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Chapter 404: To Move or Not
🕑 Added 2024-10-27 16:30:13 +0000 UTCAfter the two formation stones stopped rotating, the one belonging to this node returned to the center of the glowing orb.
In an instant, the previously dim light of the orb suddenly burst forth with a brightness completely different from before!
At the same time, the formation stone that had been absorbed earlier slowly floated out of the orb. Lin Xiao immediately reached out to catch it.
As the orb shone brighter, the entire space began to undergo subtle changes.
Lin Xiao couldn’t describe or fully perceive what was happening.
The Taiyin Sealing Formation was incredibly profound, and even while standing within it, Lin Xiao couldn’t comprehend even a fraction of its complexity.
However, he could sense that the faint but pervasive aura of Jishi that had been lingering in the air was rapidly dissipating, until it was completely suppressed.
Lin Xiao looked at the formation stone in his hand.
Although he couldn’t fully sense the energy contained within, he felt that the stone didn’t appear to be depleted of power.
It seemed likely that these formation stones, when interacting with each other, didn’t simply consume energy but might actually generate new energy together.
However, unless he could return this stone to its original position in the formation and repair the node, the Taiyin Sealing Formation would remain incomplete and vulnerable.
That meant that the formation node in Huyang Village could become unstable again in the future.
For now, though, it seemed to be holding.
He would have to keep an eye on things, and if the village experienced any further anomalies before the formation was fully repaired, he would return to reinforce it.
He also wasn’t sure if this was the only node in the formation experiencing issues…
It seemed he would need to ask Jiang He and the others to gather as much information as possible about other nations.
They would need to locate all the problematic nodes in the Taiyin Sealing Formation.
Of course, this task was too large for the Lingxian Sect to handle alone. They would need to collaborate with Li Zhouxuan and others who shared their hatred for the Jishi faction.
With the matter at hand resolved, Lin Xiao noticed that the space around him remained unchanged. After some thought, he approached the seemingly endless flow of water along one of the walls.
He raised the formation stone in his hand and touched it to the stream. In the next moment, he felt a sudden pulling sensation, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing by the ancient well in Huyang Village.
Unlike when he had entered, with the moon still hanging in the sky, it was now well past noon.
Realizing he had been gone for quite some time, Lin Xiao thought that Fang Tuantuan might be worried. He quickly made his way back to the area near the grass huts outside the village.
There, he saw that Fang Tuantuan was happily being fed roasted dried fish by two of the village's strong young men.
It seemed he had worried unnecessarily.
Now that it was broad daylight, Lin Xiao didn’t bother hiding his presence and openly walked into the villagers' view.
Upon seeing him return, and realizing he had appeared without anyone noticing, the villagers were initially startled, but their surprise quickly turned to joy.
"The Immortal Lin has returned!"
"The immortal is back!" Even the sick villagers lying on the straw beds struggled to open their eyes, lifting their heads to look at Lin Xiao. Though their voices were faint as a whisper, Lin Xiao could make out their words of thanks.
Not wanting them to strain themselves out of gratitude, Lin Xiao quickly waved it off. He noticed the empty medicine pots nearby, indicating that the villagers had eaten and taken their medicine.
With a gentle wave of his hand, he used a light hypnosis technique to send the sick back to sleep.
The young men standing nearby didn’t fully understand, but knowing Lin Xiao meant them no harm, they remained silent.
Lin Xiao turned to them and said, "The source of the village’s illness has been temporarily sealed, but the root cause and the source of the leak are still present. This is only a temporary fix, and there will be risks of further leaks in the future. A permanent repair is not yet in sight."
After all, the mortal realm was vast, and Lin Xiao had no way of identifying where the other problematic nodes were or how to completely eradicate the Jishi. Given that these villagers had only a few decades to live, this was all he could say.
"For now, it’s safe to live here again. You can return to your homes today, but you need to consider whether you want to continue living here or move elsewhere."
Lin Xiao understood that, given the village’s impoverished state, the decision wasn't just a matter of life or wealth. For these people, their meager belongings were as valuable as their lives.
Still, he felt it was important to inform them and respect their choice.
The young men exchanged glances and lowered their heads in thought. After a moment, they turned to one young man, who seemed to be their leader, for guidance.
Seeing their conflicted expressions, Lin Xiao added, "If you decide to move, I can contact the authorities to help provide some assistance."
The leader of the group thought for a while, then exchanged a few silent looks with the others. Finally, he turned to Lin Xiao, clasping his fists respectfully as he said:
"Thank you, Immortal, for considering the needs of us humble mortals. However, our families have lived here for generations, so we’d prefer not to move."
"Now that the immortal has intervened and it’s safe to live here for the time being, we’ll return to our homes. Together, we’ll work to reclaim this land and rebuild, clearing the wilderness and gradually relocating our village."
Seeing that they didn’t want to rely on him despite his offer of help, nor did they wish to leave this land behind, but rather planned to simply shift the village’s location slightly, Lin Xiao felt a deep respect for these villagers.
He smiled warmly at the young leader and asked, "Where exactly do you plan to relocate to?"
The young man pointed to a patch of barren land behind the grass huts, overgrown with rocks, weeds, and shrubs.
"That’s the spot, Immortal."
"To be honest, we discussed it while you were gone. At that time, we didn’t know if the illness could be sealed, so we thought building houses out here would be tough. But now that we can return to the village temporarily, it’s a relief. We won’t have to sleep in the wilderness anymore."
As soon as he finished speaking, the other young men nodded in agreement.
"Yes, indeed. Thank you, Immortal!"
"You’re truly a benefactor to our village!"
"That’s right, and the cat immortal too!"
"We’ll build the houses ourselves, so no need to trouble you, Immortal!"
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