I will teach you how to cultivate immortality

Chapter 57 The Witch Doctor Spreading Wisdom

Transporting over nine thousand slaves on the road would be difficult even for the elite Gui Rong clan, who would find it hard to march quickly.

Not to mention, although the Gui Rong clan was the elite force of the Gui Fang Kingdom, only a few dozen of its scouts had mounts.

Because the Guifang Kingdom did not possess the skills for large-scale animal taming.

Those black beasts only chose to join the Gui Rong clan because of the blessings of the Five Gods.

With these two factors combined, the Gui Rong clan's marching speed, if not a hundred li a day, could only be described as slow as a tortoise.

Fortunately, the Gui Rong clan had already captured enough slaves this time, so they were not in a hurry to speed up their march.

On the contrary, Mu Zheng intentionally or unintentionally reorganized the formation, making the originally loose formation more aggressive.

This was the consistent practice of the Gui Rong clan, or rather, the Gui Fang state.

When faced with truly formidable enemies, they often resort to using lowly slaves to deplete the enemy's manpower.

The Gui Rong clan's true main force would only launch a fierce attack and break through the enemy's defenses with overwhelming force when they discovered a weakness in the enemy's defenses.

This also shows that the young Mu Zheng clearly did not underestimate the strength of Gaocun Town.

After all, Gao Village must be hiding some secret to be able to occupy a place in these mountains.

"What do you think... is it that makes them this hub?"

Although Mu Zheng did not mention the name of Gaocun Town, You Zhong immediately understood the meaning behind his words.

"They have no gods, no priests, not even warriors..."

"How did it become a hub connecting villages of all sizes within a radius of hundreds of miles?"

Without waiting for You Zhong's reply, Mu Zheng continued talking to himself.

"Is it merely the prestige of that 'shaman'? Or his laughable wisdom?"

His eyes made no attempt to hide his disdain; Mu Zheng, born in the Ghost Kingdom, believed only in power.

"Perhaps...it's related to that witch from a thousand years ago?"

After hesitating for a moment, Youzhong finally voiced his guess.

"I heard that the witch from a thousand years ago chose to settle in this area, perhaps her power continues to protect this place?"

However, upon hearing You Zhong's words, Mu Zheng suddenly burst into laughter.

"Haha, so you believe in those kinds of legends too?"

"That's just a legend, a legend that sounds utterly ridiculous!"

"A witch from the Central Plains, leading her tribe across most of the Central Plains, just to settle in this remote, godforsaken place?"

"If this legend is true, then what about the witch's tribe?"

"That was a powerful tribe that could span most of the Central Plains. Even if it had perished, it couldn't possibly be as obscure as it is now, could it?"

After giving a positive conclusion, Mu Zheng looked at You Zhong and said.

"From now on, go out of the city less often. Those stories circulating among other tribes and mountain people are ultimately just unfounded tales."

Just then, a commotion broke out at the front of the column.

A shout came from the scout at the front, followed by the weeping of the slaves.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Grandma... my father and mother are both dead..."

"Those damned Guifang people, they killed my whole family!"

"My sister...my sister died a terrible death..."

"My mother was fed to wild animals just because she coughed once..."

"And my younger brother, he's only eight years old. He just wanted to rest because he couldn't walk anymore, but they dragged him so hard his bones were practically protruding..."

……

It was as if they had found a breakthrough.

The slaves, who had been deathly silent, began to wail and weep. Opposite them, a hunched-over, aged old woman listened silently to their cries, her expression heavy and speechless.

So, when Mu Zheng and You Zhong arrived at the front of the group, this was the scene they saw.

"Are you the 'shaman' from Gao Village?"

Squinting at the old woman not far away, Mu Zheng kicked over a slave who was still crying next to him.

Since the slave was already exhausted, he was kicked over by the shepherd and immediately fainted.

Upon seeing this, one of the slaves suddenly sprang up and lunged at the shepherd without regard for his own life.

This time, Mu Zheng didn't even need to make a move; You Zhong, who was standing next to him, had already drawn the long sword from his waist.

Swish!
A flash of light, and a head rolled to the ground.

Yu Chong, expressionless, sheathed his long sword again.

It was as if I had just been chopping vegetables rather than killing someone.

This kind of indifference stemming from human nature cannot be cultivated through upbringing.

Ordinary people wouldn't be this calm even if they were killing a chicken, let alone killing one of their own kind that looks exactly like them and can talk.

"Ghost side..."

Witnessing all of this unfold, the old woman's expression grew even more somber.

"Who I am is not important. What is important is whether you know where you are about to set foot?"

Trying her best to ignore the miserable state of the slaves, the old woman looked up at Mu Zheng and questioned him.

"This is the Hundred Mountains, not the territory of your Ghost Fang Kingdom."

"Your actions will anger the spirits of the mountains, and even the gods of the hundred lands..."

"By then, even the Five Gods will not be able to protect you!"

The old woman's words weren't exactly righteous, but the warning in them was unusually strong.

Because what she said was the truth. In this world where gods truly exist, the high-ranking rulers of the Ghost Kingdom are not absolute and unrestrained overlords.

"The Hundred Mountains?"

A faint hint of mockery appeared on Mu Zheng's face as he spoke calmly.

"Thirty years ago, the Tu Fang Kingdom was not even part of the Gui Fang Kingdom's territory..."

"But what about now? The land of the Tu Fang Kingdom has long since become our territory, and their subjects have become our slaves."

"Power is the truth of this world!"

"This was true thirty years ago, and it will be true thirty years from now!"

Hearing Mu Zheng's arrogant remarks, the old woman's expression actually relaxed a bit.

"Might makes right, that's a really good saying..."

Although she still had a hunched back, the old woman at this moment gave people a solemn and dignified feeling, like a mountain.

"But do you really grasp the 'truth'?"

As she spoke, a visible surge of vital energy appeared around the old woman.

The shockwave of this primordial energy was so vast that it caused the earth to tremble, as if a true god had descended.

Rumble…

The continuous small-scale earthquakes, spreading from near to far, quickly caused panic throughout the Gui Rong clan's army.

Those battle-hardened Gui Rong clan members were alright.

They are an elite force trained by the Ghost Fang Kingdom, and the strongest among them have even fought against gods.

But the much larger number of slaves had never seen such a scene before, and they were immediately thrown into complete disarray.

Monthly ticket/recommendation ticket

(End of this chapter)