Senior sister, stop working and go home for dinner.

Chapter 100 Villagers Protect Their Clan, Police Struggle to Reach the Mountain

Chen Anran, Feng Xiaolu, and Zhao Mengmeng immediately set off down the mountain.

Before even reaching the village entrance, a cacophony of voices could be heard from afar, interspersed with heated arguments, even louder than the noise at the busiest construction site.

The entrance to the Yunyin Sect's mountain road was now completely blocked by a dense crowd. Dozens of villagers, regardless of age or gender, were armed with hoes, shovels, hard hats, and even steel bars and formwork hastily salvaged from a construction site, forming a solid human wall that firmly kept seven or eight uniformed police officers at bay.

Fatty Li's round figure was particularly conspicuous. He stood at the very front of the crowd, his face flushed and neck bulging, his emotions unusually agitated. His usually smiling eyes were now wide open like saucers, and he shouted hoarsely at the leading police officer:

"No way! Absolutely not! No one is allowed to go up and disturb the immortal master's peaceful cultivation!" Fatty Li waved his thick arms, spitting almost onto the other person's face. "Do you know who lives on the mountain? They're living gods! Without them, where would we get our good life? What right do you have to go up there like that?!"

The villagers behind him were excited and echoed his sentiments:

"Exactly! Without you immortal masters, would Boss Zhao and the others have come to invest in our poor mountain village? We'd still be toiling in the dirt for food!"

"Mr. Li is right! Anyone who dares to disturb the Immortal Master will have to step over us first!"

"Officer, you have to consider the circumstances when trying to reason with us! These immortal masters are compassionate and bring blessings to the people; how could they possibly break the law? You must have made a mistake!"

"Yes! There's a mistake! Go back now!"

The villagers spoke in waves, each face displaying an unwavering defense and a hint of anger at being offended. To them, the Cloud Hidden Sect was more than just a few houses on the mountain; it was the place of their faith, the source of their destiny and boundless hope. Now that someone wanted to come up the mountain to "cause trouble," they were the first to object!

The leader was a stern-faced police officer in his forties. He clearly hadn't expected such fierce resistance and tried to explain, "Fellow villagers, please calm down! We're just carrying out our duties according to the law and need to find out some information from them. It doesn't mean we've broken the law..."

"Understand the situation? What situation do you need so many police officers to understand?" The speaker was Zhang Laoshi, wearing a hard hat, his face flushed and neck bulging, holding a shovel in his hand, followed by his apprentices. "They are good people! They are our great benefactors! If you want to understand the situation, you should understand it from us first! If you can't give us a clear explanation, none of you will be going up here today!"

"That's right! Don't even think about going up if you can't explain yourself!" The crowd erupted in thunderous response once again, and the human wall took another step forward. Several strong young men gripped their "tools" tightly, their eyes wary.

Faced with this completely out-of-control situation, the police were in a dilemma. Should they force their way in? Dealing with these emotionally charged villagers wielding "weapons" could easily escalate into unpredictable conflict. Should they try to reason with them? They wouldn't listen, constantly referring to the villagers as "divine masters" and "benefactors," their logic completely different from theirs.

Seeing the police's momentum falter, Fatty Li became even more emboldened. He patted his thick chest, his voice resolute: "I, Fatty Li, am putting this out there! The opening of Yunyin Cottage, and my success today, are all thanks to Master Chen! Anyone who tries to cause trouble for Master Chen and his group is causing trouble for me, Fatty Li, and going against all the men, young and old, at the foot of Yunyin Mountain! Unless I lie down, you won't take a single step forward!"

His words resonated deeply, filled with a sense of brotherhood and gratitude, instantly igniting a stronger connection with the villagers.

"Boss Li is right!"

"Let's fight them!"

The situation reached a stalemate, thick with tension.

Just then, Chen Anran and the other two finally squeezed to the back of the crowd.

Seeing the tense and turbulent scene before her, Feng Xiaolu shrank back, and Zhao Mengmeng was also dumbfounded.

Chen Anran was also shocked. He had never expected that the Cloud Hidden Sect would have such a status in the hearts of these simple villagers.

He took a deep breath, pushed through the crowd, and said loudly, "Everyone, please be quiet."

"Master Chen!"

"Immortal Master, why did you come down here?"

"Rest assured, Immortal Master, with us here, we will absolutely not allow them to disturb you!"

Fatty Li rushed over, his face filled with anxiety and concern: "Master Chen, why did you come down here? We can handle things here. You should go back up the mountain. Leave this little matter to me, Old Li!"

Chen Anran nodded to Fatty Li and the villagers, then walked past the crowd to the solemn-faced police officers and calmly began to speak:

"I am Chen Anran, a recluse cultivator from the Cloud Hidden Sect on the mountain. May I ask what brings you gentlemen to my Cloud Hidden Sect?"

Before the middle-aged policeman in charge could answer, a black jeep with police lights suddenly drove up from the end of the road. After the jeep stopped, a tall young man in a black jacket got out of the back seat with a nimble step.

He ignored the agitated villagers and Fatty Li, walked straight to the middle-aged police officer in the lead, and showed him a special badge that was different from ordinary police badges. His voice was cold, "Miscellaneous Affairs Section, Shen Zui. I'm taking over this."

Upon seeing the identification, the middle-aged police officer visibly relaxed and immediately saluted, saying, "Section Chief Shen!" He then gestured for his colleagues to step back and make room.

Shen Zui walked up to Chen Anran, his gaze falling on him. "Chen Anran?"

"It's me," Chen Anran nodded.

"Qingya Cave, Wang Chongshan, and more than ten of his followers completely lost contact after the fifteenth of last month." Shen Zui got straight to the point, speaking slowly but with weight in every word. "Mr. Chen, do you have any clues to offer regarding this?"

Feng Xiaolu blinked behind Chen Anran and muttered softly, "Qingya Cave? Isn't that..." Before she could finish speaking, Chen Anran stopped her with a look.

Zhao Mengmeng looked nervously at Chen Anran, then at the imposing young police officer, her palms sweating slightly.

"Section Chief Shen," Chen Anran said calmly, "The Yunyin Sect has always been quiet and self-disciplined, rarely interacting with fellow cultivators from the outside world. The cultivators from Qingya Cave only came once at the beginning of the year, and there has been no interaction since then."

Shen Zui stared into Chen Anran's eyes, his cold gaze seemingly searching for even the slightest flaw. After a moment, he said, "I know. Your sect was holding a Righteous Path Conference at that time, and many righteous Path members came. My people were out handling some matters at the time, so they couldn't attend the conference, which I regret now."

Upon hearing this, both Chen Anran and Feng Xiaolu were taken aback.

Shen Zui extended his palm to Chen Anran, "Let me reintroduce myself. Besides this worldly identity, I am also the 90th generation direct descendant of the Maoshan lineage."

"Shen Zui, a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator."