Divine & Bizarre: Increasing Points to Invincibility-Chapter 977 - 258: The Immortal Who Aided Tyranny?
Upon learning that Fan Wu and his companions were not the mountain bandits and that they would offer silver for lodging in the village...
the villagers in the village immediately underwent a dramatic 180-degree change in attitude. From an initial subtle wariness to now an exceptional enthusiasm. They even eagerly put away their weapons, and some enthusiastic individuals volunteered to lead Old Blue Ox into the village.
While walking along the road, Yun Jiuqing looked at the old man beside her and could not help but be curiously inquisitive, firing off a series of questions, "Old sir, are you the Village Chief of this village? Why are the villagers all so vigilant—is it because of nearby bandits? Old sir, you must be a cultivator as well, right? Are you living in seclusion... in this village? What’s the name of this village?"
Hearing this barrage of questions... the old man felt somewhat overwhelmed. However, considering that Fan Wu and his companions were not bandits and would even pay for their stay, he patiently responded, "I am indeed the Village Chief of this village. The surrounding area does indeed have many mountain bandits, who often descend to harass the villagers. It’s normal for our people to be sensitive and vigilant."
"I am indeed a cultivator, though my practice is not very refined. It was lucky that in my youth, I found a cultivation technique. After that, I studied it intensively for most of my life! With that cultivation technique, I did spend some time training outside, but finding the outside world too dangerous, I returned and continued living as an ordinary villager here. As for the name of this village... it is called Kannan Village."
"So that’s it!" Yun Jiuqing suddenly realized, no wonder the villages were so vigilant and sensitive, and no wonder they were able to find such diverse weaponry in such short notice, even managing to organize themselves to block the essential path into the village in no time. Clearly, these villagers had experience combating bandits, and possibly, bandits had once plundered such a village.
Yun Jiuqing asked again, "Old sir, aren’t you a cultivator? Logically speaking, a cultivator should have many means to deal with mountain bandits, right? In my perception, most mountain bandits are disorganized mobs. Just killing three or four of them should send them into disarray. If it is a smaller bandit hideout, perhaps killing just one or two might suffice to deter them from raiding the village."
"Ah, if only it were that simple," the old Village Chief of Kannan Village shook his head with a distressed expression, "If I had the opportunity to kill a few of them, I would have done so long ago. These bandits in the mountains are exceedingly cunning; we don’t even know where their hideouts are, so how can we target them?"
"Moreover, when they come down to raid, they always choose a moment when we least expect it. Sometimes, they even take some children from our village hostage. With that, I am forced to stay my hand, for if I were to make a move, they would kill the children they’ve taken. And most importantly, among them are cultivators!"
"What, cultivators?" Yun Jiuqing’s eyes widened in shock, evidently stunned by the old man’s words, "Why would bandits have cultivators? Could it be... that cultivators have degraded to the point of becoming mountain bandits? I thought the status of cultivators was quite high? Anything should be better than being a bandit, no?"
"It’s not that cultivators have fallen and become bandits, but rather bandits who have become cultivators. These mountain bandits, I do not know which deity they worship, and inexplicably, this deity has chosen to favor a group of bandits. Thus they harness divine power, and some among them with innate talent have become cultivators."
"As for why those who become cultivators do not leave the bandits to seek greater prospects, who knows? Perhaps... after being bandits for a while, they have become accustomed to that life. After all, being a cultivator is also quite perilous; it attracts unrighteous villains looking for trouble."
"If one doesn’t have great ambition, for some it may indeed be more content and free to remain a bandit in the mountains," the old Village Chief of Kannan Village paused and continued, "If you intend to leave the village, try to do so during daytime. The bandits usually do not come down during the day, but the situation becomes uncertain at night."
"Which mountain are the bandits on?" A sudden voice made the old Village Chief of Kannan Village startle. He looked in the direction of the voice, discovering that it was a man eight feet tall who had spoken.
In the group present, the only person eight feet tall was, presumably, Fan Wu. As for why he asked such a question, naturally, it was because he was very interested in the bandits, or perhaps, in the deity the banditors worshiped.
