The mountains and rivers are quiet and broad

The small courtyard fell into a thick silence, and the silence seemed to be something tangible, pressing thickly over the courtyard.

Xu Qingfeng looked carefully at those who had been subdued, only to find that besides men, there were several women.

"Kukan, what do you mean?" Xu Qingfeng changed his name, and his expression was a little cold.

Kukan Bunyang was holding a big knife in his hand, but Zuo Ming's sword tip pressed against his throat and forced him to dare not move. When Xu Qingfeng opened his mouth, he raised his eyes to look, and couldn't help shivering.

Xu Qingfeng's cold voice actually made him feel more terrifying, not at all like the innocent bullying young man in the evening.

Kukan let go of his hand, and the knife fell to the ground with a clang, "It's not interesting." He said with his neck stuck.

Xu Qingfeng walked forward without looking at Kukan, kicked the knife aside, and walked into the yard.

Kukan wanted to turn his head away, but he couldn't help shouting, "I'll do whatever you want! Let the villagers go!"

Xu Qingfeng turned a deaf ear, Kukan was in a hurry, but Zuo Ming pressed his sword and approached, preventing Kukan from turning around.

Most of the yard is full of men, except for Kukan who is holding a big knife. The weapons in the other men’s hands are miscellaneous, including sticks, kitchen knives, hoes, and knives. The women’s hands are even more ridiculous. There are rolling pins, stones, and Take a broom.

This was by no means premeditated, it must have been an impromptu idea. Xu Qingfeng thought of the reaction of the group when they saw Tianwen in the afternoon, and asked aloud, "Are you also here for the bounty?"

None of the villagers answered, they all stared at Xu Qingfeng with wide eyes.

Xu Qingfeng laughed mockingly, "Forty gold is indeed a lot."

"What are you talking about?" Kukan didn't understand, "We just want to force ourselves to eat."

When Kukan came over in the evening, he could see clearly that this group of people had pots and food.He has been thinking about the leftover soup that no one wanted.

Xu Qingfeng looked at Kukan, expressing his disbelief.

"It's true, I don't know what gold you're talking about."

Xu Qingfeng raised his hand, the guard understood, and pulled up a woman forcefully, as if to hit her, the woman screamed out of fright, closed her eyes tightly, but the slap did not come down for a long time.

Kukan turned his back to the yard, and when he heard the voice, he became anxious. He turned around suddenly, and a bloodstain was drawn on the tip of the sword. It's okay, he breathed a sigh of relief, and realized that Xu Qingfeng was just scaring him.

Having experienced the cunning of the Han people a long time ago, Kukan was still frightened into a cold sweat.Zuo Ming suppressed Kukan fiercely, for fear that Kukan would do something to hurt Xu Qingfeng.

"We really just want to steal some food, really! Let them go! You can kill me!"

The woman cried and called Kukan's name, she might be Kukan's wife, Xu Qingfeng frowned at the sobbing voice: "Enough..."

The woman was frightened into silence.The other villagers also looked at Xu Qingfeng with wide eyes.

"If you just want to steal some food, why are there so many people? Why use weapons?"

Kukan bit his lip, unable to speak.Originally, they just held the mentality of "doing nothing and doing nothing".

"Leave one arm for each person." Xu Qingfeng said lightly.

"No no no!"

"Xu Qingfeng!" Tian Wen was also woken up, and ran out of the room, "Xu Qingfeng, these people..."

Tianwen didn't know how to intercede. After walking this journey, Tianwen was confused about what "Buddha" is, and Tianwen couldn't tell what "compassion" was.

"Little master, save us! Save us!" Kukan begged for mercy, and the villagers dropped their weapons, kowtowed to the sky, and chanted words like "Buddha, help."

Xu Qingfeng had no intention of hurting others, so why create new ones when the old ones are gone?Then he took advantage of the steps of Tianwen and went down: "Kukan, explain."

Kukan broke free from Zuo Ming, but knelt down facing the sky, and bent down deeply, "The village has been ransacked! There is nothing left, no food and no money, and we don't want to do such a bad thing! We Afraid of retribution! But we have nothing left!"

The villagers in the yard sobbed softly.Kukan wiped his face with his thick palm, pointed at the people in the yard and said, "A lot of people died, this is what's left of us."

There are also old people and children, women and children who can't walk, and seriously injured men. The people in the yard are all the people that Shangfeng can call now.

"Shangfeng Town, is this the only people left?" Xu Qingfeng couldn't believe it, these people filled a yard.

"Although Shangfeng is called a "town", it is only because it is a little bigger, and it was originally a village. Kukan said, "It's really been ransacked." As Kukan said, his eyes turned red, and there were several suppressed cries in the yard.

"Who ransacked the town?" Xu Qingfeng had a vague premonition that the plan to exchange some rations with the villagers tomorrow before going on the road was in vain, and it seemed that another big case was involved. His luck has always been like this.

"A demon cultist from the west."

As expected, Xu Qingfeng was not surprised at all when he heard this answer.

Zuo Ming paused, subconsciously looked up at Xu Qingfeng, waiting for Xu Qingfeng's order.

Xu Qingfeng waved his hand, signaling the guards to let the villagers go, turned around and walked into the house, and Wusuli quickly lit the short candle.

Without the forceful suppression of the guards, the villagers looked at each other, wondering whether they should leave or not.Kukan waved at the woman, "Go, go!"

The woman looked at Kukan again with tears in her eyes, gritted her teeth, and led the villagers away cruelly.The small courtyard returned to calm after a while, as if this farce had never happened.

