Chapter 125 - 120: Scorching Heart

Drilling Mountain Leopard pushed aside the weeds in front of him and, leaning on the stone wall, shuffled out of the cave.

"I never thought this secret passage would actually come in handy."

The sun was fierce, its glare making it hard for him to open his eyes.

He raised a hand to shield his forehead and leaned against the cave entrance, resting for a while until his eyes could gradually focus again.

Glancing around and seeing no one nearby, he began to limp northwest.

His right arm was numb and without feeling. A searing, burning pain ran from his chest to the top of his thigh, and he twitched from time to time.

Every step brought a heart-piercing stab of pain.

But he didn’t dare stop, nor did he dare stay in the cave. This place was still too close to Fuli Valley. A search party of a hundred men could easily find him.

Besides, he had seen some fresh droppings in the cave earlier. Judging by their shape and size, a wild beast was surely prowling nearby.

His mountain stronghold had fallen apart, and his own situation was dire...

Drilling Mountain Leopard snorted inwardly. ’No matter. As long as I’m still breathing, I’ll have a chance to make a comeback!’

He had consumed the Ginseng King; vitality flooded his body. He would recover quickly—even his broken arm would heal completely.

It was a good thing he was like a sly rabbit with three burrows and had prepared an escape route in advance. Otherwise, he’d be dead for sure.

It was just a shame that his life’s work of over twenty years had been completely destroyed by that kid!

At this thought, Drilling Mountain Leopard gritted his teeth.

’Sooner or later, I’ll settle this score!’

...

Zhao Lin left the mink pens and returned to the assembly hall.

The bandits on the mountain were in chaos. Some said the chief was dead and suggested they disband and flee for their lives.

Others argued that the chief’s body wasn’t in the assembly hall, so he must have gone to get reinforcements. They believed he would return sooner or later to restore the stronghold’s prestige.

A few of the minor leaders, unable to agree, each gathered a group of followers and began arguing, even coming to blows.

Zhao Lin had no time for this rabble. If he encountered any on his way, he killed them with his iron ruler; those who fled, he didn’t bother to chase.

On the grand chair in the assembly hall, he could smell Drilling Mountain Leopard’s scent, as well as that of the Fragrant Mink and his own.

Having absorbed the Fragrant Mink’s Essence Soul, he could easily capture the various scents in the air.

The sensation was magical, almost impossible to describe in words.

To use an analogy, when the human eye sees something, it can immediately distinguish between colors like red, orange, yellow, and blue, or black, white, purple, and cyan.

Zhao Lin’s sense of smell was now the same. No matter how faint a scent was, he could identify it in an instant, as easily as looking at the lines on his own palm.

A few drops of not-yet-dry blood stained the floor. Zhao Lin walked over, dipped his fingertip in it, and brought it to his nose to smell.

"Very good. I’ve memorized it."

...

Drilling Mountain Leopard lay on a kang bed, his arm bound in a splint and held in a sling made from a thick hemp rope. Strips of cloth were wrapped layer after layer around his chest and abdomen, reeking of strong herbal medicine.

His body still throbbed with a fiery pain, but within the pain was a hint of a numbing itch, a sign that his wounds were healing.

This was good.

’Once my body recovers, with my skills, where in the world can’t I go?’

But the thought of losing to a young man not yet twenty years old filled him with indignation.

To this day, he couldn’t figure it out. Zhao Lin had been hit by a poison needle, so how could he be perfectly fine?

’His martial arts progress is terrifyingly fast, fine, but he’s also immune to all poisons?’

’That kid is just too much of an enigma...’

Drilling Mountain Leopard licked his lips. Since he couldn’t figure it out, he decided not to think about it for now, and instead surveyed the thatched hut he was in.

The room was small, its walls mottled and old. Besides a table, chairs, and a bench, there was nothing else.

Even these few furnishings were ancient, looking older than he was.

The village had only a dozen or so households, which he had stumbled upon while fleeing.

It was remote and therefore relatively safe. Besides, he simply couldn’t walk any further, so he had knocked on the door of a house.

At first, Drilling Mountain Leopard worried about being recognized. After all, his face was household knowledge on Baitou Mountain; even those who had never seen him had heard of him.

Luckily, this household consisted of only a woman in her thirties. There was no man around, and she didn’t seem like the worldly type.

Worried about exposing his identity, he had tossed his Iron-Toothed Sword and cloak on the road. He was wearing only his under-robe, and aside from his unshaven beard, he looked completely different from the bandit chief he once was.

He told the woman he had been seriously injured by a wild beast in the mountains. She didn’t suspect a thing, helping him bandage his wounds and letting him rest and recover in her home.

"Sir, you’re awake?" A plain-looking woman dressed as a farmer’s wife walked in, carrying an earthenware bowl.

"You must be hungry. Have some rice water."

"Thank you, ma’am!"

Drilling Mountain Leopard grinned, a simple, honest smile on his face, as he struggled to reach for the bowl.

"Drink slowly, it’s hot."

Without any reservations, the woman helped Drilling Mountain Leopard sit up and placed the earthenware bowl directly in his hands.

The contents of the bowl were watery and thin, so clear you could see your reflection in it.

Normally, Drilling Mountain Leopard wouldn’t have given it a second glance, but now he felt his mouth watering, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.

He took a sip. It was sweet and fragrant.

"This congee is delicious! It has a floral scent!"

Drilling Mountain Leopard exclaimed with genuine feeling.

"Then have some more. I’ll get you another bowl when you’re done."

A smile appeared on the woman’s face. "By the way, sir, which village are you from?"

"Three Families Village."

Drilling Mountain Leopard blurted out the name of a place far from here. Only after speaking did he remember that Three Families Village was Zhao Lin’s hometown.

"Are you a Hunter or a farmer, then?" the woman asked.

"A farmer. I occasionally go into the mountains to gather herbs and such."

Drilling Mountain Leopard glanced outside. "Ma’am, who else is in your family?"

The woman looked down. "I have a ten-year-old son. He’s an apprentice at the carpenter’s on the other side of the mountain."

"And your husband?"

"A couple of years ago, he was taken by the bandits to tend their horses. There’s been no word since. I don’t know if he’s dead or alive."

The woman sighed. "Those bandits are real bastards!"

The hand Drilling Mountain Leopard was using to hold the bowl trembled, and a vicious glint flashed in his eyes.

Seeing he had gone quiet, the woman asked, "Sir, is something wrong?"

"It’s nothing."

Drilling Mountain Leopard said unnaturally, "It must be hard for you, a widow and an orphan."

The woman nodded. "You can say that again. The harvest was good this year, but with no man in the house, I can’t manage all the work by myself. The fields have gone to waste."

"And my family is one of the luckier ones. This village used to have over a hundred households, but because of the bandit troubles, people moved away or went to live with relatives. Only those of us who couldn’t leave are left."

Drilling Mountain Leopard felt a surge of inexplicable irritation. He gulped down the congee in two or three mouthfuls and held out the bowl. "If you don’t mind, ma’am, another bowl."

"Of course." The woman took the bowl and left.

Drilling Mountain Leopard stared at the woman’s waist and hips, swallowing hard.

He rarely indulged with women. He was injured and still in danger, yet for some reason, a wave of desire rose within him.

’This woman before me has rough hands and feet, but she’s barely passable.’

’I can’t stay here long. In another two hours, once I’ve recovered some strength, I’ll take her before I leave. It’ll be a good way to blow off some steam!’

A moment later, the woman returned with another bowl of rice water.