Pov: Vik
Hearing this, the villagers looked confused. Even Lu Xiaoran couldn't guess his plan. But I understood his tactics right away. With a smile, he approached Lu Xiaoran and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. I could hear him clearly. He said, "Lu Xiaoran, I will defeat you just like I did before. I will first make everyone abandon you, cutting off any ties you have with this world. I will take everything you own. Then, when you have nothing to lose, I will come to kill you, for good this time."
In response, Lu Xiaoran simply said, "I'm ready for you. Let's have a rematch. This time, I will be a real villain for you, my hero."
After Lu Xiaoran spoke, Lin Chen's expression changed, but he quickly regained his composure. He didn't say anything and got back into his car. Soon, his car pulled away from the community gate, followed by a convoy of vehicles. One car stopped momentarily, and a man in a black suit rolled down the window. He said, "You have 24 hours. If we find these three men in this community after that, we will make sure you will never get your land back." With that, he closed the window and rejoined the convoy, leaving the area.
Once all the cars had gone, a strange silence settled over the community. I stood outside the gate, observing the people. They didn't show it on their faces, but many were thinking about Lu Xiaoran. Some wondered if letting him leave would mean they could get their land back. Others feared losing the protection he provided, worried that Lin Chen might not keep his promise.
Even the women, having heard the entire conversation, came out of their apartments. Some looked at Lu Xiaoran with disdain.
Sighing heavily, I turned to my disciples. I said, "Disciples, I think we need to find a new place to live." I looked back at the crowd. This time, an elderly man, Zhou, stepped forward. He addressed everyone within earshot, saying, "Everyone, I know you think that making these three gentlemen leave will solve our problem. But have you considered that these are the same people who saved you from those thugs who kidnapped you? They repelled the thugs who came to harass your children and women while you were taken. Without them, we would have been kicked out of this community, while you would still be trapped in some warehouse, bound and beaten."
His voice rose as he spoke, his face reddening with anger. He continued, "I know you're weary and desperate for someone to help you reclaim your land. It has been a week since we arrived in this city, leaving our homes and fields behind. I understand your feelings because, like you, I want to return to the place of my childhood, where I spent my youth. I want to spend my old age there and die there. So, even if there's a slight chance of achieving that, I will do everything I can. But if that hope comes at the cost of destroying someone's trust, then I cannot do that. Even if we make them leave, what guarantee do we have that those men will return our land? Think about it. If they could take it once, what's stopping them from doing it again?"
After saying all this, he paused to catch his breath and crouched down, clearly fatigued. I went to his side and helped him up. Jessica ran over to check on him. From my perspective, he was just tired from everything, but his speech had worked. Most villagers now stared at the ground, ashamed of their earlier thoughts. They couldn't even look him in the eye. I sensed that no one would stop us now, but I had other plans. So, I spoke up.
"Hi everyone, some of you may know me, but not personally. I never really got a chance to introduce myself. I'm Vik, and I'm the master of these two guys here. I know you thought that if you made us leave, you could get your land back. I didn't oppose that. Personally, I believe that if one sacrifice can save many lives, then it is worth it. Therefore, I have decided to leave this place with my disciples. But don't worry: we will continue to protect you from the shadows. I wanted to leave because a friend in this city invited me. So this isn't your fault, so do not blame yourselves or each other. We will leave now. If those guys return your land deeds, that's good. But if they try something shady, believe me, I have many ways to make them question their choices."
I said all this with a smile and began walking toward our room to collect our things. I didn't have any baggage, but my disciples did. While I waited, many people tried to persuade us to stay, but I politely declined. At the community gate, I slowly walked out. Old man Zhou tried to stop us, but I simply told him that this was my plan and that if any problems arose, we would come back before he could invite us.
Just as we were about to leave, Jessica pulled on Lu Xiaoran's shirt to stop him. She managed to say, "Please take care of yourself and contact me if you have time." She handed him her contact information. Those two lovebirds never missed a chance to flirt. After all that, I walked out of the community with Pushpa nestled in my arms.
Wait a minute. Pushpa is in my arms, snuggling against my chest. I remember she was with me when I left in the morning. I tried to recall. I remembered that she was with me when we entered the Lu family house and kidnapped Lu Zhang. After that, though, I have no memory of her, as if someone wiped her from existence. I asked the system, but it said, "Host, Pushpa has been with you all this time." I didn't remember it. I asked my disciples, but they gave the same answer. Hearing this sent a chill through me. Somehow, they all had false memories of Pushpa being with them, while I only remembered her absence.
But where was Pushpa this whole time?