Chapter 5

"How did they come so quickly..." Jiang Han’s face turned bitter. The beast crystal had already been absorbed by the system; how could he produce it now?

He had originally planned to go back to the Ten Thousand Beast Ridge, where he could sneak-attack a third-stage beast with his laser sword, which should not be a problem, and thus obtain the beast crystal.

However, he did not expect the team to arrive so quickly, completely disrupting his plan.

"Xiao Han, your friends are here to see you, come out quickly!" His mother’s voice came from outside.

"There’s no need, Auntie. We can go in ourselves. You go about your business." A rough voice came through the window, and Jiang Han immediately recognized it as his team leader.

"Alright, alright, go in and find him. I’ll be busy." His mother said with a smile.

As the footsteps approached, Jiang Han’s mind raced, thinking about how to deal with the situation.

"I’ve got it!" Jiang Han suddenly had an idea and felt a sense of relief.

At that moment, the door was gently opened, and the first to enter was a tall man with a full beard, his muscles bulging, exuding a sense of strength. Nine others followed, some tall, some short, and even two women, who were only of average appearance.

"Xiao Han, how are you feeling?" The bearded man asked as soon as he saw Jiang Han sitting on the bed, his tone filled with concern.

"Um, much better, everyone’s been worried." Jiang Han smiled, feeling a bit touched. He could tell the bearded man was genuinely concerned.

The bearded man, named Lu Baichuan, was the team leader, already at the Eighth Rank Warrior level, and was about to break through to the Martial Master level.

"We’re all brothers, no need for such formalities!" Lu Baichuan waved his hand, but his face showed hesitation, as if he was unsure how to start.

Jiang Han knew immediately that Lu Baichuan wanted to talk about the third-stage beast crystal. He quickly smiled and said, "Everyone, don’t stand there, please sit down!"

Everyone found a place to sit, though they all tried to act casual, Jiang Han could still feel their eyes on him.

Although these people were all low-level warriors who lived on the edge, their nature was not bad. They often took care of Jiang Han and treated him like a younger brother. However, the third-stage beast crystal was too important to them; they had even lost two brothers for it.

Jiang Han noticed their expressions and inwardly smiled. The third-stage beast crystal was indeed very valuable, and it was no wonder they were so concerned.

Lu Baichuan kept opening his mouth but couldn’t say anything. He felt everyone was giving him subtle hints. After some hesitation, he finally sighed softly and said, "Xiao Han..."

"Boss." Jiang Han suddenly interrupted Lu Baichuan, his face showing a sense of guilt, his expression somber.

This expression made everyone’s hearts skip a beat, sensing something was wrong.

Indeed, Jiang Han continued, "I know why you’re here, but please let me apologize first!" As he spoke, Jiang Han stood up and bowed to everyone.

"What do you mean?" Lu Baichuan was taken aback, his voice turning slightly cold. He thought Jiang Han was trying to keep the third-stage beast crystal for himself. If that were true, he would have to say he had misjudged him!

Everyone’s expressions changed, frowning at Jiang Han, waiting for his explanation.

Although they remembered Jiang Han as obedient and pure, in the face of great benefits, it was hard to say he wouldn’t change. For a moment, everyone looked at Jiang Han with complex expressions.

Jiang Han could feel these changes but could only laugh bitterly. It wasn’t their fault; if he were in their position, he might have thought the same.

"That beast crystal is gone!" Seeing everyone’s expressions change drastically, Jiang Han quickly continued, "Please let me explain."

Lu Baichuan stood up the moment Jiang Han spoke, took a deep breath, and looked deeply at Jiang Han, saying, "Xiao Han, I hope you can give the brothers a reasonable explanation. You must understand, that beast crystal was obtained with the blood and... lives of the brothers!"

"I know!" Jiang Han nodded heavily, his voice solemn, "My life was also saved by Shan Ge, how could I forget?"

"But the beast crystal is indeed gone." Jiang Han said, reaching out to take four jade bottles, and continued, "When I woke up, I found the beast crystal was gone, and these four bottles of pills were beside me!"

Lu Baichuan frowned, took the pills from Jiang Han, and looked at the labels on the jade bottles, then looked up at Jiang Han in confusion, "Recovery Pills? Wound Healing Pills? I’ve never heard of these pills before."

"Neither have I." Jiang Han shook his head, "But I feel these pills are genuine. Boss, you can test them."

"Oh?" Lu Baichuan thought Jiang Han was just trying to fool them with some random pills, but seeing Jiang Han’s sincere expression, he was intrigued. He took a Recovery Pill, felt it carefully, and sniffed it, then looked at everyone for confirmation. Seeing everyone nod, he put it in his mouth. Soon, his expression changed, and he was shocked.

