Chương 26: Sudden Upheaval

The Great Ridge Mountains. Inside the narrow, dimly lit ravine. Song Que was crouched down, continuously using his dagger to dig at the hard dirt and rocks beneath his feet. The torch planted nearby didn't offer much light, but fortunately, he had his Domain, allowing him to perceive everything clearly and preventing him from accidentally slicing into the ginseng root. This work required not only stamina but also extreme meticulousness. Song Que worked with painstaking care, not daring to use too much force.

After laboring for nearly two hours and digging over a meter deep, even with his freakish physique, he felt his entire body go numb. Finally, he managed to extract the entire ginseng root completely intact. Looking at the fruit of his labor—a wild ginseng as thick as a wrist, almost fully taking the shape of a human figure—Song Que was immensely satisfied. He pinched off a small root hair and, not caring about the dirt, popped it into his mouth to chew and swallow.

Focusing carefully, he felt the Tesseract absorbing a mass of energy far greater than what a full meal provided. One must realize, he had just eaten a tiny root hair the length of a finger joint and as thin as a toothpick. The energy contained within it was truly unimaginable. If he ate this entire thing, the effects would be beyond comprehension. Right at that moment, a furious roar and a cacophony of chaotic noises suddenly erupted from outside.

Startled, Song Que hastily tossed the ginseng into his Storage Space and sprinted toward the exit. But having sat for so long, his body was numb. Coupled with the narrow, winding path of the ravine, he couldn't build up much speed. The more anxious he was, the clumsier he became, bumping into the walls several times before finally bursting out of the crevice. Seeing the scene unfolding before him, his heart filled with an overwhelming, explosive rage. The campsite was in total ruins.

In the center, Husky was engaged in a vicious, tearing brawl with a massive tiger, easily the size of a calf. The sheer difference in physical size was glaring; Husky sported several deep claw gashes across its body, blood pouring freely, yet it didn't retreat a single step, attacking the tiger with suicidal frenzy. Li Tie was convulsing on the ground, both hands clutching his throat.

In the firelight, Song Que could clearly see blood gushing uncontrollably from between his fingers, forming a massive pool on the ground.

"NO!" Song Que roared madly, throwing the dagger in his hand at the tiger with every ounce of strength he possessed. The massive tiger was incredibly agile. It managed to leap aside, dodging the fatal flying blade. However, the blade still slashed across its underbelly, leaving a deep, gaping wound. Blood instantly began pouring out.

Perhaps terrified by Song Que's frenzied roar, or perhaps deterred by the injury, the tiger hit the ground, let out a furious roar, and immediately turned tail, fleeing straight into the dense forest. His face dark and thunderous, Song Que saw Husky aggressively preparing to give chase. He gritted his teeth and shouted:"Husky, get back here!" He then rushed frantically to Li Tie's side. At this moment, Old Li's face was terrifyingly pale, his legs twitching involuntarily.

His hands pressed desperately against his neck, but there was no way to stop the blood from gushing out. Horrified, Song Que pulled Li Tie's hands away, revealing a wound deep enough to show bone. The esophagus was completely severed. Absolute despair crashed into his heart. Having studied medicine in his past life, how could he not see that under these conditions, this wound was one hundred percent fatal?

Tearing off a piece of his clothes to hastily compress the wound, not caring if his secrets were exposed, Song Que frantically channeled energy from the Tesseract into Old Li's body. But it was like trying to draw water with a bamboo basket. The Tesseract wasn't omnipotent; it couldn't instantaneously regenerate human flesh and blood. Sensing a fleeting, final surge of vitality, Old Li struggled to shift his gaze to Song Que.

His lips moved, desperately wanting to say something, but with his throat torn open, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make a sound. Seeing this, tears streamed down Song Que's face. He choked out:"Uncle, hold on just a little longer. Everything will be alright." If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Using the absolute last sliver of his strength to grasp Song Que's hand, Old Li gave him a gentle smile before drawing his final breath.

In the dead silence of the Great Ridge Mountains' night, a roar of sheer fury and boundless rage echoed out. His eyes bloodshot, Song Que had almost lost his mind, wanting nothing more than to charge into the depths of the forest and slaughter the culprit responsible for this. But a sliver of rationality remained. Terrified that leaving Old Li's body here would invite other wild beasts to desecrate it, he forced himself to hold back, his teeth grinding so hard they clicked.

Suddenly remembering something, he hastily withdrew his Split Soul from the Mountain Sparrow. He then injected the Split Soul into Old Li's body. Without encountering any resistance, Song Que easily seized control of the physical vessel. Through the Split Soul, he instantly understood the body's condition.

Frantically, Song Que used the Tesseract's energy to attempt repairs, even pulling the ginseng from his Storage Space, taking a massive bite, and simultaneously trying to establish communication with Li Tie's soul. But both endeavors were destined to be utterly futile. He sat there in a daze beside Old Li's gradually cooling body. At some point, Husky had approached his side, gently nudging its master with its head to offer comfort.

