95: Chapter 95 The relocation of the entire village terrifies Mayor Wang.

The Old Village Chief stood before the offering table, leaning on his cane. He coughed, and the ancestral hall instantly fell silent.

"I called everyone here today to announce a major matter." The Old Village Chief's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the hall could hear him clearly.

"Recently, a large number of wild beasts have gathered on Heifeng Mountain. Kid Lin speculates that this is likely a precursor to a beast tide."

"I believe some of you still remember the beast tide that swept through Black Stone Town over a decade ago. I heard that several villages were flattened by the beast swarm, with thousands of casualties!"

Hearing this, the faces of several elderly people in the crowd changed immediately, and a commotion began to break out.

"What? Another beast tide is about to happen?"

"What a sin! Why are those beasts coming again?"

A middle-aged woman holding a child was trembling all over.

Because she was a victim of that beast tide years ago.

"Quiet, everyone! Therefore, after discussing with Kid Lin, I have finally decided to move the entire village to Black Stone Town."

"You don't need to worry about being unable to make a living in Black Stone Town. Kid Lin is now a member of the imperial court, holding a ninth-grade official position, and has a say in Black Stone Town."

Lin Ye stepped forward at this moment and cupped his fists toward the villagers.

"Fellow villagers, the matter of the beast tide is by no means alarmist talk.

On my way back, I encountered no less than six or seven waves of wild beasts, and they were all in packs.

I believe when you went hunting in the mountains before, you might not have seen so many in two or three days.

These phenomena are enough to prove that the beasts on Heifeng Mountain are gathering. The matter of relocation is urgent!"

Saying this, he pulled out the demon suppression token from his robes: "Look, everyone, this is the token of the Demon Suppression Division, a symbol of an imperial official.

Once everyone arrives in town, I will find a suitable place for you to settle down. You don't need to worry about your livelihood at all."

Perhaps to enhance Lin Ye's persuasiveness, Zhao Shanhe also stepped out from the crowd, his voice resonant and powerful: "The news of the beast tide is definitely not groundless. I personally experienced that beast tide over a decade ago.

The city walls of Black Stone Town were almost knocked down, hundreds of guards died, and the villages outside the town were almost completely wiped out."

Wang Gang also stepped forward: "I've been hunting in the mountains these past two days, and the beasts I've encountered are indeed much more numerous than before.

So, fellow villagers, the village relocation should be done sooner rather than later. The beast tide could erupt at any time!"

Just then, the middle-aged woman suddenly spoke up: "I agree to move!

In that beast tide over a decade ago, my family's village was flattened by the beast swarm. I was the only one who escaped."

Her tone carried a hint of fear.

With a witness speaking from experience, some of the elderly people who still had reservations no longer hesitated.

Although they were reluctant to leave the old houses they had lived in for decades, they were even more reluctant to lose their lives because of it.

"Good, since no one has any objections, then this matter is settled."

The Old Village Chief tapped his cane.

"Go back today and pack your things. Take what you can, and throw away what you can't. Life is more important than belongings. Gather at the village entrance tomorrow morning."

Soon, the crowd dispersed, hurrying back to pack their belongings.

Seeing this, Lin Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

He was afraid these people would be stubborn, preferring to guard their ancestral homes rather than move.

After everyone had dispersed, Lin Ye noticed that his Second Uncle was still sitting there, motionless.

Lin Ye walked over and called out: "Second Uncle."

"Do you still have some concerns?"

"No." Second Uncle shook his head and remained silent for a while before standing up.

"Forget it, it just so happens that I haven't seen Master for a long time. I'll go see him this time."

Lin Ye smiled upon hearing this.

Regardless of whether Second Uncle had truly resolved his inner conflict, as long as he was willing to leave Wang Family Village for the town, it was a good thing.

The next day, every household gathered at the village entrance carrying large and small bags. Some items that were inconvenient to carry were all loaded onto donkey carts, such as the ancestral tablets from the hall and some collective supplies.

