Li Chonglou's conditions, however, were indeed reassuring.
The materials used to bind his hands and feet were made of a special substance, something they specifically used to deal with cultivators.
With these in place, the village chief was completely at ease.
After all, many years had passed, and they had yet to encounter anyone who could break free from the petrification ropes.
Petrification ropes, that was the name of this special material.
It was crafted from the thunderwood unique to their island, possessing an innate ability to suppress cultivators.
After some deliberation, the village chief finally ordered Li Chonglou to be let down.
Of course, throughout the process, they ensured the petrification ropes remained bound to his hands and feet.
Only the restraints on his feet were lengthened.
The moment Li Chonglou landed, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he saw two men in animal hides holding long forks pointed at him.
"Relax, I'm not a bad person."
Who would believe that!
The two men in animal hides remained unfazed, their eyes cautiously fixed on his every move.
Seeing that persuasion was futile, Li Chonglou paid them no mind and turned to bow slightly to the village chief.
"I know you don't trust me, but I'll make sure to stay within your sight as much as possible."
The village chief's expression softened slightly.
"What was the method you mentioned earlier?"
Li Chonglou didn't answer directly but instead asked, "Can we know approximately how many people have entered so far? And what are their strengths?"
The village chief turned to look at the animal-hide clad man who had reported earlier.
"Reporting to the village chief, we have currently counted thirty-two people, and the number is still increasing."
The village chief's expression changed drastically.
He had initially expected at most ten to twenty people, never so many.
Given their current numbers and capabilities, handling twenty people simultaneously was already their limit.
If they weren't all heading towards the forbidden area, he wouldn't have taken the risk of letting him go.
These were poachers. Decades, even centuries, of history had taught them that outsiders, without exception, could not be trusted!
Li Chonglou had gambled that the village chief would agree precisely because he had guessed this. At such a time, he certainly couldn't show any unusual expression.
Thus, he calmly said, "Don't worry, no matter how many there are, I can handle them."
The village chief looked somewhat surprised.
"What is this method you speak of?"
Li Chonglou's expression suddenly turned stern.
The few people present thought he might have ill intentions, and they instinctively tightened their grip on their long forks.
The village chief even took a subtle step back, watching Li Chonglou with utmost caution.
After a long pause.
"Village chief, can you trust me this once?"
No one responded.
Li Chonglou changed his approach.
"Do you know about Huaxia?"
This time, the village chief nodded. "Yes, we know. Legend has it that our ancestors came from Huaxia. I also know you are from Huaxia."
It was indeed related to Huaxia!
When Li Chonglou heard their language, he had already formed a guess.
The world was vast. Although Huaxia could be considered a hegemonic power within it, its actual rise to prominence was relatively recent. Currently, Chinese was not the international language in the world.
Therefore, hearing such a familiar language in a place like this inevitably led to speculation.
And this made things much easier!
A flicker of joy crossed Li Chonglou's eyes as he said, "Then you should also know about Huaxia's General Bureau."
"We are all from the General Bureau, and these are all my companions."
Li Chonglou gestured to the unconscious group behind him.
The village chief did not respond this time, merely staring at him silently.
Li Chonglou continued, "You know Huaxia and the General Bureau, so you should also know our way of operating. We never abandon our companions."
Still no response.
"The method I mentioned is for you to release me and let me go deal with those who landed on the island."
Originally, Li Chonglou had intended to find other, more subtle ways to express this. However, upon reflection, for these simple and pure-hearted people,
sincerity was always the ultimate killer move.
However, when the others heard his proposal, their expressions changed drastically.
The village chief, in particular, felt a sense of deception, and his face immediately fell.
"I knew you poachers wouldn't have good intentions! Someone, arrest him—"
Li Chonglou quickly interjected, "Wait, please let me finish."
The village chief, his face grim, said sternly, "What else is there to say! Releasing you, impossible!"
Li Chonglou said rapidly, "Village chief, don't rush to refuse me. You've seen the situation now. With your strength, you might not be able to stop so many people entirely, let alone more coming later. Instead of that, what's wrong with taking a risk and letting me handle it?"
"Furthermore, I am from Huaxia, and more importantly, from the General Bureau. If you don't believe me, you can wake them up separately and interrogate them; you'll get the answers. In comparison, this risk should be much lower."
"Oh, and you can also interrogate us about our purpose here. We are here for the roots of the Lei Ku tree. To put it simply, if the village chief can help us get it now, or tell us where it is, once we have it, we'll leave on our own without bothering you."
After Li Chonglou spoke rapidly, he pointed to his bound hands and feet.
"Village chief, you probably have a limited supply of these things, right? Even if you take a gamble, you won't lose anything. If I escape, you can always capture another one, can't you?"
The few people were momentarily silenced by his words.
Especially the village chief, his face was a picture of internal struggle.
People as simple and honest as them were most afraid of blunt truths.
Moreover, what Li Chonglou said was all to the point.
Firstly, they indeed had no other way to deal with this situation. If it continued like this, they could only capture as many as they could, and the rest would be left to fate.
Secondly, as Li Chonglou had said, even if he was lying, in the current situation, one more or one less seemed to make no real difference.
But the key point was that this offered a chance to gamble.
Although they disliked gambling, an opportunity was now presented before them, and who wouldn't be tempted?
Seeing their silence, Li Chonglou knew his chance had arrived, so he added more fuel to the fire.
"Village chief, why don't you interrogate them separately first? Without evidence, you can consider it after you've confirmed all the information?"
As the saying goes, sincerity is always the ultimate killer move. Everything Li Chonglou said was tailored to their perspective.
This interrogation carried no risk.
And after Li Chonglou's maneuver, the gaze of the others, especially the village chief, became much more amiable.
"I've dealt with many people from Huaxia's General Bureau. While not all of them are honest, most of the time, they are reliable."
The village chief spoke slowly, but he didn't agree immediately. Instead, he nodded. "Alright, I'll interrogate them first. If I find even one lie in what you've said, I apologize."