allendalepharm Chapter 147 Shelter Sequence - Wen Shouren
Chapter 147 Shelter Sequence - Wen Shouren
Not long after the meal, the middle-aged woman indeed led Xu Wenchu and the others to the village chief's house as promised.
The snow had lessened somewhat, but the sky remained overcast. Walking along the village paths, they could observe the entire village more clearly. The houses were neatly arranged, and the roads were swept clean.
Everything seemed so beautiful that Zhao Hai even felt the village was almost too beautiful to be real.
"This is the village chief's house." The woman stopped in front of a wooden house that was slightly larger than the others. This house looked more refined, with two red lanterns hanging in front of the door, swaying gently in the wind and snow.
She knocked on the door, and a gentle voice came from inside: "Come in."
Pushing open the door, a warmer atmosphere than outside greeted me. The room was simply yet elegantly furnished, with several ink paintings hanging on the walls. Beside an eight-immortal table, a man in his fifties with a thin face was sipping tea. He wore a dark blue cotton robe and glasses, making him look more like a schoolteacher from the old century.
"Village Chief, these are guests who just arrived in our village today and have come specifically to visit you," the woman said respectfully.
The village chief looked up, his gaze sweeping over Xu Wenzhu and the others, a gentle smile spreading across his face: "Welcome, welcome, please have a seat. Aunt Zhang, could you please brew some fresh tea?"
The woman acknowledged and withdrew. Xu Wenchu and the others sat down as instructed, secretly observing this legendary village chief.
"My name is Wen Shouren, and I am the village chief of this village," he introduced himself in a calm voice. "You have all come from afar, thank you for your hard work! In principle, I should come out to greet you, but as you all know, awakening sequences have side effects, and one of the side effects of my awakening sequence is that I have difficulty walking! I hope you will understand!"
As he spoke, he leaned forward slightly, as if making a welcoming gesture. In that subtle movement, a very faint "click" sound, like old wood rubbing together, came from his right knee. A barely perceptible hint of restraint flashed across Wen Shouren's face, a restraint that had long been ingrained in his instincts due to his physical discomfort.
He didn't try to move his feet, but instead placed all his weight on the dark wooden cane in his left hand. The cane was no ordinary walking stick; its surface was smooth and shiny, and at the top was a warm, grayish-brown stone, engraved with a blurred village totem pattern. His knuckles were slightly white from the force he was exerting, revealing the weight the cane bore.
"Village Chief Wen, please sit down, there's no need to be so polite." Seeing this, Xu Wenchu quickly said, his sharp gaze landing on Wen's stiff right leg.
Wen Shouren shook his head, offering a slightly apologetic smile: "I apologize for my rudeness! May I ask how everyone is addressed?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Wenchu and the others were somewhat surprised. They hadn't expected that even in this apocalyptic world, there would still be people who were so particular about the etiquette of the pre-apocalyptic era.
Although the village was peaceful and quiet, without any strange sights, the fact that this slightly elderly man was so particular about pre-apocalyptic etiquette was quite unexpected for the group.
"Village Chief Wen, you flatter me. Your legs are weak, so there's no need for such formalities! I am Xu Wenzhu, the captain of this convoy!"
Xu Wenchu gave a brief introduction of himself, and then Zhao Hai and the others also gave brief introductions.
After listening, Wen Shouren nodded: "So it's Captain Xu and all of you. In this apocalypse, humanity should help each other. But..." He paused, his gaze becoming somewhat profound, "I wonder how many days you all plan to stay in the village?"
The question was direct, and Xu Wenchu hadn't expected that Wen Shouren would ask them such a question so soon after they met.
Xu Wenchu's heart skipped a beat, but he replied calmly, "If it's convenient, we'd like to rest for two or three days, replenish our supplies, and then leave. Of course, we will pay the appropriate compensation."
Wen Shouren waved his hand: "No need for payment. However, there is something I must inform you in advance: my protective abilities are limited, and outsiders can only stay in the village for a maximum of five days. Beyond this time limit, the protective effect will not only fail to work for you, but the village may also be detected by the supernatural, which would be bad for everyone."
This is consistent with what the middle-aged woman said earlier.
"We understand." Xu Wenchu nodded.
"I'm so sorry, gentlemen, you've just arrived and I'm already asking you such questions, but it's something I have to do."
"A convoy had passed through our village before, and seeing how comfortable and peaceful it was, they wanted to stay. However, some unpleasant things happened, which is why I asked how many days you planned to stay! I'm truly sorry!"
"It's alright! We understand Village Chief Wen's concerns!"
Seeing Wen Shouren take the initiative to explain, Xu Wenchu nodded in understanding.
To be honest, I couldn't sense anything strange about this village, and the standard of living there was quite good. In the context of the entire post-apocalyptic world, it could definitely be considered a haven from the apocalypse.
If there were no other strange things about this village, anyone would want to stay here forever.
After all, even a fool would know to choose between such a comfortable life and a life of constant hiding and fleeing from the bizarre!
Xu Wenchu nodded. "Village Chief Wen, may I ask what your Protector Sequence specifically entails? As you know, we are all also Transcendent Sequence members, but we've never heard of yours before. Could you please explain this sequence to us in detail? Of course, if you find it inconvenient, please just pretend I didn't say anything!"
This is a crucial question. In the world of superhumans, asking about someone's sequence ability is usually considered impolite or even provocative. However, Xu Wenchu genuinely wanted to know some information about this protective sequence, so he asked out of curiosity.
Wen Shouren seemed unconcerned. He took a sip of tea and slowly said, "The Sanctuary Sequence is indeed quite rare. Simply put, I can create a small safe zone within which the supernatural cannot detect life. At the same time, this zone can also regulate the growth environment of small plants, promoting their growth—however, the latter is an ability I only gained after advancing to Sequence 2."
"I see!" Xu Wenchu nodded.
The abilities that Wen Shouren described were almost identical to those described by the woman.
However, Xu Wenchu and the others also knew that Wen Shouren had definitely not revealed all of his abilities in the Protectorate Sequence.
As everyone knows, the Sequence 2 extraordinary beings have three abilities, but Wen Shouren only mentioned two.