Xu Qing didn’t pay attention to the person following him. As Xu Qing walked with Captain Lei on his back, he took out the white pills from the leather bag and fed them to the latter.
Perhaps it was the effect of the white pills, or maybe it was the efficacy of the seven-leaf grass, Captain Lei’s complexion gradually stopped turning greenish-black.
It was just that the anomalous substances in his body were too dense and even with Xu Qing’s white pills, it couldn’t be completely suppressed at this moment.
As such, Captain Lei was still in a state of unconsciousness. It was apparent that what he experienced on this journey to the forbidden zone had affected him greatly.
Hence… On the way back during this dark night, when Xu Qing encountered more scavengers who were in despair from being trapped within the labyrinth fog, he allowed them to follow behind him at the expense of white pills. They would then follow the sound of his footsteps to move forward.
Of course, among them, there were still some ‘blind’ people. However, they ultimately became a reference for the grateful followers behind Xu Qing and caused them to revere him even more.
Most of them speculated that he must be one of those who were born innately with great mental energy.
Because only such a person would not be confined by the labyrinth fog.
And with regard to this type of people, Xu Qing had heard about them from Luan Tooth previously. It was also what he thought about when he saved the first person in exchange for white pills. Hence, it became a cover-up, and he didn’t worry about exposing his secret.
His accumulations soon surpassed ten white pills, and this finally caused Captain Lei’s complexion to recover, turning from the greenish-black to merely green. His breathing was evidently smoother by a lot as well.
At the same time, Xu Qing discovered that the feedback from his shadow couldn’t be sustained for a long period.
Following his journey forward right now, the perception of the fog ahead was less transparent than before and gradually turned fuzzy. It seemed like it wouldn’t be too long before his sight became the same as others.
It was fortunate that the remaining distance to the outside world wasn’t that far.
Hence, as his vision started to turn blurry, Xu Qing hastened his speed, and the darkness in the sky dissipated when the early sun rose. The first rays of the morning sun spilled over the ground at that moment. He, who was carrying Captain Lei on his back, finally passed through the small crack between the branches and leaves and saw the outside world in the near distance.
Xu Qing’s mood fluctuated. His body leaped toward the boundary in an instant and headed out of the jungle in strides.
The moment he stepped across the cold boundary, the breeze from the outside world carried the warmth of the sunlight, falling onto Xu Qing’s body.
Because the sun rays were too bright, he couldn’t help but squint his eyes. As he stood there, he took a deep breath of the air.
At that moment, the followers behind him also regained their sight one after another when they neared the edge of the boundary.
Each of them held the agitation of someone who had narrowly escaped death, and they rushed out.
As they stepped past the boundary, they became incessantly spirited. An old man even knelt on the ground and gently kissed the soil of the Earth.
At that moment, they could finally take in Xu Qing’s appearance and Captain Lei whom he was carrying on his back.
Not many people knew of Xu Qing, but there was no one who didn’t know Captain Lei.
Hence, when the sight of Xu Qing and Captain Lei reached their eyes, their recollection of Xu Qing surfaced one after another as well.
“Kid!”
“Captain Lei”
The four or five followers were shaken, but as Xu Qing’s gaze swept over them, they instinctively shut up.
To be honest, the coldness Xu Qing had displayed toward those scavengers who harbored ill-intentions had long since intimidated them.
After that, Xu Qing didn’t bother with them and retracted his gaze. He was about to make a beeline for the campsite when two figures whizzed over at that moment, approaching swiftly.
It was Cross and Luan Tooth. They had returned but didn’t wait at the campsite. Instead, they were anxiously waiting outside.
They had discussed it among themselves that if Captain Lei and the others didn’t return that day, they would head back in again to search and rescue them.
Hence, when they saw Xu Qing’s silhouette from a distance, the two of them swiftly approached him.
And when Cross noticed Captain Lei on Xu Qing’s back, his pupils narrowed intensely, but when his gaze landed on Xu Qing’s body, it softened.
There was a change in Luan Tooth’s expression as well, with her murderous intent spreading immediately. She looked toward the people who followed Xu Qing out.
As a result, the breathing of those people grew hurried one after another. They all grew alert.
“It has nothing to do with them. We were also fortunate because of them, or else Captain Lei might not have been able to press on.”
