Within the courtyard, a chilling killing intent emanated from Xu Mu, causing everyone to freeze their actions simultaneously in fear. Even the first-stage异人 who still possessed some residual strength to resist, stared at Xu Mu, too afraid to speak.
"Right, is the ancient tree okay?" Xu Mu took a deep breath and turned to ask.
"It's fine. When they heard this tree had once been a pollution source for the third stage, they excitedly found some lackeys to protect it, watering it meticulously every day, saying they could sell it for a lot of money if they dug it up," Li Fengtian replied, looking at Xu Mu, fidgeting on his seat, his voice laced with apprehension.
"Good." Xu Mu nodded, then turned to leave.
"Ah, wait." Li Fengtian suddenly called out to Xu Mu, who turned back.
"May I ask... what should we do next? We'll listen to you," Li Fengtian finally stood up from his chair, his body stooped.
"You are the village chief, you can handle it however you see fit, why ask me?" Xu Mu replied.
"Compared to me, the village chief, everyone is more willing to believe you now, so it's best you make the decision," Li Fengtian said with a complex expression, Xu Mu's prestige far surpassing his own.
"There's no need for 'you.' Village Chief Li, no matter what happens to me in the future, you are still the chief of Fengqing Village. No one can take that away," Xu Mu said earnestly. "However, since you've asked, I will offer some suggestions."
He then gestured to the corpses on the ground:
"All the property of these people will be used to replenish the village's public funds, and you will be responsible for managing this money."
"Me? I can't. I'm too old, I can't manage it," Li Fengtian shook his head and refused outright.
"If you can't manage it, then choose someone who can. In any case, this authority is yours, and it has nothing to do with me," Xu Mu smiled, then continued.
"The contracts are voided and invalid. Whose house is whose, no disputes allowed. For newly built ones, if they obstruct the road, they will be demolished, and compensation will be paid from the village's public funds. If they don't obstruct and the owners don't want to demolish, they belong to whoever built them. In short, you handle all of this." After speaking, he earnestly clasped his hands towards Li Fengtian.
"Alright, I'll do my best then." Li Fengtian nodded with a wry smile. After all this, he had indeed considered retiring, but it seemed that was no longer possible. Since Xu Mu wouldn't stay in Fengqing Village as chief, and he wanted to step down, he still needed to find a better successor.
"So, Brother Xu, what are you going to do now?" Zhao Dayong asked breathlessly, having brought back a bound overseer from outside the village.
"When someone bullies you at your doorstep, of course, you retaliate," Xu Mu said, narrowing his eyes.
"But doesn't the Jin Yin Merchant Guild stand behind Liang Jue? Are you sure you want to do that..." Zhao Dayong was worried. After all, Xu Mu had already "died" once, and the guild was his savior. He had been very sad when he heard the news.
"Of course, I must. And it must be done decisively!" Xu Mu's eyes turned cold as he spoke, his hand instinctively resting on his hunting knife.
"However, you don't need to worry about retaliation. The seniors from the Demon Slaying Division will look after you. If you are still uneasy, you can stay with relatives for a few days. If you truly encounter something you cannot handle, seek out the ancient tree. It will protect you," Xu Mu said, making arrangements for Fengqing Village.
"Brother Xu, are you leaving?" Wu Peihuan, sensing Xu Mu's unspoken intention to depart, stepped forward timidly, mustering her courage to ask.
"Yes. After I finish this, I'm going to venture into the outer regions."
Wu Peihuan's eyes dimmed upon hearing this. She knew how outstanding Xu Mu was now and that he couldn't be confined to this place forever. He was a dragon destined for the skies, but she hadn't expected the day of his ascension to come so soon.
"The outer regions are good too, but please be careful," Li Fengtian said with concern.
"I will." Xu Mu nodded, then turned and, for the last time, etched the faces of everyone in Fengqing Village firmly into his memory.
"Disperse, everyone. We'll meet again if fate allows." Xu Mu sighed, then walked out of the courtyard without hesitation, leaving behind a solitary and resolute figure.
