Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 94: Step Back for Now

Jiang Yuan was still looking at the fourth skill, frowned at the words, and thought, do I have "blind" written on my face?

He wasn’t even trying to pretend to be blind anymore and slowly restored his identity as a normal person, but how come the moment he encounters a new little boss, he’s still being called that...

He was taken aback for a moment and then suddenly understood.

Besides deliberately pretending in front of the Flame Rats and Ice-winged Eagles, even when with his disciple, everything he sees has system details, and sometimes there are special prompts. So, most of the time, he actually views the Otherworld through a layer of invisible system "screen"!

Though it’s not like he’s staring at the "screen" at all times, most of the time, the system displays data and prompts on this layer of "screen".

It’s like he’s wearing an Iron Man helmet, and the whole Otherworld becomes a background, with his gaze focusing on the "screen". Even when facing people, his eyes unconsciously focus on the text analysis in his line of sight, creating the illusion that his gaze is off!

Damn it, the system’s layer of invisible light curtain doesn’t even have a hide setting.

There’s always an invisible "lens" between me and the Otherworld!

"So it was about devouring souls..." Jiang Yuan, understanding, didn’t dwell on the title anymore but continued to check the fifth skill, casually saying, "Do the villagers of Riverfront Village know that you want them to sacrifice people alive to you?"

Bai Yunqi was momentarily unsure of the origins of the person before him, priding himself on having lived long and seen much.

Before failing the Tribulation Crossing and falling into dormancy, he was at least a Great Demon over three thousand years old. Then, in order to restore his strength, he condensed three incarnations, having experienced great upheavals and countless cultivators, yet this peculiar state of the young yellow-haired boy was truly a first for him.

He had not the slightest bit of spiritual energy on him, no different from an ordinary villager, so Bai Yunqi initially didn’t even think to pay him any mind.

However, on closer inspection, Bai Yunqi found that whether it was the golden eagle hovering like a living creature or that row of ready-to-go papermen, all obeyed the commands of the yellow-haired boy. How strange and curious!

Logically speaking, those who practice the unorthodox Paperman and Paper Horse Skill usually deal with the Underworld. Yet, not only didn’t he exude any Yin energy, but his Yang energy was abundant, making lone ghosts and wandering spirits veer away at his sight. No spiritual energy; no aura-masking Magical Treasure smell either.

Bai Yunqi knew that he was outwardly strong but internally weak and could only bluff to frighten people. Encountering odd individuals, he didn’t want trouble, so he kindly said, "I, the Dragon King, was sleeping peacefully when those what-three big families used the Blood Curse Summoning Technique to awaken me, eagerly offering sacrifices. Naturally, if I were to consume people, it would be with their consent."

Upon hearing this, the villagers, who had been sincerely kowtowing in prayer for blessing, were instantly dumbfounded.

"Consume people? Wasn’t it said to marry the River God’s maiden? Why is it now about eating people?"

"Could it be... the River God’s maiden sent into the river is going to be eaten! Lin Chunxi, that little girl isn’t really dumb, no wonder she’s unwilling."

"Elders of the three major surnames, give us an explanation. Why didn’t you tell us the River God wants to eat people?"

"Yeah! Only demons eat people, how can Immortals eat people? This obviously isn’t an Immortal!"

"Today it’s to marry the River God’s maiden and consume one person, tomorrow it turns into consuming two kids; provoking man-eating demons, how can we survive?"

"Who knows when it will be our turn to be eaten! The three major surnames are sacrificing our lives to protect themselves..."

...

People don’t feel pain when the stick isn’t hitting them. If it’s not their life on the line, they can easily sacrifice others. But when it threatens their safety, all the villagers suddenly united in extreme anger.

"Since it was the three major surnames who agreed, they should use their people for the sacrifice." Seeing the other party so reasonable, Jiang Yuan decided there was no need to resort to violence and pursued the matter, "Have you ever eaten a person before? Will you gain the ability to protect the village after consuming someone?"

Upon viewing the system analysis, he found that the big white snake had no skills similar to the Yin Mountain maiden cadaver’s believer-recruiting skills.

