Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 260: Chapter 260. Unwelcoming

”Drinks, then. Do you have wine?” Amon asked.

”No. I only have tea,” the old man answered.

”Tea will have to do then,” Amon said.

”Okay. Go ahead and take a seat. I will bring you your tea in a minute.”

Amon and Tuang Yin chose a table and sat. Not long after, the old man came with two cups and a jug filled with tea. He placed the cups before pouring tea into them.

”This will be two aer stones,” the old man said while putting the jug on the table.

Amon put ten aer stones on the table. ”May I have a moment of your time?”

The old man seemed uncomfortable by the request. He took two aer stones from the table and left the rest. ”Once you finish your tea, please leave,” he said and left.

”What the hell, man? We just want to talk for a bit,” Tuang Yin called. The old man pretended not to hear. He disappeared into the back room.

”Hm...,” Amon stored the aer stones on the table.

”What an odd dude,” Tuang Yin remarked.

Amon drank his cup and stood. ”Let’s go.”

”Hey, can’t we finish this tea first?” Tuang Yin asked. Amon also ignored her.

”Fucking men!” Tuang Yin complained. She emptied her cup before chasing after Amon.

The two continued their tour around the village. Of what few people they met, none wanted to talk to them. They knocked on the door of the largest building in the village, which they assumed to be the village hall. No one answered. They roamed until noon before someone from the village finally initiated a conversation.

”We don’t get many visitors here. Are you with the two ladies?”

Amon and Tuang Yin turned back and saw three people. From their aura, Amon could tell they were cultivators. All three even appeared to have higher cultivation than him.

”You are...?” Amon asked.

”My name is Yang Jun. I handle the security in this village,” The lead man, a middle-aged man with a mustache and wearing hunter attire, said. He pointed to the other two men by his sides. ”These two are my aides, Leng Ku and Yang Su. Now, it’s your turn. Who are you? And what is your purpose for coming here?”

”I am Lin Mo. I was sent here by the Royal Academy,” Amon produced a badge that identified him as a Royal Academy student. Tuang Yin did the same.

”Students?” Yang Jun uttered. The surprise in his voice was genuine. ”What does the Royal Academy want with this village?”

”It has something to do with the inspection team that came here not long ago,” Amon answered.

”Them? I thought they left because they found nothing. So, you believe that crap about someone in this village practicing the forbidden infernal cultivation?”

”I don’t believe anything. I am here to check the facts,” Amon replied.

”The facts are there is no one here who practices infernal cultivation,” Yang Jun insisted.

”Then you don’t mind if I check every villager to confirm that?”

”The previous team already did,” Leng Ku interfered. ”We are not going to stand by and let you abuse us like that. You stay away from the villagers!”

”Hey! Do you know resisting to assist the Royal Academy is the same as resisting the kingdom?” Tuang Yin threatened.

”Hah! Never see the kingdom care about us. If not for this demon bullshit, they will never notice us. Why should we care about them?” Yang Su said.

”You should care because you live in their territory,” Amon replied. He then asked, ”Are all three of you locals?”

”We are,” Yang Jun answered.

”I understand there should be at least one soldier from the kingdom army stationed in a village. Please take us to this soldier.”

”We can’t.”

”Why not?”

Yang Jun shrugged. ”He vanished.”

”Vanished, how?” Tuang Yin asked.

”Vanished. Poof! Disappears into the air. What do you mean, how? He was simply gone. No one saw or heard from him. Not that it matters. We always take care of the village’s security ourselves. We don’t need any kingdom soldiers.”

”Hm... Is this before or after the last inspector’s visit?”

”Does it matter?” Yang Jun asked. He made a show as if thinking. He said, ”It was before.”

”The inspector didn’t ask for the whereabouts of the missing soldier?” Amon asked.

”I think he asked. I think I gave him the same answer I gave you,” Yang Jun replied.

”You think? This is not that long ago,” Tuang Yin said.

”I have a bad memory. Do you have a problem with that?” Yang Jun challenged.

”Never mind that. If the soldier is missing and the army cannot contact the soldier for a prolonged time, they will send a replacement or an investigative team, or both.”

