Upon arriving at a simple wooden building in the center of the village, they sat down together to talk with the village chief. Riana sat in the middle, acting as mediator and interpreter. William, Erik, Leon, and Raven sat beside her.
The conversation proceeded cautiously. Riana tried to speak as clearly as possible without arousing suspicion.
"We came from far away and got lost in the forest for several days," she said softly, keeping her tone polite.
"We just need a place to rest, at least until we recover."
She deliberately did not mention the bandits chasing them. One small mistake, and the whole village could see them as a danger.
The village chief, a stern-faced but wise old man, listened without interrupting. His gaze shifted from Riana to Raven and the others.
"I think it's okay for the five of you to rest in our village," he finally said, his voice heavy but calm.
Riana was a little surprised. She immediately shook her head gently.
"Um, I'm sorry, sir. Actually... it's not just the five of us. There are still some of our friends waiting behind."
The wrinkles on the old man's forehead deepened.
"Is that so?" He paused for a moment before asking, "Then, how many of you are there in total?"
"Twenty-eight people," Riana replied without hesitation.
The village chief's eyebrows rose. He sighed softly and raised his hand to his temple, clearly not expecting that number.
"Our village is small," he said honestly. "There are only a limited number of houses. We don't have enough space to accommodate that many people."
Riana glanced at William and Raven behind her, then looked back at the village chief.
"We're not asking for housing, sir," she said softly.
"Just a piece of land outside the village to set up a temporary camp. We only need three days... after that we'll leave quietly."
There was a moment of silence. Some residents whispered behind the village head, some looked suspicious, others looked sympathetic.
Finally, the old man sighed deeply, then nodded slowly.
"All right," he said.
"You may stay temporarily. I will show you a piece of land on the outskirts of the village that you can use."
However, his gaze hardened slightly as he added,
"But while you are here, you must obey the rules of our village."
Riana bowed respectfully. "Of course, we understand. Thank you for your kindness."
Before they left, the village chief treated them to a simple meal and tried to find out more about their origins. Their foreign appearance and the modern items they carried clearly aroused curiosity.
While the conversation was going on, Raven chose to leave. He needed some fresh air, as well as the opportunity to observe the village more closely.
Walking through the small settlement, Raven received wary glances from the residents. Some mothers hurriedly pulled their children into their homes, while others stared from behind doorways.
Hm... this scene is very similar to my past, Raven thought as he walked slowly. The difference was that in the past, there was only destruction, blood, and suffering in every corner.
He saw several people sitting on the porch of a house, chatting and laughing softly. A slight smile appeared on his lips, albeit fleetingly. Memories of his family in the modern world came to mind, mixed with bitter memories of his life as a Heavenly Demon in the past.
But another image immediately flashed through his mind when he killed two bandits some time ago. There was no guilt, nor fear. Instead, there was a vague sense of satisfaction, as if his old self had returned.
Raven stared at his hands, his fists clenched tightly.
I must not return to my old self.
The sound of small footsteps broke his reverie.
A small child ran down the dirt road, too fast for his tiny body. He couldn't brake in time and crashed into Raven, then fell backwards. The small body was shocked, his eyes widened before a soft cry broke into the air.
Raven reflexively bent down to help.
But before he could move, a woman ran out of one of the houses, her face pale. As soon as she saw Raven, she stopped and bowed deeply, almost touching the ground.
"Forgive my child, master… please don't be angry," she said haltingly, her voice trembling.
Raven froze for a moment.
Master? Her tone and manner of speaking reminded him of the past, of how people used to bow down out of fear rather than respect for him.
He took a slow breath, then crouched down and patted the woman gently on the shoulder.
"It's okay," he said calmly. "She's just a child. Lift your head."
The woman hesitated, as if afraid the command was a trap. But slowly, she lifted her face. Her eyes met Raven's gaze, which was neither angry nor cold, but only calm.
A faint relief appeared in her eyes, though traces of fear still lingered.
"Thank you... master... thank you," she whispered softly as she hugged her child tightly, as if afraid to let go even for a moment.
Raven looked at her for a moment, his gaze calm but difficult to read.
"May I ask you something?" he said softly.
The woman straightened her body, though her gaze was still nervous.
"O-of course... I'll answer as best I can."
"I see that many villagers here are afraid of outsiders," said Raven.
"Has there been a problem lately?"
The woman bit her lip. She glanced around, making sure no one else was listening, before finally speaking in a low voice.
