The Invincible Supreme Medical God
Chapter 298 - 230: A Measure of Survival_2

Chapter 298: Chapter 230: A Measure of Survival_2

"The elders in the village told us you collapsed." Ma Kong looked quietly at Yan Xiaobao, as if trying to convince himself that the child was alright. "Did you get hurt when you caught that Fanged Hog earlier?" he asked, unable to think of any other explanation for his collapse.

Hearing the question, Yan Xiaobao fell silent for a moment. The elders had clearly not mentioned their visiting guests, and Yan Xiaobao had no interest in telling them. It was obvious that doing so would only make them all worry.

"That must be it," Yan Xiaobao sighed, letting his body fall back onto the pillow and closing his eyes. A throbbing headache was starting to form, and he was deeply concerned that the man being concealed might reveal something that would force them to escape quickly.

Looking at Deng Wu, Yan Xiaobao understood that the other boy knew something about these men—or rather, Little Dragon knew something about them, which could be useful to Yan Xiaobao. Despite this, he knew he had to figure out a way to talk to Deng Wu alone, rather than speaking in front of everyone. Slowly standing up, his wobbly legs trembling, he pretended to go back to the tent to rest.

At first, everyone offered to help him move, but Yan Xiaobao insisted he could manage on his own. By the time he reached Deng Wu, his legs nearly gave out beneath him, and in his stumble, he accidentally kicked Deng Wu’s thigh.

"Oh no!" Yan Xiaobao exclaimed, his innocent boyish demeanor automatically showing on his face. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to touch you. Maybe I really can’t walk by myself."

"Yes." Deng Wu gritted his teeth in pain. Considering it was just a small boy’s kick, his leg hurt more than it should have—but regardless, Deng Wu understood that this was the only chance Yan Xiaobao had to talk to him alone.

"I’m really sorry," Yan Xiaobao said with a sigh. He truly felt regretful, but he had no other options to quickly acquire the information he needed. As he stepped outside, a thought suddenly occurred to him. Turning his head back, he looked at the four friends still waiting inside, their faces filled with concern for him.

"I’ll need to rest for a few days. In the meantime, try to capture as many Fanged Hogs as possible. We’ll need beast cores."

Hearing this, they all frowned. While they agreed that Yan Xiaobao needed some time to recuperate, they didn’t understand why he specifically needed the cores. However, none of them questioned his words, choosing instead to shrug. Rong Ming suddenly broke into a grin.

"Let’s make it a contest to see who can catch the most hogs!" he exclaimed, rushing out the door before waiting for a reply, sprinting past Yan Xiaobao and toward the outskirts where Yan Xiaobao had scouted earlier that morning.

Gao Yan was quick to take up the challenge too, chasing after his best friend and brushing past Yan Xiaobao so forcefully that the young boy stumbled. This, in turn, caused Deng Wu to burst into laughter.

Back in the village chief’s house, Ma Kong and Rong Xing exchanged suspicious glances.

"Is he hurt?" Ma Kong asked, his voice calm as his eyes lingered on the door where everyone had just walked away.

"No," Rong Xing responded in a melodic tone. "Though Deng Wu seems to know what’s going on." She added with a comment, her face displaying a range of emotions.

"One day, he’ll tell us what to prepare for when the time comes," Ma Kong sighed as he slowly began walking out, intending to join the others in the hunt.

Rong Xing remained behind the house. Gloom settled on her face, her sadness evident. "Does Deng Wu really deserve more trust than I do?" she muttered.

Yan Xiaobao sat across from Deng Wu in the tent, watching the older boy. Before Deng Wu was a small sky-blue statue, devoid of any new discoveries. Little Dragon remained quiet, his presence entirely concealed, much like Lan Feng had done before.

"Stop being such a stingy lizard, you dumb iguana," Lan Feng said as Phoenix took over his body and spoke through Yan Xiaobao. He had no intention of waiting forever for another Divine Beast to begin talking. The taunt seemed to echo disdainfully, "You idiot, what do you know!"

Finally, an aura long suppressed was released. The little statue began to stir to life, frowning at the small white-haired boy before it.

"So," Lan Feng asked, completely ignoring the previous taunts, "who are those black-cloaked men that scare you so much?"

Little Dragon remained quiet for a long moment, looking at Lan Feng with an unfathomable expression.

"Those men are Crusaders," Little Dragon said uncomfortably, his head continuing to dart around, as if he felt someone following him. Yet there was nothing—he seemed to relax slightly. "The Crusaders are said to be his strongest force, but no one truly knows their real capabilities. If they’re here, something’s not right."

Hearing this recollection, Lan Feng grew visibly anxious, which in turn made him even more worried.

"If he sent them after us, we’d already be dead, wouldn’t we?" Lan Feng hissed, his entire body radiating hostility.

"That’s the strange part," Little Dragon continued, truly puzzled. "These Crusaders are the lowest tier; they absolutely belong to the Emperor, so they shouldn’t be able to see you or me. Why are they here?"

"I have a suspicion." Yan Xiaobao said calmly. "I’m certain they’re looking for ’Li Fen.’" As soon as he said this, the tent fell into silence as everyone considered how this might change their future actions. It was clear none of them were interested in anyone finding out their secrets, yet these Crusaders had made it clear they were aware of something.

"We can’t underestimate them, though obviously you’re not their target." Little Dragon finally sighed. "If they were after you, you’d already be dead. Either they haven’t noticed this little Phoenix yet, or they’re not hunting birds."

As he thought about yet another brush with death, Xu Yue could only tremble. He let out a deep sigh, standing up shakily and heading out to find the others. Even though he wished to keep secrets, he knew that everyone around him could potentially be in danger. Putting his friends in harm’s way was something Yan Xiaobao could not bear to do.

Gao Yan and Rong Ming were laughing and discussing the two Fanged Hogs they’d caught, debating which of the hogs was the bigger one. Yan Xiaobao couldn’t help but smile as he overheard their argument. Ma Kong and Rong Xing completely ignored the two and instead focused on extracting beast cores from the other two creatures.

Everyone stopped their work as Yan Xiaobao and Deng Wu arrived, walking toward them. Concern was evident on their faces, and Yan Xiaobao’s heart was filled with gratitude.

"Gather around." He said calmly, and everyone followed suit. Even though Yan Xiaobao was the youngest in the group, he clearly possessed the authority of someone they all respected, evident in the reverent looks they gave him.

"There may be people following me," Yan Xiaobao sighed, the tension in the atmosphere immediately thickening. Yan Xiaobao smiled, bittersweet, knowing this was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to tell them in the first place.

"You two might recognize them," Yan Xiaobao added with a grin, glancing at the Rong twins. "I believe they used to live in the City Lord’s mansion. Seven men in black cloaks."

At this, Rong Xing’s eyes widened, and Rong Ming furrowed his brows. "I know who they are," Rong Xing said calmly. "They’re here searching for a distinguished expert—at least, that’s what Father told me."

Hearing this, Hong Yuehui felt a sense of relief. If those men had noticed Lan Feng, they probably wouldn’t have allowed Yan Xiaobao to wake up so peacefully.

"Did your father ever tell you more?" Yan Xiaobao asked curiously. He had heard of their name—the Crusaders—but knew very little about them.

Rong Xing shook her head regretfully. "When I asked him, Father wouldn’t answer. But I do know they’re looking for someone."

Yan Xiaobao nodded, a tinge of disappointment crossing his face, though he had already anticipated that Rong Liang wouldn’t share such important information with the children.

"Those black-cloaked figures are likely searching for the expert hidden within me," Xu Yue said, his expression heavy. "If you stay with me, you could become targets of their attacks."

...

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