Gods: Start with Goblins

Seeing that the two seemed to be chatting happily, Luo Dan put on a humble smile and said casually: "I just asked casually just now. I hope you two brothers don't mind." As he said that, he took out a handful of spirit stones from his arms. The spirit stones flickered with attractive light under the reflection of the campfire.

The moment they saw the spirit stones, the eyes of the tall and thin man and the short and fat man suddenly lit up, and their faces showed greed that could not be concealed. The Adam's apple of the tall and thin man moved unconsciously, and his eyes stared straight at the large handful of spirit stones. It must be said that Luo Dan was really generous. This handful of spirit stones was at least more than 300. For them, this was equivalent to half a year's salary.

The short and fat man swallowed his saliva, his eyes full of surprise, and the smile on his face became even brighter: "Oh, this brother is too polite, I don't feel comfortable saying this." Although he said this, his hand had already reached out unconsciously, wanting to take the spirit stone.

The tall and thin man was not to be outdone, and quickly said, "That's right, brother, you're spending too much. But since you're so enthusiastic, it would seem we're being pretentious if we don't accept it." As he spoke, he also stretched out his hand, and together with the short and fat man, he took the spirit stone, and the smile on his face became even more intense.

Seeing this, Luo Dan still had a gentle smile on his face and said, "Don't be so formal, brothers. Just consider it as a token of my appreciation for your advice. If I have the opportunity to join the sect in the future, I will have to rely on your care."

The tall and thin man and the short and fat man were holding the spirit stones, their hearts blossoming with joy, nodding repeatedly: "Of course, of course. If you join the sect in the future, feel free to come to us if you have any problems."

Luo Dan was secretly satisfied. With this handful of spirit stones, he successfully made the two men feel good about him. It should be much easier to get more information from them. At this time, the other people in the camp were still busy with their own things. The flames of the campfire were dancing, as if to add power to Luo Dan's plan. Luo Dan's eyes were also shining with confidence, and he was thinking about the next move. After receiving the spirit stones, the attitudes of the tall and thin man and the short and fat man suddenly changed 180 degrees. The tall and thin man smiled with a flattering look in his eyes, and patted Luo Dan on the shoulder.
The short and fat man also nodded repeatedly and agreed, "That's right, we are all family. And to be honest, our Shangguan Sect doesn't have any particularly outstanding strength. We are here just to make a cameo appearance and join in the fun." As he spoke, he carefully put the spirit stone into his arms, as if it was the most precious treasure in the world.

Luo Dan smiled secretly in his heart, but still pretended to be sincere on the surface, and said: "You two brothers are too polite. I just don't know much about your sect and the situation of this mountain range, so I have to ask you for more advice. For example, what is the matter with the young master being arrested that you just mentioned? Who are the forces that are interrogating him?"

The tall and thin man and the short and fat man looked at each other. The tall and thin man hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "This matter is complicated. Our young master found some extraordinary things in the mountains this time, which may be related to the whereabouts of the two saints and the treasures of the monster clan. As a result, the news leaked out and was known by several other major forces. They united to capture the young master."

The short and fat man went on, "Among these forces, there are the Tianjian Sect, the Xuanling Pavilion and the Blood Demon Palace. They are all people who are not easy to deal with. In order to get information, they used many means against the young master. Alas, poor young master..." As he spoke, a look of pity appeared on his face.

Luo Dan frowned slightly and pretended to be indignant: "These people are too much! Are you going to watch the young master being tortured by them?"

The tall and thin man sighed helplessly: "Our sect also wants to save the young master, but those forces are too strong, we are no match for them. Moreover, there seems to be a disagreement between our sect leader and some elders, so this matter has been delayed..."

Luo Dan nodded, but he was thinking quickly in his heart. It seems that the relationship is complicated. It is not an easy task to rescue Shangguan Bowen. However, he has obtained a lot of useful information from these two people. Next, he has to find a way to learn more about the situation. At this time, the light of the campfire gradually dimmed, and everyone in the camp fell asleep one after another, but Luo Dan's eyes were still bright, flashing with the light of thought in the darkness.

