The night wind brushed past, carrying the faint scent of blood left behind by the earlier battle, along with the damp, fresh fragrance unique to the forest's grass and trees. The weak, breathy "Thank you, Senior, for saving my life" from inside the carriage was like a stone cast into a still lake, stirring ripples so faint they were almost imperceptible in Lin Chen's heart.
The voice was still crisp and pleasant, as lovely as it had been three years ago. Yet it had lost that innocence and brightness, gaining instead a trace of worldly weariness and weakness that could not be dispelled.
Lin Chen's gaze paused on the tightly drawn curtain for a moment before casually shifting away, as though that expression of gratitude had been no more than the ordinary sound of wind passing through the treetops. He did not respond, nor did his expression change in the slightest. This deliberate indifference was the best disguise for his current identity.
"Senior, this is not a place where we should linger. Should we... should we set off as soon as possible?" Seeing that Lin Chen had no reaction, Su Lie grew increasingly uneasy and carefully stepped forward to ask for instructions. He had now placed all his hopes on this mysterious and powerful "Senior," afraid that the other man would leave in impatience.
Lin Chen gave a slight nod, indicating his agreement. His gaze swept over the three Scaled Earth Dragon Beast skeletons on the ground, as well as the two equally shriveled Green Wind Demonic Wolf carcasses, and he said, "These demon beast bones still have some use. If you do not mind the trouble, take them with you."
The Scaled Earth Dragon Beast's bones were hard and contained faint earth-element energy. Though they could not compare to its blood, flesh, essence, or scales, they still held some value for ordinary martial artists, whether for tempering weapons or medicinal use. As for the Green Wind Demonic Wolf bones, their value was lower, but something was better than nothing. Lin Chen had no use for them himself, but giving them to the Su Family counted as a negligible bit of "compensation," sparing them from feeling too indebted later and causing other troubles.
"Yes! Yes! Many thanks for Senior's reward!" Gratitude immediately appeared on Su Lie's face. They had suffered devastating losses on this journey, and bringing back more valuable items was always a good thing. He hurriedly directed several less severely injured guards to dismantle the enormous skeletons in a flurry of activity, selecting the finest parts and binding them up for transport. The others swiftly packed their belongings, gave their fallen companions simple burials, and did their best to reinforce the battered carriage.
Once all preparations were complete, the surviving Su Family guards surrounded the crude carriage in the center and, under Su Lie's leadership, set off once more.
Lin Chen neither walked at the front nor followed at the rear. Instead, he kept a distance that was neither too close nor too far, trailing silently along the flank of the group like a ghost. From this position, he could oversee everything and respond to any danger at any time, while also maintaining a certain distance from the Su Family members and avoiding unnecessary contact.
Moonlight filtered through the sparse branches and leaves, casting mottled patches of light and shadow through the woods. At night, the Green Peak Mountain Range had shed the bustle of daylight and seemed especially tranquil, yet it concealed even more unknown dangers. Insect chirps, the calls of night owls, and the occasional roar of an unidentified beast from afar lent this silent night an eerie, tense atmosphere.
The Su Family guards were clearly all seasoned veterans. Though exhausted in body and mind and badly injured, they remained highly alert. Weapons in hand, they swept their sharp gazes across the surrounding darkness, stepping lightly and trying not to make too much noise.
Su Lie walked at the very front of the group, his expression grave. From time to time, he looked back at the black-clad youth at the rear flank, who seemed to have merged with the night itself. This reassured him somewhat, but also filled him with awe and curiosity. This "Senior's" strength was unfathomable, and his methods were even more inscrutable. Especially that means of handling demon beast corpses—it was simply unheard of. Where exactly had he come from? Why had he appeared in the depths of the Green Peak Mountain Range? And why had he been willing to lend them a hand?
Countless questions circled in Su Lie's mind, but he did not dare ask, nor did he dare dwell on them. The most important thing now was to escort the young lady safely to Luofeng Gorge as soon as possible.
Lin Chen appeared to be following the group casually, but in truth, his senses had already been raised to their limit. After the Myriad Dao Furnace fused with the Nine-Orifice Black Stone, not only had his physical defenses greatly increased, but his five senses and six perceptions had also become far superior to those of martial artists at the same level. Nothing within several hundred meters, not even the rustle of grass in the wind, could escape his detection.
