Jiang Chen kicked the skeleton aside, collecting the precious bow and the quiver.
"I was just thinking of finding a treasure bow for Xue Tong. This Blood Curse Bow... it's like a gift from the God of Wealth," Jiang Chen thought. He knew quality when he saw it, and this bow and arrow set was far from ordinary.
After dealing with Xue Tong, Jiang Chen didn't linger. He headed towards the outer perimeter. At the same time, he used the Beast Language to communicate with a flock of Sword Birds, instructing them to search the space between the third and first levels for Xuan the Fatty and Huqiu Yue.
Only the Golden-Winged Sword Birds could somewhat understand Jiang Chen's commands. The others had to receive orders through the Golden-Winged Sword Birds.
Jiang Chen himself wasn't idle, meticulously searching every corner.
"Xuan the Fatty, you guys better be okay," Jiang Chen muttered. He knew Xuan the Fatty and the others were suffering an undeserved calamity. If the enemy wasn't targeting him, Jiang Chen, they absolutely wouldn't have set their sights on Xuan and his group.
There were still five or six days left before the mission deadline, so Jiang Chen wasn't in a rush to leave.
However, in these final days, the number of noble heirs remaining in the Endless Grotto had dwindled significantly. Furthermore, from the battle scars visible everywhere within the grotto, it was evident that this trial had been extremely bloody, with brutal infighting among the heirs.
"The sin created by the Dragon family... Most of these noble heirs probably suffered an undeserved calamity, right?" Jiang Chen sighed softly.
The Dragon siblings' manipulation of the competition was glaringly obvious. Looking at the corpses, some were close to the Dragon family, some were not. It must have been a struggle for resources, a slaughter between two factions.
It seemed the attrition rate for this assessment would exceed thirty percent. For the kingdom, this rate was indeed a bit high. In previous assessments, the attrition rate never exceeded ten percent. Surpassing ten percent was already considered a severe loss.
"Internal strife... This is probably the vicious consequence of it all. Even if Marquis Longteng establishes his authority this way, even if he replaces the royal family and takes control of the entire kingdom, his strength will inevitably be greatly depleted. And how could these other nobles willingly submit to him?"
Jiang Chen shook his head. Ultimately, he had no interest whatsoever in the struggle for worldly power. However, the grand trend had pushed him to stand against Marquis Longteng. And this time, Marquis Longteng hiring assassins had completely enraged Jiang Chen.
"Marquis Longteng, as long as I, Jiang Chen, live, sooner or later, I will make your Dragon clan disappear from the map of the Eastern Kingdom!"
This time, Jiang Chen was genuinely furious.
The first day passed with Jiang Chen finding nothing. Neither Xuan the Fatty nor Huqiu Yue had been located!
In this situation, no news was actually the best news. Not finding anyone meant there was still a possibility they were alive!
On the second day, the remaining noble heirs in the Endless Grotto had basically all evacuated. Jiang Chen still hadn't found any clues.
"Could it be... they didn't die? They already left?"
Unwilling to give up, Jiang Chen decided to search for one more day. If the third day also yielded nothing, he would leave the Endless Grotto.
With two or three days left, there was still enough time to rush back!
It was precisely on the third day that a Golden-Winged Sword Bird found a faint clue. In a certain swamp within the second level space, there was the scent of a living person.
Jiang Chen immediately rushed over and discovered that in this desolate swamp, there truly was a living person. Most of their body was submerged, pulled into the mire, yet this person was desperately gripping a thicket, unable to climb up, unable to retreat, now in a state of unconsciousness, their hands still clenched tightly around the branches.
"Xuan the Fatty?" When Jiang Chen made out the person's face, he was stunned.
He quickly summoned the Golden-Winged Sword Birds to help.
Soon, Xuan the Fatty was pulled out, utterly weak. Jiang Chen fed him a pill and performed a brief massage on his body.
Xuan the Fatty slowly came to, his lips pale. "Chen Ge... I... I'm not dead yet?"
"You fat bastard, I really thought you were dead. Did you see Xiao Yue?" Jiang Chen asked.
"No... didn't see him. I've had the worst damn luck! I'd only been in here for three days when I sank into this damn swamp! I've been yelling every day, every single day! Why couldn't anyone hear me?!"
Xuan the Fatty complained.
This swamp was incredibly desolate. It was quite an achievement for Xuan the Fatty to have stumbled into such a godforsaken place.
Jiang Chen secretly felt relieved. It was a good thing Xuan the Fatty had gotten stuck in this swamp; otherwise, he might have faced much graver danger.
"Ai, Chen Ge, your brother really stumbled this time. Didn't collect a single Green Spirit Pearl. Damn it! Even the swamp bullies the fat? Just because I'm a bit heavier? But my lightness skill is pretty good too! How did I just sink right in?" Xuan the Fatty mocked himself.
Jiang Chen was speechless. He glanced at Xuan the Fatty and smiled. "It wasn't a total loss. Look at your flab, it's gone."
Xuan the Fatty froze, then looked down. He realized his once tight-fitting clothes were now loose, like they'd been stolen. And his waist, once thicker than a barrel, was now about the same as an average person's.
If not for his original layer of fat and stored energy, he would have starved to death after nearly a month without food or water.
"Chen Ge, I... I successfully lost weight?" Xuan the Fatty suddenly jumped up, his eyes gleaming. "Haha, really lost weight? Does this mean when I go chasing girls, no one will complain about me crushing the breath out of them anymore?"
Jiang Chen was completely speechless. This fatty's mental resilience was truly something. Failing the trial was brushed off in a single sentence, and he was already thinking about chasing girls.
Fortunately, on his way back, Jiang Chen had collected enough Green Spirit Pearls from the deceased noble heirs. Combined with his own quota and Xuan the Fatty's quota, there was more than enough to spare.
After resting in the grotto for half a day, Xuan the Fatty slowly regained some vitality. His curiosity immediately took over. "Chen Ge, what exactly happened? How come all these Sword Birds listen to your commands?"