Rest and Recovery

Run! Run for your lives!

They practically sprinted the whole way.

Only after Lin Nan and his companion ran out of Withered Locust Village did they realize it was still midday. The blazing sun scorched them, and its searing rays drove away some of the chill in their hearts.

Yu Qianqian looked back, and goosebumps rose all over her again.

The narrow path they had taken to get there had somehow vanished.

Behind them lay nothing but empty space and a sheer cliff before their eyes. There was no sign of Withered Locust Village or the forested hills.

"Don't look back. We'll talk once we're back in the Outer City!"

Lin Nan didn't turn around, but his expression was just as grim.

Through the Creation Furnace in his mind, he could clearly sense an incomparably terrifying, sinister force lurking behind them.

If an ordinary Corpse Ghost or Corpse Wraith counted as one, then the sinister force behind them numbered in the thousands upon thousands, layered like a vast ocean, endless and inexhaustible!

A great terror!

Even with the Creation Furnace, which could refine sinister forces, he couldn't stop himself from trembling with an inexplicable fear.

It was the instinctive terror living creatures felt when faced with something utterly horrifying.

"What kind of Evil Spirit is that?!"

Lin Nan's heart turned cold. He grabbed Yu Qianqian, and the two of them surged with qi and blood as they ran with all their might, taking a path that wound around for roughly ten li.

At last, they made it back to the Outer City before sunset.

Black Dragon Outer City, West City, Yu Family Apothecary.

As night fell, lamplight flickered inside the house, and the rich aroma of food wafted out.

Several home-cooked dishes sat on the table: braised pork, stir-fried green beans, pickled vegetables...

Lin Nan and Yu Qianqian, both wrapped in bandages from head to toe, sat at the table and wolfed down their food.

Only after they'd eaten and drunk their fill did they truly let out a sigh of relief.

"That was far too dangerous..."

Remembering everything that had happened in Withered Locust Village, Yu Qianqian still felt shaken. She reached into her clothes and took out the pouch containing her Jade Talismans.

She found that several Jade Talismans tucked inside had completely shattered, crumbling into a pile of fine powder.

"The Jade Talismans have all turned to powder..."

Lin Nan opened his own pouch and found nothing inside but another pile of powder.

He shook his head and began silently reviewing the details of his earlier fight with Peng Huo.

"White Snake Fist relies on soft force. It naturally has a certain advantage against a strength-focused martial artist like Peng Huo, but against someone skilled in lightness skills, hard-body techniques, or weapons, it would inevitably put me at a disadvantage."

"Stance training builds the inside, while fist techniques train the outside. White Snake Stance is a basic stance technique with only three levels. To advance to the Skin-and-Flesh Realm, I'll have to get a higher-level stance technique from the martial hall."

His external training was sufficient for now. The next thing he needed to do was improve his martial cultivation as quickly as possible.

"From now on, I'll need to improve my speed, explosiveness, and defense. Once my stance technique reaches a higher level and my qi and blood are abundant, perhaps I can try learning a few more external training techniques."

Just then, he noticed Yu Qianqian staring at him, looking puzzled, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

"What is it?"

Yu Qianqian's lips moved slightly, a thousand questions flashing through her mind.

For instance, why was Lin Nan at the third level of qi and blood, yet had hidden it so well that even Master Jie hadn't seen through him?

But then she thought that everyone had their own secrets. Wasn't she the same?

In the end, Yu Qianqian wisely kept her mouth shut and shook her head.

"Nothing."

"Please keep what happened on this mission confidential," Lin Nan said seriously.

Yu Qianqian immediately understood. Five of their fellow martial artists had died on this mission, and even the constable leading the team hadn't survived. Yet the only ones to return unharmed were the two martial artists from White Snake Martial School.

Only a fool wouldn't realize there was something suspicious about it. Afterward, the Yanei, Gale Martial Hall, and Azure Rock Martial Hall would certainly take turns coming to question them.

Yu Qianqian said solemnly, "Don't worry, Brother Lin. We'll stick to the story we agreed on before the mission."

Lin Nan nodded. A thought quietly crossed his mind.

If I killed Yu Qianqian too...

