Dashing Student
Chapter 813 - 813: I Let My Guard Down and Failed to Dodge

In the mountains and forests, Liu Tong pursued all the way, but completely lost Chen Nan's trail at a mountain stream.

He was unsure whether Chen Nan had gone downstream or upstream along the stream, crossing the mountains and making his escape.

No matter what, he couldn't catch up now; Chen Nan certainly wouldn't stand there and let himself be killed.

"Damn it, damn it!"

The anger nearly consumed Liu Tong; he drew his long sword and vented freely, the sword light immediately flattening the surrounding trees and shattering the ground.

After a good while, he gradually calmed down.

This time, not only did he fail to capture Chen Nan, but Hu Chuan and Zhao Kai were also killed by Chen Nan; it was obvious even without thinking that Grave punishment from Master Xuanming would await him upon his return.

"I can't go back; I must kill Chen Nan, otherwise I'm dead..."

Fear filled Liu Tong's eyes; he knew all too well what torturous methods Master Xuanming had, and falling into his hands would be a fate worse than death.

Therefore, after much thought, he decided not to return to the Yuantian Sect for the time being and instead must find Chen Nan before making his report!

This plan might allow him to temporarily escape the clutches of Master Xuanming, but he also knew that if Master Xuanming found him first, the outcome would be unspeakably miserable.

But this was the best method he could think of.

The unconscious Chen Nan naturally didn't know that there was a mad dog determined to find him, come hell or high water.

At this time, he had already been taken to a dilapidated temple a hundred miles away.

In the temple, there was a broken statue, and the roof had a hole in it.

Chen Nan's terrifying wounds had already been treated, and he was fed healing pills, but whether he would live depended on his own willpower.

"Hmm, his aura is much stronger than before; it seems he's about to wake up." The old man stroked his few sparse whiskers, smiling so wide he couldn't close his mouth.

He previously thought saving Chen Nan was a loss; if he didn't survive, it wouldn't only be a wasted worry but also a waste of a precious healing pill, a sixth-grade elixir no less.

Even in his sect, there were only a few, making the old man feel deeply pained.

Fortunately, everything was worth it; Chen Nan's aura gradually stabilized, and the pill was not wasted.

Moreover, a person with such tenacious vitality must have a willpower far beyond ordinary people, and in the cultivation realm, even if one's innate talent isn't good, sheer willpower alone can lead to great achievements.

Moreover, the old man had already evaluated Chen Nan's aptitude, and though not one in a million, it was quite rare. If he could be absorbed into his own sect, it could be a very good thing.

The young girl beside him rolled her eyes at the old man's lecherous smile: "Earlier you didn't want to save him, and now you're all happy."

The old man puffed out his beard in annoyance: "What do you know? If such a genius grows up, won't the sect also become stronger? Besides, my reluctance to save him earlier was due to caution."

"People like you would even count money for someone who's deceived you."

The girl snorted coldly but did not argue, as she wasn't ungrateful after all.

As the two were speaking, Chen Nan on the bed suddenly coughed twice and slowly opened his eyes.

His mind was still muddled when an ugly, decrepit face came into focus, displaying a lecherous smile right in front of him.

"Young friend, we saved you, would you like to join our sect?"

Waking up not knowing what was happening yet being immediately asked to join a sect, even in his befuddlement, Chen Nan sensed something was off.

Especially given the old man's lecherous smile, so without even thinking, he punched out!

"Ouch!"

The old man cried out, clutching his eye as he ran to the side.

Seeing this, the cold young woman immediately stepped in front of the old man, warily watching Chen Nan.

Although they had rescued him, they still didn't know whether the person they saved was good or bad.

Chen Nan sat up, feeling intense pain throughout his body, making him grimace. As he carefully assessed his internal state, he found his injuries were also severe, with several meridians torn.

However, at that moment, a stream of pure energy was slowly repairing his meridians and healing his injuries, and even his cultivation had not dropped.

In fact, having gone through a life-and-death struggle, he had even made a slight breakthrough, now reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment Third Layer, just a step away from advancing to Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer.

After regaining his senses for a moment, Chen Nan understood that the pure energy within him must have come from the healing pills fed to him by the old man and the young woman before him.

To throw a punch at those who saved his life, even with the thickest of skins, he now felt embarrassed.

But who opens their eyes to find someone demanding they join a sect? Clearly, the old man was a con artist!

He cleared his throat and apologized sincerely: "I am truly sorry, the two of you, I just awoke and was not in my right mind. I hope you can forgive my offense."

Hearing his sincere apology, most of the old man's anger dissipated. Knowing he had been too hasty, he turned around, sitting cross-legged on the stone floor behind him, with a carefree demeanor: "It was my carelessness, no dodging; did you think you could hurt me?"

The words sounded so righteous that if it weren't for the panda eye, Chen Nan might have believed him.

The cold young woman crossed her arms, assessing Chen Nan from head to toe before asking: "Let's forget about what just happened; who are you, and why are you so badly injured?"

Talking about this matter, Chen Nan's eyes suddenly dimmed, as he remembered the elderly villagers who died miserably because of him.

"I am Chen Nan; I previously attended the Yuantian Sect's disciple recruitment..."

He briefly recounted his experiences, not because Chen Nan was careless, but he felt those who saved him could not possibly be bad people.

After he finished, the cold young woman was already fuming: "How can people be so evil? Zhao Kai is truly disgusting, and that so-called Master Xuanming is akin to a demon sect!"

The old man beside her was nearly scared to death, quickly jumping up to cover the young girl's mouth: "Keep it down, anyone called 'Master' is a Nascent Soul old monster who could squish us with a finger!"

"Coward!" The girl gave him a sidelong look, obviously not taking it to heart.

But the old man was terrified, as from Chen Nan's story he now realized saving him meant offending a Nascent Soul old monster, potentially dooming their sect.

Yet, disciples with talent like Chen Nan's were long taken by major sects, leaving only scraps for the minor sects like theirs.

This led to their sect becoming weaker and ultimately to the bottom of the tier.

Thus, towards Chen Nan, he felt both love and hate.

"By the way, I still don't know the names of my benefactors," Chen Nan respectfully inquired.

The old man sat upright, stroked his beard, and said solemnly: "I am Jiang Zheng, Sect Leader of the Qingshan Sect, and this is my disciple Tang Zhirou."

"I haven't agreed to be your disciple yet," Tang Zhirou retorted at the side, full of disdain, causing Jiang Zheng to turn his head and repeatedly wink at her.