Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 27: Breaking Through to the Fourth Level of the Body Tempering Realm

When Xia Ye woke up, he felt as if his body was about to fall apart; every muscle was screaming in agony. “Ah-uh?” Xiao Song Guo, who was simmering meat porridge, dropped her wooden spoon and rushed over immediately. It was still raining! Lu Lingxi set down the animal hide she was holding and examined Xia Ye’s body. “Are you a shaman?” Xia Ye saw a faint green glow emanate from Lu Lingxi’s right hand; as she gently touched him, the aching in his muscles vanished. “Just a few trivial tricks!” Lu Lingxi smiled. Song Guo leaned close to Xia Ye’s ear and mentioned the matter of the herbs as well. “You’re too modest. Thank you for saving my life!” Xia Ye used respectful language; in a world where disease and death ran rampant, shamans who understood herbal medicine and possessed healing abilities were highly sought after. Even if Lu Lingxi knew only the basics, Xia Ye had already decided to invite her to join his tribe. “You’re too kind—you were the one who saved me first!” Lu Lingxi knelt, her expression turning serious: “Let’s reintroduce ourselves. My name is Lu Lingxi, a traveler currently journeying around the world!” “Xia Ye, from the Xia Clan!” Xia Ye smiled faintly: “A young man whose goal is the stars and the vast ocean!” “Oh?” At the mention of “the stars and the vast sea,” Lu Lingxi’s eyes lit up; those four words resonated with her sense of aesthetics. “I don’t even have a tribe of my own—if I rashly invite someone like this, I’m bound to get turned down.” Xia Ye quietly observed Lu Lingxi, analyzing her. There was no doubt that Lu Lingxi was a stunning beauty, and she clearly had a fondness for the color green. Even before her injuries had healed, she had begun reading and recording her observations. Combined with her elegant speech and demeanor, she was clearly a well-educated, intellectual young woman with a love of literature. “Does she like to travel the world? Then I’ll talk about scenic spots from all over the globe to pique her interest and keep her by my side. Oh, and I’ll pair that with some delicious food—I’d better hurry up and make that ice cream.” Although Xia Ye had never traveled abroad back then, he’d seen plenty of wondrous and magnificent sights from around the world online. As for Lu Lingxi’s skepticism, he’d simply say he’d seen them in the murals at some ancient ruins. “Have some congee!” Xiao Song Guo scooped a wooden bowl of meat congee, blew on it to cool it down, and handed it to Xia Ye. “You’re saying there’s life on those stars too? Where’s the proof?” Lu Lingxi’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “We’ll talk about it next time!” Having rested enough, Xia Ye put on his rain gear and prepared to head out. “You’re going again?” Lu Lingxi frowned: “Forgive my frankness, but if you keep pushing your luck like this, you’re bound to die!” “Aren’t you interested in the secret treasure?” Xia Ye asked in return. “As far as I’m concerned, the secret treasure isn’t worth risking my life for.” Lu Lingxi’s reply was, as always, full of that bohemian flair. She had intended to add something else—her lips twitched slightly—but she held back. That was her secret. “Song Guo, stay here!” Xia Ye instructed. “You’re a level-headed young man—you shouldn’t let the secret treasure blind you!” Lu Lingxi pleaded earnestly; she genuinely admired this young man and couldn’t bear to see him die in vain. “Exactly—that’s why I’ve found a new treasure!” Xia Ye curled the corner of his mouth, leaving everyone in suspense, then walked into the curtain of rain. “What do you mean?” Lu Lingxi was puzzled. Back in the underground district, Xia Ye stood fifty meters away from the Headless Battle Spirit. He took a deep breath and stepped forward. The headless battle spirit rose to its feet and charged. This time, Xia Ye didn’t spare the secret treasure a single glance; instead, he focused all his attention on the headless battle spirit, observing its every move. On his way back to the stone hut after being beaten so badly he’d coughed up blood, Xia Ye suddenly wondered: Why had he been fixated on the secret treasure? The Headless Battle Spirit’s combat techniques were so formidable—even learning just a few of them would be a massive gain. To be worthy of guarding this ancient treasure, the Headless Battle Spirit must have once been a powerful tribal hero! Xia Ye gave it his all. Seeing Xia Ye dart behind it once again, the Headless Battle Spirit spun around, dragging its massive sword with one hand as it scraped across the floor, sending scattered sparks flying. Once the Headless Battle Spirit faced Xia Ye directly, its left hand gripped the