Li Fengtian nodded with satisfaction, then waved his hand:
"Disperse, everyone. Settle this mess. Soon, good news will come from Bu Luo City. Xu Mu will avenge us!"
...
After leaving Li Fengtian's house, Xu Mu walked directly to the ancient tree in Fengqing Village. It was indeed cordoned off, with several lackey guards present. They even attempted to attack Xu Mu, but moments later, they were all lying on the ground.
The Spirit of the Sky Tree effortlessly occupied the ancient tree's body. After a brief farewell, Xu Mu entered a small alley, winding his way through it for a while before pushing open the dusty door of his home.
"Creeaak."
Entering the courtyard and then opening the wooden door, sunlight streamed into the house through the gaps. The furnishings were still simple, as before: a wooden table, wooden chairs, a lantern, and copper bells. As Xu Mu passed the mirror, he paused for a second. Then, he skillfully opened a hidden compartment on the floor and entered the basement.
"Senior, please make yourself comfortable. I'll be done shortly."
Watching Xu Mu descend into the basement, the Wine Immortal Daoist nodded. After a brief observation, he was drawn to the peculiar wall clock and incandescent lamps in the house. Like Nangong Mao Guan, who had stayed here before, he had never seen such items.
"Are you sure you want to take all of this?" Charles exclaimed in astonishment. Xu Mu was currently, like a whirlwind, gathering all the cold and hot weapons from the basement into his spatial ring.
"Of course. The opponents this time are tough. Although my strength has increased greatly, I am at best a third-tier being. I'm still far from their level," Xu Mu said while collecting the armaments.
"But you don't have to bring so much, do you? Are you planning to raze the city?!" Charles couldn't help but exclaim. The Gatling guns and mortars were understandable, and four hundred biochemical bombs were also acceptable. But why were you bringing ten thousand tons of TNT? That's equivalent to a small nuclear bomb!"
"Bu Luo City is very large. Can it all be blown away?" Xu Mu asked with a serious and meticulous attitude, a hint of confusion in his voice. According to his learned memory, the explosion radius of ten thousand tons of TNT was about thirteen to fourteen kilometers, while Bu Luo City stretched over fifty kilometers from north to south.
"It's half. You miscalculated," Xu Mu stated.
"You actually calculated it. Brother, you don't seriously intend to raze the city, do you? It's against humanity!" Charles cried out in horror.
"What are you thinking? I wouldn't place explosives inside Bu Luo City, do you think I'm stupid!"
Three black lines appeared on Xu Mu's forehead. As he said this, in reality, he had initially planned to throw all that TNT directly into the headquarters of the Jin Yin Merchant Guild. However, he later considered that it might harm innocent people and abandoned the plan.
"Then what do you plan to do? If you use too little, it won't have any effect. If you use too much, it will harm innocents, and if you're not careful, you might even blow yourself up," Charles asked, puzzled.
"Whatever. I'll take it one step at a time. It's always right to bring it along," Xu Mu said, having collected all the weapons from the cellar into his spatial ring. He then turned and lifted the white cloth, beneath which lay a mummified corpse.
"I'm truly sorry, Uncle Kui. I couldn't let you rest in peace for so long." Xu Mu picked up the mummified corpse, walked out of the cellar, and, ignoring the astonished expression of the Wine Immortal Daoist beside him, buried it under a mulberry tree in the courtyard.
"Feng Tianzhu died long ago, and Vilitian is also dead. I'm doing well. I hope you are also well in the afterlife," Xu Mu murmured, kowtowing three times towards the dirt mound. He then placed the hunting knife he had used earlier horizontally before Wu Kui's grave.
"Uncle Kui, please bear with me for now. I'll build you a memorial tomb when I return."
Xu Mu's voice was hoarse, his eyes slightly reddened.
"The soil beneath the grave dissolves one's bones," so even though it was a bright sunny day, a blizzard had quietly begun to fall in Xu Mu's heart.
...