System: I Can Open Martial Arts Chests-Chapter 79 - 72: Qingxi Village (Part 2)

This person sure has a big heart.

Chu Qing shook his head; since the main party is not worried, there’s no need for him to spend much effort on this matter.

Having agreed to Chu Yunfei’s request, he decided to handle whatever came his way.

Leaning against the tree trunk, he took a brief nap, allowing Wenrou to sleep only in the latter part of the night.

He himself meditated until dawn.

The night passed without incident, and come morning, the horse had vanished without a trace.

Chu Qing and Wenrou didn’t pay it any heed, instead preparing a bit to eat and drink, extinguishing the fire on the ground before resuming their journey.

The weather today was somewhat odd; it was bright in the early morning, but after walking a few miles, they were surrounded by a layer of fog.

The fog wasn’t too thick; it appeared in patches, resembling clusters of clouds that had drifted down to the ground.

Within the fog, visibility was hindered, and the air was dense with moisture.

The scenery was somewhat wondrous; however, after progressing another two or three miles, such a scene disappeared.

The surroundings were enveloped in a thin layer of mist, covering the vast land.

Luckily, the daylight was still intense today, and although viewing the sun through this mist gave a feeling akin to "seeing flowers through the fog,"

the surrounding scene could still be seen clearly, with a pretty decent level of visibility.

"Third Brother."

Wenrou’s voice came, and Chu Qing followed the sound to find her standing in front of a stone tablet.

Chu Qing approached and saw three large characters engraved on the stone: "Qingxi Village."

Looking ahead, sure enough, a village could be seen looming in the thin and uncertain mist, resembling a mirage.

Wenrou’s previously calm face now revealed a hint of happiness.

Traveling all this way, only in such village and town places could they replenish supplies, buy some dry food and drink to carry along.

The territory of the Divine Blade Hall was too desolate, with more bones than living people.

A fine piece of land, yet making it like a purgatory.

Finally encountering a village, naturally, they had to buy some good stuff to carry along.

But Chu Qing’s brows slightly furrowed; he shook his head and softly said:

"Let’s bypass it."

This thin mist and the village gave Chu Qing a disquieting premonition.

Although due to the weather, he lacked any evidence to substantiate this feeling...

However, being cautious was certainly not a bad choice.

Upon hearing this, the joy in Wenrou’s eyes instantly vanished, yet she did not argue, only nodded:

"Alright."

Following Chu Qing, she naturally had to heed Chu Qing’s words.

This point was something Wenrou had always adhered to quite well.

The two immediately bypassed the village and continued walking forward.

This walk lasted for an hour, and the surrounding fog showed no signs of dissipating, even seeming to thicken.

Suddenly, Wenrou and Chu Qing halted simultaneously.

In front of them appeared a stone tablet.

Three large characters were inscribed on the tablet: "Qingxi Village."

Chu Qing and Wenrou exchanged bewildered glances.

In the Martial World, there was no chaotic power or gods, yet the scene before them indeed evoked a sensation similar to being ensnared by spirits.

Wenrou walked up to the stone tablet, examining it closely:

"It’s still the same stone tablet as before."

"Moreover, we’re not the only ones here."

Chu Qing approached the stone tablet, only to find a palm seal newly imprinted on the otherwise smooth surface.

Though shallow, every detail was clear.

Clearly, the person’s palm force was unusual.

"Could it be that this person was also trapped, thus leaving a mark on the stone tablet?"

Wenrou pondered aloud.

Chu Qing asked her:

"Do you know anything about arrays?"

Wenrou decisively shook her head:

"Arrays are too complex, heavenly stems and earthly branches, I Ching Eight Trigrams.

"Anytime I open a related secret manual, my upper and lower eyelids turn against each other in a heated battle. How can I learn?"

Chu Qing was speechless, though it’s quite common for eyelids to clash when trying to learn.

He glanced at the distant village and softly said:

"If that’s the case, let’s go check out the village."

Two individuals unfamiliar with arrays still wandering outside for hours would be pointless.

