Mu Lin continued to regulate his breathing for a while. He knew that the closer he got to achieving his goal, the calmer his mind and the stronger his physical strength needed to be, in order to ensure success.
After adjusting his breathing rhythm and calming his emotions, Mu Lin began preparing to extend his spiritual awareness into his ring. Slowly, a thread of his consciousness seeped into the ring, and finally, he could see its contents again. Something that had once been effortless now became a major step in restoring his powers.
A faint bitter smile appeared on Mu Lin’s face. This was truly a lesson in arrogance. But this was no time for reflection. In the past, a simple sweep of his spiritual awareness would reveal everything inside the ring. Now, due to his diminished spiritual energy, his awareness had weakened. Relying on past memories, Mu Lin began searching for the two elixirs he urgently needed—Bao Yuan Dan and Ju Yuan Dan.
After a long search, his perseverance paid off. Finally, the bottles of Bao Yuan Dan and Ju Yuan Dan appeared in his hands, bringing a glimmer of hope to his heart. These two elixirs should help him restore his powers quickly.
Now, the next task was to get the pills into his mouth. Something that had once been completely routine now became another critical challenge. After regulating his breath for a while longer, Mu Lin gathered a small amount of spiritual energy and directed it to his arm. He opened the lids of both bottles, tipped them over onto the bed, and, using his sense of touch, finally grasped the two pills.
He tried to lift his arm, but it was still difficult. With no other choice, he flicked his finger, sending the pills flying accurately into his wide-open mouth.
Instantly, the pills slid down his throat with his saliva and entered his stomach. As his body absorbed them, a warm current began to slowly flow through his meridians. Suppressing his excitement, Mu Lin began guiding this warmth through his limbs and meridians. As the current moved, it gathered the scattered spiritual energy throughout his body, flowing through other meridians and repairing those that had long been damaged.
Mu Lin clenched his teeth tightly, determined not to make a sound. Repairing the long-damaged meridians was no less painful than reopening them—and even more agonizing than the initial breakthrough.
If he had made a sound in the stillness of the night, the on-duty nurses would surely have been alerted. If someone had come in and seen him in such pain, they would have moved his body, forcing him to withdraw his spiritual energy and undo all the progress he had made. Another attempt would have cost him even more, and success would not have been guaranteed.
Droplets of sweat poured steadily from Mu Lin’s exposed skin, accumulating into streams that soaked the sheets beneath him.
After a long time, the sweat stopped flowing, and the damp sheets slowly dried as if warmed by heat. Then, a pleasant fragrance began to fill the room. Mu Lin’s skin, once a withered yellow, gradually turned a translucent, jade-like white, and the tension on his face eased.
The moonlight, like flowing water, gradually poured into Mu Lin’s room, accompanied by the croaking of frogs from a nearby pond, making the night seem especially peaceful. On the hospital bed in his room, Mu Lin opened his eyes for the second time since arriving here. The sharp gleam in his eyes sparkled even in the darkness.
At this moment, Mu Lin had successfully repaired all the damaged meridians in his body using the elixirs. Moreover, through the body’s self-regulation during this time, his powers had surpassed their former level. One could say this was a blessing in disguise. However, Mu Lin certainly did not wish to experience such a situation again.
His spiritual sense slowly extended outward, and the entire town gradually came into view. The words on shop signs and public markers were all in French—now he was certain he had arrived in France.
Mu Lin continued to regulate his breathing for a while. He knew that the closer he was to achieving his goal, the more he needed to maintain a calm mind and abundant physical strength to ensure success.
Adjusting his breathing rhythm and calming his emotions, Mu Lin prepared to extend his spiritual sense into the ring. Slowly, a wisp of his consciousness seeped into the ring, allowing him to see its contents once more. What was usually a simple task had now become a crucial step in determining whether he could quickly restore his strength.
A bitter smile flickered across Mu Lin’s face—this was truly the best lesson his arrogance had taught him. But now was not the time for reflection. In the past, a single sweep of his spiritual sense would reveal everything inside the ring. However, due to the depletion of his true essence, his spiritual sense had weakened significantly. Relying on his memory, Mu Lin began searching for the two elixirs he urgently needed: the Bao Yuan Dan (Preservation Pill) and the Ju Yuan Dan (Gathering Pill).
After a long and arduous search, his efforts finally paid off. The bottles containing the two elixirs appeared in his hands, bringing a glimmer of hope to his heart. With these, he should be able to swiftly recover his strength.
Now, the next challenge was figuring out how to get the pills into his mouth. What would have been a trivial action in normal times had now become another critical step. After another period of meditation, Mu Lin gathered a tiny amount of true essence and channeled it into his arm. He opened the lids of the two bottles and carefully poured them onto the bed. Using his fingers, he finally managed to pick up two pills.