These supplies filled six donkey carts and still weren't finished. Even the warhorse Lin Ye brought was temporarily conscripted, forced to act as a cargo mule.

The Old Village Chief counted the people; there were one hundred and thirty-three in total, not a single one missing.

"Depart!"

Zhao Shanhe waved his hand, and the convoy immediately set off, moving grandly along the mountain road toward Black Stone Town.

Along the way, they encountered several beast attacks, but with Lin Ye and Zhao Shanhe, two Ranked Martial Artists, present, those beast groups didn't cause any trouble at all, leaving behind only a trail of corpses that were loaded onto the carts.

To the villagers, these were all high-quality meat and naturally couldn't be wasted.

At the very least, they could be sold for a lot of money in town.

However, because there were so many people, including many elderly and children, the convoy's progress was a bit slow.

After walking for a day, they had covered less than half the distance.

As it got dark, the convoy stopped in a mountain hollow to spend the night.

After eating, Lin Ye and Zhao Shanhe took turns keeping watch.

By the evening of the second day, the convoy finally arrived at Black Stone Town.

The guards at the gate were stunned to see such a large group of people flooding toward them.

Soon, two soldiers came forward, hands on their sword hilts, looking alert.

"Halt! Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Lin Ye stepped forward and took out his demon suppression token from his robes.

"I am Lin Ye, a Ninth-Grade Demon Suppression Guard of the Demon Suppression Division. These are villagers relocating from Wang Family Village. A beast tide is about to erupt on Heifeng Mountain, and Wang Family Village is no longer safe."

The soldier's expression changed upon hearing this. He took the token, looked at it, and immediately handed it back with both hands.

As members of the imperial court, they naturally knew their stuff.

He glanced at the group of old and young behind Lin Ye, and after a slight hesitation, he cupped his hands toward Lin Ye.

"Lord Lin, this matter needs to be reported to the Mayor. Could you please wait a moment?"

"No matter, go and report. Regarding the beast tide, I also happen to need to discuss it with Mayor Wang."

"However, it's not good for so many people to gather at the town entrance. Let them enter the town first."

"This..."

The soldier opened his mouth as if to say something but eventually waved to the back: "Let them pass!"

The convoy entered the town without obstruction, the bluestone road rumbling under the wheels.

Pedestrians on the street made way one after another. Some stood aside to watch curiously, while others stayed far away, fearing they might offend someone they shouldn't.

But before the convoy had gone far, a group of Yamen Runners appeared in front of them, led by Mayor Wang.

"Lord Lin!" Mayor Wang walked over quickly and cupped his fists in greeting.

Although the two of them were technically of equal rank, the saying that the Demon Suppression Division is three ranks higher than other officials was no joke.

"This is..." Mayor Wang pointed at the villagers behind Lin Ye with a look of surprise.

Lin Ye didn't hesitate and briefly explained the situation.

Mayor Wang's face grew paler as he listened, and a layer of fine sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Lord Lin, is this true?" Mayor Wang's voice was trembling.

There was no helping it; the threat of a beast tide was too great for him not to be cautious.

"Absolutely true!"

Saying this, Lin Ye led Mayor Wang to the back of the convoy and pointed at the pile of beast corpses on the carts.

There were over a hundred of them, large and small. The blood hadn't fully dried yet, emitting a strong, fishy stench.

"These were just the ones we encountered on the road. From this, it's clear that the beasts gathering in the depths of Heifeng Mountain have likely reached an astronomical number!"

Looking at the pile of beast corpses, Mayor Wang also fell into silence.

"Lord Lin, I will immediately gather everyone to discuss a countermeasure. You should come as well."

"Alright, then these people..."

"Don't worry, Lord Lin, I will arrange for them to stay somewhere."

Subsequently, Mayor Wang had the Yamen Runners lead the villagers to an abandoned courtyard.

The courtyard was very large. With over a hundred people, they could manage to fit if they squeezed in.

After settling the villagers, Lin Ye followed Mayor Wang to the yamen.

Inside the yamen, quite a few people were already waiting there, including several of Lin Ye's acquaintances.