"Actually... for the past few years, our village has been under pressure from a group of bandits," she said softly, her fingers unconsciously clutching her child's clothes.
"Before, we lived peacefully. Not extravagantly, but enough."
She swallowed, as if the memory was still bitter.
"But since they came... we had no choice. Money, food, even whatever crops they demanded, we had to hand over."
"Bandits, huh..." Raven murmured softly, her tone flat but sharp.
The woman bowed her head even lower, her shoulders trembling slightly. Her voice grew smaller, almost like a confession of sin.
"They said this village was part of their territory. As 'owners of the territory'... they felt they had the right to collect what they called rent."
Raven narrowed his eyes.
So that's how it is... No wonder the villagers looked at us with suspicion; they must have thought we were part of the same group.
"Then," Raven asked flatly, "when do you have to pay for this month?"
The woman paused, then answered hesitantly. "According to the village chief... for this month, we have another week."
Raven sighed slowly. "A week..." she muttered. That meant they would be back soon.
"Who exactly are these bandits?" she continued.
The woman swallowed hard. Just remembering them made her body tremble.
"I-I don't know for sure... but I heard they have three leaders. And they say... they are part of the largest unorthodox sect."
She clutched the hem of her clothes tightly.
"Ash Serpent Union."
Her breath faltered as she continued, her voice almost a desperate whisper.
"They're not just ordinary bandits, sir. They're cruel. Very cruel. They take everything from the villages they visit."
She lifted her face slightly, her eyes glistening.
"It's not just our village. A few weeks ago, our neighboring village... was completely destroyed by them."
His hands shook even more violently.
"We heard rumors... that some women from that village were taken as slaves. Some were sold. We don't know for sure what happened to them..."
He paused for a moment, then whispered softly, full of fear,
"We're afraid... afraid that one day our village will suffer the same fate."
Raven was silent.
His gaze narrowed, sharp as a newly sharpened sword. The corners of his lips lifted slightly, forming a cold, unwelcoming curve.
Three leaders...
An unorthodox sect?
His mind immediately drifted to the three figures he had faced before. Their movements, the weapons they used, everything flashed clearly in his mind.
What were they...?
"Ash Serpent Union..." Raven muttered softly.
His voice was low and calm, but behind that calmness lay a dangerous interest, like a hunter who had finally found the trail of his prey.
The woman looked increasingly nervous. Just noticing the change in Raven's gaze was enough to make her heart race. The aura of the man in front of her felt different now cold, sharp, and oppressive, like a knife blade pointed directly at her throat.
She unconsciously pulled her child closer to her chest, while Raven remained standing there, silent... but clearly thinking about something far darker than just a bandit story.
Realizing that his expression had slipped a little, Raven immediately corrected his posture. His face returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
"Ah, I'm sorry," he said lightly.
"It seems I reacted a little too strongly."
"N-no... it's fine, sir," the woman replied quickly. Cold sweat was visible on her temples, clearly still pressured by Raven's recent change in aura.
Raven leaned forward slightly. His tone remained flat, but there was a subtle pressure behind each word.
"There's one more thing I want to ask," he said. "About Murim. How are the major sects doing? Are there any wars? Conflicts? Or any major events lately?"
The woman just looked at him with innocent confusion.
"Murim...?" she repeated softly. She shook her head slowly.
"Sir, I'm just a villager. We know nothing about sect affairs or martial artists."
She bowed her head slightly, her voice lowering.
"Our lives are only about farming, small trade, and... hiding from bandits like them. The world of murim is too dangerous for people like us."
Raven took a deep breath.
The answer sounded reasonable, even logical. But to his ears, something felt off.
It was different from my memory... he thought to himself.
In the past, even a small village like this knew about the war between sects. The Murim he knew was a world filled with chaos, blood, and endless power struggles. If now the common people knew nothing at all.
That meant this era of murim was not the era he knew...
Raven stared blankly at the village road, the evening light sweeping across his face with a faint red color.
If there was no bloodshed and conflict in murim... was it really murim? he thought coldly, almost cynically.
Without saying another word, Raven walked away, leaving the village woman behind. The soft voices of the villagers' conversation slowly faded behind him.
When he returned to the village chief's house, the discussion between Adriana, William, Leon, and Erik was almost over. The simple wooden table was filled with cups of hot tea, and the village chief's face looked relieved after they reached an agreement.