hilt, and it swung the sword upward with both hands. Rising Dragon Slash! Whoosh! A dark red sword aura, five meters long and shaped like a crescent moon, shot forth, Xia Ye parried it with his sword held horizontally. Whoosh! The sword energy whizzed past him, slicing off a few strands of Xia Ye’s hair, then continued unabated, crashing into the dome of the altar, which stood dozens of meters high. “That was a perfect shot!” Watching Xia Ye’s retreating figure, Lu Lingxi felt a mix of admiration, surprise, and regret. During her last few healing sessions, she’d noticed his injuries growing progressively less severe—a sign that he’d begun to grasp the pattern. Yet, to obtain the secret treasure, he still had a long way to go. Lu Lingxi’s assessment was spot on. A day later, Song Guo carried the severely injured Xia Ye back. During his fierce battle with the Headless Battle Spirit, even though he’d been extremely cautious, he still couldn’t avoid making mistakes entirely. Combined with physical exhaustion and other factors, he’d ultimately been struck. “Why are you putting yourself through this?” Lu Lingxi helped treat him, simmering herbs over the campfire; the bitter scent filled the entire room. “I’ve learned a lot!” Xia Ye grinned. Faced with the imminent threat of death, his combat experience was accumulating at a rapid pace. “You still have the nerve to smile?” Lu Lingxi was speechless—to treat a headless battle spirit as an opponent? Just how bold must he be? After drinking the herbal broth, Xia Ye stood up, ready to head out. “Why don’t you rest for at least a day?” Lu Lingxi urged him. “The rain has let up quite a bit; it should stop soon. I want to make the most of my time and practice a few more times!” An opponent like a headless battle spirit isn’t easy to come by. “Hey, wait a minute!” Lu Lingxi sighed, opened her backpack, pulled out a small bamboo tube about as thick as a thumb, and handed it to Xia Ye: “Here, it’s for you.” “What’s this?” Song Guo stood on tiptoe to get a better look and saw that it was a red pill about the size of a cherry. “I concocted this pill myself. Not only can it heal injuries, but it also absorbs primordial energy. Once you take it, you should be able to advance one rank!” Lu Lingxi explained. Xia Ye frowned and handed it back: “This is too valuable—I can’t accept it!” “You’ve earned it!” Lu Lingxi smiled, even more impressed by Xia Ye’s character: “Take it. If you’d killed me while I was unconscious and taken them back then, there’s nothing I could have done about it!” Xia Ye hesitated. “Although I’m giving them to you, let me be clear: their potency is immense. If you can’t handle it, the excessive absorption of primordial energy will cause your body to explode.” Setting aside the formula itself, the precious herbs used in these pills alone could buy an entire tribe of a thousand people. Of course, given Lu Lingxi’s personality, when she gave something to someone she liked, she didn’t care about its value. “Then I’d be rude to refuse!” Xia Ye clutched the bamboo tube tightly: “Once I get back to the tribe, I’ll give you something really good!” “I’m really looking forward to it!” This wasn’t flattery. Whether it was cane sugar, braised pork, or candied hawthorn on a stick, Lu Lingxi was seeing all of these for the first time. And then there was that backpack and the oddly shaped curved dagger—it could be said that Xia Ye was full of novelties, which piqued her curiosity. Without further delay, after asking Lu Lingxi what precautions to take, Xia Ye popped the pill into his mouth. As it came into contact with his saliva, a wave of heat immediately surged through him, making him want to open his mouth. “You must swallow it!” Lu Lingxi warned. Xia Ye swallowed hard. The heat rushed from his throat straight to his stomach, as if he’d drunk boiling water—it felt like his flesh was about to be scalded to a crisp. “Are you okay?” Seeing Xia Ye’s skin rapidly turn red, Song Guo grew worried. “Be quiet!” Lu Lingxi instructed. Just as she was about to tell Xia Ye what to do to ease the pain, she saw him rip off his leather armor and charge into the rain. Boom! Xia Ye executed the first level of the “Dragon-Taming Return” technique. As the potion’s potency took effect, Xia Ye became like a black hole, frantically devouring the surrounding primordial energy—even drawing in the falling rain, which poured down all over him. Sizzle! The rainwater drenched his body but was quickly evaporated, leaving a swirling white mist in its wake. Xia Ye’s skin grew hotter and redder by the second, like a boiled lobster; eventually, his skin even cracked and began to peel off. “Oh no, it’s absorbing the vital energy way too fast!” Lu Lingxi’s expression grew grave.