Yun Zong forced himself to gather his energy and flew over several mountain peaks, but then felt a sharp pain in his dantian and his spiritual power faltering.

Taking another look at Zhou Yin, he saw that nearly half of the man's body weight was leaning on him, eyes tightly shut, face pale as the moon, sweat pouring down, and blood still flowing from the snake bite on his shoulder.

The blood was purplish black, soaking a large patch of his clothes. He wasn't wearing his usual black attire, but rather the yellow garments the inn's servant had bought that day, making the wound even more shocking to behold.

Yun Zong couldn't see the condition of the wound through the robes, but judging from Zhou Yin's state, the injury was likely severe and very troublesome.

"My spiritual power is insufficient to continue on. I can't walk any further and need to rest here first," Yun Zong said, frowning tightly as he looked at Zhou Yin's condition. "Your injury also needs treatment."

Zhou Yin's complexion was truly terrible. Even through their clothes, Yun Zong could feel the abnormal heat emanating from his body.

Just as Yun Zong thought he had fallen unconscious, he heard Zhou Yin let out a sound and slowly open his eyes.

Due to the fever, those eyes were imbued with a slight sheen of moisture, appearing even more dark and bright, like the finest spirit stones. The sight unexpectedly caused Yun Zong's heart to tremble, though he himself couldn't say why.

"...This place is too open. Let's go a bit further." Although his voice was weak, there was no groaning or interruption. After speaking, Zhou Yin closed his eyes. After a while, his waist arched slightly and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto his clothes.

"Mm." Yun Zong said nothing more and pulled Zhou Yin's entire body onto his own back before walking forward.

That young man had obviously also been injured, but he gritted his teeth and persisted, following behind them without a word.

The three traveled onward as the forest grew denser, reaching deep into the woods.

Yun Zong set Zhou Yin down and discovered he had fallen unconscious. Feeling his forehead again, his hand was met with cold sweat, completely different from the heat earlier, causing him to frown again. He took out a medicinal pill from his own body and forcefully stuffed it into Zhou Yin's mouth, making him swallow it.

After the medicine entered, Zhou Yin's complexion seemed to improve a bit, but he still didn't wake up. After some thought, Yun Zong reached out and tore open his lapels, pulling the top garment down to his waist, revealing the horrific wound.

The area that had been bitten was already beginning to fester and rot, and the bleeding still hadn't stopped, looking quite frightening.

Yun Zong's face was solemn and taut.

The young man had also clearly seen Zhou Yin's condition and couldn't help but gasp.

Yun Zong gave him a cold glance.

The man choked for a moment. "Where are you headed? Maybe we can travel together."

Yun Zong said coldly, "If you hadn't led those people to us, we wouldn't have encountered danger."

The man retorted, "If you didn't want to leave the city, you also wouldn't have been discovered."

Yun Zong stared at him without speaking, killing intent flashing in his eyes.

Although he was now in a sorry state, it was still more than enough for a Core Formation stage cultivator to deal with a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.

The other party likely also felt some regret and trepidation. As soon as the words left his mouth, he changed his tone. "Now that we're in the same boat, it's best not to fight amongst ourselves."

Zhou Yin moved slightly. "Help me pour a cup of water."

His voice was even fainter than before, giving the illusion it would scatter with a gust of wind.

"Go get water." Yun Zong didn't even turn his head as he tore off a piece of his robe to bandage the wound and fed Zhou Yin a few more medicinal pills.

"Why should I..." The young man paused and had a sudden flash of inspiration. "Where can I find a cup to hold water in this desolate mountain wilderness?"

The two of them ignored him. Having no choice, he got up dejectedly to look for water.

Yun Zong said, "You've been poisoned by the snake. These pills can only alleviate the pain, not cure the toxin."

Zhou Yin rested with his eyes closed. "The best course of action now is to abandon me and go on your own."

Yun Zong smiled instead of getting angry. "You want me to do that?"

