At this time, Tian Jihong also suddenly recalled that he still didn't know the whereabouts of Li Ming after following those desperadoes two days ago. He couldn't help but be a little worried about his safety, but he thought that with the strength of his master, he was at least as powerful as I'm much safer, and it shouldn't be my turn to worry.
After experiencing a series of changes, Tianjihong, who was rarely alone again, became more and more cautious on the way home. The previous lessons indeed made him a little suspicious, for fear of encountering any unnecessary troubles on the final journey. . At this time, he still could not fully discern where he was, but judging from the surrounding environment, he was probably not far from the dense forest when he first entered the foot of the mountain. In addition, there was someone who was walking with him clearing the way ahead. About a quarter of an hour later, Tianjihong followed the footsteps in front of him and marched for about three or four miles through the dense forest when he finally saw a familiar scenery in the distance.
At this time, he could already see the wide commercial road not far away from him, which stretched towards the foot of the mountain at the end of his field of vision. And more importantly, at the end of the dense forest stretching along the left hand direction, he could vaguely see the other side. The impressive rock slope terrain on one side of the mountain range. At this time, Tianjihong also suddenly realized that the route he chose to enter the mountain without knowing where the main road was was originally only a few miles away from the trade road. The road under his feet was probably the same caravan where Master Li Ming and others were. The path taken.
After roughly determining the location of Donglin Village, Tianjihong continued to trek along the mountain road without stopping, and soon locked on a winding path that stretched toward the east coast. After about ten minutes, he After a long journey, he finally came to a familiar road. This is a fork in the road between the village and Dongsheng Town. At this time, Tianjihong was also eager to return home, so he hurried towards the village without thinking.
However, before he entered the village, the noisy noise at the entrance of the village attracted Tianjihong's attention. At this time, he took a closer look and noticed that the person standing in the center of the crowd was actually the village chief Huaizheng'an. In addition, Many familiar faces from other villages, including Uncle Shengda, the innkeeper Lin, the owner of the martial arts hall, etc., also gathered together in the center of the square at the entrance of the village. There were even a few travelers and martial arts masters dressed as caravans who joined them. Among the gatherings.
Of course, Tianjihong's eyes were always locked on the worried and aggrieved Tianji Fei at the village chief's feet. He was holding the village chief's sleeves tightly with a pleading expression, begging hard: "Please You, Grandpa Huai, Brother Hong has been missing for two full days. I really don’t know what to do on my own! Please help me, Grandpa Huai!"
The village chief Huaizhengan is now over seventy years old, and the reason why he is still recommended as the village elder at this age is because of his humble and calm character. However, at this time, the village chief, who had always cared for the two brothers, had no choice but to shake his head, touched Tianji Fei's head and replied:
"Oh, it's not that grandpa doesn't want to help you, it's just that your brother didn't tell you a specific place when he left. After grandpa heard the news yesterday, he sent people to the foot of the mountain to inquire about the whereabouts of Xiaohong, but such a blind search would , the chance of finding him is really slim."
"But don't worry. Your brother is a man of good fortune and destiny. Xiaohong has always been prudent in dealing with things. With a brother like you here, he will not easily put himself in danger. I'm sure he will not put himself in danger easily." If you return home late, you must have been delayed by something. Don't go back outside the village these two days, just stay at grandpa's house. I think Shi Xiaohong will definitely be able to turn the danger into good."
Although I don’t know how much of these words come from the original intention of the Huai Village Chief, after all, judging from the general situation, the fate of such people who disappear deep into the mountains for no reason is most likely to be buried in the mountains or in the belly of wild animals; but obviously the villagers The long words still played their due role. After hearing these comforting words, Tianji Fei, who was originally worried, obviously relaxed a little. The sleeves he was holding in his hands slowly loosened, and he lowered his head and waited silently. Everyone discussed what to do next.
Seeing such a scene, Tian Jihong felt unspeakable guilt in his heart. His failure to come back in time made Feidi worry in vain for a whole day, and he was far less cautious outside than the village chief said. , on the contrary, it was precisely because of his recklessness that he repeatedly put himself in danger, which led to his late return today. But just when Tianjihong was about to show up immediately to report that he was safe, the village chief and others' subsequent words stopped him again.
"Okay, let's get down to business now. I have summoned everyone here today. I believe you all know something about this matter. I won't hide it. According to the rumors from the merchants who arrived in the village in the past two days, in A powerful spiritual beast appeared on the coast near our Donglin Village, posing a great threat to our village."
