CHAPTER 4 - Fateful Encounter in the Forest
[PART 2]
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This time, amidst the misfortune came a stroke of luck — the hunter wolf became the hunted. Although Yan Si's leg was injured, at least he wouldn't have to struggle for meat over the next few days. It seemed that for someone as unlucky as him, nothing ever came easy.
After setting up the fire, Yan Si began butchering the wolf. Some of the meat he skewered for roasting, while the rest he planned to dry tomorrow for future use.
In the middle of the night, the rich aroma of grilled meat filled the entire cave, strong enough to rouse even the unconscious man from his fevered sleep.
The spot where the man lay wasn't far from the fire — as if Yan Si had purposely done so to keep them both a little warmer.
Catching a glimpse of the youth quietly roasting meat in the dead of night, the man was momentarily speechless.
It was already late. Why wasn't he asleep? Why was he still roasting meat? Could it be that…
Meanwhile, Yan Si sat by the fire, silently grilling meat while tears welled in his eyes. The wound from the wolf's bite throbbed with relentless pain, nearly unbearable. All he could do was grit his teeth and endure — there was no other option.
"Just a little longer..." Once the meal was ready for the other man, he could finally rest. As for the injury on his leg… it would have to wait until morning.
It had been a long time since he last got hurt. He had always been careful to avoid danger, only hoping to live a quiet and peaceful life. Who would have thought that upon encountering this man today, the storm would begin anew?
After quite some time, once the meat was evenly roasted, Yan Si placed it onto a large leaf, then carried the meat along with a bamboo tube filled with water over to the other man.
Seeing Yan Si limping over with the food, the man fell into stunned silence.
Under the dim flicker of the nearby fire, he could clearly see the wound on Yan Si's calf… It was horrifying — as if a large chunk of flesh was about to fall off, clearly having been savagely torn apart by that beast. "A wound this severe, and yet he can still…"
A frail, malnourished youth with such a serious injury, and yet he was still concerned with taking care of someone he had just met?
When the man kept staring and refused to take the food, Yan Si was puzzled. "What's wrong? There's no poison or anything — just take it!"
He hadn't hesitated to brave the forest, risking his life to bring back meat, and yet this man still suspected he meant harm. That thought made Yan Si a bit angry. He set the food down beside the man and said coldly, "I'm leaving it here. Eat it or not, that's up to you."
With that, Yan Si dragged himself back to his bed of leaves and lay down. Though his body was utterly exhausted, he still couldn't fall asleep. Every time he started to drift off, the searing pain would jolt him awake again — it was pure torment.
In the distance, the crimson flames gradually dimmed, leaving behind a blanket of darkness that enveloped the entire cave. From time to time, faint groans, the grinding of teeth, and heavy breathing echoed from uncertain directions.
Yan Si shifted from sitting to lying down, occasionally gritting his teeth as waves of pain surged from his wound. His entire body burned with fever, yet he felt an unbearable chill.
He had begun to run a fever. Though he had applied medicine and taken herbs earlier, his condition hadn't improved at all.
Ironically, the one who had gone out to rescue another now seemed to be faring worse than the one he saved. Despite suffering severe injuries, the man had remained composed, showing no signs of fear or distress. And yet, what about Yan Si himself?
"Just a minor injury and I can't endure it?" Years ago, with even graver wounds, hadn't he survived worse? So why did it feel so much harder now?
Enduring pain was never easy — that's exactly why he'd hidden away in the depths of this forest in the first place. But no matter what, he wasn't on the same level as that man — neither in appearance nor in inner strength. Compared to him, he was sorely lacking…
With that thought, Yan Si sighed softly.
From that moment on, there were no more groans or grinding teeth. The long night passed in quiet stillness.
When dawn came and Yan Si woke, he noticed something odd about his leg. Frowning, he murmured to himself, "Damn it…"
Because he had treated his wound hastily the night before, it had started to fester, the infection spreading fast. The torn flesh now oozed, and the edges had begun to rot. Letting out a heavy sigh, Yan Si forced himself upright and hobbled over to gather firewood again.
At the same time, the man stirred awake at the rustling sound and sat up to observe. A strange feeling tugged at his chest… The frail youth was limping around, dragging one injured leg as he gathered firewood, his face already pale as a sheet.
After lighting the fire, Yan Si sat down and examined the gash on his leg. Then he pulled out his dagger and began to clean it.
"That dagger… what does he plan to do?" the man thought, eyes narrowing.
He had no idea what Yan Si was about to do — and he never could have imagined it.
Sweat slowly rolled down Yan Si's face as he stared at the blade in his hand. He knew all too well the pain that was coming. Whether or not he could endure it, he had no other choice.
He let out a long breath, then held the dagger over the fire to sterilize it. Without hesitation, he began cutting away the torn, festering flesh on his calf—every bit that had been infected by the wolf's bite had to be removed. He carved deeper and deeper, down to the bone…
With each slice of the blade, with each shred of meat being cut away, Yan Si felt as if he was dying and coming back to life all over again. The pain was overwhelming. He jolted upright, forced himself to sit, clenching his teeth and bearing it all, even as he twisted and carved away his own flesh piece by piece.
Watching the horrific scene unfold before his eyes, the other man broke into a cold sweat. It was nearly impossible to believe what he was seeing. Though it was only a small section of flesh, the process was no different from "lingchi"—death by a thousand cuts—and it was made even worse by the fact that he was doing it to himself. Who else could endure such a thing?
And all of this… for a stranger.
Even if that piece of meat had been offered to him, he wouldn't have dared to accept it.
Looking at the raw anguish written across the boy's face, how could he still think this was someone inhuman?
And if he was human… then of course he felt pain when his flesh was being torn apart. So why didn't he utter a single scream?
Yan Si didn't cry out, but tears streamed down his cheeks. His face was soaked, his hair clung to his skin as if he'd just stepped out of the rain, and his mind had already started to fade from the pain. When the wound was finally dealt with, he had no idea where he was anymore. The agony had nearly robbed him of all awareness.
He tossed the dagger aside and clutched his leg, sobbing quietly.
The pain was beyond words. If dying were an option, it would've been better than this.
"This is the second time…" he muttered to himself. The first time, it had been Yichang Hua slicing into him. This time, it was his own hand. And both times had been equally horrific.
It took a long while before Yan Si could calm himself. Slowly, he applied medicine to the wound, then tore his shirt to make a bandage and wrapped his leg with care.
Truthfully, the shirt was already falling apart. After this, there wasn't much left to wear. Going shirtless might even look better.
No… that wasn't right. There was nothing good to look at. His body was all bones and skin, painfully thin, grotesque even.
"How can someone still be alive in a condition like this?"
It was almost too much to believe.