Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 685 Sunset Glow (Part 1)

Lan Mei said earnestly, "This bow is named Star-Slaying Bow, meaning that wherever the arrows fly, the stars and moon can be captured. It was left to me by my ancestors and has been passed down for generations. It is related to my family's martial arts."

It's fair to say that most of my strength lies in this bow.

"Sir, you may keep this bow for me for now, until this matter is resolved. You can return it to me then."

She gritted her teeth, reached down and took the large bow off her back, holding it respectfully with both hands.

The bow is two meters long, its body resembling jade, radiating a faint crimson glow under the moonlight. The bowstring is like cotton wool, pure white and flawless. A jade-colored crystal is inlaid in the handle, gleaming brightly.

"This is my specially customized weapon, the Dragon-Protecting Purple Iron Gauntlets. Constantly nourished by my true energy, it can be compared with a secret treasure."

"This is the Ruyi Jade Pouch, containing my famous hidden weapon, the Piercing Yang Needle."

Lechang Town and Zhang Lan immediately understood and gritted their teeth to offer up their weapons.

At their level, their personal weapons are no longer something that ordinary people can change at will.

A master is called a master because he has a unique understanding and mastery of the path he cultivates.

If a master is promoted solely through martial arts skills, changing weapons won't have much of an impact.

The weapons carried by the three of them had been nourished by their inner energy for years, even decades. They had long since become an integral part of each other, complementing one another.

It can be said that this accounts for a large part of their strength.

Losing them would severely impact their combat effectiveness. Of course, given the current situation, surrendering their weapons wouldn't be a big deal for the three of them.

They experienced firsthand that even the three of them combined were no match for Han Yi.

I witnessed it firsthand. Even when Qu Huan, one of the Five Tigers, unleashed his full power, he could only exchange one or two blows with Han Yi at most.

He had already given up the courage to take action against Han Yi.

Since no matter what, they can't beat Han Yi.

Therefore, whether or not the weapons are handed over seems to be unimportant.

The most important thing right now is to save your life.

"Alright, alright... You can keep the weapons yourselves." Seeing the fear on the faces of the three men before him, Han Yi smiled. "From this day forward, the three of you will be temporarily appointed as guest elders of my Ten Thousand Beasts Sect. What do you say?"

The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect is about to make a comeback, and what it lacks most is experts.

These three had followed Kou Hu in battle for many years and were highly experienced. Lan Mei, in particular, was an exceptional talent.

With these three joining the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, the sect can help solve the problem of a short-term talent shortage.

As for whether they will rebel...

He could even accept Zhang Ruoning's two betrayals and her repeated shifts in all directions.

Let alone these three?

He didn't care.

"Greetings, Sect Master!!!"

The three were overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately bowed respectfully.

The future is uncertain, and no one can predict it.

Live in the moment.

At least, the three of them are alive now.

“Over there…follow me…”

“Yes…” At this moment, dozens of patrolling guards followed the trail and came running over.

"Sect Master, I'll disband the squad to prevent this from getting out," Lechang Town suggested.

"Don't rush... perhaps... we'll need them soon..."

Han Yi did not agree, but instead looked in one direction.

"?"

The three exchanged glances, not understanding what Han Yi meant.

boom! ! !

In an instant, the sky brightened up, as if the sun had risen in the east, and the red flames, like magma, shot into the sky and erupted.

Thick black smoke spread rapidly, filling most of the field of vision.

Buzz...

Immediately following were the booming sounds of explosions. "That...that is..." Lechang Town couldn't steady himself and strained to see.

The familiar scene reminded him of what had happened not long ago when Chun Rongrong barged into the city.

“That location…” Zhang Lan murmured to herself, as if she had remembered something, and her face suddenly turned pale.

Lan Mei's legs felt weak, and her body swayed slightly.

"That...that's the granary! It's filled with grain and fodder stored up for years...the military supplies we took last time...are all in there..."

"Is Kou Lie... there too?" Han Yi turned his head to look at the three of them, his tone indifferent.

"I told you from the beginning... this was just a misunderstanding... someone wanted revenge against the government troops, Kou Lie, the granary... those were their targets..."

