Declaration of Lockdown
Gu Tan and Zhao Xin walked around the village and everyone greeted them upon seeing them. At this point, it was no longer about age. They genuinely respect Gu Tan and Zhao Xin. Even though Zhao Xin isn't the village chief, her status is only second to his.
"So, how is the construction of hot spring?" Gu Tan asks while walking.
"It has been completed. We have currently blocked the water passage as you instructed and we have also built the watermill to carry the hot spring water into the Agriculture Field."
"By the way, we also exchanged for a few Fire Elemental Stones from the nearest city with our normal Elemental Stones and placed them at the bottom of the hot spring." Zhao Xin answered as they continued their journey towards the hot spring.
It was only a few minutes away from them. On the Southern Side, there were two massive holes dug with a massive wall between them. The surroundings were covered with thin sheets of clothes.
"It is good enough. Anyway, tell the guards to call everyone to the fifth segment of our village. I want everyone from our village to attend." Gu Tan ordered her as he walked towards the fifth segment which was in the middle of the village.
Zhao Xin nodded her head and instantly moved towards the guards. After she ordered the guards, she returned back to her position behind Gu Tan. In the middle of the fifth segment, there was a small stage where he walks.
When people around them saw him walking towards the stage, they immediately started gathering. This stage was the announcement stage. And, they didn't want to miss any of his announcements. More and more people started gathering around the stage.
The sun was setting on the west side. But, everyone was coming forward to hear his announcement. After five minutes, the entire village was gathered around them. A lot of familiar faces from the Lee Family, to the women whose sons died, and the families of guards who died before, everyone was present.
Gu Tan looked at the faces of everyone and spoke.
"Our Village has been living in harmony for years. We had no ruler, no chief, not even the laws. But, we still lived in harmony. Everyone who is born in this village is a part of a big family. And, now as a Village Chief, this entire village is my family."
"For this family, I am willing to do anything to keep it safe. And, that's why I convinced Five Elders to make me the village chief. And, I am happy that everyone is supporting me. But, I would like to give out two major reasons that pushed me to become the Village Chief."
"Originally, this was a confidential topic and I wasn't supposed to tell this to anyone. But, now, I think everyone is ready to hear this. It might come up as a surprise. It might be hard to accept but it is true. The entire village has suffered from a chronic disease known as 'Burning Skin Disease'."
When he announced it, some of them opened their eyes wide, some tilted their heads in confusion and some were curious to know more. But, nobody asked anything. At this moment, even five elders were silently listening to his words.
"But, we are at the initial stage of this disease. So, it would take two years to completely kill all of us. There are three stages of this disease. The initial Stage remains for a year and nobody notices anything. Middle Stage remains for ten months and people starts showing off symptoms."
"And, finally, the Late Stage remains for two months and it completely kills the person. This disease spread out from two different contacts. One is long-term contact between people or rapidly in the Late Stage. Since we are still in the initial stage, we still have a chance to cure it."
Hearing his words, all of them sighed in relief. They were frightened for a moment when they heard it will kill the person.
"But, we might die before that if we don't get stronger."
Once again, most of the people were left confused.
"At the moment, I can't reveal the true reason behind it since there are still spies hanging around us. But, it will eventually get revealed in one year. And, everyone, we do not need to worry about anything at all. First, we will search person by person to discover the spies that are still remaining in the village within a year."
"Second, it takes four years to completely cure this disease and until then, our village will no almost no contact with the outside. No one is allowed to leave or come. Anyone spotted within the thirty meters around the village will be apprehended and killed for the sake of not spreading this disease to other people."
"We will spread this out so that people will become more conscious. We do not want to harm others. Our goal is to cure this disease completely. And, the treatment is a little weird and long. Every person in the village above the age of three is obligated to bath in a hot spring for one hour each week."
"This is not a normal hot spring. It will not only cure the disease but also help everyone awaken the Elemental Veins thanks to Elemental Stones."
"Village Chief, is it true?"
Suddenly, a person disrupts them as he asks with wide eyes.
"Yes, it is indeed true. Everyone will get a chance to awaken the elemental veins. And, as I said before, everyone above the age of three will join the hot springs. That means the children before the age of fourteen won't awaken it but it will remain inside them."
"As for the children under three, it will be their mother's job to cure them and help them grow elemental veins. All of the mothers with the baby under the age of three need to take one and half hour long bath for the sake of their children."
"And, since one needs to take a bath once a week, we will need to manage the time. It will be handled by Zhao Xin. She will hand out the exact time you need to take a bath. Except for these, there are some other changes that I will not explain here rather show everyone within the course of these four years."
"I know some of you are frightened but there is no need to worry. My master who has taught me everything I am capable of is the one who finds out about this situation. As a monk, he has created a way to cure this incurable disease and we are lucky to have him."
"Even though he is no longer with us, we are still in debt for everything he has done in the shadows. So, from tomorrow, our village will enter the age of lockdown. For four years, everyone must follow some strict rules and help each other during the times of need."
"Remember, our village is not strong but we have a strong Will. Xuan Village will survive this disease and will be reborn as a phoenix. Everyone, say this with me!"
Gu Tan slowly raised his right hand and shouted.
"XUAN VILLAGE WILL NEVER DIE!"
Hearing his words, the villagers felt the blood pumping in their veins. It was the first time someone has said something like this. Everyone, even children raised their hands and shouted.
"XUAN VILLAGE WILL NEVER DIE!"
"XUAN VILLAGE WILL NEVER DIE!"
"XUAN VILLAGE WILL NEVER DIE!"
Their roars were so loud that it spread thousands of meters away. It was not only loud but also powerful, filled with emotions and the love for their village.
At this moment, Lee Jan stared Gu Tan and a trace of guilt appeared in his eyes.
'Maybe ..... I am wrong.... Maybe, he can help the village...'
His view over Gu Tan became much more complicated. He couldn't find more words to prove himself right.
On another side, Gu Chen and Gu Shui embraced each other while looking at their son standing in the middle of the crowd, making the entire village follow him. It truly made them proud. They felt like shouting 'That's my boy.'
But, they endured the excitement inside their hearts. Gu Tian also looked at his grandson with a smile on his face.
On another side, Uncle Lee looked at him for a long time and thought.
'Maybe it's time I do something for the village that has given me a new home. I wasn't born here but this is my home now.'
Slowly, a smile appeared on his lips as he thought.
'I will make a weapon that will lead the village to victory. I will create weapons that will protect the village. As a village blacksmith, I will create a weapon just for you.'
Seeing their cheers and excitement, Gu Tan couldn't help but smile.
'I'm sorry for lying everyone. But, I promise I will make the future of our village better. I will keep the village safe. I will make everyone stronger. And, maybe, it is fate, but someday, we will face the entire world in a war. And, until that day, I will forge a warrior out of every single one of you.'