Chapter 765: Shuiche Cunzi — The Flaming Ruins

One day after Jier's group left Duoen Town, at noon on the third day, they spotted a village from afar.

This village was not large, built beside a bridge on this plain. Looking from a distance, Jier felt something was wrong. Because even though it was daytime, the smoke rising from the chimneys of the various buildings in the village seemed far too sparse.

"Where is that?"

Jier, riding on horseback, pointed at the sparsely populated village in the distance and asked. Beside him, a commoner who had passed through here while fleeing explained: "Knight Jier, that is Shuiche Cunzi. It is named after a large waterwheel that was built in the village only a few years ago. It seems to be the territory of some Noble."

But Jier did not see anything resembling a large waterwheel in the village.

After the group drew closer, at a distance of about several hundred meters from the village, people finally saw that the various buildings of the original village were covered in black ash marks from fire. The Fruit Trees that the Villagers had planted themselves in the village also had not grown green leaves or flowers this spring, and most of the bare trunks had a few black, carbonized branches hanging from them.

The village was built along the Shanglu and a river that flowed through the area. On the Wooden Bridge leading to the main road of the Shanglu, even most of the wooden bridge deck was charred black, and the entire Wooden Bridge was teetering on the verge of collapse.

"The village looks like it was burned down by someone. I wonder if the Villagers inside are alright? But the problem is, I didn't hear in Duoen Town that the nearest village to the southeast had any trouble?"

Jier rode over to ask Xueya Site, who had previously inquired about news, and the other party had not heard any news of disaster here in the town either.

It seems that either the village's calamity was a recent event and the news had not yet reached the town, or perhaps no one escaped this disaster at all. Or, the situation in this village is not as they are guessing from what they see right now.

"Everyone, stay alert! Armed Squads, hold your weapons in your hands and pay attention to the surroundings! Mao Mao? Mao Mao!"

Jier rode through the long line of commoners, shouting in a booming voice. The commoners who heard him spontaneously retreated from the Shanglu to the wasteland on both sides, allowing the armed forces of the group to pass through quickly.

The young people in the several Armed Squads became excited, as if they had a premonition that a battle was about to occur. Some people's teeth chattered continuously from excitement, and their hands and feet stiffened.

But no matter how stiff their hands and feet were or how dizzy their heads felt, they had to act with the others. Either follow Knight Jier to the front of the group, guard the left or right sides of the long line, or rush to the back of the group to guard the direction they came from.

After the more than one hundred people capable of fighting were in position, the long, scattered group gradually shrank its scale under the chaotic command of Priest Bata'er and Xueya Site, letting everyone gather together.

And when Jier called out to those non-humans, the Mao Maos poked their heads out from the top of the carriage containing empty boxes. After swaying for a long time, although they were low in spirits, they still responded to Knight Jier's summons at the first opportunity.

Yongqi Maomao led the other seven Mao Maos capable of fighting, jumping and hopping down from the carriage. Following Knight Jier's voice, they passed through the large crowd of panicked people and finally found Knight Jier near the front of the group, close to Shuiche Cunzi.

"Mao Mao, here! Mao Mao, here! Powerful, Human, have, what, instructions?"

Yongqi Maomao did not know what these humans were panicking about. It wasn't as if a powerful Magic Beast that couldn't be defeated had appeared, so why were they all so nervous?

Jier, however, was expressionless. He was still wearing the clothes he usually wore and had not put on any Armor. This was mainly because it was daytime, and although the village not far away looked like it had suffered a disaster, there was no obvious danger.

"You came just in time. Now I have a mission for you."

Jier reached out and pointed directly at the small village along the river, which looked like it had been ravaged by a great fire and appeared deserted and dilapidated: "Go and scout that village for me. Just confirm one thing: whether there are a large number of Humans lying in ambush inside."

If there were unknown enemies but not many of them, then Jier had no reason not to go up and meet them.

Of course, if there were many enemies and they were using the village to ambush and resist them, then Jier had no reason to take people across the river into this village. It was only noon, and he could completely let the group continue along the Shanglu toward the southeast, ignoring everything here entirely.

Whether it was attacked by Bandits or occupied by defeated, routed troops, it had little to do with him. As long as the group stayed on the Shanglu, unless the enemy chased them directly, they would not be able to catch up to his group.

