Chapter 49: Mountain Village

“Yan Qing, Yan Ding, dual swords!” a couple said, flashing the longswords in their hands.

“Chi Defeng, staff techniques.”

“Feng Yu, cane!” an old woman tapped the cane in her hand.

Chen Fei glanced at the old woman and sniffed slightly; a faint, metallic, sweet scent drifted past his nose. It was the smell of a potent poison.

“Chen Mu, archery!” Chen Fei patted the longbow strapped to his back.

“Good, it’s getting late, let’s move. From here to Xingfen City, if all goes well, it should take about five days.”

Qian Jiang nodded and took the lead, with the others following in succession.

They were all martial artists, so both their physical strength and movement techniques were much faster than those of ordinary people. While they couldn't compare to horses, their speed was certainly not slow.

Chen Fei looked back at Pingyin County. Because they were several miles away, he could only see a few blurred outlines.

Having stayed in this county for several months, progressing from a laborer who couldn't even afford meat to someone possessing skills, Chen Fei couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

Chen Fei looked down at the mark on his arm; the further they moved from Pingyin County, the lower the mark's activity became.

Previously, Chen Fei had been worried whether this mark would attract a powerful "weirdness." Now it seemed the mark was purely a negative status effect applied to him.

If an ordinary person had been marked like this, they would likely have been sucked dry by now. Because Chen Fei’s progress was rapid, he had instead suppressed the mark.

Of course, there was another possibility. Compared to the massive "food source" that was Pingyin County, a tiny grain of rice like Chen Fei could not attract the attention of that weirdness at all.

After traveling continuously for over an hour, the group finally paused for a brief rest.

“There’s no one around, let’s split the money quickly.” In the dense forest, Chi Defeng looked at Qian Jiang, his face full of excitement.

“What’s the rush? It’s not like I’m not going to give it to you.”

Qian Jiang looked at Chi Defeng and couldn't help but scold him with a laugh. “You old rogue actually agreed to leave Pingyin County? I thought you were going to die of old age here.”

“Things around Pingyin Mountain have become strange; I don't dare stay there anymore.”

Chi Defeng took the hundreds of taels of silver handed to him by Qian Jiang and shook his head. “Especially in the last few days, I haven't been able to eat or sleep peacefully. Something big is likely about to happen in Pingyin County.”

Qian Jiang’s expression shifted slightly; he trusted his old friend's words. No wonder the man had been constantly urging him to lead a team out of Pingyin County.

“Once we reach Xingfen City, will you keep moving forward?” Qian Jiang asked.

“We'll see when the time comes. Let's just get there first,” Chi Defeng thought for a moment and shook his head.

A few dozen meters away, Chen Fei returned from relieving himself. Seeing Chi Defeng and Qian Jiang whispering there, he felt a bit of sourness in his teeth.

Though he didn't know what they were discussing, money was certainly involved.

Chen Fei had already suspected the two knew each other, because Chi Defeng had been far too decisive with the money back then—that wasn't how a greedy person would act.

However, Chen Fei didn't feel bad about that money. Compared to leaving Pingyin County, that amount was nothing. Having mastered alchemy, earning that much would only take him a few batches of pills.

After resting for a moment, the group resumed their journey.

At first, there were main roads to follow, but as they went further, the boundaries of the paths became increasingly blurred. Clearly, no merchant caravans had passed through for a long time, and many roads had been overgrown by wild grass.

The group hurried along and didn't encounter any major issues. They did pass several refugees along the way, but everyone avoided them by a wide margin.

“There should be a ruined temple nearby. We can rest there tonight.”

Qian Jiang scanned the surroundings, identifying their direction. In his younger years, he had been part of a security bureau, traveling north and south, and had only retired a few years ago.

He had thought he could enjoy his twilight years in Pingyin County, but after encountering so many incidents, he was forced to head out again.

After circling around a few times, Qian Jiang finally found the ruined temple.

Seeing the ruined temple, Chen Fei’s heart tightened slightly. His previous two encounters with "weirdness" had both occurred in places like this. However, having a place to shelter from the wind and rain was a necessity.

The temple was very old and the interior was messy, clearly having been visited by many people recently.

They built a fire to boil water and sat together, silently eating their dry rations. Chen Fei watched his surroundings vigilantly but found nothing unusual.

He sensed the mark on his arm; there was nothing strange about it.

He now treated this "bone-deep parasite" as a "weirdness sensor," as it was effective most of the time. This made Chen Fei wonder if he should keep a bit of the mark on his body even after his internal energy became stronger in the future.

The night passed peacefully without any strange occurrences. Chen Fei breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that although the outside world was unsettled, not every place would encounter weirdness.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed quickly.

Compared to their fresh appearance when they first set out, the group now looked dusty and travel-worn. Along the way, the members had begun to grow familiar with one another. The smooth progress of the journey had also calmed everyone's nerves significantly.

Qian Jiang was very skilled at navigation, and Chen Fei felt fortunate to be following this group. Otherwise, if he had set out alone, let alone anything else, he would have been lost just trying to figure out the route.

If he ran out of food in his spatial storage, he suspected he would just end up walking in circles in the wilderness.

“We’ll spend the night in the forest tonight. Everyone, pick up the pace, it’s almost dark.”

Qian Jiang glanced at the sky and urged them on. The others said nothing and instinctively quickened their pace. Everyone was very obedient to Qian Jiang's commands.

“There are lights ahead.”

Under the cover of night, Yan Qing pointed forward in surprise. Everyone looked up and indeed saw the faint flickering of lights in the distance.

“Is there a village nearby?” Chi Defeng turned to look at Qian Jiang.

“I don't remember.”

Qian Jiang frowned slightly. Having not been out for many years, he only remembered general things; it was impossible to remember everything clearly.

“Should we go to the village to seek lodging?”

The old woman, Feng Yu, asked in a low voice. A village was undoubtedly much safer than the wilderness. If there was a choice, they would naturally go to the village.

The others looked to Qian Jiang to make the decision.

“No. The world is in chaos; it's strange for a village to suddenly appear here. We'll bypass it.”

Qian Jiang shook his head decisively, and no one objected.

The group traced an arc and continued forward, their pace unconsciously becoming faster. It seemed that, subconsciously, they wanted to stay far away from that village.

“There are lights ahead.”

Under the cover of night, Yan Qing pointed forward. Everyone looked up and saw the flickering of lights in the distance.

“Is there a village nearby?” Chi Defeng turned to look at Qian Jiang.

“I don't remember.” Qian Jiang frowned slightly.

“Should we go to the village to seek lodging?” the old woman Feng Yu asked in a low voice.

Chen Fei was listening silently when suddenly, the *Heart Cleansing Incantation* activated naturally. Chen Fei's mind suddenly cleared, and his expression changed drastically.

This dialogue, this scene—hadn't this just happened? Why was it being said again, and that village—hadn't they just bypassed it!

Good heavens, had they all lost their memories?

Chen Fei looked around. At some unknown point, wisps of white mist had begun to permeate the surroundings. Visibility became extremely low, while the distant village became increasingly clear.