Drilling Mountain Leopard pushed aside the weeds in front of him and, leaning on the stone wall, shuffled out of the cave.
"I never thought this secret passage would actually come in handy."
The sun was fierce, its glare making it hard for him to open his eyes.
He raised a hand to shield his forehead and leaned against the cave entrance, resting for a while until his eyes could gradually focus again.
Glancing around and seeing no one nearby, he began to limp northwest.
His right arm was numb and without feeling. A searing, burning pain ran from his chest to the top of his thigh, and he twitched from time to time.
Every step brought a heart-piercing stab of pain.
But he didn't dare stop, nor did he dare stay in the cave. This place was still too close to Fuli Valley. A search party of a hundred men could easily find him.
Besides, he had seen some fresh droppings in the cave earlier. Judging by their shape and size, a wild beast was surely prowling nearby.
