Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery
Chapter 41: The Mysterious Roar

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: The Mysterious Roar

The two shared a heart-to-heart and mended their relationship.

Chen Li’s body still couldn’t move, the slightest motion was painful and he was short of breath. After speaking for a while, he began to breathe rapidly.

"I’ll change your dressing!" Zhou Hong suddenly remembered something and quickly stood up to say.

Chen Li nodded weakly, allowing Zhou Hong to lift the animal skin covering him, only to find his entire body covered in herbs. She gently peeled them off one by one, delighting as she spoke:

"The bruising and swelling have gone down a lot since last time. You have no idea how scary you looked yesterday. Carrying you was fine at first, but later your body became full of bruises and it swelled up almost an entire size..."

Perhaps out of the joy in her heart, she chattered on without stopping.

Chen Li didn’t say anything, just watched her with a smile.

"What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen enough of me after all this time?" Zhou Hong said coquettishly, her face slightly red. She had never seen such a gaze from Chen Li before, and it unnerved her. She averted her eyes, taking out some mashed-up herbs: "The herbs are a bit cold, bear with it!"

"Mhm!" Chen Li nodded slightly in response.

The herbs were cold at first but soon began to heat up.

Bit by bit, they covered his entire body.

Suddenly Zhou Hong giggled, "You’re like this and still not behaving."

Chen Li’s old face reddened and he muttered, "How could I, it’s just a reaction to the herbs."

Anyone would find it hard to bear, with the alternating cold and heat - a natural reaction.

"Hmph, all you think about is that stuff, always running off to the brothel as soon as you have some money..." Zhou Hong glanced sideways with a playful reprimand.

Once again, slandering out of the blue.

He would never live down this dark history.

Chen Li let out an internal scoff, too lazy to argue.

"Take a Healing Elixir." After applying the herbs, Zhou Hong took out a pill from a porcelain bottle. Such a healing medicine was a staple for many Loose Cultivators who adventured in the wilds.

Chen Li obediently opened his mouth, swallowed the pill, then drank a few sips of hot water with her assistance.

"Where did you get the hot water?" Chen Li asked, as boiling water wasn’t easy to come by in the wilderness.

"There’s a small hot spring nearby, not far from here," Zhou Hong said.

Saying this, she walked out of the cave to fetch the water, and then carefully wiped his face and hands.

Watching Zhou Hong bustling about skillfully, Chen Li’s heart suddenly felt an immense peace.

To be honest, at first, he was just settling with Zhou Hong to get by.

Desire outweighed affection.

The loneliness of being suddenly alone after transmigration could be especially unbearable.

Upon arriving in this world, the first woman he met was Zhou Hong, and she was also the one he interacted with most. Coupled with the fact that she was good-looking and had a decent personality, moved by impulse and lust, it was logical for them to end up together.

Isn’t this how the love of most adults entering society plays out?

At 41, this body was middle-aged, and even before transmigrating, he wasn’t young at 28.

By that age, most people had long given up the fantasy of wonderful love, turning to the simplicity of arranged matches.

As long as the partner is pleasing to the eye and everything is passable, what more could one ask for?

Yet this woman he thought was just "good enough" had carried his unconscious self across mountains and ridges during the night to this cave. She had gathered herbs, hunted for animal skins, and tirelessly took care of him without a single word of complaint.

...

Perhaps it was the effect of the medicine, or maybe the strength of his body.

By the second day, Chen Li felt much better. The muscle strain was largely healed, the tightness in his chest had greatly subsided, and he could walk slowly with Zhou Hong’s support.

The cave was located halfway up the mountainside.

At its widest, the diameter was no more than four meters, and it was only eight or nine meters deep, with vines and shrubs concealing the entrance, making it quite hidden.

Emerging from the cave, Chen Li gazed at the dense forest in the distance, undulating like a green net, listened to the chirping of insects and birds by his ear, and inhaled the fresh air rich with spiritual energy, feeling a great sense of exhilaration.

He couldn’t help but feel some emotion in his heart. Since he had arrived in this world, he had never dared to venture into the forest, yet now, he had come here in such a way.

Now it seemed to him that he had been scaring himself more than necessary...

"Aooo!"

A sound like a steam whistle came from a distant place.

It was long and far-reaching!

It also carried a kind of indescribable oppression.

The sound echoed for over a minute before ending perfectly on a varied and melodious note.

The entire forest suddenly fell silent, even the usual sounds of insects and birds had completely ceased.

What a powerful roar!

What a tremendous presence!

"What is that?" Chen Li quickly turned to ask Zhou Hong, feeling his chest tight and short of breath again.

"It must be a big demon. I’m not sure exactly what kind, but sometimes, when it’s in a good mood, it will let out a roar," Zhou Hong snuggled up to Chen Li, her face unchanged, and said naturally, "Even though its voice carries all the way here, it’s actually quite far from us."

Her habituation and composure might just be the world’s compromise under the helplessness of the weaker beings, like ants that could be crushed underfoot at any moment, powerless to change anything, only to grow accustomed to it.

Chen Li fell silent in his heart.

After looking outside for a while, he returned to the cave with Zhou Hong’s support.

...

Three days later.

Chen Li’s body had mostly recovered.

He began to move his stiff body, closing his eyes to sense his muscles, and started practicing the fundamentals of swordsmanship again, step by step. With each punch and kick, seemingly effortless, the air hissed in response.

The last fight had made him realize even more the importance of his swordsmanship.

Without the daily practice of swordsmanship, to strengthen his body and refine his muscles while achieving the state where "the heart aligns, the eyes follow," "where the eyes go, the sword follows," it would not be possible to accurately capture the flying sword at high speeds and strike it down in one go.

And it would be impossible to, after the battle, still be able to walk home with severe injuries and only then pass out.

The outcome might have been completely different.

...

It was just a short five days.

The once mighty Spirit Tiger Gang of the slums had already dispersed like smoke and clouds.

Though there was no shortage of ambitious people wanting to inherit and maintain it, on one hand, the Spirit Tiger Gang had risen quickly with no real foundation, and on the other, those with ambition didn’t have the overwhelming strength to convince the masses.

Among them, there were also people who had thought of asking Chen Li to stand out and maintain the situation.

Unfortunately, by the time they reached his house, they found it had long been empty.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

But before the Spirit Tiger Gang collapsed, the various leaders had already started eagerly looking for new backers. In a few days’ time, the territory of the Spirit Tiger Gang had been completely divided among neighboring forces.

Even the Ju Xiong Bang (Giant Bear Gang), which had always been suppressed by the Spirit Tiger Gang, took this opportunity to reclaim its turf.

At the same time, the legends about Chen Li spread wider and farther, gradually encompassing the entire slum area.

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