Martial Peak
chapter-5227

Half a day later, the hunter, who hadn’t found any prey, was both exhausted and hungry. He scooped up some water from a spring with his hands to quench his thirst, but while he was drinking it, he became startled all of a sudden.

That was because he could see a simple-looking log house in front of him.

He didn’t remember there being a log house on the mountain. Although this place was far away from his usual hunting area, he had been here before, and he was certain he had never seen this log house in the past.

Out of curiosity, he shuffled towards the log house and shouted, “Is anyone inside?”

No one responded to him after he shouted several times. Left with no choice, he apologised and pushed the door open before stepping inside.

Yang Kai had built the log house in a hurry to put a roof over the Old Ancestor’s head, so there was nothing inside other than a bed, which the Old Ancestor’s petite figure was currently curled up on.

The instant the hunter entered the house, he saw the figure on the bed and was both doubtful and wary.

Although he was an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated before, cultivation wasn’t a secret on the Void Continent and the hunter knew that the youngsters in the neighbouring village had always wanted to join a nearby Sect.

The hunter also had such a dream when he was younger. 1,000 kilometres away from the village, there was a Sect named Water Moon Pavilion that would recruit new disciples every few years.

When the hunter was younger, he travelled all the way to Water Moon Pavilion with that dream in mind and participated in the Disciple Recruitment in the hope that he could join the Sect and become a mighty expert who could fly through the sky one day. Unfortunately, his aptitude was poor, so the senior experts were not interested in taking him in as a disciple. He was swiftly eliminated from the Disciple Recruitment.

After his dream was crushed, the hunter wandered around the continent for several years and eventually, he returned to his hometown and built a family of his own.

Compared to the other hunters in the village, he was more experienced as he knew that other than cultivators, there were also some special beings in this world.

Spirits!

It was said that when some Spirits had cultivated long enough, they could assume Human forms. Ordinary people couldn’t tell the difference, but apparently there was a class of Evil Spirits known as Vixens. Rumour had it that Vixens loved turning into beautiful young ladies to seduce energetic young men.

Therefore, the moment the hunter saw that there was a strange-looking log house with a young girl inside, the first thought that flashed through his mind was that he might have run into a Spirit.

He felt a crawling sensation on his scalp as it was said that there were good and bad Spirits; however, he couldn’t differentiate the good Spirits from the bad ones.

Upon closer look though, he realised that the petite figure on the bed was quite pitiful-looking. Even if she was really a Spirit, she was a frail one.

Why would he be afraid of her when he was a fully grown man?

With that thought in mind, he stopped feeling anxious.

He initially wanted to leave the house in silence; after all, he wasn’t sure if the petite figure was a Spirit, but just when he was preparing to step out of the log house, he froze for a moment.

That was because he could hear that there was something off about the petite figure’s breathing.

As an experienced hunter, he understood the prey on the mountain fully well. When animals were wounded and dying, they would breathe just like the young girl, intermittently and weakly.

There was a tinge of hesitation on the hunter’s face.

A moment later, he grit his teeth and shuffled towards the bed.

[What if she’s an ordinary child and not a Spirit? If no one takes care of her, she’ll soon be eaten by the beasts.]

As he looked down, he realised that the child on the bed was only three or four years old. Although she was sound asleep, there was a hint of discomfort on her face, as though she was having a nightmare. Moreover, her face was unusually pale.

He placed his palm on her forehead and discovered that it was scorching.

[She’s sick!]

Without hesitation, the hunter picked up the little girl and dashed out of the house. He had to return to his home as soon as possible.

Regardless of where this little girl came from or why she was alone in the log house, she would soon lose her life if she was not treated.

The hunter’s thoughts were simple. He had to go down the mountain and look for a doctor. The idea of dealing with her parents if they ever looked for her never crossed his mind. When that happened, he would just give the child back to them and explain what had happened.

After the hunter left in a hurry, Yang Kai, who had been observing them in silence, revealed himself. As he watched the hunter leave, he stroked his chin and fell into his thoughts.

[The Old Ancestor was abducted… What should I do?]

He could have concealed the log house’s existence; that way, an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated before would never have discovered the Old Ancestor’s whereabouts. However, at the most critical moment, the Old Ancestor sent him a message.

He was unable to figure out the Old Ancestor’s intentions; the message was vague and garbled, so he was unable to ascertain what it meant. It also didn’t look like the Old Ancestor had intentionally done it; instead, it was like she acted out of instinct while still asleep.

Although the Old Ancestor’s message wasn’t clear, it was apparent she wanted to stop him from concealing the log house by sending it to him at that moment.

Therefore, Yang Kai decided to let nature take its course.

Then, the Old Ancestor was taken away. Since she didn’t send Yang Kai any further messages, it seemed that he had made the right choice.

With that said, he couldn’t just ignore her; hence, he concealed his figure and tailed the hunter.

It took the hunter half a day to go up the mountain, but it only took him two hours to go down. The exhausted and starving hunter tripped over and became covered in dust, but he protected the little girl well.

After returning to the small village, he kicked the door of his house open and shouted, “Dear, something has happened!”

