After washing himself, Yang Kai picked up the bottle of Blood-Stasis Removing Ointment and gently sniffed it under his nose. Realizing that the medicine really did smell fragrant, he felt refreshed and couldn‘t help shaking his head.
Opening the lid, he scooped out some ointment and was about to apply it to his wounds, but then he paused. Hurriedly, he went to fetch a bowl of water, put the ointment from his finger into the water, and stirred it carefully. Only then did he start using the diluted solution to treat his injuries.
Although the Blood-Stasis Removing Ointment had fairly good effects on external wounds, after being diluted like this, its efficacy would surely be greatly reduced. But Yang Kai only had this one bottle of Blood-Stasis Removing Ointment, so naturally he had to use it sparingly.
After finishing the bowl of medicinal water, Yang Kai finally completed his wound treatment. However, one thing puzzled him: the smell of the Blood-Stasis Removing Ointment was different from what he had noticed earlier. Not only was it not fragrant, but it also had a hint of pungency.
Putting on his clothes, he picked up a blackened roasted sweet potato from the stove and wolfed it down whole. Then he threw himself onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
The rays of light streaming through several holes in the roof made the little hut somewhat bright. The furnishings inside were extremely simple—just a single bed, not even a table or chairs. On the bed, there was only a piece of deer hide the size of a tabletop for a blanket and a square Black Stone Pillow. This was all of Yang Kai‘s belongings.
The deer hide blanket had been made by Yang Kai from the skin of a deer he had once hunted, after stripping and drying it. Although it wasn‘t thick, it was enough to keep out the cold. As for the Black Stone Pillow, Yang Kai had found it while hunting in the Black Wind Mountain Range behind Lingxiao Pavilion one time when he left the sect.
This black stone was square, one foot long and three fingers thick. It looked like stone but didn’t feel like stone, nor did it have the weight of stone. Yang Kai had no idea what it really was, but since it made an excellent pillow, he didn‘t bother pondering it further.
Yang Kai had been using this Black Stone Pillow for over a year. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he always found it easy to fall asleep while using it.
In his dream, Yang Kai dreamed of that day’s battle: time and again he was knocked flying by that Junior Brother Zhou Dingjun, and time and again he stood back up. The unyielding spirit and persistence within him fermented, and hot blood surged in his chest.
As the dream continued, the surging blood in his chest grew more intense. In his sleep, Yang Kai‘s face showed pain, but his expression was resolute. Within his heart was a stubborn persistence; even if his feet trod on a mountain of knives and his body was fried in a sea of fire, he showed no fear.
In his sleep, Yang Kai did not notice that the Black Stone Pillow under his head was emitting a deep, dim light. This light grew stronger and stronger as his emotions fluctuated.
In the dream, Yang Kai continued the morning’s ordeal; he was knocked to the ground repeatedly by Zhou Dingjun. When he stood up from the ground for the thousandth time, the pent-up unyieldingness and persistence inside him finally erupted. He charged forward without hesitation and threw Zhou Dingjun to the ground fiercely. At the moment Zhou Dingjun fell, his appearance blurred and then transformed into Yang Kai‘s own appearance.
At that moment, Yang Kai’s mind calmed down. It wasn‘t calm because he had defeated his opponent in the dream, but because he had defeated himself—defeated the fear and surrender in his own heart.
A faint feeling arose spontaneously, as if nothing in the world, no one, could ever make him yield.
In reality, the Black Stone Pillow under Yang Kai’s head suddenly burst forth with a mass of black light. This light swirled out from the black stone, wavered in the air a few times, then drilled into Yang Kai‘s Baihui point on top of his head and vanished instantly.
At the same time, a desolate and ancient Primitive Wildness Aura descended, like the tide of the sea, the might of an avalanche. Before this aura, any person was utterly insignificant.
Yang Kai’s eyes snapped open, his whole body drenched in sweat, his heart still pounding with fear.
He was awakened by that Primitive Wildness Aura.
Calming himself, Yang Kai gave a dry laugh. It was ridiculous that he had scared himself with his own dream. Rubbing his face, he judged the time from the light coming through the roof and felt a pang of chagrin: he had actually slept for two whole hours, and it was now almost evening.
He hurriedly got up, pushed aside the deer hide blanket on him, folded it carefully, and straightened the Black Stone Pillow. Just as he was about to get off the bed, Yang Kai frowned, turned his head, and stared blankly at the Black Stone Pillow.