"Okay, okay!"

The Mao Maos did not care about the danger of the mission; they only cared about how much metal they could get as a reward in the end.

Yongqi Maomao led the team, and soon the eight Mao Maos rushed out of the nervous Human group in a flurry. After exchanging a few words in low voices, they split into two. One team went along the Shanglu and the dirt road leading to the village toward the Wooden Bridge across the river, while the other team took a turn and ran toward the upstream of the village along the river. With a few splashes, this pair of Mao Maos jumped directly into the not-so-turbulent small river and swam across.

Jier turned his horse around and took the opportunity to return to his carriage, diving inside. Soon, when he came out, he had already changed into a set of Metal Armor. Likewise, while Jier was putting on his Armor, the several commoners responsible for taking care of the horses also took off the special horse Armor for Tianxuecao hanging on the carriage and nervously and busily put the combat Armor on Tianxuecao.

These commoners who took care of the horses were putting Armor on a warhorse in such an emergency for the first time. Not only were they sweating profusely from anxiety, but their usually simple and agile movements were quite stiff.

However, none of the guards responsible for protecting Jier criticized or mocked them. Everyone was very nervous; they all knew that they had encountered a village that looked like it had suffered a disaster ahead. At this moment, everyone was anxious and uneasy, and no one went to mock the people working for being nervous and making mistakes.

"Don't be nervous, take your time."

Jier walked over from the side with a clanking sound, his combat boots stepping on the solid Shanglu, making a loud noise.

Seeing that Knight Jier had put on his Armor and was fully armed, these people were anxious in their hearts, but Jier opened his Steel Face Mask and comforted them in a relaxed tone: "Really, we don't know what the situation is ahead yet, so don't be nervous, take your time. Perhaps the news brought back by the non-humans scouting ahead won't be too bad. In my judgment, the village has been burned by fire for a few days now, so there isn't necessarily still danger."

"Is that so, My Lord?"

A young man asked hesitantly while putting the metal chest Armor on Tianxuecao.

"Would I lie to you? Besides, if we really have to fight, being nervous and panicked won't make things any better. Things will happen regardless, so what is the use of worrying or being afraid? In the end, you'll only delay yourself."

Jier shook his head and reached out to help the other party lift the somewhat heavy horse chest Metal Armor, allowing the young man to successfully hook the fixing straps and Lock onto it.

After shaking it and feeling that it was hooked, Jier casually helped the others put on their Armor.

"Come, I'll help you lift it."

"It's a bit tight here, try loosening the fixing Lock by one notch?"

"How is it? Tianxuecao, call out if something is uncomfortable?"

Tianxuecao didn't feel that its new clothes were uncomfortable, so it lowered its head and nudged its master. But the horse head covered in Metal Armor made a loud clanging sound against the metal Armor on Jier's shoulder.

Bang!!!

Jier smiled bitterly and moved his right arm. It wasn't that his arm was hit, but he was worried about whether the Armor on his right arm had been deformed by this heavy blow.

Fortunately, although the sound was loud, both the hitter and the hit were unscathed.

Finally, the horse's weapon rack was also installed behind the Muan, and Jier's various weapons and equipment were also installed: a Hunting Bow and two bags of Arrow, a set of Crossbow and two large bags of Crossbow Bolt, and the heavy Full Metal Double-Edged Spear.

Jier even ostentatiously hung the newly bought Cloak on the shoulders of his Metal Armor. At this moment, he jumped onto the horse and flicked the black-red Cloak, feeling majestic and awe-inspiring, far more handsome and better-looking than the solid-colored large Cloak he wore before that covered his Armor.

"Everyone, take care of yourselves and act according to the Priest's orders."

Jier finally gave instructions to these subordinates who followed his orders directly, then kicked the Stirrup hard, letting Tianxuecao, protected by two layers of Armor, perceive the urge to hurry, and it broke into a gallop toward the front of the group.

The heavy sound of hooves thundered, and this imposing sound of galloping horses actually made the commoners who saw Jier relax.

'Look, Knight Jier, who protects our group, is so powerful, what do we have to be afraid of?'

Thinking this way, everyone was no longer so nervous. Instead, they stood on tiptoe, stretched their necks, or stood directly on the group's supplies, watching Knight Jier, who was passing through most of the group, as he headed forward.

