After the path was cut off

The town is small.

In less than half an hour, Tang Xiao'ao's shouts had spread throughout the streets and alleys.

People quickly gathered in front of the ancestral hall in Baixi Town.

This place was originally the town's meeting place. When the townspeople had something important to say, their first reaction was to come here to get an answer.

Li Qingfeng was already waiting in front of the ancestral hall.

He didn't rush to speak, but quietly watched as more and more people gathered.

The discussions grew louder and louder.

At this moment, the crowd was separated.

An elderly man with gray hair and sunken eyes was helped to the front by several younger people.

His name is Li Youtian.

Although he is not related to Li Wangchuan's branch by blood, he shares the same surname Li and is one of the earliest elders in Baixi Town, holding considerable influence in the town.

Upon seeing Li Qingfeng, he hurriedly asked:

"Gentle Breeze!"

"What exactly is going on?"

"Homecoming...is it really over?"

"Wangxiang? Who is Wangxiang?" A young man below, unaware of the situation, muttered under his breath.

"How dare you call him 'Homesick'?!" an elder immediately hissed. "That's the town elder's own brother! The one who went out to seek immortality and attained enlightenment in his younger days! The immortal ancestor the children always talk about!"

"Is there really such a celestial being? How did he suddenly return?"

They said they were going to take us away.

"Where to take it?"

"Who knows... I'd go anywhere as long as I can get out of here."

"Are you really taking everyone with you?"

"Will they only bring members of the Li family's main branch?"

"With so many people, how are we supposed to get through?"

"Wasn't there supposed to be a spirit beast capable of carrying ten thousand people...?"

"…………"

Various speculations and hopes intertwined, creating an atmosphere that was both enthusiastic and anxious.

Li Qingfeng's gaze swept across the crowd.

What truly concerned him was not the townspeople crowding outside the courtyard, craning their necks to peek inside.

When those people heard "the immortal has returned," their eyes lit up; when they heard "the whole town is being relocated," their faces showed panic. Most of them could only see their own small plot of land, and they believed in the prestige that Li Wangchuan had accumulated over the years, hoping that Li Wangxiang, this "immortal ancestor," could protect them from the collapse of the sky.

The real trouble is with the twelve people standing at the front.

Baixi Town administers twelve villages, and each village has a representative stationed in the town.

Normally, they manage the businesses of each village in the town; when it comes to important matters, they relay Li Wangchuan's orders back to their respective villages layer by layer.

Those who are pushed into this position by the villages are certainly not fools.

Moreover, these twelve villages are not ordinary villages.

Apart from the Li Family Village with the surname Li, all the other villages had some connection to cultivation. Their ancestors may have been cultivators or had received fragmented inheritances.

In truth, any one of their villages could leave Baixi Town and make a living on its own.

Yet over the years, they have still chosen to gather around Baixi Town and are still willing to obey Li Wangchuan's orders.

To put it more broadly, it's because of Li Wangxiang.

Even though the Li family member who joined the Tianxuan Sect and became an immortal has not returned for decades, he is still like a shadow hanging over Baixi Town, making many evil cultivators dare not go too far.

More recently, it's because of Li Qinghan.

Although she was young, she had already reached the late stage of Qi Refining, and her swordsmanship was extremely ruthless. Many times, the twelve villages were willing to suppress their own thoughts, not because they truly respected the Li family, but because they knew that the Li family still possessed a sword capable of slaying people.

Without the deterrent presence of these two cultivators, one near and one far, Baixi Town would have fallen long ago.

Li Qingfeng understood this.

Li Wangchuan naturally understood this even better.

It could even be said that this was a situation that my grandfather had intentionally created over the years.

He did not want the Twelve Villages to truly become vassals of the Li family, nor did he want everyone to be bound tightly by the name of Baixi Town.

The old man's thoughts were very simple.

When the Li family still had resources, the villages were willing to come together to shelter them from the wind and rain; if the Li family lost power one day, the villages would still have their own resources to distribute, so they would not be wiped out in one fell swoop.

My grandfather's thoughtfulness is certainly admirable.

But by what right? By what right should the grandfather make the decision alone and bear the blame? By what right should these twelve villages enjoy the benefits without feeling any remorse?

What needs to be made public must be made public. He couldn't go against his grandfather's wishes before, but now that his great-uncle has returned and his grandfather is willing to relinquish the decision-making power, then the approach must be different.

He reassured Li Youtian.

"My great-uncle has indeed returned; he's watching from the clouds right now."

As soon as he finished speaking, the courtyard fell silent.

The townspeople outside were taken aback at first, then some of them showed ecstatic joy, and even subconsciously looked up at the sky.

But the reaction of the Twelve Villages' representatives was completely different from theirs. They exchanged glances, and then...

Zhang Juzhong, who was standing at the front of the crowd, took a step forward.

He was the agent of Zhang Village, which had always been the most populous and influential of the twelve villages.

"Qingfeng, where is the mayor? How can he not show up for such a big matter?"

Li Qingfeng: "My great-uncle returned, and he was extremely excited. The two talked all night and just went to sleep. Of course, he cannot come out to see me."

"However, the journey to Yunmeng Marsh is long and arduous, and we are not planning to return this time. Therefore, we must inform you in advance so that you can prepare accordingly."

Another burst of noise ensued.

"Really, I really have to leave this awful place."

"I no longer need to worry about being disturbed by evil cultivators."

The representatives of the twelve villages showed little joy upon hearing this; in fact, their eyes betrayed a hint of panic.

They knew perfectly well what migrating to the Yunmeng Marsh meant.

This is an escape cage.

Escaping from the cage would inevitably alert the person guarding it.

It would be strange if heretical practitioners weren't stopped.

Zhang Juzhong then asked:

"If the evil cultivators obstruct us, will the Immortal Ancestor intervene?"

Upon hearing this, the townspeople who were still immersed in ecstasy finally quieted down, realizing what was happening.

Li Qingfeng glanced at Zhang Juzhong before calmly saying:

"My great-uncle will be watching from the clouds."

I'll say it again.

Zhang Juzhong's eyes darkened.

The other agents also felt a chill run down their spines.

The ordinary townspeople might not understand, but they did.

The immortal will not act unless the time is right.

If chaos breaks out in the village, if someone escapes, or if evil cultivators stir up trouble in the villages, then it is their own business.

Zhang Juzhong took a deep breath and asked again:

"It has to be two days later?"

Li Qingfeng said:

"It must be two days later."

"Can't it be done earlier?"

"cannot."

Zhang Juzhong remained silent for a moment, then cupped his hands in greeting.

"Understood."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

His movement caused the expressions of the other agents to change as well.

Some wanted to leave immediately, some hesitated, and some had their eyes flicker as if they still had questions to ask.

Li Qingfeng spoke up at this moment:

"Uncle Zhang, wait a moment."

Zhang Juzhong paused in his steps.

Li Qingfeng's gaze slowly swept over the twelve people.

"There is one more thing I would like to ask you all to take back with you."

"After you return to your villages, please have the village leaders proceed to the town today."

"My great-uncle wants to see them."