After climbing over mountain rocks, crossing streams, and carefully picking their way through piles of rubble until they found the mountain path trodden by travelers crossing the mountains, they quickened their pace.
Branches laden with leaves occasionally brushed over their heads, and cool breezes swept through the mountain path. With tree shade often obscuring the way, the surroundings seemed even darker.
After being tossed about for most of the night and frightened half to death, the five of them had already expended much of their strength. Not to mention that they were carrying people on their backs. Yet the lingering tension and fear forced them to gather their breath and keep from slowing down.
Lu Chengfeng felt that Mister Ji on his back was very light, as though he were carrying a woman, but the psychological pressure Mister Ji gave him was heavier than a boulder of equal size.
Once they passed the outermost mountain peak and reached a stream surrounded by massive rocks, everyone finally let out a breath of relief. Looking down from this slope, they could already vaguely make out the outline of Shuixian Town.
"Mister Ji, how about we rest here for a while? Junior Sister Luo and the others' injuries cannot hold on through such continuous travel."
Lu Chengfeng carefully asked the person on his back.
The ones doing the legwork were tired, but Ji Yuan, lying on someone's back, was not having an easy time either. His whole body ached terribly, and he could not have wanted a rest more.
"Fine, let us rest here for a while."
Hearing Ji Yuan's answer, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Mister Ji saying it was fine also gave them a little peace of mind.
"Everyone, rest for a while. Be careful when you put them down!"
"Alright!"
They gently and carefully laid the injured people down.
The injured had actually been on the verge of being unable to endure any longer. Every jolt from each leap sent piercing pain through them, but they had merely endured it in silence.
Ji Yuan lay atop a slanted boulder with his eyes half-closed, resting. In truth, he was carefully observing the injured people around him.
He suddenly realized that, compared with daytime, the present darkness did not have much effect on his horrendously poor eyesight. He could not see much more in daylight, yet he could not see much less at night either. It was truly strange; it had clearly not seemed this way before.
"Cough, cough, cough... Wah..."
Zhao Long trembled as he braced himself against the rock beneath him by the stream and spat out a mouthful of congealed blood.
"Zhao Long, are you alright? I'll get you some water!"
"No, nothing..."
Luo Ningshuang's breathing was disordered as her trembling fingers touched her left shoulder. Two Tiger Claws marks there looked as though they had been carved by blades.
The claw marks on Yan Fei's body were deeper and more severe than Luo Ningshuang's. Only after having his acupoints sealed and his wounds bandaged had the bleeding barely stopped, but he did not dare move at all, his face pale as death.
The most severely injured was the bladesman named Du Heng. One twisted right arm was almost certainly ruined. As he endured the pain, half his clothes had already been soaked through with sweat.
Ji Yuan could hardly bear to look directly at the young swordsman. Such an injury might not be fatal, but to one who practiced martial arts, it was surely more agonizing than death. After all, this fellow was not Yang Guo; he might never wield a blade again in this life.
In the blur, Ji Yuan saw him silently clutching his arm. His face must have been ashen with despair.
"Have some water, Du Heng."
Lu Chengfeng handed him a waterskin. The bladesman forced a smile and accepted it, drinking wildly as though it were wine.
"Ah..."
Ji Yuan sighed softly. These fellows were not bad at heart.
"Mister Ji, we do not matter, but... do you have any way to help Du Heng?"
Yan Fei lay on the rock, clenching his fist as he quietly asked Ji Yuan. His agitation had even torn open his wound, drawing blood.
In an instant, everyone looked toward Ji Yuan. Hope rose in Du Heng's eyes in particular. They had suddenly realized that the beggar before them was a Master whom even the Tiger Spirit treated with great respect.
Damn it, what kind of method could I possibly have? I'm not a doctor!
At a time like this, Ji Yuan's thoughts spun in every direction. A favor of rice could earn gratitude, but a favor of grain could breed resentment. He had saved them, but if he did not produce some Miracle Elixir, would they resent him instead?
