The male supporting character was actually myself.

If they were afraid of the monsters and easily let the matter drop, it would be a good thing for both the Cowherd and the monsters; but for our Peach Blossom Village, where people don't pick up lost items and don't lock their doors at night, it would be the worst thing ever!

If we can't get justice, who will dare to do good deeds in the future?

Even if we can't deal with the monster, there's always the Cowherd who comes to borrow the cart, right? Whether it's the mule cart or the monster in the deep mountains, it all started because of the Cowherd, so he has to take full responsibility!

Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Taoyuan Village has always been peaceful; the villagers have lived here for generations without ever having such an embarrassing incident.

Without explanation, the matter is left unresolved. Most people are afraid of being scammed again if they lend a helping hand, so they become increasingly selfish and self-serving, and they won't be able to find anyone to help them in the future.

"The village chief went to invite a Taoist priest to capture the demon. Once the demon is subdued, justice will naturally be served for Brother Li."

"We can't find any trace of the Cowherd. Maybe he's hiding in the demon's cave watching the show when the demon comes out to beat us up."

"Pah! You heartless bastard! We were so good to Niulang before, helping him out of pity, but he got no reward!"

…………

The old hunter exhaled a smoke ring, waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, then looked around and said loudly, "The village chief won't be back until tomorrow afternoon, and besides, it's not certain whether the Taoist priest from Nanlang Mountain can subdue the ferocious monster."

We also need to come up with our own ideas. If we can't deal with the monsters, we can always figure out how to deal with the Cowherd.

The car he borrowed attracted the spirits, but the Cowherd was the key figure!

Let him return the car, tell the monster we're harmless to her, and from now on, let's keep to ourselves. She shouldn't come to the village to harm the people, and we shouldn't go into the mountains to bother them. Wouldn't that be better?

"Grandpa, you're a knowledgeable and capable man in our village, and now you're the backbone of the village," Li Erge pleaded, looking up at us. "Please show us a way to make a living!"

The old hunter tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe a few times, cleared his throat, and said, "You said earlier that you would go to find Niu Da to reason with him, but I stopped you and said there was a reason for this and we should go to Niu Lang first."

Now, after running around in vain and failing to see the Cowherd, he was instead driven back by the wicked woman he had betrothed. At this point, he had no other choice but to go find Niu Da.

They were brothers, born of the same mother. If the Cowherd was so heartless in harming the villagers, he wouldn't harm his own brother. They should demand an explanation from Niu Da: either he should compensate for the mule cart lost by his brother, or he should lead the way into the mountains to have a proper talk with the Cowherd.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Above the Attic

"I'm afraid it won't work," someone whispered in protest. "The Cowherd complains every day about how he's been bullied by his brother and sister-in-law. It turns out he couldn't beat Niu Da and didn't have the ability to seize the property."

"Now that the Cowherd has married a demon with powerful spiritual cultivation, he'll probably not only ignore Niu Da's advice but also let the demon kill Niu Da to vent his anger."

As soon as he said this, some people echoed his sentiments.

The old hunter frowned and replied, "What can we do? We can't just sit here and wait. The sun is setting and the monsters are coming out of their caves. If they do something, the village will be in turmoil tonight. We have to find a way to deal with it."

“The old man is right. We have to think of a way and not just wait for the village chief.”

"Go find Niu Da! Damn it, his own brother caused this trouble, someone has to stand up and give everyone an explanation."

"Let's go, let's go find Niu Da!"

The villagers, calling their friends and relatives, marched in large groups toward the Niu family's house at the south entrance of the village.

Niu Da and his wife were sitting inside the house cooking. They had no children, only the couple who shared the same tastes. Since they seized the share of the family property that should have been their younger brother's, although they were not considered rich in the village, they lived much better than most people.

However, after Niu Da and Niu Lang broke up over the division of their family property, their reputation in Taoyuan Village was ruined, and no one wanted to get close to them or have any dealings with them.

The couple spent their days farming and spinning and weaving, and their evenings were spent living a quiet life behind closed doors. They reaped tangible benefits and were happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.

Therefore, no one told them anything about the male prostitute, and they knew nothing about it.

“The other day I went to town to sell fabric and apricots, and wow, they’re all rich people. How come they’re so rich?” Old Mrs. Niu sighed as she sat in front of the fire pit. “The fine silks and satins they wear cost at least two or three taels of silver; and the horses they ride, the sedan chairs they sit in, the big houses they live in—how many years of hard work do we have to earn to enjoy such wealth?”

