Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

Xu Lingguang used the root juice to thoroughly clean the wound.

Upon contact with years of decaying flesh, the milky white liquid gradually turned into a murky grayish-green color, faintly emitting an unpleasant, fishy odor.

Xu Lingguang patiently cleaned away the necrotic flesh bit by bit, and only when he saw bright red blood flowing from the wound did he slowly exhale: "All done."

He sent a wisp of spiritual energy into the mulberry branch's body to confirm that the poison had indeed been neutralized.

Sang Zhi's face was pale from the pain. He bit his lip tightly and his eyes were wide open, as if he had not yet recovered from this huge surprise.

Xu Lingguang took out a Nourishing Essence Pill and put it in his mouth, then touched his dazed, perked-up ears and said with a smile, "Snap out of it."

Sangzhi seemed to wake up with a start, blankly pressing her hand against the bright red wound. After feeling the pain, she hissed and looked at Xu Lingguang in a daze, saying, "It hurts so much."

"You started hitting me before my wound had even healed; if you don't feel the pain, who will?"

Xu Lingguang crushed another external medicine and sprinkled it on the wound. The gruesome wound with its flesh torn apart immediately stopped bleeding and gradually began to heal.

"With two more days of pills, the injury will be fully healed."

Sangzhi stood up and walked around in disbelief.

Having been used to the numbness and weakness in one leg for so long, he was now completely recovered, and he staggered a few steps, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to it.

He didn't let Xu Lingguang help him, and walked around in the small cave, becoming more and more steady as he went. His intense joy made him ignore the pain of his not-yet-fully-healed wounds being pulled.

"It's really healed."

His eyes shone brightly, sparkling: "I will not die."

Xu Lingguang gently stroked his head: "Yes, you won't die."

“I don’t have to stay here alone anymore, we can go back to the village,” Sangzhi said excitedly.

Thinking of something, he looked at Xu Lingguang expectantly: "How about we go dig up the tree roots again tomorrow? If we bring the tree roots back to the village, our clansmen will be saved."

He was so happy he almost wanted to jump up and down on the spot, his cheeks flushed with excitement, and his big ears twitching.

This was the first time Xu Lingguang had seen him act so childishly.

"Hmm, there are too many hooks here, this is not a place to stay for long."

Xu Lingguang calculated and said, "We'll set off at dawn tomorrow, dig up the tree roots, and head straight to Sangjiazhuang."

Sangzhi nodded emphatically. He paced around the cave, muttering to himself, "I need to pack my things. Once I'm at the manor, I probably won't be coming back here for a while."

He was so excited he couldn't calm down. He brought out all his belongings, counted them one by one, and seriously planned which ones to take and which ones he wouldn't need to leave in the cave.

Actually, there wasn't anything good in that little hole.

After all, life was not easy for the family in Fengqiu, and the parents who died unexpectedly did not have time to leave anything for their young children.

But Xu Lingguang smiled when he saw the little boy's face flushed with excitement and did not stop him.

If the little brat is happy, let him be.

If you can't carry them all, you can put them in his Sumeru Ring.

*

Just as the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon, Xu Lingguang, who was meditating with his eyes closed, felt a strong gaze coming from beside him.

The little one was so excited that he barely slept a wink all night.

First, he took stock of all his belongings, then curled up next to Xu Lingguang, muttering to himself as he counted on his fingers how many people were still in the village and how many tree roots he would need to dig up to take back.

Unfortunately, the little one has been away from his tribe for a year or two with his parents, so his memories of his tribe are inevitably quite hazy.

He counted and counted, but found that many of his clansmen could not remember clearly. Frustrated, he gritted his teeth and finally rested his forehead against Xu Lingguang's leg, falling asleep in distress.

Xu Lingguang, who was meditating nearby, spared a sliver of his attention to the little boy, and secretly chuckled several times as he saw the boy's distress.

Sangzhi clearly realized that he had no idea how many clansmen were still in the village. With the intention of digging as many as possible, he got up at the crack of dawn and looked expectantly at Xu Lingguang, who was still meditating.

Xu Lingguang didn't make things difficult for him. He opened his eyes, glanced at him, and said crisply, "Have you packed everything? Let's go."

Sangzhi nodded repeatedly and carried the small basket on his back that was placed to the side—this was the set of belongings he had cleared out yesterday.

He brought with him the last of the dried meat, the bow his father had used, and the small bowl his mother had carved for him.

Xu Lingguang picked up the basket and put it into his storage ring, then fed him a Nourishing Essence Pill: "Let's go."

The two, one big and one small, crawled out of the burrow and headed toward their destination with high spirits.

Xu Lingguang was there because he could finally leave, while Sangzhi was filled with hope of saving her people.

It rained the day before yesterday, but today is a sunny and pleasant day.

The sun peeked out early, its warm rays making people feel cozy.

Xu Lingguang led Sangzhi forward, but the closer he got to the roots, the more serious his expression became.

The initial ease vanished, and the morning sunlight suddenly carried a chill.

The land beneath their feet was fragmented, with ravines of varying depths spreading haphazardly like a spider web, and the surrounding trees were all fallen, their branches and leaves flying everywhere.

It seems a major battle has taken place here.

The damp ground was covered with crisscrossing claw marks and huge whip marks.

Xu Lingguang took a deep breath and sped up to reach the place from yesterday. When he saw the huge pit, his heart sank.

The worst premonition came true.

Those glistening white roots vanished without a trace, as if they had been pulled out of the ground and run away, leaving only a mess behind.

Xu Lingguang looked at Sangzhi; the little brat hadn't finished speaking since the beginning.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something to comfort the little boy whose hopes had been dashed.

But unexpectedly, Sangzhi spoke first, saying, "Such a thick tree root must still be in Fengqiu. We can find it by following the traces."

Xu Lingguang frowned as he examined the ground.

The traces of the fight extended into the depths of the dense forest, very close to the lair of the Jie Gou, which was the Jie Gou's active territory. For the two of them alone to venture in would be suicide.

"We can first look for any more hook grass. Those hook grasses draw water from the roots to grow. If we find the hook grass, we will definitely be able to find those roots."

Sangzhi nodded understandingly, then held Xu Lingguang's hand tightly and said slowly, "Let's go back to the village first and tell the people there. If we search together, we'll definitely find it."

He stared wide-eyed stubbornly, his eyes red-rimmed, but he didn't cry.

Xu Lingguang took his hand and led him away: "Well, let's go back to the manor first."