"Heh heh! This person Ji said beforehand in the temple that there was a Fierce Tiger in the mountains that had become a spirit, yet several of you merely scoffed at it!"
Ji Yuan paused here. Only after seeing the awkward shame on their faces, as though they wished they could burrow into the ground, did he continue.
"Ah, it is only a pity that this person Ji is not skilled in medicine. Even my own eyes await treatment from a physician, so how could I tend to others? Yet there is no lack of remarkable physicians in this world. Perhaps there is still room for salvation."
Du Heng held his right arm with his left hand, gritting his teeth against the pain as beads of sweat dripped from his chin.
"Mister Ji, Du Heng is not someone who doesn't know gratitude. You warned us once and saved us once before; to us, that is already a grace of rebirth. These bitter fruits... are what we deserve!"
The others merely fell silent at his words. Ji Yuan looked at this bladesman in surprise.
Perhaps fearing that Du Heng would fall into despair, after everyone had been silent for a short while, Ji Yuan suddenly added something profound.
"If Young Hero Du can survive this trial, his future will be without limit!"
Du Heng and the others looked toward Ji Yuan again, only to find that he had already closed his eyes to rest his mind and said nothing more.
Ji Yuan's feeling at that moment was simple: after putting on an act, pretend to sleep. What a thrill!
Lu Chengfeng hesitated for a moment, then looked at Ji Yuan and asked another question.
"Mister Ji, should we tell the people below the mountain the true situation... This White Tiger Hide was not ultimately obtained by us through tiger hunting..."
That Fierce Tiger had given them a rare White Tiger Hide that looked as though it had just been skinned, and had even told them they could speak directly of having successfully hunted the tiger. But looking at the miserable state of their group, such words were difficult to utter.
That sentence gave Ji Yuan a fright.
Damn it, if you tell the truth and some bold fool goes to hunt the demon, it'll be fine if they succeed. But if they fail, won't Lord Lu come settle accounts with everyone?
Ji Yuan solemnly sat up from the rock, half-opening his pale eyes.
"There is a Tiger Demon in the mountains, named Lord Lu; muddledly he dwells in Ox Kui, every night yearning to eat men. One morning he received enlightenment, and from then on turned away from evil..."
"Young Heroes, Lord Lu once said that after descending the mountain, you may tell the people below that the man-eating Fierce Tiger in the mountains has been brought to justice. That would not count as a lie. And since this matter is closely tied to all of you, there is no need for shame in telling others that you eliminated the man-eating Fierce Tiger."
"But all this was because of you, Mister Ji..."
Lu Chengfeng had not finished speaking when Ji Yuan raised a hand to stop him.
"Do not mention my affairs before outsiders either. Besides, to speak frankly, how many people in this world would dare, like you Young Heroes, to accept the challenge and enter the mountain with nothing but a heart full of hot blood?"
This was also half of Ji Yuan's true feeling, and it sent a surge of warmth through the hearts of these Young Heroes, who were filled with frustration and defeat.
Seeing that Lu Chengfeng still wanted to say something, Ji Yuan simply lay back down, closed his eyes, and pretended to rest, unwilling to pay attention to him any longer.
You really have too damn much to say!
Ji Yuan felt he was just short of roaring at them: Go be your Tiger Slaying Heroes in peace!
After that, no one brought the matter up again. After all, they all yearned for recognition. Having paid such a great price, if they were still mocked in the end, they would truly collapse.
Ji Yuan relaxed slightly. Just as Yan Xishan had said, he was dancing atop several eggs. It was fucking exhausting. Fortunately, this person Ji's eloquence was barely passable, or he would have been cold and dead long ago.
If he ever had a chance to return, then whenever he saw some transmigrator living comfortably in a novel or story, he would follow the internet cable to find the author and smash that bastard's head in!
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