Chapter 61: Dark Curtain

  Night falls.

  It was already past eight o'clock at night, which is the time of Xu, although there were stars in the sky that could be vaguely seen. However, for people with nyctalopia in ancient times, it should have been bedtime by now. But tonight, many torches were lit up in Xishan Village, illuminating the entire village brightly. Many people sat at their own doorsteps, discussing something and looking very lively.

  The people of Xishan Village didn't sleep overnight for a reason. A few days ago, after Bian Fuzi announced the news that there was a dragon in Mount Fu, this dragon has been the focus of discussion among the people of Xishan Village. Today, the news reached its climax as Bian Fuzi took some people to Mount Fu to meet the dragon, accompanied by some officials from the village, who were prepared to negotiate a deal with the dragon.

  For this matter, although the people of Xishan village discussed it for over a decade, and there were words from Bian Fuzi, a scholar, as well as oaths from several hunters, the people of Xishan village still had mixed feelings. After all, that was a monster, said to be omnipotent in legend and capable of eating humans, which some villagers found hard to accept.

  But tonight, everything will be settled. Whether the monster is true or false, it will be known as soon as those people return and ask. If that dragon lord is really good-natured and willing to make a deal with humans, then if those country gentlemen dare to do so, ordinary people can naturally do so too. The thought of making a deal with a dragon monster makes the people of Xishan Village feel very excited.

  Anping stood with his attendants at the wooden gate, climbed onto the platform and gazed towards Mount Fu. Anping was the head of Xishan Township, a place without any prominent families, but he was also the most powerful person in the area. He was relatively clean-handed and enjoyed the respect of the people of Xishan Township.

  "How come you're still not back?" Anping was getting a bit anxious at this point. What the demon dragon said didn't seem quite reliable to him, but Bian Fuzi was a man of great reputation, and even Anping didn't dare ask too many questions.

  "The pavilion master is in no hurry, Master Fu has spoken too much, he will definitely return today, just wait a little longer and you can see him." someone on the side said softly.

  One of them had sharp eyes and saw the bright light of torches in the distance, and hastily shouted: "Ting Chang, they're back!"

  The news was then transmitted back to Xishan Township, and soon all the people of Xishan Township knew about it. When the torches approached, many people had already gathered at the wooden gate, surrounding it in a way that not even water could leak through. This was a major event for Xishan Township, and no one was unconcerned.

  Bo Yu arrived at the wooden gate, which was already open. The first thing that caught his eye was the face of An Ting Chang, who took a step forward and said: "Master, you're finally back."

  "Thanks for waiting," said Bo Fu Zi with a smile.

  "Tiēr, you're back?"

  "Zhang Lao San, have you seen Lord Yao Long?"

  "Li Boer, what does the great dragon king look like? Is he a hundred feet long with a huge mouth and blood basin? Doesn't he eat people?"

  With a slight frown, he opened his mouth again. Never mind, in this way, it's not necessary for Mr. Bian to announce it specially. Relying on these mouths, the news of the adults' collection will spread throughout Xishan Township by tomorrow. As he walked closer to Anping, "An Ting Chang, I have something to say to you."

  "Oh, then please come to my humble abode, Master. I'll have the lady prepare some wine and food, and we can discuss things slowly." Anping understood the implicit meaning.

  Ban Fu Zi turned his head and glanced at Cui Shi Alan, nodding to her. Cui Shi Alan bowed slightly, remembering what Ban Fu Zi had said to her on the road. Only then did Ban Fu Zi leave with An Ping.

  After the two men left, the place became even more lively. They were all from the same village and knew each other well, so they spoke freely without reserve. The twenty or so people who had gone to see the dragon lord told the story again, with some exaggerating and others being relatively straightforward. Regardless of how they said it, the villagers of Xishan believed them, and once they did, they asked about what concerned them most.

  "Does Lord Yaolong really want to collect locusts? One basket of locusts for one wild chicken or rabbit?"

  "Is there anything better than this? Aren't locusts everywhere? Even the little kids in my family can catch three to five of them."

  "It's really true, and the measure used is a sheng dou. One sheng dou can only hold about twenty or so locusts, let your little ones catch a few more, and they can exchange for a rabbit."

