From Robinson Crusoe

The moment he closed his eyes, many things flashed through Bi Kai's mind.

His youthful pride, his spirited courage in wielding a sword to vanquish evil, his curiosity upon entering this world, and the shared interests he found with his first friend...

All of this vanished like flowing water, eventually cooling and freezing like a river in winter.

He remembered his broken sword.

It was buried somewhere on the grassland, perhaps the soil on the grave had long been trampled flat, or perhaps it was covered with a layer of ice and snow.

He remembered Gao Yao, who was buried not far from the shack.

His body must have been completely cold, as hard as the land in this far north.

That's good, at least it won't rot this winter.

Finally, Bi Kai remembered himself.

His pride had long since been tempered and refined by suffering, transforming from the arrogant look on his face into an unyielding spirit within.

When he lost all his martial arts skills and buried his brothers, he also buried his former self along with them.

Previously, Bi Kai could never understand what kind of world awaited a person when they reached maturity or even approached the peak in their martial arts skills, and then took the next step forward.

Now that he has been able to let go of all of this, he finds that when he can see a wider sky, he has lost the ability to climb.

……

When Bi Kai demonstrated martial arts to his benefactor, his stagnant blood and qi began to move again after a long time.

Despite the stinging pain all over his body, he vaguely found his former self in the heat that permeated his entire being.

But it was just a fleeting dream. He was covered in frozen animal hides and huddled in the back of the shack, where the chill enveloped him.

At this moment, Bi Kai felt as if he was about to die.

He thought that perhaps Gao Yao, buried in the ground, was as cold as he was.

But he didn't die, so he could only fall asleep wearily and confusedly in the dense web woven by the past.

Before losing consciousness, Bi Kai never thought he would see the sun rise tomorrow.

He knew he might not live to see the day he avenged his great enemy, but life is always full of regrets. Although he could not become a sword immortal, Bi Kai felt he was fully qualified as a swordsman.

……

He had considered many possibilities, but the one thing Bi Kai never expected was that he would wake up completely recovered from his injuries.

His numb arm seemed to grow back from his shoulder, and the pain that had plagued him all day long was swept away.

Sitting blankly on his bed in the shack, looking at the campfire that had burned out by the door, for a moment Bi Kai even felt that he had died and was now a spirit.

I fell asleep early in the morning, and the fatigue didn't dissipate until evening.

In the dim woods, the impatient pacing of the great elk could be faintly heard.

With no one to graze them, they were almost hungry all day. It wasn't until the afternoon that they went out to forage under the leadership of their leader, and then, as usual, returned to the woods to rest when it got dark.

Hearing the sounds of the deer, Bi Kai stood up like a walking corpse.

He stepped out of the shack, and the cold wind that hit him made him shiver, as if it had pulled him back to the real world.

Bi Kai then realized someone was missing, and he called out twice—

"My benefactor!"
My benefactor?

The voice was full of energy, showing no signs of injury, and the entire forest trembled as a result, even startling a few resting birds.

After the shouts, the woods remained silent, without a sound of human activity.

After glancing around, Bi Kai squatted down in front of the campfire, took out a flint and steel, and started a fire using the embers in the fire.

A beam of light appeared in the dim environment. A few thin twigs were added to it. By the light of the fire, Bi Kai looked at the footprints left in the snow and finally realized that Chen Zhou had already left.

His stomach was empty and he was extremely hungry, but at this moment Bi Kai had no intention of cooking.

Sitting on a bench by the campfire, he stretched his crippled arm out from under the animal skin.

In the firelight, the resurrected arm's fair and tender skin glowed with a warm red hue, and each finger looked as if it had just grown out.

With a thought, his fingers moved nimbly, forming a sword finger.

Looking at his hand that he had lost and found again, even though Bi Kai instinctively couldn't believe it was real, his heart was still pounding and he couldn't help but stand up.

He casually drew a long staff still flaming, and with agile movements, he darted forward a few steps, unleashing sword techniques across the open space—

"Azure Dragon Playing in the Water!"
Swallows flit through the woods!

"A sage points the way, a carp leaps over waves, a snake wags its tail, a tiger pounces on its prey, a phoenix nods, a golden leopard leaps across a ravine..."

At first, his steps were a little clumsy and his sword moves were a bit slow, but as he used each move, Bi Kai's body, which had been trained for many years, gradually regained its instincts, and the long staff he wielded truly seemed to fly like a sharp sword in the night.

Those steps, whether forward or backward, walking or leaping, falling or sideways, turning or linked together, showed no trace of injury.

Moreover, after practicing the moves, Bi Kai felt incredibly comfortable from his dantian to his nipple, and from his shoulders and back to his elbows, wrists and even his fingertips.

Call ~
With a long breath, Bi Kai flicked his wrist, and the long stick in his hand flew out and plunged deep into the campfire.

His eyes gleamed with a sharp light. Only now did he dare to be sure that he had indeed fully recovered from his injuries, not only saving his life but also restoring all his martial arts skills.

They say that something unusual must be a sign of trouble.

Waking up feeling like a new life, Bi Kai, now calm, sat on a stool and couldn't help but wonder who had saved him.