Ultimately, they’d be guided by the array back to their original spot, likely becoming trapped within without escape.

Since they were going to end up in the same situation, why not charge straight in?

But as the two arrived in the village, its sights left them a bit taken aback.

The surrounding homes hadn’t collapsed or sustained damage, but seemed to have been left untended for some time.

Every household’s door was ajar, and inside every room and on the floor was a thick layer of dust.

"Is there no one in this village?"

Chu Qing frowned slightly.

Wenrou sniffed, also puzzled:

"There’s a strange scent here..."

"The scent of people?"

"No, it doesn’t seem like..."

Wenrou said:

"If I must describe it, it’s akin to... weapons."

Weapons?

Chu Qing was momentarily shocked, then a loud sound of rushing water rang out.

He followed the sound; this was the center of Qingxi Village.

A vast plaza sprawled before him, with one side featuring an inverted waterfall, which was the source of the flowing water sound Chu Qing heard.

The water divided the entirety of Qingxi Village in two.

Below the waterfall was a colossal waterwheel, producing a rumbling sound as the waterfall drove it.

Connected with it was an enormous bellows and a sprawling forge.

Beside the forge were anvils, wooden barrels, hammers, and various platforms scattered around.

"Are they forging weapons here...?"

Chu Qing blinked, realizing Wenrou’s nose was truly remarkable.

She just said she detected the scent of weapons, and there were indeed so many weapon forging materials here. To pick up such a scent?

"Wenrou, try sniffing here..."

Just as Chu Qing began speaking, his brows furrowed slightly.

A voice, startled and angry, came:

"Aha, hiding right here!"

As soon as the words fell, a silhouette descended from the air, extending a hand to unleash a palm strike towards them.

Wenrou was waiting for Chu Qing’s words, unhappy with this sudden palm strike, she stepped back, raising her elbow, subtly targeting this person’s ’Neiguan’ and ’Qize’ acupoints.

The palm dared not advance further, otherwise before striking, it would first be hit by this elbow in the acupoints.

The opponent immediately raised one palm and followed with a kick.

Yet Wenrou instantly extended her arm, using one hand to press down, precisely seizing this person’s ankle. Her fingers advanced along the ankle, applying pressure with two fingers, gripping the person’s ’Outer Hill’ and ’Yangjiao’ acupoints.

As her Inner Breath explored, this person’s entire Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian was affected.

Half of the body instantly went numb; involuntarily, they were lifted and swung away by Wenrou.

Seeing they were about to crash headlong, a hand pressed on their shoulder.

The person’s heart settled immediately, and again glancing at Wenrou, anger surged:

"Second Uncle, they dare to resist us!"

"Cease your clamor."

The man behind, around forty years old, applied slight pressure to their shoulder and looked at Wenrou:

"The martial arts the young lady employs seems to be from the Taiyi Sect.

"May I inquire what relation you have to the Taiyi Sect?"

Wenrou glanced at him:

"Your companion attacked us without cause,

"and then you appear asking about my lineage before introducing yourself?

"Given your age, is this how you conduct yourself without a pattern?"

"Silence!"

The young man hurled earlier was incensed:

"Do you know who we are? How dare you speak to us this way?

"I advise you to unlock the surrounding array swiftly, let us depart.

"We are on invitation from the Divine Blade Hall, heading to the ’First Grade Conference’, dare you risk delaying the schedule?"

Divine Blade Hall invitation, First Grade Conference?

Chu Qing quietly logged these words, watching the middle-aged man release the young man and courteously addressed Wenrou:

"The young lady is correct; it’s my fault.

"I am Dong Xingzhi, and this is my nephew Dong Yubai.

"I apologize for the prior offense, hoping the young lady can forgive us.

"Might I ask, which disciple from Taiyi Sect is the young lady?"

Upon hearing, Wenrou nodded, feeling that Dong Xingzhi was now speaking reasonably.

She was about to respond when suddenly the sound of hooves came, accompanied by several female voices:

"Quick, block it!"

"Don’t let it escape."