Xu Qing spoke up, dissolving Luan Tooth’s murderous intent. After that, those who followed him out let out a breath of relief. Now, when they looked at Xu Qing, it contained gratitude on top of awe. They then cupped their fist in the other hand as a sign of respect and left separately.
After they left, Cross stepped forward to help Captain Lei off Xu Qing’s back, but he was stopped by Xu Qing.
“Let Captain Lei sleep a while more. I can still carry on.” Xu Qing took a deep breath.
“Alright, let us return to the campsite first and bring the leader to the doctor.” Cross nodded and took a white pill to feed it to Captain Lei. With Luan Tooth, they escorted from each side, and the three of them sped toward the campsite.
On the way, there were many times when Luan Tooth wanted to speak. But in the end, she still couldn’t help but ask.
“Where’s Barbaric Ghost? Are the Bloodshadow Team still pursuing and attacking?”
Xu Qing stayed silent and spoke softly after a long while.
“Barbaric Ghost mutated and died in battle.”
That sentence stopped Cross and Luan Tooth in their tracks. They were speechless. Even if they were mentally prepared, there was still an intense sadness growing. Luan Tooth was even a little despondent.
It was Xu Qing’s second sentence that shook them, making them look at Xu Qing in disbelief.
“Bloodshadow Team, completely annihilated.”
Xu Qing lowered his head and slowly said while walking.
“Is that why leader’s injuries and anomalous substances are so serious…”
Luan Tooth muttered as though she had an answer. To their side, Cross’s expression was a little odd; he thought perhaps that was not the case. As such, he stared deeply at Xu Qing but didn’t ask about the details.
Xu Qing didn’t explain nor mention the incident with the singing voice. That was Captain Lei’s secret, so whether or not it should be divulged wasn’t up to him.
Just like that, the three of them dashed the whole way, and it wasn’t long before they reached the campsite. They then headed immediately to the carriage convoy from outside, where the doctor who had gained much popularity during this time was located.
The people in the queue felt the somberness of the Thunder Team’s members from their appearance. Spotting the unconscious Captain Lei, the person at the front of the queue outside of the doctor’s tent cleverly gave way.
This allowed everyone from the Thunder Team to step into the tent very quickly.
The tent was huge and filled with a strong medicinal scent. In addition to a few guards in iron armor, there was also an ill-looking scavenger visiting the doctor.
The person who was attending to the sick was a meager old man. He wore a set of ordinary but cleanly-washed gray long robes. Although wrinkles scattered around his face, there was vigor in his eyes. It seemed wise and farsighted, like the stars, as if it could see through a person’s heart.
On either side of the old man sat a young man and a young lady respectively. The man was a youth who seemed similar in age to Xu Qing. He wore a blue-colored long gown from silk with a black-colored jade headband on his head. Moreover, there was a jade pendant engraved with a dragon figure hanging by his waist, with a gold tassel scattered at the edge of the round cushion.
The young man was handsome with a well-kempt appearance, but it seemed like he was still not fully awake. One of his hands supported his chin and he held a medical book in the other. He didn’t seem like he had the energy to read it and was yawning from time to time.
On the other side was a young girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old, in a long dress. Her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and she had a standard oval face. Her skin was snow-white, and she appeared refined and elegant.
She had a pair of bright eyes that were as clear and bright as the multitude of stars. At that moment, she noticed the young man dozing off beside her and cracked a faint smile. Then, she lowered her head toward the pharmacopeia in her hands.
In that smile, her eyes curved like a crescent moon, and it seemed as if her charm was overflowing.
And between this frown and a smile, she revealed her elegance naturally. One couldn’t help but gasp at her sharp and elegant radiance.
The pair of golden boy and jade maiden* had a clear spirit that scavengers rarely saw. It made Luan Tooth feel inferior and even Cross took a few glances.
As for Xu Qing, he looked at the medical books in their hands and his expression revealed envy. Soon, however, he retracted his gaze and placed more focus on the doctor in front of him.
At that moment, the doctor was giving the scavenger who visited some instructions. After the scavenger left in gratitude, he washed his hands with the copper basin by his side and lifted his head to look at Xu Qing and his companions.
His gaze swept past them and landed first on Xu Qing. His eyes seemed to be filled with some deep meaning behind them. Then, he looked at Captain Lei who was on Xu Qing’s back as he spoke slowly.
