164: Chapter 164: Strange Village
In the easternmost Thundercloud Mountains of Sand Continent, clouds and mist wreathed the mountainside; looking down from above, a secluded paradise was hidden in a mountain hollow, with wisps of cooking smoke rising from it.
Jiang Xuan stood above the mountain hollow, sighing with emotion, “What a tranquil and secluded place.”
“Boss, this is our Man Village,” Man Dali said, looking at the familiar village below, his Face filled with joy.
Jiang Xuan smiled and nodded. Suddenly, as he looked at the village below, his eyes changed abruptly, and he was secretly startled, “This is…?”
Jiang Xuan frowned and carefully sensed it with his Divine Sense. He grew even more puzzled, “How could this be?”
Jiang Xuan glanced at Man Dali beside him, temporarily not telling him what he had discovered.
“Boss, let’s go! I’ll take you into the village.”
With that, he led Jiang Xuan and flew towards the village.
On a bluestone path, Jiang Xuan stepped on the smooth, shiny stones, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings. In the distance, a village appeared before Jiang Xuan’s eyes.
Under an old locust tree at the village entrance, several children were laughing and playing around the tree trunk. Not far from them, an old man dressed in coarse linen clothes sat on a reclining chair, watching the little ones with a benevolent smile.
Seeing this, Man Dali excitedly shouted, “Grandpa Village Chief, I’m back!”
Hearing the familiar shouts, the old man’s aged Face froze, and the children also stopped laughing, turning to look towards Jiang Xuan.
“It’s Brother Dali, Brother Dali is back!”
“Thump-thump-thump…” A series of disorderly footsteps sounded as the children happily ran over and threw themselves into Man Dali’s arms.
“Brother Dali, you’re finally back! Did you bring us anything to eat?”
Man Dali looked at the children clinging to his arms and legs, laughing joyfully, “Hahaha, Brother Dali didn’t just bring you delicious food; I also brought you a new friend!”
With that, he pulled Jiang Xuan closer and said, “This big brother is called Jiang Xuan. He’s my Boss, and from now on, he’ll be your Boss too, understand?”
Hearing this, the children finally turned their gaze to Jiang Xuan. However, when they saw Jiang Xuan’s Face, their small Faces immediately showed panic, as if they had seen something that terrified them, and they all ran away to hide behind Man Dali.
“Hey, you little brats, are you not listening to me anymore?” Man Dali’s Face darkened. He felt he had lost Face in front of his Boss and was about to show his authority in the village when a cough came from ahead.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
The old man in linen clothes had one hand behind his back and the other clenched into a fist at his mouth, as if coughing that way would help. The old man’s voice was hoarse as he said, “Dali, is this your friend?”
Man Dali quickly stepped forward and took the old man’s arm, “Yes, Grandpa, Jiang Xuan is my Boss whom I recognized outside. He saved my life several times.”
The old man’s cloudy eyes looked at Jiang Xuan, and a trace of an inexplicable light flashed in them. In an instant, it returned to calm.
“Cough, cough, cough. Thank you, little friend, for taking care of Dali. These children are seeing strangers for the first time, so it’s natural for them to be a bit scared. They were rude to the guest; I hope the little friend doesn’t mind.”
Although the old man concealed it well, Jiang Xuan still caught the fleeting light in his eyes when he saw him.
Jiang Xuan waved his hand at the old man and smiled, “It’s nothing. Rather, it’s this Junior who has suddenly come to disturb the peace of the village. I hope Senior will not blame me.”
The wrinkles on the old man’s Face trembled slightly, and he said in a hoarse voice, “Not at all. Since the little friend saved Dali’s life, you are a distinguished guest of our Man Village. Please come in quickly.”
After inviting Jiang Xuan into the village, the old man added, “Dali, take little friend Jiang Xuan to your place. I’ll go arrange for food. We’ll hold a welcoming feast for you and the little friend tonight.”
“Yes, thank you, Grandpa Village Chief!”
With that, he led Jiang Xuan further into the village.
Behind him, the old man looked at Jiang Xuan’s retreating figure, complex emotions flashing in his cloudy eyes, “Alas, why must you return? The will of Heaven truly cannot be defied.”
Along the way, Jiang Xuan noticed that both adults and children looked at him with a hint of fear and hostility. Connecting this to what he had discovered above the mountain hollow earlier, Jiang Xuan secretly pondered, “This village indeed has a problem!”
He turned to Man Dali and asked, “Dali, where are your parents?”
Hearing this, Man Dali’s expression became downcast, “I haven’t seen them since I can remember. Grandpa said my parents left when I was born, and I grew up alone.”
“Fortunately, with the care of Grandpa Village Chief and everyone else in the village, they’ve all been exceptionally good to me. So, to me, they are all my family.”
With that, a smile returned to Man Dali’s Face.
Jiang Xuan’s heart trembled, his expression complex, as he suppressed his thoughts… That night, the Village Chief prepared a large table of dishes for Jiang Xuan and Man Dali. Although it was called a welcoming feast, only Jiang Xuan, Man Dali, and the Village Chief were seated.
Everyone else in the village stood in the distance, looking quite nervous. Man Dali was full of questions; why had the villagers become so strange this time he returned?
The Village Chief said to Man Dali, “Dali, may I speak with little friend Jiang Xuan alone for a few moments?”
“Ah? Grandpa Village Chief, this…”
Man Dali’s words were cut short by Jiang Xuan, who said, “Dali, you go back first. I also have some questions I’d like to ask the Village Chief.”
“Oh.”
Man Dali got up, scratched his head, gave them a puzzled look, and then turned to leave.
Only after his figure disappeared into the night sky did Jiang Xuan turn back, his expression becoming indifferent.
“Alas, you shouldn’t have come back. In the end, you can’t escape fate,” the Village Chief sighed deeply, his voice low, as if resigned to his destiny.
Jiang Xuan’s tone was calm, and he glanced at the other person, “Whether we should have come back or not, we are here now.”
At this point, Jiang Xuan looked at the people around him and smiled faintly, “They all seem very afraid of me.”
The old man’s cloudy eyes deepened, and he sighed, “For an existence that even that one pays attention to, their fear is normal.”
“Who is it?” Jiang Xuan frowned and asked.
“Cough, cough, cough…” The old man coughed several times vigorously before saying, “Little friend, you’ve been with Dali for so long, so you must have heard that legend, right?”
Jiang Xuan nodded, “Indeed.”
Suddenly, his Face showed surprise, and he said in shock, “Are you saying, that giant who reached the heavens and earth?”
The old man did not answer Jiang Xuan’s question, but continued on his own, “In that great war millions of years ago, the Ancestral Dragon ultimately returned to the depths of the Universe, while the giant was defeated, its body falling onto Sand Province. And this place just happens to be the location of the giant’s heart.”
Jiang Xuan was deeply shocked. So, this legend truly existed.
The old man continued, “And we, these people, were created by the giant’s heart!”
How could an existence capable of fighting the Ancestral Dragon for a thousand years fall so easily?
Eight years ago, for unknown reasons, a figure suddenly appeared in all our minds.
The old man paused for a moment, glanced at Jiang Xuan, and what he said next deeply shook Jiang Xuan!
“And that figure was you! Jiang Xuan. Along with your appearance, there was also an instruction: no matter what method, you must be eliminated!”