Upon hearing his voice, a stout woman came out of the kitchen. An apron was wrapped around her waist, and there was a huge rolling pin in her hand. It seemed that she was preparing dinner.

As the sky was turning dark, most people would supposedly have their dinner soon.

The stout woman was in stark contrast with the lean hunter. As they stood side by side, the stout woman was two times larger than her Husband.

Villagers were usually straightforward people, so the moment she heard what her Husband said, she roared, “What’s wrong? Did that guy snatch your prey again? Don’t worry, I’ll beat him up for you!”

“No, no, no!” The hunter repeatedly shook his head, “I picked up this little thing.”

Saying so, he dashed into the house.

The moment he brushed past the stout woman, she caught a glimpse of what was in his arms. At that instant, she was rooted to the spot.

After her Husband entered the house, she exclaimed and followed him in a hurry.

A moment later, the Old Ancestor was lying on a simple-looking bed in silence. There were some animal pelts on her figure and beside the bed, the hunter and the stout woman stared fixedly at her with widened eyes. As the stout woman gazed at the petite and frail child on the bed, the ferocity on her face vanished.

“Where did you pick her up?” The stout woman poked her Husband with her elbow, accidentally exerting too much force with her arm and almost causing him to fall over.

“On the mountain!” The hunter briefly explained to her what had happened on this day.

The stout woman’s expression changed slightly, “Why would there be such a thing on the mountain? Could she be a Spirit?”

They had been a married couple for quite some time, so sometimes, before they fell asleep at night, the hunter would tell her stories, including ones about Spirits.

“I don’t think so.” The hunter lifted the pieces of animal skin, “Look, she doesn’t have a tail.”

He then brushed back the little girl’s hair, “There are no strange-looking ears either. I don’t think she’s a Spirit.”

The stout woman nodded in agreement. Since the little girl didn’t have a tail or some strange-looking horns or ears, she shouldn’t be a Spirit.

The hunter then said, “The clothes she’s wearing suggest that she’s from a wealthy family; moreover, she has been unconscious since I discovered her. I guess that she suffers from some kind of incurable disease, so her family members dumped her on the mountain.”

Tears started streaming out of the stout woman’s eyes, “She’s such a pitiful little thing… How could her parents have the heart to abandon this beautiful baby?”

“Dear, please get Doctor Cai to come over now and examine this child. It’s a life, after all. Since we’ve found her, we can’t possibly watch her die without doing anything.”

“You’re right,” the stout woman wiped her tears away as she put down the rolling pin and took off her apron. Then, she turned around and left the house.

There wasn’t a doctor in the village, but there was a doctor surnamed Cai in a village that was about 20 kilometres away. Although he wasn’t really an expert in medicine, he was already the best doctor in this area.

The sky had turned completely dark when the stout woman stepped out of the house, and since the two villages were so far apart, Doctor Cai certainly wasn’t willing to go over.

However, the stout woman never gave him a chance to resist. She picked up the thin doctor with one hand and dashed across the 20-kilometre gap to return home. It only took her an hour to go back and forth between the villages.

After the doctor was ‘invited’ into their house, the couple repeatedly apologised to him in order to appease him so that he could examine the little girl.

The couple anxiously watched them on the side.

After Doctor Cai was done feeling her pulse, the stout woman asked nervously, “What sickness does she have, Doctor Cai?”

Although Doctor Cai wasn’t an expert in medicine, he had gained some experience and had sharp eyesight after practising medicine for years, so he replied doubtfully, “She doesn’t seem to be sick.”

The stout woman rolled her eyes, “What are you talking about, Doctor? Look how pale her face is! How could you tell me she’s not sick?”

Doctor Cai waved his hand, “I’ve felt her pulse and checked her breathing, so I don’t think she’s sick. In fact, she’s not just healthy; she’s more vigorous than most kids. However, it’s apparent that there’s something wrong with her. This Old Master has no idea what’s going on.”

He sighed, “Perhaps I’m just not skilful enough. I’m sorry that I’m unable to treat her.”

Upon finishing his words, he got up and ready to leave.

The stout woman got in his way and put on a fawning smile, “Doctor Cai, you’re the only doctor around this area. If you don’t treat her, she’ll die!”

A helpless Doctor Cai replied, “How do I treat her when I don’t even know what’s wrong with her?”

The stout woman insisted, saying, “Regardless, just do whatever you can to help her. I’m sure the medicine you prescribe will be useful.”

The hunter nodded repeatedly on the side.

Doctor Cai shook his head, “Medicine is not food. How can I prescribe medicine for her when I don’t even know why she’s sick? If she consumes the wrong medicine, she’ll fall ill even though she’s healthy now.”

The stout woman begged him to treat the little girl, but Doctor Cai firmly turned her down.

With her patience running out, the stout woman picked up the rolling pin from the side and demanded, “Doctor Cai, I’ve never received any formal education, so I might be a little rude when I speak, and I’m sorry if I’ve offended you in any way. However, she’s still a child. Will you please be kind enough to lend her a hand?”

Doctor Cai felt his brow twitching as he looked at the rolling pin that was thicker than his thigh.