The moonlight was like water, gently sprinkled on the makeshift camp, and the embers of the campfire occasionally made crackling sounds, adding a different atmosphere to the quiet night. Luodan and the tall and thin man sat around the campfire, seemingly chatting casually, but in fact every word was hidden with deep meaning.

Luo Dan leaned forward slightly, with just the right amount of curiosity and confusion on his face, and said softly, "I'm just simply curious about what happened in your sect. This sounds too bizarre. Logically speaking, shouldn't your sect keep it secret for the young master? How could so many forces know about it?"

The tall and thin man subconsciously looked around and confirmed that no one was paying attention to them before he lowered his voice and said, "Brother, this is a long and complicated story. Our young master is extremely talented and is a star-studded figure in the sect. Everyone is looking forward to him leading the sect to new glory."

The short and fat man sighed heavily and took over the conversation: "Yeah, who would have thought that when he went out for training this time, he would actually run into something related to the Holy See. I don't know which link went wrong, but the news got out. At the beginning, the sect wanted to conceal it for the young master. After all, the fewer people who know about this kind of thing, the better."

The tall and thin man frowned, his face full of helplessness: "However, our sect is not a monolithic entity. Some elders, for their own benefit, secretly leaked the news to other forces. They thought that if they could gain benefits from other forces, their position in the sect would be more stable."

"This is too much!" Luo Dan pretended to be shocked and said angrily, "For your own selfish interests, you sold out the young master. How can this be considered a big deal! Are you ordinary disciples just going to watch and do nothing?"

The short and fat man smiled bitterly and shook his head: "What can we do? Those elders are powerful and influential, how can we, the little minions, dare to say anything. Moreover, they have also spread the word that anyone who dares to say anything will be treated as a traitor to the sect."

The tall and thin man also echoed: "Yes, everyone is afraid of getting into trouble, so they can only pretend that they don't know. Now that the young master has been arrested, everyone in the sect is in a panic, and no one knows what to do."

Luo Dan nodded slightly, his eyes swept back and forth between the two people's faces, and continued to ask: "Now that the young master has been captured by those forces, what methods did they use to interrogate him? Have you heard any news?"

The tall and thin man and the short and fat man looked at each other, with a hint of hesitation in their eyes. The tall and thin man licked his lips and whispered, "I heard that those forces are very cruel. They tortured the young master with severe punishments and various magic weapons, just to make him tell the whereabouts of the Holy Throne and the news of the treasure of the monster clan." The short and fat man showed a reluctant look on his face: "Our young master is also stubborn and has not given in until now. But if this continues, how can he bear it..."

At this time, a gust of night wind blew, causing the flames of the campfire to sway violently, and the atmosphere in the camp became even more depressing. Luo Dan looked at the jumping flames thoughtfully, secretly thinking about how to use this information to rescue the trapped Shangguan Bowen.

The night was getting darker, and the sound of insects chirping around was like playing a unique nocturne. The short and fat man took over the tall and thin man's words, his face full of emotion, and he sighed heavily and said: "Well, speaking of it, our young master's luck is really bad. Going out for training is a good thing, and his realm has been greatly improved. If it weren't for these troubles later, his position in the sect would definitely be more stable, and it would be a natural thing for him to take over the position of the head in the future."

As he spoke, he shook his head helplessly. Under the light of the fire, the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen. "But who could have expected that our young master would be implicated for no reason just because of the death of two powerful saints. Who can we go to for justice?"

The tall and thin man nodded repeatedly, with a bit of resentment on his face: "Yes, the fall of the two saints has already set off a huge uproar. Various forces are secretly investigating, hoping to gain benefits from it. Our young master just happened to be in the middle of it, and was used as a breakthrough. Those forces didn't care about right or wrong, and they just assumed that our young master knew something and arrested him directly."