"I think some of you have heard that just three days ago, the spiritual beast attacked Donglin Port, which is dozens of miles away to the south. Fortunately, it is an area controlled by the Shigu Sect, and there happens to be many people there. The young master was on duty in the port, so he successfully resisted the invasion of this spiritual beast. But I didn't expect that this beast finally escaped the pursuit of the Shigu Sect and went north to the vicinity of my Donglin Village."
Having said this, the village chief also paused and focused his eyes on a crying woman not far to the right. Tianjihong didn't have a deep impression of this person. Because he lived in the south of the village, the two brothers didn't have much contact with their family. They just vaguely remembered that this woman's surname was Yan, and she usually lived in the south with her husband. They make a living by fishing near the seaside.
"Aunt Yan, please express your condolences! I think you all heard today that according to eyewitnesses, Aunt Yan's husband was attacked by this beast while fishing on the south bank today and was dragged into the water. His whereabouts are unknown since then. In addition, In addition, several livestock kept in captivity near Butcher Zhu’s house the day before yesterday also showed signs of being attacked by spirit beasts, and they were probably killed by this guy.”
"I have called everyone here today to discuss a feasible solution to this scourge. However, this beast not only behaves strangely, but no one has even seen it except for the current confirmation that it belongs to a powerful spiritual beast in the sea. The true appearance. Today I also summoned the nearby merchant caravan. If everyone decides to raise funds and ask the guards in the caravan to remove this spiritual beast, they have agreed to help. "
Such words obviously made the crowd around the square agitated. It has to be said that with Mrs. Yan as a precedent, everyone really felt the sense of crisis; however, there were still many voices of opposition in the crowd. Come on, it's not difficult to understand. It's okay to hire martial arts masters or other experts to escort the caravan, but for such a clear life-and-death struggle with spiritual beasts, the asking price will probably be astronomical.
Tianjihong also has the same worries in his heart. You must know that although this spiritual beast has the advantage of hiding in the sea, it can successfully escape from the port controlled by Shiguzong, and it is still obviously full of vigor and vitality. I am afraid that its strength is not that of ordinary people. It really may not be possible to deal with it. Let’s not mention whether there are monks as powerful as Master Li Ming among the two caravans summoned. Even if they have such ability to deal with this spiritual beast, their asking price will probably be too much for Donglin Village. It's nerve-wracking.
Now as the innkeeper, Lin Bo still said nothing and showed no sign of expressing his position. Tianjihong already knew that today's matter might not be solved so easily. Although the village chief has summoned most of the people in the village here, judging from the financial strength of the people in the village, only Shopkeeper Lin, who is the most profitable, takes the lead in raising funds, and everyone will follow and do their part.
It's just that these have little to do with Tian Jihong for the time being. Now that he has set foot in the world of cultivation, his vision is no longer on the same level as the mortals in the village. To put it bluntly, if Tianjihong's income from his trip to the mountains is converted into income, his own funds alone can easily make up for the gap in hiring martial arts.
Of course, he is not selfless enough to come forward at this time. After all, if this matter really falls on him, it really doesn't have to be so troublesome to solve. Tian Jihong, who was kind-hearted, also secretly decided that if the village could not come up with a result through discussions this time, he would directly ask his master and others to take action to solve the problem.
Therefore, the silent Tianjihong quietly passed through the crowd and walked around to the back of the square. While everyone was arguing fiercely to discuss countermeasures, he quietly signaled Tianjifei, who was almost out of the crowd, to come closer to him. The latter almost screamed with excitement when he saw Tianjihong suddenly appeared. Fortunately, with Tianjihong's quiet signal, he finally informed his brother's intention without alerting the others, and ran to the edge of the square to throw himself in. into the arms of Tianjihong.
"Brother Hong, where have you been! I've been alone at home these past two days, which really makes me worried to death!" After the joy of the brief reunion, the resentment in Tianji Fei's tone was no longer hidden, and he hammered with both hands. As an unreliable brother, he had been worried about being alone at home for the past two days, fearing that his brother would be separated from him like his parents.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Xiaofei. I promise there won't be a next time! Brother Hong has indeed encountered a lot of things along the way. I'll tell you slowly when I get home." Tianjihong was also conscious at this time. When he reached something, he hurriedly frowned and asked, "What? Master, hasn't he come back yet?"