Amon caught the two behind Yang Jun displayed uncomfortable expressions upon his words. Yang Jun himself maintained a poker face.

”I would like to ask you some questions regarding this village,” Amon said.

”We are not taking any questions from you,” Yang Jun replied. ”I am here to tell you to stop nosing around. There is nothing for you people here. You are disturbing our peace. Pack up and leave!”

”We won’t leave until we conduct our search,” Amon said.

”Kid... Don’t think you are special for being a Royal Academy student,” Leng Ku said with a threatening tone.

”I don’t think I am special for being a Royal Academy student. I know I am special for being me,” Amon uttered.

”So, he is also arrogant. What is his cultivation level, boss?” Yang Su asked Yang Jun.

”Peak Strength Stage,” Yang Jun answered.

”Stupid kid, your ability doesn’t support your arrogance. Here I thought the Royal Academy students were elites. What a joke! Do you want to know our cultivation levels? Leng Ku here and I have the Intermediate Transformation Stage. Our boss here is Peak Transformation Stage. You better watch your tone when speaking to us. We can kill you with a slap.”

’He has a sensing art,’ Amon thought of Yang Jun. A normal Peak Transformation Stage cultivator shouldn’t have the ability to sense other’s cultivation yet.

”What are you so proud of?” Tuang Yin scolded. ”How old are you? What is your cultivation level when you are our age? Do not think you can scare us!”

”Boss, what about this lass? What is her cultivation level?” Yang Su asked again.

”She is better. She is at the Beginning Transformation Stage,” Yang Jun answered.

The ridiculing expression on Leng Ku and Yang Su’s faces disappeared. Tuang Yin and Amon looked to be twenty years of age. Tuang Yin’s scolding reminded them that when they were at that age, their cultivation was only at the Beginning Strength Stage.

”If you people are unwilling to answer our questions, then stop bothering us,” Amon said. He turned around and walked away from there. Tuang Yin followed his lead. She stuck her tongue out at the three before following Amon.

”Why, you...!”

Yang Jun stopped Yang Su from chasing Amon and Tuang Yin.

”Boss, what should we do...?” Leng Ku asked after the two went out of view at a corner. ”If they keep on prying, they might draw her ire... More people will come here if these Royal Academy students go missing.”

”Sigh... We can only hope that they left like that inspector team,” Yang Jun answered. ”Everyone knows what is best for them. They won’t say anything. Let’s go check those two women. I’m more worried about them.”

”I agree. They have been staying here for a week even when everyone gives them the cold shoulders. They didn’t even say what their purpose was for coming to this village.”

”Yes, they are more suspicious compared to these royal academy brats,” Yang Su said.

*

Amon and Tuang Yin continued roaming after leaving the three men. Tuang Yin kept glancing back as they walked.

”No need to keep looking back. They are not following us,” Amon told her.

”How can you tell? Do you have eyes on your back?” Tuang Yin asked.

”I don’t hear their footsteps,” Amon answered.

”Footsteps...? Hm, if you say so,” Tuang Yin said. ”So, what do you make of those three? All the villagers here seem unusually unwelcoming.”

”Yes. But for some reason, they are also hesitant to use force to drive us out,” Amon said.

”If no one is willing to speak to us, how can we gather information?” Tuang Yin asked.

”We just have to keep looking. Hm...?” Amon suddenly stopped.

”What is it?” Tuang Yin asked.

Amon whispered something into her ear. She looked in a direction after hearing the whisper. She then nodded before the two split up. She came to the door of a house and started knocking.

”Hello! Is someone inside? I wish to speak to you!” She called after the knocks.

When no one answered, she knocked again and repeated her call with a louder voice. She kept repeating it until a voice replied from behind the closed door.

”Go away! We have nothing to say to you!”

”Come on, man. I just want to ask a few things. How about you open this door so we can talk properly?” Tuang Yin persisted.

”I said, go away! Stop disturbing us!”

Behind the house Tuang Yin was knocking was a small backyard. In the backyard was a little girl who was tending to flowers. She was so absorbed in her task that she didn’t realize someone was in the backyard with her.

”Excuse me, little girl,” Amon greeted the girl. ”Do you mind if I ask you some questions?”