Zhou Yin said mildly, "I'm just stating a fact."

In this world, countless people would turn against each other for the sake of profit, not to mention friends - even parents and children could become enemies.

Not to speak of things from previous lives, Chen Quanzhi's death was still fresh. He and Yun Zong had only met by chance and allied out of mutual need. There was no real friendship to speak of. If the other party abandoned him at this juncture, it would be perfectly normal.

His chin was grabbed and Zhou Yin opened his eyes, meeting the other man's gaze.

"I don't like it when one side makes their own decisions before our partnership has ended."

After a long silence, Zhou Yin said, "Oh."

The corner of Yun Zong's mouth twitched. "What do you mean 'oh'?"

Zhou Yin actually smiled. "You can't bear to leave me. Also, you still owe me the other half of the deposit."

Having severely overexerted himself, after saying this, he fell into a deep sleep again.

Yun Zong: "..."

Who can't bear to leave you!

Who can't bear to leave you!!!

You won't die from forgetting about that half of the deposit, have you never seen money in your life?!

Such was his internal roar, but unfortunately he discovered the other party was already unconscious and completely unable to appreciate his feelings.

So when that unlucky fellow returned with the water, what he saw was a Yun Zong with a face as black as the bottom of a pot.

Yun Zong: "Why did it take you so long to find water?"

The other man was very innocent. "There's none nearby, of course I had to walk further."

Yun Zong saw that he had a banana leaf rolled up in his hand, the water inside sloshing around. Much of it had already leaked out, leaving very little.

"Why didn't you use the Ice Condensing Technique to turn the water into ice and bring it back directly?"

The man was startled and then had a sudden epiphany. "So the Ice Condensing Technique can be used like that?"

Yun Zong realized he kept running into abnormal people. "...How did you reach the Foundation Establishment stage?"

The other party gave a dry laugh. "I was cultivating at home before, so I have less practical experience."

As the night deepened, insects chirped and dew grew heavy amid the dense forest.

The round, bright moonlight illuminated the three men's faces clearly, saving them the trouble of lighting a fire that would expose them.

The man was wary of Yun Zong and Zhou Yin, but seemed unwilling to stray too far. He sat leaning against a tree trunk not far away, head raised to gaze at the starry sky.

Yun Zong sat cross-legged with eyes closed, regulating his breathing to heal.

Zhou Yin had already woken up and taken out the piece of Spirit Jade Rhinoceros Horn from his Sumeru ring, placing it in the water.

Under the moonlight, the water that had been soaked with the jade rhinoceros horn didn't seem to undergo any special changes, still clear and transparent.

He picked up the water and drank it in one gulp.

An hour later, Yun Zong opened his eyes.

Zhou Yin's complexion looked much better, the wound was no longer bleeding or festering, and even showed signs of gradual improvement.

"Your injury can heal?" He absolutely did not believe it was the medicine he gave Zhou Yin taking effect.

"I have something on me that can detoxify," Zhou Yin said concisely.

Yun Zong nodded without asking further. Sometimes forming a tacit understanding doesn't necessarily require knowing each other for many years. After getting along these past few days, and especially after that battle just now, in his heart he had already subconsciously placed this Foundation Establishment cultivator on equal footing with himself.

"About how long until you fully recover?"

Zhou Yin said, "I estimate about two days."

Yun Zong said, "The other party may not be willing to give up. We need to discuss a plan."

That young man, upon hearing this, immediately came over and enthusiastically said, "What are you discussing? Include me too. Anyway, the more people now, the stronger we are, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the two of them looking at him. His face couldn't help but flush a little as he touched his cheek. "Why are you looking at me?"

Zhou Yin asked, "What's your name?"

The man hesitated for a moment. "Liang Yusi."

Yun Zong coldly said, "I don't care if that's your real name or not, and I have no interest in why you're disguising yourself as a man. But we won't allow someone who could bring unknown dangers to join us."