"Turning point? What turning point? "Akatsuki asked curiously.
"The day after my father and I both fell ill, my mother got up early in the morning and prepared to go to the well at the entrance of the village to fetch water. Who would have thought that as soon as she opened the door, she would find two shining silver ingots on the stone mill in her courtyard. Next to them was an old ginseng that was about half a foot long." The old man said, "At first, my mother thought that her eyes were playing tricks on her and that she was daydreaming. Later, she went forward to pick up the items and carefully looked at them. Only then did she realize that she was not dreaming. The ingots were real, and each one was worth 50 taels. The ginseng was also real, and it was at least a hundred years old. "
"Could it be that these things were sent by that monster?" Ye Fan asked in return.
"Teacher really guessed correctly." The old man looked at Ye Fan and said, "Those 100 taels of silver and the hundred-year-old ginseng were really sent by that spirit."
"How do you know?" Akatsuki asked.
"On those two ingots, there were two lines of words written on them." The old man turned his head to look at Akatsuki and said with a deep gaze.
"What was written on them?" Ye Fan asked.
"The first ingot wrote, 'On the stormy night, I mistakenly destroyed your grain; worried your husband, frightened your son.'" The old man slowly said. "The second ingot wrote, 'Forced to do so, in fear and trepidation, an old ginseng, 100 taels of silver.'"
After hearing this, Ye Fan nodded.
Obviously, that monster knew that destroying people's fields and disturbing the common people was a big mistake, so it used spiritual medicine and silver to compensate this family for their loss. Furthermore, it used the words' in fear and trepidation 'to express its apology.
"Sure enough, it was a righteous monster." Akatsuki muttered to herself and nodded.
"My mother used that ginseng to make a medicinal soup for me and my father, and fed it to us. The next day, we were all healed." The old man continued, "Later, my father used the 100 taels of silver to start a stone business, and gradually made a fortune. In detail, without that spirit, we would not be able to live such a good life."
"What happened after that?" Ye Fan asked. "What happened after that?"
"After this incident was over, everything returned to normal. However, from then on, my family's crops were harvested every year. Even if we encountered natural disasters like droughts and floods, it didn't affect the harvest in the slightest." The old man continued, "Others don't know the inside story, but our family is very clear in our hearts. We know that the spirit item is repaying its debt of gratitude."
As the old man spoke, he picked up the porcelain cup and took a sip of tea.
Ye Fan did not say anything and continued to listen to the old man.
"Since then, our family has become a monster in this castle. The rumors have never stopped. Sigh …" The old man put down the teacup and sighed.
"What rumors?" Akatsuki asked.
"Since my family's wheat fields were destroyed, the business has been smooth sailing. It can be said that we became rich overnight. In addition, our family's fertile fields have always produced good harvests, which is very different from other people's crops. Of course, it is inevitable that there will be people gossiping behind our backs. Some say that there is a monster hiding in our family, some say that the monster's aura is soaring to the sky, and all kinds of gossip." The old man said, "Later, if it weren't for my three sons obtaining positions in the army, the villagers of the Li Family Fort would have driven us out of this place."
Ye Fan nodded slightly after hearing this.
As the saying goes, a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind.
The villagers were not talking about monsters and ghosts, but they were jealous and envious.
Human nature was evil, and it was not completely unreasonable.
"What do you mean by inviting people to catch monsters?" Ye Fan asked the old man, "What about the treasure you mentioned just now?"
"About three months ago, a group of people suddenly came to the fort. There were about ten of them." The old man said to Ye Fan, "These people were burly and had fierce expressions. They all carried bulging bags on their backs, and some even had swords. One look and you could tell that they were not good people. Among these people, the leader was a young man who looked like a geomancer. He held a compass in his hand and a prayer bead around his neck. He was dressed like a monk. He brought these people to the fort to buy a lot of food, and then went to the Treasured Cauldron Mountain that night. "
"Treasured Cauldron Mountain?" After hearing these three words, Ye Fan's eyes lit up and he asked.
From the name of this mountain, it should be related to the Nine Cauldrons.
"Yes, the Treasured Cauldron Mountain." The old man replied.
"Uncle, please continue." Akatsuki continued and asked, "What happened after the geomancer brought these people to the mountain?"
After hearing this, the old man took a deep breath and then exhaled heavily. He did not directly answer.
"These people were found the next morning by the people who went into the mountain to cut firewood. They were all dead, not a single one was left." The old woman who had been silent all this time saw that the old man did not speak and directly said.
"Dead?" Ye Fan frowned and asked, "How did they die?"
"Their stomachs were cut open, and their brains were smeared on the ground. They were torn apart." The old woman frowned and said.
After hearing this, Akatsuki felt a wave of disgust.
"Each of their broken arms and hands held a sheepskin map." The old woman continued.
"What map was that?" Ye Fan asked.
"Treasure map." The old man who had been silent suddenly spoke.
