People had died.
There was a Demon Beast in the river.
Either one of these things was, without a doubt, a huge problem.
Han Qinhu stood to the side, waiting for Shen Changchuan's response.
Shen Changchuan pondered for a moment.
"Record the names of the two who died. When the Spirit Grain is harvested, allocate ten catties of it to each of their families as compensation."
From what he understood,
during Shen Shiyin's time as the Garrison of Dawan Village, if someone died while cultivating the Spirit Fields, they were simply wrapped in a straw mat and that was the end of it. There was never any compensation.
But Shen Changchuan felt that was wrong.
After all, they had died in the line of duty. Compensation was necessary, and it would, to some extent, help to reassure the people.
He consoled himself inwardly.
'If there's a chance in the future, I'll look out for them a bit. That's all I can do.'
Ten catties of Spirit Grain didn't sound like much—it was only worth a single Spirit Stone.
But one had to remember that they were mortals, and Spirit Grain was a Spiritual Object.
These ten catties of Spirit Grain,
among mortals, were an item that was nearly impossible to obtain, even for a mountain of gold.
It might even allow a mortal to successfully undergo Spirit Awakening and step onto the path of Immortal Cultivation in one fell swoop.
Such compensation was more than enough for them.
Any more would do more harm than good.
The consequences of a child carrying a gold brick through a bustling market—
the ancients had already made that very clear.
If he still felt guilty,
he could just look after their descendants a little more if any of them successfully underwent Spirit Awakening in the future.
"As for the Demon Beast in the river, I'll have to try and see if I can kill it."
"After all, this river is too close to the village. It's a persistent threat."
Shen Changchuan gazed at the murky river water before him, his eyes profound.
"Changchuan, you truly are benevolent. With this, I'm sure those two will be grateful for your generosity in the underworld."
Han Qinhu exclaimed with emotion.
There was even a hint of envy in his words.
Those two had really lucked out.
How many Mortal Martial Artists groveled like dogs for an Immortal Family, only to lose their lives without ever receiving a reward related to a Spiritual Object?
If those two were brought back to life,
they'd probably say it was worth it!
"How should we deal with that beast in the river? If we enter the water, it'll have the home-field advantage. If we act rashly, I'm afraid it'll take advantage of us, won't it?"
Han Qinhu focused his Heart Spirit, and the thought of the Demon Beast in the river made him ask with hesitation.
"A gentleman does not stand beneath a collapsing wall. Of course I'm not going to jump into the water to fight it."
"So, we'll need another way."
"Grandfather, could you please prepare a goat for me?"
Although Han Qinhu didn't understand what Shen Changchuan planned to do, he still went to prepare it as requested.
Meanwhile,
Shen Changchuan stood on the riverbank.
He formed a Dharma Seal with his hands, and a faint white light flickered in his eyes.
In that instant, his gaze seemed to pierce through layers of mist, seeing the faint, flowing wisps of Water Vein Essence Qi beneath the river's surface.
He also saw the extremely thin traces of Demon Qi rising from the water's surface.
'As expected, it's not that easy.'
'With the Water Vein Essence Qi concealing it, it's impossible to find its location this easily.'
Shen Changchuan shook his head slightly.
He then deactivated the Spiritual Eye Technique, no longer wanting to waste his Magical Power.
Fortunately, he hadn't placed his hopes on the Spiritual Eye Technique from the start. After all, his progress with it was only at 51%; it hadn't yet reached Perfection or developed any Traits.
The Spiritual Eye Technique wasn't going to be useful just yet.
Shen Changchuan could only wait.
A quarter of an hour later,
Han Qinhu finally returned with a few men, carrying a goat with its front and back legs tied together.
"Changchuan, you wanted this goat... are you planning to 'go fishing'?"
Han Qinhu asked as they brought the goat over to Shen Changchuan's side.
Although he hadn't understood at first,
he later figured out Shen Changchuan's general idea.
"That's right."
"If I entered the water, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to use even thirty percent of my strength. It's impossible for me to go in there and fight it."
"The only way is to lure the snake from its hole. I'll use this goat as bait to create an opportunity for me to strike."
Shen Changchuan didn't keep him in suspense and directly explained his plan.
"Alright, wait a moment!"
Han Qinhu then called over Han Dayong.
Although Han Dayong was a bit slow-witted and often called a fool by his old man, Han Qinhu, his physical strength was excellent.
