“Fortunately, that strange, chilling coldness has been suppressed! ...In a moment, I'll find a safe place, take a packet of healing herbs, and see if I can completely expel it!”

James Carter let out a sigh of relief.

If he used the healing herbs, and activated their effects with his own internal energy, that coldness would surely be dispelled. The lingering chill left in his body by the young demon crab should gradually diminish and eventually be eliminated.

He comforted himself inwardly. After meditating in place to recover a bit of strength, he stood up and walked deeper into the jungle.

His stomach was both hungry and thirsty.

He needed to quickly find food and fresh water to replenish his severely depleted strength. In his current weakened state, he probably couldn't even handle an ordinary wild beast, let alone a sea demon beast.

James Carter searched and looked around as he moved through the jungle.

“This island is so big, there should be bird nests in the forest.”

Although it would be more convenient to pick up seabird eggs from the grass by the beach, he didn't dare go back there. If he accidentally ran into that young demon crab again and got hit by a water arrow, he might die on the spot.

The blazing sun hung high in the sky.

The trees on the island were all very tall, with lush, thriving branches and leaves.

But in the jungle, James Carter didn't feel hot at all. Instead, the cool, gentle breeze blowing toward him made him feel especially comfortable.

Soon, he spotted an ancient tree about ten zhang tall. He had just seen several birds circling and lingering on it before flying away. There seemed to be a bird's nest among the dense leaves.

Before long, James Carter had climbed to the treetop. What appeared before him was a large bird's nest filled with all kinds of colorful, speckled eggs.

“So many bird eggs—enough for a hearty meal!”

James Carter was delighted, almost unable to keep himself from drooling.

He reached out and grabbed a light green egg, gently tapped it on the hilt of his Qingfeng sword, and the shell cracked with several fine lines. The egg white was wrapped in a thin, pale membrane, with not a drop of liquid leaking out.

James Carter couldn't be bothered to make a fire. Nimbly, he cracked the shell, gently peeled off a piece, poked through the membrane, pressed the shell to his lips, and tilted his head back to suck in a big mouthful.

“Whoosh!”

The entire egg white and yolk of the green bird egg slid down his throat in one gulp.

“Delicious!”

James Carter couldn't help but praise.

With the nutritious bird eggs, his strength quickly began to recover.

James Carter ate several seabird eggs at the treetop, feeling satisfied. Just as he was about to climb down, he suddenly caught sight of two fast-moving figures in the jungle, and couldn't help but let out a “huh?”

Below, in the dense forest, a female martial artist in green sped by.

The woman in green was running swiftly toward the base of the tree where James Carter was, glancing back in panic from time to time.

“Stop right there! Hand over the Red Blood Vine, and I'll let you die whole! Do you really think you can outrun me, Zhengguo Asura Leg 'David Bennett'?”

A black-clad martial artist was dashing through the jungle, shouting menacingly as he chased after the woman in green.

Chapter 5: Red Blood Vine

“There are no inhabitants on this deserted island, and demon crabs roam about. These two can't possibly live here. There were over a thousand martial artists on that sunken ship—looks like I'm not the only one who drifted to this island; other martial artists have also ended up stranded here!”

James Carter stood at the treetop, watching the two below, his eyes flickering.

He had been busy cultivating and searching for food, and hadn't had time to explore the island. Now it seemed that quite a few martial artists, like him, had been lucky enough to survive and wash up here.

But soon, James Carter's expression turned doubtful. “What are those two fighting over? Judging by their speed, both should be mid-level martial artists, but the black-clad one is a bit faster than the woman in green.”

“That black-clad martial artist mentioned the Red Blood Vine?... Could it be the seventh-grade body-tempering herb recorded in 'Wuguo Herbal Compendium'?! Red Blood Vine, suitable for high-level martial artists in the late body-tempering stage, with excellent effects. For mid-level martial artists, it's even more extraordinary.”

James Carter pondered, feeling the name of the herb was familiar.

He had memorized the 'Wuguo Herbal Compendium' before and knew quite a few types and names of herbs.

“Red Blood Vine is a seventh-grade body-tempering herb, worth no less than ten gold coins, and is extremely beneficial for mid- and high-level martial artists in their body-tempering cultivation. If they're fighting over the Red Blood Vine, that's not surprising!”

James Carter mused.

He didn't know either party, nor who was right or wrong, and had no intention of intervening. He chose to stay on the treetop and continue observing. He didn't want to get involved in this kind of martial artist conflict.

The woman in green realized she couldn't escape the black-clad martial artist's pursuit. Continuing to run would only waste her strength, so she had to stop and turned back, shouting angrily, “I was the one who found this Red Blood Vine first, and I picked it myself! Why should I give it to you? If I weren't worried that fighting would attract others and let someone else profit from our struggle, do you really think I'd be afraid of you?”