A Weary Ji Yuan

...They turned over mountain rocks, crossed a small stream, carefully navigated a stretch of gravel to find the mountain path trodden by the Mountain Guest, then picked up speed.

Branches with leaves occasionally brushed overhead, and a cool wind gusted along the mountain path. With frequent shade from the trees, the surroundings felt even darker.

After half a night of exertion and a serious scare, the five had already drained much of their stamina, not to mention they were carrying people. But the lingering tension and fear forced them to keep their breath steady and not slow their pace.

Lu Chengfeng felt that Mister Ji on his back was very light, like carrying a woman, yet the psychological weight Mister Ji placed on him was heavier than a boulder of equal size.

Once they passed the outermost peak and arrived at a stream surrounded by large rocks, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. From the slope here, they could faintly make out the outline of Shuixian Town.

"Mister Ji, how about we rest here? Junior Sister Luo and the others can't hold on with this continuous travel in their condition."

Lu Chengfeng carefully asked the man on his back.

The one running errands was tired, but Ji Yuan, lying on someone's back, wasn't comfortable either—his body was sore all over. Rest was something he welcomed.

"Alright, let's rest here."

Hearing Ji Yuan's reply, everyone relaxed a little. Mister Ji saying it was fine gave them some psychological comfort.

"Everyone, take a rest. Be careful when setting people down!"

"Got it!"

They gently lowered the injured.

The wounded had been barely holding on for a while; every jolt from a jump sent pain shooting through them, but they had gritted their teeth and endured.

Ji Yuan lay on a slanted boulder, resting with his eyes half-closed, actually carefully observing the injured around him.

He suddenly noticed that at this moment, compared to daytime, his pitiful eyesight didn't make much difference. In the day, he couldn't see clearly more, but at night, he couldn't see clearly less either. It was strange, since it hadn't seemed like this before.

"Cough, cough, cough... ugh..."

Zhao Long trembled, propping himself on the rock by the stream, and spat out a mouthful of clotted blood.

"Zhao Long, are you alright? Let me get you some water!"

"No, I'm fine..."

Luo Ningshuang's breathing was erratic, her fingers trembling slightly as she touched her left shoulder, where two tiger claw marks were as deep as sword cuts.

The claw marks on Yan Fei were deeper and heavier than Luo Ningshuang's. Acupressure and bandaging had barely stopped the bleeding, but he dared not move, his face pale.

The worst was the bladesman named Du Heng. His twisted right arm was nearly useless. Enduring the pain, his clothes on one side were soaked with sweat.

Ji Yuan couldn't bear to look directly at the young bladesman. This injury might not be fatal, but for a martial artist, it was probably worse than death. After all, the guy wasn't Yang Guo—he might never use a blade again in this life.

In the blur, Ji Yuan saw him clutching his arm in silence, his face likely ashen.

"Have some water, Du Heng."

Lu Chengfeng handed him a waterskin. The bladesman forced a faint smile, took it, and drank like it was wine.

"Ah..."

Ji Yuan sighed softly. These people weren't bad at heart.

"Mister Ji, we don't matter, but... do you have a way to help Du Heng?"

Yan Fei lay on a rock, clenching his fist as he quietly asked Ji Yuan. In his agitation, blood seeped from his wounds.

Everyone's eyes snapped to Ji Yuan at once. Hope flickered in Du Heng's gaze. They suddenly realized that the beggar before them was a Master whom even the Tiger Spirit had treated with respect.

'Damn, I don't have a damn way. I'm not a doctor!'

At times like this, Ji Yuan's mind wandered again. Give a man a liter of rice and he's a friend, a bushel and he's an enemy. If he saved them but didn't produce any Miracle Elixir, would they hold a grudge instead?

"Heh! Ji said earlier at the temple that the mountain held a tiger that had become a spirit. A few of you scoffed at that!"

Ji Yuan paused here, seeing the awkward shame on their faces, then continued.

"Alas, it's just that Ji is no good at medicine. I seek a cure for my own eyes—how can I manage others? But the world is not without medical prodigies; perhaps there's still a chance for recovery."

Du Heng held his right arm with his left, gritting his teeth against the pain, sweat dripping from his chin.

"Mister Ji, Du Heng is not someone who doesn't know what's good for them. Your warning and rescue earlier were already a second chance for us. These bitter fruits... we deserve them!"

The others remained silent. Ji Yuan looked at the bladesman with some surprise.

Maybe afraid he'd fall into despair, after a brief silence from the group, Ji Yuan added a profound remark.

"If you survive this trial, Young Hero Du's future will be boundless!"

Du Heng and the others looked at Ji Yuan again, but found he had already closed his eyes to rest, saying no more.

Ji Yuan's thought at that moment was: pull off the act, then fake sleep—what a rush!

Lu Chengfeng hesitated, then looked at Ji Yuan and asked another question.

"Mister Ji, do we need to tell the people down the mountain the true situation? This White Tiger Hide isn't something we got from hunting the tiger..."

The tiger had given them a seemingly fresh, rare White Tiger Hide and told them they could say they'd successfully hunted it, but looking at their own miserable state, those words were hard to utter.

This question startled Ji Yuan.

'Damn, if you tell the truth, some bold fool might go hunt the demon. If they succeed, fine, but if they fail, won't Lord Lu come after everyone?'

Ji Yuan sat up solemnly from the rock, his pale eyes half-open.

"In the mountains there is a tiger demon, named Lord Lu, dwelling in Ox Kui, night after night longing to eat men. One day he received enlightenment, and from then on his evil heart returned..."

"Young heroes, Lord Lu once said that after you descend the mountain, you may tell the people below that the man-eating fierce tiger of the mountains has been brought to justice. That wouldn't be a false statement. And since this matter is closely tied to you, there's no shame in telling others that you eliminated the man-eating fierce tiger."

"But all of this is because of you, Mister Ji..."

Before Lu Chengfeng could finish his sentence, Ji Yuan raised a hand to stop him.

"As for my affairs, don't bring them up in front of outsiders. Besides, to be honest, how many people in this world would dare, like you young heroes, to accept the challenge and enter the mountain on a surge of passion?"

This was half a heartfelt remark from Ji Yuan, yet it stirred a warm current in the hearts of the frustrated young heroes.

Seeing that Lu Chengfeng still wanted to speak, Ji Yuan simply lay down, closed his eyes, and pretended to rest, signaling he wouldn't pay attention anymore.

'You're the one with all the damn fuss!'

Ji Yuan felt he might as well have shouted at them: Just go ahead and be your Tiger Slaying Heroes in peace!

After that, no one brought it up again. After all, they all craved recognition, and having paid such a heavy price, being ridiculed in the end would have been crushing.

Ji Yuan breathed a slight sigh of relief, feeling that, as Yan Xishan had said, he was dancing on several eggs. Damn, it was exhausting. Luckily, this person Ji's eloquence barely passed muster, or he'd have been dead cold by now.

If he ever got a chance to go back and saw another novel or story where a transmigrator had it easy, he'd trace the author through the internet and smash his dog head in!

Thanks to everyone for the collections and votes, thanks for the new book investments, and even more thanks for the tips!!!