"Enemy attack! Retreat!"
The desperate cry tore through the battlefield, a jagged blade of sound cutting through the chaos.
Shen Yue's heart plummeted, his pulse a frantic drumbeat.
He knelt beside his uncle, whose blood-soaked form lay crumpled on the crimson-stained earth.
Panic clawed at his chest, his mind blanking as the world blurred into a haze of screams and clashing steel.
"Uncle… hold on," he whispered, his voice trembling.
The older man's breathing was faint, his face pale as death.
Shen Yue's hands hovered uselessly over the grievous wound, fear threatening to swallow him whole.
"Retreat! Move!"
Another shout echoed, sharp and urgent.
His eyes snapped to the horizon.
A massive dust cloud churned in the distance, the thunder of barbarian cavalry shaking the ground.
Warhorses charged, their riders' spears glinting like cruel stars.
*Ten minutes… maybe less.*
Shen Yue's jaw clenched, resolve battling dread.
"I can't leave him," he growled to himself. "I won't."
His hand darted to the small leather bag at his waist, fingers trembling as he tore it open.
Inside, he found a dark green herbal paste, its pungent scent like crushed forest leaves, alongside a handful of unmarked pills and sealed scrolls.
A memory flickered—soldiers in the estate's infirmary, their wounds knitting shut after this paste's application.
*It's my only shot.*
Without hesitation, Shen Yue ripped a strip of cloth from his sleeve, the fabric tearing with a sharp rasp.
He knelt closer, wiping blood from his uncle's back.
The wound was deep—five centimeters at least, jagged and raw—but mercifully narrow.
He scooped the paste, its texture gritty, and pressed it into the gash with steady hands.
"Please work," he murmured, his voice a plea to no one.
Seconds stretched into eternity.
Shen Yue's breath caught, his eyes fixed on the wound.
Slowly, impossibly, the bleeding slowed, then stopped.
A low, guttural growl rumbled from his uncle's chest, and his eyes fluttered open, weak but alive.
Shen Yue exhaled, relief flooding him.
"You're breathing… you're okay."
His uncle's gaze found him, hazy but recognizing.
"Pill… in the bag," he rasped, voice barely a whisper.
Shen Yue fumbled for the pills, selecting one—a small, chalky sphere—and pressed it to his uncle's lips.
The older man swallowed with effort, grimacing.
Color crept back into his face, faint but undeniable.
Shen Yue's chest loosened, a flicker of hope igniting.
*He's going to make it.*
But the moment shattered.
He glanced at the battlefield.
The dust cloud loomed closer, the cavalry's thunder now a deafening roar.
*Five minutes, maybe.*
His squad—what remained of it—stood scattered, their faces etched with grim acceptance.
The healthy had fled; the injured awaited death.
Shen Yue's stomach twisted.
"I'm no saint," he muttered, his voice hard. "I'm not dying for strangers."
His uncle, struggling to sit up, grabbed Shen Yue's hand.
Strength was returning to his limbs, slow but steady.
He met Shen Yue's eyes, his expression unreadable.
"Move," he said, voice rough but firm.
Shen Yue nodded, helping his uncle to his feet.
Together, they staggered toward the nearby forest, its dark canopy a promise of refuge.
Shen Yue's legs burned, his breath ragged as they ran.
The battlefield's screams faded behind them, replaced by the rustle of leaves and distant howls.
*The forest isn't safe either… beasts roam here.*
But it was better than facing the cavalry's spears.
Deeper they plunged, branches snagging at their clothes.
Shen Yue's mind raced, his thoughts a tangle of fear and focus.
*We're alive… for now.*
He glanced at his uncle, whose face was set in grim determination.
*He saved me back there. I couldn't let him die.*
Silently, he summoned his system.
"Extract," he whispered in his mind.
*Ding!*
The system chimed, its interface flashing:
**System Extracted:**
**9th Grade Blood Qi Realm ×<>;**
**8th Grade Blood Qi Realm ×4**
**5th Grade Blood Qi Realm ×10**
**4th Grade Blood Qi Realm ×14**
**2nd Grade Blood Qi Realm ×20**
**Low-Grade Sword Talent ×12**
**Low-Grade Spear Talent ×9**
**Mid-Grade Ice Spiritual Root (Rare)**
Shen Yue's eyes widened at the Mid-Grade Ice Spiritual Root.
*One in ten thousand… and it's mid-grade?*
He dismissed the interface, his focus on the path ahead.
There was no time to process rewards now.
They stumbled upon a dark cave, its entrance half-hidden by vines.
His uncle kicked loose stones across the opening, sealing them in partial darkness.
Only then did they collapse against the damp stone walls, their breaths heavy in the silence.
His uncle gathered dry sticks from the cave floor, his movements slow but deliberate.
With a flint from his bag, he sparked a small fire, its flickering light casting shadows on the craggy walls.
