Martial Arts: I Have Chapter 133 - 113: A Lot of News

Chapter 133: Chapter 113: A Lot of News

The notification sound stunned Cheng Zongyang for a mont, then wild joy surged through him. He instantly looked toward the counter.

Sure enough, three familiar red Crystal Stones were sitting on the counter.

’2,530 Points, which works out to 843 Points per stone! That’s 157 Points cheaper than the offer that appeared in the item bar!’

This point difference wasn’t huge, but it would add up in the long run. Besides, as the cabin’s Level increased, the processing fee would also decrease.

He knew the fee was just another form of price gouging, but it was still a considerable saving.

Gradually calming his excitent, Cheng Zongyang stared at the three Soul Crystal Stones in his hand, his eyes gleaming with determination.

He left the cabin at once. After giving Ma San a few instructions, he took a wolf’s corpse and departed the Wilderness World.

’I need to hurry while there are still corpses outside the County Town.’

’I haven’t been there in days, so I don’t know what the situation is like in the County Town. Regardless, I have to fill the Soul Crystal Stones’ progress bar first. I can figure out what to do about the other bodies later.’

Back from the Wilderness World, Cheng Zongyang scanned his surroundings, then shouldered the gray wolf’s corpse and headed for ho.

The settlent had expanded significantly. Clearing the ten mu of new farmland of tree stumps and debris had wasted a lot of ti, but thankfully, the work was finally complete. It was too late to plant anything this year; they would have to wait for next spring.

Several more bamboo houses had been built. Better earthen-walled houses, storage cellars, and other structures were also being planned.

Cheng Zongyang had gradually planned all of this over the past five days.

The elders were a bit surprised to see Cheng Zongyang return so soon, but they understood when they saw the gray wolf he carried.

Cheng Zongyang smiled. "Just got lucky and ran into it, so I brought it back first. By the way, I have to head out again in a bit, and I might be gone for a while. Dad, you and the uncles should take your dicinal baths as planned. See if you can reach Entry Grade today."

"Alright," Cheng Guanghai said, then added, "Take so food with you. It’s almost noon."

"Okay."

After handing the wolf over to his elders to be butchered, Cheng Zongyang took his Bow and Arrow and a basket, then left the Inner Mountain Pass.

They never used the sa spot to enter or exit the Inner Mountain Pass, which helped minimize any tracks they might leave behind.

To make better ti, Cheng Zongyang stored all his gear in the Wilderness World and set off unencumbered.

Half an hour later, he arrived at Golden Bridge Village. He shook his head slightly at the sight of the still-empty village, then hurried on toward the County Town.

Another half an hour later, from a vantage point in a tree about two li from the County Town, Cheng Zongyang surveyed the situation outside the walls with a spyglass, his brow furrowed.

The situation outside the town was much better than it had been seven or eight days ago. Large groups of refugees were clearing away the debris outside the walls. The chaotic, nauseating scene from before was gone.

Seeing this, Cheng Zongyang knew that Chang Younian must have finished restoring order within the town.

’Internal stability must co before external defense.’

’As for the Martial Artist corpses I need... so many days have passed. Even if any Martial Artists died, their bodies would be useless by now.’

He put away his spyglass and imdiately headed for the outskirts of the town.

The piles of bodies, however, had been cleared away. After a mont’s thought, he headed toward the Chaotic Burial Mound.

’If they were going to dispose of the bodies, that’s where they’d dump them.’

Sure enough, after a thirty-minute walk, he arrived and was greeted by a horrifying scene: countless blackened, charred corpses had been dumped around the Chaotic Burial Mound. A heaven-piercing stench filled the air, and the area had beco a breeding ground for swarms of flies and insects.

Cheng Zongyang held his breath, ignoring the sickeningly tragic sight. He calculated the effective range of the three Soul Crystal Stones and placed them in three separate locations to prevent them from interfering with each other.

After marking their positions, he departed swiftly.

’If I want to fill the progress bars quickly, this is the only way.’

After putting on a disguise and using a Travel Permit he’d found at the Chaotic Burial Mound, Cheng Zongyang managed to bluff his way into the County Town.

Although his family and another were wanted, there was always so discrepancy between a wanted poster and the real person. ’You can’t overestimate the accuracy of a sketch drawn from a verbal description.’

’Just pull a crooked face or squint, and the portrait becos useless.’

’Of course, that’s assuming no one here recognizes .’

Once inside the County Town, Cheng Zongyang wandered about. The streets were mostly empty.

The streets had been quiet ever since the refugees stord the walls, but now they felt even more desolate. The only signs of life were the crowds gathered at the doors of a few shops.

Most shops remained shuttered. He also saw many people carefully walking along the roadside, clutching bowls of watery gruel.

The shops that were mobbed were mostly rice sellers. People were shouting things like, "We want to buy rice!" and "Open the door!"

’Looks like even if the plague is cured and the refugees are settled, the fundantal problems of food and water shortages will remain. The plague and the refugees were just symptoms of a larger crisis.’

As he passed by certain areas, he saw workers from the County Magistrate’s Office dismantling the half-finished wooden fras over wellheads.

Soon, he arrived at Li Lu’s front door.

But as soon as he got there, he saw Li Lu’s family carrying two coffins out of the house, apparently preparing for a funeral.

Mrs. Wang of the Li Family and her daughter-in-law were sobbing, almost unable to catch their breath. Li Lu, his eyes red-rimd, was silent and somber, letting the funeral director handle the arrangents.

But Cheng Zongyang also noticed that one of Li Lu’s arms was in a cast—clearly broken. At the sa ti, however, he was startled to realize that Li Lu had reached Entry Grade!

Seeing the situation, Cheng Zongyang left without a word and returned to his own residence.

The house was undisturbed. He glanced at the well in the courtyard, picked up a small stone, and dropped it in.

He only heard a faint splash from far below, with very little echo.

’The water level in the County Town keeps dropping. The County Magistrate’s Office must be planning to deepen the wells. But if they haven’t started digging yet, why are they dismantling the fras?’