Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Grandmaster Bai

Xu Qing didn’t pay any attention to the awed scavenger following behind him. He took out the White Pills from the leather bags and fed them to Captain Thunder as he walked.

Perhaps it was the effect of the White Pills, or maybe the seven-leaf grass from earlier had come into effect, but Captain Thunder’s complexion gradually eased and stopped turning blue-black.

However, there was just too much heterogeneity in his body. Despite Xu Qing using up all the White Pills, there weren’t enough to completely suppress it, and Captain Thunder remained unconscious. It was clear that he was heavily affected by everything that had happened in the forbidden area this time.

Thus… on his way back, whenever Xu Qing encountered scavengers trapped in the bewilderment fog, he would allow them to follow his footsteps in exchange for White Pills.

Of course, there were still people who didn’t know what was good for them and refused to hand over the pills, but those people ultimately became examples that made those following Xu Qing feel even more grateful and awed.

Most of them guessed that Xu Qing was someone who had been born with an innately strong spirit.

After all, only someone like that could be so unaffected by the bewilderment fog.

Xu Qing had actually heard about this kind of person before from Luan Ya, and he had thought about it when he saved the first scavenger. This misconception was a good cover that allowed him to act without exposing his real secret.

After saving a few people, Xu Qing had fed more than ten White Pills to Captain Thunder. Although the old man remained unconscious, his complexion had recovered quite a bit, turning from blue-black to just blue. His breathing had also improved quite a bit compared to before.

At the same time, Xu Qing discovered that the power from his shadow couldn’t last for a long time.

Right now, although he could still move forward, his perception in the fog was no longer as clear as before. It gradually blurred, and it seemed that before long, it wouldn’t be much different from what anyone else saw.

Fortunately, he was already almost outside.

So although his perception grew blurry, Xu Qing moved even faster. The dark night sky slowly brightened and the morning sun began to rise. The moment the light of dawn fell on the ground, Xu Qing finally saw the boundary of the forbidden area through the gaps in the jungle’s branches and leaves.

Xu Qing’s heart fluctuated, and he directly leaped past the boundary, stepping out of the jungle and back into the outside world.

As he stepped over the boundary, he left the bleak and cold world of the forbidden area behind. A warm breeze swept over his body and sunlight shone down.

The light was too bright, and he couldn’t help but squint his eyes. Nevertheless, he stood there and took a deep breath of the outside air.

At the same time, the scavengers following him also recovered their vision as they approached the boundary.

One by one, with the excitement of having narrowly escaped death, they all rushed out.

The moment they stepped into the outside world, they were all overcome with excitement. One old man even knelt down on the ground to kiss the soil.

And at that moment, they were finally able to clearly see Xu Qing, as well as the unconscious Captain Thunder on his back.

Not many people knew of Xu Qing, but there was no one who didn’t know Captain Thunder.

Now, seeing the two together, they quickly recalled whatever they knew about Xu Qing.

"Kid!"

"Captain Thunder!"

These four or five followers were shaken, but when Xu Qing glanced at them, they instinctively shut their mouths.

In fact, they had already been quite intimidated by Xu Qing’s indifference and actions towards those with malicious intentions on the way here.

Ignoring them, Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and was about to run straight back to camp. But just then, two figures approached rapidly from the distance.

It was Cross and Luan Ya, who had returned separately. They didn’t wait in the camp, but stayed outside the forbidden area to wait anxiously.

They had already agreed that if Captain Thunder and the others didn’t come out by today, they would enter the forbidden area to rescue them.

Now, seeing Xu Qing in the distance, the pair ran over at full speed.

When Cross noticed Captain Thunder on Xu Qing’s back, his eyes narrowed, but when he looked over at Xu Qing, his gaze softened.

Luan Ya’s complexion also changed, and killing intent burst out from her body. She glared toward those who had followed Xu Qing out.

All of these people grew vigilant and their breathing hastened.

“It has nothing to do with them. If not for them, Captain Thunder might not have been able to make it out.”

