Chapter 61: The Village Chief Brings Food
When the yin energy was completely expelled, the disciples who had gone up the mountain also returned one after another. None of them had been infected again, but everyone looked confused. Not only Yun Jiao and her group—ever since those few streaks of red light appeared, all the wandering spirits on the mountain had completely vanished. Some had searched the mountain for a long time but couldn’t find even one ghost.
Naturally, some people also discovered that their teleportation talismans no longer worked. Even all of the message talismans had failed; it was as if they had suddenly been cut off from the outside world, completely unable to make contact.
Everyone faintly felt that something was wrong. They wanted to leave the village to find out what was happening, but they also feared that this might be part of the exam itself. After all, returning to the Celestial Masters Hall would mean forfeiting the competition automatically, and all the effort spent capturing spirits before would go to waste.
For a while, everyone hesitated. By then, daylight had already broken. They could only suppress their doubts and rest in the small house for the day, planning to go back up the mountain once it got dark again.
The house soon became lively. Perhaps because there were injured people, many disciples deliberately went outside to rest on the grassy field, leaving more space for the wounded.
Yun Jiao wanted to return to the mountain to investigate. She couldn’t shake off the strange feeling about those sudden red lights and the enormous bird-shaped figure in the sky. Maybe seeing it again would help her understand what it was. Unfortunately, there was still an unconscious injured man in the room. Though the yin energy had been removed, he hadn’t yet woken up. Her professional ethics as a doctor wouldn’t allow her to abandon a patient, so she had to stay.
“Eh? The village chief is here!” someone exclaimed. Everyone instinctively turned to look and saw four or five men walking toward them, seemingly carrying something in their hands. All kept their heads lowered. Leading them was the village chief who had welcomed them into the village earlier.
The village chief stepped into the courtyard with a hearty laugh. After sweeping his eyes across the group, he said, “Honored celestial masters, you’ve worked hard exorcising evil. Our Sishi Village is remote and poor; we have nothing much to offer in thanks. We could only prepare some simple food and tea. Please, do not disdain our humble fare.”
He gave a small signal with his eyes, and the four or five men behind him each carried a wooden bucket forward and removed the lids. Instantly, a rich aroma of hot food filled the room. Everyone looked over and saw the buckets were full of steaming meals. Although it was just plain porridge and simple dishes, there were soups, side dishes, and rice—all neatly prepared and clearly made with care.