The three people from Lechang Town looked at each other in bewilderment.

Gazing at the towering flames and billowing smoke in the distance, the three men wore bitter smiles, unable to utter a single word.

……………

……………

"Candy candies, freshly baked candies... delicious and inexpensive~ Yo..."

"Fresh fruits and vegetables, all picked and sold on the spot..."

"Five-spice meatballs, one bite and you're in heaven!"

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, in Xuhe Village, at the open space at the east entrance of the village.

Xuhe Village is not large, with about two or three hundred households.

Arable land is also scarce.

The hundred-plus acres of land were already insufficient to distribute, and then a portion of it was taken by the government troops to be used as camps.

As for hunting in the mountains and forests, that was extremely troublesome.

There is a forest near Xuhe Village. A while ago, I heard constant shouts and screams of fighting in the forest, which lasted all night.

I checked it the next morning.

Good heavens, it was practically a river of blood.

The trees and soil in the forest were completely destroyed.

Disheveled limbs and severed parts were scattered everywhere, with intestines and excrement spilling out. Large amounts of dark hair, soaked in blood, were tangled around the broken pieces of swords and blades, impossible to separate even with forceful pulling.

The river was filled with armored corpses, blocking the water flow so much that it almost overflowed onto the bridge.

The villagers of Xuhe Village had never seen such a scene before. They were so frightened that they lost control of their bladder and bowels, and thought they were dreaming.

After confirming that I hadn't misread it.

Of the three villagers who were gathering herbs together, two fainted on the spot, and the remaining one ran back in a panic, falling several times and suffering a limp as a result, becoming disabled. Over the next few days, soldiers came and went, treating the wounded and cleaning up the battlefield to prevent the spread of plague.

Of course, there were also some daring people in the village.

Afterwards, some rogues and scoundrels went back into the forest, partly to hunt and gather herbs, hoping to make some money.

Secondly, they wanted to see if there was any possibility of profiting from the dead by taking advantage of the situation.

hey guess what?

Gone forever.

Now the villagers of Xuhe Village dared not venture into the mountains and forests rashly.

Especially after so many people died, for some reason, wild beasts and monsters seemed to be terrified and all disappeared.

The entire forest resembled a dead forest.

Now look what's happened! Farmland is gone, and so are the wild animals for hunting.

The villagers of Xuhe Village have completely lost their livelihoods.

So those who had money moved away, while those who didn't had money sought other opportunities from their relatives.

Village chief Wang Youcai had received a few years of schooling and was quite intelligent.

Knowing that things would continue like this, Xuhe Village would eventually become a dead village.

So they discussed it with the village elders.

They beat drums and gongs, cried for their parents, and ran to the city to plead their case.

They said the government troops had occupied the land and destroyed the forest, leaving the entire village starving and without any hope of survival.

When the officials saw that it was a matter concerning the local military, they dared not interfere and could only try to gloss over it.

But they couldn't stand it anymore; they came to make trouble every day, and each time it was almost half the village.

Finally, having no other choice, they had to issue a market opening certificate to Xuhe Village.

Essentially, it grants Xuhe Village permission to set up a market, attracting merchants from all directions to trade and facilitating trade among the surrounding large villages. However, this is merely a permit; whether it can be successfully implemented depends on the village's capabilities.

Perhaps it's because village chief Wang Youcai is indeed talented.

Perhaps this is the turning point for Xuhe Village.

Although the village was in a poor location, unexpectedly, because it was close to the government army camp, bandits and thieves dared not approach, and a market successfully sprang up.

"Your melon... is it guaranteed to be ripe?"

A few young men dressed in a frivolous manner were rummaging through the stall in a flippant tone.

“They’re all cooked… absolutely cooked…”

The stall owner was an elderly woman with a full head of white hair and wrinkled skin.

"Ripe? But you guys just like to eat raw ones. Give me a few raw melons." The young man in the lead, with a short haircut, smiled maliciously. "Raw...melon?" The stall owner was taken aback.

“Unripe melons… how can you sell them? Everything here is ripe…”

Before she could finish speaking, the crew-cut young man became agitated.

puff.

