nucmednet Chapter 23 You rat in a Taoist robe!
Chapter 23 You rat in a Taoist robe!
Since taking those Blood Marrow Essence Pills, Ding Yi's Evergreen Technique has progressed rapidly.
Ding Yi named the heat flow within his body "Evergreen True Qi." After all, it was something that came about after learning martial arts. Although Ding Yi didn't know what it was, he felt it was similar to true qi.
At this moment, Ding Yi, relying on the Evergreen True Qi within his body, could run a mile without stopping and not be out of breath. If he walked briskly, he could walk ten or twenty miles without any problem.
After resting, Ding Yi picked up the pace and continued walking along the path.
The path was about ten feet wide and looked like an official road, which undoubtedly gave Ding Yi a glimmer of hope.
Since there is an official road, it means that there is still a ruler in this world, although it is unknown why such evil deeds have occurred within its jurisdiction.
Thinking of this, Ding Yi quickened his pace, almost jogging as he moved forward.
Finally, after running for several dozen miles, some dilapidated buildings began to appear in Ding Yi's field of vision.
These buildings stand alone on both sides of the road, looking like abandoned post stations or tea stalls.
Although there was no sign of human habitation at the moment, the presence of these buildings still stirred a sense of excitement in Ding Yi.
The fact that buildings could be found here indicates that the road under Ding Yi's feet must have had a significant flow of people in the past, which also means that one could probably reach a major town by following this road.
Finally, as evening approached, Ding Yi saw a village marker on the quicksand map that looked just like Xiaotan Village ahead of the road.
"It's not even a town, just a small village."
Ding Yi frowned, a sense of unease creeping into his mind.
Because of Xiaotan Village, Ding Yi was wary of such small villages. Who could guarantee that another Qingyunzi wouldn't pop out from there?
Fortunately, no red crosses appeared on the quicksand map, which relieved Ding Yi a little.
"It's not a big problem."
Ding Yi tightened the long sword hanging at his waist, then looked at the colorful clouds reflected by the setting sun on the horizon, and hurriedly headed towards the village.
Regardless, I have to spend the night here.
To Ding Yi's surprise, when he arrived at the entrance of the village, he found that the village was in a state of disrepair, with collapsed houses and weeds everywhere, clearly having been abandoned for a long time.
"Looks like nobody's here."
After standing at the village entrance and looking around for a while, Ding Yi took out the quicksand map and looked at it again. He found that he could see some of the conditions inside the village on the map. There should be no strange walls like those outside Xiaotan Village. Only then did he feel at ease and step into the village.
The warm evening breeze gently rustled the weeds along the village path, adding a touch of warmth to the desolate scene.
Ding Yi walked along the path for a long time without making any special discoveries. Most of the houses here had collapsed, and some were even overgrown with weeds.
Fortunately, after searching for a while, Ding Yi finally found a relatively intact house near the center of the village. He immediately drew the long knife hanging at his waist and used the tip of the knife to push open the half-closed wooden door.
A cloud of dust rushed out as the wooden door opened. Ding Yi covered his face with his sleeve and squinted as he entered the room.
Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, Ding Yi waved his sleeves as he surveyed the house before him.
Perhaps because it was relatively well-preserved, there weren't many weeds in the house. There were even several intact plates on the table, containing a few shriveled, walnut-like things that looked like some kind of fruit.
Ding Yi glanced at the things on the table, then turned his gaze to the wooden door of the side room.
Just in case, Ding Yi lit the lamp and then carried it toward the bedroom.
Upon entering the bedroom, a strong musty smell filled Ding Yi's nostrils, causing him to wrinkle his nose involuntarily.
On the wooden bed, a blanket with one corner pulled back remains, indicating that the owner of this house must have encountered something and left in a great hurry.
The bedside table was also open and messy, but there was nothing inside. Ding Yi only glanced at it before losing interest in looking through it.
"Although the moldy smell is a bit strong, it's enough to make do for one night."
