Chapter 289: Today is the Day to Eliminate Troubles for the Future

In the pouring rain, the dozen or so martial artists didn't meticulously examine the bandits' bodies, assuming they had killed them themselves. As for why there were no wounded, they presumed the injured had already been taken away, leaving only the dead.

The previous fight had been too chaotic. The martial artists naturally had no clear idea how many people they had wounded or killed. This kind of automatic, intense fighting easily created the illusion that one person alone had eliminated many.

After some of them searched for useful items for a while, their companions on the other side had also temporarily recovered some strength through breathing exercises.

"Everyone, let's move quickly! Although we repelled those bandits, we don't know if they'll return!"

"Yes, we need to find a safe place to rest quickly. Some wounds need to be treated."

Encouraged by the turban-clad leader, the group successively got up. Then, he patted the bandit's back and said coldly, "Go, show us the way."

"Yes, yes, it's to the west, along the old forest path down that woodland slope."

The dozen or so individuals were, after all, martial artists. Although not in peak condition, their movements remained quick after resting for a while. Moving through the muddy forest and slopes, their speed was no slower than that of the bandits who had ridden two to a horse.

The heavy rain continued to pour, and the muddy ground of the rainy night caused great inconvenience and further depleted their energy.

A moment later, the bandit Bazi led them to the old forest path. He wiped his face and pointed ahead. "Sirs, this is it. Few people use this old path; if you follow it, you'll reach that abandoned village."

The turban-clad man looked around, said nothing, but then gave a signal. The group increased their speed, employing their agility to travel swiftly. With a clear path, their pace significantly improved.

The village Bazi spoke of was precisely the abandoned village where Ji Yuan and his small group were located.

A distance of seven or eight li was not too far. Soon, the group reached the vicinity of the abandoned village. Upon arrival, the leader suddenly stopped. "Everyone, hold on. We're almost there, but there's a light!"

Indeed, as they looked, they could vaguely see the firelight from the abandoned village in the distance.

"Is there someone there?"

"Did this scoundrel lead us into a bandit's lair?"

A man grabbed the shivering bandit beside him. "No, no! I've been wronged! That village was abandoned long ago, deserted all around, and with no strategic defenses, how could it be our stronghold? Perhaps someone just happened to be passing by and is resting there!"

"Alright, he's right. The firelight is too dim; it doesn't look like a large group of bandits. Let's go check it out first."

In the abandoned village, Ji Yuan had already heard the commotion outside. Through his "inner sight," he knew there were sixteen people approaching, both men and women. Although some needed assistance, most moved with agile steps, suggesting they were martial artists.

When the group entered the village, the noise startled the seven or eight people inside the large house. Han Ming and two young men nervously walked to the door, seeing Ji Yuan already standing and looking outside.

"Mr. Ji, are more people coming?"

"Yes, some martial artists have arrived. It seems they've just been in a fight; many are bloody and wounded."

Han Ming and his companions looked at the approaching figures at the village entrance, and despite their nervousness, they couldn't help but glance back at Ji Yuan.

"How do you know they're wounded, sir?"

Ji Yuan pointed to his nose. "My nose is exceptionally keen. I can smell both their own blood and that of others on them."

What an incredibly keen nose! And he can distinguish between his own blood and others'? But this was not the time to ponder such things; Han Ming and the others' attention was entirely on the newcomers.

Within sight, they could vaguely make out a dozen figures entering the village from outside, clearly heading straight for them, getting closer and closer.

"These people will definitely come here; there's no avoiding them."

As the figures drew nearer, Ji Yuan explained this to Han Ming, then took the initiative to speak loudly towards the outside. "Are you gentlemen looking for a place to rest? This large house nearby is the only relatively intact one in this abandoned village, and there's plenty of dry firewood here. If you don't mind, please come in and share the space."

At this point, Ji Yuan said to Han Ming, "Mr. Han, please lead the two horses to that broken annex for now. It's sufficient for tying them up. After all, this house is unoccupied, and they are in poor condition, so we should offer some necessary assistance."

Although Han Ming had some reservations about Ji Yuan's unilateral decision, considering how they themselves had arrived and that there were more people outside, it was best to avoid conflict. So, he said nothing more and assigned someone to lead the horses away.

"Xiaojiu, lead the horses out." "Understood!"

Ji Yuan spoke directly for two reasons: first, to save them time and ease any potential awkwardness, and second, because he had already detected a strange scent clinging to these people and wanted to understand the situation.

Hearing Ji Yuan's words, the martial artists outside murmured among themselves for a moment, then continued their original path toward the large house.

The turban-clad man still led the way, and even before he reached the house, he cupped his hands and called out his thanks loudly. "Many thanks for your help, sir! We are in great need of a place to rest and recover!"

As he spoke, the man crossed the empty front yard in a few strides and arrived at the house entrance.

It was a house about the size of an ancestral hall. Looking inside, there were two bonfires. Around the inner fire, a group of people gathered, including adults and children, men and women.

Three people stood on the outer side: one was a refined-looking gentleman, the very person who had just invited them in. The other two, upon seeing the blade in the man's hand, clasped their hands in greeting before retreating further inside; the fear on their faces after seeing the weapon was quite evident. Outside the house, someone was still tying up horses, and the turban-clad man realized these had just been moved, clearly to make space for them.

The more he observed, the more the turban-clad man was convinced that these were ordinary folk. The gentleman outside, who looked like a scholar, showed no fear, yet he certainly didn't appear to harbor any ill intentions.

