A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 572 Copycat
The horse caravan clattered along the dirt road, kicking up clouds of dust.

The caravan didn't move very fast, as the oxcarts were loaded with grain and could only proceed slowly.

Duan Rong and more than a dozen other children had their hands tied together with a long rope, the other end of which was tied to the back of an oxcart, pulling them along as they staggered!

Lu Chu's dark, thin face was covered with a layer of dust, which was stuck to his skin with fine sweat. He glanced at the gleaming blade in the hand of the bandit on horseback beside him with a somewhat unpleasant expression. He lowered his head and whispered to Jiang Hanyan, "Hanyan, if we're just taken back to the stronghold like this, won't we be killed?"

Lu Chu's worries were also the concerns of Duan Rong and the others. They were just children, powerless and vulnerable; any bandit could easily kill them.

Moreover, if they are killed within this divine and demonic illusion, their true lives within the ruins will also be erased by the will of the gods and demons. They will truly die!

The lives of everyone here are extremely fragile, as precarious as a pile of eggs!
Jiang Hanyan shook her head and said, "We won't die for now! They took us back to make us work!"

"Work?!" A look of confusion flashed across everyone's faces.

Jiang Hanyan said, "This is the usual practice of the chief, Meng Zongqiu! After massacring the village, he takes the children back to the mountain stronghold to serve as laborers. Children are easier to control and pose the least danger compared to adult laborers."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief; at least they were not in immediate danger of dying. Although they were physically weak and had lost all their martial arts skills, they were still adults at heart and had a lot of experience to draw upon. As long as they didn't die, they still had a lot to do.

Du Wan said, "Hanyan, what's the situation with the three leaders of this caravan? Tell us about it."

Everyone knew that Jiang Hanyan's obsession was to kill these three people, so they needed to know about them first.

Moreover, the eight of them were huddled together, and although there were other children, they were pushed aside. They whispered among themselves, which the sobbing children could not hear.

Jiang Hanyan glanced warily at the bandits by the roadside, then lowered her voice and said, "The leader is called Meng Zongqiu. You should have noticed earlier that he is at the second level of the Inner Breath Realm. The second leader, Wu Mingfu, is at the first level of the Inner Breath Realm. The third leader is also at the first level of the Inner Breath Realm."

Du Wan touched the side of her abdomen, where the bones protruded slightly, and said, "Look at you, all skin and bones! You're so hungry, you'd have trouble even killing a dog, how could you possibly kill the skilled fighters of a caravan?"

Everyone sighed inwardly; this was far too difficult, almost an impossible task.

Duan Rong stood there, his face grim, without uttering a word. He also felt that for seven or eight-year-old children like them to avenge Jiang Hanyan's parents' murder and quell her obsession was simply a pipe dream!

Moreover, he had just tried it and found that not only were all his martial arts skills gone, but he also couldn't use his soul techniques.

In fact, if he could use his soul-binding technique, killing those three would be as simple as using three soul-binding thorns—he could annihilate them with a flick of his finger! But now, facing those three bandits, Duan Rong couldn't help but feel like an ant trying to shake a tree.

To be honest, they are far too weak!
Du Wan said, "Han Yan, can't you change your obsession?"

Jiang Hanyan glanced at Du Wan, her eyes resolute, and said, "If it can be exchanged, is it still called an obsession?"

In fact, in the real world of Kyushu, many years later, Jiang Hanyan had achieved great success in her cultivation and returned to her hometown, Liangyuan Prefecture, many times to search for the whereabouts of Meng Zongqiu and the other two, but she could not find any trace of them despite her efforts.

Even after she became a direct disciple of the Taiyi Sect, she used the sect's resources, but still gained nothing.

At that time, she thought that Meng Zongqiu and the other two were either already dead or had escaped from Qingzhou, which was under the control of Taiyi Sect, and were no longer within the territory of Qingzhou.

Being able to re-enter the scene from back then with the help of the will of gods and demons filled her with a sense of emotion. She felt this was the best gift she could receive for entering the ruins of gods and demons.

The wounds in her heart that had been there for so many years might finally be healed here. She was determined to kill those three!
When Guo Tian heard Du Wan suggest that Jiang Hanyan change her obsession, he turned to look at her and said, "How can you change it? If your father's head were hanging on that tree, could you change it? If she did, would she still be human?"

"Fine, forget I said anything!" Du Wan said helplessly. He was just making a complaint, and he got roasted by Jiang Hanyan and Guo Tian together.

