Having entrusted the infants to the town's care, and under the mobilization of the Old Town Head, the villagers of Old Cow Town swarmed forward.
More than a thousand children were instantly taken in, with the villagers beginning to tend to them with meticulous care.
The only ones suffering were the old cows in the pasture; they had just been milked in the morning, and now they were being milked again, let out pained moans.
Milking.
Feeding.
Changing diapers.
Under the care of the women of Old Cow Town, the cries of the thousand-plus infants gradually subsided as they regained their vitality...
As the saying goes, professional tasks are best left to professionals.
Before leaving.
The Old Town Head did not forget to promise, "Immortal, you can rest assured. By handing these children to Old Cow Town, we will certainly take good care of them for you."
Xu Xian naturally had nothing to worry about.
He took a storage bag from his waist and poured its contents onto the table. With a clatter, a mountain of wealth appeared.
Silver, gold, large pieces and small, in all shapes and sizes...
"Ooh~"
A table full of money made the eyes of the Town Head and the surrounding villagers go wide.
To be honest, having lived most of his life and served as Town Head for over a decade, this was the first time he had ever seen so much money.
"Immortal, what is the meaning of this?"
Xu Xian said, "Consider this a reward. As for how to distribute it, that is for you to decide, old gentleman."
The Old Town Head suddenly stood straight, his back no longer bent, his breathing no longer labored. He waved his hands repeatedly in refusal.
"This won't do, this won't do at all! My Old Cow Town cannot take this money, we absolutely cannot..."
Xu Xian raised his hand, cutting him off. "Old gentleman, listen to me. This money isn't mine either; it was plundered from those demonic cultivators. As a cultivator, this worldly gold and silver is useless to me. Since the children are staying here, I can't let you all work for nothing. Take it because I told you to, and do not decline."
The old man looked troubled. He hadn't absorbed a single word of that and continued to refuse.
"We truly cannot. Immortal, isn't this slapping the face of this old man and the reputation of Old Cow Town? If word gets out, how will the people of Old Cow Town ever hold their heads up again? Please, take it back."
Xu Xian’s expression darkened, and he suddenly became serious. "Are you refusing to give me face?"
The Old Town Head was stunned.
Xu Xian spoke with righteous indignation. "Old gentleman, who in this world doesn't know that my Wendao Sword Sect has a policy of never taking so much as a needle or thread from the common people? Old gentleman, you are trying to force me to break the rules, which would lead to my expulsion from the sect!"
This was a massive accusation, and the Old Town Head's old bones could hardly withstand the weight of it.
After a back-and-forth of three refusals and three insistences, he finally accepted the money.
"This old man will listen to the Immortal, then. You have my deepest thanks."
Xu Xian said with a smile, "I must also trouble the Town Head with one more thing."
"Please, speak, Immortal."
Xu Xian explained slowly, "Keeping these children here isn't a long-term solution. I still have a mission to complete and cannot look after them for the time being. In a few days, send someone to the nearest prefecture office to report this matter. Have the officials burn a stick of spirit incense to inform the Wendao Sword Sect. Someone will come to pick up the children. When that time comes, you may mention my name. I am Xu Xian—the 'Xu' as in 'Heavens permit' and 'Xian' as in 'man of leisure.' It will definitely work. Do you have that?"
The old man hurriedly nodded.
"I have it recorded."
Xu Xian drained the hot tea on the table in one gulp, turned the cup upside down, stood up, and bowed. "Then I shall trouble the Town Head to take care of things."
The Old Town Head quickly returned the bow, bending low to the ground.
"The Immortal is too kind. We are truly humbled!"
"Farewell!"
Xu Xian summoned Wait and stepped onto it. With one hand behind his back and the other held in front, he flew off via sword control.
When away from home, one represents the sect.
The style must be maintained.
Watching Xu Xian depart, the tiny Old Cow Town remained bustling. Some spoke of his generosity, some of his celestial aura, and others of his benevolence.
All they spoke was praise...