He could clearly hear the guards' suppressed breathing, smell the subtle scents released by different plants in the air, and even sense the spying gazes of the weak nocturnal creatures lurking in the darkness.
Every so often, his gaze would seemingly inadvertently sweep over the slowly moving carriage.
The curtain remained tightly drawn, sealing off everything inside. Yet Lin Chen could vaguely sense Su Ling'er's aura within that cramped space—weak, yet carrying a peculiar rhythm.
What did she look like now?
Was she still like before, sitting quietly in a corner and timidly looking outside? Or was she curled up on the cushions from the torment of illness, her face as pale as paper?
Three years were enough to change many things.
The innocent little girl who had once done nothing but follow behind him had now become a "young lady" requiring the Su Family's heavily armed protection. And he, once a genius, had become an abandoned son of the Lineage, struggling for survival in desperate circumstances.
The vicissitudes of life were no greater than this.
A complicated, indescribable emotion flickered through Lin Chen's heart, but he quickly forced it down.
This was not the time for sentiment.
Su Ling'er's changes and the Su Family's purpose were both passing clouds to him. The reason he had agreed to escort them was, apart from that nearly negligible trace of old affection, more a matter of practical considerations.
First, he could use the Su Family convoy to conceal his tracks and avoid exposing himself too early to the eyes of the Lin Family or the Wang Family.
Second, he wanted to draw information from Su Lie about the depths of the Green Peak Mountain Range, especially the area around Luofeng Gorge. A reliable map, or intelligence concerning certain special regions, would be vital to his upcoming training.
Third, this so-called Purple Cloud Mushroom had made the Su Family go to such great lengths, so it had to be a valuable spiritual medicine. If he could casually learn its exact effects and where it grew, it might prove useful to him as well.
As for Su Ling'er herself, Lin Chen did not wish to have too much involvement with her for now. The grudges of the past and the gap between them now made it difficult for them to return to what they once were. Keeping their distance and not interfering with one another was perhaps the best choice.
"Senior..."
Just as Lin Chen was lost in thought, Su Lie slowed his steps and came over, a respectful smile on his face as he offered a waterskin. "Senior, the journey has been tiring. Please have some water."
Lin Chen glanced at him indifferently without reaching out to take it. He merely asked, "How far are we from Luofeng Gorge?"
Su Lie was not embarrassed. He sheepishly withdrew the waterskin and answered respectfully, "Reporting to Senior, at our current pace, if nothing unexpected happens, we should reach the outskirts of Luofeng Gorge before dawn. Luofeng Gorge has perilous terrain and is easy to defend but hard to attack. There is also a secret trade route within the gorge that our Su Family has operated for many years, so it is comparatively much safer."
"A secret trade route?" Something stirred in Lin Chen's heart, though his face remained impassive. "It seems your Su Family has put considerable effort into operating within the Green Peak Mountain Range."
A bitter smile appeared on Su Lie's face. "Senior flatters us. Business is not easy these days, especially when one makes a living in these mountains fraught with danger. If we did not leave ourselves several escape routes, we would likely have been swallowed long ago by demon beasts or people with ill intentions. To be honest, we paid an enormous price to open and maintain this trade route. Under normal circumstances, only the core caravans of our Su Family travel it."
"Oh?" Lin Chen slightly raised a brow and asked as though casually, "Then your journey deep into this place to harvest the Purple Cloud Mushroom was also for business on that trade route?"
Su Lie's expression changed slightly, and a flicker of vigilance and hesitation flashed through his eyes. Clearly, the matter of the Purple Cloud Mushroom was one of their core secrets.
But when he looked into Lin Chen's deep, indifferent eyes and felt the invisible pressure radiating from him, his heart tightened. This "Senior's" strength was unfathomable, and he had saved their lives. If he deliberately concealed the truth, he might displease him.
After weighing the matter briefly, Su Lie sighed and lowered his voice. "I will not hide it from Senior... This Purple Cloud Mushroom is not for business. It is... it is to save our young lady's life."
"Oh? Save her life?" Lin Chen had already suspected as much, but hearing Su Lie confirm it personally still surprised him slightly. "What serious illness does your young lady have?"
A pained expression appeared on Su Lie's face as he shook his head. "This junior does not know the exact illness either. I only know that the young lady suddenly contracted a strange disease three years ago. Her body grew weaker by the day, and even after seeking countless renowned physicians, none could do anything. Later, the Family Head happened upon a fragment of an ancient text. It recorded that a miraculous medicine called the Purple Cloud Mushroom might grow deep in the Green Peak Mountain Range, and that it might... might suppress the illness within the young lady's body, or even cure it."
