After carefully considering his next steps in the cave, Yu Lie tidied up his belongings and deliberately added more wounds to his body, making himself look as battered and miserable as possible.
With that done, he left the cave and began making his way back to the village where the Processing Hall was located.
This time, Yu Lie didn’t use the Swift Horse Talisman to speed up his journey.
Instead, he walked at a leisurely pace.
By the time he returned to the village, the fires that had once illuminated the area had long since died out.
Only faint wisps of smoke rose into the moonlight.
The bodies of the fallen, including Chen Heng’s, were still scattered on the ground, untouched.
However, their hair was disheveled, and their clothes were in disarray, a clear sign that they had been looted.
Anything of value had already been stripped away.
Yu Lie stepped cautiously over the scorched and bloodstained ground, moving forward with care.
When he saw a large crowd of Daoist disciples gathered in front of the bamboo tower in the village, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
The disciples were covered in blood, but their gray-black robes marked them as members of Blackwater Town, not Greenwood Town.
Standing on a high platform overlooking the crowd was a figure whose voice boomed like rolling thunder: "Tonight’s ambush has left half of our hall’s disciples dead. The rest of you survived. Tell me, how do you feel about that?"
A low murmur spread through the crowd, quickly turning into a cacophony of voices.
Yu Lie, hearing the question, quietly slipped into the crowd.
Some noticed his arrival and immediately shot him hostile glances.
Fortunately, Yu Lie quickly produced his identity token, and someone recognized him, preventing him from being attacked by his own people.
The person speaking from the platform was none other than She Shuangbai, the hall master of the Processing Hall.
With a cold laugh, She Shuangbai continued, "I know many of you resent me, blame me for not stepping in sooner, leaving you injured or crippled. But have any of you stopped to think? You’ve already left the town. You’re no longer under its protection. You’re just within a hundred miles of it!"
"Once you leave the town, life and death are in the hands of fate, and wealth is determined by heaven! Have you all forgotten this warning?"
His voice echoed like a bell, reverberating in the minds of the hundred or so disciples present.
Many of them stiffened at his words.
After a moment, She Shuangbai’s tone softened, and he chuckled lightly, "But those who’ve completely forgotten this lesson have probably already been hacked to death in their beds. The fact that you’re still standing here means you remember at least a little. Good, good."
He clapped his hands lightly, the sound crisp and clear.
The disciples below gradually quieted down, their eyes flickering with uncertainty as they stared at She Shuangbai, unsure of what he was getting at.
She Shuangbai continued, "In Blackwater Town, the laws are strict, and the hierarchy is rigid. While you may not have to worry about your lives, you’re treated like cattle—working, flattering, and selling yourselves. The rich bully the poor, the old exploit the young, the talented look down on the foolish, and the worthless mock the weak, dragging you into the mud. Tell me, doesn’t that make you furious?"
His words stirred the crowd, and the disciples began to murmur again, their eyes burning with anger.
Even Yu Lie felt a pang of emotion at She Shuangbai’s words.
Suddenly, She Shuangbai raised a double-headed whip in his hand and laughed heartily.
"From this moment on, your opportunity has arrived! The town has oppressed you for years, but it’s also given you at least two years to prepare and survive. Now that you’ve left the town, there’s no more law to hold you back. Out here, it’s the law of the jungle—the strong prey on the weak!"
"Of the thousands of disciples who’ve left the town, ninety-seven percent have never experienced real combat. In this grand trial, you can form alliances, scheme, and ambush. You have the chance to overcome the strong with cunning and ruthlessness!"
"If you hate someone, kill them! If you covet something, take it! If someone’s foolish, deceive them! This trial is a rare opportunity in your lives. Once you leave the town, it’s not about talent or connections—it’s about skill and power!"
She Shuangbai brandished his whip and roared, "The victors live, and the losers die!"
His words ignited a primal fury in the disciples.
Their eyes glowed red, and their bodies began to transform.
Some grew fur, others sprouted fangs, and still others developed beastly features.
The once-human crowd now resembled a pack of wild beasts, their killing intent palpable.
She Shuangbai looked down at the transformed disciples with satisfaction.
With a flick of his sleeve, his whip lashed out, lifting several heavy stone tablets and placing them on the platform.
"Within five hundred paces of this village, fighting is forbidden. These are the few rules of this trial. Make sure you understand them. Later, senior disciples will arrive from the town to manage the outposts and provide resources like medicinal herbs."
After a brief explanation, She Shuangbai coiled his whip and added with a cold smile, "Remember, you’ve passed the Daoist examinations. You’re destined to roam the world as cultivators. Don’t let a few years of servitude make you forget your true nature!"
With that, his figure flickered and vanished into the dilapidated bamboo tower behind him.
At the same time, talismans flew from his sleeves, forming a large circle around the village, marking the five-hundred-pace boundary.
The disciples below were abuzz with thoughts and plans.
Some stared at the stone tablets on the platform, while others watched She Shuangbai’s retreating figure.
A few couldn’t contain their excitement and began shouting, "Who’s got protective talismans? Damn it, I looted ten bodies and didn’t find a single one!"
"Three Dogs! Dog Brother! Let’s team up!"
Others rushed to the platform to read the rules and tips inscribed on the stone tablets.
Yu Lie stood in the crowd, looking around at the disciples from the Processing Hall.
In just one night, they had transformed from the obedient workers they once were in the town into something entirely different—something wild and dangerous.
A thought crossed Yu Lie’s mind: "I wonder if the other halls and courtyards are the same?"
Suddenly, someone interrupted his thoughts, shouting, "Boss! Boss Yu!"
It was the Poison Mouth disciples, who had been searching for him.
They quickly gathered around Yu Lie, their eyes gleaming with excitement.
In no time, over twenty fierce-looking disciples had surrounded him, making them the largest group in the area.
The other disciples nearby quickly backed away, giving them space.
The Poison Mouth disciples stared at Yu Lie, their voices eager, "Boss! Where are we going next? Let’s go make a big score!"
(End of Chapter)