Chapter 496: Injuries

“It’s fine, just minor internal injuries. The battle just now was too intense!” Rod wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said with a bitter smile. Taking a deep breath, he slowly stood up straight. “The Demon Marshal is truly powerful!” he could only think to himself.
The battle had indeed been fierce; even now, thinking back, he still felt shaken. If the Demon Marshal had more time to fully integrate into his physical body, what would happen?
“Are you really fine?” Merk asked, frowning.
“I’m fine, just need a rest! It’s a minor injury,” Rod reassured him. Moving the wound made him gasp in pain again, his face contorted in agony.
Now, his entire body felt stiff, as if it no longer belonged to him—completely hardened. Even walking seemed to require sheer willpower.
A burning pain spread throughout his body, from the skin to the bone marrow. His blood seemed to be boiling, scorching hot. His whole body felt swollen, numb, as if it didn’t belong to him.
“Be careful. When you get back, I have some medicine for you to take,” the Ancestor said with difficulty after regaining his breath. His injuries weren’t any less severe than Rod’s.
The others looked at Rod with concern, but since he didn’t want to talk about it, they didn’t press further. Perhaps he didn’t want to worry them. In that case, the best thing to do was not to worry him either.
It was impossible for them to make it to Autumn Water City on foot. Fortunately, they had prepared some carriages earlier, which proved useful. With their help, they finally returned to Autumn Water City in the dead of night.
Not many people returned this time—just Rod and his group, along with those from the Death Scythe Squad. The rest stayed in that town to clean up and avoid unnecessary trouble. Even the Pope and others remained behind.
Back here, everyone was extremely weak, so they dispersed and went back to their rooms to practice. Rod, with Viski’s help, returned to his own room. Soon after, Sambik brought the healing pills given to him by the Troll Ancestor.

Returning to his room and closing the door, with Viski and the others waiting outside, Rod could finally stop enduring the pain. He took a deep breath, his face pale and expression twisted in agony. The pain was unbearable—his strong physique had indeed placed a huge strain on him, and the pain originating from his very bones was the real torment.

Opening the small box, he saw a brown-colored pill emitting a strong fragrance. He quickly swallowed it, then sat cross-legged to begin cultivating, using the pill’s power to alleviate the pain. Gradually, Rod’s pain began to subside.

It had to be admitted—the trolls’ pills were truly sacred medicines, extremely rare. No wonder they could create wonders like the Lixuan Pill. Their techniques and formulas, refined over hundreds of thousands of years, had reached an unparalleled level.

As he continued cultivating, Rod’s pain faded away. His mental energy sank deep into his body, as his combat energy washed through his meridians, nourishing every cell and reaching even his bones. Instantly, a warm sensation spread throughout his body, causing Rod to moan in relief.

……

The next day, Rod was pulled back to reality by the voices of Lucy and the others outside the door!

Although a night of cultivation couldn’t produce miraculous results or fully restore him, it at least brought his body to a better state. The pain had gradually subsided, no longer tormenting him constantly.

Feeling the abundant combat energy, he exhaled deeply and smiled slightly.

This battle had been fruitful. Such intense fighting had refined his combat energy without him even realizing it, while also strengthening his physique once again. At this stage, achieving both of these things was extremely difficult—only battles on the brink of death could produce such effects.

Feeling refreshed, he heard Lucy’s voice outside and smiled wryly. Those girls must have just returned from the town. They didn’t even take a break before coming here. Yet, this feeling warmed Rod’s heart.

“Creak…” With a sharp sound, the wooden door opened, and the girls appeared before him.

“Big brother…” Lucy exclaimed excitedly as soon as she saw Rod.

The other girls also turned to look. Seeing Rod’s condition, their faces finally showed smiles. The clouds of worry dissipated as they rushed to his side!