Luan Ya’s killing intent dissipated after Xu Qing spoke up. Those who followed him out all heaved sighs of relief. When they looked at Xu Qing, apart from awe, they also held gratitude. They cupped their fists and left.

After they left, Cross stepped forward to help Captain Thunder off Xu Qing’s back. However, Xu Qing stopped him.

“Let Captain Thunder sleep awhile more. I'm fine.” Xu Qing inhaled heavily.

"Alright. Let’s return to camp quickly and take Team Leader to see the doctor." Cross nodded and took out White Pills to feed to Captain Thunder. With Cross on Xu Qing’s left and Luan Ya to his right, the three hurried back to camp.

Luan Ya stopped herself from speaking several times on the way, but in the end she couldn’t hold herself back.

"Where's Barbarian? And what happened to the Blood Shadow Team?"

Xu Qing was silent for a while before speaking softly.

"Barbarian mutated and died in battle."

These words made Cross and Luan Ya stop in their tracks, and they fell silent. Even though they had somewhat expected this, their eyes were still showed deep grief, and Luan Ya seemed somewhat lost.

But when Xu Qing spoke his second sentence, the two of them trembled violently, looking at Xu Qing in disbelief.

"The Blood Shadow Team was completely wiped out."

Xu Qing lowered his head and continued to walk forward after speaking slowly.

“Is that why the team leader’s injuries and heterogeneity are so serious...”

Luan Ya murmured, as if she had found an answer. However, Cross had a strange expression on his face. He felt that this might not be the whole story and gave a deep look to Xu Qing, but he didn't ask any further.

Xu Qing didn’t explain, nor did he say anything about the singing. This was Captain Thunder’s personal secret, so Xu Qing didn’t have the right to decide whether or not to say it.

Thus, the trio soon arrived back at the scavenger camp. They immediately went to the convoy, whose doctor had been famous recently.

When the Thunder Team appeared, the whole queue felt a chill. Seeing the unconscious Captain Thunder, the people at the front of the queue outside of the doctor’s tent tactfully gave way.

Everyone in the Thunder Team soon stepped into the tent.

The tent was huge and full of a strong medicinal fragrance. There were some guards in iron armor, and there was also a scavenger looking at the doctor nervously.

This doctor was a thin old man. His gray robes were plain but very clean. He had wrinkles all over his face, but his star-like eyes were extremely bright and full of wisdom, as if they could see through a person’s heart.

A boy and a girl sat to his left and right, respectively. The boy was about the same age as Xu Qing, and he wore blue robes made from fine silk. His hair was tied up with a black hairband, and there was a jade pendant on his waist engraved with a dragon. Golden tassels were scattered on the edge of the cushion he was sitting on.

This boy was handsome and had a neat and tidy appearance, but he seemed to only be half awake at the moment. He was resting his chin on one hand and holding a medicine book in the other. It seemed like he had no energy to read it and he even yawned from time to time.

The girl was sixteen or seventeen years old, and she was wearing a dress the same shade of blue as the boy. Her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, framing her oval-shaped face perfectly. Her skin was white as snow and her facial features were beautiful and refined.

Her eyes were clear and bright like stars. When she noticed that the boy next to her was dozing off, she smiled slightly and looked down at the medicine book in her own hand.

When she smiled, her eyes curved like crescent moons, overflowing with charm.

Between her frowns and smiles, she revealed a natural noble demeanor, making people gasp at her elegant and graceful radiance.

This perfect pair possessed clean auras that were rarely seen by scavengers. They made Luan Ya feel a bit self-conscious, and even Cross took a few extra glances.

On the other hand, Xu Qing just looked at the medicine books in their hands with a hint of envy in his eyes. Nevertheless, he quickly withdrew his gaze and refocused on the doctor in front of him.

The doctor said a few words to the scavenger who had come to visit. After that scavenger expressed his thanks and left, the doctor washed his hands in the copper basin at his side and raised his head to look at Xu Qing’s group.