The warmth was a small comfort, but the air felt heavy, as if the forest itself held its breath.
A long silence settled between them.
Shen Yue's gaze lingered on his uncle, whose face was etched with pain and fatigue.
*He almost died… because of me.*
Guilt gnawed at him, but he pushed it down.
"You stubborn brat," his uncle finally said, his voice rough but laced with warmth.
"You should've run when you had the chance."
Shen Yue shook his head, his throat tight.
"And let you die out there? No way."
He met his uncle's gaze, his voice steady despite the ache in his chest.
"You've always had my back, Uncle. Through everything—Mother's illness, the debts. If I'd left you, I'd never forgive myself."
His uncle opened his mouth, then closed it, his eyes softening.
"You're too much like your father," he muttered, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Stubborn to a fault. Thank you, Yue."
Shen Yue managed a small smile, the weight of the moment settling between them.
"Couldn't let you hog all the glory."
The silence returned, softer now.
Hunger gnawed at their bellies, a dull ache that mirrored their exhaustion.
His uncle rummaged in his bag, producing two strips of dried meat jerky, tough and salty.
They chewed in silence, each bite a small anchor against the chaos outside.
"You sleep first," Shen Yue said, wiping his hands on his torn tunic.
His uncle frowned, his eyes narrowing.
"No. I'll take watch. You rest."
"Uncle, you're barely holding it together," Shen Yue countered, his tone firm but gentle.
"This cave's safe for now. Sleep. I'll wake you if anything happens."
His uncle studied him, then sighed.
"Six hours, Yue. And don't play hero. Wake me if you hear anything."
He applied another layer of herbal paste to his wound, swallowed a second pill, and lay on the cold cave floor.
Within minutes, his breathing deepened, a steady rhythm in the dim light.
Shen Yue waited, ensuring his uncle was truly asleep.
Only then did he summon the system, his heart pounding with anticipation.
**System Interface:**
**Name: Shen Yue**
**Age: 14**
**Physique: High-Level Iron-Copper Molting Physique**
**Bloodline: Mid-Level Flame Scorpion Bloodline**
**Cultivation: Blood Qi Realm – 9th Grade (89%) (Uninitiated)**
**Skills:**
**- Literacy and Knowledge (Great Success) – 9%**
**- Calisthenics (Small Success) – 2%**
**- Hyper Sense (Entry) – 5%**
**Spiritual Root:**
**- Low-Level Fire Spiritual Root (Mixed) – 0%**
**- Mid-Grade Ice Spiritual Root (Rare) – 0%**
**Talent: Extraction**
**- Mid-Level Sword Talent – 13%**
**- Low-Grade Spear Talent – 9%**
**- Low-Level Archery Talent – 0%**
**- Mid-Level Comprehension – 0%**
**Unique Traits:**
**- Clones: 0 (Locked)**
**Stats:**
**- Strength: 10**
**- Dexterity: 8.3**
**- Wisdom: 2.7**
**- Spirit: 0.9**
Shen Yue's eyes lingered on the Mid-Grade Ice Spiritual Root.
*A rare find… this could change everything.*
Most soldiers were commoners, their bloodlines and roots unremarkable.
This was a one-in-ten-thousand treasure.
His mind raced with possibilities, but he refocused.
*Not now.*
"System," he thought, "can I initiate Blood Qi absorption?"
Silence.
He tried again, his voice a mental whisper.
"Start Blood Qi absorption."
A sudden heat surged through his veins, like fire racing through his blood.
He sat cross-legged, eyes closed, as the energy swelled within him.
His muscles trembled, sweat beading on his brow.
The sensation was overwhelming, as if his body were forging itself anew.
Hours passed in a blur, the cave's darkness a cocoon around him.
When he opened his eyes, faint dawn light seeped through cracks in the stone.
His clothes clung to his skin, drenched in sweat, but his body thrummed with vitality.
"My strength… it's five times what it was," he whispered, flexing his hands.
The Blood Qi Realm felt within reach, a power he could almost taste.
But his triumph was cut short.
*BOOM!*
The cave shuddered, dust raining from the ceiling.
A bone-chilling howl erupted from the forest, the air turning frigid in its wake.
His uncle jolted awake, eyes wide.
"What the hell was that?"
Shen Yue's face paled, his Hyper Sense skill tingling with warning.
He pointed to the entrance, where a massive shadow loomed in the misty light.
Its eyes glowed like twin embers, its form a nightmare of fur and claws.
*A beast… here?*
His heart pounded, the forest's dangers no longer a distant threat.
"Get behind me," his uncle growled, staggering to his feet, sword in hand.
Shen Yue gripped his own blade, his mind racing.
*We survived the battlefield… only to face this?*
The cave felt smaller, the fire's warmth a feeble shield against the terror outside.