The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

The carriage bumped along the rugged mountain road.

Lin Qingxue drove clumsily, nearly getting her wheels stuck in the mud several times, giving her a fright. She would occasionally look back and peek into the carriage through the gap in the curtain.

The mysterious boy had been unconscious for almost an hour. He leaned quietly against the corner of the carriage, his face as pale as a sheet of paper, his chest rising and falling slightly, his breathing weak, as if he might stop breathing at any moment.

The "ugly" boy next to him remained unconscious, his body occasionally twitching and letting out a few painful groans, which was heartbreaking to see.

Lin Qingxue's feelings were complicated. She was grateful to Ye Sheng for saving her, but she was also wary and suspicious of him.

This young man, though he looks young, is very strong. He can kill a bandit leader with a single strike, yet he has made himself so weak and exhausted.

He also knows about the Ghost Market and the ingredients for making the Soul-Soothing Powder. He disguised himself as an assassin from the Blood Pact Merchant Guild and approached me. What was his purpose?

Lin Qingxue grew increasingly agitated. She even had a fleeting thought of abandoning Ye Sheng in the car while he was unconscious and driving away herself. But the thought was quickly dismissed.

No. First of all, she couldn't possibly leave Black Wind Ridge alive on her own. Even if she could, her conscience wouldn't allow it. This person, after all, was her savior.

Moreover, Lin Qingxue glanced at the faintly visible bronze token of the Ghost Market in Ye Sheng's arms, her expression becoming even more complex. Anyone who could possess a bronze token from the Ghost Market was no ordinary person.

My father once said that the Ghost Market in the Eastern Region is full of hidden talents, especially in the inner market, where some people have even more power than the elders of the Qingyun Sword Sect.

Perhaps, befriending him would be an opportunity for both myself and the Lin family.

As darkness fell, Lin Qingxue found a relatively open, sheltered mountain hollow and stopped the carriage.

She found a tinderbox in the carriage and started a campfire. The orange flames flickered, dispelling the chill of the forest and giving her a slight sense of security.

She rummaged through the carriage and found some clean strips of cloth and medicine for her wounds. After hesitating for a moment, she climbed into the carriage.

Inside the carriage, Ye Sheng remained unconscious. By the firelight, Lin Qingxue saw the wounds on his neck inflicted by Ye Kai earlier, and couldn't help but gasp.

She carefully unbuttoned Ye Sheng's collar, washed his wound with clean water, then clumsily applied medicine and carefully bandaged it with strips of cloth.

After doing all this, she went to check on the "ugly" boy next to her. The boy was in bad shape, running a high fever and talking nonsense. The ugly pustules on his face seemed to have grown larger, with a faint black aura flowing through them.

Lin Qingxue reached out, wanting to feel his forehead. But as soon as her hand approached, an extremely cold aura emanated from the boy, making her feel as if her hand had been frozen, and she couldn't help but shiver.

"What a strange disease..."

Lin Qingxue frowned. Born into a family of doctors and well-read since childhood, she had never seen such a bizarre illness. She felt that it was not like an illness at all, but more like a curse.

Just then, Ye Sheng suddenly let out a painful groan, slowly opened his eyes, and woke up.

"you……"

As soon as Ye Sheng opened his eyes, he saw a magnified pretty face, almost pressed against his own. He instinctively wanted to attack, but his whole body was weak and powerless, and he couldn't muster any internal energy at all.

"You're awake?"

Seeing that he was awake, Lin Qingxue breathed a sigh of relief, quickly took a step back to create some distance, and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Ye Sheng didn't answer. He struggled to sit up and the first thing he did was check on his younger brother. When he saw that Ye Kai was still unconscious, only breathing a little rapidly, he was slightly relieved.

"How long did I sleep?"

He asked in a hoarse voice.

"About two hours," Lin Qingxue replied, then handed him a water pouch. "You've lost a lot of blood; you need to replenish your fluids."

Ye Sheng took the water pouch and gulped down a large mouthful without hesitation. The cool water flowed down his throat, clearing his muddled mind considerably.

