Zhao Yuxuan didn't know how long he had been shouting. In the silent night, his voice gradually weakened, like a dying flame. Finally, he gradually calmed down and then fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up, Zhao Yuxuan felt as if his head was splitting. It seemed that countless needles were pricking his head, and his whole body was limp and weak, as if his bones had been removed. He slowly opened his eyes. The strong light made his eyes a little uncomfortable. He saw that the bright sun was hanging high in the sky, and the scorching sun shone on the earth without reservation. It must be past noon. Subconsciously, he turned his head to look left and right. This look startled him so much that he jumped up all of a sudden, and his heart began to beat violently. It turned out that last night he had fallen into the Lüyuan Farm beside the road. There was a chaotic scene all around. And about one meter away from him was a clear - water lake used for storing fertilizer. The lake water glistened in the sunlight. He secretly rejoiced, thinking that fortunately he hadn't rolled into it. Otherwise, he would have been in a terrible mess, and his death would surely have been extremely ugly. He seemed to have already seen himself covered in filth, struggling in the lake water, and couldn't help shivering.
Zhao Yuxuan gritted his teeth and forced himself to climb back up the slope and return to the Cloud Path. At this time, he realized that his whole body was unbearably itchy, as if countless small insects were crawling on him. He examined himself carefully and found that there were red and swollen patches all over his body. Presumably, he had been bitten by mosquitoes in the Lüyuan Farm last night. Those mosquitoes had really had a good meal on him. He could even imagine how greedy those mosquitoes were when they bit him.
Although his feet were weak and every step felt like stepping on cotton, Zhao Yuxuan still walked slowly along the Cloud Path towards Tianwang Fort. He had vomited a great deal last night, and now his stomach was growling with hunger one after another, as if urging him to find something to eat quickly. So he looked for wild fruits on the roadside. Regardless of whether they were sour or astringent, he picked them and stuffed them into his mouth as soon as he saw them. Some of the wild fruits were so sour that he frowned, and some were so astringent that his tongue felt a little numb, but he couldn't care so much. He just wanted to fill his stomach first. After eating some wild fruits, it didn't take long before he found a spring. The spring water was crystal - clear and sparkled in the sunlight. He couldn't wait to drink a great deal, and felt that he had something in his stomach. Only then did he become a little more energetic, and his pace also quickened a little.
By the time he returned to Tianwang Fort, it was already evening. The sky on the horizon was dyed orange - red by the setting sun, and the whole Tianwang Fort was shrouded in the afterglow. Li Ruize's family was having dinner in the hall, and the aroma of the food filled the hall. Seeing Zhao Yuxuan, whose clothes were torn in many places and reeking of alcohol, walk in, Lin Yaxuan was the first to sneer. There was a trace of disdain and sarcasm in that sneer. She said, "Zhao Yuxuan, you're really something. When other men enter a girl's room, they are full of joy and vitality. But you, you look like a beggar fleeing from a disaster. What? Did you deceive the girl and then didn't want to be responsible, and got beaten up? It serves you right. I told you to leave, but you wouldn't." Hearing these words, Zhao Yuxuan felt a little helpless in his heart, but he didn't want to explain more to her. All he wanted to do now was to have something to eat, so he went to serve himself some rice on his own.
Just as he was about to sit down at the table, Lin Yaxuan wrinkled her nose and shouted loudly, "Oh, it stinks so much. Don't come over." The voice echoed in the hall, sounding extremely harsh. Zhao Yuxuan gritted his teeth. Although he felt a little aggrieved in his heart, he didn't reach for the dishes either. Instead, he turned around and walked out of the hall. He came to the steps outside the courtyard and sat down, and then ate his meal in big mouthfuls. He didn't blame Lin Yaxuan for her attitude towards him in his heart. After all, what had happened in between was indeed likely to cause her misunderstanding. He thought to himself that since he didn't want to be liked by any girl anyway, why should he care about her opinion?
Li Ruize and Li Ruixuan had been silent all along. They ate their meal silently. When Lin Yaxuan had finished her meal and entered the room, Li Ruize and Li Ruixuan walked out.
Looking at Zhao Yuxuan, who had already put down his chopsticks and was sitting silently on the steps, Li Ruixuan asked softly, "Zhao Yuxuan, did you gain anything from this trip?" There was a trace of concern in her eyes.
Zhao Yuxuan nodded and replied briefly, "Yes." His voice was a little low.
Li Ruixuan said, "It's good that you've gained something. Zhao Yuxuan, we won't interfere with whatever you do in these three years. Everything depends on you, you know?" There was a kind of seriousness and expectation in her tone.