Of all the people he had met since arriving in this world, excluding the possibility of supernatural forces, only one person remained in his mind—

Chen Zhou.

The person who saved his life, the only one who could possibly avenge Gao Yao and him, the person he still feels indebted to.

Even breathing creatures are rare in these mountains. Before Chen Zhou arrived, he and Gao Yao hid in the forest for many days without seeing a single person.

If there is anyone here who could have any connection with him, or who would pity him and be willing to save his life, then who else could it be but Chen Zhou?
Bi Kai had no idea how he managed to save himself.

All he knew was that his benefactor was a mysterious figure, a prodigy with extraordinary talent and abilities, whose knowledge and understanding far surpassed his own.

Perhaps only someone like that has the ability to save a critically injured person overnight.

Thinking of this, Bi Kai couldn't help but recall Gao Yao, who had already passed away, and a sense of sorrow welled up in his heart.

If he had known his benefactor possessed such abilities, he should have taken Gao Yao to find Chen Zhou; perhaps he could have saved Gao Yao's life.

Now that the person is buried, even a deity probably cannot bring them back to life.

Upon further reflection, he realized that the price to pay for using such methods must be beyond what ordinary people could bear.

The methods, which are almost capable of bringing the dead back to life, whether elixirs or cultivation techniques, are enough to make people all over the world fight over them.

The First Emperor, who once swept across six kingdoms and held a position above all others, sought the elixir of immortality but could not obtain it. Yet Bi Kai, a mere commoner, received such treatment. This made Bi Kai feel both flattered and conflicted.

The debt of gratitude he owed Chen Zhou was like that of his parents; he already owed Chen Zhou a life, so how could he ever repay it now?
I'm afraid even if I were to be reborn as a cow or a horse in my next life, I still wouldn't be able to repay this kindness.

The flickering firelight mirrored Bi Kai's emotions. Sitting before the campfire, despite the immense joy he had experienced, he was unable to find peace within himself.

……

After recovering from his sudden illness and undergoing a short period of adjustment, Bi Kai expanded his range of activities in the mountains. Previously, due to his poor health, he was unable to better tame the deer herds using the methods passed down by Gao Yao. Now that he was healthy, he had more time for both herding and taming.

He even used a knife to flatten the wooden sticks and painstakingly built a flimsy coffin.

He then dug a deep pit next to Gao Yao's tomb, moved Gao Yao's remains into the coffin, and reburied them, allowing them to rest in peace.

Next to Gao Yao's new grave is a long stone slab weighing over 60 kilograms. Bi Kai plans to carve Gao Yao's name on the stone and make it into a new tombstone.

In addition, Bi Kai also took some time to repair the shack and put a door on this simple little house.

Although the door made of branches can't block the wind, it can at least make the room a little warmer.

Bi Kai didn't know when Chen Zhou would return. He planned to pack everything up and then set off with the deer herd to find his benefactor.

Bearing such a heavy debt of gratitude, even though Bi Kai didn't know how to repay it, he was willing to serve it with his life.

People in the martial arts world are clear about their gratitude and resentment. If they don't know where the kindness came from, they can live a carefree life for a while.

Now that he knows he was saved by Chen Zhou, staying where he is would be an act of ungratefulness, and even if Chen Zhou doesn't pursue the matter, he won't be able to get over it in his heart.

……

If Chen Zhou knew that Bi Kai would come looking for him if he couldn't wait any longer, he would be so angry he'd faint.

The entire challenge area is so large that finding someone when their whereabouts are unknown and no trace can be found is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Bi Kai's departure with the deer herd wasn't to look for him; he was simply disappearing without a trace.

Moreover, the deer herd is too conspicuous; it can be seen from a high vantage point. If it weren't for the large number of giant deer wandering around the ridge and behaving abnormally, he wouldn't have been able to follow the clues and find Bi Kai.

That is to say, he knew Bi Kai. If it were any other challenger, Bi Kai, whose fighting ability was almost zero, would probably have been finished long ago.

This is still while they're hiding in the mountains and forests. Once they leave these mountains and come to the plains, Bi Kai, whose whereabouts have been discovered, will be dealt with along with the deer in no time.

Despite regaining his fighting ability after injecting the regeneration drug, he is still powerless against truly formidable challengers.

……

Fortunately, fearing the arrival of snowstorms, Chen Zhou didn't dare to delay after returning to Baihar Mountain. He only rested for one night and set off the next day with his longbow and antidote.

Paul's leg injury had basically healed, and he was able to hunt again. Chen Zhou left all three sawtooth tigers at home and instructed him to pay close attention to the dens of hibernating animals when hunting or cutting firewood down the mountain.

He specifically instructed that, provided their own safety could be guaranteed, they could investigate what kind of animal was hibernating.

It's not difficult. If the cave was dug in the fall, you can make a rough judgment by just looking at the claw marks at the entrance.

Animals hiding inside hollow tree trunks are easier to spot, and sometimes you can even see their fur or exposed paws and tails from the outside.

The animals hidden inside naturally formed caves are difficult to identify, and there is a possibility that they may be cave hyenas, cave lions, or other ferocious beasts.

