"Aha, Cold Frost Grass!"
Deep within the dense forests of the Yulin Mountain Range, a voice full of delight rang out in the far distance, quickly followed by a chubby silhouette flashing between the trees, picking a small white grass that seed to still emanate a tinge of coldness.
"Tan Yun, look, it really is Cold Frost Grass, this must be one of the ingredients listed on the Pill Recipe, right?" The pudgy Disciple sensed the chill from the small white grass in his hand, seeming sowhat uncertain.
It turned out that this delighted chubby boy was none other than Ling Wan, who had been injured by a palm strike from Cao Jun that day. After several days of hastened travel and recovery, his wounds had seemingly healed quite well, and his lively personality wouldn’t sit still for even a mont.
Following Ling Wan’s call, a group of four erged from within the dense forest, with a woman at the forefront whose figure was slim and graceful; she was Tan Yun, the strongest mber of the squad in terms of ability.
Approaching Tan Yun reached out and took the small white grass from Ling Wan’s hand, her face too, revealing a hint of joy as she said, "Indeed, it’s Cold Frost Grass. Ling Wan, it appears your luck isn’t too shabby!"
Over the last few days, to avoid Cao Jun’s revenge, the five-person team had delved into so remote forests, incidentally discovering quite a few dicinal herbs listed in the Pill Recipe, but they had yet to find Cold Frost Grass until now, so naturally, they were overjoyed upon finding one.
"Look, is that another Cold Frost Grass over there?"
However, just as Tan Yun was praising Ling Wan’s good luck, another voice suddenly called out, filled with intense elation, causing both of their heads to turn imdiately.
Upon looking, their faces were filled with joy because not far from where the man was pointing, stood another small white grass identical to the one in Tan Yun’s hand, standing quietly as if a white-clad fairy amidst the greenery, stunning and solitary.
But at that mont, none of the five had the mind to care about these details; they knew their team required five Cold Frost Grass. Since two had appeared in this place, there might very well be a third and a fourth. This really seed like getting the full reward without any effort.
Ling Wan was the most eager; imdiately letting out a shout, his chubby figure took a few steps forward and promptly picked the second Cold Frost Grass.
"Eh?"
However, just as Ling Wan plucked the second Cold Frost Grass, he suddenly let out an exclamation of surprise, and without waiting for Tan Yun and the others to ask, he dashed straight ahead.
As it turned out, in front of Ling Wan was a large cluster of white grass, identical in appearance to the Cold Frost Grass, and rather than just four or five, there seed to be forty or fifty at the very least.
Ling Wan had sprinted forward upon discovering this astonishing scene. Now even he began to doubt his own luck; so many Cold Frost Grass, even if their team couldn’t use them all, they could make a lavish amount by selling them to other candidates.
Without minding the others following behind, Ling Wan sprinted up; however, as he approached and was about to reach for the Cold Frost Grass, his face suddenly turned ashen, and he just sat down on the ground with a thump.
"Ling Wan, what’s wrong?"
Tan Yun and the others, seeing Ling Wan’s actions from far, worried that sothing had happened. They shouted out and quickened their pace, reaching the spot in just a few breaths.
Sensing that Ling Wan was not injured, Tan Yun was first relieved, then her gaze shifted to a certain spot where they saw an odd-looking piece of torn cloth.
If it were just a rag, it wouldn’t have scared Ling Wan from the Channel Introduction Realm Middle Stage to such an extent. It was because when Ling Wan saw that piece of cloth, it seemingly... moved!
It’s worth ntioning that the cloth seed freshly fished out from water, completely drenched, and because of this, it looked all the more eerie. In the deep forest of the Yulin Mountain Range, how could such an object appear?
"Tan Yun, that... what’s wrapped inside... is what?"
Ling Wan, who had now managed to sowhat steady his nerves, slowly stood up from the ground, pointing with a trembling voice at the wet rag, nevertheless retreating two steps involuntarily as he spoke.
"Could it be a body dumped in the wilderness?"
Hearing Ling Wan’s question, Tan Yun murmured to herself. Although she was a woman, her courage far surpassed Ling Wan’s. As her words fell, she stepped forward and approached the rag.
Swoosh!
Tan Yun was decisive. Reaching down to her waist, she took out her three-zhang-long green whip, and with a light flick, she lifted one end of the torn cloth.
"Ah!"
As one end of the cloth was unveiled, what was inside finally ca into view of the ten eyes of the five-person squad, prompting Ling Wan to involuntarily cry out in shock, and in his heart, he confird that what Tan Yun had guessed was not far off.
What lay within that torn piece of cloth was a thin and weak figure, now Ling Wan seed to believe that seeing the cloth move was just an illusion, because at that mont the figure had not the slightest sign of movent, akin to a dried and withered corpse.
