Chapter 145 - 138: Some Grieve, Others Worry

Chapter 145: Chapter 138: Some Grieve, Others Worry

Before Li Changsheng could speak, a ray of light split off from the Escape Light, shooting into his body and sealing all his Spirit Veins.

Then the Escape Light swept over him, and Li Changsheng vanished.

When he came to his senses, he felt his feet touch solid ground, and the stench of burnt flesh assaulted his nose.

Li Changsheng opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.

More than a dozen cultivators with varied appearances stood scattered around him. All of them had their Spirit Veins sealed, yet judging by their expressions, none were angry. On the contrary, they were all smiling and chatting cheerfully amongst themselves.

Li Changsheng gazed into the distance. Behind him lay the placid waters of Ten Thousand Serpent Lake. Before him was a Spirit Field, where many of the houses had collapsed into ruin.

Not far from him was a pile of shriveled corpses, so deformed they were barely recognizable as human, heaped together to form a small mound.

The acrid stench of decay emanated from the pile.

Li Changsheng was secretly relieved that Tan Hu had arrived just in time. ’Otherwise, I might have been part of that pile.’

As his gaze was sweeping over his surroundings,

not far away, the fog in Xu Li’s mind began to clear. He was just about to look for Steward Jin when he caught a glimpse of someone in the crowd and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Steward Li?"

Xu Li rubbed his eyes. After confirming he wasn’t seeing things, he hesitated for only a second before hurrying over.

A pleasantly surprised voice then reached Li Changsheng’s ears.

"Steward Li!"

Li Changsheng turned and frowned, asking in a hesitant tone, "Are you Xu Li?"

The man before him was a strange sight. His face was a bruised purple, his eyelids drooped, and his body twitched from time to time.

Xu Li nodded eagerly and trotted to his side, saying joyfully, "Yes, it’s me! I knew you’d be safe, Lord Steward! I knew those bastards from the Power Demon Sect wouldn’t be able to find you."

Li Changsheng’s expression shifted slightly. He shook his head and said, "If I didn’t have a few tricks up my sleeve..." He patted Xu Li’s shoulder. "It’s good you’re alright. What about Dong Xing and Fang Fan?"

Xu Li tactfully refrained from asking how he escaped. His face fell as he replied, "Dong Xing and Fang Fan... they were taken by the Power Demon Sect. If Steward Lan hadn’t saved me, I wouldn’t have been spared either."

Li Changsheng’s hand paused on Xu Li’s shoulder. He said softly, "They’re both Spirit Plant Masters. The Power Demon Sect surely won’t kill them..."

Xu Li’s eyes flickered, but he nodded vigorously.

The two of them began to talk.

For the most part, Li Changsheng asked the questions, and Xu Li provided the answers.

Meanwhile, as they were talking, a small issue arose among the Spirit Farmers.

A new headcount was needed, as no one knew exactly how many Spirit Farmers had been taken by the Power Demon Sect.

Jin Fang continued to record names until, eventually, there was no one left in line before him.

Just as he was preparing to say a few words to comfort the assembled Spirit Farmers,

someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "There are two little kids over here!"

At the sound of the voice, the crowd immediately parted.

Two children, not even a meter tall and dressed in red and blue, sat on the ground, looking around in terror.

"Hey, aren’t those the daughters of that stone-faced female cultivator?"

A cultivator who recognized Yun Wan exclaimed in surprise.

"Their mother was captured too?"

"How pitiful..."

"Senior Brother Wang next door was captured too... *sob*."

This opened the floodgates, and a buzz of conversation erupted from the crowd. People expressed their relief at having survived, but the most common topic was the fear that the Power Demon Sect would attack the Spiritual Land again.

After listening for a moment, Jin Fang understood: the two girls’ mother had been captured by the Power Demon Sect.

As the murmuring of the crowd grew louder,

Jin Fang frowned and barked, "Silence!"