Regarding this type of rock-structured cave, Chen Zhou specifically instructed Paul not to enter it rashly.

Even though hibernating animals are much less alert, they can be extremely aggressive once they are awakened from their slumber.

As a "terrifying upright ape" wielding ranged weapons, Paul theoretically has the ability to fight any predator except for super-giant beasts like mammoths; however, that is only in theory.

The human understanding of successful hunting is not just about killing the prey, but about killing the prey without causing injury.

To achieve this, one must be able to achieve absolute dominance in terms of strength, speed, weaponry, or numbers.

Clearly, Paul, who was accompanied by the three-headed saw-toothed tiger, did not possess such abilities. Therefore, to ensure his safety, he had to stay away from areas of unknown danger and leave these places to Chen Zhou.

Although Chen Zhou's confession sounded like a parent instructing their child, everything he said was based on facts, and even if it was unpleasant to hear, it was irrefutable.

Moreover, Paul always obeys orders.

Aside from disobeying orders and enduring an attack from the black-robed man in the Black Forest without uttering a sound, Chen Zhou was relatively at ease with him.

After all, there's no spirits here that the Slavs love.

Without alcohol, the Slavs are still relatively trustworthy.

……

They advanced at full speed towards Bi Kai's location.

Besides wanting to verify his ideas as soon as possible, Chen Zhou was still unsure. He was afraid that the potent regeneration injection could only heal the physical injuries but not detoxify. If Bi Kai recovered but died from poisoning, Chen Zhou would suffer the greatest loss.

On the other hand, as winter progresses, the possibility of snow and wind engulfing everything increases.

Whether it's leaving a day earlier or walking dozens of kilometers more, it can reduce the probability of being stranded by the blizzard. At this time, Chen Zhou doesn't deliberately conserve his energy or pursue sustainability. As long as he can walk fast, he doesn't care how tired he is.

The nearly 260-kilometer journey was rapidly shortened by Chen Zhou's astonishing speed, and he arrived at his destination in less than three days.

This time, before even reaching the mountain, Chen Zhou saw a herd of giant deer.

They gathered below the rock face; some licked the rock salt, some lowered their heads to graze, and others looked up to watch out for the deer.

Bi Kai, who had shaved his long beard, leaving only a short stubble, was on the back of a doe and was watching over the herd. When the deer saw him from afar, they immediately drove the deer over.

As he approached, before the deer could even stand still, Bi Kai leaped off and knelt down in front of Chen Zhou with a thud.

Chen Zhou hurriedly helped him up, but Bi Kai refused to get up until he respectfully kowtowed three times before Bi Kai stood up with an excited expression.

He first asked Chen Zhou if his recovery was due to Chen Zhou's efforts.

Having been subjected to the kowtows of subordinates on the isolated island, Chen Zhou felt somewhat embarrassed by the respectful behavior shown by a peer, someone he even admired.

Knowing that there was no excuse for Bi Kai's injuries healing overnight, he admitted it, then quickly took out the antidote and changed the subject, asking if Bi Kai's poison had also been neutralized.

After Bi Kai answered the question, saying that not only had his physical injuries healed, but the poison had also been cured, Chen Zhou changed the subject before he could mention the matter of gratitude again—

He took the longbow off his back, revealed the raven-feathered arrows in his quiver, and said that he had come to fulfill his promise to bury Gao Yao's family heirloom bow with him.

Respect for the dead is paramount. This matter concerns the deceased, so Bi Kai's expression immediately darkened. He remained silent, but with a whistle, he led the herd of deer to guide Chen Zhou.

Gao Yao's new grave was quite elaborate. After removing the "tombstone" that was pressing down on the grave, a simple, thin coffin could be seen after the grave was dug up.

Seeing the pieced-together coffin covered in soil, Chen Zhou still felt a pang of sadness, even though he had only met Gao Yao once.

Chinese people believe in returning to their roots, but this "fellow countryman" from a different time and space has lost the possibility of going home by staying here.

“You’ve been in these mountains for a long time, so you should recognize some good timber. Take me there later, and I’ll make a nice coffin for you, Brother Gao.”

Chen Zhou said, "Take down the longbow and quiver and place it next to the coffin."

"Your kindness is truly admirable. On behalf of my brother Gao, I thank you!"

Bi Kai knelt down again and kowtowed deeply.

This time, Chen Zhou did not try to dissuade him, but simply sighed deeply.

Before Bi Kai could lead him to find wood, he looked at the long stone block that had been moved aside and saw that the characters on it were still written in charcoal. He then took on the task of carving the stone block himself.

Besides having sufficiently sturdy tools, the most important thing for carving a tombstone is strength and endurance, and he was much stronger than Bi Kai in these two aspects.

After changing Gao Yao's coffin and burying him with bows and arrows, Chen Zhou's worries were finally put to rest.

Chen Zhou had never owed anyone a favor since arriving in this world, except for taking Gao Yao's bow, which indirectly led to Gao Yao's death and left a lingering resentment in his heart.

For him, doing these things was not only fulfilling a promise and showing goodwill, but also a form of self-comfort. (End of Chapter)