Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends: Starting from the Equipment Slot

Chapter 5 Mountain Bandits

When Wang Yuan arrived with Wang Tiejun, more than a hundred people had already gathered in the square in the center of the village.

These hundred-plus people were all able-bodied men from the village.

Everyone was armed with weapons. Although they outnumbered the villagers, Wang Yuan could still sense terror and unease in their eyes.

Village head Wang Zhixu was huddled together with two middle-aged men, whispering about something. One of them was Wang Hu, the captain of the village's patrol team, and the other was Wang Xun, the eldest son of Master Wang.

The former was the most skilled hunter in the village. He had been a squad leader in the army and was a master archer who never missed a shot.

The latter once went to Luoyang to study at a Taoist temple and became proficient in swordsmanship.

"Tiejun and Xiaoyuan are here. Is everything alright at home?"

"Has this beast really become a spirit?"

"It's almost certainly true. I saw it with my own eyes as it escaped down the cliff behind the mountain. I've heard from the elders that when a spirit becomes a spirit, its intelligence is no less than that of a human. Otherwise, how could a beast have secretly wiped out eight families without anyone noticing?"

"Yes, only spirits and monsters could be so cunning. Luckily, they were exposed in the end, otherwise, I'm afraid many more people in the village would have died."

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, and Wang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing it.

After being injured, Hei Xiazi fled. No one except myself knew what happened at the time, and the fact that I injured Hei Xiazi should not have been exposed.

When the black bear was injured, it fled not out of fear, but because it had gained wisdom and knew how to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune.

Once exposed and trapped in the village, they would likely die in an attack by the villagers.

There are quite a few hunters in the village; if they all shoot arrows at it together, it will be a real problem for the bear.

"quiet!"

Village Chief Wang Zhixu shouted, and after everyone quieted down, he spoke in a sorrowful voice: "Everyone knows what happened tonight. That black bear on Black Wind Ridge is probably a demon. If we want to survive, we must get rid of it."

"Uncle Xu, tell me what to do! This beast ate my nephew and killed my brother's whole family. I swear I won't rest until I avenge this!"

"Yes, we must kill it!"

…………

Everyone echoed in agreement. Although they were afraid, they all knew that this was a life-or-death war with no room for retreat.

"Okay, as long as we unite, there's no obstacle we can't overcome!"

Wang Zhixu nodded and said in a deep voice, "This beast has become a spirit, with immense strength. It will be difficult for us to kill it. Therefore, at dawn tomorrow, Wang Xun will go into the city to report to the authorities and invite cultivators to kill the Black Bear. The village is far from the city, and it will take at least three days to travel there and back. During this time, the entire village will not enter or leave. All able-bodied men will be under Wang Hu's command to patrol and defend the village to prevent that beast from attacking it a second time."

They split into two groups: one to seek reinforcements, and the other to defend.

Wang Zhixu was highly respected and no one objected. Subsequently, Wang Hu directed the men to patrol various parts of the village in several groups, with the back mountain becoming the focus of defense.

Wang Yuan was also assigned to the patrol team and patrolled with Wang Tiejun.

To boost morale, Master Wang donated two hundred catties of cured meat and a thousand catties of white rice to the patrol team, and each family in the village also squeezed out some food to send to the temporary camp.

The patrol team is provided with three meals a day, each one filling.

Faced with the man-eating black bear, the patrol team was in constant danger of losing their lives. Only by eating their fill could they muster the courage to fight the black bear.

Nothing happened overnight. In the morning, Wang Yuan had a hearty breakfast and then went home with Uncle Tie Jun.

During the day, everyone in the village is awake and not afraid of being attacked by bears. Only a small number of people are assigned to patrol, and the main patrols are at night.

On the way back, the village was filled with the sound of weeping.

Not far from the Wang family's house, several neighboring families had also perished in the jaws of a black bear. Wang Zhixu was helping to gather the bodies and comfort the victims' families.

"Xiao Yuan, did that black bear come to our house last night too?"

Sun Erniang pulled Wang Yuan into the house and asked him in a low voice.

"They're here! When I heard the noise, I roared. That beast, being a spirit, turned and ran away, afraid of being discovered."