He released the aura of a Vein Condensation Realm Cultivator, and the crowd instantly fell silent.

Once the noise died down,

Jin Fang said with a smile, "Rest assured, everyone. In a few days, the sect will provide compensation for this crisis." He paused, then added, "The families of the Spirit Farmers who were taken by the Power Demon Sect will also receive compensation."

With that, he waved his hand dismissively.

"Everyone, go home for now. The compensation will be in your hands within three days at most."

Hearing about the compensation lifted the crowd’s spirits slightly. They began to depart in groups, but their conversations were still laced with worry.

Jin Fang glanced at the two little girls, shook his head, and walked away.

’I still have to assess the damage to the Spirit Fields,’ he thought. ’I don’t have time to deal with them.’

After everyone had gone, the two little girls were left behind, sitting huddled together in a daze.

Among the departing crowd,

two people kept glancing back.

One of them, a man with his face partially covered by a linen cloth, whispered, "Yaoyao, now’s the time. We should go pay him a visit..."

Dong Yao hesitated. "But..."

Seeing her hesitate, Wu Yong became anxious. "Your grandfather is gone, and the Spirit Field the sect promised us is destroyed! But if he just puts in a good word for us, we..."

Dong Yao shot him a cold glare.

Wu Yong flinched and mumbled sheepishly, "I’m just worried we won’t get another chance to even see him..."

Dong Yao ignored him. Her gaze fell on the cultivator in the blue and white robes not far away. After a moment’s hesitation, she began walking toward him.

’Wu Yong’s words were harsh, but he had a point...’

’Now that Dong Xing is gone, our connection will only grow weaker. I’m just a junior sister he’s barely met.’

’If I don’t put in the effort to stay in touch now, I might never get to see him again in the future.’

’Thinking practically, if I can maintain this fragile connection, any future troubles could be solved with a single word from him.’

’An opportunity like this is priceless. How could I dare let it go?’

Dong Yao’s eyes darkened. ’If Grandfather were here, things wouldn’t be like this.’

The two of them walked back. Seeing the two girls sitting dazedly on the ground, Dong Yao’s eyes flickered. She crouched down with a smile. "You shouldn’t sit on the ground. Come with big sister."

The two little girls didn’t seem to hear her and remained silent.

Seeing this, Dong Yao reached out and took their hands. They didn’t resist, simply getting to their feet with their heads lowered.

Wu Yong frowned and whispered in her ear, "What are you bringing them for?"

Dong Yao shot him a look and said softly, "Their mother was grandfather’s neighbor." With that, she murmured a few comforting words to the girls and led them away.

’Grandfather’s neighbor...’

Wu Yong frowned in thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. ’Doesn’t that mean she was Li Changsheng’s neighbor too?’ He quickly hurried after them.

Along the way, he tried to take one of the girls’ hands, but she pulled away.

The small group soon reached Li Changsheng.

Hearing their approach, Li Changsheng turned to look, a smile gracing his lips.

Dong Yao curtsied. "Senior Brother."

Wu Yong quickly bowed as well.

Li Changsheng made a gesture to help them up. "There’s no need for such formalities, Junior Sister," he said with a smile, then looked to Wu Yong. "And you as well, Senior Brother Wu."

Dong Yao straightened up and said softly, "I’m relieved to see you’re safe, Senior Brother."

Li Changsheng was silent for a moment before sighing. "Don’t worry, Junior Sister. Senior Brother Dong is a Spirit Plant Master; he’ll be alright."

Dong Yao’s eyes grew red as she nodded forcefully. "Yes. I believe grandfather will be fine, too."

With that, she stepped aside, revealing the two small girls in red and blue dresses standing behind her.

Li Changsheng started, asking in confusion, "Why are they with you?"

Dong Yao sighed. "Senior Sister Yun was taken by the Power Demon Sect. I saw them sitting all alone, looking so pitiful, so I brought them along."

"Sigh..."

