Mountain Peak Post Station

"Oh, I was wondering who it was. It's you?"

Ye Tong turned, looking at Tong Kaishan's expression, and sneered, "Met by chance? What a coincidence! To follow me all night, if I'm not mistaken, you've been behind me since I left the medicine market, haven't you?"

Tong Kaishan was silent for a moment, then nodded in admission, "That's right. I went to the medicine market to buy herbs and saw you. I was curious about you, so I followed you to see what you were up to. I understand you going to the blacksmith shop, as I haven't seen you with any weapons so far. But your busy activity at the Miao Family Ancestral Grave has left me quite puzzled."

"Heh heh..."

Ye Tong turned and spoke as he walked, "If it weren't for your father's foresight, I wouldn't have visited the Miao Family Ancestral Grave, but your Tong Family Ancestral Grave. Looking at your face, I see you can truly repent and reform. You'll have a prosperous future. Cherish it! For yourself, and for your Tong Family."

"Yes!"

If it were in the past, Tong Kaishan would have probably slapped Ye Tong for speaking to him like that. But now, he could accept it humbly, his attitude respectful. Tong Kaishan understood that even though his cultivation was higher than Ye Tong's, Ye Tong was someone he couldn't afford to offend.

Entering Cold Mountain City, Ye Tong didn't say anything else until they arrived near the medicine market. He simply waved his hand at Tong Kaishan with his back turned and headed towards the Precious Medicine Workshop alone.

"Hoo..." Tong Kaishan watched Ye Tong's retreating back and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

What was he doing at the Miao Family Ancestral Grave? And why did he say that if it weren't for his father, he would have visited their Tong Family Ancestral Grave?

Precious Medicine Workshop.

When Ye Tong returned with the wooden box, he saw the Crippled Old Woman sleeping with her eyes closed by the stone mill in the inner courtyard, hugging the Black Carbon stick. Although she had changed into new clothes and the Medicine Slave had arranged a room for her, she had never moved in, as if accustomed to sleeping outdoors. Every night, she curled up by the stone mill to rest.

"Are you awake?" Ye Tong walked up to her and asked.

The Crippled Old Woman opened her eyes, looked at Ye Tong with some surprise, and then nodded gently.

Ye Tong squatted down, reached out, and grabbed the Crippled Old Woman's severed leg. As he took out the Dark Dagger, he flipped his wrist, tearing open the empty trouser leg, revealing the severed half of her leg.

The Crippled Old Woman didn't struggle, resist, or show any sign of worry that Ye Tong would harm her. She simply watched Ye Tong's actions quietly.

Ye Tong put away the Dark Dagger, then opened the wooden box and took out the prosthetic leg. As he attached it to the Crippled Old Woman's severed leg, he said calmly, "One leg can't allow you to walk properly. I designed this prosthetic leg and found a good blacksmith to craft it. After I attach it, stand up and move around to see if you can walk normally."

"This..."

The Crippled Old Woman's gaze shifted to the prosthetic leg. This was the first time she had ever heard of or seen such a novel item. She could clearly feel that as Ye Tong moved, the prosthetic leg was being fixed to her severed leg.

"Come on, try it."

Ye Tong stood up and took a few steps back.

The Crippled Old Woman wore a strange expression. Could she stand up just by putting on a model? Could she walk like a normal person? She thought Ye Tong was childish. Even though she didn't expect anything, her heart felt warm.

"Huh?"

The Crippled Old Woman took a few steps forward, and the cloudiness in her eyes instantly receded, replaced by streaks of bright light filled with disbelief. This leg was lost in a disaster ten years ago. Although she saved her life and her two children, the fact that she became disabled was an unchangeable reality.

But!

A prosthetic leg, a model, or some kind of mechanical device, allowed her to walk normally with little difficulty and not much awkwardness. This situation shocked her and made it hard for her to believe.

Ye Tong asked, "How is it?"

The Crippled Old Woman's voice was a little hoarse as she said, "Very good, very good. It's a bit unaccustomed to using it for the first time, but I'll get used to it later."

Ye Tong said with satisfaction, "That's good. It wasn't a wasted ten-day wait. You can walk a few more steps if you want, or rest if you prefer. It's up to you!"

The Crippled Old Woman asked, "Are you going to the county town tomorrow?"

Ye Tong replied, "That's right. We'll set off early tomorrow. This Precious Medicine Workshop will be left to you and Ye Dingding."

"Okay!"

The Crippled Old Woman agreed.

As Ye Tong was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and hesitated for a moment before saying, "While we are away, if any powerful cultivators come looking for trouble, don't confront them. Let them scold you, let them burn things. External objects are not as valuable as your life."

"Okay, I won't argue with them!" The wrinkles on the Crippled Old Woman's face smoothed out, and the smile on her face made her look even more kind and benevolent.

Early in the morning, Ye Tong sat cross-legged on the rooftop, a look of disappointment in his eyes. The purple energy from the east could help him clear the toxins in his body, but the sky was overcast today, making the atmosphere feel heavy and oppressive.

"Young Master, we're ready to depart." The Medicine Slave, carrying a bulging black cloth bag and leaning on the Dragon Head Cane, looked up at Ye Tong on the rooftop, appearing to be struggling.

Ye Tong leaped down. Smelling the aroma wafting from the kitchen, he asked, "Aren't we eating before we leave?"