“Put him down.”
Xu Qing didn’t know why, but under the old man’s gaze, he felt a little nervous. It was like he was back in the slums and was facing the sir who had taught them.
As such, with the help of Cross, the two of them put Captain Lei down carefully, letting him lay flat in front of the old man.
And it was at that moment that Captain Lei slowly regained consciousness. He started when he saw the tent and also spotted the doctor, Xu Qing, and the others. Just as he was about to get up on his feet, the elderly doctor spoke indifferently.
“Lie down properly.”
Those words made Captain Lei turn toward the doctor. As they looked at each other, Captain Lei still continued to get up without a word. After that, with Cross stepping forward to lend his arm as a support, Captain Lei bowed to the doctor.
“It’s just a few injuries, but they still sent me here. I won’t trouble Grandmaster Bai. I’m fine.”
“You know who I am?” The elderly doctor was puzzled as he looked over at Captain Lei.
“I’ve seen Grandmaster Bai once from a distance, many years ago.” Captain Lei nodded respectfully.
Grandmaster Bai stared deeply at Captain Lei and said slowly.
“Your recent injury isn’t too serious, and the anomalous substances in your body are also suppressed, so it’s not a major issue. As for the exhaustion of your state of mind, it is obvious that there was an undue fluctuation in your emotions lately, which hurt your heart meridian.
“Although the combination of all these is a little troublesome, it is still alright and treatable. But… this is not the main point.
“The main point is that there is an internal injury to your body that was incurred many years ago. I’m guessing someone crippled your foundation in your early years and your current cultivation was rebuilt from scratch. To be able to reach this level of cultivation after having your foundation crippled is not easy.
“It’s just that, with all these mixed together, you’ve overused everything. It is difficult to treat them with ordinary medication, so I am also powerless. I’ll give you a set of medications. To what extent it would be able to heal, will depend on your fate.
“But you must remember at all costs that from now on, you cannot continue your cultivation breathing technique. Otherwise, when the anomalous substances increase and cause the internal injury to relapse, then… you’ll meet certain death.”
Hearing Grandmaster Bai’s words, Cross and Luan Tooth fell into silence. It was apparent that they knew Captain Lei’s foundation had been crippled before. However, Xu Qing didn’t know about it and looked toward Captain Lei, suddenly recalling the singing in the forbidden zone and that pair of red female shoes.
“Is there no other way?” Cross asked slowly.
“There is. If you can find the heavenfate flower, which belongs to the category of heavenly ingredients and earthly treasures, then you can naturally continue to cultivate for another generation. It was said that one of such stalks once appeared in the forbidden zone near here.”
Cross went silent and Luan Tooth looked anxious. At this moment, Xu Qing looked at Captain Lei. Compared to them, Captain Lei looked calm and smiled slightly.
“It’s not that serious. It’s all chronic illnesses. We won’t disturb Grandmaster Bai any longer,” Captain Lei said and bowed to Grandmaster Bai. After that, he called out for Xu Qing and the others to leave.
The three people, including Xu Qing, respectfully thanked Grandmaster Bai in succession and left with the medication in hand.
However, Xu Qing, who had something on his mind, wondered if he was imagining things. When he took his leave after expressing his gratitude, he felt that the gaze Grandmaster Bai held toward him was one of scrutiny.
The Thunder Team stayed quiet the whole way.
When they were back at Captain Lei’s residence, Cross and Luan Tooth looked as though they had something to say, but they were sent away by Captain Lei.
It was only after they had left that Captain Lei took out some tobacco from the residence and a pipe from the leather bag. After loading it, he lit it and sucked a deep breath from it.
As he exhaled, he let out a long and relaxed sigh. Looking at Xu Qing’s concerned expression, he waved the pipe and laughed.
“I didn’t think about smoking while in the forbidden zone, but taking a puff upon returning is truly comfortable. This thing is more effective than any medication.”
Xu Qing was just about to speak.
“What do you feel like eating today? I will make a meal for you… Accompany me for a drink.” Captain Lei didn’t let Xu Qing speak, as though he didn’t wish to listen. Hence, Xu Qing looked at him quietly and nodded his head after a long while.
“I want to eat snake.”
[1] Golden boy and the jade maiden (金童玉女) are from Chinese mythology. In novels, they are often used to describe attractive and well-matched couples.