Wang Yuan nodded. The door bolt had been broken, so he couldn't lie to his mother. He then instructed her, "Mother, don't tell anyone about this. So many people died in the village, and our family was the only one who escaped. It will only make people jealous."

"Mother understands. Thank goodness for you, otherwise our family would have..."

"The village formed a patrol team, and Master Wang's son went to the county town to report to the authorities and ask a deity to subdue the demon. That beast dared not come again."

"That's good, then!"

Sun Erniang breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Yuan comforted his mother and younger sister for a while, then turned and walked towards the woodshed, took out his wood-chopping knife, and began practicing the Starfire Sword Technique.

That sword strike yesterday was truly exhilarating!

Holding the wood-chopping knife, Wang Yuan felt inexplicably awkward. It wasn't because he was used to good food and disliked the wood-chopping knife, but because the Starfire Sword and the Starfire Sword Technique were the perfect match. Moreover, it was a spiritual sword, and holding it in his hand to practice swordsmanship would also help with practicing the Starfire Sword Technique.

Unfortunately, the sword was too conspicuous, and Wang Yuan dared not take it out easily.

"Yes, the guidance based on understanding is more efficient."

Wang Yuangang noticed something unusual from the very beginning; this time, he was refining spiritual energy much faster when practicing the Starfire Sword Technique.

This is because the lungs and internal organs have been nourished by spiritual energy and have begun to transform.

Before we knew it, a morning had passed.

His mother took his younger sister to help the patrol team cook. Undisturbed, Wang Yuan practiced his swordsmanship with ease, making rapid progress in just one morning.

Name: Wang Yuan

Vitality: 4.6

Mental Power: 6.6

Comprehension: 4 (Swordsmanship +2)

Equipment: Starfire Sword (Mastery 7%)

Wang Yuan glanced at the data and saw that his vitality and mental strength had made great progress, and his control over the Starfire Sword had reached 7%.

He has basically mastered the sword technique "A Touch of Cold Star" and is able to unleash considerable power.

Wang Yuan discovered that the control over the Starfire Sword seemed to be related to the Starfire Sword Technique.

After mastering the Starfire Sword Technique, I should be able to fully control the Starfire Sword and then unleash its terrifying power.

The power within the sword is terrifying.

Wang Yuan could injure Hei Xiazi with just a fraction of the sword's power; if he could unleash the full power within, he might be able to kill Hei Xiazi with a single strike.

My lungs and internal organs are now completely filled with spiritual energy.

Wang Yuan mobilized half of his spiritual energy and circulated it throughout his body, feeling a warm and comfortable sensation all over his body.

In this way, the spiritual energy nourished his entire body, and the consumption rate was much faster. In just half an hour, half of the spiritual energy had been completely integrated into his body, and Wang Yuan felt that his strength had increased by one point.

Name: Wang Yuan

Vitality: 4.7

"Let's go eat, then continue sword practice this afternoon!"

After practicing swordsmanship all morning, Wang Yuan was starving. He took his wood-chopping knife and headed towards the central square of the village.

"Wang Yuan."

"Uncle Tie Jun!"

Seeing Wang Tiejun's exhausted face, Wang Yuan asked with concern, "Uncle, didn't you sleep this morning? You still have to patrol tonight. Your body can't take this!"

"With something this big happening, how can I sleep?"

Wang Tiejun shook his head, looking worried. "Let's not talk about me anymore, let's eat first."

"Um."

Wang Yuan nodded and walked into the temporary camp with Uncle Tie Jun.

Just then, a loud shout came from the direction of the gatehouse, "It's bad! The people from White Horse Mountain are coming this way!"

The noise of the temporary camp vanished instantly, the earth trembled, and the neighing of horses grew louder as they approached.

"The bandits from White Horse Mountain are here!"

Wang Yuan felt a chill run down his spine. His gaze swept across the camp, and he saw a deep sense of fear on the faces of the villagers.

They had not yet emerged from the terrifying shadow of the black bear attack, and now they had to face the threat of mountain bandits; one can imagine their mood.

"What a damn world!"

Wang Yuan clenched his fist, his desire for power growing ever stronger.