One has to admit, the people in this world sure have great stamina; after walking over ten kilometers, not a single person stopped, even those two women didn’t complain of fatigue.
"These ancient trees tower high, the mountain ranges undulate, and hidden Spirit Veins nurture countless spirit monsters. While there’s some danger for ordinary people, it’s perfect for me to collect Wood Qi here." At this moment, Li Yi was observing the surroundings, making mental notes that might come in handy in the future.
After walking another stretch of road.
At this point, everyone was feeling a bit tired.
But Old Liu shouted, "We’re about to pass through the Three-Way Junction soon. Once we’re past there, we’ll be in Xinzhou territory. Everyone push on and don’t rest; let’s hurry and pass it under the strong noontime sun."
The group perked up and quickened their pace.
Although everyone had heard of the Three-Way Junction’s dangers before, it was their first time passing through, and no one knew what lay ahead. Since all the guides warned of the difficulty, there had to be a reason. Although a Daoist led the way, they hoped to avoid any strange encounters since the Daoist was a sage, and they were not.
Li Yi at this moment also saw the so-called Three-Way Junction.
It was indeed perilous.
A wide road suddenly narrowed, entering the mountain forest; the surrounding light dimmed instantly, and the road was enveloped by three large mountains, making it zigzag and twist, obscuring the view ahead. Besides, the main road splitting into two was exacerbated by numerous side paths on both the left and right.
Each side path led into dense forests; some were shortcuts around the mountains, while others were ancient paths of unknown origin.
Once mistaken, entering is easy, but exiting is hard.
Cold, damp wind blew through the mountain stream, emitting constant eerie sounds.
It’s fortunate it’s daytime; at night, caught by surprise, one might panic and lose their way, not knowing where they ran off to.
But just at this moment, the older woman in the group suddenly faltered, her strength seemingly drained, her eyes rolling back as she plummeted to the ground. The young girl beside her hurriedly tried to support her, but to no avail.
Soon, the older woman lay on the ground, unconscious.
"Oh, no, she’s fainted." The young girl urgently shouted.
In front, Old Liu, Lu Yue, and the other two travelers quickly halted, turning back to glance.
Old Liu’s face changed as he hastily returned to check, immediately saying, "This woman’s got a heatstroke; she may very well die."
"How could one get heatstroke in such a cool mountain stream?" A bystander expressed doubt, "Could it be some evil spell?"
"There are both hot and cold heatstrokes; I didn’t mistake it. This lady suffers from cold heatstroke, having walked swiftly before, sweating, and now getting hit by the cold mountain wind, the clash of hot and cold trapped the sweat inside, causing her to collapse suddenly. This illness is urgent and can be fatal if not treated swiftly."
Old Liu said, "Year before last, I saw some travelers also reach the Three-Way Junction. Thirsty, they drank some of the mountain’s spring water, and the chill made them fall unconscious instantly. Though they were carried out, they died shortly after entering Xinzhou."
"Do you have any means to save her?"
Scholar Lu Yue asked urgently, "We can’t let this lady die in the wilderness; traveling is hard for everyone."
Old Liu shook his head, "I don’t know how to help, but another guide, Old Gen, could heal, though he left with a group two days ago, making it hard to find him now."
"It’s nothing serious, her Qi-Blood is blocked, just need to clear it." Suddenly, Li Yi approached, his eyes glimmering as he examined her briefly.
"Daoist, you know healing arts?" Old Liu asked in surprise.
Li Yi said, "I don’t know healing, just learned some minor spells and practiced a bit of martial arts. I’ve never studied medicine, though ailments might appear complex, they’re actually simple, usually just Qi-Blood deficiency or blockage."
With that, he extended a finger, circulating Qi-Blood, an invisible strand twined around his fingertip.
Then he flicked it, shooting the Qi-Blood into the woman’s body.
Nourished by this strand of Qi-Blood, her meridians cleared instantly, invigorated by Qi-Blood, she exhaled a gust of turbid air, soon opening her eyes and regaining consciousness.
"Thank you, Daoist, for saving my life." Once awake, she quickly regained her strength, expressing deep gratitude.
"Indeed, thanks to the Daoist, or else you’d never get out of the Three-Way Junction. You’d definitely become a roadside skeleton." Old Liu sighed.
Traveling is truly laborious; a minor illness can lead to sudden death, leaving no chance of survival.
Li Yi merely smiled, "It’s fine; my Qi-Blood cleared all your meridians and left that Qi-Blood in your body. As long as you don’t face any danger, it’ll ward off all illnesses, prolonging your life."
"Such fortune?" The crowd instantly envied upon hearing this.
Though surprised, the woman indeed felt a warm current circulating throughout her body. Previously weak and exhausted, she now brimmed with energy, feeling confident to travel another twenty kilometers without issue.
Li Yi was about to speak when his eyes suddenly noticed that strands of invisible energy from these people were converging towards him.