After a brief break and a glass of water, Han Yu began to speak again.
"It wasn't until seven months had passed that I managed to truly recover some strength. I tried climbing the ravine walls four times. Fell... twice. Thought I would die each time." He touched a faint scar on his arm, one the healers had already noticed earlier.
Of course, it had been made by Han Yu before, which had healed on its own in his journey.
"The fourth time... I made it."
The youngest elder frowned. "Even so, how did you survive the Spirit Beast guarding the area? That Black Claw Giza Lizard was known to haunt that territory."
Han Yu nodded, eyes grim.
"Even after climbing out, I could not move freely. The lizard… it was still there. I hid, buried myself under mud, crawled into crevices, and waited. Every few days, it would roam and hunt. I barely dared to move. It took me another month to find an opening."
He looked up at them now, letting desperation and hope flicker across his expression.
