Chapter 77
At the border of the tribe stood several beastmen. At their center was a white tiger, its fur pure snow, with a pair of strikingly unique wings on its back.
Those present couldn’t help but recall how it had charged out of the beast horde moments ago—its steps powerful and agile, like a king returning in triumph, majestic and awe-inspiring. The beast form of an ancient beastman carried an innate, overwhelming presence that intimidated everyone present.
Even Lai Yuan and Xiao Ruo, who were fond of him, dared not approach lightly at this moment.
Then, a white fox emerged at the white tiger’s side. Fox beastmen were typically smaller than tiger clans, yet this white fox was nearly the same size as the white tiger. A vivid red mark, bright as cinnabar, streaked across its snow-white forehead…
It stepped forward with elegant grace, coming to a halt beside the white tiger, its calm demeanor as if entirely unaffected by the ancient beastman’s imposing aura.
The onlookers were stunned, their eyes lingering on the white fox.
The Danmu Tribe was a tiger clan—there were no white foxes among them. This one was not from their tribe.
On the white tiger’s back sat a figure.
The person straddled the tiger, slender legs dangling on either side, heels occasionally nudging its belly. His clothes were tattered, his face smeared with brown dirt, hair disheveled and tangled down his back, his body covered in bruises of blue and purple. By all accounts, he looked utterly wretched.
Yet, seated atop the white tiger, he gazed down at the figure sprawled on the ground before him with an air of disdain, as if looking down at an insignificant ant.
This demeanor exuded an aloofness, an aura that made him seem like an immortal detached from worldly affairs. No matter how battered he appeared, that transcendent air could not be concealed.
Only when the figure on the ground breathed his last did the person on the tiger’s back finally withdraw his gaze.
But the moment he did, his body swayed weakly before suddenly collapsing sideways off the tiger.
"!"
Yuan Heng’s heart lurched. In an instant, he shifted back to human form and caught the falling ger.
The ger’s face was as pale as the down feathers he had retrieved some time ago, his skin icy to the touch, as if they had just rolled through snow.
Yuan Heng’s heart felt as though it had been stabbed repeatedly, bleeding profusely.
His fingers curled tightly as he clutched the nearly weightless ger to his chest, then sprinted toward Xi ger’s residence.
Cheng Bai transformed into human form and followed closely.
"Yuan Heng," Cheng Bai called from behind, but the man seemed not to hear, charging straight into Xi ger’s courtyard.
Xi ger had just been about to persuade Mu ger to take his medicine when the gate to his yard was kicked open by Yuan Heng.
The man strode in, carrying a bruised and battered ger in his arms. The ger’s face was deathly pale, smeared with dirt and dust… yet Xi ger still recognized them.
It was Wang Jin.
Xi ger didn’t even notice the medicine bowl slipping from his hands as he hurried forward. "Quick, bring him inside, follow me!"
Yuan Heng followed without hesitation.
"..." Cheng Bai, arriving later, leaned lazily against the doorframe, exhaustion in his voice as he called out, "No need to panic. This delicate little thing is fine, probably just exhausted."
"..." Only then did Yuan Heng’s gaze shift to the man outside.
He was strikingly handsome, now leaning against the door with an air of languid ease, though the weariness of injury lingered beneath.
"...Right." After a quick examination of Wang Jin, Xi ger nodded in agreement. "A-Jin has only fainted."
The heart that had been hanging in Yuan Heng’s chest was gently set back in place.
Xi ger carefully inspected Wang Jin. "A-Jin has taken medicine, extremely potent medicine. Not only did it treat his internal injuries, but it’s also slowly healing his external wounds… This medicine…"
He looked toward the man at the door. "Did you give it to him?"
Cheng Bai raised an eyebrow, surprised that a healer from such a remote place could discern the effects of the Qianjin Pill at work.
He smirked slightly and nodded. "Qianjin Pill. Twelve in a bottle, all given to this delicate little thing."
Otherwise, with that frail constitution, how could he have lasted this long?
"Qianjin Pill?!" Xi ger’s eyes widened in shock. "The medicine said to heal all injuries, made from dozens of legendary ingredients like Rui grass, lingzhi, sui rui, and blood lotus?!"
Cheng Bai nodded. Xi ger murmured in disbelief, "Such a medicine actually exists… I thought it was just something made up in medical texts…"
"Made up? How ignorant." Cheng Bai’s voice grew weaker as he spoke, his face paling further. A flicker of pain passed through his silver eyes.
"You seem like a decent enough healer. Instead of fussing over that delicate one… why not come take a look at me?"
His voice trailed off as his body slowly slid down the doorframe before finally collapsing to the ground.
Xi ger rushed over to check on him, Yuan Heng assisting.
Upon inspection, they found rows of bloody holes on the man’s arm. Though the bleeding was minimal, the bite marks were densely clustered and deep—some even reaching bone.
These were likely from a Flesh-Devouring beast. To escape from such a creature’s countless jaws after being bitten spoke volumes about his strength.
Some of the wounds had already darkened, he’d been bitten a while ago. Yet his movements had remained swift and precise, his expression betraying no pain…
Yuan Heng silently observed before carrying him to another room’s bed.
Xi ger examined him further and found wounds on his abdomen as well…
His injuries were far more severe than A-Jin’s. Moreover, the nature of the wounds suggested they had been inflicted around the same time.
The more Xi ger inspected, the deeper his frown grew. "He’s hurt this badly, he had twelve Qianjin Pills, why didn’t he take even one for himself?"
"..."
Yuan Heng’s heart felt as though a warning bell had been struck, its deafening toll reverberating through him, trembling his very fingers.
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