged around its body, and its skin took on the color and texture of stone.
CLANG!
A sharp metallic clang rang out.
Sparks burst visibly through the air.
The golden needle formed by the Gold Thorn Technique shattered,
and the small shockwave of magical power from the blast rippled outward, scattering the water droplets around it.
At the same time,
the Crocodile Demon seemed to let out a roar. Its massive body, still airborne, suddenly rolled over. The bamboo pole with the goat tied to it twisted into a knot and exploded apart, and the beast plunged back into the water with its jaws still clamped around the goat.
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