Chapter 85 - 83: Ambush Location

"What’s the situation?"

Within Dawan Village,

in the open space before the village’s main hall,

Shen Changchuan looked up at the sky, his gaze profound, and asked in a low voice.

Before him,

led by his grandfather, Han Qinhu, stood twenty to thirty able-bodied young men on either side.

Among them were Duan Xiaolei and Wang Tieniu, the two children who had recently become Cultivators.

Everyone’s expression was grim.

From time to time, someone in the group would look up at the sky, their face filled with terror and apprehension.

And in the open space in the center of the crowd,

two bodies, covered by white cloths, had been brought in on simple stretchers.

"These two villagers were attacked while they were out gathering firewood for warmth."

"They didn’t even have time to react before the beast took their lives."

"Fortunately, the village guard patrol discovered it in time, preventing the beast from causing even more damage."

"But now, the beast is lingering in the sky. Although it hasn’t killed anyone else, we’re powerless against it."

"The good thing is, as long as we stay in our homes, the cover of the houses protects us from its attacks."

Han Qinhu, standing at the front, spoke with a heavy tone.

In truth, the situation was much worse than he let on.

The Gale Falcon seemed to have grown much smarter after its last defeat.

It was now carefully choosing only to attack people who were alone.

It avoided groups,

perhaps fearing it would fall into a trap.

But this

undoubtedly placed immense pressure on every single person in the village!

The villagers no longer dared to step outside their homes.

They were terrified of being attacked from high above the moment they went out.

"The problem now is that the beast seems to have learned its lesson. It just circles high in the sky and won’t come down. Setting an ambush like last time will be very difficult."

"If we can’t deal with this beast, I’m afraid there will be a lot of trouble ahead."

At this point,

a grim look appeared on Han Qinhu’s face.

Judging by the Gale Falcon’s behavior, it was clearly holding a grudge.

If this situation only lasted for a short time, it would be manageable.

But if it dragged on,

it would definitely become a major problem!

Putting everything else aside,

just the fact that the weather was getting colder meant that many people could freeze to death if they couldn’t get enough firewood.

As he spoke,

Han Qinhu glanced warily up at the sky.

At that moment,

high above,

in the vast expanse of the heavens,

a black dot the size of a housefly circled.

From a distance of several hundred zhang, most things were too small to see clearly.

But Han Qinhu could still feel its sharp gaze, which seemed to carry a hint of mockery and provocation.

It just circled silently in the sky,

never descending,

and no longer launching attacks.

But its very presence cast a shadow of gloom over everyone’s hearts.

’If we can’t solve this, what are we going to do?!’

Han Qinhu worried.

Having spent the better half of his life in the Mortal World, he understood the principle all too well: you can spend a thousand days as a thief, but you can’t spend a thousand days guarding against one.

They could gather enough people while cutting firewood, using their numbers to deter the beast from attacking and solve the village’s need for heat.

But what about after spring arrived?

After spring, they would have to go out to cultivate the Spirit Fields

and till the village’s ordinary fields.

They would have to go outside for that, wouldn’t they?

Among the several thousand people in the entire village, Shen Changchuan was likely the only one who didn’t fear the Gale Falcon’s attack when he went out alone.

Thinking of this,

Han Qinhu looked toward Shen Changchuan, hoping he could offer a solution.

As his gaze shifted,

the eyes of everyone around them also focused on Shen Changchuan.

In response,

Shen Changchuan’s expression was calm,

showing almost no change.

He possessed the kind of composure that wouldn’t falter even if Tai Mountain were to collapse before him.

For a fleeting moment, Han Qinhu was struck by a sense of wonder.

He didn’t know when it had started,

but this boy before him, who was clearly only fifteen or sixteen, had already become a pillar of spiritual support for everyone, giving them a rare sense of security.

It was as if no problem was insurmountable as long as he was there.

Paying no mind to the stares of those around him,

Shen Changchuan retracted his gaze from the Gale Falcon in the sky.

"Let’s leave things as they are for now."

"Grandfather, take some men and reassure the villagers. Don’t worry, that beast won’t be free for much longer. The problem will be solved in just a few days."

Shen Changchuan waved his hand,

as if he wasn’t too concerned about it.

"This... Changchuan, are you planning to set a trap like last time? But the beast seems to have learned its lesson. I’m afraid setting another trap in the village won’t be very effective."

Han Qinhu hesitated for a moment before asking.

He wasn’t trying to refute him, however, but was simply curious.

Han Qinhu knew very well

that Shen Changchuan was not one to make empty boasts.

When he was confident about something, it was ninety percent certain to succeed.

"Of course I’m not setting a trap in the village."

"It already suffered a major setback in the village. Now, the beast will not only think twice before attacking, but it will also maintain extreme vigilance even in the middle of an assault."

"Because of that, even if we managed to lure it into a trap, the chances of actually capturing it would be low."

"To make it fall for the trap completely, we need to go somewhere it’s completely off its guard."

A glint flashed in Shen Changchuan’s eyes, filled with the confidence of someone in complete control.

As for the location of the ambush,

he already had an answer in mind.

There was one thing that even intelligent creatures like humans easily overlooked.

The darkest place is under the candlestick!

The location to ambush the Gale Falcon was therefore obvious.

Besides,

it was about time he went to investigate those cave estate ruins.

He might even gain some benefits from it.

"To deal with this Gale Falcon, I need to leave for a while over the next few days."

"I’ll have to trouble you, Grandfather, to help manage the village’s affairs."

"If there’s an emergency, just send a Communication Talisman."

Having thought of this,

Shen Changchuan didn’t hesitate and said aloud.

"Don’t worry, you can leave all the village matters to me."

Though Han Qinhu didn’t know what Shen Changchuan was planning, he could only agree to it all.

With his grandson so confident,

the problem was likely not a major one after all.

Although he had made his decision,

Shen Changchuan didn’t leave immediately.

Instead, he first patrolled the area around Dawan Village to ensure a certain level of safety, planning to set out the next day.

However, before Shen Changchuan could depart,

some unexpected visitors interrupted his plans, forcing him to delay for another day or two.

Envoys arrived, claiming to be from the Family Protection Mutual Aid Alliance.

They came with great fanfare,

inviting Dawan Village to join their group, to form an alliance for mutual protection, and to face the coming chaos.