TRWSB – Chapter 235 Exile, Illness, and Betrayal in the Forbidden Land

Qi Shaorong and the others, after two months of arduous travel, arrived in a forest.

“This is the Lost Forest. It’s said that many who enter get lost and then vanish without a trace. Over time, no one dared to come here anymore. According to the map, the entrance to the Forsaken Land should be here,” Mu Tingxuan said.

Yi Fan looked at the entrance and said, “Let’s search around.” According to the map, there was an ancient ten-thousand-year-old tree in the forest, and a tree hollow in it led to the Forsaken Land.

“Let’s stay together to avoid getting separated,” Qi Shaorong said.

Mu Tingxuan, having the Wood Spirit Physique, could sense the ancient tree. Two hours later, the group stood in front of the ten-thousand-year-old tree.

“This should be the place,” Mu Tingxuan said.

Zhuang Hao spread out his hand to sense the area and said, “There’s a spatial magic fluctuation here.”

“Let’s head down,” Qi Shaorong said.

“I’ll go first, follow me,” Zhuang Hao said.

One after another, the group entered the spatial passage inside the tree hollow.

Qi Shaorong felt a wave of dizziness, and when he came to, he found himself in a dense forest.

Seeing Zhuang Hao, Yi Fan, and Mu Tingxuan beside him, he let out a sigh of relief.

Zhuang Hao frowned. “I think we’ve found the right place. We can’t use magic or battle energy here.”

Mu Tingxuan frowned as well. “Although magic and battle energy don’t work, I still seem to have the ability to sense spiritual herbs.” Mu Tingxuan’s Wood Spirit Physique gave him an exceptional ability to locate spiritual herbs.

Qi Shaorong glanced at Mu Tingxuan, his spirits lifting. “Ah! That’s good news!”

“Let’s find a place to settle down first,” Yi Fan suggested. With magic and battle energy disabled, running into wild beasts here would be a big problem.

Zhuang Hao frowned and said, “We need to be careful. There are signs of human activity here—and not just individual, but group activity.”

According to Heijia, the Godblood Clan who lived in the Forsaken Land were extremely xenophobic. If they encountered the natives, it would be dangerous.

Qi Shaorong and the others walked through the dense forest for a while. The forest stretched endlessly, and without magic or wind-riding techniques, they had to proceed on foot.

“There’s someone on the mountain,” Zhuang Hao suddenly said.

Qi Shaorong looked in the direction Zhuang Hao pointed. A tough-looking young man was collecting herbs on a cliffside.

“That guy’s in danger—there’s a snake,” Yi Fan said grimly.

Zhuang Hao quickly notched three arrows to his bow. One arrow hit the venomous snake, and the other two pinned the falling youth under the arms, suspending him safely from the cliff.

Startled, the boy looked toward Zhuang Hao and the others, eyes flashing with a cold glint.

After composing himself, he clambered down awkwardly.

“Thank you for saving me,” he said cautiously as he approached.

“You’re welcome,” Qi Shaorong replied.

“You’re outsiders, aren’t you? This area borders the Flying Tiger Tribe. You’d best avoid being seen by them—if they catch you, they’ll kill you,” the boy warned.

Qi Shaorong: “…Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” the boy said indifferently.

“Do you live in the Flying Tiger Tribe?” Qi Shaorong asked.

The boy—Sindorei—nodded. “Yes, but I was expelled.”

“Why?” Qi Shaorong asked, puzzled.

“My brother fell ill. The tribe’s shaman claimed he was possessed by an evil spirit. They said if we didn’t burn him, the spirit would spread to others. So I fled with him. My brother is a warrior—ta bu ke neng—there’s no way he was possessed,” Sindorei said.

Qi Shaorong: “…”

Qi Shaorong looked at Sindorei and said, “If your brother is sick, I might be able to help.”

Sindorei looked at him doubtfully. “You’re a healer?”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Yes, I am.”

Hope sparked in Sindorei’s eyes. “Come with me.”

He led them to a cave several dozen meters above the ground. It took considerable effort for everyone to climb up.

“After leaving the tribe, my brother and I came here. He found this mountain during a hunt. There are many natural caves. I’m living in this one. My brother’s in the one next door. I wanted to stay with him, but he wouldn’t let me,” Sindorei said.

“No tribe members will come here, right?” Qi Shaorong asked.

Sindorei shook his head. “Usually, no one comes here.”

He gave them all native clothing and made Qi Shaorong’s hair messy, disguising him as a traveling healer.

After the makeover, Sindorei couldn’t wait and took Qi Shaorong to see Fred’s cave.

