In the outskirts of Yucun, a group of people and horses entered the territory, eyeing the flourishing rice fields of Yucun with jealous glares.
"These are Yucun's grains?"
"Yes, Grand Leader. Yucun not only has grains but also exquisite fine salt."
The person addressed as the Grand Leader, a tall man covered in fat, with a sinister gaze, had a poisonous snake wrapped around one hand and a giant scorpion crawling on the other.
These two poisonous creatures were evidently his pets.
He touched the scorpion and said, "Fine salt? Such good things should be enjoyed by us."
"The Grand Leader is right." The speaker nodded and bowed, dressed differently from the rest, showing fear towards them.
If members of Yucun's trading party were present, they would recognize him as someone from a northern village they had traded with before.
"You claim to know people from Yucun. Is that true?"
"It's true. Our village has traded with their caravan several times."
"Good, lead the way up front. If you encounter people from Yucun, tell them you're guiding us for trading livestock. Be careful with your words, or your life might be in danger."
"Yes, yes, I won't reveal anything."
The speaker looked terrified, nervously glancing at the Grand Leader's poisonous creatures as if afraid they might crawl onto him. He quickly averted his gaze and led the way at the front of the group.
Meanwhile, on the nearby treetops, an eagle suddenly spread its wings and flew towards Yucun.
Its movement alarmed the Grand Leader's two poisonous creatures, making them look up.
Seeing this, the Grand Leader also raised his head, gazing darkly at the departing eagle.
"Why would there be an eagle here?" His voice was cold and deep.
"Maybe it's hunting for food," the person beside him suggested.
The Grand Leader stroked the snake's head, a flash of fierceness in his eyes.
He looked at the outsider from the front of the group and said, "Move faster!"
The person at the front, startled, hastened his pace.
...
At this moment, Yucun's patrol team was in the fields.
The eagle flew over them, letting out a cry.
The team leader's expression changed. "There's a threat."
This eagle was raised in the village, one of the eagles stationed around Yucun to report immediately if there was a threat.
Based on the eagle's sound, the patrol team leader judged that strangers, possibly hostile, had entered Yucun's territory.
The team leader gestured to the eagle, and it flew in the direction of Yucun.
After communicating with the eagle, the team leader turned to the members and said, "Let's go, investigate and see who dares to intrude on our territory."
The team members became alert and walked towards the east with the team leader.
The first thing they saw was a group of over fifty people, all riding on wild horses. Strangely, except for the horse beneath the obese tall man at the front, the eyes of the other horses were covered.
The people riding on these horses had black and white face paint on their upper bodies, with eerie, distorted lines around their eyes, making them look uncomfortable.
Moreover, each person had a snake coiled around them, with various colors.
Only the snake on the leader's arm had the most vibrant colors.
Today's team leader was Yushan, currently at the fifth level of Qi refining. His vision could clearly see the patterns on the snake.
This surprised him because the more colorful the snake, the more toxic it usually was!
He had never seen a snake with such vibrant colors, indicating its exceptionally potent venom.
Yushan sensed that this group was more troublesome than he initially thought. He immediately said to those beside him, "They have poisonous snakes and scorpions. They are hostile. We can't let them enter the village."
Most villagers were ordinary people with no resistance to toxins.
The patrol team members nodded solemnly.
"Number eight, quickly go back and inform the chief. Number nine, instruct the people working in the nearby fields to stay away. The rest, follow me. We need to find a way to stop them from entering the village."
Yushan had brought ordinary soldiers for this patrol. Although they were brave, getting bitten by venomous creatures would be troublesome. Therefore, Yushan decided not to engage in a fight immediately and planned to delay them.
Numbers eight and nine nodded, discreetly dispersing to carry out their Because they were far apart, the patrol team's movements went unnoticed by the distant group.
Yushan, seeing them about to enter the vicinity of Yuanhedong Village, exchanged a glance with the patrol team and led them out.
Upon their appearance, the venomous snakes on the outsiders immediately reacted, all looking towards Yushan and his team.
The Grand Leader, seated on the wild horse, fixed his gaze on the exquisite leather armor worn by Yushan and his team, as well as the sharp weapons glinting in their hands, revealing a greedy expression.
He lowered his voice and said to the person beside him before Yushan approached, "Truly a fat lamb. Even the guards of Fengcheng don't dress as well as them."
"Grand Leader, soon these will be ours."
"You're right."
The Grand Leader showed a satisfied expression and signaled the person at the front of the group.
