Excessive ferocity due to caution

"Why...why do you have a sacred mountain deity on you?"

A villager who was close to Zhao Yi dared not stop him and retreated in a panic.

Hundreds of villagers gathered in front of the village chief's house silently made way for Zhao Yi.

Among the crowd, besides the horrified gazes, there was also a great deal of resentment.

That damned outsider... ruined their plans!

But why does he have a sacred object given to him by the mountain god?

In Zili Village, seeing the person holding this sacred object means you have seen the messenger of the mountain god!

If anyone else in the village had held this leaf, the villagers would not have been so surprised.

But Zhao Yi is an outsider!

The mountain god has never liked outsiders, so why has he suddenly changed his attitude today?

Zhao Yi's ruthless stride made some of the people involved in the riots who forced the village chief to step down both jealous and resentful. They had been coveting the position of village chief for a long time and finally got such an opportunity, only to have it all ruined by an outsider who appeared out of nowhere!

They cannot accept it.

Clearly... we're just one step away from success!

"Everyone, don't believe him!"

"He's just an outsider!"

"The Mountain God detests outsiders who intrude into Zili Village!"

"He's deceiving us, kill him!"

"That's right! Kill him!"

"..."

Some people are stirring up trouble in the shadows, harboring malicious intentions.

Some villagers standing in front of the main villagers wanted to retreat, but there were too many forces pushing them from behind, and they were forced into a situation where they had nowhere to retreat!

"Go for it!"

"Why aren't you getting on?"

"You go first! I'll be right there!"

Amidst the cursing and swearing, several people were pushed in front of Zhao Yi. They had no choice but to attack Zhao Yi!

The farm tool in his hand swept through the air with a swift gust of wind and slammed down on Zhao Yi's head.

However, the next moment, the green leaf in Zhao Yi's hand emitted a strong unclean power, transforming into a hideous ghost face that directly devoured the villagers who attacked Zhao Yi!

"ah!!!"

The villagers let out a series of agonizing screams.

Corrupted by the unclean, they first turned into bizarre monsters, and then their bodies melted into a pool of black water.

The scene unfolding before their eyes left all the villagers speechless.

After confirming that the sacred mountain artifact in Zhao Yi's hand was genuine, the person who had been secretly stirring things up shut up and simply pretended that nothing had happened.

It's not like they're the ones who are dying.

What does it matter?

At this moment, even though those old men in the shadows felt uncomfortable, they forced themselves to suppress their emotions.

We can find another way to get the village chief position later.

But if you lose your life, then it's really over!

however……

They seemed to underestimate Zhao Yi's seriousness.

"The sacred mountain spirit is here. Those who were stirring the fire, step forward."

Looking at the villagers who were filled with awe, Zhao Yi smiled and spoke.

Some people hidden in the crowd suddenly changed their expressions!

I waited quietly for a few seconds.

No one stepped forward.

Zhao Yi glanced around at everyone.

"You remain so indifferent in the presence of the sacred mountain deity; are you showing contempt for its majesty?"

Upon hearing this, the villagers immediately panicked.

They can ignore Zhao Yi, so how can they ignore the mountain god?

Offending the dignity of the mountain god is a sin they cannot bear!

The other party is holding a sacred artifact of the mountain god. If they continue to drag this out, they will likely suffer even more terrifying wrath from the mountain god!

So, a dozen or so villagers cautiously stepped out from the crowd.

The village chief, who was in the courtyard, almost laughed out of anger when he saw it.

Surprisingly, more than half of them were old fogies from the village committee!

"As fellow believers in the mountain god, you old fogies hold high positions yet are unambitious, spending your days scheming for power and profit, and framing others. You are nothing but parasites of Zili Village!"

"Instead of seeking solutions to the problems that arose, you secretly fanned the flames, driving the villagers to their deaths... Your despicable actions are utterly vile and shameful!"

Zhao gave those old geezers a good scolding.

Their faces were grim.

An old woman with snake eyes, leaning on a cane, stepped forward:

"We are doing this for the safety of the village. Please, Your Excellency, calm your anger and do not wrong us."

