Active Guidance

Yang Yong hid in a mountain gully, clearly hearing the black bear's footsteps drawing closer. He was scared half to death. He knew exactly what would happen if the black bear found him.

Every footstep that sounded was a death-knell talisman.

Yet after waiting for a moment, he still saw no sign of the black bear. Instead, an unusual commotion came from nearby.

He gathered his courage and raised his upper body to look, only to see Yang Yi tightly restraining the black bear.

Seeing that the black bear seemed about to break free, Yang Yong had no idea where he found the courage. He hurriedly scrambled up, grabbed a rock from nearby, rushed before the tangled pair, and viciously smashed it down at the black bear's head.

When the rock came down the first time, Yang Yi nearly failed to hold the black bear. Only after the second blow, then the third, did the struggles of the burly man in his arms gradually weaken.

After another seven or eight blows, Yang Yi finally cried out in a low voice, "Big Brother, that's enough!"

Yang Yong still held the posture of bringing the rock down. Hearing the voice, he staggered back several steps. He looked at the head smashed into pulp, then at the rock in his own hand, and flung it away as though it were a scalding hot potato.

His blood-smeared hand covered his mouth. Whimpering sounds came from his throat, his eyes were filled with terror, and his face might as well have had the words "I'm so scared" written across it.

With a roll, Yang Yi shoved the still-twitching corpse from his arms aside. His entire body was nearly drained of strength.

Knowing they could not stay here long, he knew that although the disturbance just now had been slight, there was no guarantee the other three bandits had not noticed.

Forcing his exhausted body upright, he grabbed Yang Yong. "Go!"

Yang Yong was dragged along like a puppet, walking mechanically.

After taking several steps, Yang Yi suddenly turned back and glanced at a small bundle on Black Bear's body.

He quickly returned, picked up the small bundle, and once again fled with Yang Yong.

Only after running several miles in one breath did they stop.

Leaning against a tree, Yang Yi felt as though his chest were on fire. Every breath hurt beyond measure.

Yang Yong was in even worse shape. He had been vomiting continuously since earlier, his face pale as paper. If Yang Yi had not dragged him along, he likely would have been unable to walk already.

The two brothers had rushed about since getting up in the morning without even eating. First they encountered bandits, then killed someone, and then sprinted for so long. Both were completely exhausted.

After resting for a while, Yang Yi finally regained some strength. When he turned his head, Yang Yong was still dry-heaving.

Noticing Yang Yi's gaze, Yang Yong looked up. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he trembled and said, "S-Second Brother, I... I killed... killed someone."

An eighteen-year-old youth who had not even slaughtered more than a few chickens, much less a person.

Yang Yi opened his mouth, wanting to comfort him, but he did not know how to begin.

Killed someone!

Even after living two lives, it was his first time as well. But in that situation, if he had not acted, Yang Yong would surely have faced grave danger. Once Yang Yong was discovered, Yang Yi himself would not have been able to remain unscathed either. So he could only strike first and gain the upper hand.

He felt no less unsettled inside. Speaking of which, he was two years younger than Yang Yong.

Yet Yang Yong's appearance made him become much stronger.

"Big Brother, you cannot tell anyone, including Uncle, Auntie, and Er Ya. What happened today is known by heaven, known by earth, known by you, and known by me!" Yang Yi warned solemnly.

Yang Yong clearly had not taken it in. He only muttered to himself, "Killed someone... killed someone..."

Yang Yi sighed. What they had experienced today had dealt Yang Yong a heavy blow.

Not daring to rest any longer, he forced himself up, supported Yang Yong, and headed all the way toward home.

Along the way, they found a small river and washed the blood from their bodies and hands.

When they were two li from Yang Family Hollow, he hid the bundle in a concealed spot.

They returned home after noon. Seeing Yang Yong's miserable state, Uncle and Auntie were horrified, while Yang Ya kept wiping away tears.

Yang Yong had been frightened senseless, and Uncle and Auntie could not get anything out of him.

Yang Yi could only explain it himself, telling them they had encountered bandits on the road...

He only told the first half of the story. This was also what he had instructed Yang Yong about on their way back.

Auntie wailed to heaven and cried to earth, but constrained by Black Wind Stronghold's fearsome reputation, she did not even dare curse them.

At least Auntie knew the two brothers had been frightened and had not eaten. She wept as she cooked them something to eat.

After eating, Yang Yi collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

Yang Yong had been frightened, but was Yang Yi any different?

In his dreams, all he saw was Black Bear's bloody, mangled corpse.

He slept restlessly that night. Waking early, Yang Yi checked the Source Crystal again and discovered that the crack which had changed before had grown smaller again.

