"Immortal Master! It's an Immortal Master! Everyone come quickly, Zhao Gouzi brought an Immortal Master back! We're saved!"
Before the slightly weathered village entrance, a man who looked quite similar to Zhao Gouzi—equally dark-complexioned and short-statured, though much older—tossed aside his hoe and ran frantically toward the village, shouting with joy.
Chen Baiqing silently withdrew her half-extended hand.
Seeing the middle-aged man's jubilant expression, Chen Baiqing had a rough idea of what he was about to say.
The specific situation in this village was still unknown, and if possible, Chen Baiqing wanted to slip in quietly first to see if she could catch any fish.
But... never mind.
Li Hu carefully held the horse's reins, glancing at Chen Baiqing ahead as he asked quietly:
"Immortal Master... shall we enter the village first?"
Chen Baiqing nodded gently, guiding her horse toward the village.
However, upon entering, there was no grand welcoming ceremony as Chen Baiqing had imagined.
That wasn't entirely true—as the shouts spread, quite a few villagers gathered around, celebrating and offering their endless thanks.
At first, Chen Baiqing could respond with slight nods, but soon her gaze fixed directly on the finest house in the village.
Beneath the eaves stood a young man wearing luxurious embroidered robes, a long sword at his waist, looking at her with an easy smile of greeting.
Beside him stood a young woman, similarly dressed in finery, also with a sword at her waist—though from the scabbard alone, it appeared more delicate.
The young woman's gaze was mostly curious as she looked at Chen Baiqing.
These two were undoubtedly cultivators.
The young woman's cultivation wasn't high, likely only at the Foundation Establishment stage.
From what Chen Baiqing could sense, the young man was definitely at the Golden Core stage, though his aura was somewhat unstable—without question, a watered-down Golden Core.
In her time traveling, most cultivators Chen Baiqing had encountered were somewhat watered-down.
But a watered-down Golden Core was still a Golden Core.
For such a small village to coincidentally recruit such a Golden Core cultivator was truly lucky.
Chen Baiqing paid little attention to the acclaim around her, slightly cupped her hands toward the two beneath the eaves:
"I am Chu Bai. May I ask who you two are?"
"Hao Ming Sect, Li Qiyun." Li Qiyun gestured toward the young woman beside him. "This is my junior martial sister, Tang Wanjun."
Tang Wanjun appeared somewhat shy, gently nodding her small head in acknowledgment.
Chen Baiqing asked, "Are you two also here for the matter of the demonic creatures in the village?"
Li Qiyun glanced at Tang Wanjun beside him, then spoke with a light smile:
"Yes, I originally brought my little junior sister out to complete some sect missions and gain experience. On our return journey, we happened to encounter villagers seeking help. My junior sister couldn't rest easy, so we came to see what was happening."
"I arrived two days ago, and the situation here is indeed somewhat strange."
Chen Baiqing's gaze shifted behind her to the young man still seated on the horse who had accompanied her—the one nicknamed Li Ergou.
Li Ergou's dark face showed a faint flush, giving it an almost reddish-black appearance. He explained in a quiet voice:
"Many people from the village went out to seek help. After all, with so many people going out, the chances of meeting a compassionate Immortal Master like yourself were higher."
Chen Baiqing nodded slightly—this reasoning made sense.
She dismounted, politely acknowledged the surrounding villagers, then walked directly toward the two beneath the eaves.
The villagers didn't continue to crowd around, dispersing under the village chief's direction.
Immortal Masters might have soft hearts and be willing to help, but they generally had little patience for dealing with ordinary people.
Chen Baiqing walked under the eaves. "What's strange about it? Are the demonic creatures difficult to deal with?"
"Difficult is probably accurate." Li Qiyun's expression turned serious as he spoke earnestly, "I tracked them for three days. Besides attacking people, the demonic creatures are also devouring each other—it's rather like raising gu."
"I've never seen such a scene before. This kind of situation—the fear isn't that the demonic creatures are abnormal, but that this is human-caused calamity."
The village chief was a fairly sturdy man, not particularly old. After dispersing the onlookers, he stood outside the eaves with Li Gouzi, quietly waiting for the three Immortal Masters to discuss matters.
Chen Baiqing nodded slightly. "It seems this matter is somewhat tricky. We'll need to be careful in our actions."
Li Qiyun looked at Chen Baiqing's illusion-constructed appearance of a plainly dressed woman, suddenly asking:
"Is Miss Chu a rogue cultivator?"
Chen Baiqing didn't answer this question, instead producing the golden token issued by the Demon Hunter Hall to Golden Core cultivators.
Seeing that token, Li Qiyun understood the situation and gestured:
"In that case, please come inside, Miss Chu. I'll explain the details to you."
Chen Baiqing didn't refuse, nodding slightly before entering.
Tang Wanjun watched as Chen Baiqing walked inside without a care, then looked up at Li Qiyun beside her, gently tugging his sleeve.
Li Qiyun stopped his forward motion, looking down at his little junior sister.
Tang Wanjun didn't speak, only carefully glancing at Chen Baiqing who had already taken a seat.
Hadn't Master said that when handling matters outside, one shouldn't easily trust anyone?
Li Qiyun naturally understood, but instead of transmitting his voice, he spoke directly, without any concealment:
"Miss Chu is a good person. There's no need to worry."
With that, Li Qiyun headed toward the inner room.
Tang Wanjun heard this answer that might as well have been no answer at all, her small face showing a trace of grievance as she walked inside.
But just as she entered the inner room, she heard Li Qiyun's transmitted explanation.
"From the first moment we met, this Miss Chu was more guarded than we are. This means she knows nothing about our existence—she's not the mastermind behind this."
"After the villagers explained, Miss Chu lowered her guard. And if you observe carefully, every action she took entering the village—even while being wary of us—she first responded politely to the villagers' greetings."
"Those were nearly subconscious actions. This Miss Chu has no arrogance toward ordinary people."
"What's more, what could this village possibly offer as compensation to a Golden Core Demon Hunter? Steamed buns?"
"This Miss Chu likely came here without expecting any compensation—she should be called a good person regardless, shouldn't she?"
"Sometimes, the pure winds of the world unconsciously blow in one direction."
"The world shouldn't lack such pure winds, just as you, little junior sister, couldn't abandon them."
Tang Wanjun's gaze followed Li Qiyun, seeing this senior brother slightly turn his head, gently winking at her.
How hateful...
Senior brother always knew how to say sweet words to coax her.
Chen Baiqing slightly raised her eyes, paying no attention to the flirtatious looks passing between the two.
Li Qiyun took his seat across from Chen Baiqing, smiling as he asked:
"Miss Chu, I apologize—my junior sister is on her first outing and is overly cautious."
"No matter. Being careful is the right approach."
"Miss Chu is truly a good person, to personally come all this way."
"I'm not some good person." Chen Baiqing's gaze shifted to outside the door before she spoke, "That day, I originally had no intention of looking at Li Ergou, who was kneeling at the city gate begging other Demon Hunters. But he said—is the life of us country folk truly cheaper than spirit stones?"
Li Qiyun and Tang Wanjun both looked toward her.
"Even after he said that, I still didn't want to get involved." Chen Baiqing withdrew her gaze, speaking calmly, "But I suddenly remembered what my Master said—a few spirit stones cannot buy a human life."
"That's why I came. I'm not some good person. I came only because I wanted to handle this matter."
The smile on Li Qiyun's face deepened:
"To do good deeds—Miss Chu is a good person, and so is your Master."
[
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