Chapter 18: Grave Wounds

"Damn brat, you killed my men, I'll have your head!" Hearing the wild, beast-like roar behind him, Tong Jin’s mind flashed with the image of the bandit leader.

"Damn it, this bandit chief survived," Tong Jin thought. Feeling a piercing, bone-chilling force approaching from behind, he had no time to turn around and instead rolled to the side.

*Whoosh!* The bushes where Tong Jin had just been hiding were instantly shredded to pieces by the long-haired bandit's palm strike, sending leaves and branches flying in every direction.

Taking advantage of the moment, Tong Jin pulled the stone box from his robes and opened it again. A deafening hum erupted, forming a protective barrier around his body.

"So it was you! Damn it, you used poisonous insects to kill all my men!" Seeing the venomous ants released by Tong Jin, the bandit’s vicious eyes glared at him like a maddened beast.

*Whoosh!* The bandit, showing no fear of the Corpse-Sinking Venomous Ants, gritted his teeth and lunged straight at Tong Jin.

The venomous ants circling Tong Jin swarmed toward the incoming attacker. *Pop, pop!* As the ants came within half an inch of the man’s body, they were all simultaneously repelled.

Only then did terror flash in Tong Jin's eyes. This bandit, a practitioner at the Qi Transformation stage, was using his internal energy to shield himself from the ants—this must have been how he survived earlier. Before he could react, the bandit’s vein-popping fists crashed into Tong Jin’s chest. He didn't even have a chance to dodge.

*Bang!* The pair of thick, heavy fists finally landed on Tong Jin’s chest. He coughed up blood and flew backward in an arc, skidding nearly twenty-four feet before he gave a muffled groan and lost consciousness.

In mid-air, the scattered Corpse-Sinking Venomous Ants, sensing the blood sprayed by Tong Jin, seemed driven by a fatal temptation and buzzed toward it. The largest adult ant clearly held the advantage while feeding on the blood. As it consumed the gore, no one noticed that its wings were emitting a dark red luster, as if the ant itself had developed an internal energy that could be released outside its body.

The bandit walked step by step toward the unconscious Tong Jin, his bloodshot eyes hideously狰狞. It was clear that his previous attack had not yet vented the rage in his heart. "I'm going to tear you to pieces, you wretch," the bandit muttered, looking down at the unmoving Tong Jin.

Just then—*swish!* A piercing sound tore through the air. The bandit’s reaction was terrifyingly fast; he leaped into the air instantly. Yet, just as he thought he had evaded the sneak attack, a sharp, stabbing pain shot through his ankle.

The bandit looked down to see a pitch-black venomous ant, significantly larger than the others, having pierced his protective Qi and clamped its jaws firmly onto his bare ankle. "How is this possible!" Following this incredulous roar, the bandit’s body lost all its strength, and he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud. *Buzz, buzz, buzz*—the other dozen ants swarmed over him. "Ah—ah—ah—" After a few moments of agonizing screams, the bandit fell completely silent.

The Corpse-Sinking Venomous Ants took flight once more, circled the unconscious Tong Jin, and crawled back into the stone box lying nearby. Tong Jin, deep in his stupor, remained entirely unaware of all this.

...

"Brother Tong Jin! Brother Tong Jin!" Tong Jin felt as if someone was calling him, and he struggled to slowly open his eyes. The first things he saw were two doll-like faces, magnified by their proximity.

"Haha, Brother Tong Jin is awake! Qinglan, go call Father!" The two were Nangong Fengyue and Nangong Qinglan, who had kept watch over Tong Jin for three days and nights.

It turned out that when Tong Jin had passed out, Nangong Rong had finally caught up with the caravan. Upon finding the two girls safe but missing Tong Jin, he learned that the defenseless young man had returned to help them. Fearing the worst, he immediately took three of his men and quietly tracked back, arriving just in time to find the unconscious Tong Jin amidst the rotting corpses.

Nangong Rong, a veteran of the world, grew cautious at the sight. He forbade his men from touching anything and began to search for clues himself, eventually discovering the half-open stone box. He could not guess what was in the box, but he inferred that these were the poisonous creatures Tong Jin used for self-preservation. With extreme caution, he snapped the lid shut and brought the unconscious Tong Jin to this place.

Tong Jin felt a tearing pain in his chest and could not help but groan.

"Brother Tong Jin, don't move. Father said your sternum was completely shattered. If you hadn't been lucky enough to avoid damaging your internal organs, you wouldn't have survived," Fengyue said, her face filled with worry, stripped of her usual mischievous playfulness.

Tong Jin smiled weakly. "Cough, cough... where are we?"

"We are at an inn in Shangshui City," Fengyue replied gently.

At this moment, Nangong Rong strode into the room, bustling with energy. "Little brother, you're finally awake!"

Seeing Nangong Rong enter, Tong Jin tried to sit up, but the movement tugged at his wounds, causing him to gasp in pain.

"Little brother, lie back down. You must not move for at least three months. It was fortunate that we had the Tiger-Beard Grass, which saved your life. In a way, you saved yourself," Nangong Rong said, clearly in high spirits seeing Tong Jin regain consciousness.

"Master Nangong, what are you saying? You saved my life; otherwise, even with the miracle medicine, I would not have survived," Tong Jin said gratefully. At that moment, he remembered something, and his expression suddenly changed.

Nangong Rong, understanding his concern, said calmly, "Little brother, are you worried about your stone box? Don't worry, I have already put it away for you; it is there on the table."

Tong Jin looked toward the table and saw the stone box sitting safely. He thought to himself, "Could the Corpse-Sinking Venomous Ants have dispersed? Otherwise, how could anyone have approached the box?" He clearly remembered opening the box to let the ants attack the bandit, yet here the box was, perfectly intact.

"Master, could you pass me the box?" Tong Jin whispered. Qinglan stepped forward first, picked up the box, and placed it in Tong Jin’s hands.

Tong Jin smiled apologetically. "Master, could you please take Fengyue and Qinglan out of the room and seal the doors and windows?" He no longer feared them knowing his secret. Since Nangong Rong had saved him, he must have witnessed the scene that day; the secret of the box was no longer a secret to him.

Nangong Rong nodded solemnly. "Take care, little brother. Observing the bodies bitten that day, I suspect the creatures you keep are extremely dangerous."

Tong Jin nodded without a word.

Once the sound of the door closing faded, Tong Jin slowly opened the stone box and peered inside with trepidation. *Buzz, buzz, buzz*—several black shadows darted out, circling before his eyes. Tong Jin felt a wave of relief. "Thank goodness, the venomous ants are all still here."

Just as he was about to look away from the box, he paused. "Eh?" He seemed to have discovered something incredible, his eyes widening in shock.