His eyes first fell on Xu Qing, and they seemed to be full of a deep meaning. Then he looked at the unconscious Captain Thunder and spoke slowly.

"Put him down."

Xu Qing didn’t know why, but he felt a little nervous when the old man looked at him. It was like he was facing his teacher back in the slums.

With the help of Cross, he carefully placed Captain Thunder down, laying him flat in front of the doctor.

At that moment, Captain Thunder slowly woke up. He was taken aback when he saw the ceiling of the tent, and he looked around to see the doctor, Xu Qing, and the others. Just as he was about to get up, the old doctor spoke lightly.

"Lie down properly."

Captain Thunder looked at the doctor, and after they stared at each other for a while, he stood up silently. With the help of Cross, Captain Thunder bowed to the doctor.

“It’s just some minor injuries, but they still sent me here. There’s no need for Grandmaster Bai to be troubled, I’m fine.”

"You know me?" The old doctor looked at Captain Thunder with some surprise.

"I saw Grandmaster Bai from a distance many years ago." Captain Thunder nodded respectfully.

Grandmaster Bai took a deep look at Captain Thunder and spoke slowly.

“Your recent injuries are nothing much, and the heterogeneity in your body has also been suppressed, so it’s not a serious problem. As for your mental exhaustion, it’s clear that your emotions have fluctuated recently, which strained your heart."

“Altogether, it’s a little troublesome, but nothing major. These are still treatable, but… they aren’t the most important point."

"The important point that you have hidden wounds in your body left from many years ago. Your cultivation must have been crippled long ago and you re-cultivated from the beginning. To be able to cultivate to this point even after being crippled isn't easy."

"But you must remember that from now on, you can't continue to cultivate. If you do, the heterogeneity will increase again and cause your hidden injuries to relapse, and then... you will definitely die."

As soon as Grandmaster Bai uttered these words, Cross and Luan Ya fell silent. Clearly, they knew about the matter of Captain Thunder’s cultivation being crippled previously. Xu Qing didn’t know about it, but when he looked at Captain Thunder, he suddenly remembered the red pair of women’s boots that appeared with the singing in the forbidden area.

"Is there no other way?" Cross asked in a low voice.

“There is. If you can find the Destiny Flower, classified under the heavenly materials and earthly treasures, you'll naturally have a second shot at life. I heard that a Destiny Flower was found in the forbidden area nearby many years ago.”

Cross was silent, and Luan Ya had anxiety in her eyes. Xu Qing looked at Captain Thunder, who, in comparison, smiled indifferently.

“It’s not that serious, just a problem from long ago. We won’t bother Grandmaster Bai any longer.” Captain Thunder bowed to Grandmaster Bai and beckoned Xu Qing and the others to leave.

The group thanked Grandmaster Bai one after the other and left with the medication in hand.

However, Xu Qing had something on his mind. He wasn’t sure if it was all in his head, but he felt that when he was leaving, Grandmaster Bai looked at him somewhat appraisingly.

Along the way, the Thunder Team stayed silent.

After returning to Captain Thunder's residence, Cross and Luan Ya wanted to say something, but Captain Thunder sent them away.

After they left, Captain Thunder took out some tobacco from inside the house and a pipe from within his leather bag. He stuffed the tobacco in the pipe, lit it up, and took a deep puff.

As he exhaled the smoke, he let out a long, relieved sigh. Looking at Xu Qing’s concerned expression, he waved the pipe in his hand and spoke with a smile.

“When inside the forbidden area, I can’t even think about smoking. But taking a puff when I get back is really relaxing. This stuff is more effective than any medication.”

Xu Qing opened his mouth to speak, but Captain Thunder cut him off.

“What do you want to eat? I’ll make you a meal, so have a drink with me.” It seemed that Captain Thunder didn’t want to listen to whatever Xu Qing had to say, so Xu Qing looked at him silently for a while, then nodded.

“Let’s eat snake.”

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