Suddenly, Zhao Yuxuan raised his head, and there was a firm look in his eyes. He said, "Master, I don't want to live here anymore."
Li Ruixuan was stunned for a moment and felt a little puzzled. She asked, "If you don't live here, where are you going to live? Do you think it's too hard and tiring here and want to give up?"
Zhao Yuxuan shook his head and said, "No. I want to live at the foot of Lingjiu Peak and concentrate on thinking about some problems." He already had his own plan in mind.
Before Li Ruixuan could speak, Li Ruize, who had been staring at him, said, "Very well, Zhao Yuxuan. I also hope that you can calm down and think about how you can meet the two conditions I proposed. There are many woods and secluded grottoes at Lingjiu Peak. You can find a place to live. As for food, I will let Lin Junhui bring it to you. If you need anything else, you can come back and tell us at any time." Li Ruize's voice was calm and powerful.
Zhao Yuxuan grunted in response, stood up, and walked into his room. His heart was a little complicated. There was both anticipation for the new environment and reluctance to leave this place. After a while, he rolled his quilt into a large bundle and carried it on his back. He nodded slightly to Li Ruize and his wife, who were watching him outside the courtyard, and then strode out of the room and walked down towards Lingjiu Peak.
Crossing the "Thin Blade" that once made him feel extremely dangerous but now didn't seem dangerous at all, his steps were firm and steady. Then he came to the huge rock left by Miezu at the foot of Lingjiu Peak. Zhao Yuxuan continued to move forward. He was already very familiar with this place, and every corner was imprinted in his mind. Before long, he came to a secluded grotto. This secluded grotto was not large, only six or seven meters deep, but for Zhao Yuxuan, it was enough to live in.
He walked into the grotto, chose a relatively dry and flat place, put down the bundle on his body, and carefully made a simple bed. After finishing these, he walked out of the grotto. He still remembered the words of the middle - aged man who was good at the "Climb a Mountain of Knives and Descend a Sea of Fire" stunt. If he wanted to make his hands as hard as iron in a short time, he could only try the "Jiayi Worm" that could make the skin rot and then regenerate. He knew that there were only two paths in front of him. One was to leave and wander around aimlessly like a walking corpse, which would be a hopeless life; the other was to be determined, break through his limits, and go all out to meet the conditions proposed by Li Ruize. This was the choice he wanted.
There were very few people coming and going at the foot of Lingjiu Peak, and the surroundings were extremely quiet. In addition, it was dark and damp here, and there were rock crevices everywhere, so it was not difficult to find the "Jiayi Worm". However, when Zhao Yuxuan saw those small green - haired bugs, he felt nauseous and his stomach churned. But he still forced himself to endure the discomfort in his heart. He broke off two branches and used them like chopsticks to pick up these bugs and carefully put them into a glass bottle that he had prepared long ago. His movements were a little stiff, and picking up each bug seemed like completing a difficult task.
One day later, Zhao Yuxuan had collected a full bottle of "Jiayi Worms". And as expected, his food was delivered by Lin Junhui. Lin Junhui seemed to have forgotten the knife wound that Zhao Yuxuan had inflicted on him that day. There was a smile on his face, and he kept moving around Zhao Yuxuan. His movements looked very friendly. Presumably, he was so lonely that he wanted to make friends with Zhao Yuxuan.
But Zhao Yuxuan didn't have the heart to pay attention to him at all. His mind was only on his own affairs, those things about tempering and growth. That afternoon, Zhao Yuxuan poked all the "Jiayi Worms" to pieces with a wooden stick. The glass bottle was full of disgusting green thick liquid, giving off a strange and pungent smell. The smell filled the grotto, making it unbearable.
Zhao Yuxuan walked into the secluded grotto where he lived, sat cross - legged facing the glass bottle. At this time, his heart was still full of fear. His hand trembled slightly. You know, just as the middle - aged man had once said, if the muscles on his hand couldn't regenerate after rotting by using this method, it would mean that he would be disabled for life, and his whole life would be ruined. Images of himself being disabled kept flashing through his mind. What a terrible scene it was.
His heart was full of hesitation, endless hesitation. He shrank back again and again, as if an invisible force was pulling him away from this dangerous attempt. And again and again, he summoned up his courage. It was his deep - seated unwillingness and his longing for the future that drove him. After a fierce ideological struggle that lasted for a full two hours, Zhao Yuxuan finally tremblingly picked up the glass bottle with his right hand and poured the liquid inside onto his left hand. He planned to use his left hand for an experiment first, so that the risk could also be reduced by half. He closed his eyes, not daring to look at the moment when the liquid was poured onto his hand, and silently prayed that everything would go smoothly.