"Treasure map? What treasure? "Akatsuki asked.
"The map in the hands of those people only marked the location of the Treasured Cauldron Mountain with the word 'cauldron' written on it. As for what treasure it is, that is unknown." The old man replied, "According to the rumors outside, there is a golden cauldron hidden in the Treasured Cauldron Mountain. It is made of pure gold and weighs hundreds of thousands of kilograms. There are also people who say that a large portion of Shen Wansan's wealth is hidden in this mountain. The 'cauldron' written on the treasure map is actually the treasure basin. "
"From then on, the news of the treasure hidden in the Treasured Cauldron Mountain of the Li Family spread. Almost every day, there are people who go in to search for the treasure." The old woman said to Ye Fan, "Unfortunately, many people go in, but few come out. Although many people came out alive, their minds were not clear. They cried and laughed at the same time, going crazy. Sigh …"
"Just because of this, they asked people to subdue the demon?" Ye Fan asked with a frown.
"That's not it." The old woman continued, "The reason why the villagers asked people to subdue the demon was because the lady boss of the tavern at the entrance of the village was … swallowed by a demon …"
"Swallowed … swallowed?" Akatsuki asked with a frown.
"That lady boss's surname is also Li. Her name is Li Caihe. She is a widow in her twenties and has no children." The old man explained, "Her ancestors have been running taverns for generations. Her tavern is considered to be a century-old tavern." The old man explained, "One night half a month ago, someone saw with their own eyes a green snake as thick as a water tank crawl into her pub from the entrance of the village. Li Caihe, who was about to close her pub, was … swallowed …"
As the old man spoke, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
"Who saw this? Is it true? "Ye Fan asked with a frown.
In his opinion, this demon was extremely benevolent and righteous. It could not be compared to those common demons that tormented the common people.
Destroying a few acres of wheat fields would cause it to feel 'fear and trepidation'. How could it possibly do something as cruel as swallowing a living person?
Therefore, after the old man finished speaking, Ye Fan began to doubt the authenticity of this matter.
"There can't be any mistake." The old man replied to Ye Fan, "This matter was witnessed by a lecherous scoundrel in the castle. He has always been lusting after Li Caihe's beauty. That night, he drank wine and prepared to take advantage of the darkness of the night to take advantage of Li Hehua. Who would have thought that not only did he fail, he was almost scared to death. When he came back, he was rolling and crawling, unable to even stand up."
"A scoundrel's words are simply not trustworthy." Ye Fan shook his head.
He still did not believe that the demon would do such a thing for no reason.
"Sir, you may not know this. Perhaps that scoundrel's words were false, but the traces of the green snake's crawling were not the slightest bit off." The old woman said to Ye Fan, "On the night of the incident, the strong men in the castle gathered together, lit torches with pine oil, and rushed to the tavern at the entrance of the village. There, they saw with their own eyes the gully that the giant snake had crawled through, stretching from the entrance of the village all the way to the Treasured Tripod Mountain."
"There was such a thing?" Ye Fan heard the old woman's words and could not help but mutter in his heart.
All signs indicated that the matter of Li Hehua being swallowed by the giant snake was indeed true.
"When this matter came out, the villagers were in an uproar. They clamored to spend money to hire experts to subdue the demon." The old man said, "Sir, you must have heard of what happened after that. No matter if it was a witch, a deity, or an eminent monk, no matter who came, it was useless. They all disappeared without a trace. In the end, everyone panicked and fled the Li Family Fort. Sigh, what a sin …"
"It is indeed very puzzling." After hearing the whole story, Akatsuki said.
"Where is the Treasured Tripod Mountain, and how far is it from here?" Ye Fan asked the old man.
"Not far." The old man replied, "If you head north from here, you'll reach it about a hundred miles away."
"In that case, let's make a trip to the Treasured Tripod Mountain." Ye Fan looked at Akatsuki and said.
"Mm." Akatsuki nodded.
As the two spoke, they stood up.
"You … you're going now?" Seeing that the two were about to leave, the old man hurriedly stood up from the armchair and asked anxiously.
He did not expect the two to leave in such a hurry, leaving as soon as they said so.
"The sooner this matter is settled, the better. Otherwise, undue delay may lead to trouble." Ye Fan said to the old man with a double meaning.
"You can rest here for the night first. Let this old woman do her best as a host. Tomorrow, I will prepare a carriage for you and bring enough dry food. It won't be too late to go then." The old woman said anxiously.
She did not know that Ye Fan had the ability to ride the clouds.
"What do you know? Sir knows how to ride the clouds, we'll be able to cover a hundred miles in the blink of an eye. "The old man turned his head and said anxiously to the old woman.
The old woman stared at the old man, stunned.
Whoosh!
Just as the two were looking at each other, Ye Fan pressed on Akatsuki's shoulder and disappeared in a flash.
Seeing this, the old woman immediately staggered and almost fell down in shock.
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