"Victory!"

I don't know who suddenly shouted this slogan. The others were stunned when they heard it, and in the next instant, more people followed suit.

"Victory! Knight Jier, victory—"

Jier laughed out loud. He knew as soon as he heard it that the first shout came from Xueya Site. This old caravan guard always managed to come up with some new tricks.

As a response to what everyone was shouting at this moment, no matter what was in front of him, he must not fail.

It must be victory, only victory.

Jier lowered his Steel Face Mask. His strong body, protected by solid Armor, rose and fell slightly with the galloping of the warhorse. His breathing was steady and powerful, his spirit was high, and his fighting intent was surging.

Yongqi Maomao and three companions used both hands and feet to traverse the half-burned bridge deck crossing the river.

It felt a pity that such a fine Wooden Bridge had been charred black by the great fire; if it were in its own tribe, so much sturdy wood could have easily added hundreds of wooden houses to the tribe.

Due to their physique, the houses of the Maomao are not large; for humans, some large Wooden Boxes are considered quite comfortable and suitable for the Maomao.

Unlike humans, their houses are not only small but also do not require indoor lighting; instead, they require safety and shade. The Maomao do not like spacious sleeping areas, as that would make them lack a sense of security when resting.

Houses that are too bright also make them feel restless when they rest.

As for the various facilities needed in life, the Maomao live in groups and share them; not only that, female Maomao also take care of the cubs of familiar companions. Their internal hierarchy is strict, yet they are united and cooperative. This is an effective tradition passed down by this intelligent species that has survived for generations in dangerous mountain forests.

Crossing the completely exposed bridge deck in broad daylight, their figures were naturally discovered by the people in the Cunzi.

But the expected attack did not happen; it is unknown whether the people in the dilapidated Cunzi saw the team of hundreds behind the Maomao, or if they had other plans. However, this made Yongqi Maomao, who had been keeping an eye out to turn and jump away at any moment, heave a sigh of relief. What they feared most were the sharp arrows shot by humans; even though the team it led consisted of Refining Qi Warriors of the tribe, it was still very dangerous if humans fired arrows continuously.

Pata pata, pata, pata.

The four of them ran quickly across the final stretch of the bridge, and after rushing past the bridgehead full of black carbon ash, they turned directly and hid under the perimeter wall of a house at the bridgehead.

The perimeter wall was only about a meter high; the Maomao used their tails to support their bodies so they could poke their heads out from under the wall to scout.

But scouting cannot be done by just poking one's head out in front of the enemy; wouldn't that create favorable conditions for a Human Hunter to shoot them in the head?

Thus, Yongqi Maomao led its people to detour along the perimeter wall of the Villager's house by the river at the bridgehead. After circling halfway, it carefully and slowly poked its head out to observe, using temporarily broken charred shrubs as cover.

The house of this Villager at the bridgehead had already been burned to the ground by a great fire; the house beams and pillars, originally built from high-quality thick wood, were now nothing more than a few semi-broken wooden posts stuck in the dirt.

The walls built from a mixture of stone flakes and mud had long since collapsed, and the roof of the house had also crushed the entire interior of the house beneath it in one go. The Fruit Trees and livestock pens in the courtyard had been scorched by flames, but there were no stinking, rotting corpses of livestock, and even the remains of a chicken coop, which would likely be there, were nowhere to be seen.

Yongqi Maomao did not understand what these represented, but it sniffed carefully; in the mixed smell of the house ruins, there was indeed no stench of rotting corpses, only the intense smell of items having been burned.

It discussed in a low voice with its subordinates for a while, but they could not come to a conclusion, so they had to go deeper into this Cunzi.

Thus, the Maomao walked on tiptoe along the base of the perimeter wall toward the Cunzi, constantly searching for the scent of humans in the Cunzi through sniffing.

Another team of Maomao crossed the river by swimming; they avoided the Wooden Bridge at the front of the Cunzi and detoured a distance to sneak in from a low hill behind the Cunzi.

The side of the low hill facing the Cunzi had obviously also been burned by flames not long ago; many shrubs and small trees that should have been lush in spring had been burned by the flames and turned into black ash.

But the tenacity of life is far from something that can be extinguished by flames; on the land previously scorched by fire, new plants were absorbing sunlight and rainwater, as well as the plant remains turned into ash, and growing rapidly.

