"I'm alive, but how didn't I instantly die when the snake crashed into me back there?" wondered Tang Lin.
"Argh", he screamed.
"It's still so hot. why isn't my body cooling down, but getting hotter?" thought Tang Lin.
It was only after he had settled down and his mind a bit clearer; did he finally notice the overflowing flame-like, crimson energy devouring his body.
"Is this the work of that condensed blood crystal? Whatever it is, this is bad news. It's ravaging my insides", he thought as he felt it rushing everywhere throughout his body and meridian channels.
*Sizzle*
The pain was so excruciating that Tang Lin didn't even have the energy to scream as his skin started to char up. At this point, visible pieces of flesh were visible as blood drenched the ground in a rosy hue. Unable to withstand the relentless energy circulating within his body, Tang Lin's already wasted meridian channels were getting completely decimated.
Suddenly, just before Tang Lin was about to die, the destructive power transformed into a cold, soothing energy that flowed within his body. It was reconstructing him from every tiny cell in his body to every organ system and meridian as he managed to sum up the situation in three words.
"What the fuck…", he murmured.
At this point, he had already fallen unconscious as his body was constantly reformed under the ambiguous flames.
Three days left before the expedition.
*Crack crack*
Within the forest, a cocoon of dried dark-red blood started to break.
*Deep inhale*
A head erupted from within gasping for air.
"Ugh, what the hell happened?" Tang Lin groaned hoarsely as he sat up straight, trembling from the pain.
Placing his left hand on the spirit tree behind him, he slowly got up as he shook off the black gunk from his body. Still slightly dazed, he continued to hold his head with his right arm as he staggered back to his room, leaving a path of carcasses behind.
Back at the Xu family's estate.
"YOU! Where have you been? There's only three days left before the expedition and why is your body so dirty now?" Old Gu angrily interrogated.
This time Old Gu was extremely displeased with Tang Lin's behaviour as he had taken full responsibility for his recent disappearance.
"Sigh, what am I doing arguing with a kid? Go clean up and continue your task", he instructed.
Tang Lin let out a huge sigh of relief as he thought he would have to rack his brain to create an alibi. This is because he couldn't tell Old Gu that he had disobeyed him and entered the Forest of Remorse.
"Y-Yes!" Tang Lin answered, hurrying to the showers in the Servant district.
Along his way to the showers, he overheard a few murmurs as they recognized him.
"Is that him? I heard that he disappeared for over a week. So, Chu Yang had to replace him and continue his task. Now, he's looking for the newcomer Tang Lin to beat him up", whispered some housework servants sympathetically.
Nevertheless, Tang Lin ignored them as he was too tired to think about it. Turning the handles of the shower, he closed his eyes and lifted his face up to the showerhead. He savoured the feeling of the cold water running down his body as it cleansed his mind. For some reason he could now sense a familiar energy everywhere he went. As he opened his eyes, a sharp and mystical glint had unknowingly appeared within the depths of his peach blossom eyes.
"Ahh, I feel much better now", Tang Lin sighed as he got dressed and left the shower room; the damp mist still lingering around his body.
*Bam*
"Ouch, what was that for?" he asked, rubbing his chest with a frown.
It seemed that a group of three people were waiting for him outside the showers. The bulky boy at the front seemed to be the leader, while the fat boy on the left and the skinny boy on the right seemed to be his followers.
"Are you Tang Lin?" asked the bulky boy.
"Yes, I am Tang Lin. Elder, do you need anything from me?" asked
"Elder my ass, I'm only 15 years old", he angrily corrected as he glared at his followers who couldn't hold their laughter.
"Only 15 years old?!? How can someone look so old and big at this age?", thought Tang Lin, shocked.
Able to read his expression, the bulky boy scowled in anger.
"Did you know that I had to work my ass off doing two tasks because you disappeared?" he asked, sending out a punch towards Tang Lin's stomach.
Instinctively, Tang Lin closed his eyes and lifted his arms to protect his head as he prepared to withstand the impact.
*Silence*
It took a few moments before Tang Lin realised the punch had only pushed him back a step.
"I-I-Impossible!" yelled both of the followers in unison.
"Isn't he a waste? Chu Yang has already reached the 1st stage of Qi Condensation and even secretly trained the uncommon Body Tempering method to reach the 2nd Strength Training stage!?!" the fat boy asked the skinny boy.
Chu Yang's arm, which was still extended, slowly drew back as he looked at Tang Lin in astonishment. Since he was much more knowledgeable than his lackeys, he could instantly tell that Tang Lin had only recently stepped into the 1st Strength Training stage. Yet, he couldn't detect any qi fluctuations emitting from his body.
"What the hell are you? An elder disguising their cultivation or perhaps a monster in disguise?" Chu yang ruminated cautiously, before deciding to withdraw.
Unable to understand what just happened, Tang Lin relaxed his tense body as he watched Chu Yang leave. His followers, who were still in shock, quickly chased after Chu Yang before giving him one last look of awe.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Tang Lin saw a wisp of crimson light merge back into his chest.
"There's nothing wrong with me… right?" he thought aloud as he also returned to his room.