You have been reborn?

The group returned once again to the thatched hut; the gold ingots still lay on the table.

This time, unlike before when Qing Xuance, Ye Chonglou, and the others went out to look for food while Xiao Yan and Le Fei stayed behind to recover from their injuries, now it was Qing Xuance and Ye Chonglou who remained behind to heal.

Xiao Yan looked eagerly at Yun Zhao. “Quick, test it first. Let’s see if this trip will be smooth.” He was still shaken by the six-level beastmen they had faced earlier.

The others all glanced at him. Xiao Yan scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Safety first. Forget about principles for now.”

Le Fei expressed admiration, impressed that such a tactic was even possible.

Yun Zhao couldn’t help but smile. “Give me a character.”

“‘Return.’”

“‘Return,’ with a ‘mouth’ inside and outside, symbolizes a double barrier. Also, ‘Return’ opposes ‘Go,’ implying a safe journey back. This trip will be safe.”

“Safety is what matters.” Xiao Yan strode off confidently.

After Xiao Yan and the others left, Ye Chonglou didn’t rush to heal but instead leaned lazily against the wall, teasing Qing Xuance.

“How can you trust her so much?” At the snow mountain, that vicious she-beast only said a word, and Qing Xuance obeyed without hesitation. Though it turned out to be the right decision, he himself would have at least hesitated.

Qing Xuance slowly opened his cold, clear eyes. “I trust her nature.”

Her nature? Does that she-beast even have one? If anything, it’s the nature of a sycophant.

Ignoring the mocking look in Ye Chonglou’s eyes, Qing Xuance continued, “Has anything she’s done recently ever harmed anyone?”

“Her past misdeeds can’t be fake, right?”

“Everyone meets some scoundrels in their lifetime, male or female.”

Ye Chonglou: “...” It sounds right, but somehow not quite.

Yun Zhao thought of Da Huang and chose not to follow Xiao Yan and the others this time, deliberately taking a different, longer route.

Along the way, she gathered some matsutake mushrooms, cordyceps, and rhodiola.

Thinking ahead, she planned to combine these with other herbs into pills, making them easier for everyone to take.

Suddenly, she spotted several yellow-white plants.

Her perseverance paid off; she had found Da Huang.

Wen Lang’s throat had hope for recovery.

At that moment, five pairs of eyes fixed intently on Wen Lang, who felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at like that.

“My throat itches,” Wen Lang said, his voice as hoarse and unpleasant as ever.

“Itching is good; it means there’s a reaction,” Le Fei said.

“It also hurts a bit.”

“That’s good too; it means it’s working.”

Five pairs of eyes turned to Le Fei. Xiao Yan teased, “Are you a doctor? You talk as if you know everything.” Xiao Yan, who knew him well, was certain he wasn’t.

Le Fei pointed at Yun Zhao and then at himself but said nothing for a long moment.

Half an hour later, Yun Zhao asked Wen Lang how he felt.

“No change.” His voice was as before, indicating the treatment had failed.

Yun Zhao was undeterred. “It’s okay, I’ll try another formula.”

They kept adjusting formulas and testing, but to no avail.

The other four gradually succumbed to drowsiness, their curiosity and hope fading.

Late at night, only Yun Zhao, preparing the medicine, and Wen Lang, the test subject, remained awake.

He had endured like this for years, desperate to recover. Despite repeated failures, he never gave up.

Watching the she-beast busily working in the dim light, Wen Lang suddenly realized his hatred for her was not as strong as before.

When had that started?

Was it when she healed him? Or when she volunteered to keep watch? Or her confidence during each assessment? Her cleverness when facing the six-level beast? Or her tireless efforts late into the night to cure his throat?

Perhaps he should try to believe she had truly changed.

“Try this one,” Yun Zhao brought another bowl of dark medicine.

Wen Lang frowned, then drank it in one gulp.

Suddenly, a tearing pain surged through his body, as if he had been torn apart by five horses.

He looked at Yun Zhao, his eyes full of hatred. “I really shouldn’t have... trusted you.”

Wen Lang’s agonized screams immediately startled everyone awake.

Xiao Yan manifested leopard claws and grabbed Yun Zhao’s throat, shouting, “What did you do to him?”

Qing Xuance helped Wen Lang up and poured his energy into him, but the energy was quickly rejected.

The backlash forced Qing Xuance to spit blood, worsening his injuries.

“I didn’t... I didn’t...” Yun Zhao’s feet lifted off the ground as she struggled to breathe, overwhelmed by pain.

“You she-beast! I knew you had ill intent. Did you poison Wen Lang? Tell me!” Xiao Yan tightened his grip almost to the point of choking her.

Ye Chonglou stopped Xiao Yan. “Don’t act rashly. If it’s poisoning, we must keep her alive to interrogate and find the antidote.”

Xiao Yan released Yun Zhao, who collapsed to the ground gasping.

Wen Lang writhed in pain, veins bulging, his icy blue pupils now stained fiery red.

Le Fei said, “Wen Lang’s body feels extremely hot.”

Qing Xuance summoned his energy again and formed ice to cover Wen Lang.

Feeling as if he was burning alive, Wen Lang suddenly felt a downpour douse him, and he instantly eased his breath.

“It’s working. He’s less uncomfortable,” Le Fei said excitedly.

After a while, cold sweat appeared on Qing Xuance’s forehead, his lips pale—his energy was nearly depleted.

Ye Chonglou’s eyes shifted as he said, “Throw him into a snow pile outside to cool him down.”

They placed Wen Lang in the snow and covered him with a mound of it.

“Will this be safe?” Le Fei anxiously asked, staring at the snow pile that didn’t even show Wen Lang’s head.

Ye Chonglou facepalmed. “Who told you to bury his head too? Are you an idiot?”

Yet a moment later, their worry proved unnecessary.

The snow covering Wen Lang melted rapidly into water, and he began to convulse again.

“Damn it!” Xiao Yan exclaimed, immediately summoning more snow.

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