Am I the only good person in this cultivation world?

Yao Han felt a little puzzled.

Judging from the sun's position, it should be just past noon, around midday.

Are all the villagers taking a midday nap? It shouldn't be this quiet then.

Moreover, when I passed by the fields just now, I found that many of them were abandoned.

Besides, every household kept their doors and windows tightly shut, as if they were hiding from someone.

He stood by the tree, looked around the village, and then used his divine sense to probe into the tightly closed wooden houses.

The next discovery left Yao Han stunned.

Of the dozen or so households in the village, nearly half of the houses were empty, with not a single person in sight. However, the tables and cabinets inside were not covered in dust, suggesting that the people hadn't been gone long.

As for the houses that were occupied, most of the inhabitants were elderly people. There was another family, with men, women, and children, packing their belongings inside. Large and small bags were piled up inside the door, suggesting they were about to embark on a long journey.

Yao Han remembered that this house should be the home of his playmate "Da Niu". A hundred years have passed, and Da Niu should have passed away long ago. He didn't know which generation of his descendants lived in this house now.

He pondered for a moment, then walked toward the house.

As soon as I knocked on the door, the noise inside stopped abruptly, as if they were startled.

Yao Han cleared his throat:

Is anyone there?

There was no response from the people inside, but he wasn't in a hurry. Under his divine sense, Yao Han could clearly see their actions. At this moment, the adult inside the house was pressed against the courtyard wall, peering at him through a crack.

Yao Han said it again:

Is anyone there?

"Who are you? What are you doing in our village?"

A middle-aged man dressed in plain clothes lowered his voice and asked through the gate.

"I came from the south, and I've run out of dry rations. My stomach is really sore from hunger. I saw a village in this valley from afar, so I thought I'd come and beg for some food."

The door opened a crack, and the person inside peeked out, scrutinized him for a while, and then lowered the latch to let him in.

An old woman inside the house took two steamed buns out of a cloth bag and handed them to Yao Han:

"Eat up, eat up. Once you're done eating, let's go."

Yao Han bowed and accepted the steamed bun.

He was indeed hungry, so he didn't hold back and stuffed the food into his mouth in big bites. The people in the room relaxed a lot when they saw him wolfing it down.

Yao Han asked while eating:

"Isn't it daytime now? Why is there no one in the village, and all the doors and windows are locked?"

"Little Taoist priest, you've come at the wrong time."

The old woman sighed and handed him a bowl of water.

"Why do you say that, Granny?"

"It's all because of these bandits."

The middle-aged man who had just opened the door for him snorted and continued the conversation. Yao Han vaguely saw a resemblance to Da Niu in him.

Mountain bandits?

Yao Han narrowed his eyes.

"It happened about a month ago. A group of bandits suddenly appeared in the mountains around here. I don't know where they came from, but they robbed all the villages around here, causing chaos and unrest. Sigh!"

"This gang of bandits raids the village every few days, stealing grain, livestock, and even people. Our Yaojia Village is far from the city, so there's nowhere to report it to the authorities. There's no other way; to survive, everyone in the village who can leave has taken their families with them and left these past few days."

Yao Han looked around the courtyard:

"So, you're also planning to leave soon?"

The man nodded:

"So little Taoist priest, you'd better run away early too. Remember to avoid those mountains to the north, or they'll catch you."

"Ugh, those damned bastards! They burned down the village ancestral hall. Otherwise, at least we could have taken our ancestors' tablets with us..."

"Mother, what kind of time is this? We can't even save our lives, what use are ancestral tablets! Forget whether our ancestors can appear, even if they could, do you think they could defeat these bastards?"

Yao Han's expression gradually darkened, and he silently clenched his fists.

Just as the group was sighing and lamenting, a loud shout came from outside the courtyard wall:

"Where are all the villagers? Where have they all gone! Don't they know I'm here? Why aren't they coming out to welcome me?"

"Oh dear! Didn't you just come a few days ago? Why are you here again today!"

The old woman was startled:

"Ping An, check if the door is locked. If not, lock it immediately. Xiu Chun, quickly take the children to hide in the cellar..."

"good!"

Yao Ping'an rushed towards the door, taking three steps at a time.

Unfortunately, he was too late. Perhaps the slightly ajar door was too conspicuous and was immediately spotted by the bandits.

With a loud bang, the door was kicked open, and a group of burly men wielding knives and sticks swarmed in, blocking the entrance completely.

The leader was a burly man with deep-set eyes, a full beard, and a foul stench of alcohol. He kicked a vegetable jar by the door, shattering it.

"Where are the other villagers? How come you're the only ones left! Damn it, I didn't keep an eye on them all, and they all ran away! How am I supposed to explain this to my brother? Huh? Hurry up and hand over the grain!"

"Oh dear, oh dear, my lords, we just paid our offerings a few days ago. This old woman has absolutely no food left. I beg you, kind lords, to have mercy on me..."

"You don't have him? You'd better conjure him up yourself, or don't blame me for taking your son—huh?"

The bearded man's eyes darted around before settling on Xiuchun.

They rushed in so fast that Yao Ping'an's wife, Xiuchun, and their two children had no time to hide.

He licked his lips, his eyes wide open, making no attempt to hide his desire:

"Why didn't I see you when I came here before? Oh, I get it, you were hidden away before, weren't you? You old bastard, you actually dared to lie to me and say your son wasn't married! If he wasn't married, how did these two brats come about!"

The bearded man slammed the large stick he was holding onto the ground with a loud thud, the huge noise making the whole family's legs tremble.

"Mother, I'm scared..."

"It's alright, Lan'er, don't be afraid, Mother is here."

Xiuchun held her youngest daughter tightly beneath her.

"However, it's not like I can't forgive you. Since you can't afford the offerings, use this woman to pay off your debt!"

"What?!"

The old woman was horrified:

"Heroes, brave men, this...this won't do! My children are still young; they can't be without a mother! Please, please, I beg you, I'm begging you..."

The old woman suddenly knelt on the ground with a thud, supporting herself on the soil and bending her back, repeatedly banging her head against the ground until she bled.

"What you're saying is really wrong. Children can't be without their mother. How about this, I'm a kind old man, so I'll take these two little ones with me. They can learn some skills from the brothers, which is better than them staying with your useless father!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the bandits.

Yao Ping'an's face turned red, and he grabbed a hoe from the wall and started smashing it down on the bearded man's head.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

"Son, you mustn't!"

The bearded man watched Yao Ping'an's attack without moving an inch, a look of contempt in his eyes. He casually kicked out, and the kick struck the hoe handle squarely.

Yao Ping'an's hand went numb, and he lost his grip, the hoe flying to the other side.

The bearded man kicked him again, this time in the stomach. Yao Ping'an winced in pain and fell backward.

"Hmph, with your skills, even if I drank another pound of liquor, I wouldn't take you seriously!"

As he spoke, he pulled a wine pouch from his waist and gulped down several mouthfuls.

After putting down the wine bag, the bearded man wiped his mouth with his sleeve and looked at Yao Ping'an again, only to find that the man had not fallen and was standing on the ground unharmed.

"Huh? Why didn't it fall? Never mind, you guys, take that woman away from me—"

"Yes, Third Brother!"

Several burly bandits agreed, and carrying knives, they walked towards Xiuchun with lewd smiles on their faces.

"No! Don't come any closer!"

Just as this family was in despair, a cold voice rang out:

That's enough.