Chapter 4

Deep within the cave, the firelight was dim.

On a stove piled from rocks, a large pot sat covered, simmering the medicinal brew needed for cultivation over a low flame.

Tian Feng, his head full of gray hair, sat cross-legged nearby with his eyes closed, calming his mind.

Luo Qingchen walked in carefully on unsteady feet and said respectfully, "Master, your disciple has returned."

Tian Feng did not open his eyes. After a moment of silence, he said, "Go rest. I will need some fresh blood again tomorrow night."

Luo Qingchen's heart suddenly sank.

"Yes."

He did not dare say more and lowered his head as he withdrew.

Only when his figure disappeared into the darkness outside did he dare let some expression show on his face.

His blood had just been drawn last night, yet it would be drawn again tomorrow night.

Only one day had passed.

Ordinary Blood Medicine could only have their blood drawn once, then had to wait at least half a month for their bodies to recover a little before it could be drawn again.

Only then could it last.

If the intervals between blood draws were too short, a Blood Medicine's body would soon grow weak, fall ill, and die.

Some people with frailer constitutions could even go into shock and die on the spot.

Thinking of what he had overheard outside the cave earlier, he was now certain that this so-called "Master" not only wanted to drain him of blood, but had also set his sights on his flesh!

The other man had clearly already sentenced him to death in his heart.

Looking up, the three animal hides hanging on the wall by the cave entrance swayed gently in the night wind, as though beckoning to him, as though saying: Come on, we're waiting for you.

"Junior Brother Luo, what did Master say?"

At that moment, senior brother Zhang Dashan emerged from the darkness nearby.

In truth, he had heard the conversation in the cave just now.

Luo Qingchen hid the expression on his face and replied calmly, "Nothing. Master only said he would need blood again tomorrow night."

Zhang Dashan smiled faintly and patted his shoulder. "It should be Junior Brother Yang's blood this time. You lost a whole bowl last night, so it can't possibly be yours again."

Luo Qingchen silently nodded and said nothing more.

Zhang Dashan smiled. "All right, it's getting late. You lost blood last night and spent all day running around today. Your body probably can't take it anymore, can it? Go rest quickly. If Master has any orders, I'll come call you."

"Mm, thank you, Senior Brother."

Luo Qingchen said no more. After thanking him, he went to a corner not far away, lay down on the ground, and soon closed his eyes.

In the darkness, Zhang Dashan glanced at him once more before heading inside.

Once everything around him had fallen quiet, Luo Qingchen slowly opened his eyes again and looked once more at the three hides hanging on the wall by the cave entrance.

"Will I end up like them too, hanging there?"

No. Of course not.

If he died, what would happen to his little sister?

His gaze turned inward.

The first Blood Bar had risen from 70% to 75%.

In one day, he had recovered 5% of his blood.

But he knew that the 5% he had recovered was merely thin blood his body had rapidly produced in an emergency state.

His body was still extremely weak.

For an ordinary person to fully return to their previous condition, it would take at least a month.

But he...

"Add blood!"

He looked at the second reserve Blood Bar. With a thought, its 100% status immediately became 90%.

Meanwhile, the first Blood Bar that sustained his life instantly surged from 75% to 85%!

This was not thin blood, but blood of extremely high purity!

He immediately felt the emptiness in his body being greatly replenished.

At that moment, the dizziness vanished, the headache vanished, and some strength seemed to return to him at once.

He did not dare add too much, afraid it would be noticed.

Of course, he did not dare refrain from adding any, either.

After all, his blood would be drawn again tomorrow night. If he only had 75% blood left, he feared he would go into shock and die on the spot when they drew it tomorrow night.

Once he went into shock, what awaited him would likely be skinning and dismemberment.

Therefore, he had to keep his body in good condition to deal with what would come tomorrow!

"But how should the blood in the second reserve Blood Bar be replenished?"

"Could it be like the first Blood Bar, waiting for it to slowly recover on its own?"

He stared at the second reserve Blood Bar, quietly pondering.

At that moment, exhaustion swept over him like a tide.

The weakness from blood loss and the day's exertion had triggered his body's self-protection mechanism, leaving it desperately craving sleep and rest.

Thinking of tomorrow night, he did not dare waste any more time. He closed his eyes, steadied his emotions, and prepared to rest well for the night and restore his strength.

Whether he lived or died would depend on tomorrow night.

Very soon, he fell asleep.

He slept deeply, all the way until the following evening.

When he woke, he found that the sun outside the cave had already sunk to the mountaintops and was about to set.

Crack!

The crisp sound of chopping firewood came from outside the cave.

Deep in the cave, everything was silent.

Perhaps knowing what awaited him tonight, neither Zhang Dashan nor Yang Ming had come to call him to work, and that Master had not summoned him again either.

"Have I already become a dead man in their eyes?"

He did not dwell on it. Sitting up, he checked the Blood Bars inside his body again and found that the first Blood Bar had recovered from last night's 85% to 90%, while the second reserve Blood Bar had not changed at all, still remaining at last night's 90%.

He felt secretly puzzled.

The second Blood Bar seemed unable to recover automatically. How was he supposed to replenish the blood that had disappeared?

Could it be single-use, gone for good once it was used up and impossible to replenish at all?

No.

Since the second Blood Bar could be upgraded, it could definitely be replenished.

He simply did not yet know how.

As he quietly pondered, second senior brother Yang Ming entered through the cave entrance carrying freshly chopped firewood. Seeing that he was awake, Yang Ming merely cast him an indifferent glance without saying anything and walked straight toward the depths of the cave.

After a while, Yang Ming came back out and tossed him a piece of venison. He said coldly, "Master gave this to you. Eat it quickly. Master still needs your blood tonight."

