“A demon?”

Everyone present was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“Mr. He, you’re a scholar, how can you believe in such things? Where are there any demons in this world? That Deer is at most just a bit intelligent.”

“Exactly. Li Mujian’s water buffalo next door also understands human speech on a daily basis. So, is that water buffalo also a demon?”

Everyone spoke up at this moment, and in a few words, they dispelled a good deal of the panic they had just felt.

It’s just understanding a little human speech, it’s nothing.

Doesn’t their Da Huang also understand human speech?

So, is their Da Huang also a demon?

They had never seen any demons when going up the mountains for so many years.

He Xiuyuan suddenly mentioning demons seemed a bit crazy.

Thinking of this, everyone couldn’t help but glance at He Xiuyuan, feeling that as a scholar, He Xiuyuan seemed a bit…

With this thought in mind, everyone then prepared to drive away the Deer.

It’s just a Deer, wouldn’t it be easy to drive it away?

Thinking of this, several farmers nearby were about to step forward and take action.

If they could take down this Deer and bring it down the mountain, they could even eat meat tonight!

Thinking of this, everyone had already begun to slowly approach the Deer, fearing that their actions would scare it away.

And just as everyone was approaching the Deer, a look of terror suddenly flashed in its eyes, and then its front knees buckled, and it directly knelt down.

Everyone was stunned at the sight, looking at the Deer with some confusion.

What is this guy doing? Begging for mercy?

But it doesn’t quite look like it!

He Xiuyuan looked at the Deer at this moment, a chill inexplicably ran down his spine.

Because just now, in the Deer’s eyes, he clearly saw that trace of fear.

What on earth could make this Deer feel such fear?

A hint of doubt emerged in He Xiuyuan’s mind, and he then looked up, vigilantly scanning his surroundings.

And then, a striped giant tiger with a massive head, breathing heavily, slowly walked out.

Its yellow and black fur and round, huge eyes gleamed with a chilling killing intent.

Although the tiger had not yet roared, the pressure from its massive, mountain-like body already made everyone present tremble.

They finally understood why the Deer had knelt down; it was welcoming the Mountain Lord!

At this moment, the Deer was already trembling in fear, almost burying its head in the dirt.

Zhou Yong and the others, at this moment, had even softer hands and feet, shaking like sieves.

Looking at the fierce beast in front of them, they knew full well that with their small number, encountering the Mountain Lord would only mean waiting for death.

“You’re good. They die, you leave.”

The Mountain Lord shook its head, opened its bloody maw, and suddenly spoke.

Its round eyes were full of Evil Qi, making people feel awe and dread.

And when the Mountain Lord spoke human language, it astonished countless people even more.

At this moment, they suddenly remembered what He Xiuyuan had said earlier: a demon…

This was truly a demon!

And at this moment, as the Mountain Lord spoke, it also looked towards He Xiuyuan.

He Xiuyuan’s heart trembled upon hearing this. A demon…

Although he had already thought that there would be demons in this world when he Cultivated before.

But knowing was one thing; facing one personally at this moment, he still couldn’t help but feel a little fear.

Especially this giant tiger in front of him, its body was extremely massive.

Even though most of its body was hidden in the night, he could still feel the oppressive force brought by its enormous size.

And now, hearing the Mountain Lord’s words, it seemed to mean that he could leave, but the others had to stay?

This made He Xiuyuan’s heart suddenly relax, but then he hesitated.

He and Zhou Yong and these people came up the mountain together, neighbors coming up together, but if only he returned alive, how would he face the families of Zhou Yong and the others?

Thinking of this, He Xiuyuan opened his mouth, only to feel his throat dry.

The Mountain Lord, however, clearly had little patience at this moment. Seeing He Xiuyuan not move, its eyes suddenly fixed on He Xiuyuan.

This gaze was enough to make one feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

He Xiuyuan swallowed, gritted his teeth, and cupped his hands, saying, “Mountain Lord, is it because we picked this spiritual herb that you are so enraged?”

He Xiuyuan thought it over and over, and felt that this matter was very likely caused by this spiritual herb.

If that were the case, it would make sense why the Deer was so terrified just now, and why it wanted them to leave the spiritual herb behind.

Presumably, the Mountain Lord had tasked this Deer with guarding this spiritual herb, right?

The Mountain Lord exhaled a large puff of white mist from its nose, looking coldly at everyone present, “So what? Kid, my patience is limited. If you don’t leave, you can stay too.”

Everyone present held their breath upon hearing this.

Just now, when He Xiuyuan told them to leave the spiritual herb, they thought He Xiuyuan was crazy.

They never expected that He Xiuyuan was actually saving them.

This spiritual herb was originally the demon’s property, and they dared to try and take it!

Thinking of this, they were filled with boundless regret, and now, it seemed they could only rely on He Xiuyuan to save them from the tiger’s maw.

He Xiuyuan looked at the Mountain Lord, which was pressing closer step by step, and said through gritted teeth.

“Mountain Lord, this spiritual herb has already been picked. If Mountain Lord is willing, could you give me a chance? Perhaps I can replant this spiritual herb.”

A spiritual herb that even the Mountain Lord coveted must contain Spiritual Qi.

It would likely not be easy to replant such a spiritual item once it had been picked.

At this moment, He Xiuyuan could only try to find a way to test it with Spiritual Qi.

Thinking of this, He Xiuyuan took the spiritual herb from Zhou Yong’s hand, then gathered Spiritual Qi in his palm, slowly transferring it into the spiritual herb.

Indeed, as soon as He Xiuyuan’s Spiritual Qi touched the spiritual herb, He Xiuyuan clearly felt that there was also a trace of Spiritual Qi contained within this spiritual herb.

This spiritual herb was indeed a spiritual item.

At this moment, the Mountain Lord in the distance was also stunned when it saw the Spiritual Qi in He Xiuyuan’s hand, and then its eyes instantly widened.

“You are a Cultivator!”

The Mountain Lord’s eyes were wide and round as it stared fixedly at He Xiuyuan and said in a deep voice.

He Xiuyuan was confused upon hearing this, but seeing that the Mountain Lord did not directly attack, he hesitated for a second then nodded.

Seeing He Xiuyuan nod, the Mountain Lord’s heart was stirred with tumultuous waves.

A Cultivator, it had only heard of them, but had never seen one.

It never expected that what it thought were just a few petty thieves turned out to be a Cultivator.

The appearance of this Cultivator, however, filled its heart with excitement.

One must know, it had Cultivated bitterly in the mountains for many years, and had unintentionally gained sentience.

But after that, its cultivation became difficult to advance, unable to find the Dao, and now it had met someone who could guide its Cultivation. How could its heart not be excited?