He glanced at the bandaged wound on his neck, then at Lin Qingxue, his expression complex.

"Meddlesome." He said this, but his tone was much gentler than before.

Lin Qingxue pouted, not bothering to argue with him, and instead asked, "What do we do next? Are we going to spend the night here?"

"no."

Ye Sheng shook his head and said, "It's not safe here. We must travel through the night."

"Traveling overnight?"

Lin Qingxue exclaimed, "But it's already dark, the mountain path is so difficult to walk, and you're still injured."

"If you don't want to die, listen to me."

Ye Sheng said in a cold voice.

He knew very well that the bandits wouldn't be so easily fooled. If they realized he'd tricked them, they would definitely chase after him. In his current state, he would surely die. He had to take advantage of the darkness and cross Black Wind Ridge as quickly as possible.

Although Lin Qingxue was extremely unwilling, she knew that what Ye Sheng said was true. She had no choice but to nod and extinguish the campfire.

Ye Sheng took out the "Qi Gathering Pill" he had obtained from the Blood Wolf from his pocket, hesitated for a moment, then broke it in half and threw it into his mouth.

He must recover some internal energy as soon as possible to deal with any potential dangers.

The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, and a surge of pure medicinal power flowed into his dantian once more. Ye Sheng immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating his [Internal Breathing Technique] to refine the medicinal power.

Lin Qingxue looked at him but didn't disturb him. She simply sat quietly to the side, hugging her knees, looking at the dark forest, feeling a little scared.

Half an hour later, Ye Sheng slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. His face was still pale, but his eyes had regained their clarity and sharpness.

Half a Qi Gathering Pill restored about 30% of his internal energy. Although it wasn't much, it at least gave him some ability to protect himself.

"Let's go." He stood up and put Ye Kai back on his back.

"Why not put him in the carriage?" Lin Qingxue asked, puzzled.

"We're safer carrying him on our backs."

Ye Sheng answered calmly.

The carriage was too conspicuous and inconvenient to move through the mountains. If danger arose, he could abandon the carriage at any time and escape with his younger brother on his back.

Looking at his back, which wasn't particularly broad but was exceptionally strong, Lin Qingxue suddenly felt a strange emotion welling up inside her.

She didn't ask any more questions, but silently followed behind Ye Sheng. The two of them, one in front and one behind, disappeared into the vast night under the faint starlight.

Ye Sheng led the way. Although he was weak, he could still use the Blood Shadow Step silently, like a ghost.

Lin Qingxue followed closely behind him. Although she was a young lady from a wealthy family, she seemed to have practiced some rudimentary lightness skills and was able to keep up with Ye Sheng's pace.

Nights in the mountains and forests are fraught with danger. The roars of monstrous beasts can be heard from afar, and the rustling of unknown insects in the grass sends chills down one's spine.

Lin Qingxue almost screamed several times in fright, but seeing Ye Sheng's calm back in front of her, she forced herself to suppress her fear.

For some reason, she felt a sense of security following behind this boy.

After walking for about an hour, Ye Sheng suddenly stopped and abruptly pulled Lin Qingxue behind him behind a large tree.

"Don't make a sound," he whispered in Lin Qingxue's ear.

A warm breath brushed against her earlobe, causing Lin Qingxue's cheeks to flush and her heart to skip a beat.

Before she could react, she saw dozens of figures holding torches appear on the mountain path not far away.

It's those bandits from earlier! They caught up so quickly! The leader was an exceptionally tall middle-aged man riding a giant black wolf.

The man exuded a violent and fierce aura, and even from a distance, one could feel the suffocating pressure emanating from him.

"Search! Search thoroughly!"

The middle-aged man's voice, like rolling thunder, echoed through the silent mountain forest.

"He dared to kill my Black Wind Stronghold brothers! I'll tear him to pieces and grind his bones to dust!"

"Find that little girl for me! Tonight, I'm going to teach her a lesson about what it means to wish for death!"