Besides, the Devouring Technique for consuming human souls showed an experience of 0, meaning it had been learned but never used. The skill requires the first devoured soul to be a pure and untouched one, after which it can consume any. In conclusion, this big white snake likely hasn’t eaten any humans.

Jiang Yuan was curious, wondering if the snake doesn’t even know how to protect believers but is lying to shamelessly scam for food and drink?

Or does unlocking the Devouring Technique afterward provide some additional functionality, allowing it to offer protection services to the village?

"Mind your own business!" Bai Yunqi nearly stood upright on the water, his gaze sweeping over the villagers who had begun to clamor, "Hey! Where’s the promised offering?"

The Xu family elder, who handled dialogues with deities, was shoved forward. He mustered his courage to bow and explain, "According to the River God’s command, we selected a fifteen-year-old pure maiden, Lin Chunxi, and were preparing to send her over. But then, this, this Thousand-Year-Old Rat Spirit came and released her!"

Rat Spirit?

Upon hearing that, Bai Yunqi looked confusedly at the young man riding the eagle, wondering if he was also a Demon Cultivator. How did I miss that?

"You’re the rat spirit, your entire family’s rat spirits!" Wan Mingchuan couldn’t swallow this insult, letting people bully him was one thing, but offending his master was unacceptable. Immediately turning around, he angrily accused, "Don’t forget how my master saved you from the mines! You repay life-saving kindness with slander and smearing! I should have let the rat spirit devour you all back then!"

Faced with the three major surnames who summoned a man-eating demon and the young man who reportedly saved their lives and seemed capable of going toe-to-toe with the demon, the villagers immediately switched over.

"It’s what the village elders said, not us!"

"Blame the moron, he spun all these lies and deceived us!"

"Benefactor, have mercy on us, leaving this man-eating demon means we have no way to survive..."

A crowd noisily chattered, and Bai Yunqi, splashing angrily, roared, "Enough! What’s all the ruckus about? You, boy, dare to let go of my offering, you will take its place. I see devouring your soul might be more delightful than a mortal’s. A cultivator’s soul as a lure, splendid indeed!"

Jiang Yuan was completely puzzled, how did a twenty-something old dude end up equated with a fifteen or sixteen-year-old maiden? Are you mocking my lifelong bachelorhood?

On the shore, silence fell like frost, with the monster wanting to consume them, anyway, those two were catching it all, so the villagers unwittingly stepped back.

"Hmph, if you want to deal with my master, you have to get through me first!" Wan Mingchuan stood on the riverside valiantly, puffed up with righteous fury like preparing for a serious exercise.

His resolute eyes and firm beliefs were accompanied by stomping hard on the gravel shore, even causing a slight tremor in the ground, with ripples spreading across the water’s surface;

Every time he swung his arms with full force, a layer of flame covered them, radiating a sense of burning danger.

Bai Yunqi was left with just one last damaged incarnation, so he dared not act rashly.

Especially since he had just woken from a long sleep, unclear of the situation, rushing in might result in grave injury or death, which would also mean the end of his true self. He wasn’t willing to take that risk.

Moreover, the young man was evidently cultivating Fire Magic, potentially counteracting his own, combined with a never-seen-before body technique, raising his suspicions of a trick.

Jiang Yuan didn’t even initially react to what the disciple was doing, as the righteous, awe-inspiring moves appeared to be archaic martial arts stances than just mere broadcast gymnastics, bringing an unexplainable aura.

He couldn’t help but facepalm, suddenly filled with regret.

He shouldn’t have lazily taught him as if playing around, intending only to quickly exhaust physical strength. Had he known his disciple would be so serious, he would have looked up decent martial arts online and learned them thoroughly to teach seriously back home.

Jiang Yuan was determined, once out of the game he will learn a proper set of military boxing-like legitimate body techniques.

"Mingchuan, stand down for now." He reversed his hand to pull out a large stack of paper cranes, paper bulls, and paper hedgehogs from his Storage Bag, signaling his disciple to step back, "It’s not like it’s the White Snake Demon’s true form, there’s no need for you to fight to the death just yet."