Chapter 56: The Bad Luck of a Deity

He loved his elder sister dearly, but he held a deep resentment for the villagers. He loathed how they repeatedly corrected his way of addressing her, for she disliked the title of "Grandmother." He hated how they would constantly drop hints, trying to probe into his background, as if his only family wasn't already standing right there beside him.

The adults in the village would try to snatch up those handcrafted items with mere trifles in exchange—items his sister called "handicrafts" that had taken immense effort to create. The village women would incessantly try to trick him into joining their households, promising him delicious food, meat, and rice. The children were more direct, simply mocking him for being a wild stray.

Therefore, he wanted to leave this place; he was desperate to leave. He had heard his sister speak of the world outside. She said it was wonderful, and if she said it was wonderful, then it must be so.

"Why are you so fortunate, while I am so wretched?" asked Liu Dazui—or rather, Lin Xiuxiu, as she should be called now.

"Perhaps you will be even more fortunate in the future, while he may suffer misfortune," Li Wenzhang replied from a distance, casually tossing over a large pig's trotter, still steaming hot.

The aroma of the meat drove Wu Yue to the brink of madness. His stomach, which had been reduced to nothing but air, could no longer be controlled, and the hunger of these past few days erupted all at once. To say his appetite was merely whetted would be an understatement. Wu Yue began to chew voraciously, no longer sparing a thought for his fellow villager.

The boy remained, his face filled with hope; Lin Xiuxiu muttered to herself, and Li Wenzhang wore a look of strange contemplation.

"The wonders of the outside world are beyond your imagination. You can obtain anything you desire. Whether it is restoring your beauty, attaining eternal youth, or even overturning mountains and seas—these are all common occurrences. Your greatest stroke of luck is that everything is possible," Li Wenzhang said calmly.

Lin Xiuxiu’s eyes suddenly brightened, radiating a newfound light.

"The greatest luck of all is simply to be alive," Li Wenzhang added with a gentle smile. By now, Wu Yue understood: Li Wenzhang was offering hope to Lin Xiuxiu, that poor, pitiable soul.

A group of bandits had come to Hutou Village. Compared to the title of "Immortals," the villagers preferred to call this group bandits.

"Immortal" was such a benevolent and beautiful name. Every few years, these "Immortals" would arrive with merchant caravans. They brought salt, iron pots, poultry, and all sorts of livestock. Most of the time, they didn't even ask for anything in return; what a wonderful group of people they were.

Although some children secretly called them fools, they had been soundly beaten by their parents for it. While it might have been true, saying it out loud was just asking for a thrashing. Whether these Immortals came to sightsee, accumulate merit, or select disciples, Hutou Village and the surrounding villages welcomed them all the same.

They possessed supernatural powers, and they were equally terrifying. Yet, how could this group be so shameless? The village’s best hunter had his arrow swatted away by that bald man with a flick of his wrist, and a booming roar had terrified the fiercest dog in the village. The village’s only millstone—who knows how it offended the bald man—was shattered with a single kick.

The little girl wasn't much better. The village chief had spent over two years raising a pig, intending to host a grand slaughtering feast once it reached three years, but the girl caught sight of it. Just like that, she ate it on the spot, leaving absolutely nothing behind. It scared the village chief so much that he immediately hid his little granddaughter, terrified she might be snatched up next.

Worst of all, after these scoundrels had eaten and drunk their fill, they actually claimed they wanted to "reason" with the villagers. Good heavens, they tossed two leaves at them and claimed the villagers were getting the better end of the deal. The village had plenty of leaves; many trees were covered in them, even if they weren't quite as yellow as those.

The bald man, Hou Baiyu, walked in the center, eating and drinking with a piece of meat in one hand and wine in the other. Yu Fu walked on the left, gnawing happily on a bone larger than his own head. On the right was Zhao Qingzhi; being a young girl, she wasn't eating anything. Oh, wait—that was because of the Bigu pill, but what was that massive bundle she was carrying?

Truly, one is tainted by what one associates with; the three of them were a complete band of robbers. The innocent young girl had been conquered by the thrill of being a bandit in less than a day.

"I want to take two people with me," Wu Yue said. This was Lin Xiuxiu’s wish; even if she couldn't cultivate immortality, she wanted to see the world outside. She knew the farthest place was a city two thousand miles away. Those short two thousand miles had become an unreachable dream for Lin Xiuxiu. No merchant caravan would take her; she wasn't beautiful, and her parents wouldn't allow it.

As for talent? Even Hou Baiyu had arrogantly told Wu Yue that ordinary people couldn't tell she had the potential for cultivation. Her aptitude was only just above the passing mark, and without extraordinary spiritual perception, it was difficult to detect. Even if someone with high cultivation did discover it, so what? They stood so high that their pursuits were different; even for disciples, they demanded superior aptitude.

Hou Baiyu looked at the group. Li Wenzhang wore a smile, while Yu Fu and Zhao Qingzhi looked indifferent. Since his own vote usually counted for only half, Hou Baiyu preferred to think of Wu Yue’s request as a notification rather than a discussion.

It wasn't just Lin Xiuxiu; even the boy named Lin Liu was filled with joy.

Perhaps it was true that good deeds are rewarded. The next order of business was the main one, and Wu Yue was surprised to learn that this place was none other than Bone Mountain—the very place he had been searching for. He took a moment to marvel at the speed of the Galaxy. How far was Bone Mountain from Black Veil City? Some said one hundred thousand miles, others said a million; regardless, it was an incredibly distant place.

His good luck did not end there. Wu Yue asked about the Tiger Leap Ridge without reservation. Hou Baiyu clenched his fists. So, this was where the secret realm was located. He swore to himself that this time, he would not betray them. Perhaps it was a matter of empathy? Wu Yue didn't give it much thought; if Hou Baiyu betrayed him, he would simply kill him.

Upon hearing the name, Lin Xiuxiu provided the answer. She knew the place. According to her, during one of her attempts to run away, she had ended up there. The mountains were dangerous, and she had encountered a rare, unfriendly creature of Bone Mountain—a wolf. She had been lucky enough to be rescued and returned to the village by a hunter from the neighboring village—a village that had been locked in a decade-long feud with her own over ten acres of arable land.

Thus, a life-saving debt had to be repaid. Her family, not being wealthy, had paid a heavy price for it—most notably, Lin Xiuxiu’s parents had dared not have any more children for several years. The village’s reputation had suffered, and Lin Xiuxiu had gained a strange notoriety: she was not a good woman, for she had been possessed by a bone spirit.

What kind of daughter from an ordinary family would ever dream of leaving this place?

What a ridiculous notion.

Lin Xiuxiu had suffered for ten years because of it.