Li Changsheng thought of the gentle woman and sighed. He looked at the two girls, who stood with their heads bowed in silence. "What arrangements will the sect make for them?" he asked.

"They both have Spiritual Qi in their bodies. They’ll probably be sent to the Outer Sect Courtyard to cultivate," Dong Yao said after a moment’s hesitation.

Li Changsheng asked curiously, "The Outer Sect Courtyard? What’s that?"

Surprised that he didn’t know, Dong Yao paused before explaining, "It’s for disciples who joined the sect from the mortal world. The children of Spirit Farmers, servants, and others like them are also sent there to cultivate."

"Once they reach the Qi Cultivation First Layer, they’re assigned to different parts of the sect."

Li Changsheng nodded, sighing internally.

He recalled the boisterous little girl who had pestered him for bamboo shoots with stir-fried pork, and then looked at the terrified, vacant-eyed child before him.

’The Power Demon Sect has truly caused immeasurable harm,’ he thought.

For a moment, the group fell silent.

A few moments later.

A streak of light descended from the sky.

Lan Cai Shen casually tossed aside the cultivator he was holding and swept his gaze over the crowd. When his eyes landed on the figure in the blue and white robes, his face lit up with joy.

"Hahaha! I knew you’d be alright, Junior Brother!"

Lan Cai Shen’s figure flickered, and in an instant, he was standing before Li Changsheng, looking him up and down.

"Changsheng greets Senior Brother," Li Changsheng said with a smile and a cupped fist.

Lan Cai Shen reached out to help him up, feigning displeasure. "Junior Brother, why so formal? Get up, quickly."

He trailed off with a sigh. "This disaster..."

"By the way, Junior Brother, how did you escape the Power Demon Sect’s manhunt?"

Li Changsheng sighed and proceeded to tell him the whole story.

A short while later.

Lan Cai Shen sighed. "Thank heavens for Steward Tan. Otherwise..."

’If Li Changsheng had been captured, my own suffering would have been unspeakable.’

’If I’m not mistaken, my father likely played a role in causing this whole mess.’

’Others might not have recognized that brilliant flash of sword light, but to me, it was unmistakable.’

While they were speaking,

two more Escape Lights descended from the sky.

A stout cultivator and a short one appeared in succession.

Li Changsheng’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw the portly cultivator in the golden robes.

’It’s him...’

’That’s the guy who was selling incomplete Cultivation Techniques and Magic in the Beast Valley.’

As they looked over,

the two cultivators were already walking toward their group.

Lan Cai Shen cupped his fists with a smile. "Thank you for coming, Senior Brothers. We’ve troubled you."

Seeing how polite Lan Cai Shen was, the others immediately bowed as well.

Li Changsheng also cupped his fists in greeting.

The two cultivators waved their hands, exchanged a few words with Lan Cai Shen, then found a spot to sit cross-legged in silence.

Lan Cai Shen sent a mental message to Li Changsheng. "They’re cultivators from the Beast Soul and Blood-Fusion lineages." He paused before adding, "Each of them is just as capable as I am. Be careful, Junior Brother."

Li Changsheng nodded slightly, then began asking Lan Cai Shen about the arrangements for the aftermath.

While they were speaking,

wisps of clear wind gathered together, and the figure of Elder Qing materialized before the crowd.

"Greetings, Elder."

Lan Cai Shen and the cultivators from the Blood-Fusion and Beast Soul lineages spoke in unison, their voices filled with respect.

’An Elder!’

Li Changsheng hurriedly lowered his head and bowed respectfully.

Elder Qing smiled. "All of you may rise." His gaze then swept across the crowd.

When his eyes fell upon Li Changsheng, he let out a soft sound of surprise. "Hm?"

The next instant.

Elder Qing appeared before Li Changsheng and lightly tapped the spot between his eyebrows.

Li Changsheng felt a cool sensation flow into the space between his brows. When he came to his senses, he was utterly stunned.

’So fast...’