Chapter 97: Speculations on Quest Trigger Conditions

The old man, hunched over, stood at the entrance of the village and gazed in the distance. As he saw Jiang Liu and Sun Wukong approaching, he hastened towards them with faltering steps.

However, upon seeing only Jiang Liu and Sun Wukong, the faint smile initially on the old man's face slowly faded, "Holy Monk, have only you returned? What about the other villagers?"

The hope in the old man's eyes seemed to clutch at a lifeline amidst despair.

Jiang Liu, hesitant to meet his gaze, turned his head slightly but still disclosed the truth, "When we arrived, all the captured villagers had already been killed."

"Have they all died? Have all of them died?" The old man murmured in a dazed whisper after hearing Jiang Liu's words.

"Since everyone is dead, and I'm just an old man left, what's the point of me living anymore..." Overcome with despair, the old man suddenly cried out and, losing all will to live, fiercely banged his head against a nearby tree.