As Mike continued to struggle against the flow of the fast-flowing river, he began to lose body heat. Even though his body is stronger, he was seriously injured with the bones of both of his legs broken at multiple places. The pain from the broken bones almost made him lose consciousness multiple times. But he knew that if he lost consciousness then it meant certain death for him. He tried to swim closer to the cliff wall where the flow of the river was slower. At the same time, he was also trying to find any cave-like structure so that he could get out of the river. Unfortunately, he was unable to find any such structures. After struggling for 3 hours, despair began to set in. Many negative thoughts started popping in his mind as his consciousness grew weaker and weaker. Just as he was about to slip into oblivion, a strong hand caught him by his collar and yanked him out of the river. The relief of being saved from the watery grave made Mike pass out from exhaustion.
An unknown time later, Mike woke up from sudden pain. The first thing he saw was an old man rearranging the bones of his legs. Mike looked around and found that he was in a cave-like structure and he could faintly hear the roaring sound of the river.
"Thank you elder for saving my life", Mike said to the old man who had just finished rearranging his bones and binding his legs.
"No problem. I saved you because I need you to do something for me."
"Please say it senior. I will do anything to repay my debt."
"It is not much. I have been critically wounded by my enemies and my life is coming to an end. I want you to bring my body back to my sect, the Dragon Gate Sectand give a letter to my sister."
Mike was shocked by this sudden situation. Now that he looked closely at the old man, it did look as if his face is extra pale and his life is coming to an end.
"I will place a restriction in your body. If you do not get it removed by my sister in a year, then you will die. Please do not resent this old man as this is the desperation of a man at the end of his life. Don't worry, you will be rewarded handsomely after you send my body to the sect."
Mike knew the desperation of a dying man and knew that he would be killed immediately if he refused. Even then he could not bring himself to hate this old man who has saved his life, albeit due to selfish reasons. With a bitter smile, he said, "Please do what you need to do, senior." The old man was stunned my Mike's quick agreement. He stared at him for a while but when he saw no deceit in MIke's eyes, he nodded and said, "You could judge your situation calmly even in the face of adversity. You have good character and strong willpower. If I was not at the end of my life, I would have taken you as my disciple."
He then cut his wrist and drew some blood. He then condensed the blood into small balls and then hit several acupoints on Mike's chest. The blood balls entered Mike's body through the acupoints and moved towards his heart. It then formed several chain-like tattoos around his heart. Mike could feel his heart palpitate as the tattoos finished forming. He knew that these tattoos would definitely crush his heart if he doesn't get it removed within one year. After finishing the process, the old man's countenance continued to grow paler and his breath became weaker. He then carried Mike nearer to the cave entrance where Mike saw a boat with a coffin in it.
"Your legs will heal completely in about two months. This bottle has fasting pills which will last you a year. After your legs heal, take this boat and use it to travel along the river. You do not even need to steer, just follow the flow of the river. Within ten months you will come upon a waterfall. Do not be afraid, as long you stay within the boat and hold my token, you will not be hurt. After passing through the waterfall you will reach the back gates of my sect. Remember, my surname is Shou and my sister's name is Mei. Show the guards my token and ask for Elder Mei. Remember you must meet my sister and tell her that I have a message for her. "
Mike nodded emphatically to show that he understood. After that, the old man couldn't hold out any longer. With his dying breath, he asked, "What is your name, little friend?".
"Its Mike..."
"Mike? What an unusual name. Pity we couldn't meet in better circumstances. Farewell, Mike..."
Mike paid respect to the now-departed soul of Elder Shou. He then placed his body in the coffin and closed the lid. Formations covering the coffin lit up. It seems like its function was to preserve the old man's body.
After that Mike was left all alone in the cave. Luckily, he had the fasting pills the old man gave him so did not have to worry about sustenance. One pill lasted him 3 days. 2 weeks later, Mike was so bored that he used his hands to move around and explore the caves. He was sure that the old man had not explored the cave system as most of it looked untouched by any signs of life for centuries. Two weeks later, as Mike was exploring the caves, a wall of the cave suddenly crumbled. Fortunately, Mike had fast reflexes so he saved himself from the falling debris. When the dust settled, all he saw was a dark chamber...