The Ox Head Woodcutter was overjoyed, quickly hoisting his bundle of firewood: "Great! Please follow me, brother!" He led Xiao Jie out of the dilapidated temple, along a narrow trail trodden out, walking for roughly as long as it takes to burn a stick of incense, and soon a rather large village appeared before them.
Most of the village houses were constructed from logs and large stones, rugged and solid. At the entrance of the village, a clearing gathered quite a number of "people," all of different forms: some had deer antlers atop their heads, some were men with leopard tails, and some hadn’t even fully assumed human form, appearing part human and part beast, casually draped in a linen garment or bundled in a worn coat, deeming them "people."
Seeing such a gathering of evil spirits was indeed somewhat unsettling.
In the center of the clearing, an old Bull-man with a felt hat, gray hair and beard, and a dignified face was discussing something together with a sharply-eyed Gray Wolfman in luxurious attire; judging by the attire of the Wolf-head person, it seemed he was an official dispatched from above.
The two were loudly allocating land to the villagers over an unfolded map. The most update n0vels are published on N0velFire.ɴet
The Ox Head Woodcutter quickly walked over to the Old Bull Village Chief, whispered a few words into his ear, and pointed to Xiao Jie behind him. The old chief heard this, his murky bull eyes suddenly widened in disbelief! He scrutinized Xiao Jie, especially lingering on his completely transformed, human body devoid of any beastly features and those deep and piercing eagle eyes, his murky eyes quickly filled with awe — those demons who could completely transform were, in Canglin State, none but powerful, esteemed beings!
No one knew where this strong figure came from, yet he had fallen into such a remote backwater; but now, Canglin State’s recent chaos had just subsided, such occurrences were not uncommon.
The old chief dared not slight him, quickly dispersing the crowd, bringing the Gray Wolf official to Xiao Jie, he respectfully clasped his fists and saluted: "Did not know a hero arrived at our village, this old man was remiss, please forgive!" The Gray Wolf official beside also clasped his fists, his gaze held scrutiny and a hint of undetectable dread.
"Having heard the hero intends to settle in our Niu Jiao Village, it truly is the village’s fortune!" the old chief spoke sincerely, with obvious respect, "May I know which expanse the hero has taken a liking to? The village still has fertile fields and rich soil to choose from."
Xiao Jie surveyed the surroundings, his gaze finally landing on the direction of the solitary dilapidated temple in the wilderness. He raised his hand and pointed, then indicated the relatively flat but evidently barren land around the temple.
The old chief followed his finger, stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, quickly said: "Is the hero interested in that ancient temple? Though the temple is rundown, it’s serene. The barren land around the temple, though not excellent, is large enough, and the soil is quite decent, with diligent cultivation, it will surely yield! If the hero doesn’t mind, this old man will allocate the ancient temple and surrounding hundred acres of barren land to the hero, in the future the hero’s residence will be registered with us in Niu Jiao Village, what do you think?"
Xiao Jie nodded slightly, agreeing. He was not fixated on fertile fields; that wilderness and broken temple perfectly matched his desire to stay away from noise and meditate alone.
Seeing Xiao Jie nod, the old chief smiled, immediately had the Gray Wolf official beside him make a mark on the map, issued a residence certificate to Xiao Jie, and loudly announced the matter. The demon villagers around looked at Xiao Jie with eyes full of curiosity and reverence.
Thus, Xiao Jie settled into the broken temple, owning the temple and the surrounding expansive, awaiting cultivation land. This wilderness ancient temple on the edge of Canglin State became his new beginning.