Returning to the Mysterious Era

Time flew by and half a month had passed since Cassius time traveled. With the help of the medicine, his injuries significantly improved. The healing potion created by Li Wei was remarkably effective, and some of the medicinal ingredients weren’t even difficult to obtain. Cassius had learned something valuable that he could use in any subsequent time-travel.

The advantage of the time-travel ability was not limited to merely bringing back improvements in physical strength. After time traveling several times, Cassius also gained some insights. Knowledge and experience were just as valuable as power itself.

Beyond those two, there was also competency. These competencies did not refer to supernatural powers; they were about how a person conducted themselves or handled situations, or their methods to achieve specific goals.

Experiences were equally as crucial. Firm beliefs and an indomitable will mattered more than so-called talent. In Cassius’s eyes, Li Wei in the first two time-travels was nothing but cowardly trash. Although Cassius knew that Li Wei ultimately did not achieve his goal in the third time-travel, he was clearly different from before. If the massacre instilled desperation, meeting the Dead Blood that possessed Lisa’s body was the spark that ignited Li Wei's rage, and the ensuing years of drifting and searching was a burn seemingly with no end.

Li Wei was no longer the unremarkable matchstick he was at the start, but a blazing flame. Perhaps he would ultimately turn into ash, but the light and heat emitted during his time of burning were far more meaningful than when he had been merely scraping by. What the fragile and weakened Li Wei possessed was undoubtedly firm conviction and an unyielding spirit.

He had only gained these qualities thanks to his recent tribulations. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to endure the dreadful side effects. It was a triple assault on the physical, mental, and potential capacities. Li Wei had endured it for years—over a thousand days. Cassius had known, from the start, that this lingering attachment was what kept Li Wei going.

Sunlight streamed through the cabin window as Cassius unwound his bandage, revealing an unsightly scar on his abdomen. The surrounding skin was distorted and wrinkled like a black centipede—remnants of a penetrative injury. He took a deep breath, sensing the changes in his body. Li Wei's physique had largely recovered, regaining the characteristic strength of a pugilist, but Cassius wasn't impressed. There were more problems in Li Wei’s body than just the severe injuries inflicted by shamans.

There were five distinct foreign auras circulating inside his body, two of which had diminished. In fact, both were injuries from external sources. Due to the healing of the wound, the searing aura caused by the shamans had dissipated by about a third, and the remaining two-thirds would likely need to be incrementally removed. The cold, dark aura from the dark creature was also almost gone, likely to be completely eradicated in a few days.

An hour later, inside the courtyard enclosed by wooden fences, a dark yellow wooden tub sat on one side as usual. Hot water was continuously poured into it before a fist-sized medicine bag was finally tossed in. As soon as it touched the clear hot water, it turned black and sticky like mud. At the same time, the tub emitted an extremely pungent mud-like odor.

The bag was not for healing but for training to enhance Elephant Soul and strengthen the physique. Two minutes later, Cassius fully immersed himself in it.

As usual, a constant stimulating sensation emanated from all directions, as if thousands of ants were nibbling on his skin. He was already adept at this and immediately adopted a special stance of Elephant Soul. He sat cross-legged, right ankle on left knee and left ankle on right knee, with arms extended forward in an embrace. He did not slouch, his waist remaining upright all the while.

Soon, Cassius entered the desired state. While pain scorched across the surface, a searing flow of Qi penetrated through his skin, running between his muscles. However, he soon noticed something amiss; his body wasn't the only thing absorbing the training potion's nutrients. Other entities had extracted a part of the nutrients and were coursing toward four parts: the heart, the back, his fingers on his left hand, and his right arm.

Well, the first three were obvious—Demon Worm, Phoenix Totem, and the Battle Magic Ring. As for the last entity…

Cassius raised his right hand, turning his wrist upward where a black vein came into view. Initially, the vein started at the wrist and was about half the length of the forearm. But now, it had inexplicably extended down to the elbow and was just short of reaching it. Cassius tried to focus his attention on his right hand.

