My Martial Arts Level Never Drops

Chapter 182: Chapter 117: Abandoned Temple

Monkey was utterly confused as Qin Fang clamped a hand over his mouth, and he instinctively looked up at him.

Qin Fang, however, was frowning at the temple ahead.

”Someone’s here.”

He whispered.

Monkey blinked, looking puzzled.

After a moment’s thought, Qin Fang turned and led him away.

Once they had walked some distance, he turned back to ask Monkey, ”Are you sure that place is an abandoned temple?”

Monkey looked blank for a moment, then nodded quickly. ”It’s been abandoned for years.”

Qin Fang’s eyes narrowed. ”But that temple... it had at least a hundred people inside.”

A hundred people?

Monkey looked completely bewildered.

’How come I didn’t see a thing?’

But he knew Master Qin’s abilities were far greater than his own. If Master Qin said so, he must have discovered something.

’But... what would a hundred people be doing gathered in a long-abandoned temple in the middle of the night?’

Then he saw a glint in Qin Fang’s eyes as he turned to stare at the temple in the distance.

’An abandoned temple, suddenly filled with a hundred people.’

’No matter how you look at it, this isn’t normal.’

’And considering all the strange things I’ve run into lately...’

’A suspicion began to form.’

’The Mysterious Power!’

’Could it be that the ones gathering in this abandoned temple right now...’

’...are that same Mysterious Power?’

Qin Fang’s five senses were exceptionally sharp now. Even from a great distance, he could already hear sounds coming from the temple.

The sounds were a jumble, like a mix of chanting and whispering.

He could hear both male and female voices.

’Should I go up and take a look?’

The thought surfaced in Qin Fang’s mind.

But he immediately dismissed it.

’If it isn’t the Mysterious Power, there’s no point in going. I’m not that curious, anyway.’

’But if it is...’

’...then it’s even more trouble!’

’This is a power that can casually send a Dark Force Powerhouse to deal with me.’

’And there’s that disgusting monster, too.’

’...God only knows what other, more terrifying things they have within their ranks.’

’With so many people gathered here, they’re obviously planning something big. If this really is the Mysterious Power, and I just rashly charge up the mountain, I probably won’t learn anything. It would just be suicide!’

At this thought, Qin Fang completely abandoned the idea of going up. He whispered to Monkey, ”Let’s go.”

’Getting close is out of the question, but if I just observe from afar...’

’...that shouldn’t be a problem!’

His Eye Power was extraordinary now. He knew their location, so if he found a vantage point out in the mountains and kept watch... he was bound to discover something!

With this in mind, he took the still-confused Monkey and quickly left. After a glance around, his figure flickered as he led Monkey toward a nearby mountain.

Before long, he found a suitable location.

It was directly across from the temple, a high vantage point from which he could see not only the temple itself but also the road leading to it.

The slope was incredibly steep, with a gradient so sharp it was impossible to stand on. Fortunately, enough trees grew there to provide a foothold.

Qin Fang stood in a tree, carefully observing the scene below.

Monkey, beside him... was about to cry!

’Master, wh-why did you bring me up here?!’

At that moment, Monkey was living up to his name, clinging tightly to a branch. Looking down into the bottomless abyss made his head spin!

...and it was Qin Fang who had dragged him all the way up here.

Seeing Qin Fang completely engrossed in observing the temple, Monkey opened his mouth to speak several times, but ultimately lost his nerve. He could only clutch the branch tighter, shivering in the night wind...

Qin Fang had momentarily forgotten about Monkey, his eyes narrowed in absolute focus on the temple opposite them.

From this spot, he had a clear, panoramic view of the temple. He could see countless people kneeling in a plaza within the abandoned grounds, shrouded by the night.

They were like devout believers, worshiping a statue...

Qin Fang peered at the statue, his eyes narrowing.

It was a statue of a kind he had never seen before. It looked humanoid, yet it had a strange quality... Its head was abnormally massive, forming a bizarre contrast with its thin, hunched torso.

As for its face... well, even with his excellent Eye Power, the straight-line distance to the temple was still about two hundred meters. And it being the dead of night, he really couldn’t make it out.

He could only vaguely make out its highly abnormal silhouette.

The people kneeling before it were all vaguely dressed in black. Faint whispers drifted on the night wind, too indistinct to make out, but judging by the intonation, they sounded like some kind of prayer...

Just as Qin Fang was concentrating, he suddenly noticed a figure walking up the mountain path below. It was wearing a black cloak that shrouded its entire body.

Judging by the direction, it was coming from True Martial County Town. It followed the path up the mountain and entered the temple.

It paused briefly at the temple entrance. Someone inside looked up, saw the figure, and gave a slight nod. The cloaked figure then walked over, knelt respectfully, and joined the bizarre prayer.

Qin Fang’s eyelid twitched. Just from the mysterious way these people conducted themselves, he knew he had likely stumbled upon a gathering of that mysterious organization.

’So many people are here praying, yet strangely, they haven’t lit a single lamp, not even any incense!’

’Isn’t that strange?’

’If it’s not to avoid being seen and heard, then what’s the reason?’

’...So what exactly are these people up to?’

’The Qi Blood Pills, that monster...’

Qin Fang’s expression shifted as he stared intently at the temple.

Until...

”Master, I... I can’t hold on...”

Monkey’s near-sobbing voice reached his ears.

It was only then that Qin Fang snapped back to his senses.

He looked over and saw that Monkey’s whole body was nearly stiff. He was clinging to the branch for dear life, on the verge of tears, looking pitifully at Qin Fang. ”Master...”

Qin Fang immediately realized what had happened. He’d been so focused on finding a spot to observe the temple that he had forgotten all about Monkey and had unthinkingly dragged him up onto this cliff face.

”Sorry, my apologies.”

Qin Fang quickly apologized, then grabbed Monkey and, with a single movement, leaped swiftly down from the steep cliff.

Once they landed not far from the mountain path, Monkey was finally on solid ground again. His heart, which had been hammering against his ribs, began to settle.

At the same time, Qin Fang whispered to him, ”Find a place to lay low for tonight, then head into town yourself tomorrow morning. And... tell my senior brother about this temple. This is very likely a stronghold for the Mysterious Power... It might hold a crucial clue.”

The words jolted Monkey back to his senses. He immediately understood the importance of this news and nodded quickly. ”Yes, I understand.”

Qin Fang nodded. He had been about to let Monkey go, but on second thought, he worried it wasn’t safe. After all, that mysterious organization was gathered here, and new members seemed to be arriving constantly.

So he said, ”I’ll take you somewhere safer first.”

With that, he took Monkey and prepared to move on.

But he had barely taken a step when he froze, frowning at the path ahead.

On the dark mountain path ahead, another person was approaching, also wearing a body-concealing cloak.

From Qin Fang’s angle, however, he happened to get a clear look at the man’s face.

Thanks to his vastly improved vision, Qin Fang recognized him even in the dim moonlight.

It was none other than the pale-faced constable he had seen outside the city gates—the one who had brought a group of officials to surround his senior brother.