We bear people have power

Guan Bo wanted to inquire about the Tang Dynasty monk, but before he could speak, he heard a shout from outside the door: "Old village chief, Master Liaoyi has arrived. Shouldn't you go out and greet him?"

Upon hearing this, the old village chief bowed to Guan Bo and said, "Because of the strange occurrences in this village, we invited a highly skilled person to exorcise the evil spirits. I'll be right back. Please eat here for now, and if you need anything, just call out over the stove."

Guan Bo was inclined to go and see what was going on, but he couldn't bear to leave behind this table full of delicious food, so he said, "Old man, please go ahead. We'll eat here, and after we're done, we'll go and see this Taoist master."

The old village chief left, leaving only four people in the house eating and drinking.

Without Xiong Shanjun, the big glutton, to steal the food, the two girls didn't have big appetites, and Guan Bo single-handedly devoured half of the dishes on the large table. However, there weren't enough of these refreshing dishes, so Guan Bo headed towards the kitchen stove.

Firstly, I wanted to eat something else, and secondly, I wanted to see what the chef looked like; the dishes were absolutely superb.

When they reached the back room, they saw that the stove was still warm, but there was no one there.

Looking out the window again, he saw a little girl with pigtails, about the same age as Lingxiu, chatting with an old woman. Guan Bo had good hearing and heard the old woman say from afar, "You've saved your food for me again. How can you go hungry at such a young age?"

The little girl said, "I spend all day by the stove, how could I possibly lack food?"

After much persuasion, the old woman finally collected the half-basket of leftover food. Before leaving, she added, "You're a kind-hearted girl, but I have to warn you. I know what that old devil, the village chief, is up to. He pretends to take you in because you're poor, but he's actually looking for a child bride for his stupid son. Take my advice: if you can run away, don't look back, or your life will be ruined."

"I wouldn't dare say that, the village chief has been very kind to me," the little girl said with a smile.

“You’re only seven or eight years old. Other people’s children just play around, but you have to manage everything in this house by yourself. If you don’t do something right, you get a beating. Even I, an outsider, can’t stand it. How can you be considered a good person?” the old woman said, wiping away her tears.

The little girl just laughed and said, "The food is still warm in the pot, I have to go serve the guests. Come back tomorrow, I'll save you some more flour."

After saying that, the girl ran into the kitchen and bumped into Guan Bo.

Before Guan Bo could even speak, the young woman realized she had bumped into a customer and quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry for accidentally bumping into you. Please wait a moment, if you need more food, I'll go and make more right away."

Guan Bo then saw the little girl's face clearly and couldn't help but be surprised.

The villagers in these mountains are all struggling, toiling in the fields or foraging for food in the forests all year round. Few have time to relax. As a result, most of them have weathered and bitter faces, and it's considered a blessing to encounter someone with a rounder complexion.

But this little girl had a delicate appearance, with skin so white it was almost transparent, like smooth, lustrous cream, like a young lady raised in seclusion, not at all like someone who worked every day.

Anything unusual is suspicious, and Guan Bo could naturally see that, but he himself was a demon. So, as the saying goes, don't be surprised by the unusual; the eldest brother won't say anything to the second brother, and this little girl hasn't done anything immoral, so let's just pretend we don't know.

"Did you make this dish?" Guan Bo asked.

"Indeed, does it suit your taste?" the young girl replied politely.

"Not bad, quite delicious. Make some more. This is a reward for you." Guan Bo praised, then placed a gold bean in the little girl's hand.

This single piece of gold could probably buy everything in the village chief's house and still have some left over.

The little girl quickly declined, saying, "No, I don't need that much."

"It's fine. I'm rich and capricious. You can keep it if you want, or throw it away if you don't. Anyway, I'm not taking this gold back," Guan Bo said domineeringly.

The young girl was stunned, probably because she had never heard such nouveau riche talk before.

Guan Bo was quite pleased with himself, finally experiencing what it felt like to be rich, but showing off in front of this young girl didn't feel very fulfilling.

Since cooking would take some time, Guan Bo decided to go and see what was going on with Master Liaoyi. Gongsun Jing, however, had no habit of joining in the fun. As a Golden Core cultivator, she had absolutely no interest in this kind of "enlightened person" who was just trying to make a living in a small mountain village.

Xiong Shanjun was hungry and felt uneasy watching a bunch of people running around in front of him without being able to eat. So he didn't join in the fun.

Lingxiu, on the other hand, really wanted to go and watch the excitement, but Gongsun Jing held her back, wanting to temper her impetuous nature.

Guan Bo left the thatched hut alone. At this point, he didn't need anyone to lead the way; he simply walked towards the bustling crowds.

Along the way, the noise of conch shells and drums filled the air as villagers surrounded a fellow who was neither a monk nor a Taoist priest.

He wore a Taoist-style topknot and a plain robe, but he had a mantra hanging around his neck and was chanting "Amitabha Buddha."

He had a long, arched face, with uneven, slanted eyebrows. Apart from his neatly trimmed beard, everything else about him looked awkward.

This guy, neither monk nor Taoist, wasn't entirely putting on an act. Guan Bo saw some magical energy emanating from him, suggesting he understood cultivation. However, this fellow wasn't even as good as Zhou Gu; he was clearly a novice Qi cultivator, not even having achieved Foundation Establishment.

This man is quite old, yet his cultivation level is only this low. This can't even be considered quack practice; he's more like a charlatan who's had a stroke of luck and started dabbling in the martial world. At this rate, he'll only live a long and healthy life, dying in his seventies, and forget about ever seeking immortality.

But to ordinary people, those with magical powers are enlightened masters.

A strange phenomenon occurred in this mountain village: for hundreds of miles around, not a single bird or beast could be seen. In this day and age, people rely on the mountains for their livelihood, and without the animals in the forest, the village was struggling to survive.

So the villagers pooled their money and asked a traveling merchant to invite this Master Liaoyi. This master was quite imposing, with a whole village following him, an old man leading the way and young boys waiting behind. His breath was snorting in people's faces, and his chin was held high, as if he wanted to reach the sky.

Guan Bo originally only intended to watch the excitement, but this Master Liaoyi, who was neither a monk nor a Taoist, was walking through the crowd with a compass in his hand, and soon he was close by.

Suddenly, Master Liaoyi, who was squinting and counting on his fingers, cried out in a strange voice, "There's a demonic aura!"

Master Liaoyi scanned his surroundings with his small eyes and soon pinpointed Guan Bo's location.

Following Master Liaoyi's gaze, the villagers all saw Guan Bo, the outsider. Dressed in a white robe with black patterns, he looked like a fairly pleasing young man. Who would have thought he was a demon in disguise?

Guan Bo was completely dumbfounded, never expecting to be found by this "master". Despite the villagers' malicious looks, Guan Bo remained unfazed and calmly watched Master Yi's next performance.