He paused, and his voice became even lower. "But the Purple Cloud Mushroom has extremely harsh requirements for its growing environment. It grows only in places occupied by demon beasts of the seventh rank or above, drawing in moonlight and yin energy. Its mature period is also exceedingly brief, and harvesting it is exceptionally difficult. This time, we ventured into this place with only a sliver of hope, but who would have thought..."
He did not continue, but the meaning was already clear. Not only had they failed to find the Purple Cloud Mushroom, but they had nearly been wiped out.
Lin Chen fell silent.
So that was it. Su Ling'er's "strange illness" had become so severe that she needed a miraculous medicine growing in such perilous terrain to save her life.
Three years ago...
That timing happened to be shortly after he had been crippled.
Could her illness be connected to what had happened between the Lin Family, Su Family, and Wang Family back then?
Su Qingyao's beautiful yet cold face and Wang Teng's arrogant, domineering figure involuntarily surfaced in Lin Chen's mind.
Back then, his crippling had indeed been caused by the internal strife of the Lin Family, but the Su Family and Wang Family had also played no small part in fanning the flames. Su Qingyao's breaking off of their engagement and kicking him while he was down, in particular, had dealt him a heavy blow.
As Su Qingyao's nominal "younger sister," though Su Ling'er was from a collateral branch, could this strange illness have been a covert attack by certain people seeking to consolidate their status or eliminate a potential threat?
Or perhaps this so-called "strange illness" was not an illness at all, but some kind of... special physique awakening. Yet because no one understood it, or because there was no proper method of guidance, it had instead placed an immense burden on her body?
The more Lin Chen thought about it, the more he felt that things might not be as simple as they appeared on the surface.
The Su Family's attitude toward Su Ling'er also seemed rather thought-provoking. On one hand, they had spared no expense in sending people deep into dangerous territory to find medicine for her. On the other hand, they seemed strangely vague about the cause of her illness.
There was likely no small secret hidden within this.
However, these were merely his guesses. Without conclusive evidence, everything remained speculation.
"So that is how it is." Lin Chen suppressed his many thoughts, his tone remaining calm. "Since it is to save someone, you should act even more carefully."
"Yes, Senior's lesson is correct," Su Lie hurriedly replied.
At that moment, a sudden fit of violent coughing, impossible to suppress, came from the carriage that had remained quiet until then!
"Cough, cough... cough cough cough..."
The coughing sounded exceptionally painful, as though she were about to cough out her lungs. It came in broken bursts and carried a heart-chilling sense of weakness.
Su Lie's face instantly turned deathly pale. He hurried several steps to the carriage and anxiously asked in a low voice, "Young Lady! Young Lady, how are you?!"
"I... I'm fine... Uncle Su... cough cough... It's an old problem..." Su Ling'er's broken, breathy voice came from behind the curtain. Though she tried her best to sound relaxed, the bone-deep weakness in her voice could not be concealed.
"Young Lady, do not force yourself! Here, take this Dew Condensing Pill first. It will ease things somewhat." Su Lie took a small Jade Bottle from his robes, poured out a crystal-clear medicinal pill that emitted a faint fragrance, and carefully passed it through a gap in the curtain.
The carriage fell silent for a moment. It seemed Su Ling'er had accepted the pill and swallowed it. Only after a long while did the violent coughing gradually subside, though faint wheezing could still be heard.
"Young Lady... you..." Su Lie remained uneasy.
"Uncle Su... I'm really fine... Let's... let's continue on... cough... We cannot delay... Senior's time..." Su Ling'er's voice remained weak, but it carried a trace of unquestionable determination.
Su Lie looked at the tightly drawn curtain, his eyes filled with worry and helplessness. In the end, he could only sigh and return to the front of the group, though his expression was even heavier than before.
Lin Chen saw and heard everything.
A Dew Condensing Pill? It was a rather mild medicinal pill used to heal injuries and replenish vital energy, and it was quite valuable. It seemed the Su Family had indeed spent a great deal to maintain Su Ling'er's condition.
Yet even the Dew Condensing Pill could only provide relief. This showed just how severe and stubborn the "illness" in her body was.
