Chapter 89 Sacrifices

The Ring-Blade Strongman knew very well in his heart.

Regardless of anything else, these 'relics' were not that valuable.

There was no need to bet his life on them.

After Mu An successfully retrieved his 'spoils of war', he didn't fuss over it any further.

He only took what he was supposed to take.

If it were someone with malicious intent, they might not only take back the spoils of war but also rob the Ring-Blade Strongman and the others of all their possessions.

After this incident.

The three Cultivators had different thoughts.

But Mu An didn't care what they were thinking; he was busy discussing things with the members of his own team.

"Since that so-called evil Cultivator is already dead, does that mean our mission this time is complete?"

"It seems... quite easy, without even a bit of pressure!"

Renée shrugged.

Perhaps no one expected that this mission could be completed so smoothly.

The main reason was that Mu An was a 'cheater'; after possessing the [Enemy Detection Radar], everyone in his eyes was like they had been stripped naked, with their secrets having almost nowhere to hide.

If it were someone else, they might really not have had the ability to see through Tang Geng's true identity.

Well, for instance, the White-Clothed Scholar and his two companions from just a moment ago.

They simply didn't notice anything unusual.

Beside them, Xiao Qingzhu also cupped her chin, thought for a moment, and replied.

"I suggest that for the sake of safety, we should wait until midnight to ensure the village massacre incident does not occur before we leave."

Having been a constable for so long, through all the struggles, she had also learned many things.

And much of her experience was learned from her master.

As for where her master was now...?

Some time ago, while on the road back to the city, he was ambushed by a great demon seeking revenge and was torn to pieces.

At that time, it was Xiao Qingzhu who personally collected his remains...

"It's not like we're short on time, let's just wait until night!"

Mu An made the final decision.

Afterward.

The group entered the village.

After the old village chief woke up, he didn't cry or make a fuss, he just let out a deep sigh.

"Fate! It's all fate!"

Because of the incident where 'Liu Hao died', the happy occasion turned into a funeral, and the banquet originally intended to entertain the immortals was called off.

There had been a severe drought for the past few months, the crops had almost all died, and the Imperial Dynasty still demanded heavy taxes, so there were not a few people who starved to death.

The village couldn't produce any decent food either.

It could be said that the thin porridge and corn buns on the banquet table were already the best food collected from the entire village.

And this was still a large village like Duogu Village with a population of over a hundred.

The situation in the nearby small villages with dozens or even just a dozen people would only be worse.

Fortunately, yesterday 'the immortals manifested', and sweet rain fell from the sky, washing away the drought.

Otherwise, who knew how long this great drought would last, and how many more people would be starved to death.

Despite this, the current food shortage was still a major problem.

"Mother, I'm hungry, I want to eat a corn bun!"

"Those are food for the immortals, you can't touch them! Be good, Mother will find some tree bark for you to eat in a while..."

The little boy wanted to reach out and take a corn bun from the mat.

But his mother quickly slapped the back of his hand.

Hearing the conversation between the mother and son, Nina couldn't bear it, and she took the initiative to stuff a corn bun from the mat into the child's hand.

The boy's mother kept kowtowing to the young girl, constantly saying words of gratitude.

Why go to such lengths?

Clearly, this was food that belonged to them in the first place!

Seeing this scene, Nina felt somewhat stifled in her heart and couldn't help but think of her own experience of going hungry since she was a child.

She knew the feeling of being hungry all too well.

That was not a pleasant feeling at all!

"Boss, how about we distribute some food to them?"

"If it costs money, just deduct it from my wages; I will definitely work even harder in the future!"

Mu An patted her head.

"No need to talk about deducting wages; your boss isn't some heartless villain."

"We have the ability now, and we have food, so be brave and do what you want to do."

The young girl was quite moved and nodded heavily.

"Yes!"

When the cooked porridge was poured into a large wooden barrel.

Steaming white mist rose up, and the villagers watching from the side held their bowls while swallowing their saliva.

They hadn't seen such thick white porridge in a long time.

Or rather.

They hadn't eaten a decent meal in a long time.

Even if it was just porridge that had no flavor in the eyes of others, it almost hooked the gluttonous worms in their stomachs.

"Don't rush! Take it one by one in the order of the line! Everyone will be able to eat!"

Nina shouted loudly while holding a wooden ladle.

As the initiator of this 'good deed', she contributed the most and worked the hardest.

"Thank you! This old man represents all the villagers in thanking the immortals!"

The old village chief was extremely grateful and almost knelt down again.

Fortunately, Mu An and the others helped him up in time.

As the saying goes.

If an elder kneels, the person being knelt to will lose years of their life.

Regardless of whether this was true or false, there was no need to let the old village chief kneel.

For Mu An, this was just spending a little money and distributing some grain; he hadn't paid any major price that would hurt his foundations.

Of course.

In the eyes of the common people during a disaster year, grain was something even more precious than gold.

These bowls of porridge, just like the 'sweet rain that fell from the sky' earlier, truly saved their lives!

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Mu An and the others were their parents reborn!

Sometimes.

Mu An couldn't help but think.

If he were to take out some pickled vegetables or something, paired with unlimited rice porridge, could he build a 'loyal' army?

Isn't that how it's written in many melodramatic novels...

They could even rise up in rebellion, overturn the old Imperial Dynasty, change the world, and establish a new regime or something.

But reality is cruel, or rather, the reality in this cultivation world is cruel.

What does it matter if there are many ordinary people?

A Cultivator with profound cultivation only needs to wave their hand, and just like swatting mosquitoes, they can suppress countless people with a casual gesture.

Relying on numbers is completely foolish and useless.

Is that precisely why human lives are cheaper than grass?

"A futile effort!"

The Ring-Blade Strongman snorted coldly.

In his view, currying favor with a group of ordinary people was completely a thankless task.

At this moment.

The three Cultivators had not gone far.

Since the massacre warning mentioned in the mission was at midnight, they naturally wouldn't leave before that.

Even though a Cultivator with a strange identity had already died earlier, no one could prove that he was the mastermind behind it.

What if it was a trap specifically set by Mu An and the others to trick them into being eliminated early?

If they ended up monopolizing the mission and swallowing all the rewards, what then?

The three of them all held onto a glimmer of hope; in any case, it was just waiting a little longer.

As Cultivators who had stepped onto the path of cultivation, the higher the Realm, the longer the lifespan.

Compared to ordinary people, time was not that precious to them.

Mu An glanced at them and then looked away.

He had already used the [Enemy Detection Radar] to repeatedly check the situation in the village, and indeed, he had not found any unusual circumstances.

There were no hidden strange Cultivators nearby.

If there really was any 'abnormality', it could only be...

"Old Village Chief, I wonder who is locked in the woodshed over there?"

"Why not call those two out to have some porridge as well?"

Mu An pointed to a house.

The old village chief's expression turned slightly serious, and he cupped his hands and said.

"The immortals are unaware."

"A Cang River flows through this land, and its water has been irrigating our land for hundreds of years."

"It is rumored that there is a River God in the Cang River, and it protects hundreds of surrounding villages."

"Every year, people hold sacrificial activities, sacrificing several young boys and girls, praying for the River God to ensure favorable weather and a good harvest for the coming year."

"This tradition has been passed down for hundreds of years, and this year's River God Festival is approaching again."

"And those two are among the sacrifices chosen by our village..."