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Chapter 63 Village
Xuejia Village is far from peaceful today.

The village chief, leaning on his cane, put on his best clothes, which were kept at the bottom of his trunk, and strained to look ahead with his half-blind eyes.

His frail body could no longer sustain standing for long, and the malnutrition he had been suffering from recently had exacerbated the situation. Nevertheless, the village chief persevered, albeit tremblingly, while maintaining his most polite and respectful demeanor.

—Because he knew very well that he couldn't afford to mess with the group of people who were about to pass through the village.

Therefore, I must do the same.

Therefore, everyone in the village must do the same.

Behind him, the village's remaining seven or eight households also put on their best clothes—though they were just coarse linen fabrics covered in patches—and lined up on both sides of the dirt road as if to welcome him.

Even with his good intentions, there are still some people who don't understand.

The whispers, like the buzzing of flies, never stopped from beginning to end.

"I really don't know what's wrong with the village chief. It's just a small trading team. Why does he have to act so humble? It's like they're some big shots from the county town."

"I heard they're not just merchants, are they? You remember Wanggang Village, which, like us, refused to accept the blessings of the Grand Duke Jupiter, right? I heard that these merchants only passed through once, and then the entire village mysteriously disappeared."

"Not only that, it seems like they change the camel pack animals in their group very frequently, and it seems like every time they change them, there's always some people left in the surrounding villages."

"Hey, I'm telling you, why are we going through all this trouble? If all else fails, why not just accept the gift from the Grand Duke Jupiter? I've heard that meat is incredibly delicious, and one bite will keep you full for days. Besides, once we accept the Grand Duke Jupiter's meat, we won't be bothered by those smuggling demons anymore."

"Shut up!"

A scolding.

The village chief turned his head and looked at the villagers who were going too far. He was about to say something, but when he saw their thin, bony bodies, his mouth trembled, and he swallowed all his words.

—How could he not know that this group of people was strange?

He even knew exactly how the entire village of Wanggang disappeared, and why the livestock were being replaced so frequently.

That's why he adopted such a humble posture, hoping the other party would spare him and everyone in the village.

And so, an unknown amount of time passed.

The sun was already high in the sky, and the scorching heat made everyone sweat profusely. Fortunately, there was a deep well in the village, which prevented anyone from becoming dehydrated. But by this time, some people were already unable to hold on, and a commotion arose again from behind.

The village chief, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, no longer had the strength to reprimand them. He could only stand there with his last bit of strength, praying that the other party would arrive soon.

Then, at that moment, a loud shout suddenly came from behind.

"somebody is coming!"

Have we finally arrived?
The village chief suddenly looked up—but what he saw in his pupils was not a caravan, but a man and a donkey.

The man was dressed in a blue robe, with a very young face. He had a cloth bag slung over his waist and a satchel on his back. His appearance was not particularly remarkable, except that there was always a faint smile on his lips. The donkey, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. It looked listless, its coat was dry and yellow, and it walked with a limp, as if it was about to die.

But the young man didn't urge him; instead, he patiently kept pace with the donkey, walking step by step toward the village entrance.

However, upon seeing the villagers' posture, the young man seemed startled. He first looked around to make sure there was no one else around, and then politely asked.

"Excuse me, is this Xuejia Village?" The village chief finally snapped out of his daze and, leaning on his cane, went to greet him with a puzzled look in his eyes.

"This is the place. I am the village chief. I just don't know who you are, young friend."

But at that moment, he suddenly caught sight of the donkey.

next moment.

Suddenly, he trembled all over and then hurriedly bowed down.

"You must be Mr. Li, the one who was supposed to arrive today? We've been waiting for you for quite some time, and we are truly sorry we couldn't greet you properly."

However, when he looked up, all he saw was a face full of astonishment.

".What?"
-
That young man was Zhou You.

Among the relics left behind by the caravan, he unexpectedly found a map. Although it was drawn rather crudely, at least he no longer had to rely on the experienced 'impression-based navigation' and could roughly figure out where he should go.

This saved a lot of time.

This Xuejia Village is the only way to the cloud landscape of Youtai Mountain. Moreover, the caravan leader specifically pointed out on the map that Xuejia Village is a heretical village that refuses to eat the flesh of the Tai Sui (a mythical creature).

Zhou You's idea was also very simple.

Firstly, they wanted to see if they could buy some grain from these people; secondly, they wanted to inquire about information from the villagers.

—After all, the villagers absolutely refuse to eat this meat, so they might actually know something about it.

After explaining to the village chief for a long time with seven parts fabrication and two parts lies, the village chief finally understood why the caravan had disappeared. After dismissing the villagers who had lined the road to welcome them, the village chief was about to say something when suddenly, a cry of pain came from beside Zhou You.

Everyone instinctively looked in that direction, and then they realized...
It came from a donkey.

As it entered the village, the donkey seemed to have finally exhausted all its strength, collapsing to the ground with a thud, its entire body beginning to convulse—but soon, it lost all sound.

The village chief was so shocked by the sight that he took a step back—he seemed to know what the donkey was really—but Zhou You simply shook his head, then squatted down and closed the donkey's unseeing eyes.

Although he had been feeding the donkey meat throughout the journey, unfortunately, just as the old Taoist had said, the lifespan of humans who have become animals is not long to begin with. Over the past few days, the donkey's physical condition had deteriorated, and by the time it reached the village entrance, it could no longer hold on.

Zhou You sighed softly, then raised his head and spoke to the village chief.

"Old man, I'm so sorry, I frightened you. This is the only survivor of that caravan. I took him with me when I fled before the white dew began to bloom, but it seems his life has come to an end. May I ask if you could let me find a place nearby to bury him so that he can rest in peace?"

Hearing this, the village chief's expression finally softened.

"This is nothing for you, young man."

Without waiting for a reply, he called over a few of his nephews and nieces who were still watching, instructing them to find a pit to bury the donkey first. He then gave them a few more instructions before calling out to Zhou You.

"Well, my friend, it's not easy to see a traveler these days. Since those caravans can't come, there's no use for the food I specially prepared. Would you be interested in coming to my house for a meal?"

Zhou You naturally had no intention of refusing.

(End of this chapter)