flstandardbreds Chapter 118 Seeking a Great Immortal to Eliminate the Evil
Chapter 118 Seeking a Great Immortal to Eliminate the Evil
Lin Fan emerged from the darkness, dragging the carcass of a giant wolf with one hand. Two dim lanterns cast long shadows on Lin Fan, who was covered in blood.
The blood was mostly from wolves; Lin Fan had a hole pierced in his shoulder, and blood was gushing out.
He threw the two wolf carcasses on the ground. "Tell me, surely these two aren't the very beasts that are causing headaches for the imperial court?"
The wetland people were so shocked by Lin Fan's appearance, which resembled a god of death descending to earth, that they dared not utter a sound. They looked at each other. Finally, Su Changyi, who was carrying Su Ran on his shoulder, stepped forward and said, "Great Immortal, we have offended you greatly. We did not know that you were here before. Please forgive us for any offense."
"Where did you learn these words? Don't give me that nonsense, just tell me what you're asked!"
Su Changyi cupped his hands and said, “Great Immortal, before we moved to the wetlands, these pests would harass the fields and livestock in packs. If they wanted to eat people, they would catch them themselves. We organized several counterattacks, but with little effect. After we moved here, they started making us worship them and call them mountain gods. As for the specifics, you might as well ask Su Qiao.”
The translator, Su Qiao, was already trembling like a leaf, fearing he would be killed as an accomplice to the beast. He huddled to the side, praying he wouldn't be noticed. Now that his name had been called, his entire back was soaked in cold sweat. He didn't dare look at Lin Fan's slightly reddened eyes, and bowed deeply, saying, "Great Immortal, I was also captured. They taught me some beast language and then released me, telling me to tell the villagers about the tributes and sacrifices that were required. I know nothing else."
"So you know they can speak human language?"
Su Qiao knelt down decisively with a thud, "Great Immortal, your wisdom is divine and your predictions are uncanny, indeed, indeed."
Lin Fan shook his head speechlessly. "Brilliant plans my foot! I heard them speak. Besides, how can they teach you animal language if they can't speak human language? Never mind, none of that matters. What else do you know?"
Su Qiao suddenly remembered something and said excitedly, "Great Immortal, I know where they hold people after they capture them. Maybe their stronghold is there. Please, Great Immortal, help us get rid of this scourge. We will definitely offer incense and pray for you every day from now on!"
After saying this, Su Qiao bowed deeply, intending to kowtow repeatedly until he was completely finished.
Su Qiao had also figured it out. After today's incident, the scourge might not let him off the hook as the middleman. He'd taken advantage of the communication between the two sides, acting as the scourge's spokesperson, to get away with many things for free. If the immortal investigated further, he might be in big trouble. He might as well beg the immortal to permanently eliminate the scourge, so that all the blame could be placed on it.
Upon hearing this, the wetland dwellers realized that if they didn't beg the sage to rid them of the harmful beast, would they wait for the government and the Li family to come and save them? They all knelt down to beg.
"Get up, all of you! I'm not some damn god, and I don't need you to kneel before me. Anyone who does this, I'll cut off their ears!"
Lin Fan roared, and all the wetland people froze on the spot. Those who were kneeling dared not get up, and those who were halfway kneeling remained frozen in place. Su Qiao had just finished kowtowing and was pressed his head against the muddy ground, not daring to move.
When the monstrous beasts first arrived, some of the villagers, especially the able-bodied ones, would arm themselves to fight them. But now, only the elderly, weak, and disabled remain. Unable to resist, they have naturally come to worship the beasts as gods. And having become accustomed to the belief that there are gods watching over them, they naturally also come to regard Lin Fan as a god, applying the same methods they used to treat the beasts to him.
Lin Fan frowned slightly. If asked whether he wanted to kill beasts, he certainly did. The doctor had told him to relax, but since arriving in this wetland, he only felt oppressed. Finally, after killing those two giant wolves, he felt the weight on his chest ease slightly, but it wasn't enough; he had an urge to continue killing.
But thinking about it calmly, if, as Su Qiao said, there is a stronghold with countless dangerous beasts inside, he alone might not be a match for them.
Although I'm not afraid of danger now that I have the Zodiac Bell with me, and I can always start over if I die, the Zodiac Bell can only be used three times, and I can't just waste it like that.
While Lin Fan was struggling with his decision, he noticed something was wrong. The two giant wolves he had dragged back were gradually losing their fur, and their bodies were shrinking. In no time, they turned into thin, bald humans.
Lin Fan was still pondering when someone among the wetland people exclaimed, "Aren't these Su Liangchen and Su Liangwu? These two brothers have been missing for a long time, what are they doing here?"
"What kind of pest is this? I didn't expect it to be a human. Yes, how can a wild beast be so ferocious to a human?" Lin Fan's eyes were icy as he looked at the group of terrified wetland people. "So, these two are also from your wetland people?"
The group of wetland residents remained silent, which Lin Fan took as their agreement.
Seeing this, Lin Fan finally made up his mind. "It seems this is an internal conflict between you, and it's not something I, an outsider, should interfere with. Why don't you try to negotiate with them? We are all from the same root, why are you fighting each other so fiercely?"
Although Lin Fan sympathized with the children who were used as sacrifices, he also realized that this matter was far from simple, a complex and murky affair, and he couldn't say what would happen if he got caught up in it. Besides, that's how the world is; such things are probably commonplace in the Great Qian Dynasty. He was just passing through, just wanting to go home. If he had to intervene in everything, how could he possibly manage it all? He might as well not leave at all.
Just as Lin Fan was pondering his next move, he suddenly felt a tremor in his body—no, not his body, but the entire ground was trembling slightly.
A figure over ten feet tall parted the bushes and walked towards Lin Fan.
As soon as Niu Dadan saw Lin Fan, his figure gradually shrank, and he knelt down on one knee in front of him, pleading, "Brother Lin, please save Ruolan."
Behind him, Chen Ergou caught up, panting. "Fan, Brother Fan, I couldn't find you. I kept looking until I reached the edge of the wetlands and then I ran into this big oaf looking for you everywhere. Later, he grabbed a wetland guy and questioned him with his fists. That's how he found out there was some excitement here. Brother Fan, you're not usually one to watch excitement, so why did you..."
As Chen Ergou spoke, he noticed two naked corpses lying on the ground. One had been beheaded, and the other had been stabbed through the heart. Without a second's hesitation, Chen Ergou concluded that Lin Fan was responsible. "Brother Fan, I understand now. I told you to relax earlier, but you didn't. Turns out you came here to relax."