Chapter 2 The Guest in the Room

The newcomer was tall, wearing a coarse brown short shirt, with particularly striking muscle lines on the limbs exposed.

His dark face was etched with fine scars, indicating his rich experience moving in and out of the forest. His sharp hawk-like eyes were exceptionally striking, making a deep impression on others.

"Village chief, the sky over the back mountain has changed. The fiery red color is rapidly approaching from above, and the high temperature is spreading toward the village. Please activate the village's protective array to prevent any mishaps."

The newcomer was none other than Wang Mingyong, the captain of the village's hunting team.

A few days ago, in the sky over the back mountain, densely packed with dark clouds, there was a strange blend of red sunset and deep-sea blue, illuminating the mid-air, and faint rumblings were heard coming from deep within the back mountain.

To prevent any mishaps, the villagers decided to send the hunting team into the mountains to observe. If any anomalies approached, they would report back to the village immediately.

"The village's protective array?"

Lin Yuan, upon hearing this, felt a wave of curiosity.

In his memory, he had heard of the village's protective array, distributed by the Academy to help neutralize the aftermath of battles between high-level cultivators, to avoid harm to the innocent. If a powerful ferocious beast attacked, it could barely resist to some extent.

Of course, the village's protective array could only barely neutralize aftershocks. If a powerful cultivator attacked head-on, it would be as easy for them to break through as a person breaking a spider's web.

The elder village chief cast a glance at Wang Mingyong, who had burst in suddenly, his expression tightening as he adjusted the wooden box in his hands.

"Lin Yuan, take the pill." The elder village chief took a step forward and handed out the wooden box in his hands.

"Today's kindness, Lin Yuan will never dare to forget it!" Lin Yuan straightened his expression and solemnly said.

The elder village chief had overruled many objections, placing such valuable medicine into his hands, pinning great hope on him.

Not to mention, Lin Yuan was already injured and dying, a wreck of a man. Even when he was a martial arts prodigy in the past, the village chief had no obligation to give him medicinal pills.

Yet when almost everyone in the village wanted to abandon him, the elder village chief, without hesitation, handed over the Healing Pill directly to him, effectively providing coal in the snow.

Recalling the care and help the village chief had given him throughout his growth, Lin Yuan felt deeply moved even though he had just arrived in this world.

Gathering his thoughts, Lin Yuan took the wooden box and opened it immediately.

"This precious pill can't help but make people envious. Now, I can hardly protect myself, so I must take it immediately to avoid any complications."

With this thought, he picked up the pill and swallowed it whole.

Everyone's gaze was intensely focused on the pill, as if what Lin Yuan swallowed was their heart and soul, filled with reluctance.

Seeing Lin Yuan take the pill, there was a hint of regret on the faces of many in the crowd, with some even craning their necks slightly to catch a bit more of the pill's fragrance lingering in the air.

Among those present, only a few like the village chief and Wang Baochang showed a faint smile after seeing Lin Yuan take the pill.

"Village chief, the village's weather alternates unpredictably, and many poultry have already died, so please activate the array as soon as possible." The hunting team's Wang Mingyong reminded in a deep voice.

His face was stern, and a trace of indescribable meaning flashed in his eyes as he looked at Lin Yuan.

"External cultivators have been fighting for days, and there's still no victor. Let's hope it doesn't spread to our Bull Horn Village." Upon hearing this, Wang Baochang's face turned dark with concern.

"Let me activate the array."

The elder village chief took out a silk pouch from his bosom, opened it, and took out a gray stone with traces of emerald green, swiftly proceeding.

He then walked to the altar in the hall, where an idol resembling a local deity was placed, holding a candle in its hands, but the candle lacked a wick at the top.

Instead of a wick, there were several hair-thin red lines in the center, with a vaguely mysterious rhythm in their randomness.

The village chief placed the jade stone he was holding at the top of the candle, then stepped back. As he retreated three steps, the originally dull gray stone suddenly burned like fireworks in everyone's eyes.

As the stone ignited, the red lines on the candle began to float upward like an umbrella, or like catkins swaying in the wind. Ripples started from the ends, expanding outward circle by circle.

With the ripples spreading, the oppressive heat in the air diminished somewhat.

