God Slayer: Make Up for the Past

Before Chu Feng could finish his words, Pan Yue's alertness interrupted him. The two of them stared at the dark shadows approaching the village in the distance, a sense of unease creeping into their hearts.

"We have to go back." Chu Feng said in a low voice, with a hint of imperceptible anxiety in his tone.

When they returned to the village, they were greeted not with gratitude but with hostility. The villagers gathered at the village entrance, hoes and sticks in hand, their faces agitated, as if they were facing invading bandits rather than defenders.

"You robbers, how dare you steal our spiritual veins!" Village chief Fang stood at the front of the crowd, pointing at Chu Feng and roaring. The gratitude he once had was gone, replaced by anger and disappointment.

Chu Feng was stunned, not understanding what was happening. "Village Chief, what are you talking about? We have always protected the spiritual vein and have never touched it."

"How dare you quibble!" someone in the crowd shouted, "I saw you carrying things out of the cave with my own eyes. Those must be treasures from the spiritual vein!"

"What we moved out were the filthy things left after repelling the evil spirits!" Chu Feng explained, feeling a sense of powerlessness in his heart.

"Filthy things? Who would believe that?" Lin Dadao hid in the crowd and fanned the flames. "You outsiders, you set your sights on our spiritual veins as soon as you arrived, and now you want to deceive us!"

Chu Feng looked at Pan Yue, hoping he could explain himself, but he saw a hint of doubt in his eyes. The previous misunderstanding, coupled with the villagers' accusations, had begun to waver.

"Pan Yue, don't you believe me either?" Chu Feng's voice trembled a little. He had never thought that the village he had risked his life to protect would repay him in this way.

Pan Yue was silent for a moment, but ultimately remained silent. It wasn't that he didn't trust Chu Feng, but the scene before him, coupled with some of the things Chu Feng had previously concealed, made it difficult for him to fully trust him.

Chu Feng saw this silence as a tacit acceptance of the villagers' accusations. His heart felt as if it were being gripped by an invisible hand, and a suffocating pain spread.

At this time, the mysterious businessman Zhao walked up to Village Chief Fang with a hypocritical smile and whispered, "Village Chief, you see, I told you that these outsiders can't be trusted. Now the evidence is conclusive, we must drive them out and protect our spiritual veins!"

Village Chief Fang was bewitched by the mysterious businessman Zhao and became more determined in his idea. He raised his crutch and pointed at Chu Feng: "Catch them!"

The villagers rushed forward, surrounding Chu Feng and Pan Yue. Chu Feng looked at the angry crowd, his heart filled with bitterness. He wanted to explain, but found that any words seemed pale and powerless.

In the distance, Liu Lingmai researcher watched this scene, his eyes filled with worry. He knew Chu Feng was being wronged, but he was too timid to speak up for him. He could only pray silently, hoping that Chu Feng could survive this crisis.

As the night deepened, the angry villagers, the silent Pan Yue, and the mysterious businessman Zhao, who was manipulating everything from the shadows, pushed Chu Feng into the abyss of despair. He gripped the sword tightly, feeling the warmth from the cold hilt, with only one thought in his mind: I must prove my innocence!

"Let me go!" Chu Feng roared, and suddenly broke free from the villagers who were restraining him...

Chu Feng roared, shocking the surrounding villagers. He chose not to resist violently, knowing that would only deepen the misunderstanding. Taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down, Chu Feng's gaze swept across the angry faces, finally landing on the thief Lin, who was hiding behind the crowd with a sinister smile on his face.

"You said you saw us carrying something out of the cave with your own eyes. What was it? What shape? What color?" Chu Feng's voice was low and powerful, looking directly at Lin the Bandit.

Lin Dadao was startled by Chu Feng's sharp gaze and stammered, "It's... it's... a glowing... thing..."

"A glowing thing?" Chu Feng sneered. "The only glowing thing in the cave is the filthy remnant of the evil spirit. It emits a faint green light and has a horrifyingly distorted shape. Are you sure you're looking at a treasure?"

Lin Dadao's face changed, his eyes flickered, and he didn't dare to look directly at Chu Feng. The surrounding villagers also began to talk about it. Obviously, Lin Dadao's lie had revealed a flaw.

"Also," Chu Feng continued, "Researcher Liu was there when we came out of the cave. He can testify."

Everyone's eyes turned to Researcher Liu Lingmai. He flinched, but eventually mustered his courage and whispered, "Yes... yes, what they brought out was indeed filthy..."

Chu Feng's innocence was partially confirmed, and the villagers' hostility also subsided a little. Although Village Chief Fang was still skeptical, he no longer insisted on arresting Chu Feng.

Just as the situation seemed to be calming down, the mysterious merchant Zhao spoke again. "Even if they didn't steal the spiritual vein's treasures, that doesn't mean they don't have other intentions! Who knows if they're trying to take advantage of this opportunity to get closer to the spiritual vein and snatch it away!"

He pulled out a shimmering stone from his bosom and held it high above his head. "I found this near the cave. It has a very similar aura to the spirit vein! I suspect this is the spirit vein fragment they stole!"

This stone was the one that the mysterious businessman Zhao had secretly knocked off the spiritual vein. He deliberately used it as "evidence" to put the blame on Chu Feng.

The villagers started to stir again, and the pressure on Village Chief Fang was increasing. Village Chief Fang looked at Chu Feng, his eyes full of struggle. He didn't want to believe that Chu Feng was a bad person, but he was also afraid that his spiritual vein would be snatched away.