Ding Yi quickly looked around the room and then decided to spend the night there before continuing his journey the next day.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Ding Yi extinguished the oil lamp after the sun had completely set. He then found a corner in the living room, sat down, held his long sword in both hands, leaned against the wall, and began to practice the Evergreen Skill.
By now, Ding Yi had exhausted all the pills he had, which greatly reduced his speed of cultivating the Evergreen Technique.
However, Evergreen Skill is currently the only skill that Ding Yi can rely on, so he dares not delay for a moment. He practices whenever he has time, which has almost become a habit.
Before they knew it, it was already past midnight. Ding Yi, who was sitting in the corner, suddenly opened his eyes and immediately took out the Flowing Sand Map from his pocket, spread it out in his hand, and began to look at it by the faint moonlight.
"No red cross, so not an enemy? Or not a threat to me?"
At that moment, Ding Yi's brows furrowed into a knot as he suddenly heard faint footsteps coming from outside the house.
Just as Ding Yi was pondering, a creaking sound suddenly rang out in the quiet room.
The wooden door, which had been closed, slowly opened inward, and a figure stepped inside.
Ding Yi, who was in the corner, tensed up instantly, gripped his long sword in his right hand, and stared intently at the figure at the door.
The person who entered the room noticed Ding Yi in the corner by the moonlight and immediately let out a soft "Eh" in surprise.
"Where are you from, brother? I'd like to stay here for the night. You don't mind, do you?"
The man spoke with a thick local accent, then entered the house on his own, seemingly unafraid of Ding Yi.
"Where are you from?"
Ding Yi didn't move, and slowly asked.
"Li Baozheng of Qingfeng County".
The man spoke slowly, then looked at Ding Yi with a hint of smugness.
"..."
"you do not know me?"
Li Baozheng was taken aback, and then stopped in his tracks.
"Why should I know you?"
Ding Yi was also baffled.
"Qingfeng County!! Li Baozheng!!"
Li Baozheng emphasized it again.
"do not know."
Ding Yi's left hand had already touched the gun handle.
"You're not from here?"
Li Baozheng seemed to have thought of something and continued to ask.
"No."
Ding Yi said slowly.
"Hey! I knew it! Otherwise, who in this small area wouldn't know me, Li Baozheng!"
Li Baozheng patted his chest with some pride, then sat down at the corner furthest from Ding Yi.
"What brings you to Qingfeng County, brother? Visiting relatives? Or fleeing for your life?"
Li Baozheng seemed to be a very outgoing person. He wasn't sleepy at all in the middle of the night, and instead asked Ding Yi a question.
"It was a matter of escaping for one's life."
Ding Yi said.
"Hey, in this godforsaken world, every outsider is running for their lives. What can we do when we're under the jurisdiction of the Yin-Yang Palace!"
Li Baozheng chuckled.
"Brother Li, what brings you here so late at night?"
After a long pause, Ding Yi tentatively asked.
"Brother, which direction did you come from? Did you come across a place called Xiaotan Village?"
Li Baozheng didn't respond, but instead asked Ding Yi.
“No.”
Ding Yi's tone remained unchanged as he spoke directly.
"That's good. I heard there are traces of the Blood and Flesh Spectrum over there. I'm going to take a look."
Li Baozheng said with a smile.
"The Temple of Flesh and Blood? You're going alone?"
Ding Yi was taken aback.
"What risks could a mere flesh and blood temple pose, a bunch of cowardly rats who dare not show their faces!"
Li Baozheng said dismissively.
"I almost forgot, brother, you don't know, I am Li Baozheng from the Qingfeng County Supervisory Office!"
Having said that, Li Baozheng slowly stood up, then pointed at Ding Yi:
"You cowardly rat from the Blood and Flesh Temple! I can smell the bloody stench off your Taoist robe from a mile away. I'll skin you alive and rip the flesh from your chest so you'll know how powerful your Grandpa Li is!!"