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At that moment, Shawn Young heard a rustling sound outside the cave—bodies squirming and water trickling—mixed with a sharp stench of urine. He hurried out and saw 'Blackeye,' still wrapped up like a white dumpling, writhing on the ground. There was a wet patch on the floor; apparently, the guy couldn't hold it in and just relieved himself right there.
Shawn couldn’t help but chuckle, but then he remembered Tang Qianqian, Han Feng, and the others—including 'Mountain Ghost' Wei Weihua, who’d been chasing 'Blackeye' with him. Their fate was still unknown, and he wasn’t sure if they’d managed to escape the village. So, Shawn yanked 'Blackeye' to his feet, slung him over his shoulder, and hurried out of the cave. He retraced his steps, crossed the corpse of the 'Horseshoe Spider,' waded through the patch of Shadowwort, and emerged outside again.
Outside the cave, the sky was filled with stars. The tranquil lake lay silent in the night, reflecting a few glimmers like a giant, dark, shimmering mirror.
Thanks to his true energy, Shawn didn’t feel tired carrying 'Blackeye.' He climbed along the lake at the foot of the mountain toward the summit, and soon reached the hillside. Looking off into the distance, he suddenly spotted a fiery red glow in the northeastern sky, with flames shooting into the air—it was clear something was burning over there.
Shawn’s heart skipped a beat. That spot was exactly where the village was. No doubt, the American guy’s drone had dropped a terrifying BLU-2 vacuum bomb on the village, causing such a disaster!
Feeling tense, Shawn quickly hefted 'Blackeye' and rushed toward the source of the flames, following the original route. After nearly an hour of trekking, he finally made it back to the spot where he’d parted ways with 'Mountain Ghost' Wei Weihua. Soon, he found Wei Weihua resting behind a slanted boulder. Wei’s face was pale, eyes closed, breathing fast—he’d been shot in the right shoulder and left leg, blood pooling all around. He’d wrapped the wounds with torn cloth, but blood kept seeping out.
As a seasoned special forces soldier, Wei Weihua instinctively sensed someone approaching. He opened his eyes and saw Shawn returning.
“Whoa—Comrade Shawn, you’re amazing! You actually caught that slippery guy! Cough—cough—” Wei Weihua was overjoyed, trying to get up despite his condition. But the effort made his wounds split open, blood gushing out and soaking the cloth. The pain sent him into a coughing fit, gasping for breath.
“Uh—hey, don’t get excited! Lie flat, your wounds are splitting open. Let me see what I can do!” Shawn quickly motioned for Wei Weihua to lie down, set 'Blackeye' aside, and started unwrapping the cloth from Wei’s wounds to check them carefully. He found two gunshot wounds from the powerful P5 submachine gun—the damage was severe, especially the right shoulder blade, which was shattered. Blood wouldn’t stop flowing, and without immediate care, things could get serious. Neither of them had brought a first aid kit, and out here in the wild, there were no medicines to help Wei Weihua stop the bleeding!
But Shawn suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He slapped his forehead and said to Wei Weihua, "Hang in there! I’ll get you something to stop the bleeding!"
With that, Shawn turned around, found a rock, and hid behind it. He focused his mind, quickly channeling his consciousness into the secret realm of the Ascendant Vessel.
Inside the secret realm, he saw the fire dragon still resting atop the alchemy cauldron. With a thought, Shawn appeared before the dragon. It immediately opened its eyes and asked, "You’re here, Master! What do you need? I’m at your service!"
"Hey! Can you whip up a fast-acting healing pill? I need to save someone—it's urgent!" Shawn got straight to the point.
"Oh! There’s no need to refine a healing pill. Just use Dragonsoul Herb. It’s packed with spiritual energy and is the best sacred medicine for recovery and dispelling evil! Master, you only need to mash a small piece of Dragonsoul Herb, apply the leaves and juice to the wound, and it’ll quickly stop the bleeding and seal it up!" said the fire dragon.
"That easy? Awesome, I’ll do it right now! Thanks!" Shawn quickly bent down, grabbed a small Dragonsoul Herb, and was about to leave the secret realm when the fire dragon suddenly called out, "Master, the origin of this secret realm and Dragonsoul Herb is celestial—sacred stuff. To avoid attracting trouble, please don’t mention it to ordinary folks!"
"Got it, got it!" Shawn replied, and with a thought, transformed into a beam of white light, flying out of the secret realm and back to reality. When he opened his eyes, he found a fresh, fragrant Dragonsoul Herb in his hand.
Shawn emerged from behind the rock, walked straight over to Wei Weihua. By now, Wei was deathly pale, eyes shut, barely clinging to life from blood loss.
Shawn quickly popped the Dragonsoul Herb into his mouth, chewed it up, and was instantly flooded with a rich, refreshing fragrance. His mouth watered, his mind cleared, and he felt an invigorating coolness spread through his body—every cell buzzing with energy.
He gently applied the mashed Dragonsoul Herb leaves and juice to Wei Weihua’s wounds. Miraculously, as the herb’s power seeped in, the bleeding stopped and the wounds began to heal within minutes. Even Wei’s ghostly pale face regained some color—clearly, the Dragonsoul Herb’s potent spiritual energy was working wonders! This celestial Dragonsoul Herb truly was extraordinary!