Jiang Hanyan said, "Although we have lost all our cultivation, all the martial arts routines and internal energy cultivation methods are still in our minds. We can learn them again!"

"Start practicing again?!"

"Yes!" A look of excitement flashed in Jiang Hanyan's eyes. "As long as we also achieve the first level of the Inner Breath Realm, and with the combined strength of the eight of us, if the plan is done properly, we will definitely be able to kill the three of them."

Du Wan said, "In our current state, it would take at least five or six years to reach the first level of the Inner Breath Realm within this illusion."

Lu Chu pursed his lips and said, "Five or six years?! Du Wan, I think you're being too optimistic!"

Jiang Hanyan retorted, "What's wrong with five or six years? As long as we can kill them, five or six years is worth it!"

This time, not only Du Wan wanted to complain, but even Guo Tian looked at Jiang Hanyan with a strange expression.

Time within the Divine Demon Illusion Realm is but a fleeting moment, a thousand years passing in an instant. In other words, when they leave the Divine Demon Illusion Realm, it's as if they've just experienced a grand dream.

But although it's just a fleeting moment in the real world, in the realm of gods and demons, the passage of time is real; five years is five years, and five days is five days.

It's not that they're unwilling to persevere!

The longer they stay in this illusion, the greater their chances of dying!
Jiang Hanyan actually said that they should spend five or six years cultivating their martial arts to the first level of the Inner Breath Realm, and then the eight of them should work together to kill Meng Zongqiu and the others!
This idea is absolutely insane!

It seems that Jiang Hanyan is truly obsessed!

Guo Tian's eyes suddenly lit up as he looked at Duan Rong, who had been walking silently to the side, and asked, "Duan Rong, what are your thoughts?"

Duan Rong turned to look at Guo Tian and said, "Sometimes, you don't necessarily have to use martial arts to kill someone!"

If we really have to wait for them to transform the martial arts memories in their minds into real martial arts skills in the illusion, it will indeed take five or six years.

They simply can't afford to waste such a long time, and what if something unexpected happens along the way?

Upon hearing this, everyone felt that Duan Rong's words had a hidden meaning and wanted him to explain further.

Suddenly, a bandit on horseback rode up from the roadside, brandishing a knife. He glared at them and roared, "What are you little bastards whispering about?"

Everyone was taken aback, then fell silent. Du Wan looked up and said, "Grandpa, I'm so hungry I can't walk!"

The bandit sneered, pointed the tip of his knife at the cow's rump that they were tied to the front of the oxcart, and said, "When that cow poops later, you can pick up some cow dung and eat it! Hot cow dung is very nutritious!"

After the bandit finished speaking, he burst into laughter, and several other bandits by the roadside joined in the laughter.

However, after all that commotion, the bandit spurred his horse back to the roadside.

Du Wan lowered his head with a fierce expression and muttered curses, "I'll stuff your stinking mouth full of cow dung sooner or later!" Several hours later, the caravan had reached the end of the dirt road. Looking out, there were rolling mountains in the distance, shadowy and indistinct, seemingly endless and without end.

Ox carts couldn't go up the mountain! The grain that the ox carts were loaded onto the backs of horses. Each of the oxen could also carry several sacks of grain.

The caravan paused briefly at the foot of the mountain, regrouped, smashed the unloaded oxcarts, and then proceeded up the rugged mountain path.

They ventured deep into the mountains, crossed several peaks, and finally spotted a mountain valley with twinkling lights in the twilight.

By the time the caravan reached the mountain valley and the gate of the large fence, it was already pitch black. The two lanterns there emitted a faint red glow, swaying in the mountain wind of the night.

The torches carried by the horse team fluttered in the mountain wind.

On a watchtower standing next to the gate of Dashilan, people were already holding torches and began to make incisions towards the cavalry.

The firelight was bright, and the man on the watchtower had already recognized that the cavalry outside were all his brothers from the mountain stronghold. However, the rule of using a secret code was set by the chief to avoid falling into a trap, so he could only follow it.

Second-in-command Wu Mingfu spurred his horse forward and, in front of the gate of the large fence, exchanged a few words with the men on the watchtower, his voice hoarse and incomprehensible to Duan Rong and the others.

The people on the watchtower uttered a string of incoherent words, indistinguishable as either animal or bird language, before suddenly shouting, "The chief and the others are back! Open the gates!"

Immediately, the gate of Dashilan was pushed open, and the horse team entered the mountain village in the light of torches.

