Chapter Seven: White Bones

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Given what happened last night, although Cui Xiu had no choice but to flee here to escape pursuit, he remained on high alert. Especially now that the enemies chasing behind him had vanished and the immediate threat to his life had lessened considerably.

But as he gradually slowed his pace and surveyed his surroundings, a sharp pain in his legs seized his attention. Suddenly, his leg muscles trembled violently, and he nearly collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, thanks to the enhancement brought by source energy, his reactions were much quicker than before. He managed to support himself with his longsword, kneeling awkwardly but preserving a shred of dignity.

Just as he was about to sit down for a brief rest, a skull jutting out from the earth caught his eye. He wasn't particularly startled by the sight of human remains; he had glimpsed bones through the mist upon entering, and when he left this place before, he had already surmised that it was a kind of mass grave. Seeing bones exposed above ground was hardly surprising.

What unsettled him was the size of the skull—it was so small that it must have belonged to a child.

Of course, Cui Xiu felt a pang of sorrow, but he was no saint mourning the world’s tragedies. He only regarded it for a moment longer; after all, his own safety was far from assured, and this was not the time for reflection.

The stabbing pain in his thigh muscles would not subside, and the exhaustion in his body left him somewhat helpless.

"What a pity, I only had two points of source energy, and now they're spent. Otherwise, it could have helped me." Cui Xiu suddenly thought of the Gray Mist ability.

When he had used those two points of source energy, he had managed to raise his basic swordsmanship from uninitiated to proficient. The advancement in swordsmanship not only filled his mind with new experience, but also wrought changes in his body.

That sudden surge had strengthened his frail body to the level of an adult accustomed to years of training. Though he had gained no supernatural strength, it was still a transformation as drastic as turning the world upside down.

Reflecting on this, Cui Xiu realized that if he could further improve his swordsmanship, or enhance another martial skill—even something as simple as a basic calisthenics routine—he might be able to regain his strength and perhaps even fortify his body.

Unfortunately, he no longer had any source energy to use.

But soon, he remembered where he had obtained that source energy—it was right here.

Inevitably, hope stirred within him.

If he could gain more source energy here, not only could he recover his strength, but perhaps he could even grow stronger and seize the chance to turn the tables on his enemies.

With that thought, Cui Xiu set aside his fatigue and carefully examined his surroundings.

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He wasn't entirely sure how he had acquired source energy last night, but he suspected it had something to do with this place. Yet, after lingering here for a while, the Gray Mist ability showed no change, so it seemed unlikely that the environment alone was the source.

If not the environment, there was only one other possibility.

Was it the old woman? Or Little Grass? Or perhaps both?

The thought gave Cui Xiu fresh motivation.

If he could discover the method for obtaining source energy, so much the better. But even if not, he had already evaded direct pursuit—it was time to think about leaving.

Once away, he would return to Anyuan County and report to the authorities.

Given what might have happened to Wu Yu and his group, and considering his own background and status as a scholar, news of his disappearance would surely prompt the county magistrate to send someone to investigate.

Cui Xiu hesitated no longer. Though this place had offered him a temporary refuge, it was no place to linger. Whether for source energy or escape, he needed to act.

Leaning on his sword, he tried to stand, but his legs gave out and he nearly fell. He managed to steady himself with the sword, but his left hand landed awkwardly—right on the skull.

"My apologies," he muttered, embarrassed by the crack he’d accidentally left in the skull. But before he could withdraw his hand, a sudden change made him exclaim in surprise.

"What is this…?"

A familiar sensation spread from his left palm—a visible gray mist flowed up his arm.

Source energy!

Cui Xiu's eyes widened in disbelief.

He had been pondering how to obtain source energy, imagining it would be incredibly difficult. The power it provided was so great that he never expected it would be so easily found.

Who would have thought it was right before him? If not for this accident, he might have left never knowing that this skull could give him source energy.

The gray mist slowly seeped into his body and vanished.

Cui Xiu quickly summoned the Gray Mist ability and checked the source energy indicator on its panel.

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Sure enough, where there had been zero, the source energy began to change—the misty numbers slowly ticked upward.

0.02, 0.03, 0.04…

The increase was small but steady.

Seeing this, Cui Xiu felt both pleased and a little hesitant.

The gray mist from the skull was not absorbed all at once, but rather like a slow, steady stream.

This meant that if Cui Xiu wished to absorb all the source energy from the skull, he would have to keep holding it.

It was, after all, someone else's remains—a child's, no less. The thought of disturbing their rest made him uneasy.

But he was not one to be sentimental, and his current predicament left him with little choice.

He made up his mind and gripped the skull.

"If nothing else, I'll find a better place to bury it when I leave."

He did not leave immediately, but searched the area to ensure there were no other bones belonging to the same body before staggering away.

...

"Damn it!"

Compared to Cui Xiu's unexpected discovery, Brother Tiger—who had charged into the mist in pursuit—was far less fortunate.

Since entering the fog, this seasoned hunter found himself hopelessly lost. All the methods he usually relied on to navigate the mountains seemed to fail him here.

What disturbed him most was the feeling that he was endlessly circling within the mist.

In the depths of the fog, the twisted darkness seemed to threaten that something might emerge at any moment.

He was never a patient man—otherwise, he wouldn’t have rushed into the mist so recklessly.

Now, nearly trapped in place, his temper was already fraying.