Seeing this, the village chief steadied himself and exclaimed loudly: "The protective array has been activated. All villagers immediately return to your homes, arrange everything, and come out only when the gong sounds three days later."

Immediately after, everyone in the hall walked out and returned to their homes.

Outside the village shrine, everyone looked toward the back mountain, where the sky originally a mix of red and blue, was now a uniform red.

Lin Yuan also returned home.

He lived in a small house about two incense sticks' walk from the village shrine. He didn't think much about the situation in the back mountain and dragged his ailing body home directly.

He locked the door, and just as he turned around.

"Pfft!"

A muffled groan came from inside the house.

"Who?" Lin Yuan's face changed as he was about to sit down and heal.

A flash of sword qi with a cold glint passed by, and before he could react, a cold blade had reached his throat. The blade did not pierce further; otherwise, Lin Yuan would have been decapitated by now.

Feeling the sharp aura at his throat, his skin broke out in goosebumps.

"Trouble!" His heart sank.

Having just seen a glimpse of hope to live as an ordinary person again, he now encountered an expert hiding in his home, leaving him no chance for a second crossing.

"Miss, let's talk this through! Whatever you need, I'll cooperate." Despite the anger bubbling inside, he didn't hesitate, raising the only mobile hand, offering no resistance.

The sword-wielder was a young maiden.

She wore a white robe as light as mist, enveloped like clouds. Her face was veiled, her almond eyes carrying fierce intent. Yet, her skin showed a lack of red, appearing extremely pale.

Clearly, she was seriously injured, with fresh blood staining the veil like a blooming peony, its red and white strikingly mixed.

"Silence!" A clear, cold voice came from the white-robed maiden.

Lin Yuan remained silent.

"I need to heal here for several days. Do you have any objections?"

As she spoke, her almond eyes fixed on Lin Yuan, the long sword in her hand inching forward.

This was clearly not allowing for any objections.

"Heh, how dare I?" Feeling the cold sword edge, Lin Yuan sneered slightly.

"Good, it seems you are a wise person. From now on, you are not to step into the inner room!" The maiden retracted her long sword and finally took a closer look at Lin Yuan.

Seeing his broken arm and damaged dantian, posing little threat to her, she entered the inner room and paid him no further heed.

Lin Yuan watched as the maiden entered the room, breathing a silent sigh of relief in his heart.

This girl was only here to heal, judging by her attire, probably of extraordinary origin. He had carefully examined the long sword earlier; its pattern and material were far beyond what the rustic Bull Horn Village could forge.

Who cares which deity she is?

What's it got to do with him?

It just so happens that he needs to absorb the pill's power to restore his dantian.

Once his dantian was restored, he would resume martial training. As a true transmigrant, he would experience the wonders of another world.

Having made up his mind, Lin Yuan stopped overthinking, casually found a straw mat to sit cross-legged on the ground, and began meditating, circulating his Qi-Blood.

Half an incense stick later.

Sweat began oozing from his skin, flowing down to his chin and dripping off.

Lin Yuan felt alarmed, confused and uncertain.

"Something's not right! Why can't I feel the power of Qi-Blood? Moreover, my abdomen is increasingly in pain?"

Sitting cross-legged, Lin Yuan's face turned gloomy, an already bloodless pale face now tinged with a shade of purple-blue.

"I can't feel the pill's power; the Vitality Pill the village chief gave was ineffective!" Lin Yuan confirmed.

"Was there a problem with the pill?"

"Impossible, when the village chief produced the pill in the hall earlier. Its fragrance was intoxicating, its aura soaring, all those phenomena couldn't be faked. Moreover, the village chief wouldn't gamble with my life."

Lin Yuan's pale face flashed with certainty.

"But why is there no effect?"

"Or is it perhaps my martial level is too low, absorbing it incorrectly?"

The doctor only mentioned that Healing Pills had a healing effect on a damaged dantian but did not specify how to take it or how to circulate Qi-Blood to restore the dantian.

"No way, since it's a Healing Pill, it must work like medications from the past life, swallow with water or inject! As long as it enters the body, it must be effective."

"Then there is only one answer."

Lin Yuan's pale face suddenly flared red!

"What I swallowed was...a fake pill!"