The man's face was flushed with excitement as he finished describing the marvellous scene of the Immortal offering gold. Zhou Li and the others fell into silence.
The Immortal offered gold, melted into a jade cup, and drank it in large gulps.
This is what is called Immortal Gold Drink.
"Directly... drinking gold?"
At this time, Guo Lingyun's face was full of disbelief, "Won't it kill a person outright?"
"That's Immortal Gold, Immortal Gold!"
The man suddenly became excited and exclaimed repeatedly:
"The gold offered by an Immortal, do you think it's a mere mortal object? You don't understand, you don't understand at all. With that Immortal Gold in your body, you feel totally illuminated, as if a fairy stooped down, and a peach entered your mouth, that kind of sublime feeling is becoming immortal, becoming immortal! Even if you offered tens of millions of gold and silver, it couldn't be exchanged! And those beggars from afar, they get to taste Immortal Gold, it's a tremendous grace bestowed upon them!"
"Hmph."
Hearing the words becoming immortal, Lord Qianhu's face instantly revealed a look of disdain as he spoke:
"The path to becoming immortal is filled with countless hardships and dangerous obstacles, and the trials set by the heavens are as fierce as thunder. If one could succeed merely with a cup of this inexplicable Immortal Gold Drink, I think even those ascended immortals would feel ashamed."
Then, Tang Wan, who had been silent and contemplative, walked up to the man. Just as others thought she was going to make some comment, she spoke.
"Is there any Tribute Fruit left?"
Tang Wan looked at the man sincerely and said, "It really tastes pretty good, it's just that the lime is a bit irritating to the throat."
"Stop eating for now."
Zhou Li pressed down on Tang Wan's little head and then looked at the man, asking, "Is there any way for outsiders like us to stay without going through the Qiansan Pass?"
"Well..."
The man was snapped out of his earlier fervor, hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said in confusion, "I have never heard of anyone who didn't go through the Qiansan Pass and managed to stay. But after seeing our Qiansan Pass, all those outsiders were eager to go through it several more times, how could anyone not want to take on the Pass?"
Zhou Li and the others exchanged glances, seeing the gravity in each other's eyes. Clearly, the eeriness of this village exceeded their imagination. After a while, Zhou Li looked at the man, who was confusedly muttering about money and people, and asked again:
"So, what happens to people like us who don't go through the Qiansan Pass and enter the village?"
Faced with Zhou Li's question, the man finally came back to his senses from his confusion. He seemed to ponder the question, his eyes growing long and vacant. In the end, he looked at Zhou Li, twisted his neck slowly, and asked in a dazed way:
"If you don't take the money, don't don the silver, don't drink the gold..."
"How will you blend in with us?"
Accompanied by the eerie creaking sound, strange lumps began to grow on the man's head, and his voice became very weird. Immediately, Lord Qianhu and Guo Lingyun went on high alert, drawing their long blades and nocking arrows on bowstrings.
Thump.
And then, Zhou Li knocked the man unconscious with a punch.
"Otherwise what?"
Zhou Li turned around and asked the two stupefied people, "Were you going to just watch him transform into stage two? Haven't you heard of nipping it in the bud?"
"Ah, I..."
Guo Lingyun was initially taken aback, then a somewhat embarrassed look appeared on her face. Lord Qianhu watched the man lying unconscious on the ground with a big lump on his head, his gaze complicated, not sure what to say.
The kid was quite decisive.
Glancing unintentionally at Zhou Li, who was searching the man, Lord Qianhu murmured to himself. Initially, he didn't understand why the Golden Snake Lady would give the opportunity to pass the seven trials to this person and not continue with the more reliable Hou Jue.
But now it seemed that Zhou Li was astute and decisive, and clearly the kind of exceptional young person described in the history books as "worrying for the nation, exhausting every concern for his people." Perhaps, with him, the Golden Snake Lady's path to becoming immortal might truly stand a chance...