"These pills restore true essence! The effect is at least twice as strong as Qi Recovery Pills!" Lu Baichuan’s eyes sparkled as he exclaimed.

"What?" Everyone was also shocked. Qi Recovery Pills were a low-level pill used to restore true essence, and they were not cheap. If these Recovery Pills were twice as effective, their value was unimaginable!

"These Wound Healing Pills..." Lu Baichuan’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he took one to swallow, which startled Jiang Han.

"Boss, wait!" Jiang Han quickly shouted.

"What’s wrong?" Lu Baichuan stopped, looking confused.

"These Wound Healing Pills are for external use." Jiang Han wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, thinking about what might happen if they were swallowed directly. Fortunately, he had warned them in time.

"Uh, really?" Lu Baichuan was taken aback, then awkwardly scratched his head, looking at Jiang Han curiously, "Hey? How do you know?"

"Um... I don’t know either. It seems someone told me this while I was unconscious. They said these Wound Healing Pills should be crushed and applied to the wound." Jiang Han frowned, his eyes showing a confused look, which immediately dispelled Lu Baichuan’s doubts.

"I see!" Lu Baichuan nodded, then directly cut a wound on his arm, his face unchanged, and crushed a Wound Healing Pill, applying the powder to the wound.

Jiang Han’s mouth twitched, feeling a bit embarrassed. This boss was really tough; he couldn’t do such a thing to test the pills.

Not just him, everyone’s mouths twitched, but they were clearly used to it, knowing their captain’s character.

However, everyone’s attention was soon drawn to the wound on Lu Baichuan’s arm, each face filled with shock.

The wound stopped bleeding visibly and quickly formed a scab.

This scene not only stunned them but also left Jiang Han speechless. He hadn’t expected these so-called Bronze-level pills to have such good healing effects, far surpassing Earth’s high technology!

"Great stuff!" Lu Baichuan exclaimed happily.

This echoed everyone’s thoughts. Each face showed joy, as adventurers, they understood the importance of such quick-healing pills, which could literally save lives in many situations!

"Here, this is what the third-stage beast crystal was exchanged for." Jiang Han shrugged, "Though, it was forced."

"Definitely worth it!" A lean young man laughed, "Though the third-stage beast crystal is valuable, if we sold it, we probably wouldn’t get as much as these four bottles of pills!"

Jiang Han looked at the speaker and smiled.

The speaker was Wei Yifei, around 27 years old, already at the Third Rank Warrior level, with a lot of cunning, often coming up with ideas that benefited the team.

"Not just that!" Lu Baichuan shook his head, "These Recovery Pills and Wound Healing Pills are unheard of, and their effects are several times stronger than similar pills. Their value is immeasurable! It seems a high-level expert needed the beast crystal and took it, leaving these pills behind. Ha, Xiao Han, you’ve done a great service to the team this time!"

Jiang Han scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed, "I just slept, didn’t do anything..."

Although giving away forty pills was painful, Jiang Han didn’t regret it. Whatever he did, he wanted to be at peace with himself. Jiang Han wanted a clear conscience!

Besides, without that third-stage beast crystal, the system wouldn’t have activated, let alone obtained these pills!

"Brother, I misunderstood you earlier, I apologize!" Lu Baichuan’s expression suddenly turned serious, and he bowed to Jiang Han.

"No, no!" Jiang Han hurriedly dodged, laughing bitterly, "No matter what, I lost the beast crystal, so these pills are a way to make up for it!"

"Hey, that’s enough, both of you!" A woman from the team stepped forward, her voice slightly annoyed, "We’re all brothers, no need for so much formality!"

"Sister Yan is right!" Jiang Han smiled and nodded at the woman. She was Ding Yayan, a woman but already at the Fourth Rank Warrior level, and her fighting skills were not inferior to men.

Lu Baichuan chuckled, patted his head, and said, "I was overthinking it. We’ll divide these pills among the ten of us. As for Manshan and Guangcai... I’ll take care of their families."

Manshan and Guangcai were the two unfortunate teammates who had died. Mentioning them, everyone’s expressions turned somber. Though they were prepared for life and death, it was still hard to bear when it actually happened.

Jiang Han felt the same. What he had said was true; Manshan had indeed risked his life to protect him.

Though he wasn’t the original Jiang Han, he had integrated those memories and felt no different.

"Rest assured, Brother Manshan, I will definitely avenge you!" Jiang Han silently vowed.

After a moment of silence, Lu Baichuan broke the silence, looking at Jiang Han and hesitantly said, "Xiao Han, we plan to go back to the Ten Thousand Beast Ridge in a few days. Your injuries..."