The little demon beast, after escaping from the farmland, fled into the woods and flew towards the mountains.
The little demon beast was clearly agitated. Not only was its escape speed incredibly fast, but it also kept looking back, as if fearing pursuit.
However, it failed to notice that Ye Ling had already blocked its path.
*Splat!*
The little demon beast crashed headfirst into Ye Ling, becoming disoriented and wobbling in mid-air.
"Little one, where do you think you're going?"
Ye Ling grabbed the little demon beast by its leg, dangling it in the air!
"Mercy, great hero! I'll never dare to do it again. Please spare me this once!" After being caught by Ye Ling, the little demon beast spoke in the voice of a young girl, begging for mercy.
Hearing the little demon beast speak, Ye Ling was surprised, "You little demon beast can actually talk?"
"I am not a demon beast, I am a celestial beast, a Yaoling."
"Celestial beast?" Ye Ling raised an eyebrow slightly. "Do celestial beasts also steal grain?"
The Yaoling beast argued, "I had no choice... There was no food left in the mountains, so I was forced to steal provisions."
Ye Ling shook the Yaoling beast's leg and said, "Never mind whether you are a demon beast or a celestial beast. My mission is to capture you and bring you back to report. That's all that matters."
The Yaoling beast quickly said, "No, no, no! Absolutely do not take me into the village, I will be killed!"
Ye Ling chuckled, "You stole the grain of an entire village, causing them to be unable to get through the winter. Whatever the villagers do to you is not excessive."
The Yaoling beast retorted, "But if the villagers hadn't harvested all the medicinal herbs from the mountain, I wouldn't have risked coming to the village to steal food!"
"Moreover, I only ate some crops. I didn't dare to touch their medicinal fields at all. My crime is not punishable by death!"
Upon hearing the Yaoling beast's words, Ye Ling's heart stirred slightly, and he asked, "You say the villagers harvested all the medicinal herbs from the mountain?"
The mountain range beside this village, though not vast, was still considerable, stretching for over a thousand li. It even contained a small spirit vein, with abundant spiritual energy.
Such a mountain range, with its resources, could supply a small sect. This village, however, was merely an ordinary settlement with only a little over two hundred people. How could such a small village possibly deplete all the medicinal herbs in an entire mountain range?
The Yaoling beast insisted, "It's true! Why would I lie to you! If I hadn't been so hungry, would I have come to steal food?"
Seeing that the Yaoling beast did not seem to be lying, Ye Ling asked again, "The villagers here are all ordinary people. What means did they use to excavate all the medicinal herbs in an entire mountain range?"
The Yaoling beast replied, "I don't know either... It was fine before, but one day I woke up, and all the medicinal herbs on the mountain were gone!"
"All the medicinal herbs disappeared overnight?" A hint of surprise flashed in Ye Ling's eyes. "This is something ordinary people could never accomplish. How can you be sure it was the villagers?"
The Yaoling beast cried, "Because I saw their warehouse where they stored the medicinal materials! Great hero, please be merciful... I was truly starving and had no choice but to steal food! And I didn't dare to steal precious medicinal materials, I just wanted to solve my hunger problem!"
"Great hero, please spare me! I will never dare to do it again! Please let me go!"
Ye Ling pulled the Yaoling beast's small fleshy leg and said, "Although you sound innocent, none of this concerns me. Since I owe others a favor, I must fulfill their request. You will come back to the village with me."
The Yaoling beast wailed, "Don't, great hero! I will truly die! Please let me go! I will work for you like an ox or a horse! I can be your spirit pet, is that not enough?"
The Yaoling beast cried and howled, but Ye Ling ignored it all. He even used his spiritual power to seal the Yaoling beast's mouth and carried it towards the village.
The World Annihilating Spirit Fire then said, "Kid, if what that celestial beast said is true, then this village might not be as simple as we thought. Should we really send this Yaoling beast back?"
Ye Ling replied, "Setting aside whether the Yaoling beast is telling the truth or not, even if all of this is true, the village chief has not harmed our interests and has even shown us kindness. It would be unjust to make wild guesses.
"Even if we take a step back, I cannot see any harm in excavating an entire mountain range of medicinal herbs and hoarding them."