Looking at the loyal wolf, its body still stained with blood, Song Que's heart ached fiercely. He placed a hand on it, continuously transferring energy from the Tesseract to heal its wounds. Mengmeng, who had vanished earlier, hadn't actually run away. It now stood not far off, quietly watching the man and the wolf. The scene remained deathly silent as the hours ticked by. A long while later, when the Tesseract's energy was completely depleted, Song Que finally snapped out of his daze.

Seeing that Husky had recovered significantly, he stopped transmitting energy. Taking another bite of the ginseng, letting the Tesseract convert it into energy to replenish his exhausted body, Song Que stood up and looked around the vast, dark expanse of the Great Ridge Mountains. It wasn't until an unknown amount of time had passed that he let out a desolate sigh. Stepping forward to gather their belongings, he used his saber to chop a few thick branches, constructing a crude stretcher.

He placed Old Li's body onto it and bound it securely.

"Uncle, I'm taking you home." Song Que choked out the words, hoisted the stretcher onto his shoulder, and began walking. One man, one wolf, and one fox silently departed into the night. In the distance, a pair of emerald-green eyes watched their retreating figures, flashing with endless, vengeful malice. Song Que neither knew nor cared about this. He also didn't notice that the previously silver-white Tesseract in his mind was gradually shifting to a pale, dazzlingly radiant pink.

Right now, he only knew he had to bring Old Li home. His mind was a tangled mess of chaotic threads, completely unsure of how to break the news to Aunt Li and the two children. The night remained as silent as ever.... Giant Willow Village. A group of aunties and older sisters were gathered in small groups by the stream, washing clothes. The atmosphere was lively, their chattering voices ringing out endlessly. For this usually stagnant, dead village, today was exceptionally bustling.

The fire of gossip was blazing so fiercely that no amount of water could douse it. Naturally, the protagonist of this gossip was none other than Song Que. The newlywed daughter-in-law of the Xiong family was whispering excitedly to a woman who had just brought her washbasin to the stream.

"Iron Pillar's mother, have you heard the news?"

"Xiong family's daughter-in-law, did something happen in the village? I saw everyone was especially riled up today."

"Sister, it's a huge deal! Do you know... blah blah bla..." This exact scene was playing out in practically every corner of Giant Willow Village. Everyone was endlessly envious of the Li family. Cripple Li's ancestors must be showing their divine presence for him to have hugged such a massive golden thigh! No wonder the people of the Li family looked completely transformed recently. The whole family was plump and rosy-cheeked, wearing expensive silk clothes.

Furthermore, rumor had it they ate meat and drank wine for all three meals every single day, eating until they were stuffed! They slept on premium cotton mattresses and didn't even know the meaning of the word 'cold' in winter. In this village, probably only the Village Chief dared to live so extravagantly. The women's hearts were filled with both jealousy and envy. They also secretly regretted not extending a helping hand to that Song family kid back in the day.

"I wonder which lucky girl will get to marry him. Then she'd be set for life, eating well and dressing warmly, not having to suffer like us right now." Someone in the crowd blurted out this sentiment. Hearing this, the eyes of the older aunties instantly lit up. Especially those with unmarried daughters at home—their minds started spinning rapidly, their thoughts already flying to heaven knows where.

Suddenly, a woman came running over in a panic, shouting at the top of her lungs before she could even catch her breath:"Big news, everyone! Cripple Li was mauled to death by a tiger! That Song family kid just brought his body back!" Today was destined to be an extraordinary day. The group of aunties and sisters instantly scattered like a kicked hornet's nest. Not caring about their laundry anymore, they grabbed their pants and sprinted like the wind toward the Li residence to watch the drama unfold....

The Zhao Residence. The Zhao father and son were slowly enjoying their breakfast.

"Lord Hu! Great news! Huge news!" The number one lackey, Pockmark Guo, having recovered seventy to eighty percent after a night's rest, came rushing in, shouting loudly. Old Zhao was displeased. He had been mimicking the upper-class lifestyle of the wealthy lords in town. The thing he hated most was being interrupted during a meal. He immediately frowned and scolded:"Shouting and hollering! Where are your manners?!" But Lord Hu couldn't care less and hurriedly asked:"Pockmark Guo, what great news?"

"Village Chief! Lord Hu! Cripple Li got mauled to death by a tiger!" Hearing this, Zhao Hu jumped up, shouting excitedly:"Is that true?! Did that little bastard Song Que die too?!"

"It's true, Lord Hu! This lowly one saw it with my own eyes! As for that kid, he seems fine. He's the one who brought Cripple Li's body back." Hearing this, Zhao Hu was slightly disappointed but quickly brushed it off, laughing loudly:"Wasn't that Song Que acting so high and mighty yesterday?! Now he's eaten a bitter loss! I guess he's got a tough life, not dying and saving us the trouble. Pockmark Guo, we're going to the Li residence!" Who cared about breakfast now?

The two hastily bid Old Zhao farewell and marched happily toward the Li residence. The Zhong Residence... At the head of the village, at the end of every alley...