He tried lifting his arm but found it still too difficult. Left with no choice, he flicked his fingers, sending the pills flying accurately into his open mouth.
The pills quickly dissolved in his saliva and flowed down into his stomach. As his body absorbed them, a warm current began to slowly circulate through his meridians. Suppressing his excitement, Mu Lin guided this warmth through his limbs and channels. As the heat flowed, the scattered remnants of his true essence began to converge with it, repairing his long-damaged meridians.
Clenching his teeth, Mu Lin refused to make a single sound. The process of repairing his meridians was no less painful than reopening them—perhaps even more agonizing.
If he let out even a groan in the dead of night, it would surely alert the nurses on duty. If someone came in and saw him in such pain, they might move his body, forcing him to withdraw his true essence and ruining the entire process. If he had to attempt this again later, the cost would be even greater, with no guarantee of success.
Beads of sweat continuously seeped from Mu Lin’s exposed skin, growing larger and more numerous until they formed rivulets that soaked the sheets beneath him.
After a long time, the sweating finally stopped, and the damp sheets gradually dried as if baked by heat. A pleasant fragrance began to fill the room, and Mu Lin’s skin, once sallow and withered, now took on a translucent, jade-like glow. The tension on his face slowly eased.
Moonlight, as clear as water, gradually spilled into Mu Lin’s room as the moon shifted westward. Combined with the croaking of frogs from the pond outside, the night felt exceptionally serene. On the hospital bed, Mu Lin opened his eyes for the second time since arriving here. Even in the darkness, a sharp gleam shone from his gaze.
By now, Mu Lin had fully repaired his damaged meridians with the help of the elixirs. Moreover, through his body’s natural recuperation during this time, his strength had improved beyond its previous level. One could say misfortune had turned into blessing. However, he had no intention of experiencing such an ordeal again.
Extending his spiritual sense outward, he gradually took in the entire town. The words on shop signs and public notices were all in French, confirming that he was indeed in France.
But the name of the town left him stunned for a long time—Lorient. He knew it was a small town in western France, nearly a thousand kilometers from where he had been ambushed. He couldn’t fathom how, given his strength and the water-escape talisman he had crafted, he had ended up here.
After pondering for a while, Mu Lin sat up, stretched his arms, and slowly stepped out of bed. He moved his legs gently, allowing them to adjust after prolonged inactivity, and began walking around the room.
His spiritual sense had already mapped out the town in his mind. With a population of fewer than 50,000, it had only two police officers, both currently asleep in their homes—clearly not a threat to him.
The rest of the townspeople were ordinary civilians, and among them, he detected no soldiers or specially trained individuals. The hospital had only one doctor and nurse on duty, with just five or six patients—all genuinely ill, as he had carefully verified.
This meant he had been rescued by ordinary French citizens. Evidently, the Y government had not discovered his whereabouts. Now, he needed to come up with a plausible story to convince these people.
That way, his rescue wouldn’t become a major incident, and his predicament would remain a minor footnote. At least for now, it would prevent those with ill intentions from harming the locals. Another concern was that he had no money on him—how could he repay the cost of his treatment?
Noticing the sky gradually brightening, Mu Lin knew dawn was approaching. He carefully collected the medicine bottles from the bed and stored them in his ring. This ordeal had taught him the true value of these elixirs.
The morning glow slowly spread across the sky, growing brighter as the sun rose above the horizon. Meanwhile, Mu Lin scratched his head in frustration—what kind of story should he come up with?
After thinking for a while, Mu Lin sat up, stretched his arms, and slowly got out of bed. He gently moved his legs, allowing his long-dormant limbs to adjust, and began walking around the room.
Earlier, he had already scanned the town with his spiritual sense. The population was less than fifty thousand, with only two police officers—both now asleep in their rooms, clearly not a threat to him.
Other residents were ordinary civilians. He had already identified them all—no soldiers or individuals with special training. In the hospital, only one doctor and one nurse were on duty, and there were only a handful of patients, all of whom he had carefully confirmed were genuine.
So, he had indeed been rescued by these ordinary French people. Clearly, the Y country government had not discovered his whereabouts. Therefore, he needed to come up with a plausible explanation that these ordinary people would believe.
This way, the incident of his rescue wouldn’t escalate. His misfortune would remain a minor, insignificant event, ensuring that—at least for now—his being saved wouldn’t bring harm to these people from those with ill intentions. Also, he must have had no money on him when he arrived. How could he repay the medical expenses?
As the sky began to lighten, Mu Lin knew night was about to fade away. Carefully, he put the medicine bottles back on the bed and placed them into the ring. This incident had made him realize the true value of these medicinal resources.
The morning glow slowly appeared in the sky, growing brighter. The sun gradually rose above the horizon. But at this moment, Mu Lin was scratching his head hard, trying to think of a good reason to explain everything.
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