Xu Qingfeng was a little tired, with a sullen face and silent, showing a bit of Chen Ke's usual majesty.

"Tell me." Xu Qingfeng said lightly.

Ussuri handed Kukan a handkerchief, Kukan took it carefully and pressed it on the wound on his neck.While looking up at Xu Qingfeng, he felt that Xu Qingfeng was very different from the gentle and soft look in the daytime.

Tianwen also stood beside Xu Qingfeng, looking at Kukan: "You just said that Shangfeng was ransacked by the Demon Cult, didn't you?"

Kukan nodded with a heavy expression, "Those people, it's not the first time they've come back. They rob food, property, women, and beat and kill people..."

Kukan buried his face deeply in his palms, and through those slightly trembling big hands, Kukan's dull and powerless voice came out.

Fengzhen didn't pay much attention to the Demon Cult's haunting.In terms of location, Shangfeng is in the west, but it is not the westernmost, nor does it rely on the Central Plains;

In terms of prosperity, there is Qianzhou ahead. Shangfeng just occupies a vast but not fertile land. The life is not good, but it is not bad. How could the demon sect invade them?

Maybe it's because the vastness of the land made their hearts broad, and they didn't have the slightest precaution when the demon sect attacked.

And since the beginning of this year, the Devil's Cult has come here three times, committing all sorts of crimes, like a hurricane passing through Shangfeng, sweeping through Shangfeng, saving Shangfeng from a mess, and then left.

"Does the government not care?"

"Government?" Kukan's eyes widened. "Everyone who can die in Shangfeng is dead! You can see in the daytime that there is no food on the land, and there are new graves!"

Xu Qingfeng thought of the beautiful scenery he saw in the evening. At that time, he saw the scattered piles of stones, soil bags and stone slabs on the ground, but he didn't think about it at all.

"What about reporting to the government in Qianzhou?"

"I've been there!" Kukan's eyes dimmed, "They can't take care of themselves."

"How many people are there in that demon cult?"

"Less than thirty."

But they turned Shangfeng into the desolate appearance it is today.

"They have horses and knives. They come and go quickly. They take what they can take away and destroy what they can destroy. They only leave us what we can neither take nor destroy."

Kukan straightened his back, clenched his fists tightly, "We are not unarmed, we also have warriors, but..."

But every battle brought casualties.Kukan looked at Wusuli: "Uncle Desi died like this. You know, although he was old, he was very tough, but he died. Auntie followed, and Baji was cut off by them. "

Ussuri opened his mouth, but said nothing.Desi is already in his sixties, and he is as tough as 41, with white hair under his hat, and wrinkles on his face and forehead, but his strength makes Ussuri feel inferior.A person who was once alive has now become a handful of dirt outside.

Xu Qingfeng sighed, "Nowadays the world is difficult, there is a flood in the south, there is another earthquake, many people died, and we can't help you much..." Xu Qingfeng gave Zuo Ming a look, and Zuo Ming took out his hand knowingly. He took out the money bag and took out five small golden beans.

Xu Qingfeng put the money into the hands of Kukan who was stupefied, "Take these, and you should be able to exchange some food when you go to Qianzhou, or tomorrow morning, you can call a few people and go to Qianzhou with my guards."

To move on, there is a lot of rations to maintain this team. Xu Qingfeng plans to stay in Shangfeng for another two days. He will avoid those who are chasing and killing in Shangfeng, and the guards will go to Qianzhou to collect food.

The light was dim, illuminating the little golden beans, emitting a faint golden light.

Kukan held the golden bean and couldn't say any words of gratitude.There was a catastrophe in Shangfeng a few years ago, and it was the monks in the past who pointed out the direction, so Shangfeng looked up to the monks.

Thinking that Tianwen is their gospel, Kukan was about to kneel down and kowtow to a few people. He knew that Han people rarely kowtow.

Before Kukan knelt down, another scream came from outside, followed by chaotic noises and cries.

Xu Qingfeng couldn't calm down all night, he frowned and asked the guards outside: "What happened?"

The guard hurriedly opened the door, "Master Qi! There are a lot of people outside, burning, killing and looting in the town!"

Kukan threw the golden beans on the table and rushed out.Like an arrow leaving the string, no one stopped him.

Xu Qingfeng also ran out, and when he came out, the wailing sound became clearer, and he could see the thick fireworks before he walked out of the small courtyard.

In the distance, those people with knives and horses rode their fangs and claws in the dark, and the smell of blood filled the air.

The flames and wailing evoke Tian Wen's memory, Tian Wen rushed back to the house, took his eyebrow stick and ran out, but was held back by Ussuri.

"Don't stop me!" Tian Wen's eyes turned red, Xu Qingfeng pulled him back, "Don't be impulsive. Everyone obeys orders! Protect the people! Meet and kill the Demon Cult!"

"Yes!" The guards rushed out.

There are less than [-] members of the Demon Cult, only a dozen or so. They are exactly the same as the weird people in strange clothes seen in the Wushan Temple at that time. Stepping over people without hesitation.

Xu Qingfeng's sword was also unsheathed, and he couldn't tell whether it was anger or arrogance stirring in his heart. He heard the crying of a child beside his ears, heart-piercing crying.

The scene in front of him gradually overlapped with the purgatory on earth he saw before he was reborn. He opened his eyes angrily, and the murderous aura wrapped in sword aura swept out.

Facing the eyes of the previous person, he seemed to recognize Xu Qingfeng, looked around for others, threw the wine bottle excitedly, pointed at Xu Qingfeng, and called out to his companion:

"Kill him! If you kill him, there will be a reward of forty gold!"