145: Young Yang Lie

The evening breeze blew past the ancestral hall, stirring up a few flakes of charred wood ash.

Shen Xiaochuan sat on the steps, his elbows resting on his knees, gazing at the eastern wall in the distance that had yet to be repaired.

A few villagers were brewing medicine by the fire; the smell of the medicine mixed with the scent of scorched earth, becoming a bit choking after a while.

Yang Lie leaned against a pillar, his left arm bandaged, though he couldn't lift it.

He glanced at Shen Xiaochuan and asked in a low voice, "Are you really going to stay here?"

"What else?" Shen Xiaochuan turned his head to look at him, "We just said we wanted to investigate the truth, and you want us to leave now?"

"It's not that I don't believe you," Yang Lie shook his head, "Outsiders have come before, claiming to help, but they left after three days. We are too far from the city, supplies are difficult to get, and they find it troublesome."

Shen Xiaochuan didn't speak.

He stood up, patted the ash off his pants, walked over to a Personal Guard who was taking inventory of equipment, and pointed to a box of water purification tablets, saying, "Send half of this to the east end of the village. Also, take two packs of hemostatic powder to the B-zone shed; there's an old man over there whose wound is still bleeding."

The Personal Guard nodded and immediately went to do it.

Shen Xiaochuan then said to another team member, "Tonight, arrange for two people to be on duty at both the east wall and the west well. Don't fall asleep during shifts. By tomorrow morning, I want to see the foundation for the new watchtower laid."

The orders were passed down one by one, and the team moved quickly.

No one argued, and no one complained; everyone knew what they were supposed to do.

Yang Lie watched this scene, and the look in his eyes changed.

"Have you... been training for a long time?"

"Three months," Shen Xiaochuan walked back and sat down, "Three thousand people, all of them volunteers. Those who could stay are those who can endure hardship."

"To investigate the matter of the evil god?"

"Not just that," Shen Xiaochuan looked up at the sky, "If someone wants to destroy this place, someone has to stand up. We are the first batch, but we won't be the last."

Just as he finished speaking, a voice only he could hear suddenly rang in his ears:

[Main Quest "Protect Liuhe Village" Completed]

[Obtained Evil God Aminos Legacy eligibility: 10%]

Shen Xiaochuan's expression didn't change, but he breathed a sigh of relief inside.

The mission was complete, and the clues had opened up.

He turned his head and asked Yang Lie, "Those black-armored monsters from earlier, this wasn't their first time here, right?"

"The third time," Yang Lie licked his dry lips, "The first two times were smaller in scale, and we fought them off. This time was different; they were organized and coordinated, as if they had received orders."

"Orders? Who gave them?"

"I don't know," Yang Lie frowned, "Before every attack, whispers would come from the northeast forest, like many people talking at once, but the content was unclear. Only on the day the well water turned black did I clearly hear one sentence—'The old rules should end.'"

Shen Xiaochuan's eyes tightened.

This matched the words on the well wall.

He paused for a few seconds and asked, "What are your plans after this? After the war is over, return to Pingyang City to claim credit?"

Yang Lie chuckled softly, his smile somewhat cold.

"I don't plan on living until then."

Shen Xiaochuan turned to look at him.

"I'm serious," Yang Lie's voice was steady, "If I can hold them off, I'm willing to fight to the end. Even if I die, I want to become a village-guarding soul soldier. I've heard that if your will is strong enough, your soul won't disperse after death, and you can continue to protect the village."

"How old are you? Early twenties?"

"Twenty-one," Yang Lie looked down at his blade, "This blade has been with me for three years. The day the village chief taught me how to use the blade, he said that holding a blade isn't for killing, but for protecting. Now the village is almost gone; there isn't much I can do, but at least I won't be the first to fall."

Shen Xiaochuan didn't speak.

He knew this type of person.

It wasn't that they weren't afraid of death; it was that they valued responsibility more than their own lives.

After a while, he asked, "Do you want to join the Brave Squad? Which one do you want to join?"

"Aminos'," Yang Lie looked up, "You haven't heard of him? He was the first person to resist the demons. Three months ago, a black meteorite fell from the sky and crashed into North Mountain. After it cracked open, black smoke emerged, and the monsters came out from within. At the time, no one dared to get close, but he led his men in, killed the first perfect grade demon, and even dug out its core."

Shen Xiaochuan was shocked.

A perfect grade demon; even his current team wouldn't dare to clash with one head-on.

"He did it alone?"

