Dugu Qingcheng was taken aback for a moment.

"Cultivating Inner Qi is indeed beneficial, and there's also this trick of severing one's Heart Meridian."

Dugu Qingcheng reflected and summarized the experience, lightly murmuring, "In hindsight, I should have learned some acupoint techniques to seal his meridians and prevent the flow of Inner Qi."

Chen Tang and the others approached the vicinity of the main hall, each capturing a few bandit leaders for questioning.

Later, the four gathered again and shook their heads; they hadn't uncovered any useful information.

Changsun Ming frowned and said, "The Ten Ghosts of Wushan are all dead. What is this tribute? Just what is 'Mother'?"

Dugu Qingcheng said, "Moreover, we didn't see the women taken by Wushan Village from the foot of the mountain. What's going on?"

The four had already searched the entire village and interrogated everyone, but no one knew the whereabouts of those women.

The clues had reached a dead end.

Changsun Ming said, "We'll deal with this later. How should we handle these people from Wushan Village?"

"Kill them all!"

Dugu Qingcheng had no intention of sparing the people of Wushan Village and said, "If we let them go, new 'Ten Ghosts of Wushan' might emerge to plague the region again someday."

Yuwen Heigou shook his head and said, "There are so many people. Killing them one by one would tire our hands."

"Then what should we do?"

Dugu Qingcheng asked.

"Let's just burn it all down!"

Changsun Ming said, "Burn all of Wushan Village to the ground. Once the Qimen Five Elements Array outside is set ablaze, it won't exist anymore. Whoever survives among these bandits will depend on their luck."

"That works too."

Dugu Qingcheng nodded.

The four prepared to set off, planning to set fires all around and burn Wushan Village to ashes.

Whiz!

At that moment, a dark arrow shot through, passing by the four of them and embedding itself in the doorframe not far away!

It was a sleeve arrow.

There seemed to be a letter attached to it as well.

The four were startled and looked towards the direction from which the dark arrow was shot.

Yuwen Heigou and Chen Tang reacted the fastest, their bodies moved, and they rushed over directly.

Moments later, the two returned from the shadows, shaking their heads slightly.

"Didn't catch up."

Chen Tang frowned and said, "This person has an extremely fast Body Technique; all I saw was a blurred silhouette."

"Look at this."

Changsun Ming handed over a letter and said, "This was left by that person just now."

Chen Tang and the others took it and looked; the letter mentioned one thing:

Underneath the hall in Wushan Village, there's a hidden dungeon. As long as the mechanism is triggered, the entrance to the dungeon can be seen.

And the mechanism is beneath the Village Chief's seat.

The four exchanged glances, suspicion in their hearts.

Who is this person, and how does he know such a secret?

Why did this person tell them about this, and what is the purpose?

What lies beneath the dungeon?

When did this person appear, and how long had he been observing in the vicinity?

The four didn't rush to set fires but headed towards the main hall of Wushan Village.

Soon, they returned to this hall once more.

The four stomped hard a few times, not hearing any echo.

Either there was no dungeon at all, or this dungeon was dug very deep!

Yuwen Heigou signaled to his three companions, then went to inspect beneath the Village Chief's seat. After groping for a while, his eyes lit up, and he said with delight, "There's a bump here!"

Chen Tang and the other three quickly came forward, crouched beneath the seat, and illuminated the area with an oil lamp. Sure enough, they saw a slightly protruding stone beneath the seat, looking somewhat unusual.

"This stone is loose."

Yuwen Heigou said, "It might be a rotating stone, which could activate the mechanism."

"Hurry and try it."

Dugu Qingcheng urged.

Yuwen Heigou gripped the stone with his palm, fiddling with it for a long time, working up quite a sweat, but the hall remained silent.

"No response."

Yuwen Heigou shook his head and looked at Chen Tang and the others, blinking.

Dugu Qingcheng and Changsun Ming were unsure of Yuwen Heigou's intentions, feeling somewhat confused.

Chen Tang immediately understood and frowned, "Could it be false? That person was hiding, most likely a bandit leader trying to delay us from setting the fires until the other bandits wake up."

Yuwen Heigou gave a nod of approval, yet said, "Haitang is right, let's quickly set the fires and burn the village!"

"Alright!"

Dugu Qingcheng and Changsun Ming responded in unison.

The four prepared to split up and take action.

"Hold on!"

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out in the hall.

Then a slender young man in a gray outfit, with long arms, walked in. His expression was steady, his gaze sharp, and his every move gave off a sense of efficiency.

Yuwen Heigou and Chen Tang moved, at the first moment positioning themselves behind the young man, forming a pincer to block any escape route.

Dugu Qingcheng and Changsun Ming also reacted, stepping forward to encircle the young man!

"Who are you?"

Yuwen Heigou asked in a deep voice.

The performance by him and Chen Tang earlier was to force this person to reveal himself!

Otherwise, even if there truly was a dungeon beneath this hall, they wouldn't dare to go down recklessly.

"Please don't misunderstand, heroes."

The young man quickly clasped his fists and said, "I am not from the village and hold no malice towards you four heroes!"

Changsun Ming frowned and asked, "If you're not from the village, how do you know there's a dungeon below?"

They had just interrogated numerous village bandits, and none knew about it.

This matter was clearly one of Wushan Village's most closely guarded secrets!

The young man explained, "I've been infiltrating Wushan Village for some time. I witnessed the Ten Ghosts of Wushan enter this hall and close the doors and windows. As I quietly entered the area, I saw no sign of the Ten Ghosts and speculated that there might be a mechanism here."

"I hid and sure enough, after more than two hours, the stone behind the seat shifted, revealing an underground passage. The Ten Ghosts of Wushan gradually emerged."

"Hm!"

Dugu Qingcheng sneered slightly and said, "So, you hid here and managed to evade the detection of the Ten Ghosts of Wushan?"

Yuwen Heigou scrutinized the young man but did not give up, continuing to ask, "You only said you aren't from the village, but who are you really?"

The young man smiled and said, "I am just a nobody. Even if I told you, you wouldn't know me. Besides, your names aren't your real ones either, heroes."

Changsun Ming's face darkened and he said, "Concealing your identity and hiding your face, prepare yourself!"

Whoosh!

Changsun Ming wielded a spear with one hand, thrusting it towards the young man!

The spear pierced the air with an impressive momentum!

"Is this really necessary, hero?"

The young man's brow furrowed slightly as he deftly moved his feet, avoiding Changsun Ming's spear.

Changsun Ming's spear stance changed, becoming more aggressive. His spear technique was fierce and relentless, like a wildfire spreading, launching one attack after another. In an instant, it seemed as if hundreds of spear shadows enveloped the young man!

Chen Tang and the others watched from the side, ready to assist.

Although Changsun Ming's spear technique was strong and his attacks fierce, the young man's Body Technique was even more exquisite. He navigated through the gaps between the hundreds of spear shadows with ease!

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