  "Can twenty or so locusts be exchanged for a pheasant or a hare? Wouldn't that mean you could exchange them back for ten or eight hares every day?"

  "Really, can the Great Demon King be fake? The master even treated us to a meal of venison, that's venison! Even the nobles in Luoyang City may not necessarily get to eat it."

  "Alan is even more formidable now, the adults said, let Alan be in charge of collecting the locusts we caught back, Alan directly handed them over to the adults, it seems that the adults trust Alan very much."

  "Alan?"

  "Yes."

  Everyone's gaze at Cui Lan was different now, as it involved their interests. A handful of locusts could be exchanged for a wild chicken or rabbit, and this kind of windfall was something they had never encountered in their lives. Ah Lan had transformed into the great Dragon King, becoming their patron and provider. At this time, who dared to face Cui Lan with an ordinary heart? Suddenly, a group of people gathered around Cui Lan, each trying to curry favor by speaking kindly. One invited Cui Lan to visit his home tomorrow, while another suggested that Ah Lan accompany them on a trip to the market to go shopping together, their enthusiasm was extreme.

  Cui Lan's face was stiff with smiles, and at Longtan there were fewer people, but here there were too many. Cui Lan couldn't even respond to them one by one, so she had to think quickly and say that she needed to prepare for adult matters and had to leave early. The people of Xishan village finally let Cui Lan go, and vaguely, Cui Lan heard the whispers behind her back.

  "Alan can be considered lucky."

  "I've said it before, this girl has a good fate, but you guys didn't listen. Look now, even the Great Dragon Lord has taken notice of her."

  "Unfortunately, our young master has already been betrothed."

  "Can Alan still take care of your kid now?"

  Cui Lan listened with a bitter smile, but her heart was extremely pleased. At this moment, Cui Lan's thoughts had become somewhat different.

  In the outer village of Xishan Township, about five miles away, a person is walking stealthily. If you look closely, you can see that this person also went to Longtan today.

  He arrived at a piece of land, puffed out his mouth and whistled a few times. Soon, there were also whistles in response. He let out a sigh of relief and quickly walked towards the place where the whistle came from. As soon as he approached, someone laughed and asked: "Wang Wu, why are you being so cautious? Haha"

  Wang Wu's face flashed with a hint of annoyance, and he quickly lowered his head, saying somewhat fawningly: "Zhang Six Brother."

  Several people walked out of the bushes, one of whom shouted: "Wang Wu, have you seen that snake today?"

  It was Zhang Liu who had just spoken. Upon hearing his companion's words, he laughed and said: "There's no such thing as a demonic snake; it must be just some foolish villagers' tale."

  "Wang Wu, you say."

  Wang Wu nodded: "Cheng Da brother, today we really saw the snake monster."

  "Really?" Zhang Liu was shocked.

  Wang Wu felt a thrill in his heart, but he didn't dare show it and instead said with an extremely honest tone: "Indeed, the Snake Demon is really inside Mount Fu, we all saw it."

  "It's really a strange snake, it seems that Mr. Xu was telling the truth. Wang Wu, tell me everything about the situation, don't leave out a single detail."

  Wang Wu recounted everything he had seen and heard at Longtan today, and the more they listened, the more shocked these people were. This demon snake was indeed as rumored in recent days, understanding human language and knowing human affairs.

  "What kind of evil magic can that demon snake cast?"

  "It's actually never."

  "You said that Ba Jie Ming will also go to the place of the demon snake tomorrow?"

  "Yes."

  "Go, keep a close eye on Baoji for me. When the time comes, Brother Xu will definitely reward you handsomely. We must hurry back and inform Brother Xu of this matter."

  A group of people turned around and left, Wang Wu watched them walk far away, spat and said: "You think you can kill the Dragon Lord with just these few people? You're dreaming, the Dragon Lord will definitely eat all of you up. It's better to be eaten anyway, it also saves me from paying back those gambling debts."

  Thinking of this, Wang Wu happily returned to Xishan Township again.

  PS: Thanks again for the reward from Feathered Snake, and also thanks to Lost Bao Brother for his generosity. Thank you, and please recommend and collect it by the way.