Chapter 484: A big shots arrives in the newbie village

It must be that I opened it wrong.

Luo Han closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again.

— Still a sea of people.

Not to mention the three thousand cultivators participating in the dragon boat race, the tourists in the spectator stands all turned their heads in unison, glaring at Luo Han as colorful Faxiang materialized behind them.

Luo Han silently withdrew the weapon in his hand.

Sorry, wrong place.

“Since you’re here, you might as well take a look around.”

Jiang Ke’er stepped on a strange Flying Sword, greeting him with a welcoming smile: “Members of the Huangtian Sect, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, especially you… Hall Master of the Shasheng Hall, Mr. Luo Han.”

As if Luo Han’s arrival was completely within her expectations, which unsettled him even more.

He looked at the young Demon Race cultivator before him. As an Honored One, with the other party making no attempt at concealment, he could naturally see that she only had Seven Luminaries Realm cultivation.

A full major Cultivation Level gap—he could crush her on the spot with two fingers—yet she knew his name and was emboldened without fear.

“The competition slots are already full. Everyone can take a stroll through the village first, check out the specialties of Dongsheng Shenzhou, and bring some home to your wives and children. It won’t be a wasted trip.”

Jiang Ke’er said, then looked at Luo Han, “And Mr. Luo Han, I will personally show you the scenery here. We can talk while we look… about your Mission, Gongsun Xiaotao.”

Luo Han wanted to refuse. The situation here was clearly no longer suitable for the Huangtian Sect to remain.

But Jiang Ke’er had played her trump card.

Gongsun Xiaotao, and the eighteen missing Killers of the Shasheng Hall.

In Luo Han’s view, the value of those eighteen Killers far exceeded Gongsun Xiaotao’s. The enemy’s family might not be the backbone of the Huangtian Sect, but they were indeed his right and left hands.

If he could negotiate their whereabouts and reclaim them, it would help him restore quite a bit of his standing within the sect.

“You all go check out the village first. Wait for my news.” Luo Han ordered his subordinates.

Under everyone’s gaze, he didn’t believe Jiang Ke’er would dare to make a move against so many cultivators of Nanzhan Buzhou, especially since they were members of the Huangtian Sect, one of the ten great sects of Nanzhan Buzhou. Harming them would trigger diplomatic issues.

The surface peace still needed to be maintained for the time being. No force in Dongsheng Shenzhou dared to break this rare facade of peace, or they would be going against every vested interest in Dongsheng Shenzhou.

Although Dongsheng Shenzhou was nearing its end, the diplomatic relations between the two races still needed to be upheld.

The biggest beneficiary was the Nine Palaces Chamber of Commerce—who would dare provoke that behemoth? Jiang Ke’er? But there was only one Jiang Ke’er in all the Nine Provinces. Surely she knew her limits.

“How exactly do you intend to negotiate with me?” Luo Han asked haughtily.

“Come, let me first show you the villagers of the Novice Village.” Jiang Ke’er smiled slightly, unhurried, leading Luo Han to land at the southeastern village entrance.

On the way into the village, Jiang Ke’er pulled out a piece of wood the size of her pinky finger.

“Such pure thunder tribulation wood!”

As an Honored One, Luo Han was well-traveled and knowledgeable. He recognized the origin of the wood at a glance, his heart shaken.

Luo Han’s gaze burned with desire—if this piece of wood were offered as compensation, buying Gongsun Xiaotao’s life with it wouldn’t be out of the question.

“This is six thousand six hundred year thunder tribulation wood. But it’s not for you. It’s a prize sponsored by the Jiuzhou History Museum for our village.” Jiang Ke’er said.

Under his pained gaze, Jiang Ke’er casually twirled the wood between her fingers for fun.

She led Luo Han to sit at a small stall with a canopy at the village entrance.

The stall was newly built and looked quite crude, only capable of providing the most basic rain shelter. If the wind picked up, the entire canopy roof would be blown away.

At the stall’s entrance stood a wooden board bearing the shop’s name—Best Dumpling Stall in the Newbie Village.

This name was unanimously chosen by the entire village because it was the truth, especially after Aunt Zhao obtained her new Rolling Pin. Every type of noodle dish she made tasted far beyond what anyone else in the village could match.

“Aunt Zhao, I’ll have a bowl of wontons!”

The dumpling stall also sold wontons. Jiang Ke’er ordered casually, then asked Luo Han, “What would you like?”

“I don’t eat such filthy grain-based things.” Luo Han said disdainfully. “They’ll only pollute my Dao.”

“Alright then.”

Jiang Ke’er didn’t insist. She quietly watched Aunt Zhao’s noodle-rolling technique, playing with the little wooden stick in her hand as she watched.

Luo Han couldn’t understand why Jiang Ke’er was watching so intently, so he curiously glanced over with his peripheral vision.

—Very ordinary.

The woman rolling the dough was just a regular villager with no cultivation. Her technique was skilled and pleasing to the eye, but there was nothing worth a cultivator’s attention.

Seems like just… wait!

Luo Han suddenly froze.

Something’s wrong. There’s something wrong!

He began to observe the woman’s movements with full concentration.

Every time the Rolling Pin rolled, although the woman’s movements differed, the thickness to which the dough was compressed was completely identical!

So identical that even with his Microscopic Vision, he couldn’t discern any difference.

This… is impossible!

Not to mention an ordinary person without cultivation, even he, an Honored One, could not accomplish this!

If he relied on some divine weapon or sharp artifact, Luo Han could replicate the same force ten-plus consecutive times. But that was merely the same force.

Depending on the dough’s composition, the compressed thickness would still differ. He couldn’t achieve what the woman before him did—every single sheet of dough rolled out perfectly identical!

Aunt Zhao’s figure, that of an ordinary village woman, suddenly became mysterious in Luo Han’s eyes.

This was a mysterious expert he couldn’t see through.

Even using an ordinary Rolling Pin, she…

Hmm? Rolling Pin?

The Rolling Pin was caked with flour, preventing Luo Han from seeing its appearance clearly. Only through the gaps in the flour could he barely make out its color.

It looked similar in color to the thunder tribulation wood in Jiang Ke’er’s hand.

It was a slightly brown Rolling Pin. If he had to find a comparison…

Luo Han felt like he’d been struck by lightning.

But thinking about it more carefully, how could such a thing be possible? Thunder tribulation wood that could buy an entire city, used as a Rolling Pin?

Besides, there wasn’t a single Rune inscribed on that Rolling Pin.

“Let me see it!”

Luo Han’s heart was shaken. He suddenly sprang up, charging toward Aunt Zhao’s counter and grabbing for the Rolling Pin.

But just as his palm was about to land on the Rolling Pin, a terrifying rebounding force emerged from it—one that made it impossible for him to close his hand—and immediately knocked his hand away!

Aunt Zhao angrily snatched up the Rolling Pin and smacked the back of Luo Han’s hand with it. Only after striking did she realize she’d gotten the Rolling Pin dirty again.

“Don’t touch it with your filthy hands! If you touch it, how are people supposed to eat?”

So she had no choice but to storm off to the water’s edge to wash the Rolling Pin.

Luo Han, however, swallowed hard. His whole body now felt numb and tingling.

Couldn’t dodge—that last strike, he, an Honored One, actually couldn’t dodge it!

It had built-in defense and master protection, anti-control and Qi Machine locking functions…

A super-grade 8 magical artifact!