Chapter 977: Chapter 512: Kindred Spirits in Misfortune (Part 2) Along the way, he kept sensing the presence of the Qingxia Sect, and to his surprise, he didn’t feel a single trace! It seems the Qingxia Sect members really retreated; to save their lives, they abandoned even their base! Truly a bunch of cowards! Upon reaching a safe area, Gu Sheng finally stopped. "Everyone, this is a safe place. Here, we part ways. We shall meet again in the Jianghu!" After Gu Sheng’s words fell, surprisingly, no one left. Shi Lou and Er Gou exchanged glances, both showing a bit of confusion. At that moment, one person stepped forward and knelt on one knee before Gu Sheng. "Brother Sheng, when we entered the Soul Refining Cave, they slaughtered my entire family, leaving only me to survive in this world. Now I have nowhere to go, I only wish to follow and stay by Brother Sheng’s side! Please take me in!" After he finished speaking, others also knelt to the ground, shouting in unison, "We volunteer to follow Brother Sheng, please take us in!" Looking at them, Gu Sheng lightly pursed his lips. He never expected the Qingxia Sect to be so ruthless! Not only did they capture them into the Soul Refining Cave, but to make them abandon their emotions, they actually killed their entire families! The Qingxia Sect is so malevolent, they will surely face retribution in the future! "Everyone, the three of us are going back to Stone Village, are you willing to come with me?" Seeing Gu Sheng relent, everyone was overjoyed and nodded eagerly. After reaching a consensus, Gu Sheng turned to look at Shi Lou and Er Gou. Before he could speak, Shi Lou stepped forward and said, "Brother Sheng, we are your men; we will listen to you in everything!" After he finished speaking, Er Gou quickly nodded. "Yes, yes, yes, Brother Sheng, you have the final say." Hearing their words, Gu Sheng curled his lips. "Alright, then let’s return together." Thus, the three of them led the group back to Stone Village. Stone Village was destroyed, and is now being rebuilt, with everyone, young and old, busy. When they sensed people approaching, they instinctively prepared to fight. Knowing they hadn’t yet shaken off the shadow of the Qingxia Sect, Gu Sheng called out before arriving. "Everyone, don’t be afraid, it’s us." Hearing Gu Sheng’s voice, everyone’s eyes brightened, and they abandoned their weapons and rushed forward. A moment later, Gu Sheng and the others arrived. Seeing the unfamiliar faces behind him, everyone couldn’t help but look wary. Gu Sheng stepped forward and said softly, "There’s no need to be nervous, they are not bad people. They are the pitiable ones we rescued from the Qingxia Sect’s Soul Refining Cave." Upon hearing this, everyone was puzzled. Gu Sheng narrated the events slowly, as everyone listened full of righteous indignation, their wariness gradually turning to pity. By the time Gu Sheng finished speaking, they had fully accepted these people. Both sides no longer intentionally kept their distance, and began conversing more familiarly. With this opportunity, Gu Sheng glanced around Stone Village. Under the attack of the Qingxia Sect, Stone Village had become dilapidated, the once orderly buildings were now just ruins, creating a chaotic scene, not at all suitable for shelter. Although everyone tried their best to repair it, many laborers were injured, causing limited progress. Thinking it over, Gu Sheng turned to the group. "Everyone, Stone Village is no longer inhabitable; would you be willing to settle in a new place?" On hearing this, the faces of Stone Village’s people changed. They looked at each other and then tacitly fell silent. Seeing no one speak, Gu Sheng explained, "I am not forcing you to move, I just think building a new place would be easier than repairing this one. However, it’s just my personal opinion, you all are free to voice your thoughts openly." Hearing this, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. An elder stepped forward and said, "Gu Sheng, Stone Village may be broken, but we do not wish to leave. We have lived here for generations and already see it as our homeland, hard to leave. I hope you understand." After he spoke, another person stood up, "Elder Shi died fighting for us here; we couldn’t protect him, but we want to protect his spirit. This land, we do not wish to give up." "Gu Sheng, we can repair it, if not in one year then ten, if not ten then a hundred." From everyone’s words, Gu Sheng understood their thoughts. Stone Village is part of their lives; no matter what, it will not be abandoned. Since that’s the case, he respects their choice. "Everyone, do you mind if Stone Village gains a few more people?" Hearing this, everyone instinctively looked at the people behind him, then shook their heads in unison. "No, we don’t mind. As fellow sufferers, if they are willing, we are willing to lend a hand." Hearing this, the people from the Soul Refining Cave showed gratitude on their faces. "Are you willing to stay in Stone Village?" "Brother Sheng, we are willing!" "Since you are willing, then recover well and contribute to repairing Stone Village in the future!" "No problem!" Everyone agreed in unison, thus settling in Stone Village. At night, Shi Lou and Er Gou sat beside Gu Sheng and whispered, "Brother Sheng, should we continue searching for the Qingxia Sect’s whereabouts?" "We should, but not now. We have more important things to do." "More important things?" "Yes." "What things?" "Repairing Stone Village. I heard there is a kind of wood in Yin God Mountain that’s extremely powerful. It can be used to build houses, and once constructed, in times of crisis, everyone only needs to hide inside to double their defense, essentially adding a shield. This way, even if we are not here, we needn’t worry too much about the safety of Stone Village’s people." Hearing this, Shi Lou’s eyes lit up. "Brother Sheng, are you talking about the wood that’s aged for thousands of years, refined by the Sun and Moon Essence, each log with a Divine Body, which can be used as weapons, or for building houses? Whatever the use, its benefits are countless! Not only is it strong, it can absorb the Sun and Moon energy for the owner’s use, enhancing Divine Power!" "Yes, exactly this wood, we’ll use it to build Stone Village, ensuring at least a century of safety." Seeing Gu Sheng plan so far ahead, Shi Lou and Er Gou’s eyes reddened slightly. "Brother Sheng, we really don’t know how to thank you." Seeing them like this, Gu Sheng raised his hand and gently punched them twice. "Being so polite, are you treating me as an outsider?" Hearing this, both shook their heads repeatedly. "No, no, in our hearts, Brother Sheng is closer than family, how could we treat you as an outsider? We are thanking you on behalf of everyone in Stone Village..." "No need for thanks. Stone Village has been kind to me, I must repay. Tomorrow morning we’ll head to Yin God Mountain." "Alright! As long as Brother Sheng asks, not to mention Yin God Mountain, even if it’s a mountain of knives or a sea of fire, we’ll go!" "Stop the nonsense, get some sleep." Gu Sheng urged, then turned away. Neither of them saw the broad smile on Gu Sheng’s face. At daybreak, without any houses to block it, the sunlight shone fairly on everyone. Everyone gradually woke up and immediately saw all their companions. The atmosphere lost its previous sadness, and many started teasing each other. Hearing the noise, Gu Sheng opened his eyes, checked the sky, the timing was still early, just right for departure. Standing up, he joined the crowd to announce the trip to Yin God Mountain. After his announcement, everyone’s smiles disappeared quickly, replaced by tension. "Gu Sheng, though the wood is excellent, Yin God Mountain is a dangerous place, said to be teeming with beasts, all of which have cultivation not less than a century; it’s too risky for just you three to go!" "Yes, rebuilding Stone Village requires a lot of wood; even if each family gets one, we need dozens. For you to risk your lives, even if you get the wood, you might not get enough, why risk your life for this?" "If I were to choose between wood and brothers, I would choose brothers over the wood." After this person finished speaking, the others echoed their agreement. Elder Shi is gone; they cannot lose Gu Sheng too! When choosing between wood and Gu Sheng, they choose Gu Sheng!