Yang Kai threw a punch, and amid the screaming of the wind it slammed into the left row of eyes on the flower-backed spider, blasting two of them apart on the spot.
The flower-backed spider shrieked in terror. Whatever scraps of reason it possessed filled it with fear toward this bleeding yet exhilarated human before it. The foreleg that had pierced into Yang Kai's arm tried to pull back, but he clenched his muscles and clamped down hard, locking it in place so it couldn't break free.
Yang Kai's second punch whistled through the air and detonated another two of the spider's eyes.
The flower-backed spider let out a shrill, pained scream, its body retreating frantically. The legs that could still move flailed wildly, raking row after row of wounds across Yang Kai's body—not deep, but enough to draw blood.
The pain only made Yang Kai more excited, as if boundless strength were surging through every fiber of his being. A cruel smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he hammered into his opponent with his good fist, each blow landing heavier and faster than the last. The flower-backed spider's forehead split open, fluids spraying in every direction.
Shrill shrieks poured out without pause. The flower-backed spider refused to simply wait for death—it constantly spat webbing from its mouthparts. At such close range Yang Kai had no room to dodge, and he was quickly wrapped up.
But the flower-backed spider had been battered beyond recognition as well, its entire head nearly bursting apart. Had it not been a demon beast with extraordinary vitality, it would have long since died and could not have died any deader.
Even so, after ejecting its final strand of webbing, it gradually ceased struggling and ultimately perished beneath Yang Kai's fists.
Yang Kai had never imagined he would so easily defeat a demon beast—and kill it, no less.
Even if it was only a first-rank demon beast, it wasn't something someone at the fifth layer of the Tempering Body realm could handle effortlessly. He was injured badly enough, yet somehow it didn't feel like a big deal.
Once he confirmed the flower-backed spider was thoroughly dead, Yang Kai finally yanked the foreleg out of his arm. The moment it came free, a spray of warm blood followed.
There was no time to examine his own wounds. Yang Kai tore through the spider silk binding his body in just a few moves, then hurriedly scooped up the small boy lying on the ground and rushed outside.
The boy's father had finally freed himself from the spider silk and was sprinting over. Seeing Yang Kai come running out, drenched in blood and cradling his son, he anxiously asked, "What happened to him?"
"He's lost too much lot of blood, and he's been poisoned," Yang Kai answered.
Once outside the cave, Yang Kai laid the small boy flat on the ground, then darted back in to retrieve his bundle. He rummaged through it, pulled out some herbs, popped them into his mouth, and chewed them into a pulp. He then gathered more and handed them to the hunter. "Chew these up well, then feed them to him."
The hunter, dazed and reeling, needed no second telling. He shoved the herbs into his mouth and chewed furiously.
In that moment, Yang Kai's mind was startlingly clear. The medicinal properties of each herb presented themselves one by one—what could neutralize toxins, what could heal wounds, what could stanch bleeding—as though he were a physician well-versed in pharmacology.
Before long, Yang Kai took the chewed herbs from his own mouth and applied them to the boy's injured arm. The hunter, meanwhile, fed his mouthful of pulp into the boy's mouth.
Under the anxious gaze of both men, a trace of color gradually returned to the child's pale little face, and his breathing steadied considerably.
The hunter's heart, which had been lodged in his throat, finally came back down. He collapsed onto the ground and broke into great heaving sobs: "Thank heavens he's all right… thank heavens…"
Yang Kai threw a bucket of cold water on his relief: "It's not over yet. These herbs of mine are the most basic kind—they can only ease his symptoms. He needs to go downhill and see a proper doctor, or he could end up with lasting complications."
The hunter obeyed Yang Kai's every word without question and immediately said, "Then I'll take him to find a doctor right now."
"Hold on." Yang Kai stopped him. "Let him stabilize a bit first before you move."
"Ah—of course, savior, you're right." After suffering such a catastrophe, the hunter had lost all sense of direction; whatever Yang Kai said went.
After finishing, it suddenly dawned on him that this savior standing before him was also badly hurt. With concern he asked, "Savior, shouldn't you tend to your own wounds first?"