The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

At this moment, in this bewitching place, time and space seem to have been cut off, and everything around exudes a quiet eeriness.

Ye Sheng rowed his small boat, like a lone leaf, drifting on the endless misty river.

The evil spirits that had appeared before never appeared again, and the sounds of Yun Zhonghe fighting with the skull also disappeared. Only the soft sound of oars cutting through the water and Ye Kai's occasional coughs could be heard in the world.

Another half hour passed, but the thick fog showed no signs of dissipating, and it was still impossible to discern directions or objects.

Ye Sheng knelt in the cabin, holding his younger brother tightly with one hand and gripping the boat pole with the other, alertly sensing his surroundings.

Gradually, Ye Sheng sensed something was wrong. Before he knew it, the fog had become cold and biting, as if it would freeze one's soul.

"Brother...it's so cold..."

Ye Kai closed his eyes, shivering in a daze, curled up in a ball, his body burning hot, while the black energy moving under his skin became clearer, like black worms that had come to life and were thrashing about wildly.

Seeing this, Ye Sheng's expression turned solemn and his face was full of worry. He reached out and pressed against Ye Kai's back, channeling the last bit of pale golden internal energy he had into his younger brother's body.

The internal energy flowed like a warm current, and wherever it passed, the black energy under Ye Kai's skin began to slowly recede, and the trembling of his body temporarily subsided.

After a while, beads of sweat appeared on Ye Sheng's forehead, and his face turned pale. He thought to himself, "At this rate, it's just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. My internal energy is being rapidly depleted, while my brother's condition is continuing to worsen. I must leave this awful place as soon as possible!"

Thinking of this, Ye Sheng gritted his teeth, dipped the boat pole into the water again, and rowed forward with all his might, relying on his senses.

But he couldn't tell which way to go, or even whether he was moving forward or spinning in circles. He could only numbly repeat the same actions.

After an unknown amount of time, when Ye Sheng felt his arms were so sore and he could barely lift them, the bow of the boat suddenly trembled slightly, as if it had touched solid ground.

His heart tightened, and he immediately stopped rowing. He waved his sleeve to clear the thick fog in front of him, and then a black mudflat appeared before him.

Ye Sheng began to look around. He found that the fog here seemed to be thinner than in the middle of the river, and he could barely see the scenery a dozen steps away.

There was no sand or gravel on the mudflats, only thick silt that reeked of decay. Several twisted, dead trees, like claws of a ghost, stretched out of the mud, their branches covered with grayish-white moss.

Further away, there was a black swamp that seemed to stretch to the horizon. Some floating objects and duckweed could be vaguely seen on the surface of the water, and occasionally bubbles would rise from underwater, releasing a foul stench when they burst.

The place is filled with an aura of death, making it more like a dead end than the Bewitching Crossing.

After a moment's thought, Ye Sheng made his decision. He had no other choice; the small boat could no longer move forward, and Ye Kai's body wouldn't last much longer.

He then dragged the small boat little by little onto the mudflats, simply covered it with withered branches and leaves, and then carried the unconscious Ye Kai on his back, wading into this unknown swamp.

The mud underfoot was cold and sticky, making each step extremely difficult.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Ye Sheng finally found a relatively dry and solid piece of ground.

It was a huge, protruding rock, which at that moment looked like a small, isolated island in this swamp.

There is a natural cave under the rock, which is not big, but big enough to hide in.

After carefully placing Ye Kai into the stone cave and settling him in, Ye Sheng gathered some dry branches near the cave. Starting a fire in the wild was not difficult for Ye Sheng.

Looking at the flickering flames before him, Ye Sheng felt much more at ease. At least for now, the flames brought a touch of warmth and light to this desolate land.

"puff--"

Suddenly, Ye Kai spat out a mouthful of black blood, which splattered on the ground next to the fire, making a sizzling sound and corroding a small pit in the ground.