Soon,
a bamboo pole over ten meters long was brought over.
After some maneuvering,
the hundred-catty goat was tied with a rope, the other end of which was fastened to the tip of the bamboo pole.
With a great heave, Han Dayong lifted the ten-plus-meter-long bamboo pole.
The goat, its legs bound, was dangled out over the river's surface.
The goat sensed the danger
and struggled with all its might.
But it was obviously useless.
At that moment,
on the other side, a white light once again bloomed in Shen Changchuan's eyes.
He activated the Spiritual Eye Technique
to observe the changes on the river's surface.
At the same time,
his right hand had already formed the seal for the Golden Needle Technique.
As the light of his Magical Power swirled and brewed, a golden glow flickered in and out of existence, and the faint shadow of a golden needle could be seen.
That's right,
just a shadow.
Because this time, Shen Changchuan had no intention of using his two Quasi-Low Tier Magical Artifact Golden Needles.
The reason was simple:
before a Cultivator reached the Soul Emergence Realm, they couldn't detach their Divine Sense to control a Magical Artifact from a distance.
If he failed to kill the Demon Beast in one strike,
and the Golden Needles fell into the water, he would have no way to retrieve them.
The loss would be immense!
The Golden Needle Technique itself was a type of Magic, like the Fireball Technique or the Wind Blade Technique.
However, because it was a Gold Element Magic, its lethality could be doubled if used in conjunction with a Magical Artifact.
But in truth, even without using the Golden Needles,
as a Perfection Level magic, its lethality was still far greater than his other, not-yet-perfected offensive magic like the Fireball Technique and Wind Blade Technique.
All the preparations were complete.
Everything was ready.
All that was left was for the Demon Beast to emerge from the river.
The suspended goat was lowered bit by bit, slowly descending toward the spot where the boat had capsized.
The goat struggled continuously,
its thrashing causing ripples to spread across the water's surface.
A row of villagers stood behind Han Dayong, all holding their breath, not daring to make a sound for fear of scaring the Demon Beast at the bottom of the river into hiding.
Suddenly,
in the area of the river directly below the goat, a shadow appeared.
'It's coming!'
Shen Changchuan's Heart Spirit instantly tensed!
And in that same instant,
SPLASH!!!
The water's surface erupted,
and a black shadow burst out from the depths.
A huge, ferocious mouth opened wide as it shot out of the water, revealing rows of chillingly sharp teeth. In a single motion, it swallowed the entire goat!
WHOOSH!
A wave of savage Demon Qi swept out, striking the villagers' spirits. Their hearts felt as if they had been squeezed tight, and they couldn't help but cry out in alarm.
They were all startled by the sudden attack.
They couldn't help but retreat a few steps.
A Demon Beast!
A real Demon Beast!
But at this moment,
Shen Changchuan had no time to pay attention to the others' reactions.
'An opportunity!'
His gaze suddenly sharpened!
"Go!"
The Golden Needle Technique's magical attack, which he had been holding ready in his hand, shot out in an instant!
Under the effects of the Spiritual Eye Technique,
Shen Changchuan saw everything clearly!
It was a Demon Beast that resembled a crocodile.
Its lightning-fast attack was laid bare before his Spiritual Eye Technique; he could see its form completely!
He even saw its weak point!
And so,
a flash of golden light streaked through the air like lightning. In the span of a breath, it crossed the ten-plus-meter distance in a flash. The needle, condensed from Magical Power, shot toward the Crocodile Demon's head!
Boosted by the Spiritual Eye Technique, Shen Changchuan's Golden Needle Technique became even more precise!
It was perfectly on target,
aimed straight for the vulnerable spot where its head connected to its ear!
However, just as the Magical Power-condensed golden needle was about to pierce the Crocodile Demon's head,
it seemed to sense the impending danger. The Demon Qi around its body instantly surged, and its skin took on a stone-like texture.
CLANG!
A crisp sound, like metal striking metal, rang out.
Sparks, visible to the naked eye, exploded outward.
The needle formed by the Golden Needle Technique shattered.
A small shockwave of Magical Power erupted, blasting away the surrounding splashes of water.
At the same time,
the Crocodile Demon seemed to let out a howl. Its massive, leaping body suddenly twisted, instantly shattering the bamboo pole that held the goat. Clamping its massive jaws around its prey, it plunged back into the water.