Although the person's face turned pale, he still, under the Grand Leader's gesture, approached Yushan and the others.
"Who are you, and why have you intruded into the territory of my Yucun?" Yushan coldly demanded.
Yushan, a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi refining, stared sharply at the person, exerting pressure that sent shivers down their spines. Even the venomous creatures sensed a formidable aura and became restless.
The expression of the Grand Leader of the outsiderThe person sent out to deal with Yushan and his team was terrified by Yushan's imposing aura, trembling and stammering, "Respected sir, I am Feng, a villager from Daye Village. Daye Village has had several transactions with your esteemed village."
Yushan scrutinized him, his gaze still ice-cold. "You're a villager from Daye, but who are they? And why have you come to our Yucun?"
Feng, from Daye Village, put on a pleasing smile. "They are villagers from Macun. We heard that Yucun has exquisite fine salt and grains, so we brought goods for exchange."
After Feng's explanation, the leader of Macun on the horse timely put on a smile and said to Yushan, "I am Ma Xie, the leader of Macun. We've brought goods and sincerely come to exchange salt and grains. May we have the honor of meeting your leader?"
Yushan's sharp gaze shifted to Ma Xie, who sat calmly on the wild horse, allowing the scrutiny and also showing a friendly smile.
Yushan: "You say you want to exchange. Where are the goods?"
Ma Xie said, "Each of our horses carries bags made of animal skins containing Macun's specialty, horsehoof grass. This horsehoof grass can treat children's night crying, as well as fever and sores in children. It's a valuable item."
Yushan: "Oh? Let's see it."
Ma Xie glanced at his companions with a slightly serious look and smiled.
One of his companions dismounted, opened the animal skin bag on his back, and took out a bundle of horsehoof grass.
"Esteemed sir, you can come over and inspect."
Yushan remained still, just glancing at the bundle of horsehoof grass. "I recognize horsehoof grass. Since you're from Macun, why does each of you carry venomous creatures?"
Ma Xie explained, "These are snakes and scorpions we raised ourselves. They are well-behaved and won't bite people randomly. We come from Macun, and the journey is long with many dangers. These snakes and scorpions protect us."
It sounded flawless, but Yushan didn't believe they were here simply for trade.
The group emitted a strong aura of blood and slaughter!
Their hands had recently been stained with human blood; how could they be ordinary villagers from Macun?
In any case, he wouldn't allow this group to enter the village.
So Yushan still didn't clear the way, nor did he show any intention of letting them enter the village.
"We in Yucun do not allow the presence of poisonous creatures. Regardless of why you're carrying snakes and scorpions, you cannot enter the village with them."
Ma Xie's face darkened. "Is this sir deliberately making things difficult for us?"
Yushan stared at their animal skin bags. "I can allow two people to enter the village, but those entering must remove the snakes and scorpions. All the horsehoof grass brought into the village must also undergo our inspection."
At this moment, a gust of wind blew, carrying a strong stench from the Macun group. Yushan's eyes became colder.
He suspected that the animal skin bags carried by these self-proclaimed Macun villagers contained not only horsehoof grass but also other poisonous substances.
These people were definitely not here for a simple trade!
Ma Xie fixed his gaze on Yushan, sneering. "It seems you're unwilling to make things easy."
Yushan: "So what? You are clearly not here for trade either."
Ma Xie grinned and said to his companions, "Kill them."
Feng, the leading villager from Daye, was startled and ran to the side in alarm.
Ma Xie's subordinates rushed towards Yushan.
Yushan swung the iron spear in his hand. The cold light of the spear swept through, harvesting the heads of Ma Xie's subordinates in an instant. He also cut down the poisonous creatures that emerged from the bodies of these two subordinates.
Ma Xie's face changed at the sight. He put his hand to his mouth and blew a whistle.
The previously quiet animal skin bags immediately stirred, and poisonous snakes and scorpions crawled out, surging toward Yushan and his team.
Yushan, able to keep himself free of the poison, bravely fought against the enemies. However, the other ordinary soldiers were a bit flustered. One person was bitten by a snake, immediately foaming at the mouth.
Seeing this, Yushan's heart sank.
Ma Xie sneered. No one could escape his poisonous snakes and scorpions.
Just at that moment, a sudden rain of fire descended from the sky, hitting the poisonous snakes and scorpions. They instantly ignited.
[End of today's two updates] group subtly changed.tasks—one to report to the chief, the other to evacuate people from the nearby fields.