Su Chen pondered for a moment, then asked, "Where is he now?"
Ye Ningshuang replied, "He's in Luo City. Are you going to find him now?"
Su Chen slowly stood up and said calmly, "Go take a look."
Ye Ningshuang also stood up and nodded, saying, "Alright, I'll take you there."
Su Chen glanced at the Blood Shadow beside him and calmly said, "You've been sealed away for millions of years. Go take a stroll around the city and see how this era differs from your time."
Blood Shadow hesitated for a moment, then said, "Young Master, aren't you afraid I'll run away?"
Su Chen said calmly, "You can't escape."
Blood Shadow gave a wry smile. "I understand."
Su Chen and Ye Ningshuang left the restaurant and wandered around Luo City for half an hour before finally arriving at a deserted place. There were only a few scattered people on the street, and not even many shops.
Ye Ningshuang sighed, "My father once told me that this place wasn't this desolate back then."
Su Chen asked with interest, "Has something happened here?"
Ye Ningshuang nodded and said, "This story goes back thousands of years. The reason this place was so bustling and prosperous was because of a blacksmith shop. It is said that every weapon crafted by the blacksmiths in this shop was better than those made by the Ten Thousand Artifacts Sect. So countless cultivators flocked here just to find a weapon."
Su Chen asked, "What is the background of this Ten Thousand Artifacts Sect?"
Ye Ningshuang was taken aback. "You don't even know about the Ten Thousand Artifacts Sect? That's right, you're only focused on cultivation and have no interest in learning about these things."
Su Chen smiled slightly, "It's good that you know."
[Shameless.]
The system suddenly said.
Su Chen's lips twitched, and he thought to himself, "Can you shut up?"
The system did not respond.
Ye Ningshuang explained, " The Ten Thousand Artifacts Sect is the most powerful weapon-forging force in the entire Human Domain. It can be said that no other force can forge weapons better than the Ten Thousand Artifacts Sect. By the way, Xu Hua is from the Ten Thousand Artifacts Sect, and I think he is an elder."
Su Chen nodded and said, "I understand. Continue talking about the blacksmith shop."
Ye Ningshuang continued, "Because the blacksmith shop was so popular, it touched the interests of some powerful forces. So, one day a thousand years ago, all the craftsmen in that blacksmith shop were slaughtered."
Su Chen nodded slightly. He wasn't surprised by this, because in this cruel world, such things were all too common. Even murder and robbery, and the destruction of sects were commonplace, let alone the destruction of a small weapon-refining shop's craftsman.
Ye Ningshuang said, "My father told me that it seems the Ten Thousand Artifacts Sect was behind it, but as for the reason, no one knows."
Su Chen asked, "Is the Ten Thousand Artifacts Sect really that domineering?"
Ye Ningshuang nodded and said, "It is indeed very domineering, but there's nothing we can do about it. After all, they are the most powerful force in weapon crafting in the Human Domain."
Su Chen pondered for a moment, then asked, "What's the surname of the craftsman at that weapon-refining shop?"
Ye Ningshuang replied, "It seems his surname is Duan."
Su Chen raised an eyebrow, "Surname Duan?"
Ye Ningshuang nodded and said, "Yes, what's wrong?"
Su Chen said, "Do you think it's possible that this Duan Qiancang is related to that blacksmith shop from a thousand years ago? After all, they both share the surname Duan."
Ye Ningshuang's expression froze, and she blinked. "I... I guess so..."
Snap!
She slapped her forehead suddenly. "How could I not have thought of this connection before?"
Su Chen laughed, "That just means you're stupid."
Ye Ningshuang glared at him, "You're the stupid one!"
The two walked and talked, and soon they came to a small courtyard. The gate was open, and they could see inside. A middle-aged man was sitting in front of the gate.
The middle-aged man lay on a rocking chair, holding a wine jug in his hand. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and his mouth was covered with a thick beard that seemed to have been neglected for a long time. He didn't even glance at Su Chen and Ye Ningshuang as they arrived, and continued drinking his wine.
Su Chen glanced at Ye Ningshuang, "Is he the Duan Qiancang you were talking about?"
Ye Ningshuang nodded and said, "That's right."
She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Judging from his condition, you probably have no hope."
Su Chen laughed and said, "That's not necessarily true."
Ye Ningshuang was taken aback, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes. "What do you want to do?"
Su Chen smiled slightly, said nothing more, and went straight to Duan Qiancang, saying, "Hello, Master Duan."
Duan Qiancang glanced at Su Chen, but only for a moment before looking away without responding.
Su Chen didn't mind and continued, "Master Duan is really aloof."
Duan Qiancang paused in his drink, then said coldly, "Don't disturb me while I'm drinking, or you'll face the consequences."
"Oh?"
Su Chen smiled slightly, "I'd like to see how you'll bear the consequences."
Suddenly, Duan Qiancang threw the wine jar in his hand at Su Chen. Su Chen dodged it easily by sidestepping, but at that moment, Duan Qiancang quickly stood up and then, at a speed invisible to the naked eye, punched Su Chen's right cheek.
Su Chen's lips curled up, showing no sign of panic. He raised his right hand and actually clenched that fist.
"Um?"
Duan Qiancang frowned, looking at Su Chen with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He tried to pull back his right hand, which Su Chen was holding tightly, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull it back, which made his heart sink.
"Snort!"
Duan Qiancang snorted coldly, and a terrifying aura surged within his body. The surrounding space and time trembled slightly and even began to crack. He concentrated his power in his right hand, and the veins on his arm bulged and were clearly visible. Then he roared and tried to pull his right hand back.
But to his horror, he discovered that even using his cultivation, he still couldn't break free from Su Chen's grasp.
He stared at Su Chen, a hint of apprehension in his eyes. After a brief silence, he asked, "Who are you?"
Su Chen smiled calmly, "Now you're willing to talk to me properly?"
Duan Qiancang stared at Su Chen without saying a word.
Su Chen smiled and released Duan Qiancang's right fist. In that instant, Duan Qiancang's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and then, with lightning speed, he raised his right foot and kicked at Su Chen.
Upon seeing this, Ye Ningshuang was greatly alarmed and hurriedly warned, "Be careful!"
Su Chen reacted quickly, easily blocking the sudden side kick. He stared at Duan Qiancang, his smile gone, replaced by cold indifference.
Duan Qiancang's pupils suddenly contracted, and he tried to retract his right foot, but Su Chen held it tightly, and he couldn't do it at all.
The next moment!
Su Chen exerted force with his right hand, and with a "crack," Duan Qiancang's shinbone broke instantly. His expression turned ferocious, and cold sweat kept seeping from his forehead, showing extreme pain.
Before he could catch his breath, Su Chen exerted his strength again, sending Duan Qiancang flying into the air before slamming him hard onto the ground.
Bang!
"Ah!"
The ground was smashed open, leaving a deep crater and shattering into pieces. Duan Qiancang let out a scream, his face flushed red, and veins bulging on his forehead.
Su Chen did not stop, but pulled Duan Qiancang up again and slammed him hard to the ground.
Bang bang bang...
Su Chen smashed it several times before stopping.