There were only three chairs in the hall: one placed at the forefront, while the other two were positioned in front of it, one on each side. Nobody was sitting on them; the chairs remained there silently, empty and untouched.
In front of the main chair stood an old man. He had no beard, and deep wrinkles spread across his face like the lines of a long life. His head carried only a few thin strands of hair, and he was supporting himself with the aid of a wooden staff.
"Hi there, welcome to Gen Hu Island," the old man said in a calm yet steady tone.
That man was standing there as though he had been waiting, expecting my arrival. It seemed I was destined to meet him whether I had asked for it or not, Yang Zhai contemplated, before speaking,
"Thank you for welcoming me. I am a cultivator, and you may simply call me Yang Zhai. I arrived on this island only a few days ago in hopes of finding some food. I trust you won't mind if I hunt a few beasts and pick some fruits here." Yang Zhai spoke politely.
"No, no, why would we mind? In fact, it's quite the opposite—we are glad to see you here. Why don't you come and take a seat, so we can have a conversation without tiring ourselves?" The village leader invited him warmly.
"Village leader, there's no need for that. I only came here to offer you some gifts as thanks for welcoming me to your island. Once I have done that, I would like to leave." Yang Zhai replied, though his thoughts shifted: now that I have confirmed the location of the village leader's residence, I should depart. But…I had also expected the true owner of this residence to show himself and meet me in person.
"Oh…you want to offer gifts to me? How kind of you. Well then, why don't we take a look at these gifts…" said the village leader, his voice steady though slightly curious.
Yang Zhai gave a nod and activated the rank 4 storage ka he possessed. In the next instant, several essence stones dropped from the air to the ground, alongside the body of a dead rank 4 water hound.
"These are essence stones, widely used by the people beyond the ocean for trade, exchange of all kinds of materials, and, most importantly, cultivation itself. And this hound…it is considered a rare delicacy, said to send a person to the heavens. Their soul would feel elevated, and they would think they were witnessing visions of another realm. As for cultivators…" Yang Zhai's eyes shifted toward Gu Dan, his tone carrying a cordial smile,
"As for cultivators, consuming this delicacy brings a drastic change in cultivation within merely a week or two. Oh, and this hound alone is sold for no less than a thousand mid-grade essence stones. I was fortunate enough to capture four of these while traveling. Since I plan to leave in three days, you may ask me for another if you wish."
Even as he spoke, his thoughts churned: I am certain this residence doesn't truly belong to this old man. The old man has been trembling the entire time, barely able to stand with his staff, and he didn't even dare sit on the main chair. Even when he invited me to sit, I am sure he himself would have either stood there making some excuse or taken a side seat. If both the village leader and the rank 4 cultivator behind me behave so cautiously, it can only mean that the actual owner of this residence is strong enough to control them. And I have a feeling I already know who that person is…
That man must be watching me from the shadows, or at the very least, listening closely to every word I am saying to the old man. I doubt these two would act without his approval. He must be wary of me. Even if the common natives of this island remain oblivious, that man surely won't, he would surely be suspicious of me offering gifts for no reason. In that case, I need to play the role of a villain here, to dull his suspicions and mislead his judgment.
All of these thoughts flashed across Yang Zhai's mind in less than a second. A plan, along with countless possible outcomes, surfaced in his brain like waves in a storm.
And so, with a pleasant smile, he said,
"But…I trust you understand nothing in this world comes without a price. Even though I've offered these to you, I do expect something in return."
When Gu Dan and the village leader heard this, their eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
The village leader thought to himself: as expected, all cultivators are alike. He did not offer these gifts freely; he had a purpose all along. He sought to trick me into believing they were genuine gifts, only to reveal his demands afterward.
"What is it you want?" he asked with a polite smile. Although indignation burned quietly in his chest at Yang Zhai's shamelessness, he could do nothing. He was but a mortal, and Yang Zhai a cultivator.
"Simple," Yang Zhai replied amicably. "For this water hound, I'll take a beast in exchange. The same goes for the essence stones: for every hundred stones, you may give me a beast, or even a few fruits and vegetables—it should suffice."
"You may deliver them to me in two days, I will return then. And if you should wish for another water hound, simply let me know, though that will require two reign elks in return."
After saying this, he turned and left without waiting for a farewell.
Moments after his departure, a man in his forties appeared, strands of gray already scattered through his hair.
"Hmm. I suspected he was hiding some purpose for offering those gifts. Now it's clear—he only wanted beasts in return. If we look closely, though, it seems that despite appearing at a loss in value, his situation is different. Being stranded in the ocean, food is more precious than wealth. He isn't truly losing anything." The man emerged from within the wall itself, his skin blending seamlessly with wood before slowly returning to its natural color.
"Master Tang, what do you think?" Gu Dan asked respectfully.
"For now, I sense no hostility from him. Still, we cannot lower our guard," Tang replied as he stepped forward and collected all the essence stones.
"Gu Dan, prepare this hound into something fine. Let's see whether it truly is as delicious and powerful as he claimed," Tang ordered. He then turned to the old man. "You, remain here until he departs. I will need you. And also, provide him with what he asked for. The sooner he leaves this island, the better."
Then, casting a sharp glance back at Gu Dan, Tang continued, "Send someone to watch over your daughter. I do not want her crossing paths with Yang Zhai. My plan requires only one more week to be completed." With that said, he disappeared into a wall.
Night descended, wrapping the village in silence. Yang Zhai quietly entered through one side of the fence, his figure hidden in the shadows.
He moved through the village and came upon a house. Silently, he entered and glanced around, finding a couple sleeping peacefully on their bed.
"Let's see if that was only a coincidence," he muttered, stepping closer. The bed itself was built from concrete, covered with wool from some unknown beast.
Yang Zhai carefully opened the man's robe, inspecting the abdomen and the chest area, but found no mark.
He did not stop there. Turning toward the woman, he opened her robe as well and noticed a small, healed scar on her abdomen. Yet, he withheld judgment and drew no final conclusion.
He left the house and found another house. Inside, two boys around fifteen years old lay asleep on a woolen quilt spread across the wooden floor.
Yang Zhai repeated the same act as before.
"There are marks on their abdomen and chests, almost healed, yet still visible. Let's continue," he thought, moving on.
He continued this procedure house after house until he finally entered one where a man lay sleeping alone. After confirming that scars also marked this man's chest and abdomen, Yang Zhai twisted the man's neck, killing him instantly. Without hesitation, he cut open the man's abdomen and the chest.
"As expected, a lung and a kidney are missing. Not only that, but even though the wounds have almost healed, it's clear that some flesh was also removed. I see now…it isn't just the organs, the flesh itself was taken. But for what purpose would they need both flesh and organs?" His thoughts raced, when suddenly a thought emerged.
"Wait…could this be connected to that formation Ina Ya mentioned…?"
"It seems possible. I must keep looking." He muttered as he healed the man's wounds, restored the abdomen and chests to its prior condition, and carefully cleaned the blood from the floor, leaving no trace behind.
Yang Zhai then arrived at the village leader's residence he had visited earlier. Guards stood only at the front gate, leaving other parts exposed. Circling around, he slipped into the courtyard.
But he soon realized he couldn't enter the main house itself; all doors and windows were closed tight, with no openings to exploit.
If he forced his way in, the disturbance would surely raise alert others.
"Sigh…there's no other way left," he whispered, before withdrawing into the night.
!|!*****!*****!|!