"We...we must protect the spiritual vein..." Village Chief Fang finally made a decision, "You...you should leave here..."

Chu Feng's heart sank again. He understood that the mysterious businessman Zhao's conspiracy had succeeded.

At this moment, Lin Dadao rushed out with a group of armed bandits and surrounded Chu Feng and Pan Yue. "Since you won't leave, don't blame us for being rude!" Lin Dadao grinned and waved his sword. "Capture them!"

"Wait a minute!" Chu Feng shouted, trying to explain, "We are really being wronged! The Spiritual Vein Guardian can testify!"

However, the bandits ignored the explanation and rushed towards Chu Feng and Pan Yue, waving their weapons.

Pan Yue drew his sword and stood in front of Chu Feng. "Looks like we have no choice but to fight!"

Blades flashed and shouts of killing shook the heavens. Lin Dadao's men pounced on Chu Feng and Pan Yue like hungry wolves, brandishing their swords and knives with ruthless moves, completely ignoring Chu Feng's explanations. Pan Yue's swordsmanship was sharp, and he shuttled through the crowd like a dragon. Wherever his sword passed, the bandits fell to the ground. Chu Feng waved the short knife in his hand, fighting and retreating, while resisting the attacks, trying to explain again: "We really didn't rob the spiritual vein! We are here to protect it!"

However, driven by greed and suspicion, these bandits would not listen to any explanation. They only cared about the so-called "treasures" and "rewards." "Stop talking nonsense!" Bandit Lin swung his sword and slashed at Chu Feng fiercely. "Catch them and there will be a huge reward!"

The battle intensified. Chu Feng and Pan Yue stood back to back, barely holding off the bandits. Sweat beads formed on Chu Feng's forehead, but his gaze remained resolute, showing no sign of retreat. He knew that if they fell, the spiritual vein would be in real danger.

At this moment, a trembling voice came from the crowd: "Stop! They...they are really being wronged!"

Chu Feng and Pan Yue looked in the direction of the voice and saw Spirit Vein researcher Liu squeeze out from the crowd. His face was pale and his body was trembling slightly, but his eyes were remarkably firm. "I... I can guarantee with my life that they didn't steal the Spirit Vein treasure!"

The appearance of Liu Lingmai researcher instantly quieted the originally noisy scene. Village Chief Fang and the other villagers were stunned. They didn't expect that this timid scholar would actually stand up and speak for Chu Feng.

"Researcher Liu, you..." Village Chief Fang looked at him in surprise.

"Village Chief, I... I saw with my own eyes that what they brought out of the cave were filthy things of evil spirits, not treasures!" Spiritual Vein Researcher Liu summoned his courage and shouted, "They entered the cave to protect the spiritual vein!"

The words of the Liu Lingmai researcher resonated like a thunderclap among the crowd. The villagers began to discuss the matter, and their eyes towards Chu Feng and Pan Yue also changed subtly.

"I believe in Researcher Liu!" a villager stood up. "He's an honest man and wouldn't lie!"

"I believe it too!" another villager chimed in. "We were wrong about them!"

More and more villagers began to trust Chu Feng and Pan Yue, and their hostility gradually dissipated, replaced by guilt and apology.

However, the mysterious merchant Zhao was unwilling to witness this. His face darkened as he spoke again, "Even if they haven't stolen the spiritual vein's treasures, there's no guarantee they don't have other intentions! We must be cautious and not trust them easily!"

The mysterious businessman Zhao's words once again aroused the villagers' doubts. Village chief Fang was also caught in a dilemma, he didn't know who to trust.

At this moment, Chu Feng suddenly felt a powerful aura approaching. He looked up and saw a figure flying from a distance, and in the blink of an eye, it arrived in front of everyone.

"Who dares to act wildly in my territory?" The man who came was a man dressed in black with a stern face. He exuded a powerful aura that made people dare not look directly at him.

"Who are you?" The mysterious businessman Zhao looked at the visitor warily.

"I am the guardian of the spirit vein!" the man in black said coldly, "How dare you, these scoundrels, covet the spirit vein? Your crime is unforgivable!"

The appearance of the Spirit Vein Guardian had reversed the situation once again. Chu Feng was delighted, knowing that their chance had come.

However, at this moment, Chu Feng's eyes fell on the mysterious businessman Zhao. He found that the mysterious businessman Zhao quietly reached into his arms, as if he wanted to take out something.

Chu Feng's heart trembled, and an ominous premonition came over him. He suddenly pounced on the mysterious businessman Zhao and grabbed his wrist.

"What do you want to do?" Chu Feng shouted sternly.

The mysterious businessman Zhao's face changed drastically and he struggled desperately, but Chu Feng's hand was like an iron clamp, holding his wrist tightly.

"Let me go!" roared the mysterious businessman Zhao.

Chu Feng ignored his struggle and twisted it hard. With a "click", the mysterious businessman Zhao's wrist was broken.

The mysterious businessman Zhao screamed and the thing in his hand fell to the ground. Chu Feng picked it up and saw that it was a letter.

He unfolded the letter, glanced through it quickly, and his expression suddenly became solemn.

"This..." Chu Feng looked at the contents of the letter and muttered to himself, "This... How is this possible..."

He looked up at the mysterious businessman Zhao, his eyes full of confusion and shock.

"You... who are you..."