A man stood at the gate, the foreman in charge of guarding the stronghold. Upon seeing the cavalry enter, he immediately clasped his hands and greeted them, "Your subordinate respectfully welcomes the three leaders back to the stronghold!"

Sitting on his horse, Meng Zongqiu asked coldly, "Is the wine and food ready?"

The man said, "It's all ready!"

Meng Zongqiu said, "Brothers, let's hand over the grain we brought! Tonight, we won't leave until we're drunk!"

A shout immediately rang out at the entrance of the mountain stronghold!

Meng Zongqiu turned to Li Tang and said, "Third brother, bring the woman you kidnapped today over too. Let the brothers have some fun with her at the banquet!"

“Yes, brother!” Li Tang replied.

A series of whistles rang out at the entrance of the mountain stronghold, and the women who had been brought there instantly turned pale.

The cattle, sheep, grain, and women were all taken away.

Only two bandits, pulling the ropes binding Duan Rong and the other children, walked from a patch of light at the entrance into a secluded, dark corner.

The two bandits were both cursing and swearing.

"They've gone off to enjoy themselves! They've left the job of delivering these puppies to us!"

"Alright. I know you're eyeing those women, but even if I let you go now, it wouldn't be your turn."

The two bandits led the dozen or so children to a courtyard. The courtyard was quiet, but it was filled with the strong smell of cooking oil and swill.

"Old He! You're sleeping so early? I've brought you some labor!"

As one of the bandits shouted, a dim light suddenly shone from the window of a room in the courtyard. The door opened, and a lean old man in his fifties or sixties, wearing a robe and carrying a lantern, came out.

The old man muttered as he walked, "Preparing this welcome banquet for you has worn me out. Can't I get some rest?!"

This courtyard is the village's kitchen, where everyone in the village eats. The lean old man in front of you is named He Chong, and he is in charge of the kitchen.

He carried a lantern, his eyes scanning the dozen or so children intently, and sighed, "They're all so thin, what strength can they possibly have?! They're all they have left are mouths!"

The bandit said, "The harvest was bad! Everyone's starving!"

Old He shook his head and said, "Alright, you can go now!"

Upon hearing this, the two bandits were about to draw their knives and leave when Old He suddenly said, "Wait. Cut the ropes binding them." The two bandits had no choice but to turn back and cut the ropes binding Duan Rong and the others with their knives.

Old He held a certain status in the mountain stronghold, mainly because he was an excellent cook. Not only was he in charge of the food for the entire stronghold, but he also prepared the meals for the three leaders in the small kitchen. Those two bandits really didn't dare to offend him.

After the two bandits left, Old He, carrying a lantern, looked at the dozen or so thin, dark-skinned children in the courtyard, pointed to the low shacks not far away, and said, "You'll sleep in there! It's a large communal sleeping area, go in and find your own place! It's too late now, there's no food left, but there's water in the water vat over there! Let me warn you, don't even think about running away. This is deep in the mountains, full of wolves and tigers. If you get lost, you'll just die in the mountains. And if you run away and get caught, the head of the family will skin you alive!"

Upon hearing the word "skinning," several children visibly shuddered.

After saying this, Lao He put on his clothes and went back to his room, turned off the light, and lay down.

The children then went to the large water vat and began to scoop water to drink. They were already hungry and thirsty, their stomachs were rumbling and their lips were dry and chapped.

It's better not to drink water; after drinking water, the hunger becomes even more intense.

Just then, a child picked up a few rotten vegetable leaves from the ground, and the other children immediately started fighting over them.

Duan Rong and his eight companions ignored the children scrambling for the rotten vegetable leaves and left the water vat to go to their sleeping place.

As soon as they stepped into the dark room, a stench of stinky feet and farts hit them. They coughed a few times but still went inside.

In the darkness, the sounds of snoring rose and fell!
They stood in the dark for a while, their eyes gradually adjusting to the light.

On the large communal bed, a dozen or so figures were sleeping sparsely, and judging from their figures, they were all small children, just like the group. At this moment, all the children were fast asleep.

Old He just said that he was exhausted from preparing for the banquet, and these children probably suffered even more than him.

Duan Rong and his group found an empty spot and lay down together.

They had originally intended to lie down and consider their next steps, but they were already too exhausted. As soon as their heads hit the bed, they fell into a deep sleep, and even the tingling hunger couldn't stop the overwhelming drowsiness...

(End of this chapter)