Immediately, he felt a forceful pulsation, an unknown power contained within his forearm. Even though Cassius had some measure of control over it, it felt like it was under a layer of glass and was vaguely perceivable. So, he continued to calm his mind and constantly tried to interact with it.

Suddenly, his right arm tensed and his hand clenched into a fist. A snake-like black vein protruded upward, and was starkly visible beneath the skin, rising a centimeter or two above the surrounding muscle. Furthermore, a black floc spread out like roots from the vein, creeping across to the muscles on both sides of the arm.

"This is…" Cassius's gaze turned bleak. A force that he could only vaguely control spread, like a mass of liquid wanting to envelop his entire arm. This was not a good thing. As the chilling power spread, Cassius's control over it weakened; any further expansion and he could potentially lose control. He released his right hand and the black floc receded, returning to a gently pulsating vein.

"How very strange. It has quite a dangerous aura hidden deep within." Cassius lowered his head. "But why does the internal sensing ability of Covert Martial Arts suggest that it is part of my body and not that much different from the other parts? This black vein doesn't seem to be harmful to me." He pondered for a while, eventually shaking his head.

Cassius gradually shifted his focus back to his training. The results were terrible, and the specific reasons why were still those few. In summary, if Cassius used the training potion as usual, the most he could do was prevent his body's condition from regressing. Achieving the slightest bit of improvement was immensely difficult.

He was already over thirty, with average talent; his life’s potential had already been consumed, and his body was ravaged by numerous hidden injuries. Even his comprehension was hindered by his unstable mental state.

For Li Wei to reach the second-level accelerated blood flow under such circumstances was nothing short of a miracle. However, this posed a problem for Cassius—what could he do if training was ineffective? He couldn't help looking at his wrist again. Could this thing become his own power?

Five minutes later, a bare-chested Cassius was practicing the Wind Elephant Fist in the courtyard. He was adapting to his new body, while his new body was adjusting to him.

It wasn't easy to display his own mastery of the Wind Elephant Fist when he time-traveled. Cassius, as always, started with the basic stances of the Wind Elephant Basic Combat Arts, slowly integrating straight punches, piercing punches, swinging punches, and other techniques.

The sounds of fists resounded in the courtyard, and gusts of wind continuously swept through. He later transitioned to practicing combat moves using his whole body. Finally, Cassius went through all four killing moves of the Wind Elephant Fist, feeling his old self gradually returning.

Several hours later, he concluded his practice with a standard standing posture and retracted his fists.

His somewhat thin body was flushed, the sweat between the grooves glistening under the sunlight. Cassius glanced at the cabin door before heading directly for the river to rinse his body in the icy water.

He then began to wander the forest. He had good luck that day; not only did he find some delicious, non-poisonous mushrooms, but he also caught a plump wild chicken.

Since Cassius's injuries had basically healed, he naturally couldn't allow the two children to continue working—partially because Toma's cooking was unpalatable. When he was in Twilight’s body, he ran around everywhere, hunting dark creatures. Sometimes, he had to be in the wild, and so he honed his outdoor cooking skills, especially when it came to roasting meat. It was quite tasty.

That evening, the crimson tongues of the campfire licked the wild chicken's plump body. The meat gradually turned golden as a drop of oil dripped into the fire with a sizzle. As the stick rotated, the enticing aroma gradually spread.

An iron pot bubbled away beside it. Chopped mushrooms floated on the surface, along with bits of wild vegetables that acted as simple garnishes. Cassius lifted the stick, tore off a piece of meat, and took a bite. Though the only seasoning was coarse salt, it didn't taste too bad.

He glanced to the side where Toma and Xiala were eagerly waiting with wooden bowls. "You can start eating now; go serve yourselves some mushroom soup."

Five minutes later, Toma put down an empty bowl, then gnawed on a drumstick, mouth shining with oil. As he ate, he looked up at Cassius.

