Chapter Eleven: Escape!

The Ghost Physician turned stiffly, finding himself face-to-face with the black-robed Yin Sha.

"The boy you rescued that day—he’s still alive, isn't he?" Yin Sha asked coldly.

The Ghost Physician felt an immense pressure descend upon him, so intense that his very bones began to creak. "What... what do you want?"

Yin Sha chuckled, a grating, wheezing sound. "Heh-heh-heh-heh... as long as he is alive, that is fine. Keep a close watch on him for me. Once I have lured the other three away, I shall come for him. Old man, if you dare to play any tricks, heh-heh-heh-heh..." Before the words had fully faded, the eerie, discordant voice drifted away, vanishing instantly from the Ghost Physician’s sight. The pressure suddenly lifted, leaving the old man breathless.

The Ghost Physician exhaled, his spine drenched in cold sweat. "That monster’s cultivation has improved again. It is truly terrifying." He rubbed his stiff back, turned, and sprinted toward the Medicine Valley as fast as he could.

Inside the valley, Tong Jin was still deep in sleep when he was jolted awake by a thunderous shout.

"Quick! Boy, you must leave the valley at once!" the Ghost Physician said, his expression grim.

Tong Jin rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Old Ghost, did you have a nightmare? Why are you so panicked?"

"Nightmare? If you dawdle any longer, your nightmare will become reality," the Ghost Physician retorted, caught between anger and amusement. "The monsters who harmed you know you are here, and they will be upon us soon. I suspect they still have designs on you. Run as far as you can!"

"What?!" Tong Jin scrambled up, his eyes wide. "I’m not leaving! I’ll fight them!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with agitation.

"Fight them with what? The two of us together aren't worth a flick of their fingers. Put on your clothes and follow me to the stone chamber!" Without another word, the Ghost Physician strode out of the living quarters toward the nearby grotto.

Within moments, Tong Jin had hastily wrapped himself in his clothes and followed. The Ghost Physician was sealing an exquisite stone box. "Take these. As for the methods to raise and train them, I have no time to teach you; you must study the secret manual yourself." The Ghost Physician shook his head despondently.

Tong Jin entered the chamber to see the box of Corpse-Sinking Poison Ants lying open. He took it with a dazed expression. "These are the Corpse-Sinking Poison Ants? Old Ghost, if you give them to me, what will become of you?"

The Ghost Physician’s lips trembled, but he said nothing. He reached into his robe and pulled out a cloth bundle, spreading it open. "This is the disguise mask I wore when we first met. It was a gift from my close friend, the Thousand-Faced Scholar. Take this as well." He heaved a long sigh. "If you can survive this ordeal, I trust it will prove useful."

Tong Jin’s lips quivered. "Old Ghost, you’re just playing a joke on me, right? It’s not really like this, is it?" Tears began to stream down his face uncontrollably.

The Ghost Physician wrapped the mask again and pressed it into Tong Jin’s hands, offering a bitter smile. "Boy, I wish I were joking. There is no time to lose. Take the secret manuals from the grotto and leave at once."

"If I leave, what will you do?" Tong Jin choked out. "Come with me!"

The Ghost Physician shook his head. "Child, do not worry. My martial arts may not equal theirs, but there is no situation I haven’t faced and survived before." He placed a hand on Tong Jin’s head and ruffled his hair.

In that moment, Tong Jin felt a surge of warmth. For over a decade, he had never known his birth father, and his mother had passed away the moment she gave birth to him. He had been raised by his grandfather. Since his family was slaughtered and his grandfather had used his final breath to smuggle him out of Chang'an, he had heard nothing of his kin. Later, when he sneaked back into the city, he found only a hurried letter at their secret meeting spot. Since then, he knew he had no family left in the world.

But now, Tong Jin felt that paternal love once again, as if his grandfather had returned to protect him at the cost of his own life. Having experienced this once before, he knew what he had to do.

"Thank you," Tong Jin whispered, then turned and bolted from the chamber.

When the Ghost Physician stepped out, Tong Jin was ready. He carried no luggage, having simply stuffed a few items into his tunic and secured his upper body with a broad strip of cloth.

"Old Ghost, I will definitely come back!" Tong Jin suppressed his grief, his voice firm.

"Boy, as you wander the world, remember to be careful. Only by staying alive will you have the chance to do great things. You possess the Yin-Yang Constitution; your future is limitless!" The Ghost Physician took a deep breath. "I, Bai Yunbian, will live to see the day you stand at the pinnacle of this world!"

The Ghost Physician reached into his robe with trembling hands and produced a small, emerald-green jade bottle. "If you escape successfully, take this to find someone..."

Tong Jin took the bottle with both hands, tucked it away, and bowed deeply until his forehead touched the ground. Without another word, he turned and sprinted toward the bottom of the valley.

The Ghost Physician watched him go, his eyes misting over with a long sigh. How could he not have grown fond of this boy? He was over fifty, never married, and fate had bound his life to Tong Jin’s. The more he knew the youth, the more he felt like a father and a teacher. "Little ghost, until we meet again," he whispered, a gentle smile on his face.

Tong Jin ran until his lungs burned. Lacking any cultivation, he finally collapsed against a massive boulder, gasping for air.

"The Old Ghost will be fine," he reasoned to himself. "The Soul-Guarding Pavilion’s target is me. As long as I escape, he will surely find a way to evade them. They wouldn't waste time hunting a man who has nothing to do with them." He did not realize, however, that Yin Sha had forced the Physician to look after him; since he had now escaped, the Ghost Physician was far from an uninvolved party.

Tong Jin did not linger. He rubbed his aching legs and set off again.

Choosing to escape through the canyon floor was a decision born of a previous hunting trip, where he had discovered that the ravine stretched for dozens of miles. Rather than crossing the dense forests outside the valley, it was better to travel through the canyon first and plan from there. The world was vast; no matter how powerful the Soul-Guarding Pavilion was, they could not be everywhere.

With his mind set, Tong Jin stopped hesitating. His past suffering only ignited the ferocity within the fourteen-year-old. Rather than being abused and humiliated, he would become strong! Only by becoming strong could he stand tall, protect those he cared about, and exact his revenge! At that moment, Tong Jin did not know that this shift in mindset was the first step on his arduous path to the pinnacle of power.