Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 384 Clouds Appear, Small Village's Crisis Resolved

On the muddy ground at the village entrance, Liu Mao stood with his two junior brothers, and the Willow Leaf Flying Boat transformed into three streaks of light and disappeared into his sleeve. He glanced sideways at the group of villagers trembling like leaves before him.

They were all elderly, weak, women, and children; not a single able-bodied person was to be seen.

That's not surprising. Every time the grain is collected, the young and strong men either hide in the mountains or cower in their houses, leaving only the powerless old and young to deal with it.

Liu Mao sneered inwardly, but his impatience grew stronger on his face. He took a step forward, his boots making a squelching sound as they sank into the mud.

"Old Shi! Is he dead? Come out here!"

The door to the thatched hut creaked open.

Old Shi, his back hunched, walked out shakily, followed by several other elderly men with equally white hair. Their faces were etched with wrinkles and fear, their eyes darting away, unable to look Liu Mao in the eye.

"Immortal Master..." Old Man Shi knelt down with a thud, his forehead pressed against the cold mud. "Spiritual food... I really can't gather enough spiritual food... I beg you, Immortal Master, to grant me a few more days... a few more days..."

"Grace period?" Liu Mao scoffed, stepping on Shi Laosi's shoulder with a light but utterly insulting foot. "You said you'd give me a grace period last month, and you're saying you'd give me a grace period this month. Shi Laosi, do you think this immortal master is too good-natured?"

Old Shi was pinned down, his body stiff, unable to move, and could only continue to plead: "This year's harvest is really bad... the fields..."

"I don't want to hear it!" Liu Mao interrupted impatiently. "Thirty catties of spirit grain, not a single grain missing. If you can't hand it over, you'll have to pay with someone else's life." His gaze swept past Shi Laosi and landed on the children and girls huddled in the corners and behind the doors. "Where's your granddaughter? Her name is Xiao Cui, right? Thirteen years old, she should be old enough to understand things by now."

Old Master Shi trembled, tears streaming down his face: "Immortal Master! Xiao Cui is still so young..."

"Young?" A disciple behind Liu Mao chuckled. "There are plenty of twelve or thirteen-year-old sisters in the outer courtyard of the Hehuan Sect. If we go and train them a bit, they might turn out alright."

These words elicited a few suppressed sobs from the women hiding inside the house.

Liu Mao was very satisfied with this effect. Fear was the best catalyst. He withdrew his foot, leaned closer to Shi Laosi, lowered his voice, but his tone was cold: "Shi Laosi, I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Either you see thirty catties of spirit grain, or you see your granddaughter. Otherwise..." He straightened up, looked around the entire village, "your Little Stone Village will have no reason to exist."

As soon as he finished speaking, he made a hand seal, and a tiny flame ignited at his fingertips, reflecting the undisguised cruelty in his eyes.

This is the most basic fireball spell; it's not very powerful, but it's enough to burn down a few huts.

Old Shi slumped to the ground, his lips trembling, unable to speak. The old people behind him were also ashen-faced.

A stick of incense.

If they hand over the entire village's food rations, it means that many people in the village will starve to death in the next few months.

He either had to hand over Xiao Cui, his only granddaughter, since his son and daughter-in-law had died in the jaws of a monster years ago, leaving only this one child.

Or... the whole village will be burned down.

There was no choice. There never was.

Old Shi closed his eyes, and murky tears slid down his cheeks. He spoke with difficulty, "Little...Little Cui..."

"grandfather!"

A small, thin figure ran from outside the village and rushed to Shi Laosi's side; it was Xiao Cui. Tears still clung to her face, but she stubbornly stood in front of her grandfather, glaring at Liu Mao: "You...you can't bully my grandfather!"

Prefer fantasy novels? Click to enter your personal book library!

Old Shi's eyes widened. "Why are you back? Where are your Uncle Yong and the others?"

The "Uncle Yong" that Old Shi mentioned was the man from last night. His full name was Shi Yong, and he had originally left with all the able-bodied men and women of the village last night...

"Grandpa, don't be afraid! Kind immortals have come! They say they'll help us!"

Before Xiao Cui could finish speaking, the playful expression on Liu Mao's face, like a cat catching a mouse, suddenly froze, then turned into a look of surprise and doubt. He abruptly turned his head and looked in the direction Xiao Cui had run from.

On the forest path, several figures had been standing quietly for some time now.

The leader was a tall woman in a neat tracksuit. Her long, dark hair was tied in a ponytail, and her amber vertical pupils gleamed coldly in the morning light. A pair of jet-black animal ears on her head twitched slightly.

It was Qi Lan.

Beside her, Shen Zui stood solemnly, his hand already resting on the modified standard longsword at his waist. A step behind him stood Huiming, draped in a grey monk's robe and holding prayer beads. His eyelids were slightly lowered, his expression serene, yet he possessed a calm and collected aura. Further back, Feng Wenzheng and Jiang Yan stood side by side, with disciples from both families behind them, including Jiang Yun, Asheng, Feng Changyuan, and Feng Lie.

They didn't use any escape lights or display any spiritual pressure; they simply walked there on foot.

Liu Mao and his two companions were both surprised and suspicious when they saw this strangely dressed group.

Buddhist disciples? Demons? And strangely dressed, short-haired people from other realms?

"Who...who are you?" Liu Mao's pupils contracted, and he subconsciously took a half step back, gripping the cheap communication jade in his sleeve.

Huiming clasped his hands together and said, "This humble monk, Huiming, and several fellow Daoists have come from the Yunyin Sect." He paused slightly, then added, "Yesterday, my master met with your Lei Xiaozi."

The expressions of Liu Mao and the other two changed drastically when they heard the words "Yunyin Sect" and "Lei Xiaozi".

A chill ran down Liu Mao's spine. But he forced himself to remain calm, puffing out his chest with a fierce but ultimately weak expression: "Yunyin Sect? Never heard of it! This place is under the jurisdiction of my Qingyang Valley. You dare trespass and interfere in my sect's affairs? Do you intend to make enemies of my Qingyang Valley?"

The two disciples behind him were even more nervous, secretly gripping the low-level magic swords at their waists, their eyes constantly glancing at Liu Mao, clearly at a loss for what to do.

Qi Lan scoffed, crossed her arms, and impatiently flicked her tail behind her: "Qingyang Valley? What a show of power. Yesterday, five Golden Core cultivators were thrown around like dead dogs at our mountain gate. Was your Qingyang Valley leader in there too? What, haven't you learned your lesson yet, sending these little shrimps to embarrass yourselves?"

"You...!" Liu Mao's face flushed red, speechless, choked by Qi Lan's merciless sarcasm.

"Amitabha," Huiming stepped forward, "This place is a mortal village, nourished by heaven and earth, and has its own way of survival. Your clan's demands are insatiable, and you have forcibly abducted..." "This is against the natural order and not the proper path of cultivation. Please, the three fellow cultivators, return here. The Cloud Hidden Sect is here; from now on, the villagers of this place will not need your sect's 'protection'."

"You want to take over this place? What makes you think you can?!" Liu Mao was both shocked and furious. "Just the few of you? One half-demon, one bald monk, and a few others whose spiritual energy fluctuations are barely perceptible..."

Before he could finish speaking, an overwhelming spiritual pressure, like the might of heaven, suddenly suppressed Liu Mao and the other two Qingyang Valley disciples to the ground!

The King of Rice of the Wangchuan Clan says: Read this book!