Chapter 10: Fame of Divination Spreads Far and Wide!

Su Tan had been wondering why there was no news from the Village Chief for so long. Now he understood. The reason they were late was that it took some time to consume the Spirit Grass and break through their cultivation.

Just as the three men had said, shortly after they arrived, Village Chief Chen brought the crowd to Su Tan's small courtyard.

"Su Tan, thank you, truly, thank you! You not only saved my life but everyone else's as well. If it weren't for you, we all would have perished in the forest!" As soon as Village Chief Chen entered the yard, he pushed away the villagers supporting him and excitedly walked up to Su Tan to express his gratitude.

A faint scent of blood clung to the chief, and his wounds had yet to scab over. Su Tan could smell it clearly. It seemed the battle had been exceptionally fierce.

"It was just a small effort, nothing worth mentioning," Su Tan said, waving his hand.

"I am deeply ashamed! I actually doubted your divination before. Sigh... if I hadn't remembered your rescue method at the critical moment, we would probably be nothing but cold corpses right now," Village Chief Chen said.

Originally, he didn't believe Su Tan had the ability to perform divination. Even though two minor matters had been accurately predicted before, he had brushed them off as mere coincidence. Thinking back on it now filled the Village Chief with unbearable shame.

At the time, Su Tan had repeatedly warned him and even advised against going on the trip. Though the chief hadn't said anything aloud, he had completely dismissed the warning in his heart. The memory of the battle with the venomous snake still left him palpitating with lingering fear. He realized that even though Su Tan knew he was skeptical, the young man had tirelessly repeated his warnings. If it were anyone else, Su Tan probably would have just mentioned it in passing and left them to their fate. Realizing this deep sense of loyalty moved Village Chief Chen profoundly.

"You don't need to dwell on it, Village Chief. As long as you're all right, that's what matters." Su Tan didn't mind the chief's prior attitude. If their positions were reversed, he wouldn't have believed his own divination either.

After all, he and the Village Chief knew each other inside out. They knew exactly what the other was capable of, so he completely understood the man's initial skepticism. Fortunately, things had worked out well in the end. The Village Chief and everyone else had returned safely.

"I must apologize to you. I shouldn't have questioned you in the first place. You are truly worthy of the title of Master of Divination. I will never forget this favor as long as I live!" The Village Chief cupped his fists and spoke solemnly.

"Say no more, Village Chief. You've taken care of this blind man for so long. The kindness you've shown me goes far beyond a single divination. There's no need to take this to heart..." Su Tan waved his hand again.

To the Village Chief, it was a massive debt of gratitude, but to Su Tan, it was simply lending a hand. Village Chief Chen looked Su Tan up and down. The young man wore a warm, gentle smile without the slightest hint of hypocrisy, posturing, or smugness. There was only tranquility and peace.

In that moment, he felt as if he were looking at an entirely new Su Tan—a Su Tan with an unearthly, transcendent aura.

He thought, "Forget it... Repaying a favor is about actions, not words. I, Old Chen, will remember Su Tan's two great favors for the rest of my life. As long as there is a single person left in the Chen Family, we will look after Su Tan to the very end!"

"Master Su is truly noble! To you, this might just be a trivial matter, but to us, it's a second lease on life. In the future, whatever you ask of us, we will absolutely obey!" a burly man with a gruff voice declared.

"That's right! If you need anything, just say the word. You saved my life. Whenever you have something that needs doing, just give the order, and I, Chen Xiaoxing, won't hesitate even if I have to walk through fire and water!"

Su Tan's courtyard had never been so lively. It was practically packed with people. Even though he couldn't see, the bustling chatter told him the crowd was quite large.

This made him somewhat uncomfortable. Even in his past life, he disliked being in crowded places, and now that he was blind, he hated it even more. He had personally felt and measured every inch of ground and every object in the yard. With too many people trampling around, they might alter the familiar layout. A sense of displeasure began to brew in Su Tan's heart.

Almost the entire village had shown up. Some marveled at him, facing Su Tan with reverence, while others remained skeptical, doubting if he truly possessed such abilities. All kinds of voices mingled together as they scrutinized him like some sort of alien specimen. Judging by their posture, they had no intention of leaving for several hours.

This severely disrupted Su Tan's quiet life. He had finally adapted to the rhythm of living in his yard, and he had no desire to change his lifestyle for any reason. It was exhausting and utterly pointless. Therefore, he decided to kick them out!

"Everyone, if you truly wish to repay me, then... please leave," Su Tan said. "I still have things to do. Crowding my yard will only interfere with my daily life."

The crowd was stunned. They hadn't expected Su Tan to say such a thing. However, looking around, they realized there really were too many people, and it was undeniably affecting him. The small yard was bursting at the seams, and a section of the bamboo fence had already been accidentally trampled down. No matter how careful people tried to be, with so many packed together, accidents were inevitable.

Village Chief Chen was the first to react to Su Tan's words. For a blind man, a sea of adoring guests could never compare to the comfort of a familiar environment.

"Right, right, everyone, head out! Don't disturb Su Tan anymore. Look at you all, you've trampled the fence! And Xiaohua's mother, watch out, don't step on the flowers! Quick, quick, get out!" The Village Chief waved his hands, herding the crowd out of the courtyard.

With the Village Chief speaking up, no matter how curious people were, they had no choice but to leave. Once everyone was gone, the very air in the courtyard seemed to freshen up.

"Village Chief, you should go back and rest too. You're injured, and you need to recuperate," Su Tan said.

"It's just a minor injury. It won't kill me, and it doesn't get in the way," the Village Chief chuckled. "They broke your fence, so I'll get someone to fix it for you. Don't worry, I'll supervise them myself. I guarantee it'll be exactly the way it was before."

"Alright then!" Su Tan didn't decline the offer.

The incident with Village Chief Chen caused Su Tan's reputation to skyrocket!

The hunting party from Chen Family Village wasn't the only one attacked by the snake. People from other villages had encountered it as well, but they weren't nearly as fortunate. Lacking an Antitoxic Elixir, they suffered heavy casualties.

When the villagers from other settlements heard that the Chen Family Village team had also encountered the Demon Snake but returned completely unscathed, they were astonished. Later, word spread that their safe return was all thanks to someone doing a divination for Village Chief Chen, allowing them to escape the crisis. This news sent everyone into a complete uproar!

"How is that possible?"

"Who is this Blind Su? How could his divination be so incredibly accurate?"

"The people of Chen Family Village are so lucky!"

"If... if our village had sought his divination before heading out to hunt, maybe... we wouldn't have lost so many people!"

Overnight, Su Tan's name spread throughout the neighboring villages.

"When I have time, I definitely need to pay a visit to that divine master!"

Some were filled with intense curiosity about Su Tan. Of course, others completely dismissed it, believing that Su Tan had no real abilities.

"I don't think he has any real skills. It's probably all just blown out of proportion. Pretending to be some divine figure won't fool me! If I get the chance, I'll go expose him and let everyone see his true colors!"

"Exactly! I refuse to believe a Great Power could emerge from such a backwater village!"

"He's probably just a fraud, and the people of Chen Family Village might all be in on it too. They just want to fabricate a god to elevate their own status among the villages. Hmph... those folks from Chen Family Village really played their cards well!"

"But... he did predict the matter with the Demon Snake, and he helped the Chen Family Village escape disaster!"

"Who knows if that's even true? Everything was said by the people from Chen Family Village. Maybe they didn't even run into the Demon Snake in the first place, and claiming they were saved by Su Tan is just part of their god-making scheme!"

"That makes sense!"