Moreover, like that tattered cloth, this frail corpse was drenched all over, as if it had just been fished out of a river, appearing extrely eerie.
However, since the corpse had already appeared, these people had at least reached the Middle Stage of the ridian Introduction Realm, and were no longer so scared, especially Tan Yun, who suddenly felt so compassion and turned her head away.
It was clear that the corpse was that of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old youth, not much younger than themselves. Now, he had been killed by soone unknown, and even his body had been discarded in the wilderness without peace.
"Ling Wan, dig a hole and bury him!"
After pondering for a mont, Tan Yun’s deep voice rang out, prompting Ling Wan to nod. He was a kind-hearted youth and saw a reflection of himself in that frail body from his own past in the family.
"Eh?"
However, just as Ling Wan stepped forward, intending to drag the frail corpse with the cloth to bury it, he suddenly seed to discover sothing astonishing and let out an exclamation of shock.
"Sister Tan Yun, he... he seems to have moved!"
Ling Wan’s voice carried a mix of surprise and thrill. Without the fear he previously had, he squatted down and his forefinger reached for the neck of the frail body.
"The pulse is still beating, sister Tan Yun, he... he’s not dead yet!"
Ling Wan no longer had any doubts, confirming what he saw at first glance was not an illusion. This eerie corpse... oh no, the eerie youth was still alive under such circumstances, which was truly even more bizarre.
With Ling Wan’s joyous shout, when Tan Yun and the others turned their heads back, they could all clearly see the middle finger of the frail youth’s right hand twitching rhythmically, confirming Ling Wan’s words as truth.
"Quick, quick, make a fire, it looks like he has been frozen!"
Tan Yun, an earnest girl, imdiately called out upon seeing the twitching finger of the frail youth. The other three did not delay and quickly gathered firewood to start a fire.
"How pitiful!"
Tan Yun, turning her head back, looked at the drenched frail youth and the ice water continually flowing from him, realizing sothing and sighing silently.
"Sister Tan Yun, do you think... he can be saved?"
Ling Wan looked anxious. Although naive, he wasn’t foolish. From the state of the frail youth, he could tell that even though he wasn’t dead yet, it wasn’t certain if he could make it.
"Ai, it’s all up to his fate now!"
Tan Yun sighed again. In her heart, she didn’t hold much hope that the frail youth could survive; but, believing that saving a life was more ritorious than building a seven-story pagoda, she felt that she would not be at peace if she did not attempt to rescue him since they ca upon him.
The three worked quickly, and in just a short ti, they had produced a large bonfire, the heat billowing out, seemingly causing the ice water on the youth’s body to flow even faster.
"What a pity we don’t have a ridian Refining Master here, or maybe he would have had a better chance of surviving!" Ling Wan sounded lancholic. This frail youth was the first he had discovered, and also the first he realized was still alive. If he couldn’t be saved, Ling Wan might feel even more distressed.
Deep within the dense forest of the Yulin Mountain Range, flickers of a bonfire shone intermittently. As night fell, the flas beca even more noticeable. At this ti, Tan Yun and the others had all entered a state of cultivation.
The night hastened by, and when the sun’s rays poured into the Yulin Mountain Range the next day, the bonfire had long been extinguished, thick smoke rising into the sky, as if sending so signal to the distance.
Yet, Tan Yun and the others were oblivious to this grave issue, as in the morning after ending their cultivation, their gaze turned towards a figure that was both familiar and strange.
"You... you... you..."
Ling Wan’s eyes were full of astonishnt because next to the pile of smoldering bonfire ashes, a youth with disheveled hair and tattered clothes had, unbeknownst to them, taken a seat.
His eyes were fixedly staring at the extinguished bonfire, seemingly deep in thought, causing Ling Wan to stutter three "you’s" in a row without completing his sentence.
The utterance from the plump Ling Wan finally snapped Tan Yun and the others out of their daze, but compared to him, their thoughts moved quicker.
Because at this mont, they had already recognized that this disheveled youth was in fact the sa person from the previous day – the one soaking wet, seemingly monts away from his demise, the eerie "corpse."
Originally, Tan Yun and the others thought the youth would not survive the night, but unexpectedly, as soon as the day had barely begun to brighten, the youth had already sat up on his own, and moreover, seed to be in good spirits, not at all like soone who had just returned from the brink of death at Ghost Gate, which left them completely baffled.
Thinking of a possibility, Tan Yun stood up and approached the tattered youth, asking aloud, "Little brother, you must also be here to take part in the Jade Pot Sect’s Outer Sect Disciple entrance examination, right? Did so vile people try to assassinate you?"
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