Chapter 454

After an unknown length of time, Wang Yu suddenly felt half his body blazing with searing pain, yet within that pain, a faint coolness continually drifted, easing the agony wherever it passed.

Then a spoon gently pried open his mouth, and a stream of savory broth, faintly fishy in scent, slid smoothly down his throat into his abdomen.

Moments later, warmth rose from his dantian, transforming into delicate threads of spiritual energy that slowly flowed into every meridian.

This is!

Under the nourishment of this spiritual energy, Wang Yu finally regained partial control over his body and slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze met a pair of eyes as gentle as flowing water.

The owner of those eyes was unmistakably a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties, with a round face, a straight nose, arched eyebrows, and dressed in a pale green robe; she sat at the bedside, one hand holding a wooden bowl, the other holding a soup spoon.

When the woman met Wang Yu’s gaze, her eyes widened, her small mouth hung open in shock, her face filled with astonishment.

But before she could react further,

A white shadow shot up from beneath the bed with a “whoosh.”

A white, scaled head pressed against Wang Yu’s neck, rubbing insistently while emitting happy “siss” sounds.

“White Li, my lord!”

Only then did the woman startle, quickly rising with the bowl and stepping back several paces with respectful deference.

“Little White, how long has it been? You’ve grown smaller.” Wang Yu gently pushed the creature’s head away from his neck, though his heart surged with excitement.

He had truly returned to the cultivation world.

The white shadow was his pet, the Iron-Eating Crocodile “Little White,” now reduced to barely over two feet in length.

At this moment, its body was slimmer, entirely covered in white scales; were it not for its still-thickened limbs and its too-short white horn, it would have resembled the legendary White Jiao.

Wang Yu patted Little White’s back a few times, forcing it to lie still beside the bed, then reluctantly sat up—only to feel his internal qi sluggish, every meridian throbbing with sharp, needle-like pain; his heart sank slightly.

He immediately released a thread of spiritual sense to swiftly scan his body, discovering another faint energy within his meridians, steadily repairing and nourishing them.

Only then did Wang Yu breathe a slight sigh of relief, giving himself time to examine his body and surroundings.

He wore an unusually loose robe, through which he could faintly see half his body and one arm, charred black and burning with heat.

The room he lay in was a clean stone chamber, its furnishings identical to those he had once dreamed of on Blue Star.

Wang Yu raised his hand and touched his neck—the skin there was equally rough and hardened, clearly also charred and damaged; without regard for the woman standing nearby with respectful expression, he closed his eyes and began another thorough examination of his entire body.

After an unknown length of time, when he opened his eyes again, he understood his body’s condition completely—but his expression was grim.

“What is your name? Did you save me?” Wang Yu finally asked the beautiful woman.

“Respectful elder, this humble one is Shi Qiuping. Some common fishermen discovered you and brought you to me. My younger sister, Shi Hongyao, is an apothecary who knows a few minor healing techniques; I merely handle daily care and dare not claim credit.” The woman bowed her head, speaking respectfully, feeling a powerful spiritual sense sweep over her, leaving her frozen in place.

“Daily care? What’s in your bowl?” Wang Yu retracted his spiritual sense from the woman, already aware she was only at Qi Condensation fifth or sixth level; he asked casually.

“The bowl contains broth from a first-grade Treasure-Belly Fish—it nourishes the body and greatly aids external wounds. You’ve remained unconscious for years; ordinary food couldn’t be absorbed, so we’ve relied on this spiritual fish broth to preserve your primordial qi.” Shi Qiuping glanced at the wooden bowl and hurriedly explained.

“Spiritual fish broth—no wonder my body remained in decent condition despite such prolonged unconsciousness.”

“Brother Shi, where is this place? From the time you found me until now, how much time has passed? Have you been the only one caring for me?” Wang Yu pondered, then asked.

“This is Spirit Creek Bay. You were found three years ago. Since you remained unconscious, White Li and Green Lin, the two elders, forbade others from approaching—only I could offer you extra care.” Shi Qiuping replied.

“Spirit Creek Bay. What’s the name of the great river beside it?” Wang Yu listened, then released his spiritual sense once more, sweeping across all directions—every detail within several li was instantly mapped in his mind.

Here was a pile of scattered rocks, with over a dozen stone huts nearby, most empty, only five or six showing signs of habitation.

The inhabitants all emitted spiritual energy, clearly cultivators—but all at the early Qi Condensation level.

Farther away stretched a river nearly a li wide, its waters violently turbulent.

Along its banks clustered a large settlement of dilapidated wooden huts, forming a small town where nearly ten thousand commoners bustled about.

Women and children hung fishing nets to dry, elders pickled dried fish, and many children chased and played around the houses.

“Elder, that river is the Cold Lan River,” the woman answered without hesitation.

“Do you have a map of the surrounding area? Show it to me.” Wang Yu thought for a moment, then said to her.

“Elder, you’re too kind—I happen to have a map of the Cold Lan River right here. Please, Elder, take a look.” Shi Qiuping reached into her robe and pulled out a white jade slip, offering it with both hands.

Wang Yu merely raised his hand—the jade slip flew into his grasp. He did not immediately probe it with his spiritual sense, but instead said to her again:

“Brother Shi, I wish to meet your younger sister. Could you bring her here?”

“I understand. I’ll fetch my sister to pay her respects to the Elder—please wait a moment.” Shi Qiuping suppressed a flicker of excitement, bowed slightly, then turned and left the stone chamber.

Wang Yu turned his gaze back to the white creature beside him, stroked its head once more, and said with a faint, knowing smile:

“White Li, Green Lin? Little White, did you name yourselves? When did your spiritual awareness become so advanced that you can even choose names—but do you even know how to write the characters ‘White Li’?”

He could clearly sense the white creature’s demonic energy had grown far purer than three years ago, already at the peak of Qi Condensation, likely ready to break through to second stage at any moment.

Upon hearing this, Little White’s eyes rolled, it shook its head, and spat out a cloud of white frost.

The frost rolled and shifted in midair, instantly forming the two characters: “Bai Li.”