With that, he gave him another cold look and left the cave.

That final look was as though he were looking at a dead man.

Luo Qingchen silently picked up the chunk of meat from the ground and held it in his hand. His expression shifted for a moment before he raised his eyes toward the depths of the cave.

It was deep and dark there, sinister and deathly still, like a gaping mouth silently and cold-bloodedly waiting for him.

The sound of chopping wood rose outside once again.

Before long, senior brother Zhang Dashan entered from outside, drenched in sweat. Seeing that he was awake, a warm smile immediately appeared on his face. "Junior Brother Luo, you're awake. Did you sleep well?"

Luo Qingchen nodded slightly, then suddenly said, "Senior Brother, can you lend me a piece of meat? Master just gave me one, but I'm too hungry. I don't think it'll be enough."

At his words, Zhang Dashan's smile stiffened slightly. He seemed to hesitate, but quickly took a piece of meat from his clothes and handed it over with a smile. "We're fellow disciples. Why talk about borrowing? Hurry and eat. You lost too much blood, so you need to eat more meat."

Luo Qingchen accepted it. "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Zhang Dashan smiled and walked inward. "I'll go in first. Call me if you need anything."

"Mm."

Luo Qingchen watched his sturdy back and slowly tightened his grip around the meat in his hand.

The sunset outside the cave soon slipped below the mountain.

Nightfall descended silently like a boundless net.

The entire mountain forest immediately sank into darkness.

The cave was dark as well.

Only the deepest part held a dim yellow light, and even that could illuminate only a small patch of space.

"Creak..."

Footsteps came from inside.

Luo Qingchen, seated in the darkest corner, slowly opened his eyes.

Zhang Dashan and Yang Ming appeared at the same time.

As though afraid he might flee, Yang Ming walked straight over and stood at the cave entrance, fixing him with a cold, sinister gaze.

Zhang Dashan sighed and looked at him pityingly. "Junior Brother Luo, Master is at a critical juncture in his cultivation these days. He wants you to go in and squeeze out some more blood. Not much, just one bowl."

Just one bowl?

A bowl yesterday, a bowl today. What they wanted was not blood at all—they clearly wanted his life!

Luo Qingchen lowered his head and paused, but did not hesitate. He stood up and prepared to go inside.

Then he suddenly remembered something. Taking the two pieces of meat from his clothes, he handed one to Zhang Dashan and tossed the other before Yang Ming. Bitterly, he said, "It would be a waste to feed them to me. Thank you both for taking care of me these past days, Senior Brothers."

Zhang Dashan took the meat and could not help sighing again. He comforted him, "It's fine. Don't worry. Just rest for a few days and you'll be all right."

Luo Qingchen said nothing more and walked into the cave.

Yang Ming, guarding the entrance, bent down to pick up the piece of meat from the ground. He dusted it off, inspected it, and tucked it into his clothes.

For Blood Medicine who often had their blood drawn, these chunks of blood-replenishing meat were extremely important and could even determine whether they lived or died.

Naturally, he would not waste it.

"Greetings, Master."

Luo Qingchen came into the cave and respectfully saluted the figure seated before the medicine pot.

Tian Feng opened his eyes and looked at him impassively. "Come over. Your master still needs some fresh blood."

"Yes."

Without any hesitation, Luo Qingchen stepped forward, knelt before him, and extended his right hand.

Tian Feng set out the bowl, took out a dagger, and began drawing blood.

The instant the cold blade cut through his skin, Luo Qingchen's arm could not help trembling.

Bright red blood flowed out and fell into the large bowl below.

Very soon, the blood filled an entire bowl.

This time, Tian Feng merely sprinkled some medicinal powder over his wound before saying, "Go out. Rest well."

Luo Qingchen lowered his head and rose to his feet, but suddenly felt dizzy. He swayed a few times, then collapsed to the ground again.

Zhang Dashan, who had been waiting at the entrance, immediately came in to help him up. "Junior Brother Luo, I'll help you outside."

After he helped Luo Qingchen out, Yang Ming entered the cave and respectfully lowered his head. "Master, should we skin him now? The skin of a living person should be tighter."

Tian Feng picked up the bowl from the ground, lifted the pot lid, and said calmly, "Wait another night. If he cannot get up tomorrow, deal with him then."

"Yes."

Yang Ming did not dare say more. He lowered his head and withdrew.

Zhang Dashan helped Luo Qingchen to the outer corner. After he lay down, Zhang Dashan comforted him, "Junior Brother Luo, it's all right. Sleep, and you'll be fine."

Luo Qingchen said nothing, closing his eyes with a pale face.

Zhang Dashan stared at him for a while longer, gently patted his shoulder, and got up to leave.

He walked into the darkness within.

Before long, the sounds of chewing meat and quiet conversation arose in the darkness.

"What did Master say? Are we doing it now?"

"Master said to wait another night. If he can't get up tomorrow morning, then we'll do it."

"He probably won't get up. He lost such a big bowl of blood for two nights in a row. Even my body couldn't endure that, let alone his..."

"Senior Brother, I'll skin him tomorrow morning, and you can cut the meat?"

"You really know how to scheme. Cutting meat means chopping bones and dealing with those filthy internal organs. I choose skinning. That kid has delicate skin and tender flesh. Skinning him should feel even better than skinning a toad."

The two chatted in low voices as they chewed their meat.

In the pitch-black corner, Luo Qingchen, who should have already fallen unconscious, slowly opened his eyes.

Behind him, within the cracks of the wall that had previously contained only moss, mold, dust, and stone chips, there were somehow now fragments of something else.

If light could have shone in, perhaps a few brightly colored specks might vaguely have been visible.

They were the crushed remnants left behind after poisonous mushrooms had been squeezed for their juice.