The four Maomao smeared some mud and black ash from the ground onto their bodies, directly dirtying the mottled fur that the Maomao cherish; one could not tell at all how long the Maomao usually spend grooming and licking their own fur when resting.

After all, these Maomao were Refining Qi Warriors in the tribe; compared to beautiful, shiny, and smooth fur, they, as Warriors, paid more attention to concealment.

Most Maomao with Warrior bloodlines have complex patterns on their fur that are not bright or conspicuous; this natural fur allows them to easily conceal their figures in wild forests. Whether standing still or walking slowly, their variegated fur makes it difficult for enemies to see them clearly.

But this was of no use on the low slopes of the hill burned by flames; to avoid being discovered, they had to make themselves dirtier and blend more into the background of this environment.

It must be said that these few Maomao Warriors responsible for melee combat were right; covered in ash, they did not attract the attention of anyone in the Cunzi and thus quietly snuck in from the side of the Cunzi.

Unlike Yongqi Maomao, who entered the Cunzi from the front to scout, these few melee Maomao soon heard human voices after climbing over the low perimeter walls of two farmers' houses.

It sounded like an aged voice was begging for something, while a young human voice was throwing a tantrum.

Along with the sound of a leather whip cracking and the sound of bodies falling, a house in the Cunzi that had not yet been completely burned gathered the few remaining humans here.

Sneakily, four fluffy, soft cat heads full of black ash quietly poked out from a perimeter wall.

Opposite the perimeter wall was a two-story small building that had not yet been burned; seven or eight people were gathered in the courtyard, but five of them were aged humans. The remaining three young people looked anxious, constantly pulling and pushing those old people.

"Get moving, all of you, do you hear me? Don't think about those people coming to save you. We are all human; you old fogies still have to be ordered to work."

A young man whispered threats while cracking the short leather whip in his hand with a loud snap.

But the five old people he threatened just sat on the ground full of black ash, holding their companions with their arms, without the slightest intention of getting up. Even though this young man had previously whipped them, they did not get up.

At this time, another bald young man looked at these old people who refused to leave with disgust and said to the young man holding the whip: "Since they don't want to leave, then let them stay here. It's a ruined Cunzi anyway; the wealth dug up these days is enough for us to live lavishly in the nearby Duoen Town for a long time."

The last young man next to him, holding an Iron Shovel, paused the Iron Shovel in his hand: "That's right, but to prevent others from knowing our appearance and names, it's best to kill these old fogies. Move quickly; who knows, that team passing by might send people to investigate. It's best to leave a few dead people for them, so they'll be confused."

The young man holding the leather whip was a bit conflicted: "No, kill them? Is it worth it? Just take them away to avoid this team; honestly, we've only dug a few courtyards in this place..."

"Bah, you young people have really gone astray; it's a pity we even found food for you! After eating the master's food, guests should not draw blades to threaten them."

An old man coughed and spat a mouthful of saliva, spraying it fiercely onto the face of the young man holding the leather whip.

The young man was spat on the face and immediately swung the leather whip, striking the old man's head, immediately leaving a whip mark that tore off hair and skin: "Guest? Who is a guest? Does that bit of rotten Bean count as food?"

Seeing that his companion was about to whip again, the bald man directly drew his Dagger: "What's the point of talking? Slaughter these few people, let's retreat first, and come back in a few days to properly dig for the treasures left behind by the villagers who fled!"

Seeing that a tragedy was about to happen, the few melee Maomao looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

But fortunately, at the other end of this courtyard, Yongqi Maomao had snuck over; although it did not know what was happening here at the moment, it let out a loud "Meow—" and jumped up from under the perimeter wall with its three companions.

The sudden strange cry and the four never-before-seen Monsters jumping onto the perimeter wall startled all the humans in the courtyard. Not only were the three young men who wanted to kill panicked, but even the five old people sitting on the ground let out a strange cry: "What kind of Monster!!"

At the same time, there was a noisy meowing on the other side of the courtyard; four pitch-black Maomao also jumped onto the perimeter wall, following the leader to intimidate the humans in the courtyard.

"Meow meow meow?"

Yongqi Maomao widened its eyes; it had only been a short while, how did the four companions get so black?