Old Man He and his family of five headed toward the market's exit, laden with bags and bundles, like refugees fleeing famine.
After walking some distance, Old Man He looked back. Seeing Chen Jin still standing there like a stunned goose, he could not help sighing.
His son He Tie urged him, "Father, hurry. We can't worry about anyone else now."
They should actually have left long ago. They had lingered until now only because they could not bear to give up. Now that things had taken a turn for the worse, how could they dare stay?
Chen Jin watched them go, thought for a moment, then strolled around the market again. Sure enough, the once-bustling market had grown much quieter. Only a handful of vendors remained, and many mountain foragers were packing up and leaving one after another.
He lowered his eyes, returned to his hut, and continued cultivating.
Vast as heaven and earth were, cultivation came above all.
Things having reached this point, there were some matters he no longer needed to avoid. He would have to see them through in a confrontation.
He was not going anywhere...
Time had feet. By dusk, with the weather so fine that day, the moon had risen early, spilling boundless silvery light.
Suddenly, voices clamored in a noisy uproar as a large group of mountain foragers, wandering martial artists, and traveling merchants returned.
Old Man He's family was among them.
Old Man He looked frightened. When he reached the huts, he looked up to see Chen Jin standing outside his door, as though he had long expected them to return.
Something stirred in Old Man He's heart. He hurried forward and cupped his hands in greeting. "Brother..."
"My surname is Chen."
"Oh, so it's Brother Chen. Forgive my discourtesy."
Chen Jin asked, "Why have you come back?"
Old Man He sighed. "The mountain exit collapsed, blocking the road. We can't leave for now."
Chen Jin's eyes flashed. "What did the Yan Household's people say?"
Old Man He answered, "They said the snake demon came ashore to wreak havoc, picking people to devour. They're already gathering men to re-form the Demon-Slaying Alliance and kill it. They also said the Yan Household's Holy Maiden has secured powerful reinforcements, who will arrive any day now."
Chen Jin asked doubtfully, "That's all?"
Old Man He spread his hands. "What else can we do? We couldn't get out, so we had to return to the market. No one dares venture into the wilderness. All we can do is gather here and look out for one another. After all, with so many people, we can keep the snake demon at bay."
Chen Jin scoffed. "Aren't you afraid that gathering everyone together will let it wipe you all out in one fell swoop?"
Old Man He froze, then said hesitantly, "Surely not."
The mountain foragers, wandering martial artists, and traveling merchants currently in the market, along with the Yan Household disciples responsible for maintaining order, numbered at least a hundred.
Among so many people, although there were no truly formidable experts, there were several Fourth Realm cultivators. Besides, among all these bands, which did not have a trick or two up their sleeves?
The He Household, for instance, possessed a divine banner.
Taken individually, they might not amount to much, but grains of sand could pile into a tower. Working together, they could form a considerable force.
Chen Jin said coldly, "Nothing is impossible. Besides, it may not be that snake demon causing the trouble."
"That's impossible. It must be the snake demon."
Old Man He spoke with great conviction.
After all, rumors of the snake demon eating people had been around for more than a day or two. They had spread long ago, complete with convincing details.
Chen Jin did not argue with him over this. Suddenly, he took out five Safety Talismans and handed them over. "These are Safety Talismans. They may be of some use. Of course, it's fine if your family doesn't want them."
Old Man He promptly took them, moving very quickly. "Thank you for the talismans, Brother Chen."
Chen Jin smiled, went back into his hut, closed the door, and resumed his meditation.
Looking at the closed wooden door, Old Man He thought, Just what sort of person is this Brother Chen?
Living alone and never stepping outside-doesn't he feel lonely?
In fact, quite a few wandering martial artists were also accustomed to traveling alone, but whenever they met friends, they would gather to drink and not return until they were drunk. When they earned money, they would seek out girls for pleasure and spend the night among the flowers.
Almost no one lived the way Chen Jin did.
Old Man He shook his head and carried the Safety Talismans into his family's hut.
The atmosphere inside was somber, oppressive, and uneasy.
He Tie even felt regret. If he had not been unwilling to give up, if he had listened to his father earlier, their family would have evacuated several days ago. How would they have ended up like this?
Old Man He said, "Brother Chen across the way gave us five Safety Talismans, just enough for one each. Here, take them."
He Tie took one first and glanced at it casually. He recognized the rather poor-quality talisman paper as the sort sold at the market's little stalls, but the runes drawn upon it...
One look, and he seemed captivated, unable to tear his eyes away.
At first glance, they seemed scrawled, yet the strokes coursed like dragons and snakes, flowing continuously and smoothly. Just looking at them put his heart at ease.
At the same time, much of the pent-up gloom and frustration in his heart actually dissipated.
He Tie leaped straight up and blurted out, "This-this talisman?"
Old Man He smiled. "What? Recognized a good thing?"
He Tie was excited. "There's no doubt about it. This is a genuine Safety Talisman!"
As someone who had traveled far and wide, even if he had never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run. He had some discernment.
A Safety Talisman imbued with Law Power and spirituality like this would fetch at least a hundred taels of silver on the market, and demand would outstrip supply.
He hurriedly asked, "Father, did that man draw these himself?"
Old Man He pondered. "That I don't know. Perhaps he did, or perhaps he obtained them elsewhere. In any case, he's far from ordinary."
He Tie no longer had any doubts about that. He asked again, "What else did he say?"
Old Man He's expression grew grave. "Brother Chen also said that it might not be that thousand-year-old snake demon causing trouble and eating people."
He Tie was taken aback. "If it isn't the snake demon, who else could it be?"
Old Man He's eyes flickered. "What if the hand behind all this is the Yan Household?"
At this, He Tie was so shocked that his voice changed. "How-how could that be? How would they dare?"
Old Man He gave a bitter smile. "Among the unorthodox sects and miscellaneous schools, which has a clean background? In this world, a clean household can never rise to prominence!"
He Tie lowered his voice. "Father, do you mean the Yan Household is setting corpses loose to hurt people and feeding people to them?"
Old Man He sighed. "I didn't dare believe it at first either. But as I turned it over in my mind, the more I thought, the more wrong it seemed."
He Tie immediately grew frantic. "Then haven't we delivered sheep into a tiger's jaws by returning to the market? No, we have to go. Hurry!"
Old Man He stopped him and barked, "It's already too late to leave now. Where could we even go?"
He Tie froze and scratched his head. Right, where could we go now?
If the Yan Household really was behind this calamity, the road out of the mountains had long since been sealed off. As for fleeing the market at night and hiding in the wild mountains, it seemed feasible, but in truth it was not.
Who knew how many zombies were roaming outside?
Going out rashly would only mean walking straight into the net. They must not forget how many groups had gone out over the past few days, never to return, vanishing into the mountains.
He suddenly realized that his family was trapped, with nowhere left to turn. He hastily seized his elderly father's hand. "Father, what do we do? What should we do? It doesn't matter if I die, but Tong'er is so young. He hasn't even married and started a family yet. He can't die!"
Old Man He's thoughts were tangled like hemp as well. He had intended to consult Chen Jin again, but the man had already made his stance clear. Disturbing him repeatedly would only earn his dislike.
Right, I can find the others in the market and expose the Yan Household's plot to everyone. We can think of a way to deal with it together.
Having made up his mind, Old Man He immediately went out.