Neither Ji Yuan nor the people inside seemed to possess martial arts skills, which brought a slight sense of relief to the turban-clad man.

"No need for formalities. It's inevitable to encounter difficulties while traveling. I, Ji, also hope that when I need help, someone will extend a hand."

Ji Yuan glanced at the slightly chipped blade in the man's hand, returned a simple greeting, and deliberately moved his stool aside.

The turban-clad man nodded, then quickly returned to his companions waiting outside. "It's safe in there. The people inside seem to be ordinary folk with kind hearts. Everyone, be mindful not to disturb them!"

"Phew... that's good!" "Yes, finally we can rest..."

"Come on, hurry up! It would be even better if we could get some hot water!"

The companions a little further outside let out a sigh of relief. The group called out to each other and hurried towards the large house.

All dozen or so people were completely drenched. As they entered the house, the continuous dripping sound of water made them appear exceptionally bedraggled.

Under careful observation, Han Ming and the others indeed saw many people with reddish stains on their clothes, and the strong scent of blood was palpable even to them.

The house was indeed quite spacious. If the two horses had still been inside, it might have felt overly crowded. Now that the horses were led away, it wasn't exactly roomy, but it didn't feel cramped either.

After a brief exchange with the people already inside, the three groups settled down peacefully for the time being.

Considering that firewood might be scarce, a third fire was not lit. Instead, Ji Yuan's corner fire was carefully spread out, allowing most of the dozen or so people to warm themselves.

Given the current conditions, they couldn't take off all their clothes to dry them. They could only remove their outer garments for now and treat their wounds.

A simple conversation and understanding significantly reduced their initial tension.

The turban-clad man, named Huang Zhixian, twisted water from his outer coat while recounting to Ji Yuan, Han Ming, and the others how they had fought the bandits. Han Ming and his companions frequently gasped and exclaimed in response.

Ji Yuan, sitting in the outer corner, finally spoke when he heard that the bandits had retreated, abandoning one of their own in their haste. "You gentlemen are certainly very brave, but I fear there might be another reason for those bandits' retreat."

Ji Yuan's remark captured the attention of the martial artists. No one immediately refuted him; in fact, Huang Zhixian, who had now come to his senses, seemed quite agreeable. "To be honest, recalling it now, it does seem a bit strange. Mr. Ji, have you detected something amiss?"

Ji Yuan looked towards Bazi, who was being guarded in the corner, visibly very restrained. "They must have encountered something unclean, scaring those strongmen into retreating, and in their hurry, they even left a companion behind."

"Something unclean? Sir, do you mean... ghosts?" Huang Zhixian subconsciously blurted out the question.

Everyone else's attention also shifted to Ji Yuan, including Han Ming's group, as the word "ghost" was too sensitive in such a place.

Ji Yuan shook his head. "Not necessarily ghosts. In any case, it's something very sinister. To be frank, sirs, my sense of smell is quite unique, and I detected a strange odor on you just now."

Hearing this, someone in the crowd asked, "What strange odor? Blood?"

"No. There are many types of aura and different kinds of smells. Ordinary people possess human and yang energy, while spirits have yin and ghostly energy. Even demons have demonic energy. What you encountered is none of these."

After explaining, Ji Yuan appeared thoughtful. "But since this thing didn't follow you, it must have gone with the bandits to their stronghold, even though you would have been easier targets..."

Ji Yuan mused to himself, then swept his gaze over the martial artists again. "Could it be that it felt you wouldn't satisfy its appetite?"

These words sent shivers down everyone's spines. Even the dozen or so martial artists felt their scalps tingle; already soaked, they now felt cold despite warming themselves by the fire.

"No, this entity is too sinister; it cannot be left unchecked. Gentlemen, I must take this bandit out for a while."

Huang Zhixian was startled, then immediately realized what he meant. "Sir, are you going to the bandits' stronghold?"

Ji Yuan nodded. "Precisely. I have encountered many evil creatures, but this one today is particularly unusual. The bandits deserve their fate, but we cannot allow this malevolent entity to grow powerful! It is skilled at concealment, and if we don't eliminate it now that we've encountered it, we might lose the opportunity."

As he spoke, Ji Yuan stepped past a few people to the bandit's side and grabbed Bazi.

"No, no! I, I don't want to go..."

"Come with me for a short trip. I assure you no harm will come to you."

Ji Yuan appeared slender and not very muscular, yet his strength was such that the bandit couldn't break free and was forcibly dragged to the doorway.

At the doorway, Ji Yuan paused. After a moment's thought, he took out a yellow paper and handed it to Huang Zhixian. "I'm lending this to you for self-defense for now. There might be more than one sinister entity. I've already enchanted it. Remember, if things go badly, bite your finger, use your blood as a guide, and shout 'Summon the Strongman!'"

"Uh..."

"Did you get that?"

Huang Zhixian was stunned and answered instinctively. "Got it..."

"Good. I will surely return before dawn."

Having said this, Ji Yuan lifted the bandit and stepped out of the house.

"Ah... I don't want to go..."

The martial artists were still somewhat bewildered. Seeing Ji Yuan actually carrying the man out, they all found it rather absurd.

When Huang Zhixian and a few others looked outside, they couldn't see anyone nearby. Looking further, they clearly saw the figure already far at the village entrance, moving away rapidly in a manner that was more like striding than running.

Gulp. Huang Zhixian swallowed hard and looked seriously at the object in his hand: a thin paper cut-out figure made from yellow paper.