Today, Yang Yi did not leave the village by his usual route, but departed in another direction.

He had left the bundle here yesterday, and having hidden it hastily, he did not feel it was safe. He needed to take it into the mountains.

An hour later, inside a hidden cave on Crouching Ox Mountain, Yang Yi opened the bundle to inspect it.

What met his eyes were two familiar purple sable pelts—the very ones that had been stolen before.

He could not help sighing. Those two purple sable pelts had gone around and around, only to return after all.

Other than the purple sable pelts, there was only one other thing in the bundle, carefully wrapped in one of the pelts.

"Old mountain ginseng!" Yang Yi recognized it at a glance.

The ginseng, roots and all, was nearly as long as his arm. Its body looked like a radish, with over a dozen rootlets. One look showed that it had aged for many years.

It was at least a century-old mountain ginseng!

The good stuff those bandits had mentioned was actually this treasure?

He had no idea whom they had robbed it from.

If this thing were sold, it would bring at least several thousand taels. If he encountered someone who knew its worth, perhaps even more. The main thing was that it was rare.

Yang Yi could not possibly take it out to sell. He could not find a suitable buyer, and besides, as a young man with no backing, he feared he might have money to take but no life to spend it.

Since he could not sell it...

Yang Yi reached out, tore off a section of rootlet, and stuffed it into his mouth to chew.

The taste was slightly astringent, but once he swallowed it, he quickly felt warmth spreading through his belly.

He hurried out of the cave and began practicing the Body Tempering Technique.

Practicing the Body Tempering Technique required dietary supplementation. It was not merely about eating meat; consuming such potent tonics as old mountain ginseng worked even better.

Actually, if possible, this treasure should have been soaked in liquor. That would better bring out its medicinal effects, but Yang Yi had no time to wait.

He loosened his muscles and bones, breathing in and out. The familiar stabbing pain returned within his body, as though every scrap of flesh and blood from head to toe were being torn apart.

This was his second time practicing the Body Tempering Technique. Compared to the first time, he was somewhat more skilled, but it still took him an hour to complete a full set of movements.

His entire body was drenched, and the pain was hard to bear, yet the current of heat in his abdomen had not faded.

It was still early. Without any gains, it would not be good to return, so Yang Yi could only rest for now.

The mountain breeze brushed against his face, pleasantly soothing.

Two hours later, Yang Yi's expression shifted. The intense pain in his body had already eased considerably.

It was the effect of that mass of Golden Light.

Yang Yi had already suspected as much. Since the Golden Light could repair the Source Crystal, repairing hidden injuries within his body would naturally be no difficulty.

This kind of repair happened subtly and imperceptibly, so he could not detect it.

With that thought, Yang Yi immediately sank his mind inward and examined the mass of Golden Light.

Since this thing possessed the ability to repair, could he actively guide it?

The moment the thought arose, the Golden Light suddenly burst apart. Only a small cluster remained wrapped around the Source Crystal, visibly less than half of what there had been before. The rest of the Golden Light vanished without a trace.

Immediately afterward, Yang Yi clearly sensed a cool current swiftly coursing through his body.

Wherever the coolness traveled, the pain there rapidly lessened.

He really could actively guide it! Yang Yi's eyes shone with excitement.

In just the time it took for one stick of incense to burn, the soreness in his body vanished without a trace.

Yang Yi immediately rose to his feet. The medicinal effects of that section of old mountain ginseng rootlet were still holding, making this precisely the time to practice.

Another hour passed. As Yang Yi gently exhaled, he completed a set of the Body Tempering Technique, and the familiar stabbing pain once more swept through his entire body.

With his earlier experience, Yang Yi wasted no time in activating the Golden Light's power to repair the hidden injuries in his body.

Then he practiced the Body Tempering Technique once again.

However, when Yang Yi activated the Golden Light's power for the third time, his vision went black.

He could not help shaking his head.

A flash of understanding rose in his heart. "Actively guiding this Golden Light consumes my mental energy."

He had noticed it when activating it the second time. An overwhelming weariness would arise, as though he had gone days without sleep.

This time was even more obvious.

Yang Yi had no doubt that if he forced it, he would likely faint on the spot.

Twice a day...

That meant he could practice the Body Tempering Technique three times every day.

Compared to ordinary people, such efficiency was simply terrifying.

According to the knowledge Yuejian had left behind, when ordinary people first began practicing the Body Tempering Technique, they needed at least four or five days of recuperation before they could practice again.

His efficiency was more than ten times that of ordinary people!

The premise was that his dietary supplements had to keep up.

But with that old mountain ginseng on hand, he would not need to worry for the time being.