Luo Dan frowned slightly, pretending to be puzzled and asked: "But even if the young master was nearby at the time, he might not know the details of the fall of the Holy Throne. How could those forces be so sure?"

The short and fat man scratched his head and said, "This is a strange thing. It is said that the young master was discovered on his way back, and there were some strange signs around him, which seemed to be vaguely related to the rumors of the fall of the Holy Throne. We, the low-level disciples, are not sure what the specific signs are. Anyway, the news spread like this, and those forces set their sights on our young master."

The tall and thin man then added, "What's even more infuriating is that there are people in our sect who actually cooperated with those forces and leaked the whereabouts and some details of the young master. If there hadn't been a traitor in the sect, the young master wouldn't have been in such a passive position."

Luo Dan listened thoughtfully, with a barely perceptible light flashing in his eyes. He continued to ask, "Now that the young master has been captured for so long, your sect has no way to rescue him? Are you just going to watch him suffer at the hands of those forces?"

The short fat man and the tall thin man looked at each other, both showing helpless expressions on their faces. The short fat man spread his hands, smiled bitterly and said: "We also want to save the young master, but those forces are too strong, our sect is simply no match for them. Moreover, the sect is now in a mess, and the elders have their own thoughts, and it is impossible to work together to rescue the young master."

At this time, a cold wind blew, making the campfire roar and sparks fly. The trees around the camp swayed in the wind, making rustling sounds, as if they were also sighing for Shangguan Bowen's experience.

It was late at night, and the surroundings were quiet and somewhat depressing. Occasionally, the roar of monsters in the distance added a bit of tension. The short and fat man approached Luo Dan, his expression solemn, and his voice lowered: "At first, the young master really didn't know anything. Our entire sect didn't take this matter seriously and completely dispelled our vigilance. Who would have thought that no matter how much defense you have, you can't prevent a thief in your own home!"

He paused, a trace of anger and unwillingness flashed across his face, "The elders interrogated Shangguan Bowen's protector in private, and he confessed everything. Now this matter has grown wings and can no longer be concealed."

The tall and thin man stamped his feet in anger and took over the conversation: "Those elders are also confused! At the beginning, they had no intention of revealing it to the outside world. They just wanted Shangguan Bowen to hand over the treasure and opportunity first. They are sure that the young master's realm breakthrough was so fast this time, and he must have obtained the opportunity of the Beast King and the Heavenly Saint Taoist."

“This is just a blind guess!” Luo Dan showed surprise and dissatisfaction at the right time, “How can you treat the young master of your own sect like this based on just guessing?”——————————————

The short and fat man waved his hands helplessly, "Who said it wasn't true? But the elders are powerful and influential, who can easily refute what they have determined? At that time, the young master was shocked and angry, saying that he didn't get any treasure or opportunity at all, but the elders didn't believe him at all, and even pressed him harder."

The tall and thin man frowned, recalling the scene at that time. "As the situation remained at a stalemate, the news outside became more and more intense. Other forces heard the news from somewhere and came knocking on our door. The elders were panicked, but they were reluctant to give up those possible treasures and wanted to save face in front of other forces. As a result, the situation became worse and worse."

Luo Dan narrowed his eyes slightly and pretended to be puzzled and asked: "What about now? Things have developed to this point, the elders must have a solution, right?"

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The short and fat man smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Countermeasures? They are in a mess now. Some elders are still thinking about cooperating with other forces to get a piece of the pie; others want to protect the reputation of the sect and put all the responsibilities on the young master. Poor young master, he is still suffering at the hands of those forces. We, as disciples, are really anxious, but we can do nothing."

At this time, the campfire gradually dimmed, and darkness seemed to swallow up the small camp bit by bit, just like Shangguan Bowen's situation, which became more and more difficult, while Luodan's eyes became more and more determined, flashing with a light of thought in the darkness. (End of this chapter)