Officer: "Understood, I'll go and relay the order right away."
Inside the chaotic ship's hold, Chen Yu stood quietly alone in front of the table, seemingly out of place with his surroundings.
He recalled the scene he had just witnessed through the Demon-Subduing Vajra. At first, he thought it was Li Shutong who had really come. If it really was Li Shutong, it would be very troublesome.
The Class A airships in the sky might even be blown apart.
But now that I think about it, if Li Shutong had really been there, would he have let me seriously injure four people? He probably would have intervened long ago.
But if it wasn't Li Shutong himself, then what could it be?
Paintings.
Only the painter Chen could so vividly capture the spirit of Li Shutong.
A painting without spirit cannot fight.
Chen Yu carefully recalled the list of Chen family painters, then a slight smile appeared on his lips: "So it was you. No wonder you can paint Li Shutong."
Chapter 729, The Mystery of Da Yu's Background
Inside the Class A airship, Chen Yu stood by the table, constantly reviewing the strange events that had occurred since the exploration of Forbidden Land 008.
Looking back now, it must have all been Qingchen's doing.
Chen Yu suddenly looked at the commander and asked, "Confirm with Wild Fox whether the ground troops encountered any refugee corpses during their advance."
The commander was stunned for a second, then he turned around and hurriedly went to contact Chen Yehu.
It was confirmed that the ground army did find the bodies of refugees after entering the forbidden area for the second time, but the number did not match the count at all.
The airship commander was horrified: "Boss, what kind of weird thing ate all the corpses?"
Chen Yu scrutinized him: "After this battle, you'll be demoted from senior colonel to major, go back to the Class B airship for some training, and then come back up here to cure your stupidity."
The commander's expression changed, and he could only respond in a low voice.
Chen Yu said, "Those refugees didn't die at all; it was all an illusion. I suspect that when you were arresting the refugees, you might have accidentally arrested Qing Chen. He probably has the forbidden item, the marionette, and used it to orchestrate this whole thing. Have Chen Yehu re-analyze the video, carefully analyze the rules obtained from it, and separate the truth from the falsehood."
Chen Yu continued, "You all should leave. I'll just stay here and paint quietly, so you won't disturb me. If anything happens, send me the coordinates. I have a blue ox; it can come anytime. If you don't find any trace of the target within two days, all officers will have their salaries reduced by one rank, and then you should abandon the pursuit and head straight for the fire pit."
With that, the demigod Chen waved his hand, signaling the commander to step down.
...
...
Countdown 24:00:00.
“Turn left, and climb up the low slope ahead to find our hiding place,” the elder said weakly, clinging to Qin Yiyi’s back.
Qing Chen, Da Yu, Zard, Chen Jiazhang, Qin Yiyi, and Elder Huotang, this group of six fugitives, are currently passing through a long cave.
Three of the six people were seriously injured by Chen Yu: Qing Chen, Chen Jiazhang, and the Grand Elder.
Of the remaining three, Da Yu acted as if nothing had happened, while Zard posed like a pregnant woman with a large belly.
Qing Chen asked in surprise, "What are you doing?"
“We’ve gathered the elderly, the infirm, the disabled, and pregnant women, but we’re missing a pregnant woman,” Zard said earnestly.
Qing Chen: "...Are you going to try and grab a seat on the bus?"
The First Elder: "Where did you find such a clown?"
Da Yu said expressionlessly, "It was dug out of the ground."
Qingchen saw some unknown markings in the cave, like a code. The Grand Elder was responsible for deciphering the code and guiding them forward.
During this time, they also crossed several underground rivers. Even mechanical hunting dogs couldn't track them by scent. If the Chen Group Army really caught up, they would likely all get lost here.
Following the elder's instructions, they climbed up a low slope in a cave, where a breathtaking view suddenly opened up before them.
Eight kerosene lamps hung on the wall, providing warmth to the cave.
"Can this kerosene lamp burn forever?" Qingchen asked curiously.
"It's filled with fat rendered from the sacred ox, which is very durable," Qin Yiyi explained. "A kerosene lamp like this, filled with tallow, can burn for three or four years."
"nice one."
Inside the cave were seven or eight carved stone beds, and dozens of half-person-high wooden boxes were placed against the wall. When Qing Chen opened them, he was surprised to find guns wrapped in oilcloth, food, and some herbs that he had never seen before.
Judging from the appearance, this is a 'safe house' set up by the fire pit. If anyone encounters danger in Forbidden Land No. 008, they will hide here.
The elder's face was deathly pale; it seemed that the kick Chen Yu delivered to him by controlling the Demon-Subduing Vajra had truly injured him.
He said slowly, "The other tribesmen are fine."
"How did you know?" Qingchen asked.
“According to the tradition of the fire pit, there are 18 cave passages that lead here in case of danger. Since they haven’t come, it means they are safe, so there’s no need for them to come,” the elder explained. “If nothing unexpected happens, they should have already left this forbidden place as I instructed.”
Qin Yiyi carefully placed him on a stone bed in the cave. The elder pointed to a wooden box: "There is marinated and dried divine beef inside. Yiyi, take it out for everyone and let all the injured people share it. There is enough divine beef inside for us to eat for 7 days, which is enough to heal all the wounds."
"Is divine beef really that amazing?" Qing Chen's eyes lit up. "Do you regularly store divine beef here?"
The elder was immediately startled: "What are you doing? Don't come in alone. If you get lost here, no one will save you."
Qingchen said, "You have markings on the wall. I saw arrows indicating left and right turns."