"Fine, are you looking down on us? Do you know who we are? We are the Four Dragons of Yunzhou!" He took out a short knife and cleaved the watermelon in his hand in two.

The tempting red juice splashed everywhere, and the bright red flesh of the melon was particularly eye-catching.

"Old woman, you called us greenhorns, and you're not giving us an explanation. This isn't over!"

Tick-tock…

Red watermelon juice dripped slowly down the blade onto the ground.

At first glance, it looks almost like fresh blood.

"Ah..." The stall owner finally realized what was happening. He had run into some thugs who were trying to cause trouble and extort money.

"But...I...I already paid the stall fee..." she said timidly, her voice trembling slightly.

"Stall fee? What does that have to do with us?" the crew-cut youth shouted. "You insulted us brothers, don't you have to apologize to us?"

"I...have no money..." the old woman sighed, her tone helpless.

"If I had money, why would I, at my age, be setting up a stall to supplement my family's income..."

"No money...? That's even better." The crew-cut youth grinned menacingly. "Brothers, smash it!"

Crackling.

Several people jumped forward and started fighting.

Suddenly, it was like a rainstorm. Red watermelon juice splashed everywhere, causing passersby to scramble for cover.

"Stop! These are all good melons! They can sell for money!!!" Despite his old age and frailty, the stall owner bravely stepped forward to try and save his stall.

There were four strong and healthy young men.

They were also carrying sharp weapons.

Even a strong, middle-aged man would feel intimidated if he faced such a person.

Moreover, it's an elderly person.

The old woman was kicked in the waist and lay on the ground for a long time without getting up.

It was hard to tell if it was blood or watermelon juice; his forehead was covered in blood.

"My watermelon... my watermelon..." Even so, she continued to wail, trying her best to protect the watermelon under her body.

The surrounding vendors quickly packed up their stalls.

Passersby quickened their pace, not daring to look any longer.

They were afraid of attracting attention and getting into trouble. In this world, nobody wants to be friend-zoned.

"You old bastard, this will teach you a lesson. Next time, bring money. Otherwise, I'll beat you up every time I see you!"

Seemingly exhausted from the fight, the crew-cut youth panted heavily, spat out a mouthful of saliva, and strode away.

Where there is light, there will also be darkness.

Xuhe Village is no exception.

The villagers are few in number, and most of them are kind-hearted people.

But there will always be a few idlers who cause trouble.

Among them, the young man with a buzz cut, the eldest son of village chief Wang Youcai, was the leader.

No one dares to provoke him, and no one wants to provoke him.

Rampantly overbearing.

Since the market opened, these men have been swarming around, exploiting vendors and extorting protection money.

Fortunately, although the four of them were of bad character and committed many evils, they still had some discernment.

They generally wouldn't dare mess with a tall, burly butcher who slaughters pigs and cattle.

Or they wouldn't mess with a large family in the village, the kind with several brothers.

They are like the melon vendor, an outsider, a stranger, who looks easy to bully.

That's why they'd ask for money.

After this show of force, the collection of protection fees should go much more smoothly.

call…...

The old woman struggled to carry the basket on her back, wiped the dust off her clothes, and with tears in her eyes, picked out the still intact watermelons from the messy ground.

She carefully wiped each item clean, placed it back in the basket, and, hunched over, leaned on a wooden stick to get up and slowly incline out. No one paid her any attention, and no one noticed.

"Have some water, sit down and rest."

In the end, someone had a soft heart and spoke up to comfort them.

"That's just how the world is...nobody has it easy, but when you count them all, it's us ordinary folks who suffer the most...It's so hot outside, having a couple of sips of tea makes me feel a little better."

The tea stall owner sighed and closed his fan.

Seemingly sensing the old woman's predicament and embarrassment, he hesitated in his heart.

"Little Tiger, serve her a bowl of barley tea!" he called out as he turned around.

Soon, a chubby-faced little fellow ran out, carrying a teapot almost as big as himself. He stood on a small stool and laboriously bent over to pour tea.

"Grandma, come and have some tea. It's free!" The little guy smiled sweetly. "Thank you... thank you..." Unable to refuse his hospitality, the old woman, carrying a basket on her back, strolled to a corner of the tea stall and sipped her hot tea.