At this moment, Rod’s complexion was much better than yesterday—more rosy and less pale. Yesterday’s situation had really worried them, so they rushed over as soon as they finished dealing with the aftermath today. They had witnessed that battle firsthand and seen just how intense it was; it was impossible not to worry. After spending the night practicing, Rod’s condition had improved significantly, so they could rest easy—after all, he wasn’t seriously injured. “You’re back? Is everything sorted over there?” Rod asked jokingly as he looked at the girls. “Everything’s done!” Lilith replied softly with a nod. “Are your injuries okay now?” she asked Rod right after. “No problem. Just minor injuries. Nothing serious,” he said. His injuries had healed quite well, thanks in large part to the trolls’ robust constitutions and the effect of that pill. Otherwise, it would have taken him days to recover. “That’s good! Big brother, you have no idea how amazing yesterday’s battle was…” Seeing that Rod was fine, Lucy also felt relieved and began to talk loudly. She described yesterday’s battle in great detail, making it sound absolutely incredible, which left Rod smiling bitterly. Since when had he become so great? Why did it sound like he was already a god rather than a human after hearing her words? This little girl’s tongue was getting better and better. “I guess quite a few cows died in the city today?” Rod asked curiously, stopping Lucy from continuing. If he listened any longer, his tail would really start to wag! “What cows died in large numbers?” Lucy asked, puzzled by Rod’s interruption. The girls beside her were also confused for a moment, but soon Nightingale and Ada started laughing, and soon Lilith couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh too. Only Lucy remained puzzled. “What’s going on?” he asked, even more confused at their reactions. “The cows were ‘blown to death’! Hahaha…” Visky laughed loudly and revealed the answer. Instantly, Lucy’s face turned red, and she glared at Rod fiercely. “Big brother, you’re teasing me! Fine, I won’t talk to you anymore!” With that, she turned away and acted like a little girl. “Okay, okay, I’m not joking. The cows aren’t dead. They’re not dead. Is that okay now?” Unable to stand her behavior, Rod smiled bitterly and gave in. He thought to himself that he shouldn’t have said such things when he had nothing better to do.

“Hmph, next time if you speak to me like this again, I’ll ignore you!” With a light snort, seeing Rod lower his head, Lucy then said triumphantly.
“How did you end up here too?” To Rod’s surprise, Elena had come here with the other girls. Seeing her, Rod asked in confusion.
“The Pope asked me to check on your injuries. This is holy water from our church, which has a great healing effect, especially on physical wounds. You can use it!” When Rod turned to look at her, Elena was taken aback, her face turning slightly red as she hurriedly spoke.
Her voice was very soft, like that of a little girl who had done something wrong, which was both amusing and frustrating.
“Hmm, thank the Pope for me!” Rod accepted it without hesitation. This was truly valuable—rare to find. He had heard much about it on the continent. Unfortunately, it was only available in the church, and even there, only a small amount was kept, with only ten drops available each year. At least three of those were here now. The Pope was quite generous this time, though Rod wondered if his wounds would hurt terribly afterward.
“Well, I’ll leave then!” Seeing Rod’s reaction, Elena, acting like a little girl who had done something wrong, spoke hastily before leaving in a rush with a red face.
After watching Elena leave and turning back, Rod immediately sensed something strange in the atmosphere. The girls’ gazes at him were somewhat unusual, making him feel uneasy.
“What… what’s wrong?” Feeling uncomfortable under their gazes, Rod asked helplessly.
“Hehe… Big brother, do you have some secret you won’t tell us?” Aida came up to Rod with a sly smile, then wrapped her arm around his and asked in acoquettishly voice. Women were always sensitive; they couldn’t fail to notice the issue between Rod and Elena!
“What secret? There’s none, really!” Rod snapped back to reality and realized that Elena had probably caused him trouble again. He explained with a wry smile, sighing inwardly that women were so suspicious—even the slightest thing could lead them to endless speculation!
“Good, it’s best if there’s nothing. Hehe, I was just worried!” Aida’s mocking tone made Rod’s skin tingle.
The other girls also pretended it was best if nothing was wrong, leaving Rod feeling uneasy and not knowing what to say.

“Alright, is everyone over there arranged? Are there any issues?” To avoid continuing this topic, Rod had no choice but to change the subject and ask about something else. If he persisted, he would really be at a loss for words, and that would cause trouble.