164: Aftermath

The morning light completely dispelled the darkness of the night, also illuminating this land that had just undergone a baptism of blood and fire. The air was filled with the smell of char, blood, and the unique scent of ashes from burnt corpses, which, mixed with the cold morning breeze, made one's heart feel heavy.

"That Altar Master managed to escape after all." Ji Ruxue looked toward the mountain forest, her tone still cold, but her eyes held a hint of frustration. If a Late Stage Martial King was determined to flee and was familiar with the terrain, it was indeed difficult to keep them behind in such a chaotic situation.

Xia Ya leaned her nearly deformed giant shield to the side and took the healing Medicinal Pill handed over by Xiao Chun. A smile was forced onto her pale face: "Cough... Fortunately, we had roughly practiced our positioning and Qi flow several times before, otherwise we would have really been in trouble today. For our first actual combat... being able to coordinate like this is already very good." She looked at Qin Feng and Ji Ruxue, saying sincerely: "Qin Feng's timing in the main attack and Sister Xue's precision in supporting and harassing the enemy were the keys."

Xiao Chun carefully bandaged the deepest wound on Xia Ya's arm, her small face still carrying lingering fear, but her eyes were bright: "I... I didn't help much, just scattered some medicine... Both sisters and Brother Feng are so amazing! That great formation felt like it connected us all at once!"

Qin Feng adjusted his breathing for a moment, suppressing the faint throbbing pain and sense of weakness in his Meridians, and said in a heavy voice: "This time was luck, and also our desperate struggle. The battle formation was newly formed, our coordination was clumsy, and the consumption was far greater than imagined. If our strength were a bit greater, especially if Xia Ya and Xiao Chun could truly advance to Martial King so that the Four Symbols Power was more balanced, that Altar Master would have had no chance of escape."

He looked around; most of the surviving Green Ox Village villagers had collapsed and fainted under the impact of the world-destroying battle and the terrifying corpse tide just now, and were currently lying scattered among the ruins or in safe corners.

"Save the people first and wake them up."

Xiao Chun immediately responded; her Myriad Medicine Body was extremely effective at treating Mortals. Together with Xia Ya, who had recovered some strength, she used mild medicines like Heart-Clearing Powder and Soul-Returning Grass along with True Qi guidance to wake the unconscious villagers one by one.

When the villagers slowly woke up and saw the Hell-like scene around them, as well as the four figures who, though exhausted and bloodstained, stood as firm as mountains, their brief confusion was followed by the wailing of survivors and endless gratitude.

The old Village Chief, who was also the father of the man who had just escaped the village, walked stumblingly in front of Qin Feng's group of four, supported by his granddaughter. Ignoring their attempts to stop him, they all knelt down together and kowtowed heavily.

"Thank you, benefactors! Thank you, four Immortals, for saving our lives!" The old Village Chief's face was covered in tears as his forehead hit the cold ground. "Green Ox Village... Green Ox Village has suffered such a catastrophe. If not for you benefactors descending like Heavenly Gods, our lineage would have been wiped out!"

Qin Feng hurriedly stepped forward to help the old man up: "Old sir, please get up. Slaying demons and exorcising evil is what a Martial Artist should do. Everyone, please rise."

Under the insistence of Qin Feng and Xia Ya, the villagers finally stood up one after another, but the gratitude and awe in their eyes did not diminish in the slightest. They organized themselves spontaneously, enduring their grief to search for and identify the bodies of their deceased loved ones in the ruins. At Qin Feng's suggestion, all the bodies were gathered together, and Ji Ruxue used a special technique to ignite a fire, performing a thorough cremation to prevent residual corpse Qi from causing another mutation. The soaring flames reflected the villagers' sad yet pious faces, sending off the souls of the deceased and cutting off any future troubles.

Qin Feng took out another thousand gold coins and handed them to the old Village Chief: "Chief, please take this money to help the surviving villagers rebuild their homes, buy food and clothing, and live well."

