"Alright, enough with the pleasantries. Let's clean up the scene first," Zhao Yuan said, giving Wu Suowei a grumpy look. "You, no running off. You're staying here to clean!"
His Moon Ridge Village had been a mess thanks to the Apostles, and he wouldn't tolerate it being left unclean. The lingering evil aura made him feel physically sick.
"Don't we have Duan Chen? And those sea monsters? Stop being lazy! Get cleaning!" Wu Suowei, knowing Sun Xiaoxiao and the others were Duan Chen's subordinates, felt a bit more confident. He puffed out his chest, speaking righteously.
"This scoundrel..."
"That cat, and Xi'er, uh... the maid, and you two young men, all of you go help Village Chief Zhao clean!"
"Is he that amazing?" Yuan Yuan mumbled.
Zhao Yuan delivered a flying kick that sent Wu Suowei three meters away, landing him upside down in the nearby bushes.
"Good job, Village Chief!" Ding Ding cheered loudly.
"What are you shouting about? You, and you too, Wu Suowei, all of you come here and clean!" Zhao Yuan pulled Xi'er aside, smiling. "Girl, you don't have to. Just watch. If you get tired, you can go back and rest. Those two Apostles are gone from the village, so don't worry. With me here, no one will dare to touch you."
Duan Chen's mouth twitched. The favoritism was so blatant.
"Why? She has six arms, she can help a lot!" Ding Ding protested.
Zhao Yuan glared, and she immediately quieted down. Du Qingyi watched, amused and exasperated.
"The people around you are truly interesting," Duan Chen said with a wry smile.
Wu Suowei patted the dirt and grass off himself and began to diligently clean the scene.
"Why aren't you using your divine power? And that kick just now, you could have dodged it, right?" Duan Chen leaned in, finding it quite strange.
Wu Suowei grunted. "Gods may lack emotions, but we understand human relationships. Otherwise, Jia Yunlian wouldn't have been able to stop me, and those two Apostles would have died long ago. It's the same for Moon Ridge Village. I've wronged them, and everyone here."
"So, what Village Chief Zhao told us is true?" Wu Suowei nodded.
"Sort of. Back then, I chose this place because its spiritual energy was pure, to place the sealed gate between realms here, fulfilling the village chief's wish at the time. Later, the evil god noticed this place and sent his Apostles, causing quite a calamity."
"And then?"
"And then, I promised the village chief back then that no one from Moon Ridge Village would die. But the gate sealed a wisp of the evil god's soul. He cast a curse on Moon Ridge Village, causing everyone, generation after generation, except the village chief, to be born with physical deformities or go insane."
"This is what I regret the most."
No wonder everything here was the opposite of the outside world, and no wonder everyone had physical defects.
"But when Village Chief Zhao hosted us that day, the village officials had all their limbs, they didn't have physical defects!"
Wu Suowei shook his head. "That's because their bloodline carries the blood of the first village chief, giving them resistance to the curse. But becoming disabled was only a matter of time."
This meant that in the entire Moon Ridge Village, only the village chief could remain "normal" forever. Duan Chen frowned.
"After today, the existence of this gate can no longer be hidden. The entire Moon Ridge Village will live here as guardians. I will imbue this place with divine power, preventing outsiders from accessing the entrance. At the same time, I'll grant you and Xi'er permissions. You can come here anytime you wish."
As he spoke, Wu Suowei waved his hand. Though it seemed like nothing, he had actually linked Duan Chen and Xi'er to Moon Ridge Village. Duan Chen felt a surge of familiarity, and so did Xi'er.
"This feeling... it's so familiar," Xi'er rubbed her head.
Tu Feiyuan, leveraging Xi'er's presence, snuggled comfortably in her arms, thus avoiding the cleaning duty.
After discussion, Duan Chen decided they would rest in Moon Ridge Village for one night to recover their spirits before leaving the next day.
Evening.
"Captain, you should really send those three away," Jun Ci said.
"I agree. They're busy all day, not helping much, just causing trouble," Yuan Yuan added.
Duan Chen stood beside them, looking with a solemn expression at the scene before them. Sun Xiaoxiao, Tian Qi, and Ding Ding were arguing over Xi'er! To be precise, they were arguing about not being found by the Eye Worms. Xi'er could effectively deter the Eye Worms, so the three sea monsters sleeping next to her would be the safest. However, her bed was small, only able to fit two people. Thus, deciding who slept where became a major issue.
Finally, Duan Chen, Jun Ci, and Yuan Yuan each grabbed one of them. According to Duan Chen's plan: they would draw straws. Whoever drew the blank slip would get to sleep next to Xi'er, while the other two would have to sleep on the floor. Xi'er agreed. After all, they were Duan Chen's subordinates now, and she couldn't just watch them be drained by the Eye Worms.
Sun Xiaoxiao drew a "Xi," Tian Qi drew an "Er," and Ding Ding, naturally, drew the blank slip. Jun Ci looked incredulous.
"Should we call it 'fools have blessings'?"
"Hey, quite lively," Wu Suowei said, holding a Jianbing Guozi he had bought from who-knows-where, peeking out from the stairwell.
Unfortunately, no one paid him any attention as a god. Sun Xiaoxiao and Tian Qi were busy being angry, Ding Ding was busy gloating, Duan Chen and the other two were busy being shocked, and Jia Yunlian and Du Qingyi were watching with dark expressions. Wu Suowei tilted his head.
"Never mind, this seems fine too. I won't bother them."
In the not-too-distant future, Duan Chen would face a fierce battle. Some of his companions would sacrifice themselves, while others would grow stronger. Such heavy topics... could be considered later.
The next day, Duan Chen and his group bid farewell to Moon Ridge Village and found their energy vehicle parked outside, with Tu Feiyuan driving as usual.
"I'm going to report you for mistreating cats!"
"If you go to the police looking like that, they'll probably arrest you as a monster," Du Qingyi said leisurely, peeling open a candy wrapper.
"After we get back, we'll rest for a while, and then we'll go to the capital."
"To the capital? For what? You're not going to send us to the headquarters of the Spirit Hunting Guild, are you?" Tian Qi hugged herself.
Duan Chen glared at her and explained the circumstances.
"What? You suspect Jun Wuchen's actions might be related to the Apostles?" Sun Xiaoxiao exclaimed.
"No way, I've never heard of any Apostle having this ability, bribing the president of the Spirit Hunting Guild headquarters?" Ding Ding took a lollipop from Du Qingyi and rolled his eyes. "But seriously, besides Gu Sang and Niya, we haven't seen any other Apostles."