73: eerie village

[Detected that Zhang Hai has comprehended the threshold of the Way of Beast Taming. Reward: Spirit Beast Cultivation Grand Gift Pack]

[Detected that Su Yao has comprehended the threshold of the Great Dao of Fire. Reward: Five Million Top-Grade Spirit Stones]

Li Haotian had just laid down in his room for three days when the System's broadcast echoed in his mind.

He hadn't Cultivated these days, constantly relying on his Disciples to provide Spiritual Qi support. The first thing he did every morning was make a fire and cook, then lie in bed after eating his fill.

With Spiritual Qi bolstering him, he didn't need to fear getting fat no matter how much he ate.

Life was quite blissful this way.

Lin Tianxuan diligently helped Spirit Gathering Peak with all sorts of chores, while the Disciples focused on their Cultivation. Only Du Xian was seen wandering around Li Haotian.

Du Xian wasn't neglecting his Cultivation; rather, he was anxious because his Family had encountered some problems. Li Haotian didn't care or pay much attention to this.

He had already helped him as much as he could, giving him a large number of Cultivation Techniques and resources. How far he could Cultivate depended on himself; Li Haotian would not directly intervene to solve his problems.

Li Haotian was a bit bored. His Revered Master had only left him less than a million Top-Grade Spirit Stones, and the System had just rewarded him with so many. What was he supposed to do with all these Top-Grade Spirit Stones?

These things sitting in his hands wouldn't generate interest, nor did they serve any purpose. If he gave them all to his Disciples, they wouldn't be able to use so many.

Li Haotian leaned against the window, feeling a little helpless, then suddenly seemed to think of something, and his eyes lit up.

His Disciples had consumed quite a few resources recently. Although their Spirit Gathering Peak had a profound foundation, it was mostly Spirit Stones, not many other resources.

They had already consumed almost a tenth.

Going forward, the faster the Disciples' Cultivation improved, the more resources they would need, requiring more rare treasures to stabilize their Cultivation.

As a result, these resources seemed somewhat scarce, not enough for them to use. If he were to take in more Disciples in the future, there wouldn't be any left.

Li Haotian decided to go out for a stroll. Anyway, his Disciples' next competition was still a month away, so he wasn't in a hurry. At worst, he could just rush back a month later.

Thinking of this, Li Haotian instructed Lin Tianxuan to watch over the two Disciples and ensure they Cultivated well, telling them to ask him if they had any questions. Then, he leisurely walked out of the Sect.

Not long after Li Haotian left, a stone suddenly appeared in Du Xian's hand. After some sounds came from within, Du Xian's expression changed drastically. He hastily packed his things and immediately prepared to descend the mountain.

Lin Tianxuan merely informed Li Haotian of the matter and did not stop him. Li Haotian, in turn, said there was no need to interfere.

The other party had his own things to do, his own mission to complete. Since the System hadn't issued a task for him to follow, it wasn't particularly important.

Soon, Li Haotian arrived at the nearby Qingzhou. It was vast and sparsely populated, with fewer people than other places, and the Spiritual Qi was not as dense as in other major states, making it appear quite desolate.

After traveling for a long time, Li Haotian finally discovered a village. It looked exceptionally strange.

Because all the villagers appeared sallow and emaciated, as if they were naturally malnourished.

As Li Haotian entered the village, the arrival of an outsider immediately attracted the attention of many.

"Young man, your clothes clearly show you're from the city, aren't you? Come, come, come, sit a while at my house."

An old man, leaning on a cane and looking relatively well, slowly walked forward, a faint smile on his face.

He seemed very kind.

"Village Chief, isn't this going too far? At least give us a chance to live. Can't he sit at one of our other villagers' homes?"

A villager seemed dissatisfied and tried to pull the Village Chief away, but was glared back at fiercely by the Village Chief, who then greeted Li Haotian with a smile.

Li Haotian didn't understand what these villagers meant. He looked at them with puzzled eyes but didn't speak, instead following the Village Chief into the village.

He saw a kind of longing, even madness, in the eyes of these other villagers. That look wasn't like looking at a living person; rather, it was like looking at a mountain of gold.

The greed revealed in those eyes was absolutely not faked.

"You must be laughing at us. Our village has been quite poor recently, and everyone is scrambling for travelers from out of town because the last traveler who stayed overnight in our village gave an ounce of silver, and he was also a city person."

"In recent years, there have been continuous droughts, and the crop harvests have been very poor. The villagers' lives are truly too difficult. I can provide you with the best accommodation and the best food in the village, hoping only that you can leave some silver to help us through this difficult time."

The Village Chief seemed to notice Li Haotian's confusion, so he immediately explained the situation.

Li Haotian smiled and nodded.

"Since you are hosting me, it is natural that I should pay for everything. Don't worry, the price I offer will definitely not let you suffer any losses."

The Village Chief revealed a relieved smile and nodded, then quickened his pace in leading the way.

A cold smile appeared at the corner of Li Haotian's mouth. This old man actually thought he was so easy to fool. The way the people in the entire village acted was not at all like they were starving.

There were so many piles of straw at the village entrance, clearly indicating that recent harvests had been excellent, and they had no worries about food or drink. He only needed a slight probe with his Divine Sense to detect that the village's granaries were full.

This village was definitely not as simple as it seemed, because Li Haotian could clearly feel a threatening aura.

One must know that his current Cultivation was at the Celestial-Human stage. Any existence that could threaten him must be a Powerhouse of a higher level. This village was full of Mortals; those Powerhouses wouldn't set their sights on these Mortals. If these Mortals had something they wanted, they would simply seize it directly.

These Mortals probably didn't have any treasures, because he had probed for a long time just now and hadn't detected anything in the village that contained Spiritual Qi.

It seemed the other party's purpose was not here.

Li Haotian was very puzzled by this but did not show it. Instead, he put on a calm facade, wanting to know what would happen.

Soon, the Village Chief led him home and cooked a steaming pot of white porridge with a large amount of white rice.

As Li Haotian drank the white porridge in his hand, he immediately noticed something was wrong.

The white porridge was clearly filled with a strange taste, as if it had been drugged. Young Revered Master Li Haotian wasn't too squeamish and directly used the Spiritual Qi in his body to resolve it.

The Village Chief stared at him intently, a hint of anticipation in his expression.

Li Haotian understood that if he didn't faint, the Village Chief wouldn't proceed with the next step.