Chapter 23: Under the starry night they fled the perilous ground, hearts yearning like arrows, returning to the scorched earth

The night wind was bitterly cold, yet it carried the sweetness of having survived a calamity.

Chen Wen greedily sucked in a mouthful of free air, but his tense nerves dared not relax in the slightest.

He quickly surveyed his surroundings. This was a steep mountainside with sparse vegetation and jagged rocks scattered about.

Beneath his feet lay a dark abyss, and in the distance rose continuous, rolling black mountain ridges.

A completely unfamiliar environment.

"Mother, Wan'er, we must leave this place as soon as possible, find a safe spot to hide, and then figure out how to return to Jiao Tu Zhen."

Chen Wen lowered his voice and immediately clarified his ultimate goal—go home!

Return to the little stronghold he had built with his own hands.

Only there could he obtain true safety and a chance to catch his breath.

Liu Shi and Chen Wan clung tightly together, nodding firmly. They had just endured the previous terror.

At this moment, being able to escape that nightmare-like mine shaft and hearing the direction of 'home' filled their eyes with longing.

Chen Wen once again hoisted his mother onto his back, took his sister's hand, and, relying on his eightfold night vision and wilderness survival experience, chose a difficult path downward toward a direction with relatively denser vegetation.

Each step was taken with utmost care, trying to avoid leaving any trace.

His stamina was greatly depleted, his wounds throbbed faintly, but the joy of having rescued his family and his clear goal kept him pressing forward.

【Arduous mountain trek, wilderness survival experience increased (x Bonus)! Diligence Points (WP) +2…+2… (ongoing)】

After walking for about half an hour, he finally found a small depression sheltered by several large boulders, relatively leeward and dry.

"Let's rest here."

Chen Wen gently set his mother down, then himself nearly collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion.

【Found a temporary safe spot, survival pressure eased. Diligence Points (WP) +15!】

【Current WP: 712】

He checked on his family's condition. His mother was merely weak and frightened; his sister was a bit better.

He again took out the water flask and the last bit of hardtack for them to share.

He himself then began to fully engage the system, mobilizing the powerful recovery granted by his eightfold physique, combined with breathing techniques, to accelerate the treatment of his wounds.

Gritting his teeth, he used his eightfold control to violently pull out the broken arrow lodged in his shoulder blade.

He then quickly seared the wound with flame for the most primitive disinfection and staunching of bleeding, then tightly bandaged it.

The claw marks on his back and the knife cuts on his leg received similar treatment.

The entire process was excruciatingly painful, yet he didn't utter a single groan.

【Treating severe injuries, medical knowledge proficiency greatly increased (x Bonus)! Diligence Points (WP) +50!】

【High-intensity endurance and recovery, physique proficiency increased! Diligence Points (WP) +20!】

【Current stamina: 35% (wounds initially controlled, stamina beginning to recover effectively)】

【Current WP: 782】

Liu Shi and Chen Wan watched their son handle his horrible wounds with such skill and cruelty, their hearts aching as tears streamed down, yet they dared not speak out and disturb him.

After finishing with his wounds, Chen Wen finally let out a long sigh, and fatigue washed over him like a tide.

"Mother, Wan'er, get some sleep quickly; we'll set out as soon as dawn breaks."

He let his family rest, while he forced himself to stay alert and take the night watch.

He used the night-watch time to continue "striving."

He sharpened the notched saber, gathered dew to refill the water flask, and, using his eightfold perception, vigilantly listened to every movement around him.

【Sharpening weapon, handcraft proficiency increased! Diligence Points (WP) +10】

【Collecting water source, wilderness survival experience increased! Diligence Points (WP) +5】

【Continuous vigilance, perception proficiency increased! Diligence Points (WP) +3…+3…】

【Current WP: 803】

When the sky grew faintly light, Chen Wen woke his mother and sister; the three of them had recovered some stamina.

Based on the stars and the direction of sunrise, he roughly determined that Jiao Tu Zhen lay to the south.

"Mother, Wan'er, stay close to me; we're going home."

The road home was destined to be rough. They would need to traverse unfamiliar forests, evade possible Iron Crow Army search parties, and face the inherent dangers of the woods themselves.

But Chen Wen's heart was filled with confidence.

His eightfold abilities were his greatest reliance.

Along the way, they encountered a small group of lost Khitan stragglers attempting to seize their food and water.

Although Chen Wen's wounds had not yet healed, his eightfold combat skill and strength were still beyond what these stragglers could withstand.

He used the terrain to swiftly rout the enemy, seizing some food and an intact waist blade.

【Defeated Khitan stragglers, protected family, Diligence Points (WP) +60!】

【Current WP: 863】

They came upon a rushing river.

Chen Wen used his eightfold strength and craftsmanship, spending half a day felling trees and binding them into a sturdier raft, and crossed the river safely.

【Crafting a raft, handcraft proficiency greatly increased! Diligence Points (WP) +40!】

【Current WP: 903】

He even discovered many wild vegetables and herbs along the road, relying on his eightfold memory and the system's faint hints.

He gathered plenty, enriching their food supply and also conditioning his mother's and sister's bodies.

【Gathering wild vegetables and herbs, gathering proficiency increased! Diligence Points (WP) +20!】

【Current WP: 923】

All the way we struggled, all the way we strove, WP kept increasing.

But after upgrading to 8×, the system seemed to undergo a subtle change, with no prompt about the WP limit for upgrading, merely giving the protagonist a feeling about WP increase.

He enjoyed the process of continually accumulating through effort and constantly overcoming difficulties.

This also gave Liu Shi and Chen Wan a more intuitive understanding of their son's abilities, greatly increasing their sense of security.

After more than ten days, when the three, dusty and weary, clothes tattered yet eyes bright, crossed the final ridge.

Seeing the familiar outline of distant Jiao Tu Zhen, with thin curling cooking smoke rising——

"We've arrived! Mother, Wan'er, we're home!"

Chen Wen's voice was filled with uncontainable excitement.

Liu Shi and Chen Wan's eyes instantly welled with tears—tears of hope and relief.

Jiao Tu Zhen, I'm back.

I've brought my family back.

Now it's time for this turbulent world to see what changes a person with eightfold effort ability can bring!

Let them see me, Chen Wen, bringing change to this unfair world!