"How about it, do you still want to continue fighting?" Qin Yan looked relaxed as he gazed at the burly man, who now wore an expression of fear, completely devoid of his previous arrogance. He looked at Qin Yan with a mix of astonishment and uncertainty, saying, "Who... who are you people, and what are you doing here?"
"I just said, we're here to find someone," Qin Yan replied.
"To find someone? Who are you looking for?" The burly man, now realizing that this group of people was not to be trifled with, adopted a much better tone and attitude.
"I don't know his name, but he has three eyes. The trident spear weapon he just gave me is from him," Qin Yan explained.
"A person with three eyes?" The burly man was momentarily stunned. "Are you looking for the True Monarch? Are you friends of the True Monarch?"
"Well, more or less, I suppose we could be considered friends," Qin Yan replied.
Upon hearing this, the burly man's guarded expression softened slightly. He gruffly said, "The True Monarch is not here. You won't find him here."
"Then where can we find him?"
"I don't know. The True Monarch's whereabouts are uncertain; he only occasionally comes here."
"That's troublesome..." Qin Yan felt greatly disappointed.
"It's okay," Lin Shiqi spoke up. "Even if we don't find that True Monarch, we can still find other humans here."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yan found it reasonable. He pointed towards a town in the distant valley plains. "Are there people in that town? Can we go there to take a look?"
The burly man pondered for a moment. After considering it, he reluctantly said, "Well, usually outsiders are not allowed in here, but since you are friends of the True Monarch, I'll take you there. Follow me."
The burly man picked up a round hammer and led the way, with Qin Yan and the others following closely behind. Perhaps due to their cautious attitude towards Qin Yan and his group, the burly man remained silent throughout the journey. Before long, they arrived at an area in the valley plains where many houses were built, resembling a town.
"There are so many humans here, and their attire looks like that of ancient people," Lin Shiqi's eyes lit up. People of various ages, mostly between thirty and sixty years old, were walking on the streets of the town. They were dressed in cloth garments, with men having long hair and beards, and women wearing hair buns and dresses, resembling attire from ancient times.
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The people in the town also noticed the arrival of Qin Yan and the others. Some approached them, curiously observing and whispering among themselves.
"I will now take you to see the steward here. If he allows you to stay, you can remain here," the burly man said, leading Qin Yan and his group towards the center of the town. Soon, they arrived in front of a large stone building that resembled an ancient structure. The burly man knocked on the metal door of the building, which opened with a loud clang. An old man with long white hair and a beard walked out of the building.
"What's the matter?" The old man seemed a bit displeased, appearing somewhat annoyed at being disturbed.
The burly man gestured towards Qin Yan and his group behind him, gruffly saying, "They just barged in from the entrance of the holy land, claiming to be friends of the True Monarch and here to find him."
"What? You're here to find the True Monarch?!" The old man was surprised and immediately scrutinized Qin Yan and his group. Suddenly, his gaze focused on the weapon in Qin Yan's hand. He stroked his long white beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "Indeed, this is the True Monarch's weapon. I remember the last time the True Monarch visited, he did mention giving the weapon to someone else. It seems he gave it to you?"
"Yes," Lin Shiqi chimed in, "That's us."
"I see." The old man's face lit up with a slight smile. "Since you are friends of the True Monarch, you are also my friends. On behalf of everyone here, I welcome your arrival. However, just to be safe..."
At that moment, a glint appeared in the old man's eyes as he retrieved a mirror-like object from his person. He directed the reflective surface of the mirror towards Qin Yan and his group, causing a strong, dazzling white light to radiate from the mirror and shine upon them.
"What is he doing? Is he trying to attack us with this light?" Qin Yan was taken aback and instinctively tried to use his physical abilities to strengthen his body in defense. Strangely, he found that he couldn't activate his physical abilities; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't enhance his body.
"What's going on? I can't seem to use my abilities!" Qin Yan turned to look at the people around him, expressing his confusion.
"I can't use my abilities either," Yuji whispered.
"Same here, what's happening?!" Lin Shiqi exclaimed.
Suddenly, Dream Butterfly spoke up, "Everyone, be careful. The light emitted from that mirror can suppress our powers, making us unable to use our abilities."
"I see now." Qin Yan understood. He shouted at the old man, "Hey, old man, stop using that mirror to shine on us. Is this how you welcome us?!"
Seeing that Qin Yan and his group had no reaction to the light from the mirror, the old man withdrew it, showing a hint of apology on his face. "I'm sorry, I was just confirming whether you are truly human."
"Do we really need to confirm this?" Lin Shiqi retorted. "If we're not human, then what are we, monsters?"
The old man chuckled and explained, "You see, we have been attacked by monsters that can transform into human forms in the past, causing us great losses. That's why we are cautious. But clearly, all of you are human, there is no doubt about that."
"Alright, no problem. It's good to be cautious," Qin Yan responded.
"Well, come in and let's talk inside. We haven't had guests like you in a long time, so let me extend some hospitality and entertain you properly," the old man said warmly, standing aside at the entrance of the large building, inviting Qin Yan and his group inside.
Seeing the old man's friendly demeanor, Qin Yan didn't hesitate and entered the building first, followed by the others. The old man entered last, while the burly man who had led them there departed directly.