The blood-red aura seemed to carry a chilling, bone-deep coldness.

Ye Sheng's expression changed drastically, and he immediately stepped forward to support his younger brother.

But he discovered that after Ye Kai spat out the black blood, the burning sensation in his body subsided considerably, and the black aura under his skin also dimmed. Although Ye Kai's breathing was still weak, it was much more stable than before.

At this moment, Ye Sheng recalled what Yun Zhonghe had said before: "The body of Dao Calamity, which devours Yin Sha, will also be devoured by Yin Sha."

"It seems that my brother's body is expelling the Yin energy that he cannot fully digest in this way."

Ye Sheng murmured his guess.

After a while, seeing that Ye Kai had not shown any further abnormalities, he felt relieved and began to check his own injuries.

His previous fight with the silver-masked man had caused him considerable internal injuries, and his chest was still aching slightly.

The healing medicine provided by the ship's crew has run out, and we must find new medicinal herbs to heal as soon as possible.

After settling Ye Kai in, Ye Sheng picked up his wood-chopping knife and walked out of the cave.

Although this black swamp is deathly still, it is not entirely devoid of life.

Using his [Herbal Identification] skill, Ye Sheng discovered several medicinal plants that he didn't recognize, but whose panel provided feedback, in the crevices of rocks and along the edges of swamps.

Black knot grass (medium grade), is cold in nature and can clear heat and detoxify. It has a slight relieving effect on the invasion of yin evil into the body.

[The rotten bone flower (highly poisonous) has a sap that can paralyze the nerves; small amounts can cause hallucinations.]

Ye Sheng had an idea and picked some of both plants.

Black-jointed grass can be boiled into a decoction for Ye Kai to drink, alleviating the backlash from the Yin energy within his body. As for the bone-rotting flower... it might come in handy at a crucial moment.

By this time, darkness was gradually falling. And the night in the swamp seemed longer and more dangerous than anywhere else.

Some unknown insects emitted eerie cries in the darkness, and in the distance, beneath the water's surface, a huge shadow seemed to be slowly moving.

Ye Sheng stood guard at the cave entrance, his wood-chopping knife resting on his lap, his face full of vigilance as he surveyed his surroundings, and he didn't sleep a wink all night.

"We must find a way to leave here as soon as possible."

Ye Sheng kept repeating this to himself. When he got bored on night watch, he opened the skill panel and looked at the slowly increasing numbers. His eyes turned cold and determined.

Name: Ye Sheng

[Skill: Activated to level 6]

Standing meditation: Beginner level 45/500

[Basic Knife Techniques: Beginner 103/500]

[Internal Breathing Method: Beginner Level 145/500]

[Herbal Identification: Beginner 23/100]

[Scavenging: Proficient 41/500]

[Literacy: Beginner Level 43/100]

"Our strength is still too weak."

Ye Sheng muttered to himself.

However, at that moment, the black wooden plaque he had obtained from the old man in the ghost market suddenly became slightly warm.

Ye Sheng noticed something was wrong and quickly took it out.

In the dim light, he noticed that the character "Yin" carved on the wooden plaque emitted a faint red glow in the darkness.

"This is……"

Ye Sheng looked puzzled, then a thought struck him, and he probed a wisp of his inner energy into the wooden plaque.

The next second, a strange, hoarse voice rang directly in his mind.

"Boy, do you want your brother to live? Then hurry up and come find me at the 'Ghost Pool' deep in the Bone Forest."

"This...this is the voice of that old man from the ghost market! How did he know I was here? This wooden sign even has a communication function?"

Ye Sheng was moved, his face full of surprise. He gripped the wooden plaque tightly, his heart churning with turmoil.

To go or not to go?

Ghost Pool—just the name itself sounds ominous. But it's also his only clue and chance to save his brother.

He glanced at Ye Kai, who was still unconscious in the cave, and his eyes finally hardened with determination: He would go at dawn tomorrow.