“Brother,” Sindorei called softly.

“Get out! Get out!” Fred’s irritable voice rang out.

Qi Shaorong froze upon seeing him—Fred’s face was swollen and shiny, his body covered in blotches, and his feet were ulcerated. He looked terrible.

Sindorei frowned. “Brother, I brought a healer to treat you.”

“I don’t need it. Get out. Don’t ever come back,” Fred said.

Sindorei frowned and looked helplessly at Qi Shaorong.

Qi Shaorong examined Fred briefly and said, “Let’s step out first.”

Seeing Qi Shaorong wanting to leave right after entering, Sindorei grew anxious. “Doctor…”

“Get out, did you hear me?” Fred’s furious voice echoed out. Qi Shaorong could feel a wave of oppressive pressure.

“What’s wrong with my brother? Is it hopeless? He used to be the strongest warrior in the tribe—he can’t just fall like this,” Sindorei muttered anxiously as he followed Qi Shaorong.

Qi Shaorong glanced at him and asked, “What did your tribe usually do when someone showed symptoms like your brother’s?”

“They would be driven out of the tribe,” Sindorei replied awkwardly. “The priest says that if the evil spirit stays in the tribe, everyone will get possessed.”

Qi Shaorong took a deep breath. That logic wasn’t entirely wrong—Fred seemed to have contracted a contagious disease, and if it wasn’t handled properly, the entire tribe could be infected. He looked at Sindorei and thought, This kid is honest to a fault. Not even afraid that saying all this might scare people away.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Qi Shaorong asked.

Sindorei looked at him with resolve. “He’s my brother. Even if he is possessed by an evil spirit, he’s still my brother.”

Qi Shaorong looked at Sindorei with a mix of helplessness and sympathy. Such a sincere youth—honest, but also foolish.

“Your brother isn’t possessed, but he is sick. It’s an infectious disease. Anyone who comes into close contact with him could get infected,” Qi Shaorong explained. In ancient China, how did people deal with plague victims? If treatment failed, the only option was often mass execution to prevent spread.

“Then… can my brother still be saved?” Sindorei asked, full of hope.

“I’ll prepare a few doses of medicine and observe the situation first,” Qi Shaorong replied.

“Thank you!” Sindorei said gratefully.

Back at Sindorei’s cave, Yi Fan looked up as they entered. “How’s the situation?”

“Seems like he has leprosy,” Qi Shaorong replied.

Yi Fan tilted his head. “Isn’t that highly contagious?”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Yes, very much so.”

Yi Fan looked at Sindorei and silently wondered, This kid… could already be infected.

Just then, a voice called out, “Sindorei!”

Sindorei frowned. Qi Shaorong asked, “Someone from your tribe? Friend or foe?”

Sindorei took a deep breath. “It should be Raymond. He’s one of my brother’s good friends. I’ll go see. You all stay hidden to avoid misunderstandings.”

“Okay,” Qi Shaorong nodded.

Sindorei’s brow was furrowed tightly with concern. His brother had many good friends, especially Jesse. Fred had even saved Jesse’s life once. But after Fred got sick, Jesse was the first to support the priest’s call to burn him alive.

Raymond’s relationship with Fred had been decent, though not as close. Sindorei wasn’t sure what Raymond’s intentions were now.

He nimbly descended the cliff and landed on the ground.

“Raymond, how did you know I was here?” he asked, worried that the hideout might no longer be safe.

“Don’t worry,” Raymond reassured him. “I found this place by chance. The others in the tribe don’t know.”

“What are you here for?” Sindorei asked warily.

Raymond replied, “You don’t need to be so guarded. I brought some game for you.” He gestured to a nearby antelope.

“Thanks… How are things in the tribe?” Sindorei asked.

“Another five people got infected. The priest locked them all up. Jesse’s saying it’s because your brother is an evil spirit and the tribe didn’t burn him—now the evil spirit has spread to others,” Raymond said.

“That bastard,” Sindorei snapped angrily.

Raymond looked at him and said, “Stay away from the tribe for now. You don’t want any trouble.”

“I understand,” Sindorei replied, tightening his expression.

After a pause, he asked hesitantly, “How’s Mir?”

Mir was Fred’s fiancée. If Fred hadn’t fallen ill, they would have been married by the end of the year. Sindorei knew his brother didn’t say it aloud, but he was very concerned about her.

Raymond’s face changed slightly. “Don’t worry about Mir… she’s engaged to Jesse now.”

Sindorei looked up, disbelief written all over his face. “What?!”

Raymond, seeing his shock, said, “I’ll be going now.”