Thinking of this, Qianhu felt a surge of exhilaration. Even if Mountain God Village was mysterious and hard to deal with, full of dangers, he had firmly resolved to face the challenges head-on to help Zhou Li solve the problems here, rescue the locals and get through the seven challenges—he was ready to risk his life for the sake of honor!
"Alright, let's discuss it."
By this time, the frenzied party in the distance had also gradually dispersed. The villagers left the statue of the deity and the stage, their faces showing happiness and contentment. Zhou Li looked towards the three people beside him and said:
"My suggestion is to set this damned place on fire and make a quick retreat, then report to the Government Office. What do you think?"
"Hold on, that seems a bit too extreme."
Qianhu contorted his face in resistance and stopped Zhou Li, saying, "Shouldn't we uncover the secrets behind Mountain God Village, find out who's pulling the strings, and then restore a clean and honest environment for its people?"
"Yes, of course we shouldn't."
Zhou Li spread his hands, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world:
"Professional tasks should be left to the professionals. I'm just an ordinary Monster Hunter. I don't even dare imagine dealing with Immortals. If I carelessly get involved and inadvertently cause the situation to worsen, wouldn't I be gravely at fault?"
"So, the right thing for this Ascendant Commoner to do is to honestly seek the help of the Government Office and let the experts handle the demon banishing."
Zhou Li's logic was impeccable, effectively tying Qianhu and Guo Lingyun to the moral high ground and roasting them with slow heat.
After a careful thought, Qianhu and Guo Lingyun realized that Zhou Li was indeed correct. Mountain God Village was full of mysteries and oddities, and since Zhou Li and Tang Wan were without official status, they had no reason to try and resolve the crisis. Hence, the right choice for them was to go back to the city for reinforcements.
"That's true."
At this point, Guo Lingyun spoke up, his face revealing acceptance:
"I'll stay behind. As a Jinyiwei, it's my duty to investigate the cause. Please, Young Master Zhou, return to the city first to report to the Government Office, and support me with your influence."
In an instant, Qianhu felt the urge to kill Guo Lingyun.
Damn it, I'm a monster, a monster, and this Evil God might even be related three generations up in my family. Who wants to save this bunch of emergency rations? I want to follow Zhou Li! How is this any different from skewering me on the moral barbecue grill and cooking me over and over?
"Ah, how could that be possible?"
Zhou Li sneakily glanced at Qianhu, who was struggling with his thoughts for a moment, then waved his hand and proclaimed righteously, "Guo Baihu, you insult me. No matter what, I possess Spirit Qi, and I couldn't bear to abandon the two of you."
Zhou Li subtly kicked Tang Wan beside him without leaving any trace, then he spoke earnestly:
"If the two of you don't mind our clumsy assistance and modest Spirit Qi, then please allow us to contribute to the Jinyiwei's efforts. Even if we can only observe from the sidelines, we would not shirk from that duty."
Upon hearing Zhou Li's words, Qianhu, who had been filled with the desire to follow Zhou Li, and the inexperienced Guo Lingyun were immediately excited. One felt they could stick close to Zhou Li, while the other was inspired by Zhou Li's impassioned speech.
"Good!"
Guo Lingyun bowed his hands in a show of martial fraternity, exuding confidence, "Brother Zhou, you and your friend should just observe from the side. Should there be any danger, you must flee at once, and watch how Lord Qianhu and I unravel the mysteries of this strange village."
"Good!"
Qianhu followed with a bow, his own words already spoken by Guo Lingyun, but he didn't mind and simply said:
"The same goes for me."
"Good!"
Zhou Li also bowed his hands, his face etched with determination. Only Tang Wan, standing beside him, sensed something amiss, her delicate features clouded with confusion.
Wait a second.
She tilted her head slightly and saw the "all according to plan" expression on Zhou Li's face that was imperceptible to others, and then she understood everything.
Two devoted, charge-ahead wild bodyguards had been captured.