With the infants settled, Xu Xian had cleared a weight from his mind.
Logically, it would have been better to burn a stick of spirit incense and report it himself, but he had given his spirit bag containing the spirit incense to Nangong Ning, so he had none left.
He did have the storage bags of the fallen disciples, but those were their only belongings.
With no bodies left, only those storage bags remained, and Xu Xian didn't want to touch them.
He wanted to return them intact to their families.
Besides, there was no immediate rush.
He was in a hurry to verify if the spirit stones the white snake mentioned were still there.
So, this was the only way.
After all, when it comes to a windfall, you have to grab it early. Only when it's in your hand is it truly yours; delays only lead to trouble.
Who knew if the items were still there after it had been dead for so long?
He didn't want to waste a single moment now, letting the white snake guide him toward the treasure.
On the way, he chatted with the recovered Little Book spirit.
The Little Book spirit asked, "Master, that thing you said to the old man... did the Wendao Sword Sect really say that? How come I don't remember seeing it in the general regulations?"
"Which part?" Xu Xian asked lazily.
The Little Book spirit mimicked Xu Xian's tone and posture, acting like an old-timer. "Not taking a needle or thread from the people..."
Xu Xian let out a hearty laugh.
"Haha!"
"What are you laughing at?"
Xu Xian chuckled. "The sect definitely didn't say that."
"Then who did?"
"I made it up myself."
The Little Book spirit tilted its head.
Xu Xian asked triumphantly, "Didn't it have a lot of style?"
"What is style?"
"It means being very cool, very effortless..."
"A little bit."
"Only a little?"
"It was a mountain of it!"
"Haha!!"
Near sunset.
Li Qingshan was the first to arrive at the Yecheng region. He immediately located the spot where the gold spirit incense had been burned and found the unconscious Nangong Ning.
He treated her injuries and woke her up.
When Nangong Ning opened her eyes, she saw Li Qingshan—the Peak Master of Zhijian Peak and the Sect Master's only disciple.
Forcing her heavily injured body up, she paid her respects to Li Qingshan.
"Disciple Nangong Ning greets Peak Master Li!"
Li Qingshan had no heart for pleasantries. With a dark expression, he asked, "Where is Xu Xian?"
Nangong Ning lowered her eyes, biting her lip as she sobbed, "To save me, the Little Grand-Uncle was swallowed by the giant snake... He likely..."
She hesitated, not daring to say the final words.
Li Qingshan clenched his fists and asked in a low voice, "What exactly happened?"
Nangong Ning gave a brief account of the events.
After learning the truth, Li Qingshan told Nangong Ning to treat her injuries first and ignore the rest.
Nangong Ning refused, saying she wanted to go with him.
Li Qingshan did not decline.
Carrying Nangong Ning, Li Qingshan appeared above the Snake Valley in an instant.
When they arrived, the entire Snake Valley had been turned into scorched earth. Thick smoke billowed, and the mountain fires were still spreading...
Li Qingshan swept the area with his divine sense but found no aura of any cultivators.
He performed a grand divine art, calling down a torrential rain from the heavens. After the fire was extinguished, he and Nangong Ning searched again, but they still found no trace of Xu Xian.
Nangong Ning's eyes were red as she choked out, "Is the Little Grand-Uncle... already gone?"
Li Qingshan remained silent.
Xu Xian's life-bound sword was an immortal sword.
It was different from the swords of other disciples.
If other disciples died, their spirit swords would return to the peak, but it might take some time.
However, the speed at which a masterless immortal sword returned to the peak was definitely faster than gold spirit smoke.
Furthermore, an immortal sword's return would surely trigger the tolling of the bell.
The sword had not returned.
That proved Xu Xian was still alive.
But looking at the state of this place, he feared the situation was dire.
He thought it likely that Xu Xian had been captured.
After all, a living Little Grand-Uncle of the Wendao Sword Sect was far more valuable than a dead one.
"To Yecheng!"
"Yes!"
Rate on N.U.