The elder explained, "Those are all fake. Many of the markings are meant to mislead people. Don't think you can get here by following the markings."
Qing Chen pondered for two seconds: "If there are three consecutive left turns, then the third left turn is a right turn. If there are two consecutive right turns, then the second right turn is a straight turn. When you see a circular marker, repeat the pattern of the previous three markers. When you see a cross, all the markers after that are reversed, until you see the next circle... right?"
Grand Elder: "???"
Despite the pain all over his body, Qing Chen sat down against the wall and said with a smile, "Your pattern isn't complicated. I'll come up with a new pattern for you in the next couple of days. It will definitely be more useful than yours. After it's done, no one will be able to find this place."
The elder said irritably, "So you're telling me I can't find this place either?"
"That can't be. If you can't find this place, who would put the divine beef here?" Qingchen said.
Grand Elder: "..."
Huotang used to deal with Li Shutong and Chen Jiazhang often. Although these two were a bit of a scoundrel, they were both martial artists, and at most, he would just beat them up.
Moreover, Li Shutong and Chen Jiazhang were quite considerate of him and didn't beat him up in front of the Huotang clan members, which was quite good.
As the head elder of the hearth, he still has that much influence...
Therefore, they are not afraid of knights like Li Shutong and Chen Jiazhang at the fire pit. What they are most afraid of is a knight like Qing Chen, who is not only highly capable in combat, but also full of cunning.
This kind of knight not only beats you up, but also tries all sorts of tricks to swindle you!
The Grand Elder looked at Qin Yiyi with concern.
Qin Yiyi and Qing Chen together have a total of 1,000 schemes, with Qing Chen having 1,200 and Qin Yiyi owing Qing Chen 200.
Qin Yiyi took out herbs and beef jerky from the wooden box. She said, "Divine beef has many benefits. Eating it can improve blood circulation and promote physical growth. The herbs are for treating external injuries, but you probably have some internal injuries as well, so just chew them and swallow them."
"Thank you," Qingchen said with a smile, "Huotang's resources are truly abundant."
The Grand Elder sulked to himself. Qin Yiyi had delivered the divine beef and herbs to Qing Chen first, instead of herself…
He said irritably, "Just stay here and recover. We'll go out once everyone's injuries have healed. It will be at most seven days."
“No,” Qing Chen looked at the Grand Elder, “If Chen Yu doesn’t search for us in Forbidden Land 008, but instead goes directly through Forbidden Land 008 to the Fire Pit, will your Fire Pit have the power to resist him?”
The Grand Elder was stunned for a moment: "Oh no!"
He knew that Qing Chen wasn't deliberately trying to provoke him, but if Chen Yu did that, the fire pit would be undefended without him, and all the clansmen would die!
Qing Chen said, "It's important for us to recover from our injuries, but we must keep the Chen family occupied. We need to make them understand that even if they cross Forbidden Land 008, their rear will not be safe unless they kill us."
"What if Chen Yu insists on going through?" The First Elder weakly propped himself up and said, "No, we can't let the Chen family go through like this."
Qing Chen was both amused and exasperated: "We can't rush this. Take your time to recover. I have my own plans."
Upon hearing Qing Chen's words, the Grand Elder immediately decided to listen to Qing Chen.
He was also very self-aware; he knew better than to leave the scheming to the professionals.
Qingchen said, "Before we go out and harass the Chen family, I need to familiarize myself with the entire terrain of this cave. You have to take me through it. Also, you have to ensure that we are not killed by the forbidden land."
The implication is that the Grand Elder needs to demonstrate how to circumvent the rules here, essentially handing over Forbidden Zone 008 to the knight...
After much deliberation, the Grand Elder finally gritted his teeth and said, "It's acceptable!"
On one side were the lives of the Huotang tribe, and on the other was the right to freely enter and exit the forbidden area No. 008. He knew how to choose.
The more painful thing is that the Grand Elder is unsure whether Qing Chen will, like his predecessor, insidiously plant someone here to create a new rule...
The Knight's character is like a panda ordering takeout – a real steal!
Therefore, decades later, this Forbidden Land No. 008 will most likely become the knights' private domain, just like Forbidden Land No. 10...
unlucky!
Just then, Chen Jiazhang suddenly looked at Da Yu and asked, "Why did you draw my junior brother, Li Shutong?"
Da Yu turned his face away and didn't say anything.
Chen Jiazhang persisted, asking again, "Who is your mother? Is she Chen Ningzhi?"
Da Yu said with a sneer, "Uncle, you are no longer a member of the Chen family. Stop asking about the Chen family's affairs."
Chen Jiazhang asked, "Are you Chen Ningzhi's son?"
Da Yu sneered and did not answer.
Qing Chen was stunned.
The act of not answering is itself an answer.
He knew that Chen Jiazhang must have a reason for asking such a question. In fact, he also found it very strange. Da Yu was a member of the Chen family, and the people of the Chen family liked to paint all kinds of gods and Buddhas. However, Da Yu painted Li Shutong, which was very absurd.
There is only one explanation: Chen Ningzhi is probably the woman who loved Li Shutong back then. After Li Shutong and Chen Chuanzhi fought, Chen Ningzhi broke off contact with Li Shutong due to family pressure. In fact, she was already pregnant. Later, without Li Shutong's knowledge, she secretly gave birth to Dayu using an artificial womb!
Therefore, Da Yu was the biological son of his master Li Shutong. Da Yu himself knew this, so he painted his father!
It's perfectly normal for teenagers to idolize their fathers.
Especially since... his father was one of the most famous demigods in the Federation, a demigod whose character, appearance, and personality were all praised.