"Uncle, how can your roasted meat taste this good?"

"When you’re constantly on the go, it's normal to know some life skills. If you can't cook, you'd starve in the wilderness." Cassius took a sip of mushroom soup. "Go to bed early after dinner."

Toma nodded and resumed his attack on his drumstick.

Another two days passed and Cassius's injuries had completely healed so he began to study the mysterious black vein on his wrist. At first, Cassius thought the black vein needed to absorb medicinal nutrients to grow and change. However, the black vein had not absorbed any medicinal nutrients ever since the first time. Moreover, it had clearly stopped extending, remaining in its original state. The black floc was also no longer spreading as quickly.

Cassius didn't yet know the principle behind it. For now, he tested the black vein's power.

In his normal state, his strength was about one level higher than before. In its explosive state when the vein protruded and the black floc spread around, his strength increased by about half.

Most importantly, activating the black vein had no side effects. At least after dozens of attempts at using the Explosive Technique, Cassius experienced no drawbacks—only fatigue from muscle overexertion.

Compared to the other three forbidden techniques, it was simply worlds apart.

Hu…

In the afternoon, after finishing his practice in the courtyard, Cassius, as usual, left the cabin to bathe and hunt. That day, he discovered traces of human activity just across the river, about a few kilometers away.

The cabin Li Wei had built was nestled deep in the mountains and forests, and couldn't be reached by ordinary villagers. Even hunters wouldn't go near here. The appearance of human traces meant there was a good chance enemies would come knocking at their door soon. Li Wei had too many enemies and while the most likely culprits were the two shamans, it could very well be other people. Cassius couldn't be sure who.

Cassius and the two children left that very night after dinner. Traveling in the forest at night was usually fraught with danger but with Cassius leading the way, poisonous snakes and beasts were not a problem.

The next morning, the sky was still dim and white mist drifted in the forest. Two figures, dressed in bizarre garb, slowly approached the cabin.

"We're a step too late. They've already left."

"Hehe, it doesn't matter where or how far he runs, the totem will guide us to him. It's only a matter of time."

"Perhaps we should find some help."

"You mean those stinking rats in the sewers…"

***

More than ten days had passed since Cassius left the cabin. On June 5, Year 110 of the Hongli Federation, he brought Toma and Xiala to Beiliu City, the capital of Beiliu County. Cassius had been there once over ten years ago. The current Beiliu City was much more prosperous.

Skyscrapers rose one after another as brown glass reflected the sunlight. Posters of products were plastered on the walls, with the occasional popular opera actress striking the alluring pose. Huge chimneys pierced the sky, almost reaching into the clouds.

On a street in the city center, a mansion not far away seemed to be hosting a high-society ball. Elegantly dressed people walked along the avenue from time to time. A few women, their hair done in fashionable hairstyles, wore fiery red evening gowns that highlighted their shapely figures like they were roses. Their dance partners, who were similarly handsome men in suits, held their hands with one white-gloved hand and grasped canes with the other.

On the sidewalk, a man in a black trench coat held a yellow paper bag of food. With his hat pulled down, he silently moved forward. His demeanor clashed somewhat with his surroundings.

At a corner of an alley, dozens of meters behind him, another man in a suit planted the end of his cane on the ground, gazing occasionally into the crowd and scanning the back of the man in the trench coat who kept walking ahead. Whenever the trench-coat man was about to leave his line of sight, the man in the suit would stride forward to catch up.

Five minutes later, the two arrived at a residential area where there were far fewer cars and pedestrians on the road. The suited man looked up to see the trench-coated man disappear around a corner. He chased after him, but after turning the corner, he found the road ahead empty.

"Damn it, lost him!" he lamented in frustration. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black shadow flash by on his right, as if something was rapidly approaching. The suited man's eyes widened, about to pull out a pistol from his chest.

"Don't panic, we're on the same side," a voice spoke calmly.

He instinctively hesitated for a moment, then felt a sharp pain in his head and everything went black.