"After all, many outsiders had secretly come to the village and even opened the shrine dedicated to the mountain god without permission. Naturally, we dared not be negligent in the slightest. Although we were a bit emotional, it was only because we couldn't bear to see the mountain god defiled!"

This scheming old woman was adept at maneuvering, attempting to turn their long-planned power grab and instigation into a well-intentioned but misguided "mistake."

"Really?"

Zhao Yi blinked, as if he believed her.

Seeing Zhao Yi's innocent expression, the old woman smiled coldly to herself, thinking that he was just a naive young man who was easy to fool.

On the surface, she still smiled and said:

"Of course, otherwise even if we had a thousand lives, we wouldn't dare offend the divine messenger!"

Zhao nodded, circled the old woman once, and said in full view of everyone:

"Make a vow."

"Make an oath and I'll believe you."

The old woman's smile immediately froze.

"Make...make what kind of oath?"

Zhao Yi stared at her wrinkled old face and said earnestly:

"Swear by your loyalty to the mountain god."

"If you truly wish to uphold the dignity of the mountain god, let this matter rest. Otherwise, may you be struck by lightning."

The old woman's smile gradually faded, and the corners of her mouth twitched unnaturally.

There's no problem with making a regular oath.

You can post it anytime, anywhere.

But if one swears an oath of loyalty to the mountain god, the effect is entirely different...

The mountain god is already close to being a very ominous being, burdened with too much karma. In particular, the villagers who were transformed by the mountain god are themselves part of the karma on the mountain god's body.

If they swear an oath of loyalty to the mountain god...

That means their vows will truly come true!

"Swearing an oath... is that unnecessary?"

The old woman looked unwell.

At this point, she began to regret why she had stepped forward to be the first to speak out.

Zhao Yi is such a troublesome guy!

"Oh?"

"You dare not swear an oath?"

"To dare not swear an oath is to be disloyal to the mountain god. As the mountain god's messenger, I have the right and the obligation to eliminate you, this disloyal wretch!"

As Zhao Yi spoke, the unclean power within the leaves in his hand began to slowly manifest.

He can use the power within the leaves, but only within the village.

And a suitable reason is needed.

Clean house... that's obviously the right reason!

The old woman panicked when she saw the strong, unclean energy emanating from the leaves in Zhao Yi's hand.

Sweat trickled down his temples.

At this moment, she disregarded her pride and knelt down on the ground with a thud, trembling as she said:

"I was momentarily blinded by evil spirits and committed a wrong act, causing the deaths of villagers... I beg Your Excellency's forgiveness!"

Zhao Yi squinted, pointed at the dozen or so people who had stepped forward, and said to the villagers in the distance:

Are they good to you?

The villagers looked at each other in silence for a long time before someone shook their head and said:

"not good."

Zhao Yi then pointed at village chief Liao Yun and asked:

"And what about him?"

Someone answered:

"The village chief takes good care of everyone."

Zhao Yi smiled upon hearing this:

"Since the village chief is good to you, why are you helping this group of hypocritical scum to harm him?"

"Should good people be held at gunpoint?"

The village was completely silent.

A few villagers lowered their heads in shame.

But more often than not, there is numbness.

They felt no remorse whatsoever.

Clearly, in their eyes, good people deserve to have guns pointed at them.

In the distance, a large number of villagers gathered on the opposite bank of the ditch to watch the fire.

They were villagers who did not participate in this operation.

It was a huge, dark area.

The gazes cast in this direction were complex.

There was a sense of satisfaction at seeing evildoers get their just desserts, but also some inexplicable worry.

Zhao Yi jumped onto a large rock, waved the leaf in his hand, and said:

"Everyone gathered at Village Chief Liao's door today, swear an oath to me! Anyone who dares not swear will be considered disloyal to the Mountain God!"

"The disloyal...die!"

As soon as Zhao finished speaking, those people with blank expressions immediately panicked!

Zhao Yi... how is he the one who sticks his neck out?

He's about to start a group buy!

P.S.: This story will temporarily end in the next chapter, and the rest of the plot will begin.