But he quickly shook his head. He wasn't a murderer like Peng Huo. If Peng Huo hadn't struck first, then even if he'd had his suspicions, he wouldn't have made the first move.

Lin Nan sighed inwardly. I'm still far too kind.

At that moment, Mother Yu came in carrying two more plates of freshly cooked food.

"Auntie, that's enough, really. You don't need to make any more," Lin Nan hurriedly tried to stop her.

"Young men who practice martial arts need to eat plenty!" Mother Yu said firmly.

"Really, it's enough." Lin Nan smiled awkwardly. In the end, he had no choice but to force down another bowl of rice.

Since coming to this world in this life, he had never eaten so much.

Seeing how flustered Lin Nan looked, Yu Qianqian couldn't help finding it amusing.

The martial artist at the third level of qi and blood who had just displayed his might and dealt with Peng Huo now seemed like a bashful young man.

Creak.

Father Yu pushed the door open and came in. The moment he stepped inside, he caught the smell of blood, and his face changed instantly.

"Qianqian, you're hurt?!"

Father Yu rushed over in a panic and peppered his daughter, whose body was wrapped in bandages, with questions about her injuries.

"Dad, they're only minor wounds!"

Lin Nan sat quietly to one side, watching the family exchange greetings. A strange warmth settled over him.

A family...

Too bad this wasn't the modern, civilized world of his previous life.

The world was in turmoil, with Evil Spirits running rampant. Without enough strength, the warmth before him was no more than a reflection in the water, shattered at the slightest touch.

"I told you not to take any missions from the martial hall! I'll find a way to get the money."

Yu Qianqian's expression turned bitter. "I really thought it was just a simple gathering mission. I didn't think there'd be any danger."

At the mention of the mission, Yu Qianqian suddenly jolted as she remembered.

"Ah! Brother Lin, the Flower Dew we collected—could it have...?"

"It's still here." Lin Nan reached into his clothes and took out several white porcelain bottles. "We left in a hurry, so I only managed to keep these."

"Thank you so much!!"

Yu Qianqian's face brightened with relief. She hadn't expected Lin Nan to have kept some back. Otherwise, the whole trip would have been for nothing.

"May I ask who this is?" Father Yu now noticed that they had a guest.

Yu Qianqian hurried over and briefly introduced Lin Nan.

"So you're my daughter's fellow disciple from the martial hall. A pleasure, a pleasure."

Father Yu forced a smile, seeming to transform back into the apothecary owner he'd been during the day.

They said that learning required little wealth, but martial arts required great wealth. In his eyes, anyone who had made a name for themselves at White Snake Martial School came from a well-to-do family. Most of them were important, well-connected people in the Outer City.

"May I ask your surname? My daughter is young and inexperienced. I hope you'll look after her."

"My surname is Lin. My name is Lin Nan."

"Lin..." Father Yu searched his memory, but couldn't recall any prominent, wealthy merchants in the Outer City with the surname Lin.

"Forgive my poor memory, but whose son are you?"

"I'm an orphan," Lin Nan said calmly.

Father Yu's face stiffened at once.

An orphan. Such a heavy word left Father Yu at a loss for what to say.

"Dad!"

A trace of anger rose on Yu Qianqian's face, and she hurriedly changed the subject.

Lin Nan clearly noticed that Father Yu's warmth had cooled, but he didn't mind. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Yu Qianqian's family, he returned to his room to rest.

The next morning, at dawn.

Lin Nan said goodbye to Yu Qianqian and left.

As he was leaving, Yu Qianqian's lips parted slightly, but in the end she said nothing. She only gave Lin Nan a fleeting glance.

"See you at the martial hall." x2

Lin Nan acted as if he hadn't noticed Yu Qianqian's expression. He calmly turned and headed toward White Snake Martial School.

As a seasoned man who'd lived two lifetimes, he could naturally see the faint feelings stirring in Yu Qianqian's heart.

But he had no time for romance now. After this mission, all he felt was a deep sense of urgency.

Back at White Snake Martial School.

He had just stepped into the practice grounds when a chorus of shouts and calls rang out.

"Look! Liu Feng and Zhong Jing are fighting!"