I never upgrade

Chapter 28 Luca

But just then, a very weak sob suddenly sounded behind them:

"No...it wasn't me...I don't...eat...humans..."

Xu Lun's mind jolted slightly. Just like yesterday, he heard the mournful cry of a wild beast, not human language, but for some reason, he could understand its meaning.

He turned sharply and looked back into the dungeon:

The beast's eyes were slightly open, but quickly closed again, then opened again, looking strained and struggling, as if each time it opened its eyes it needed to exhaust its last bit of strength.

"Can you understand what I'm saying?" Xu Lun asked.

The beast opened its eyes again, unsure if it could see clearly through the wooden mesh cover.

"You...you can...understand..."

Its aura seemed even weaker than before.

Although the words weren't fully spoken, Xu Lun understood their meaning, so he nodded and said:

"Yes, I understand. You mean you didn't kill the night watchman last night? But his arm was right next to you, did you eat it?"

The beast in the dungeon struggled to glance at the arm, panting:

"No...I...never...eat..."

Xu Lun understood.

"So, this human arm was deliberately placed in the dungeon by someone? Do you know who did it?"

After waiting for a while, the beast's aura grew weaker and weaker. It needed to catch its breath before it could speak again.

"No...it's...a human...it's...an evil...tiger..."

An evil tiger? How strange!

Xu Lun was a little puzzled. The other party seemed to have mentioned a name, but it wasn't human. Could it be one of its kind? Or was it the man-eating monster from Charva Village?

"What's your name?"

Xu Lun asked.

This time, he waited a long time before the beast slowly spoke:

"Ru...ka..."

Luca?

Xu Lun was slightly taken aback. Good heavens, so you're also surnamed Lu? And you ended up getting captured by a bunch of brutes from Zulu Village and almost beaten to death on the spot. This is simply...ironic...

...

At the same time.

Village entrance.

Accompanied by the elders and a group of villagers, the chief arrived at the outpost.

The so-called sentry post was actually just a thatched hut, similar to the one Xu Lun lived in, right next to the entrance and exit of Zulu Village. The night watchman stayed inside at night, just like a gatekeeper.

At this moment, three strangers dressed as cultivators were standing outside the thatched hut, examining the marks on the ground.

Upon seeing the old man and the chieftain arrive, the leading cultivator stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"My name is Zhou Bo, and I come from the Zhou Royal Mansion in Yundu. I am out on a training trip with my junior brothers and sisters. We happened to hear that there was a serious beast infestation near Chaerwa Village, so we headed south to investigate until we arrived here. If we have caused any trouble, I hope the village chief will forgive us."

The old man smiled and waved his hand, then immediately returned the gesture with a cupped-hand salute:

"Young Master Zhou, you flatter me. I am not the head of this village; this gentleman is..."

He pointed to the burly man beside him and introduced him:

"The thirteenth village chief of Zulu Village, Rukaf, though the locals are more accustomed to calling him Chief."

Our chief is an impatient and easygoing person. Although he speaks somewhat crudely, he is righteous and reliable. If there is anything he has done that is not well taken care of, we hope Mr. Zhou will forgive him.

The village of Zulu has only a little over a hundred people who have lived here for generations. They have never been in contact with the outside world and have little understanding of the world of cultivators.

"If the villagers have offended you in any way by meeting Young Master Zhou and his party today, we hope you will forgive them and hold us accountable."

Upon hearing this, the young cultivator named Zhou Bo immediately became more curious about the old man in front of him.

Judging from their speech and behavior, they are definitely not a native of this area.

But he chose to live in seclusion in such a remote place as Zulu Village, which must be because he has some secret.

Zhou Bo smiled slightly, suppressed his thoughts, and continued to bow:

"You flatter us. We are all juniors in your presence. As newcomers, we should respect local customs and ask you for your guidance if there is anything we don't understand."

After saying that, he bent down again.

The two cultivators, a man and a woman, who were following behind him, also bowed in respect upon seeing this.

"I'm flattered, I'm flattered..."

The old man quickly bowed in return, maintaining a kind smile, and said:

"Then we'll have to trouble Young Master Zhou and his party. As you've seen in Zulu Village, the village's night watchman was attacked by a wild beast last night and was killed. Now everyone is panicking and doesn't know what to do."

Zhou Bo's smile vanished, his expression immediately turning serious. He nodded and said:

"That's right. I just checked the traces nearby, and there was definitely a ferocious beast present, and not just any ordinary beast, but very likely... a demonic beast!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of those around him changed drastically, and a chorus of exclamations erupted.

Chief Rukaf immediately shouted:

"Keep quiet! What's all the fuss about? You'll just make our village a laughingstock! It's just a monster! With me here, and a few celestial beings helping us, how can we not take it down?"

The old man's face darkened, and he quickly poked the other man with his cane. "You boor, can't you shut up? Stop yelling... Do you even know what a demon beast is? Look at you, so capable... Sigh..."

The old man felt exhausted and just wanted to live out the rest of his life peacefully. But ever since that pig-headed man became the chief, he had never given him a moment's peace.

Seeing this, Zhou Bo quickly patted his hand and said with a smile:

"Fellow villagers, don't worry. Now that we're here, we'll definitely find a way to help you solve this problem of wild animals."

Whether it's a monster or a demon, as long as we work together to fight it, I guarantee that Zulu Village will be safe.

Chief, you are a man of great courage and wisdom. Your words just now were full of boldness and courage, and I admire you very much.

I think this is exactly the attitude we should adopt when dealing with monsters.

Although the monsters are ferocious, they are not to be feared...

Upon hearing this, the chief grinned and smiled at the old man beside him, "Old Wu, did you see that? He's praising me, and you're just worrying about nothing!"

Zhou Bo paused for a moment, then continued:

"...However, there is one thing I hope you will not misunderstand."

Perhaps my previous statement was somewhat ambiguous, causing the villagers to misunderstand my identity, as well as that of my junior brothers and sisters.

Let me explain it again here, so that everyone can avoid making the same mistake.

We are merely mortals, not celestial beings.

True celestial beings are those who live in the heavenly realm.

Zhou, from the Zhou Prince's Mansion in Yundu, was just one of the many ordinary people present.

However, we come from relatively well-off families, have been exposed to celestial knowledge since childhood, and have been taught by elders in our families, which is why we are fortunate enough to embark on this path of cultivation.

We are just ordinary cultivators, and we hope that our fellow villagers will not over-mythologize our identities.

But whether we are celestial beings or ordinary cultivators, it is our responsibility to uphold justice, punish evil and promote good.

Cultivating the Tao is not only about cultivating one's realm and strength, but also about cultivating one's character and temperament.

Therefore, as long as I, Zhou, am here, I will never allow Zulu Village to be harmed by monsters.

I implore the chieftain to lend me a hand, so that together we can eradicate this wicked beast and restore peace to our village!