431: Ghoul

Jun Li followed the village chief into a wooden house’s yard, which was really just an area enclosed by a fence.

There were several wooden stools, indicating that there were carpenters in the village, and the craftsmanship of these items was not bad; they clearly had skill.

“Do you mind?” the village chief asked Jun Li.

“I don’t mind, Village Chief. There’s no need to be so formal. Just treat me as an ordinary person. I’m not that delicate,” Jun Li said with a smile, then pulled over a chair and sat down.

There were no noble manners or gestures.

She simply sat down casually, like an ordinary person.

The village chief also sat down, sighing, “This is truly good! It’s a pity… the current state of the world… Alas~”

“What does Sword Immortal wish to understand?” After a brief moment of lament, the village chief didn’t delay and asked Jun Li.

“It’s not so much a question as it is wanting to understand the current state of the world…” Jun Li told the village chief, “And where the nearest town is.”

“I see! This old man can certainly tell you, though of course, it’s just the humble opinions of us mortals…” The village chief said with a smile, then slowly recounted to Jun Li the current state of the world, especially how the world looked in the eyes of mortals like them…

After rambling for nearly an hour, the village chief finally stopped speaking.

“Thank you, Village Chief! I’ve learned a lot,” Jun Li said to the village chief with a smile.

“You’re welcome. It’s good to be able to help Sword Immortal,” the village chief said with a chuckle and a nod. “As for the nearest city… Sword Immortal can head east, but I’m not entirely sure of the exact location or what towns are there… Since the great upheaval several years ago, many villages and towns have been destroyed… Our village is also made up of lucky survivors from several former villages, who banded together to make a living.

We haven’t had contact with other people or visited other towns or villages for a long time.”

“I see! Thank you for the trouble, Village Chief,” Jun Li nodded in understanding after hearing the village chief’s words, forming her own perspective on this world.

“Dinner’s ready! Dinner’s ready! Village Chief! Bring Sword Immortal to eat!” A woman was shouting from outside.

“Sword Immortal, please,” the village chief stood up and said to Jun Li.

“Okay!” Jun Li nodded with a smile, then stepped forward and gently helped the village chief walk out.

Jun Li followed the village chief out and saw several large pots in the center of the village—communal cooking!

She didn’t know if it was because she had arrived or if the village always ate communal meals.

A group of villagers held bowls and chopsticks, and several women were using large ladles to serve food to everyone.

“Here, Sword Immortal!” A villager handed Jun Li a large bowl, a very large one, almost the size of a small basin.

Jun Li took the bowl and chopsticks and saw that everyone seemed to have similar bowls and chopsticks; it wasn’t because of her status that she received such a large bowl.

After eating lunch with the villagers, Jun Li bid them farewell and departed.

Under the reluctant gaze of the villagers, Jun Li was seen off from the village.

Jun Li headed in the eastern direction, as the village chief had told her.

Bai Mo: “Jun Li’s current situation is that she’s lived in this world for 23 years, but only at the age of 23 did she first officially explore the outside world…”

Yi Xin: “That’s true, but it’s also because she hasn’t left Heaven Sword Mountain for fifteen years. She’s always relied on her previous knowledge, but the upheaval fifteen years ago was too great.

There were too many changes, so it’s normal for her not to recognize things.”

Lin Zifeng: “To be fair, Jun Li’s world is somewhat similar to mine. In terms of immortals and immortal sects, Jun Li’s world is even more outlandish.”

Jun Li: “Sigh, after hearing the village chief talk about the outside world, I feel like it’s hell…”

Lin Zifeng: “Hard to say… Hiss~ I kind of want to go to Jun Li’s side and play!”

Jun Li: “Eh? Can everyone come over?”

Yi Xin: “It’s definitely possible to go over, but it depends on how. For example, the most direct way is to use the support function to have us go support you, but it consumes too many source points, so it’s not worth it… We can’t afford the consumption.”

Jun Li: “Hmm… I see! Alright.”

Jun Li chatted with the Cross-World Group while traveling.

Roar!

Suddenly, a roar, and a figure attacked Jun Li from the side.

Clang!

As if she had anticipated it, Jun Li drew the long sword from her waist.

A sword light flashed!

Carrying a scorching aura, it instantly cut the attacking figure in two.

Everyone also saw it broken into two pieces on the ground, and it even began to burn after being cut by the sword.

“A bit ugly!”

This was everyone’s first reaction to the creature.

Jun Li looked at the struggling monster on the ground and said faintly, “This is a Ghoul, a type of demon.”

Jun Li crouched down, looking at the Ghoul that was no longer struggling. The Ghoul’s body was blood-red, or rather, like a person who had been skinned.

Its limbs were thick, and its teeth were exposed and very sharp.

Their typical size is between 1.8 and 2 meters, and their upper limbs are long, with sharp claws, similar to a crawler.

“Their teeth and claws can be used for alchemy or artifact refining, their brains can be used in medicine, and their blood can also be used, though blood-based medicines are generally not good things,” Jun Li muttered, partly to verify her own knowledge and partly to explain to everyone in the Cross-World Group.

Yi Xin: “Jun Li, can you try to collect all these demonic items? Give us a share, and we can research them.”

Lin Zifeng: “Exactly!”

Ran Quan: “This makes me want to research them too, but I’m tech-oriented. Is the blood or anything not contagious? I’m worried it might cause some disaster…”

Jun Li: “I can collect these things for you, but how do I give them to you? Oh, don’t worry, they’re not contagious. Most demons, after they die, don’t have so-called contagiousness.”

Yi Xin: “Just put them in your shop to sell. We’ll buy them if we need them. Anyway, throwing them into the shop doesn’t cause any trouble. The shop is also a kind of infinite ‘storage warehouse’.”

Jun Li: “Okay! I understand.”

Jun Li skillfully yet somewhat unfamiliar collected the Ghoul’s brain, claws, teeth, and blood, then directly threw them into her shop, selling them all at the lowest price. None of them were expensive, ranging from a few to a dozen source points.

Just looking at it this way, they were indeed very low-level materials.

Completing these tasks took less than a minute. Jun Li stood up. Whether it was the Ghoul’s appearance or dismembering it, Jun Li showed no “adverse reactions” to the disgusting Ghoul.

She didn’t know if Jun Li was used to it or if she was naturally unafraid of such things.

After all, if it was the first time seeing such a disgusting creature, whether one was afraid was one thing, but it was truly disgusting.

However, Jun Li was not only not disgusted, but she even handled the brain directly. Of course, she definitely wrapped it in a layer of sword essence; she didn’t actually want to use her bare hands to open its skull and retrieve its brain.