Just as Zhang Tie was at a loss, the Black-Clothed Man waved his hand and threw something in the direction of Zhang Tie and his brother. This object transformed into a white light and perfectly embedded itself in a patch of grass where Zhang Tie and his brother were not.
At this moment, the Black-Clothed Man, having finished these actions, did not even look back and sped away like the wind in the opposite direction from Zhang Tie and his brother.
This process was extremely swift, taking less than two breaths of time.
Only then did Zhang Tie, who had finally breathed a sigh of relief, clearly see that what the Black-Clothed Man had thrown earlier was actually a small jade box, smooth and lustrous, clearly valuable at a glance.
In the distance, the bandit leader, who had rushed out of the smoke, glared with wide eyes and cursed loudly: "You scoundrel, don't run!" With that, he stepped like the wind, closely pursuing the Black-Clothed Man's direction.
Zhang Tie and Zhang Jin, the two brothers, were now lying flat on the ground, their faces pressed tightly against it, not daring to breathe, much less move a muscle.
Although they were filled with curiosity about the small white box, they also knew well that the situation was dangerous at this moment and could distinguish between priorities; nothing was more important than their own lives.
They remained silently prone like this, and after more than ten breaths, hearing the sounds of the earlier pursuit disappear, they dared to slightly lift their heads and look down.
At this point, the guards on the road were being slaughtered one by one by the bandits.
Even the young girl in the pink dress who had snuck away at the very beginning was cut across the neck with a blade, her head rolling directly to the ground, blood spurting several feet high, before she collapsed and died.
The remaining bandits took the box from the girl's hand, then searched the guards' bodies, before mounting their horses and riding away with a crack of their whips.
As the chaotic hoofbeats gradually faded into the distance, the entire mountain forest slowly quieted down. If not for the lingering corpses and bloodstains on the ground, it would have seemed as if that bloody struggle had never occurred.
Zhang Tie and Zhang Jin, the two brothers, then stood up, trembling slightly, their bodies drenched in cold sweat, their clothes soaked and clinging tightly to them.
Zhang Tie composed himself, quickly ran to the edge of the grass, and forcefully pulled out the small white box.
Without time to think, he immediately tucked it into his embrace, not even glancing at it, and said to his elder brother Zhang Jin: "Brother, this place is not suitable to stay long, let's hurry home."
"Okay, let's go!" Zhang Jin nodded.
Although both of them were extremely curious about what was inside the box, after all, this group of bandits was clearly prepared and had a very clear target, otherwise they wouldn't have killed to silence witnesses and dealt with everything so cleanly and efficiently.
The two, filled with tension and fear, hurried along the way without stopping. The path beneath their feet seemed to have become much longer than usual.
Zhang Tie walked, occasionally looking back, fearing any further unexpected events. Zhang Jin, on the other hand, looked fearful, remaining silent throughout the journey, walking with his head down.
"Brother, what kind of treasure do you think is in this box that made these bandits go to such great lengths?" Zhang Tie couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
Zhang Jin panted: "I don't know either, but it must not be an ordinary item. We've encountered such a thing this time, and I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse."
"No matter what, let's go home first."
The two quickened their steps, wishing they could grow wings and fly home at once.
"Finally home," Zhang Tie said, exhaling a sigh of relief as he looked at the blacksmith shop.
Zhang Jin also let out a sigh of relief, a smile of survival after a disaster appearing on his face.
Upon entering the house, Zhang Tie and Zhang Jin put away the firewood they had cut from the mountain and went together to their sleeping room.
"What do we do now?" Although Zhang Jin was the eldest son in the family, he was only a 12-year-old child with little experience or knowledge.
On the contrary, having spent time with his younger brother Zhang Tie recently, especially after today's encounter, although he was only seven years old, Zhang Jin vaguely felt that his younger brother was unusual, calm and composed unlike a typical child. Zhang Jin couldn't understand it, and ultimately attributed his brother's behavior to having attended school.
Zhang Tie pondered for a moment: "Let's not make a sound for now. Let's see what's in that box first."
With that, Zhang Tie took out the small white box from his embrace and placed it on the table. Zhang Jin also gathered around, their gazes fixed on the mysterious box.
Zhang Tie gently opened the box, revealing a crystal-clear, emerald-green bead inside. The bead was engraved with some strange patterns and symbols, but that was all; nothing particularly special could be discerned.
"This bead looks very valuable." Zhang Jin stared at the bead, his eyes gleaming.
"Don't tell anyone else about this matter for now. I'll keep the item," Zhang Tie thought for a moment and then added, "I think the Black-Clothed Man must have discovered us at that time, which is why he threw this item in our direction, so he should come back to look for it later."
Zhang Jin nodded in agreement, feeling that his younger brother made a lot of sense.
Over the past two months, ever since a trace of cool Qi appeared in Zhang Tie's body, he felt not only more energetic but also that his mind had opened up, no longer as dull as before.
Seven days passed, and everything was calm and peaceful, without incident.
That night, the moon hung high in the sky, casting its silver glow upon the ground. Zhang Tie, as usual, waited until his family had fallen into deep slumber before quietly making his way to the woodshed, where he skillfully sat down cross-legged, preparing to Cultivate Changchun Gong.
Although he had diligently Cultivated this Cultivation Technique every night during these days, the subtle flow of Qi within him remained as calm as his peaceful life, showing no significant changes.
However, this Cultivation Technique was not without its benefits; after Cultivating for an entire night, he would wake up the next day not feeling tired at all, but rather refreshed and invigorated, as if he had enjoyed a full night's sleep, his body brimming with vitality.
Tonight, Zhang Tie was once again immersed in Cultivation, concentrating intently, when the emerald-green bead suddenly flashed through his mind. Thinking of this, he quietly got up, tiptoed stealthily to the house, and carefully took out the white box containing the bead.
Returning to the woodshed, under the moonlight, Zhang Tie gently opened the white box. The emerald-green bead, illuminated by the moonlight, emitted a faint glow. He held the bead in his hand, examining it carefully, his eyes full of curiosity, yet after a long look, he did not detect any abnormalities.
Zhang Tie frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "How could those people go to such great lengths to snatch this bead if there were no clues?" After a moment of thought, he stopped pondering and casually held the bead as he continued to Cultivate Changchun Gong.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he began to Cultivate, an anomaly occurred!
The faint trace of Qi he had painstakingly accumulated within his body instantly became uncontrollable, rapidly flowing into the green bead in his hand. Immediately afterward, the green bead suddenly flashed with green light, and a ray of light instantly flew out from the bead, disappearing into Zhang Tie's glabella with lightning speed.
Zhang Tie felt a sudden sharp pain in his head, a pain so swift and intense that he couldn't even cry out. In an instant, the world spun, everything before his eyes blurred, and the entire world seemed to collapse in a flash.
Before he could react, Zhang Tie fell headfirst to the ground. His body twitched slightly, his expression contorted with pain, and cold sweat poured out like rain, instantly drenching his clothes.
He didn't know how long passed, but the excruciating pain gradually subsided, and Zhang Tie slowly regained consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with confusion. The sudden change just now left him with lingering fear.
Zhang Tie got up, leaning against the woodshed wall, and took several deep, ragged breaths. At this moment, he felt his head was heavy and his spirit was weak.
"What exactly is going on? What was that green light?!"
