Survival After a Disaster

Surviving the Aftermath

Beside the Blackwater River, more than fifty li from the Blackwater Mountains, several fishermen from nearby villages were fishing.

"Eh, why is there someone over there?"

One of the fishermen spotted a figure drifting down from the upper reaches of the Blackwater River.

Hearing him, the other fishermen hurried over and found a blood-covered youth floating in the river.

One fisherman swam into the river and reached the youth's side. His hand trembled slightly as he felt for the youth's breath, then he immediately shouted toward the riverbank, "He's still alive! Come help!"

Ye Yun found himself surrounded by darkness. He kept walking forward, walking and walking, with no idea how long he had walked. Then, he suddenly saw a glimmer of light ahead and ran toward it in excitement.

Ye Yun struggled to open his eyes. The bright light stung them, and only after a long while did he slowly adjust.

He surveyed his surroundings. The walls around him were piled from mud, with a straw rain cape hanging on one of them. Not far away stood a table, upon which lay his original clothes. He himself had already been changed into garments made of coarse hemp.

He realized that he had likely fallen unconscious in the Blackwater River and been brought home by someone who happened to see him.

He tried to move and sit up, but the instant he exerted himself, a wave of excruciating pain swept through his body, especially from his chest. Helplessly, he could only lie back down.

Perhaps someone outside had heard the movement in the room. The closed door was pushed open from outside, and an adorable little girl of seven or eight walked in. Her pair of bright, watery eyes were especially lovely. The little girl stared at Ye Yun with wide eyes and said, "Big Brother, you're awake! Shame, shame, shame! You're so grown up, but you still sleep in! Daddy even told Yaya not to disturb you! Bleh, bleh, bleh!"

Looking at the little girl making faces at him, Ye Yun did not know whether to laugh or cry. Yet his heavy heart also lightened somewhat.

"Little sister, your name is Yaya, right? Can you tell Big Brother who brought him back? And how long did I sleep?" Ye Yun asked softly.

"Big Brother, Yaya's daddy brought you back. Big Brother slept for... two days." Yaya thought for a moment, then held up four fingers as she spoke to Ye Yun.

Hearing Yaya's answer, Ye Yun's doubts were all resolved. It seemed that if not for Yaya's father this time, he truly would have been doomed beyond salvation.

At that thought, Ye Yun could not help thinking of the four people who had driven him into a dead end. In an instant, hatred surged sky-high in his heart, frightening even Yaya beside him into taking a step back.

"Big Brother, what's wrong? You scared Yaya," Yaya said, her voice tinged with tears.

Hearing Yaya's voice, Ye Yun gradually regained clarity. That moment had been extremely dangerous—he had nearly suffered qi deviation.

First, he had endured Zhuang Yan's humiliation, and then he had been pursued and driven into a hopeless situation. Those events had planted a knot of resentment in his heart. If Yaya had not spoken up just now and awakened Ye Yun in time, no one knew what might have happened.

Ye Yun looked at Yaya and said apologetically, "Yaya, I'm sorry. Big Brother scared you just now. Are you all right?"

"Big Brother, Yaya is fine now. Yaya still has to cook for Daddy, so Yaya is going out first," Yaya said before running out the door.

Watching Yaya run away, Ye Yun shook his head. It seemed he had still frightened her badly. He could only talk to her after his injuries improved somewhat. For now, treating his wounds was the most urgent matter.

Ye Yun endured the pain and got out of bed, slowly making his way to the table. He took out the Storage Bag tucked among his clothes, poured the last trace of true qi in his body into it, and retrieved the remaining healing pills within.

Ye Yun swallowed his last Life-Rejuvenation Pill together with two Rejuvenation Pills, then refined the medicinal power within his body and devoted himself to healing his injuries.

After nearly two hours, Ye Yun had refined more than half the medicinal power, and his injuries had improved somewhat. He could already move normally, but it would take at least another week for him to recover completely.

Leaving the room, Ye Yun entered a courtyard. Aside from the room he was staying in, there were three other rooms in the courtyard, and a large tree stood in its southeast corner.

Ye Yun searched around but found that Yaya was not home. He guessed that the little girl had been badly frightened by him and had run off somewhere.

Before Ye Yun had spent long in the courtyard, he heard a burst of footsteps. A middle-aged man entered from outside carrying a fishing net, while Yaya hid behind him and secretly peeked at Ye Yun.

"Young man, you're awake. Your injuries haven't healed yet, so why did you get up?" the middle-aged man asked with concern.

Hearing the man's words, warmth rose in Ye Yun's heart. He said, "I'm all right, Uncle. I haven't even thanked you for saving my life. May I ask what I should call you?"

"It's nothing. Two days ago, we were fishing by the river when we saw you drifting down from the upper reaches of the Blackwater River. We found you were still breathing, so we brought you back. Anyone else would have done the same, so there's no need to be polite. Just call me Uncle Iron Bull. I still don't know your name," Uncle Iron Bull asked Ye Yun.

"Uncle Iron Bull, my name is Ye Yun. Thank you for saving my life. No matter what, if not for you, I might already be dead." Ye Yun engraved Uncle Iron Bull's life-saving kindness deeply in his heart.

"I already said, no need to be polite. You've just woken up, so you must be hungry. Wait here. I'll go make you something to eat." Uncle Iron Bull turned and walked toward the kitchen.

Watching Uncle Iron Bull's back, Ye Yun felt the heart he had sealed shut ever since his grandfather's death loosen slightly.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed. Over this time, Ye Yun became much more familiar with Uncle Iron Bull's family. Yaya was no longer afraid of him either. The little girl now clung to Ye Yun all day, asking him to tell her stories.

Over this period, Ye Yun's injuries gradually healed with the aid of medicinal pills, and the cultivation he had been unable to recover due to his injuries was now fully restored.

However, Ye Yun had not expected that this injury would completely draw out the residual medicinal power from the pills and spirit herbs that had accumulated in his body. As his cultivation recovered, it even advanced another step. He was no longer far from the Qi Refining Realm Sixth Layer. This could be considered rebuilding after destruction.

Now that his injuries had more or less healed, it was time to leave.

After all, his life-and-death enmity remained unsettled. For every day this grudge weighed on his heart, his resentment would deepen by another measure, and the danger of suffering qi deviation during cultivation would increase by another measure. Even with the Iceheart Formula suppressing it, that was not a long-term solution.

The best method was to take revenge with his own hands and purge the resentment from his heart. Perhaps while resolving that resentment, his martial path could also advance a few steps.

However, the first thing he needed to do now was return to the sect as quickly as possible. After obtaining a place on the Hundred Strong Ranking, he would work hard to improve his cultivation and martial arts realm, then find those four people and avenge his hatred.

To all readers who came here through today's recommendation, if you think this work is all right, please add it to your collection. Thank you! Thank you!

(End of this chapter)