The story is simple yet tragic. When told by someone who is not good with words, it is not particularly moving. But Zhao Shu knew that it must be a touching and poignant story.

After telling a story, Wei Tingsi led Zhao Shu by the hand to a dilapidated, dusty house. It seemed that a wealthy family had once lived here, and there were two pairs of couplets at the door of the house, which were still intact.

Wei Tingsi tore off his cloak and covered Zhao Shu with it. "There are traps. Stay close to me and don't touch anything." he said.

Zhao Shu nodded, "Yes." She knew there was something wrong with this village. There's no such thing as a curse in this world; it's all just a smokescreen.

Upon entering the house, a strong musty smell hit her nose. Zhao Shu choked a few times. Once the door was closed, the inside became pitch black. From the outside, the house didn't seem to be that dark, and Zhao Shu couldn't figure out why for a moment.

Wei Tingsi put his arm around Zhao Shu and said, "Open the door."

As his voice fell, there was a sudden sound of a metal plate moving, creaking and rattling. After the sound, the dark room was immediately illuminated.

The light came from beneath the floor, where a small opening had been made at the foot of the floor, just big enough for one person to go down.

The light from the ever-burning lamp shone from inside, revealing the staircase leading to the entrance to the two of them. Wei Tingsi took Zhao Shu's hand and said, "Come here."

He walked down the stairs first, and then reached out to take Zhao Shu's hand.

Zhao Shu held his hand and walked down the narrow stairs step by step, and soon they appeared in the room below.

Although it was a basement, it wasn't stuffy at all; the ventilation was excellent, and it wasn't hot either, with a cool breeze blowing in.

"Where is this place?" Zhao Shu looked around and found that there were gray-clad men standing guard at intervals. They did not bow to Wei Tingsi, as if they were wooden sculptures.

After descending the stairs, there was a passageway more than two meters wide, with hard rocks on both sides. Several grooves had been carved into the rock walls, where lamp oil was placed, presumably whale oil, which could last for a very long time.

Following Wei Tingsi through the long corridor, which was quiet except for the faint sounds of footsteps and breathing, Zhao Shu felt inexplicably at ease, as it was her first time in such a place.

"The armory." Wei Tingsi didn't hide anything. "Do you remember the birthday gift you gave the Emperor?"

Zhao Shu nodded. "I remember." Her eyes lit up. "Have you already created it?"

Wei Tingsi nodded, reached out to smooth the strands of hair stuck to the corner of her mouth, and said with a smile, "I've been researching this, and you gave me the inspiration. It seems I owe you a favor again."

Zhao Shu grinned; this was indeed a place that made her feel at ease.

There is a power called fear, and Zhao Shu firmly believes that instilling fear is more reliable than being liked.

The two walked for a while, turning seven or eight corners, winding and turning, until they finally arrived at a relatively large stone chamber.

The stone chamber has three doors, like a legendary blessed land or secret realm, with doors for life and death, which are very mysterious, and there is no one guarding it.

Of course, Zhao Shu would never really believe that there was no one guarding it; she just didn't know where it was hidden.

Wei Tingsi opened one of the doors with practiced ease, and Zhao Shu asked him, "Is this the door to life?"

"This gate is a gate of life for you, but for others, it is a gate of death," Wei Tingsi said with amusement. He had heard the myths and legends and knew they were all false, but he did not expect Zhao Shu to ask such a question.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu blushed slightly, her cheeks flushing red. This adorable moment made Wei Tingsi's heart skip a beat.

Beyond the gate lies a cliff, with the thunderous sound of water echoing below, as if one were standing atop a waterfall.

The forest here is very dense, and the huge trees completely obscure the iron chain bridge on the cliff. Zhao Shu looked down and saw an extremely deep cliff. She was afraid of heights, so she only glanced at it before looking away.

"Let's go," Wei Tingsi said, leading her on a few leaps across the iron chain at great speed. Zhao Shu felt as if they had appeared on the other side in the blink of an eye.

On the other side of the cliff were several stone houses, well disguised, covered with dense vines. If it weren't for the gray-clad man next to the houses, one would never know they were houses, let alone see them from the other side, where all one could see were dense green leaves.

The men in gray bowed to Wei Tingsi without speaking, but they all paused slightly when they saw Zhao Shu.

Wei Tingsi led her through the path to the foot of the waterfall. There, they could see rows of houses, the furnishings of which were not much different from those of the blacksmith shop outside.

The only difference is that it contains many weapons.

“This place seems suitable for training troops,” Zhao Shu said. This place is deep in the dense forest, and apart from hunters, no one would come here.

However, it seems there are no hunters here.

Wei Tingsi smiled mysteriously, "Clever."