He could even sense that the violent coughing fit had weakened the already frail aura inside the carriage by another degree, like a candle flame in the wind that could go out at any moment.
For some reason, another strange feeling rose in Lin Chen's heart.
It was not sympathy, nor was it pity.
It was a... more complicated emotion.
Perhaps he had been touched by life's fragility in the face of illness?
Or perhaps he had thought of the despair and helplessness he had felt when he was crippled?
He gently shook his head, casting those chaotic thoughts from his mind.
He was not a savior, nor was he a sentimental man. He had his own road to walk and his own vengeance to exact. Su Ling'er's fate had nothing to do with him.
He once again focused his attention on the surrounding environment.
The night grew deeper, and dawn was still some time away.
The road ahead seemed to become even more rugged and difficult. Towering ancient trees blocked out the sky and sun, leaving even the moonlight unable to penetrate, making the forest increasingly dim. The air was thick with a decaying, damp smell, while the dead branches and fallen leaves beneath their feet became deeper and softer.
"Stay sharp, everyone! Black Marsh Forest lies ahead! There is plenty of miasma and poisonous insects here, so be careful!" Su Lie raised his voice to warn the guards under his command.
The group slowed once more. Everyone held their breath as they carefully made their way through the darkness.
Lin Chen's brow furrowed slightly as well.
Black Marsh Forest? He seemed to have seen scattered information about this place in Lin Bao's memories. It was said that a poisonous miasma hung over this place year-round, while countless venomous snakes, insects, rats, and ants lived within it. There were even some low-ranking demon beasts skilled at concealing themselves and launching ambushes. For ordinary martial artists, it was indeed a highly dangerous region.
However, this miasma and these poisonous insects did not pose much of a threat to him. With the Myriad Dao Furnace in operation, he would not dare claim immunity to every poison, but ordinary miasma and toxins could not even get close to him.
He was merely a little concerned about Su Ling'er in the carriage.
With her current weak physical condition, could she withstand the erosion of Black Marsh Forest's miasma?
Just as this thought crossed his mind.
Hiss!
An extremely faint sound of something slicing through the air, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, suddenly came from behind a huge ancient tree ahead and to the side!
A dark green shadow, no thicker than a finger, shot out like an arrow released from the bowstring, swift as lightning as it lunged at Su Lie at the front of the group!
"Watch out!"
The instant the sound pierced the air, Lin Chen's cold voice exploded!
At the same time, his figure flashed like a phantom!
He moved later, yet arrived first!
A fierce finger wind, carrying a shrill howl, struck with unerring precision at the dark green shadow!
Puff!
A muffled impact rang out!
The dark green shadow stiffened sharply in midair, then fell limply to the ground like a kite with its string cut.
Only then did the Su Family members react!
When they looked closely, they saw that it was a small snake, entirely dark green, with a triangular head and only about a foot long! Its head had been pierced through by Lin Chen's finger wind. It was dead beyond all doubt!
"It's... it's a Seven-Step Fall! A Seven-Step Fall Snake, a highly venomous demon snake!" A knowledgeable guard cried out in alarm, his face instantly turning pale!
Seven-Step Fall!
A notorious venomous demon snake in the Green Peak Mountain Range! Though its rank was not high, with strength only equivalent to the fourth or fifth level of the Body Tempering Realm, its venom was so potent that it could seal one's throat upon drawing blood! Even martial artists at the seventh or eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm would find it hard to escape death if they were bitten carelessly!
Had Lin Chen not acted in time just now, the consequences would have been unthinkable!
Su Lie was drenched in cold sweat as well, still shaken with fear! He had been completely focused on the road ahead and had not noticed the venomous snake hidden behind the tree at all!
"Th-thank you, Senior, for saving my life!" Still trembling with lingering fear, Su Lie cupped his hands toward Lin Chen in thanks, his voice shaking slightly.
Lin Chen waved a hand, signaling that there was no need for ceremony. Yet his gaze swept sharply toward the even darker depths of the surrounding forest.
The appearance of that Seven-Step Fall Snake had been too abrupt, too precise.
Was it truly an accident?
Or...
An imperceptible cold gleam flashed through Lin Chen's eyes.
This seemingly simple escort mission was likely... not as peaceful as imagined.
Black Marsh Forest ahead, as well as Luofeng Gorge farther away, might still conceal other... dangers.
Before you continue