"Yes," Yang Lie nodded, "Later, he started gathering warriors and forming Brave Squads, specifically to deal with high-tier demons. Many people wanted to go, but I didn't have the chance. Once things are settled here, I want to go find him; even if I just serve as a vanguard, dying in battle would be worth it."

Shen Xiaochuan stared at him for a few seconds before asking, "Do you think he is reliable?"

"What do you mean?"

"Someone who could arrive the moment the meteorite fell, someone who could single-handedly kill a perfect grade demon—why didn't he act sooner? Why wait until the disaster had spread to appear?"

Yang Lie was stunned.

He hadn't thought about this question.

"Also," Shen Xiaochuan lowered his voice, "The words in the well read 'King of the Old Days', 'Blood Repays the New Law'. These don't look like they were written by villagers, but rather like some kind of prophecy. If Aminos is truly a savior, why do these traces look like they are welcoming someone back?"

Yang Lie's breathing hitched.

"You mean... he might be related to the evil god?"

"I don't know," Shen Xiaochuan shook his head, "I've seen too many people who are good on the surface but harm others behind their backs. I don't want to wrong a good person, nor do I want to let a bad person go."

He stood up, walked to the entrance of the ancestral hall, and gazed at the sealed ancient well to the west.

"You said the meteorite is the source?"

"Yes," Yang Lie endured the pain and walked a few steps closer, "Only by destroying it can we cut off the source of the monsters. We tried once, sending ten people to North Mountain, and none of them returned. Later, someone escaped back with half a corpse; before dying, they said there was a barrier around the meteorite, guarded by a perfect grade demon, and no one could get close."

"So you want to join Aminos? Borrow his power?"

"He is the only one who has killed that kind of monster," Yang Lie's tone was firm, "If we join forces, perhaps we have a chance."

Shen Xiaochuan was silent for a long time.

He knew Yang Lie was telling the truth.

Relying solely on this team, it would be impossible to break through the defense of a perfect grade demon.

They had to find help.

He also knew another thing—Aminos might turn bad in the future.

The words in the well, the System prompts, and the name of the mission all pointed to this.

He couldn't just ignore it.

"Fine," he finally spoke, "We'll go find him."

Yang Lie was stunned: "You agree to join forces?"

"Not join forces," Shen Xiaochuan turned around and looked him straight in the eye, "I'm going to see who he really is. Is he a savior, or an evil entity wearing human skin? If he can really kill a perfect grade demon, then we'll use his blade; if there's something wrong with him, then before I make my move, I'll make him shut up."

Yang Lie looked at him and suddenly felt that this person didn't look like an envoy, but rather like a judge.

"Aren't you afraid of him?" he asked.

"Afraid?" Shen Xiaochuan curled his lips, "The first thing I do every time I wake up is check how much my faith points have increased. If I don't dare to use this much ability, I might as well go back to tightening screws."

After saying this, he patted Yang Lie's shoulder: "You focus on recovering. Tomorrow morning, I'll leave a portion of the people to guard the village, and the others will set out with me to scout North Mountain. If you want to join the Brave Squad, you have to keep your life first."

Yang Lie nodded: "I will."

The two sat back down on the steps.

The fire crackled, sparks flew upward and disappeared into the night.

A child walked over holding a bowl and handed it to Shen Xiaochuan: "Uncle, have some porridge."

Shen Xiaochuan took it; the bowl was still a bit hot.

He took a sip; the rice grains were coarse, but it tasted good.

"Thank you," he said.

The child smiled and ran back to his mother's side.

Yang Lie watched the child's retreating figure and said in a low voice, "This village shouldn't just disappear like this."

"It won't," Shen Xiaochuan put down the bowl, "As long as there are still people willing to guard it, there is hope."

He glanced at the ancient well again and said, "The true source is not underground, nor is it in the sky. It is in the human heart."

Yang Lie didn't speak, not quite understanding the meaning of those words.

Shen Xiaochuan didn't explain either.

He stood up and walked toward the center of the camp.

"Everyone, attention!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear, "Rest well tonight, and assemble at six tomorrow morning. The Vanguard Battalion will check weapons, the Logistics Group will take inventory of supplies, and the medical team will prepare emergency kits. We are leaving the village for a trip; target: the North Mountain meteorite zone."

The team moved immediately.

Some packed their backpacks, others checked their blades.

No one asked why, and no one objected.

Shen Xiaochuan returned to the front of the ancestral hall and found that Yang Lie had already fallen asleep leaning against the pillar.

He sighed, took off his coat, and covered him with it.

He looked up at the sky; the clouds were still very thick, and the stars and moon could not be seen.