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After a moment of silence, Ma Shun summoned the courage to cautiously ask, "May I... ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," Chen Xuan replied flatly.

"Why do you... want to go to Baihe Village?"

If it was because he was drawn there, then it was truly a sin worthy of death.

"Didn’t you say that place has suffered a disaster? Such a place suits me."

Disaster? Ma Shun immediately understood; the other was referring to the sudden "celestial chance." After all, human-made calamities are also disasterous and the devastation they cause isn’t much less than droughts or floods.

Realizing this, he only saw gray before his eyes and felt a suicidal urge. Great disasters always give rise to evildoers; it’s a truth everyone knows. They appear to be drawn by the scent of death; the more despairing and painful a place is, the more likely demon fiends are to appear.

Ma Shun glanced down at the dagger by his hand and even felt a twinge of suicidal thought. But it was just a thought; his trembling fingers showed he lacked the courage to act.

Moreover, could he really die?

This body had clearly changed; the edges of his wound were already starting to heal. Such amazing recovery wasn’t something a normal person could have.

Perhaps... he had already become a demon too.

"If you keep thinking of me as a demon, I’ll make you understand what it’s like to wish for death over life." The chilling voice sounded again. "For instance, I’ll let your skin be covered by flesh and blood, and even a slight breeze will feel like being slashed by a thousand blades..."

"Lord Xuan, I was wrong!" Ma Shun immediately pleaded for mercy, "I won’t dare again!"

"You better not," Chen Xuan snorted coldly, but was slightly surprised that Ma Shun cared so much about his homeland. It wasn’t a moral standard befitting a bandit. It could only mean he was new to the trade and his humanity hadn’t completely decayed yet.

Baihe Village appeared on the horizon in less than a day.

Geographically, it was almost adjacent to Tugou Mountain. Two rivers wound past the mountain, converging into the White River at its base, and the village was located right at this confluence.

If you continued about a hundred miles east along the White River, you’d reach the capital of Pei State, Yongtang.

As for the Great Qi, you’d have to keep heading south for seven or eight hundred miles.

All this information was what he had gathered from the caravan.

Though there were mountains and water, the scenery here was far inferior to the Wanshan Wilderness. At the foot of Tugou Mountain, large, barren lands lay exposed; not a tree in sight, and even a breeze would whip up a sandstorm. The loss of vegetation caused large amounts of soil to wash into the river below, turning the White River a deep muddy brown, looking like flowing mud from afar.

Undoubtedly, this was caused by excessive logging.

Baihe Village further exacerbated this bleak impression.

Scattered along the roadside were many dilapidated houses, with walls of yellow mud, thatched roofs, wooden windows, and doors riddled with holes.

It was hardly better than the refugee camp outside Zhangwei City.

Chen Xuan also noticed that most of the houses had a chimney protruding, resembling some sort of heating facility like a fireplace.

But could such a small place even afford firewood?

He stared at the chimney thoughtfully.

The paths into the village were mud roads, barely wide enough for one person.

As far as the eye could see, the winding paths were nearly deserted, with little cooking smoke. Given that it was already nearing dusk, the scene was rather quiet.

The carriage was not suited for such narrow passages.

Chen Xuan had Ma Shun park the carriage by the roadside, then dismounted, extending his hand toward the unsuspecting horse. In a blink, the old horse was absorbed into his body.

Ma Shun turned pale with fear, not daring to make a sound. He remembered being seized by that same hand, losing consciousness instantly.

Chen Xuan flexed his wrist, inwardly noting how useful this ability was.

Without a horse to pull the carriage, no one could steal it.

"Where is your home? Take me to see it."

"Master! Sir! Please spare my family!" Ma Shun knelt with a thud, "Do as you wish with me, but my family has nothing to do with me becoming a bandit!"

"Rise," Chen Xuan uttered a simple command, and Ma Shun stood upright immediately.

To his horror, Ma Shun found he had lost control of his body.

"You’ve brought me all the way here, and now you want to plead? Too late," Chen Xuan said bluntly. "I bring blessings, and you have no right to refuse."

He wasn’t bothered to explain, nor was it necessary.

That amiable persona was unsuited for the Lord of Flesh and Blood; fear and the unknown could also propagate belief.

Ma Shun was ashen, and could only lead Chen Xuan into the village.

After several twists and turns, they stopped in front of a rundown house. Ma Shun looked at the door, hesitant to speak.

"Ah Shun?" someone suddenly exclaimed.

Ma Shun turned his head, "Sis?"

"It’s really you!" The woman called sister threw down her burden, hastily ran forward, and grabbed his shoulders. "Why are you back? And this gentleman is..."

As she scrutinized Chen Xuan, he returned the scrutiny. She seemed around twenty-five, with a high forehead and broad chin. Her appearance was unremarkable, but her hands bore visibly calloused skin, indicating frequent hard labor. Her dark blue clothes were patched all over.

Ma Shun opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a single word.

"Oh, let’s go inside before talking. We can’t leave our guest standing outside the door!" She hurriedly shoved Ma Shun indoors, then smiled at Chen Xuan, "Please come in, sir. It may be small, but it’s definitely not dirty."

"Shun’er, is that you? Husband, our second son is back!"

Chen Xuan had just stepped through the door when he heard the excited call of Ma Shun’s mother.

"Cough... cough, he shouldn’t be back... what if... cough, cough... what if someone sees him?" Ma Shun’s father spoke even more excitedly, his words punctuated by fierce coughing.

After fetching the burden, his sister shut all the doors and windows, dimming the room until a lamp on the table was lit, casting light anew.

Chen Xuan raised his eyebrows.

He found the interior just as the woman described: narrow, yet neatly arranged, with tables, chairs, and cupboards all present, far from bare walls. The household equipment in Zhangwei City wasn’t much different.

He chose a clean square chair to sit on, quietly observing the family’s joyous reunion.

The elder sister even brought him a cup of fresh water.

Just as Chen Xuan accepted it, Ma Shun let out a cry, "Father, what’s wrong with your leg!?"

"Sigh, while carrying lumber... I accidentally crushed it," his father sighed.

"It’s so swollen... is it broken? You need a doctor!"

"Cough, cough... it’s not that serious, it will... recover,"

"At your age, don’t push it too hard! Let Sister go to the city for a doctor, I have money!" Ma Shun reached for his pockets, only to remember all his money had gone to Chen Xuan, causing his hand to freeze.

"Don’t waste money on me... I said, just let it heal for a while, and it will recover!" His father persisted.

"It won’t." A cold voice interjected.

The room fell silent.

It was naturally Chen Xuan who spoke.

He didn’t even stand from his chair to take a look, "The wound has long been infected and pus-filled, disease has entered the body, not even a doctor can save him. You’re all aware of this, right? He doesn’t have many days left."

Under the sensing of the Celestial Radiance True Skill, Ma Shun’s father’s light was as faint as a candle about to go out.

Moreover, this wasn’t limited to him.

Within a five-mile radius, Chen Xuan detected many lights barely flickering, almost one per household. Whether due to injury or not, their life fires were nearly spent.

Wasn’t this the logical outcome?

Chen Xuan realized Baihe Village mainly subsisted on logging and charcoal-making, with such products sent to Yongtang for urban enjoyment. With able-bodied men conscripted by the government, heavy and hard labor naturally fell to the elders and women, leading to inevitable injury and overwork. It could be said, without the backbone labor force, the village was doomed to fade away.