The World Annihilating Spirit Fire mused, "What you say has some logic, but I feel something is not quite right, yet I cannot pinpoint it."
Ye Ling said, "If you can't figure it out, then don't think about it. Anyway, we are only staying in this village for a few days. Once our injuries are healed, we will leave. As for what secrets this village holds and what they will do in the future, it has nothing to do with us."
The World Annihilating Spirit Fire responded, "You are right. It seems my perspective was too narrow... The Origin Upper Realm is so vast, with so many secrets. I'm actually getting caught up in such a small village."
"Let's go back," Ye Ling said with a slight smile, carrying the Yaoling beast back to the edge of the farmland.
At this time, Xiao Zhu had already pulled Da Zhuang out of the field and moved him to the shade of a tree.
Xiao Zhu was diligently taking care of Da Zhuang. Seeing Ye Ling return with the Yaoling beast, she exclaimed with surprise, "Brother Ye Ling, you caught the grain thief!"
Ye Ling, with his spiritual power sealing the Yaoling beast's mouth, said to Xiao Zhu, "Yes, I've caught it. Let's go back."
Xiao Zhu glanced at Da Zhuang, who was still sleeping, and looked troubled. She then said to Ye Ling, "Brother Ye Ling, you go find Grandpa first. I'll stay here and take care of Brother Da Zhuang. We'll go back after Da Zhuang wakes up."
Ye Ling asked, "Will you be alright alone?"
Xiao Zhu replied, "I'll be fine, and it's not far from the village, so there's no danger."
Ye Ling did not insist. He placed the Yaoling beast on his shoulder and said, "Alright, I'll take it back first."
Xiao Zhu nodded, "Okay!"
After conversing with Xiao Zhu, Ye Ling did not linger and returned to the village.
The village chief was currently watering flowers in his courtyard, enjoying the afternoon sun, appearing quite at ease.
"Village Chief, I'm back!"
The village chief looked up upon hearing the voice and his eyes lit up when he saw Ye Ling returning with the Yaoling beast. He smiled broadly and said, "Little brother, you caught the Yaoling beast so quickly?"
Ye Ling handed the Yaoling beast to the village chief and said with a smile, "Yes, this grain thief is very cunning and almost got away."
The village chief chuckled as he took the Yaoling beast and then glanced behind Ye Ling. Not seeing Xiao Zhu, he asked Ye Ling, "Little brother, where is Xiao Zhu?"
Ye Ling explained, "Da Zhuang accidentally ate a sleeping potion. Xiao Zhu is currently taking care of Da Zhuang at the village entrance."
"That naughty girl, I told her not to hang around with Da Zhuang, but she wouldn't listen!"
"Ah well... a daughter grows up and leaves home."
The village chief sighed, then said to Ye Ling, "Little brother, you've worked hard. You must be thirsty. Come inside for a cup of tea. I just brewed some."
The Yaoling beast whimpered at this moment, "Wuwuwu!"
Ye Ling ignored the Yaoling beast's attempts to speak and followed the village chief into the house.
The village chief took out a pot of freshly brewed tea and poured a cup for Ye Ling.
A rich medicinal aroma filled the entire room, and the Yaoling beast's movements became increasingly agitated.
The World Annihilating Spirit Fire stared at the tea and exclaimed, "This is also medicinal tea, isn't it? Such potent medicinal power... I estimate that after drinking this cup of tea, your internal injuries will be directly healed."
Ye Ling replied, "Indeed. To be able to brew such top-tier medicinal tea, the village chief is definitely not simple, but..."
Saying this, Ye Ling glanced at the struggling Yaoling beast, his eyelids lowering slightly.
It was clear that the Yaoling beast did not want him to drink this tea.
The village chief smiled at Ye Ling, "Little brother, taste my craftsmanship. This medicinal tea is my family's heirloom, and its taste is exceptional!"
"Is that so? Then I shall not refuse." Ye Ling smiled slightly, picked up the teacup, and drank it down in one gulp.
And as Ye Ling finished the tea, the village chief's amiable smile turned sinister.
A look of mockery appeared in his eyes, and the Yaoling beast's eyes, upon seeing the village chief's expression, filled with ever-increasing fear.