Chapter 383
“If you hadn’t come tonight, I was ready to lead the villagers to spend the night in the mine caves of the Borialis Mountains…” the village chief said excitedly.
“Is it that serious?” Cao Xing was stunned.
Mordo Village Chief nodded and said, “Yes, Lord Cao Xing…”
“You have no idea… those Snow Demons are too ferocious. We haven’t had a good night’s sleep in several nights, and these days we can neither eat nor drink.”
“I had no other choice but to send the militia out to find you.”
“We even made plans to abandon the village…”
Cao Xing smiled and said, “There’s no need to worry, Village Chief. We’re here now, aren’t we?”
This village chief seemed quite agreeable; he hadn’t said much when Cao Xing took Old Mel and his cattle away earlier.
Upon hearing this, Mordo Village Chief beamed with joy.
“You’re right, Lord Cao Xing is here. We’re finally saved!”
He believed in Cao Xing’s power, and the smiles on the faces of the other militia members reflected the same sentiment.
The village chief continued, “Lord Cao Xing, the Snow Demons only appear in the latter half of the night.”
“I’ve already cleared out rooms in the village. Perhaps you could first settle your men in, let them rest for a while, and then we can discuss the details?”
Cao Xing nodded, “Alright.”
Then, led by the militia, he entered Hog Village.
On the streets, the villagers watched them with hopeful eyes, as if they were looking at saviors!
They all knew that Cao Xing came to help Hog Village.
As Mordo Village Chief mentioned, many empty houses had been cleared in the village, with fires burning inside and quilts laid out, quite warm.
He arranged the combat personnel, including Liu Muxue, whom he placed in a room at the center of the village.
Then, Cao Xing walked alone down the streets of Hog Village with the village chief.
As they walked, Cao Xing asked, “Mordo Village Chief, based on your observations these past nights, do you have an estimate of the number of Snow Demons?”
Mordo Village Chief nodded and said, “We do! Although we dared not go outside at night, we have a rough estimate of their numbers based on the casualties we found the next day.”
“And we discovered that the number of Snow Demons is gradually increasing.”
“On the first night, there was only one Snow Demon. It broke in and devoured a villager’s heart.”
“When we found them the next day, the family’s bodies were already frozen stiff…”
Mordo Village Chief sighed.
“But you know, in these times, death has become all too common, so we didn’t think much of it. We figured that once the Snow Demon was full, it wouldn’t return the next day.”
“But on the second night, the Snow Demon appeared again, and the number of casualties increased to two households.”
“Last night, the number of Snow Demons that appeared grew even larger!”
“We even heard heavy knocks on the doors late at night.”
“When daylight came, we found that no fewer than five households had fallen to the Snow Demons’ deadly hands.”
“In these three nights, the number of villagers that perished at the hands of these Snow Demons has already exceeded fifty.”
Mordo Village Chief’s face turned pale.
After hearing this, Cao Xing grew thoughtful.
Last night, there were at least five Snow Demons present.
This number was quite similar to what militiaman Arnold had told him.
Cao Xing continued to ask, “Do you have a general impression of the strength of these Snow Demons?”
Mordo pondered for a moment before replying, “Because most of us in Hog Village are ordinary people, we don’t quite understand how strong these Snow Demons really are.”
“However, I feel that the aura of those Snow Demons should be about the same as that of the knight beside you.”
After hearing Mordo Village Chief’s account, Cao Xing once again appeared deep in thought.
If they were similar to Assam, then they possessed third-tier Boss Level power.
And he felt prepared.
To suddenly encounter five third-tier Boss Level Snow Demons, a few days ago, Cao Xing would not have been confident at all.
But now… with the power he brought, he was more than ready.
At this point, Mordo Village Chief said anxiously, “Lord Cao Xing, we know these legendary Snow Demons are incredibly powerful. Even the strongest knights say they cannot be slain.”
“We don’t expect you to kill the Snow Demons. Just show them your mighty strength and scare them away, so the Snow Demons won’t appear again for a while.”
After listening, Cao Xing nodded thoughtfully, then replied, “Alright, I understand.”
“Mordo Village Chief, tonight, make sure all the villagers stay inside.”
“Yes, Lord Cao Xing!”
Mordo Village Chief said solemnly, “If you succeed, our Hog Village will forever remember your kindness!”
With that, Mordo Village Chief went off excitedly to inform others.
Cao Xing and the other subjects quietly awaited the arrival of night in their respective rooms.
…
…
Time slowly passed.
Night fell upon Hog Village, and the cold wind howled.
Because of the village chief’s orders, not a soul was seen in the entire village.
After pondering for a moment, Cao Xing decided to check on Elena.
Since she was targeted by a Snow Demon the previous night but luckily escaped harm.
Tonight, there was a chance the Snow Demon would come after her again.
Thus, Cao Xing turned to Liu Muxue inside the house and said, “Muxue, I’m heading out. If anything happens, I’ll call you.”
At the moment, Liu Muxue sat resting by the hearth, cradling a broken sword and shield.
She gently nodded her head at the voice, “Alright, Axing.”
With that, Cao Xing pushed open the door.
Immediately, the temperature dropped drastically.
Perhaps due to the Snow Demon menace, not a single streetlamp was lit in Hog Village at night, creating an oppressively quiet atmosphere.