Yang An woke from a daze, rubbing his aching eyes to find it was already broad daylight.
His entire body felt weak and sore, like someone unaccustomed to exercise who had suddenly gone through a full day of strenuous activity. Every inch of him ached.
His mind was still hazy, and his head spun dizzily.
But remembering he had fainted from extreme weakness, he forced himself to sit up.
"Where is this?"
He scanned his surroundings, realizing this wasn't his home at all. He was in a desolate wilderness overrun with weeds. Only the area immediately around him had been cleared to make space for a campfire.
"You're awake, Fellow Daoist?"
A voice laced with pleasant surprise suddenly reached his ears.
Yang An turned to look behind him. A man and a woman were walking toward him, the man clutching a lifeless wild Piglet.
Seeing the pair, Yang An immediately recalled what had happened before he passed out and instantly recognized them.
It was none other than Pan Shi and his junior sister, Pan Yu!
Now that it was broad daylight, Yang An could finally get a clear look at them.
Pan Shi was dressed in black, his skin pale. His build was somewhat sturdy and his features rather plain, but he had a very refined air about him, like a well-built scholar.
Pan Yu, on the other hand, looked like the pampered daughter of a wealthy family. Her features were exceptionally pretty—by modern standards, she would be considered a goddess.
Her only imperfection was her petite frame, which made her rather short.
Seeing them, Yang An couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Before passing out, his only hope had been that they wouldn't decide to rob and kill him. It now seemed he was safe and sound.
Furthermore, they hadn't abandoned him. Instead, they had brought him to this unfamiliar place.
From the looks of it, they clearly weren't malicious people, which put him much more at ease.
"Fellow Daoist, where are we?"
Yang An rubbed his forehead, trying to clear his head a bit, and asked Pan Shi.
Holding the Piglet, Pan Shi stopped by the fire with Pan Yu.
"Last night, you must have fainted from overexertion, Fellow Daoist. My junior sister and I took the liberty of bringing you out of Jiunan Town. We are now fifty li beyond its borders."
Pan Shi had been quite surprised by Yang An's sudden collapse the previous night, but he didn't doubt his identity.
After all, he had witnessed Yang An's power for himself. His Cultivation Realm, in Pan Shi's opinion, could not be faked. He simply judged from Yang An's sickly pale face that the collapse was due to overexertion.
Carrying an unconscious person had slowed them down a bit, but it didn't make much of a difference.
His junior sister, Pan Yu, was still only a mortal in the Resonance Stage. For him, carrying one person or two made little difference.
'Most importantly,' he thought, 'once Yang An awakens and recovers, he'll know we helped him. He'll owe us a favor, and if we ever run into trouble in the future, it will be much easier to ask for his assistance.'
"Thank you, Fellow Daoists!"
Yang An thanked them gratefully, having already guessed at their motives and relieved that he hadn't exposed himself.
"My junior sister and I just caught some game, which should help you get your strength back, Fellow Daoist. Also, I have an Elixir here. If you don't mind, please take it. It should be helpful."
Pan Shi set down the Piglet and took a jet-black pill from his robes, handing it to Yang An.
After a moment's hesitation, Yang An accepted the Elixir from Pan Shi.
He truly needed to recover his strength as quickly as possible, so he decided not to be coy about it.
The moment the Elixir was in his hand, a text box appeared before Yang An's eyes, displaying its information.
[Blood Tumor Pill]: Produced on Sansong Mountain. Refined from a Red Monkey's internal blood tumors, supplemented with the roots of a century-old tree, a River Clam Pearl, and Golden Sunflower Juice. Consumption generates essence and blood, brightens the eyes, and restores energy.
Cost of Use: One quarter-hour after consumption, your entire body will feel an invasive chill, your limbs will be wracked with piercing pain, your tongue will ache, and your feet will grow stiff. Lasts for three quarter-hours.
Status: Purifiable!
"Blood Tumor Pill?!"
The name of the Elixir gave Yang An a very bad feeling, but he breathed a sigh of relief after reading its full description.
'I was overthinking it.'
It wasn't a harmful Elixir; just its ingredients and name were rather off-putting. Pan Shi didn't mean him any harm.
"As expected of you, Fellow Daoist! To recognize it at a single glance!"
Pan Shi looked astonished, his admiration for Yang An's worldliness growing.
'A true disciple of a great Righteous Sect,' he thought. 'If I was only guessing at his identity before, I'm completely convinced now.'
'He's definitely a disciple from a Hidden Sect with an incredibly deep heritage. To even know of the Blood Tumor Pill…'
'The Blood Tumor Pill can only be refined on my Sansong Mountain, and it isn't widely circulated. Very few people know its name.'
'The reason is simple: one of the ingredients required for the Blood Tumor Pill can only be found on Sansong Mountain. This Elixir is a unique specialty of our Immortal Mountain.'
Yang An smiled and thanked Pan Shi again. Then, without further ceremony, he used Purification on the Blood Tumor Pill in his hand.
Only a Blood Tumor Pill with its side effects eliminated could be considered a truly harmless Elixir. Relieved, Yang An popped it into his mouth.
The Elixir took effect quickly.
Within a few breaths, Yang An felt a faint, warm current spreading from his chest. A pleasant warmth suffused his entire body, and his mental state began to improve as he recovered a bit of his strength.
By now, Pan Shi had found a branch, skewered the Piglet, and was roasting it over the fire, apparently planning to make a roasted suckling pig.
As the meat roasted, Pan Shi struck up a conversation with Yang An, though they mostly stuck to trivial topics.
For the most part, Pan Shi did the talking while Yang An listened, occasionally nodding as if in agreement.
'In truth, I've never heard of any of the things Pan Shi is talking about, and there's nothing about them in my predecessor's memories either. To avoid exposing my real identity, I can only play along and bluff my way through.'
Meanwhile, as Pan Shi chatted with Yang An, he was inwardly quite shocked.
'We've been talking for a while now. Logically, the Blood Tumor Pill should have taken effect, and its side effects should be appearing. But this Fellow Daoist Yang is acting perfectly fine, and his spirits are only improving. This man is truly extraordinary.'
'Even when I take a Blood Tumor Pill, I have to use Mana to suppress the side effects when they manifest. Otherwise, the pain is excruciating, sometimes even unbearable.'
'As expected of a disciple from one of the Hidden Sects. His tolerance for an Elixir's side effects is beyond that of any ordinary person.'
Pan Shi couldn't help but marvel.
After a little while, wisps of smoke began to rise, and the rich aroma of roasting meat started to fill the air. The meat turning over the fire was almost cooked through.
Seeing this, Pan Shi turned to his junior sister, Pan Yu, who was boredly plucking at the weeds by her feet.
"Junior Sister, hurry and take out those seasonings you carry around. And don't hold back on the cumin and chili peppers. Let Fellow Daoist Yang have a taste of a true mortal delicacy."