The Medicine Slave said, "There are only two Dragon Lion Eagles going from Cold Mountain City to the county town each day, and each can only carry sixteen people. If we are late, we might have to wait until tomorrow."

"Understood. Let's go now." Ye Tong nodded, tidied his clothes, nodded to Ye Dingding and the Crippled Old Woman who had just walked out of the kitchen door, and then strode outside.

Cold Mountain City Post Station.

On the spacious square, dozens of carriages were surrounded by a throng of people, with shouts and calls filling the air. Adventurers unloading supplies, traveling merchants, some were leaving for distant lands, and some had just arrived.

Ye Tong followed the Medicine Slave and soon arrived at the fence in the southwest corner. Looking at the dozen or so enormous Dragon Lion Eagles with their fierce appearances, he couldn't help but feel surprised. He had seen Dragon Lion Eagles before, but he had never ridden one. Looking at the three to four-meter-tall creatures, he doubted if one Dragon Lion Eagle's back could accommodate eight people.

"Two people." The Medicine Slave took out two banknotes worth a hundred taels of Blue Silver and handed them to the burly man at the entrance of the fence.

The burly man said in a deep voice, "There's only one seat left."

The Medicine Slave's expression changed, and he glanced at Ye Tong.

Ye Tong was silent for a moment, then slowly asked, "Five hundred taels!"

The burly man was taken aback. He sized Ye Tong up carefully and then nodded with satisfaction, "If we squeeze a bit, it's fine to have one more person."

Soon, Ye Tong and the Medicine Slave were led inside the fence. Six people were already waiting there, all dressed in luxurious robes and exuding an extraordinary presence.

A middle-aged man in fine silk and satin, with a prosperous look, glanced sideways at Ye Tong and the Medicine Slave, then shouted at the burly man, "Doesn't each Dragon Lion Eagle only carry eight people? Besides you, why are there two more coming?"

The burly man said indifferently, "How many people we carry is determined by our Baishun Merchant Guild. If you are not satisfied, you can travel to the prefectural city through other means."

"You!" The stout middle-aged man's face flushed with anger, but thinking of the Baishun Merchant Guild's influence, he ultimately chose to suppress his rage.

"Alright, since there are enough people, let's set off."

The burly man soared into the sky, instantly landing on the Dragon Lion Eagle's back. As he grabbed the chain tied around the Dragon Lion Eagle's neck, he said in a deep voice, "Hurry up and get on."

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Figures then lightly boarded the Dragon Lion Eagle's back. Even the stout middle-aged man was no exception.

"Up!" Ye Tong and the Medicine Slave boarded the Dragon Lion Eagle's back without hesitation, finding that even with nine people on it, there was still plenty of space.

"Roar..."

A loud cry rang out. Everyone felt their bodies sway, their vision blurred, and the Dragon Lion Eagle, carrying them, soared into the clouds. A transparent light barrier appeared around the Dragon Lion Eagle's back, enveloping everyone within it.

The city they had departed from grew smaller in their sight, and the ground receded further and further from Ye Tong.

Two days later.

After several brief rests, the Dragon Lion Eagle landed on the peak of a majestic mountain. Here stood blue brick houses, a flat plaza, and dozens of men and women in battle attire scattered around, clearly on guard.

As the light barrier disappeared, the burly man jumped off the Dragon Lion Eagle and announced loudly, "We need to rest here for one night and continue our journey tomorrow morning. Accommodation and food are provided here. Those willing to pay, follow me. Those unwilling can find a place to stay nearby at their leisure."

"Young Master?" the Medicine Slave asked with a questioning look as he followed Ye Tong to the ground.

Ye Tong walked towards the blue brick houses, maintaining a degree of vigilance in his eyes. Through his observation, he found the situation here to be somewhat unusual. The dozens of people on guard possessed no weak aura, and despite their best efforts to conceal it, there were still traces of wounds that they couldn't hide.

They were fresh wounds!

This indicated that they had been in combat within the last half-day.

After paying twenty taels of Blue Silver, the two were led to a tiled house. The guide, a woman, also informed them that they could go to the designated dining area later. The room was not large, only about ten square meters, but it was sufficient for two people to stay.

"Did you notice?" Ye Tong asked in a low voice after casually closing the door.

The Medicine Slave nodded, "The guards have wounds on them."

Ye Tong asked, "What are your thoughts?"

The Medicine Slave pondered for a moment before replying, "There are two possibilities. First: the guards here are robbers who kill and loot, and they fought with guests who temporarily landed here to rest, hence their injuries. Second: this place is not safe, and powerful fierce beasts are disturbing the area. I observed the guards here; their auras are not low. Three of them are even experts in the Innate Realm, and their injuries seem to be the most severe."

Ye Tong narrowed his eyes, thoughtfully saying, "You mean, if it's the second case, the fierce beasts disturbing this place must be at least Level Three, or even Level Four?"

"That's right!" the Medicine Slave nodded and slowly said, "And their numbers wouldn't be small."

Ye Tong remained silent for a moment. "Since we are here, let's take it as it comes. We'll observe the situation and be ready to fight at any time. I think the second possibility is more likely."

The Medicine Slave nodded slowly and said no more.

Level Three fierce beasts posed no threat to him, and it would be very difficult for Level Four fierce beasts to kill him. However, when encountering such fierce beasts, the Medicine Slave could only protect himself; he did not yet have the strength to ensure Ye Tong's safety.