As Lin Haoran ascended the final stretch of the mountain path, he felt the chill of the high-altitude air, sharp and bracing. A familiar calm washed over him as he reached the end of the crooked path leading to his home, the small martial shrine nestled green grass that whispered quietly with the wind. But today, the courtyard was far from empty.
A group of elders stood gathering around observing the deep ravine on the ground and marks left by the aftermath of the battle, their presence commanding, a subtle power emanating from each one of them. Dressed in traditional martial robes embroidered with intricate designs. Their faces were etched with lines of wisdom and experience, and their eyes, sharp and knowing, as a few notice him and watched him as he approached.
And among them, two people came out, one dress in a normal village attire whom Haoran recognize to be Lu fei's Uncle the current village chief and the other he had never seen before.
''Haoran this here is elder Zhou deputy leader of the martial alliance in Yan county and other here are the elders and sect leader of the various forces in Yan county and beyond" Lu Shen (Lu fei's uncle) introduce to which Lin haoran's eyes widened in surprise.
He quickly bow and introduce himself.
"Greetings to seniors, this one's name is Lin haoran"
On hearing their identities he was really surprise and even shocked!
He had already heard alot from his master about the behemoth called the 'Martial Alliance' and the various force and sect of the Yan County
He had even went to the Headquarter of the Martial alliance in Yan county during one of their travels.
However he really did not expect the Deputy leader himself to come and make an appearance along with various leader from the major forces.
These people gathering here were almost all likely 'MARTIAL GRANDMASTER!!'
If he was to compare them to his past lives novels they would be in the Xiantian realm!!
Their bodies were hard as steal and quick as a sparrow, these people were the ruling figure of the Yan county!!
On the other hand Elder Zhou's gaze settled on the young boy before him, his eyes narrowing as he took in Haoran's posture, his calm, steady stance, and the quiet fire in his eyes. For a moment, the elder said nothing, simply observing, a faint smile curving his lips as he studied the boy with interest.
"A remarkable bearing for one so young," Elder Zhou murmured, almost to himself, his voice low but clear. He took a step closer, appraising the boy's stance, his steady gaze. "You carry yourself as if forged in the fires of experience, yet your spirit remains unclouded—untainted by arrogance or fear."
"Chun Yijun found a good disciple" he voiced out.
Lin Haoran, though inwardly surprised by the elder's words, kept his posture steady and respectful. He bowed deeply, his voice quiet yet resolute as he replied, "Thank you, Elder Zhou. I only strive to honor my training and those who have guided me."
He lifted his head, meeting the elder's gaze with sincerity. "If there is any strength in me, it is because of those who came before me. I still have much to learn." His words were humble, but there was a flicker of determination in his eyes.
Elder Zhou nodded, his expression shifting as he studied Haoran once more. "Then tell me, Lin Haoran, about this 'mysterious expert' who appeared that day."
Lin Haoran's breath hitched, but he maintained his composure. This was the excuse he made up for himself that day—that a mighty martial artist had descended from the heavens to save him when all hope seemed lost. It was a convenient lie, one that not only excused his outburst but also drew attention away from himself.
Elder Zhou's eyes sharpened. "We have already heard the details, but we want to hear it directly from you. An expert, suddenly appearing,and striking with the force of a perhaps even a Great martial Grandmaster!!! before quietly disappearing like the again. No one else saw him no one else saw him except you"
The elders around them nodded, their expressions unreadable. They had clearly been discussing this for some time before Haoran's arrival.
Haoran took a deep breath, feigning awe. "Senior, it is as I said. The man saved me and then vanished. With my current cultivation, I could not possibly aid that figure, and had to hide inside the martial shrine during the battle, I can only caught a glimpse before he disappeared."
Elder Zhou ponder for a moment. "did you see any clues, on which force or land he might belong too?"
Haoran bowed his head. "Forgive me elder, but the fight was quite fierce and with my limited knowledge i fail to recognize the sword arts that expert was using, I could only see that the expert wore pure white clothes and despite the bloody scene of the battle field not a single portion of his robes were stained."
A long moment, silence stretched between them. The other elders exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable. Finally, Elder Zhou sighed.
"Mhm... Good. For now, we shall leave it at that. Go meet your master, he likely does not have much time left." Elder Zhou's voice carried a faint trace of sorrow.
On hearing this, Lin Haoran felt a pang in his chest. He nodded and hurriedly walked past him, entering the shrine.
As Lin Haoran stepped into the dim interior, a pungent scent of dried herbs and medicinal powders filled the air, a potent mix of bitter roots, pungent leaves, and crushed blossoms.
The warmth that usually greeted him felt hollow, the shadows heavy with an unsettling quiet.
His eyes immediately fell on two figures The first was Doctor Yan, a traveling physician whose skill with poisons and rare ailments was spoken of in hushed reverence. His back was hunched, his hand resting on a small array of salves and powders he had clearly been working with for hours.
But it was the second figure that caught Haoran's attention—his master, lying pale and still on the mat beside him. The left sleeve of his robe was pinned back, empty.
Where his arm had once been, the skin around the wound was an ominous shade of purple-black, spreading in jagged lines like dark veins. His face, usually so composed, was strained, beads of sweat glistening at his temples even as sleeps.
Haoran's chest tightened as he took it all in.
Demonic Corpse poison!! this was what led to the great disaster 1 month ago, turning all the people into craze demonic like beast!! The monsterised Lu Fei, that tore off his master's arm in one brutal swipe also left an immence amount of the poison inside him and now, the poison lingered, creeping deep through his body.
What's worst of all was that the demonic Corpse poison had no cure at all!!, and those infected with it usually have two fate!! Either be corrupted by it and be turned into a demonic pawn without consciousness or resist the transformation which will end your life in the process!!
Lin Haoran heart ache as he thinks about this, His master chose to resist the poison and fight to the death with it!!
And this time there was little he could do, His only hope was placed entirely on the 'wheel of destiny' where with enough point he should be able to buy At least and F-grade healing ability, but when bought directly even an F- grade ability cost a 1000 destiny points!! luckily in desperation he had mostly figured out how to gain destiny points during this one month but it was still mostly hit or miss, the process of accumulating it was as slow as it gets!! it would still take atleast a few months to gather enough destiny point, but would his master last until then??
Lin Haoran felt hopeless, Was betting on a random draw all he could depend on? there were hundreds of thousands of F-Grade ability in the Shop provided by 'Wheel of destiny' the chance of getting a healing ability on the first few draw was abysmal.
And even then what if somehow he could get his hands on an F-grade healing ability, was it guaranteed to heal his master's condition? keep in mind that this was a condition that even the entire Martial alliance was helpless against!!
Thinking of all this Lin haoran fell into a deep sorrow he knelt down quietly besides his master, careful not to wake him up, his fists clenched as he silently vowed to find a cure—no matter what it took.