Niu Dawei was smoking his pipe on the kang when he heard this. He exhaled a smoke ring and muttered, "You should be content. If we hadn't forced Niulang out and only given him an old yellow ox that was about to die, we would have given him half of the house, the land outside, the furniture, and the farm tools."

We're content with our current situation, neither rich nor poor. Why would we dream of wearing fine silks and riding horses in sedan chairs?

Not to be pessimistic, but those immense riches, if you weren't born into that world, you probably wouldn't have them for the rest of your life.

"Living our lives peacefully is great. And what if we suddenly strike it rich? We could just move to town and live a life of luxury, right?"

"You?" Old Mrs. Niu spat and glared at him, laughing and cursing, "Even with your mother's luck, you'll never become rich and powerful. You're a coward who dares not do anything. As the saying goes, a horse won't get fat without night grass, and a person won't get rich without unexpected wealth. How much unexpected wealth can you get by just guarding this little bit of land in the village?"

After grumbling for a moment, Niu Da muttered, "I'm just a farmer who doesn't know how to do business and doesn't have any relatives or friends in official positions to help me. Where would I get any windfall?"

The conversation stalled, and the only sound in the dimly lit room was the crackling of firewood burning in the hearth.

The firelight reflected on Niu Da's wife's face, which held a mixture of longing, resentment, and unwillingness, yet she could only hang her head and remain silent.

Just then, a commotion and chaotic footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate. Granny Niu stood up and looked out curiously. She saw a large group of men from the village rushing over angrily, led by none other than the village's well-known old hunter.

She felt inexplicably flustered and hurriedly called out, "Husband, get up and see what's going on! Why are so many people suddenly coming to our house?"

Before Niu Da could get up and see what was going on, the old hunter called out loudly from the yard, "Is Niu Da home?"

"Here they are! Here they are!" He hurriedly rolled off the kang (a heated brick bed), put on his shoes, opened the door, and was shocked. "Grandpa, what are you doing with so many people?"

In an instant, feeling guilty, Niu Da went through all the things he had done recently and confirmed that he had done some underhanded things, but he didn't give anyone any evidence against him.

Especially since a few days ago he secretly picked apricots from the neighbor's house and mixed them with his own, so his wife could take them to town to sell. He didn't notice when he picked them, so it's not like he's suddenly being attacked now. He can't admit it without any evidence.

“Your son, Niulang, borrowed the mule cart that Li Er’s family used to transport goods and make money, and now he can’t be found. As the eldest brother, you naturally have to give an explanation.” The old hunter got straight to the point.

Other villagers chimed in.

"That's right, you've taken all of the Niu family's property, so now that Niu Lang is in debt, he naturally has to pay off his share!"

"As the eldest brother, you can't just ignore this!"

"You lost your parents when you were young, how could you be such a good older brother? You didn't care or say anything, look at the things he's done..."

…………

Everyone started talking at once, and Niu Da, who had been feeling a little uneasy, immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

So, it's not that they're here to settle scores with me, but that the Cowherd cheated someone and ran away, and now he's coming to pick a fight with me?

Hmph! Back then, that stupid brat Niulang didn't utter a single word when the family split up. Who the hell do you think you are? Now that you've been ripped off and need to pay compensation, you come knocking on my door to dig up old grievances. Do you really think I, Niu Da, am a pushover?

"Don't bring up the division of the family. That's a decision between the two brothers of the Niu family." Niu Da sneered, adopting a nonchalant and unyielding attitude. "Niu Lang has no objections, so why are you meddling in our business?"

So many years have passed, and after we brothers separated, we went our separate ways and had no contact with each other. He cheated Brother Li's mule cart. There's a reason for the wrong, and the debtor should be held accountable. Go find him!

"You reap what you sow. Whether you want to beat, kill, burn, or skin the Cowherd alive, I, Niu Da, will not utter a single wasted word! I will take responsibility for my actions, and you have no reason to try and extort me!"

The villagers were furious when they heard that he was going to act like a rogue. The old hunter waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet and continued, "Niu Da, I've come here today to ask you for an explanation."

If we could find the male escort himself, we wouldn't have dragged you, the older brother, into this.

There's a reason for everything; you have to hear what happened.

Your cowherd, after spending so much time in the deep mountains and forests, married a female demon. Yesterday, everyone saw him wearing a brand new outfit and buying a ton of things before heading into the mountains, boasting that his wife looked like a celestial being.

After that, he borrowed Li Er's mule cart, saying he wanted to take a lot of good things to town to sell. It's clear that the female demon gave him a lot of things to buy household items. However, he promised to return Li Er's mule cart today, but the cowherd never did.

