Chapter 7: Half Blind

"Don't be foolish, please! Don't go!"

Ji Yuan was burning with anxiety behind the statue. If something happened to these peddlers, he would be next!

He only regretted not being able to shout out loud, listening as the footsteps grew fainter until they faded from earshot.

Amidst this intense internal struggle, Ji Yuan's eyelids twitched violently, his lips trembled continuously, and his right little finger actually moved slightly.

Ji Yuan immediately noticed this change, which instantly lifted his spirits, despite his previously terrible mood.

He carefully examined his body and found that, under the intense mental struggle, this "sleep paralysis" had slightly eased. A few fingers on both hands could now barely flex and extend, a small range of motion but a significant improvement nonetheless.

This made Ji Yuan ecstatic. The fate of the four peddlers who had been led away was surely grim, but if he could move and cooperate with the remaining peddlers, there might still be a chance for survival.

At the entrance of the Mountain God Temple, Zhang Shilong lit only two of the torches and handed them to Wang Dong and the others. The cold night wind made the flames sway back and forth.

"Be careful, and make sure to protect Young Master Lu."

"No problem, Brother Shilong!"

"Old Jin, be careful!"

"Don't worry, Shilong! I'm watching!"

Jin Shunfu took the torch and, along with the others, assured Zhang Shilong. As peddlers, and somewhat experienced in the mountains, they weren't afraid of such a short distance.

Zhang Shilong wanted to hand the second lit torch to Scholar Lu, as he was supposed to lead the way, but Scholar Lu declined to take it.

"No, no, I'm a bit afraid the torch might burn my long robe. Brother Xiao Dong can just hold it!"

"Yes, yes, give it to me, hehehe."

Wang Dong chuckled and snatched the torch.

"You rascal!"

Zhang Shilong playfully scolded him, then placed the remaining unlit torches into the light basket on Liu Quan's back. After once again instructing them to watch their step, the group finally set off to dig for the Mountain King Ginseng.

Inside the Mountain God Temple, Ji Yuan's face was contorted and his limbs twitched. This wasn't a seizure; he was fiercely struggling to regain control of his body.

The eight remaining peddlers at the entrance waited until the torchlight disappeared before returning to the Mountain God Temple. Their faces were full of anticipation and joy.

Even if it wasn't the legendary Mountain King Ginseng, a well-aged ginseng root was worth a considerable sum of silver. After all, the wealthy valued their lives and were willing to spend on good medicinal ingredients.

"Captain Zhang, what's wrong with this beggar?"

Someone who had just sat by the fire noticed Ji Yuan's unusual state and exclaimed.

Zhang Shilong quickly walked over, and the other peddlers gathered around as well. They were all unnerved by Ji Yuan's struggling appearance.

"He's covered in sweat..."

"Is this epilepsy?"

"Get a wooden stick, pry open his mouth, don't let him bite off his tongue!"

Zhang Shilong knelt down, held the beggar's twitching body steady, and shouted at the others.

Immediately, someone found a suitable stick from the firewood pile.

"I'll open his mouth, you put it in immediately!"

"Ugh... mmm..."

Ji Yuan instinctively resisted. He wasn't having an epileptic seizure, and who knew how dirty that stick was.

"Help me hold him down!"

Soon after, a wooden stick was wedged into Ji Yuan's twitching mouth. Fortunately, it was inserted sideways for him to bite.

The group of peddlers watched for a while, then slowly returned to the campfire.

Someone sighed.

"This beggar probably won't make it through the night. If that's the case, we might as well dig a pit and bury him."

"Yes, we'll be staying at the Mountain God Temple again in the future. It's better not to leave a body here."

Damn them all!

Even though he knew they meant well, Ji Yuan felt an inexplicable surge of anger, veins throbbing.

About ten minutes after the previous group had left.

"Hooooowl~~~~~~~~~~"

A terrifying roar suddenly echoed from a distant place, making everyone in the Mountain God Temple instinctively flinch.

"Chirp, chirp..." "Flap, flap, flap, flap..."

Countless birds perched on the surrounding mountain trees were startled and flew off in all directions, chirping frantically around the Mountain God Temple.

At the same time, a cool breeze blew through the temple entrance, making the campfire inside flicker erratically.

"Captain Zhang!" "Shilong! What was that sound?"

"A wild beast?"

Zhang Shilong's face turned pale, and he instinctively recoiled, gazing into the night outside the temple.

"That tiger's roar shook the mountain forest... It's a great beast!"

"Hiss..."

A collective gasp rippled through the group.

"What about Xiao Dong and Old Jin?!"

No one dared to finish the sentence.

Zhang Shilong also clenched his fists, staring outside the temple.

"The sound of this great beast is very far away. Xiao Dong and the others... they should be fine. Yes, they have torches with them. Just in case, everyone get your weapons ready. We can't sleep tonight!"

This tiger's roar also sent a jolt through Ji Yuan.

But after that jolt, Ji Yuan discovered that he had gained control over his body!

At that moment, his right hand could clench and unclench freely, albeit a little stiffly. He didn't rush to sit up, but instead savored this hard-won sensation.

Then, Ji Yuan slowly opened his eyes. If he could have seen them, he would have noticed that the centers of his eyes were lighter in color, a transparent grayish-white.

The light felt dim and faint, making it hard to see clearly. If it weren't for the fact that he wasn't completely blind, Ji Yuan might have thought he was now sightless.

He slightly turned his head towards the campfire, and his heart sank.

The campfire appeared very blurry to him, its light as if seen through a thick layer of frosted glass, allowing only limited illumination.

His eyesight... it wasn't just a minor defect, was it?

'At least I'm not completely blind...'

Ji Yuan could only comfort himself with this thought.

However, just after keeping his eyes open for a short while, they felt a bit sore. It wasn't unbearable, but definitely uncomfortable.

"Captain Zhang, the beggar's awake!"

Although the remaining peddlers were all tense, someone noticed Ji Yuan's unusual state. This exclamation drew everyone's gaze towards the beggar, and indeed, they saw him moving and turning his head to look at them.

However, even Zhang Shilong had no time to pay attention to this stranger of a beggar. Everyone was busy finding machetes, short sticks, and other items from their baskets, gripping them tightly, and anxiously watching the direction of the temple entrance.

Ji Yuan also had no time to dwell on his eyesight problems. At this moment, his life was the most crucial thing. He attempted to sit up, but as he pushed himself halfway with his arms, a strong wave of dizziness and weakness overcame him.

With a "thump," Ji Yuan fell back to the ground, hitting the back of his head.

"Hiss... ugh..."

That hurt a lot, making Ji Yuan grimace in pain.

He found that although he could move, he was as weak as someone recovering from a severe illness; he couldn't exert any strength. Meanwhile, none of the peddlers paid him any attention.

Ji Yuan didn't ask for help. Instead, he gripped the base of the nearby statue with his right hand and with great difficulty, managed to sit up.