Yang An woke from his daze and rubbed his sore, swollen eyes, only to find that daylight had already broken bright.
His whole body felt weak and limp, as though someone who never exercised had suddenly worked out strenuously for an entire day. Every inch of him ached unbearably.
His consciousness was still somewhat hazy, and his head spun fiercely.
But when he recalled that he had passed out only because he had been too weakened, he still forced himself to sit up from the ground.
"Where is this?"
He swept his gaze around and found that this was not his home at all, but some desolate wilderness. Weeds grew thick all around, save for the patch right beside him, where they had been cleared away and a fire had been lit.
"Fellow Daoist, you're awake?"
A voice tinged with surprise suddenly reached his ears.
Yang An turned to look behind him. A man and a woman were walking toward him, the man carrying a small wild piglet that had long since stopped breathing.
The moment he saw the two of them, Yang An recalled what had happened before he lost consciousness and immediately recognized them.
They were Pan Shi and Pan Yu, the Senior Brother and junior sister!
Now that the sky was fully bright, Yang An could finally see their appearances clearly.
Pan Shi wore black robes. His skin was pale, and his build was somewhat sturdy. His features were rather ordinary, but his bearing was refined, making him look like a brawny scholar.
Pan Yu beside him, meanwhile, resembled the pampered daughter of a wealthy household. She was exceedingly pretty—by modern standards, she would absolutely qualify as a goddess.
The only fly in the ointment was that Pan Yu had a petite frame, so she was rather short.
Seeing the two of them, Yang An could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Before he had fainted, his only hope had been that they would not harbor thoughts of murder and robbery. Judging by things now, he should have come through unscathed.
Moreover, not only had they not left him behind, they had even brought him to this unfamiliar place.
From the looks of it, these two were clearly not treacherous people. That put him far more at ease.
"Fellow Daoist, where are we?"
Yang An rubbed his forehead to clear his mind a little, then asked Pan Shi.
With the piglet in hand, Pan Shi stopped beside the fire together with Pan Yu.
"Last night, Fellow Daoist must have suddenly fainted from excessive exhaustion. My junior sister and I took the liberty of bringing you out of Jiu Nan Town. We are now fifty li outside the town."
Pan Shi had also been quite surprised by Yang An's sudden collapse last night, but he had not doubted Yang An's identity.
After all, he had witnessed Yang An's strength firsthand. His cultivation realm could not have been faked. Pan Shi had merely judged from Yang An's sickly pale complexion that he had ended up like this from overexertion.
Though carrying an unconscious person had slowed their travel somewhat, it had not caused much trouble.
Junior Sister Pan Yu was still only a mortal body in the Resonance Stage. Carrying one person was no different from carrying two.
Most importantly, once Yang An woke up and recovered, he would know that the two of them had helped him. He would owe them a favor, and if they encountered any trouble in the future, it would be easier to ask him for help.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoists!"
Yang An thanked them gratefully. He had also guessed a little of what had happened and was thankful that he had not exposed any flaws.
"My junior sister and I just caught some game. It can replenish Fellow Daoist's strength. Also, I have a medicinal pill here. If Fellow Daoist does not mind, please take it. It should be of some help to you."
Pan Shi set down the piglet and took a pitch-black pill from his robes, offering it to Yang An.
Yang An hesitated briefly before accepting the pill Pan Shi handed over.
He truly needed to recover as quickly as possible, so he decided not to stand on ceremony.
The instant the pill landed in his hand, an information panel appeared before Yang An's eyes, displaying its details.
Blood Tumor Pill: Produced in Three Pine Mountain. Refined from the congested tumors within red monkeys, supplemented with the roots of century-old trees, river clam pearls, and Golden Sunflower juice. Consuming it could generate essence and blood, sharpen the eyes, and restore qi. Cost of use: One quarter-hour after consumption, the entire body would grow icy cold, the limbs would sting, the tongue would ache, and the feet would stiffen. It would last three quarter-hours before subsiding. Status: Can be purified!
"Blood Tumor Pill?!"
Seeing the name of the pill, Yang An immediately had a very bad feeling. Only after reading its information did he let out a sigh of relief.
He had been overthinking it.
It was not a pill harmful to the body. Its ingredients and name were simply rather revolting. Pan Shi had not meant to harm him.
"As expected of Fellow Daoist—you recognized it at a glance!"
Pan Shi looked astonished, and his admiration for Yang An's breadth of knowledge deepened.
As expected of a disciple from a great orthodox sect. If Pan Shi had merely guessed at Yang An's identity before, now he was completely convinced.
He was definitely a disciple of some reclusive great sect with terrifying foundations. He even knew of the Blood Tumor Pill.
This Blood Tumor Pill was something only Three Pine Mountain could refine, and its circulation was very limited. Thus, few people even knew its name.
The reason was simple: one of the required ingredients could only be found on their Three Pine Mountain. This pill was a unique specialty of the immortal mountain where he belonged.
Yang An smiled and thanked Pan Shi again. Without further ceremony, he casually purified the Blood Tumor Pill in his hand.
Only after its cost of use had been removed was the Blood Tumor Pill a truly harmless medicinal pill. Yang An swallowed it without worry.
The pill took effect quickly once it entered his stomach.
After only a few breaths, Yang An felt a faint warm current seep into his heart. His entire body turned pleasantly warm, and even his mental state gradually improved as some of his strength returned.
By then, Pan Shi had somehow found a branch. He skewered the piglet clean through and roasted it over the fire, clearly intending to make roast suckling pig.
While the meat roasted, Pan Shi began chatting with Yang An, though all they discussed were inconsequential matters.
Most of the time, Pan Shi spoke while Yang An listened, occasionally nodding as though he agreed.
In truth, Yang An had never even heard of the things Pan Shi spoke of, nor were they in the memories of the original owner of this body. But to avoid exposing his true identity, he could only put on an act and muddle through.
Yet while Pan Shi chatted with Yang An, he was secretly quite shocked.
They had been talking for quite a while. By all rights, the Blood Tumor Pill should have begun taking effect, and the cost of consuming it should have appeared. Yet Fellow Daoist Yang seemed perfectly fine, and his mental state was only growing better. This man was truly extraordinary.
Even Pan Shi himself, when taking the Blood Tumor Pill, had to use Mana to suppress its effects once the pill's cost manifested. Otherwise, he would suffer immensely—sometimes to the point of unbearable pain.
It could only be said that, as expected of a disciple from a reclusive sect, his endurance when taking pills was beyond what ordinary people could compare to.
Pan Shi could not help but marvel inwardly.
After a while, thin curls of green smoke rose into the air, and the scent of roasting meat began to spread in all directions. The meat turning over the fire was nearly cooked through.
Seeing this, Pan Shi immediately looked toward Junior Sister Pan Yu, who was idly pulling weeds from beneath her feet.
"Junior Sister, quickly take out the seasonings you carry with you. And don't hide that cumin and chili either. Let Fellow Daoist Yang taste what true worldly delicacies are."
Before you continue