When the group found the mountain, they only saw the female demon who would set fires at the slightest provocation; they didn't see the Cowherd at all.

We thought you were his elder brother, after all. Even if the Cowherd turned his back on us, he should at least acknowledge you, right? We have no other demands: get the mule cart back for Li Er; and tell the female demon that we should all keep to ourselves, that the Cowherd is willing to live happily with her in the deep mountains, and that the villagers shouldn't bother them. Let's all live in peace and no one should harm anyone else.

Banshee?

And you're taking a whole mule cartload of good stuff to sell in town?!

Niu Da's eyes widened even more. Damn, Niu Lang has struck it rich!

I was just discussing with my wife how a person can't get rich without unexpected wealth, and now this unexpected wealth has fallen from the sky?

"It is indeed my duty to go and talk to Niu Lang, both morally and logically." Niu Da was itching to go; a whole mule cart full of treasures could surely fetch a lot of money.

That kid has always been honest and obedient, he'll listen to whatever I say. If he just wanted a few of those treasures, wouldn't I be able to live a life of luxury, wearing fine silks and satins without having to worry about making a living?

But you can't make promises too easily. What if the Cowherd becomes rich and wants to take all the spoils and use the old stories of the family division as an excuse?

After thinking it over, Niu Da stammered, "But I'm also afraid of demons! Although Niu Lang boasted to you that he married a heavenly woman and is now rich, who knows if he can control the female demon? What if the female demon turns her back on him? I'll be helpless!"

"We should at least give it a try, no matter if it's not feasible!"

"That's right, you're that witch's brother-in-law, you should at least give her some face."

"Since it's not too late yet, why don't you go talk to the Cowherd?"

“We’ll all help you carry torches. We’re just ordinary folks and don’t want to get involved in demon affairs. Once we explain things to her, we can rest assured…”

…………

The villagers, simple and honest, and only interested in solving the problem, all chimed in with their opinions, which made Niu Da even more tempted.

With so many people accompanying him to bolster his courage, if the Cowherd is still the honest and simple younger brother, he can save face for the villagers. In the future, he will not only be able to hold his head high in the village, but if he can get some treasures from the female demon, wouldn't wealth and glory be within his grasp?

If the Cowherd is greedy and lustful and doesn't recognize his brother, with so many people witnessing it, he won't be able to say anything about himself later.

"Then... let's go into the mountains together!" After thinking for a moment, Niu Da made up his mind and got up to find a torch.

As the sun gradually disappeared behind the mountains and forests, the men of Taoyuan Village lit torches to bolster their courage and once again followed the original path into the deep mountains and forests.

It gets dark much faster in the mountains.

Mu Jiuxiu sat in the car in a daze for a while and then realized that it was already completely dark, but there was still no news of the old ox and the Weaver Girl.

There was no trace of them in the forest after the fire; it was as if they had vanished into thin air.

"I didn't write this part either, why is the mirror world adding so much drama? It's infuriating!" Mu Jiuxiu slammed his fist on the wooden cart, thinking bitterly that being a shopkeeper wasn't easy.

Earning points is just too difficult!

I wonder how many more hardships I'll have to endure to finish performing the entire story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl's meeting on the Magpie Bridge.

Similar to the progress in this mirror world, another victim in the mirror world, a wealthy and beautiful woman, has, with the help of a photographer posing as a buyer, gotten the "human traffickers" to join forces and burn down the thatched hut outside the village where the poor lazy man was hiding his mistress. Then, the photographer, posing as a buyer under the guise of reselling, temporarily freed the girl from the predicament of being forced at any time.

The puppet maid really had no interest in managing the shop's business. The beloved shop owner had left; she had a verbal agreement with the new shop owner that he would hire her to work for him using shop points, but she hadn't paid any deposit yet, so it was normal for her not to open for business.

So after she discovered that the new shop owner had gone into the attic and hadn't come out, she locked the shop door.

Looking at the familiar shop, gently wiping the various magical items that the previous shop owner had worked so hard to acquire, Imi was immersed in reminiscing about the shop owner.

He loves this business and has devoted almost all his energy to it. The shop owner often says that this shop, where magical items can be traded, is the hope of many people. He is committed to making it a magical shop that can help more ordinary people get rid of their difficult fate, move towards a better future, and fulfill their wishes.

But now...

Even Imi herself couldn't see any hope.

She couldn't understand how the shop owner, such a kind and gentle person, who hadn't violated any principles or done anything detrimental to the shop's transactions, could have passed away so quietly.

Does the idea that good deeds are rewarded simply not exist?

"Beep beep beep!" A low warning sound rang out again from the attic.