The old Village Chief held the heavy money bag, his hands trembling. This was not a small amount; it was enough to give the village a chance to breathe after the disaster. He choked up, not knowing how to express his thanks, when he suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to give his son a few instructions.

After a short while, the Village Chief's son ran back holding a simple and old wooden box. The old Village Chief's hands trembled as he opened the box, revealing a round, dark green stone bead the size of an egg. The surface of the bead was not smooth, even a bit rough, with extremely faint, naturally formed cloud-like patterns. It felt cool to the touch and had no spiritual energy fluctuations, looking just like a relatively round pebble from a riverbank.

"Benefactor," the old Village Chief held the wooden box high above his head and said respectfully: "My family has been stonemasons for generations. This bead was accidentally obtained by an ancestor from the deep mountains. Its texture is peculiar; it cannot be damaged by blades or axes, nor cracked by fire. It has always been enshrined in the ancestral hall as an auspicious sign. Our village has no treasures worth mentioning now, only this object, which might be a bit unusual. We offer it to you, benefactor, to show our gratitude! May your blessings be long-lasting!"

Qin Feng originally wanted to decline, but seeing the undeniable sincerity in the old man's eyes and thinking that this bead might indeed have some history, he solemnly accepted it: "Since it is a gift from an Elder, I dare not refuse. I, Qin Feng, thank the Village Chief for this generous gift."

Seeing Qin Feng accept it, a slight smile of comfort finally appeared on the old Village Chief's face. He looked at the four of them and suddenly said firmly: "Benefactors, please depart in peace! I have no other skills, but my carving craftsmanship is still decent. Once the village is settled, I will surely devote the rest of my life to carving shrine tablets for the four of you and offering incense daily! I want our children and grandchildren to remember who brought the light when Green Ox Village was at its darkest!"

Hearing this, Qin Feng was moved but declined again: "Chief, there is really no need for this. We are unworthy of such honor..."

However, the old Village Chief had already made up his mind and merely bowed respectfully without saying more.

Qin Feng and the others helped the villagers with some more aftermath matters until the afternoon. Only then, under the deeply grateful and reluctant gazes of the villagers, did they leave this scarred land and continue toward the northwest, heading for the Mist Mountains where Medicine King Valley was located.

They did not know that the stubborn old stonemason Village Chief, driven by grief and gratitude, truly began to fulfill his vow. He chose the hardest Blue Gold Stone from the cliff behind the village and, relying on the memory of those four figures standing amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, he carved day and night.

Months later, beside the ruins of Green Ox Village, a small shrine was erected. Inside the shrine, four lifelike statues stood side by side: the young man in the center pointed his sword into the distance, his gaze sharp; the woman on the left held a shield like a mountain, calm and steady; the woman on the right had a blurred figure, as if hidden in the shadows; the young girl in the back had a gentle smile, as if life itself were flowing. Below the statues, four simple words were carved—"Slaying Demons and Exorcising Evil."

Initially, this was just a place for the villagers to offer their spontaneous prayers. But as time passed, the story of the "Four Saints Slaying the Corpse Demon" in Green Ox Village gradually spread, becoming wider and more miraculous. People began to come from far and wide to admire the statues and feel the solemn atmosphere remaining from that legendary battle. The village also prospered again, becoming an important resting point on the way to the Mist Mountains.

Many years later, when Qin Feng, Ji Ruxue, Xia Ya, and Xiao Chun truly became world-famous and their deeds spread throughout the Nine Provinces, this small shrine in Green Ox Village also shone with great brilliance. It was no longer just a place of solace for the villagers; it became a Holy Land in the hearts of countless Martial Artists and commoners who admired heroes and yearned for the Righteous Path, with a constant stream of pilgrims.

Green Ox Village also leaped from a small village on the verge of annihilation to a "Legendary Holy Land" and a famous tourist destination within the Great Qian Dynasty, prospering and enduring. And those four stone statues, bathed in incense and respect, also seemed to silently witness that all legends began at that dawn where blood and morning light intertwined.

Of course, all of this is a story for later.