Chapter 3: The Ruthlessness of the Five Poisons-Part 2

Jiang Xuehe’s situation was somewhat unique.

He knew he had a junior brother and a junior sister who was only taken in by his master when she was ten. However, he had always dealt with his own affairs outside and had never met his junior siblings.

The second junior brother wandered the world due to his own reasons. The only one truly raised under the master’s guidance was Ti Ying.

Jiang Xuehe often heard the name of his junior sister from the paper cranes sent by his master.

Occasionally, when he had some free time, he would think that after finishing his own matters, he should go back and take a look at his junior sister.

Unexpectedly, before he could finish his own affairs, changes occurred in the sect, and Ti Ying ventured into the mortal world alone.

His master, aware of Jiang Xuehe’s situation, never thought of asking him to take care of Ti Ying. His master sent a letter to another disciple, asking that person to come and pick up Ti Ying. However, if Jiang Xuehe happened to be nearby, he could take care of Ti Ying before the arrival of the junior brother.

As the sect declined and his master faced difficulties, his only concern was that Ti Ying might suffer.

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For a moment, he wanted to take off the hood and take a closer look at her.

But when his hand on his knee moved slightly, the ghost faces in the air attempted to rush forward to stop him; fortunately, Jiang Xuehe only moved his fingers, and in the end, he did nothing.

Jiang Xuehe raised his eyes slightly, looking at the “ghost faces” in the air.

After a while, he gently said, “She’s afraid of you; she’s afraid to open her eyes.”

The ghost faces in the air showed a weeping and sorrowful expression.

Jiang Xuehe added, “You are loyal, though.”

But he said nothing more.

He had not stayed in the sect for a day, but he knew the teachings of the sect were diverse. Ti Ying’s ability to draw summoning talismans for ghosts indicated a natural talent in this regard.

Before his junior sister is taken away, he should be able to offer some guidance on her cultivation.

—

Jiang Xuehe’s expectations were overly optimistic.

The next morning, when he showed curiosity about Ti Ying’s spell, the drowsy-eyed girl who had just woken up scolded him:

“We meet at a narrow path; do you think I’m a fool? Calling you ‘Senior Brother’ once, and you expect me to be deceived into giving away all my skills? The person who tried to take advantage of me is already in the grave!”

Jiang Xuehe asked, “Did someone try to deceive you on the way here?”

Ti Ying bragged, “How could that be possible! I’m so clever and talented. Did you see the spirits last night? When I’m powerful, I can summon seven or eight at once! I don’t do evil; I’m kind!”

Jiang Xuehe: “…”

He observed the small, swollen face of the girl who had awakened overnight, resembling a chubby snowball. It was evident that yesterday’s summoning ritual had depleted her spiritual energy. But with her disheveled hair and threatening him with round eyes, she indeed had a bit of a ruthless demeanor.

Jiang Xuehe lowered his gaze. The sect was located at the junction of the East and Central provinces. Yujing Sect was in the middle of East Province, and Ti Ying fled all the way from the sect, undoubtedly experiencing a lot of hardships. Encountering people who deceived and took advantage of her was normal.

He had nothing to say about this.

In this world of wandering, where human hearts are cunning and demons reign, it was to be expected.

After a while, Jiang Xuehe spoke: “From yesterday’s experience, the major demon in the forest dared not come out openly during the day. We can continue our journey.”

Ti Ying rubbed her sleepy eyes and lazily made a sound of agreement.

But before getting up, Ti Ying suddenly thought of something and grabbed Jiang Xuehe’s sleeve.

Jiang Xuehe looked at her.

With her fluffy head lowered, Ti Ying fumbled with her fingers. “That… that spirit from last night, is it still behind me?”

Jiang Xuehe raised his head and looked at the empty air behind her, honestly saying, “It’s gone.”

Ti Ying immediately relaxed.

Jiang Xuehe said, “Junior sister, the spirits you summon generally don’t appear in broad daylight.”

Ti Ying gave him a disdainful glance.

She thought with pity: Really poor guy, so ignorant.

She said, “My spell is much stronger than others. What others can’t do during the day, I can.”

Jiang Xuehe replied, “I see.”

Ti Ying was surprised. “You don’t believe me?”

Her reaction was as if not believing her was a grave sin.

Jiang Xuehe was puzzled. “Have I ever doubted it?”

Ti Ying said, “Your tone is calm; your eyes don’t blink. Clearly, you don’t believe a word I say and look down on me. How dare you look down on me? In all our fights along the way, wasn’t I the one charging into battle?”

“I’ve been supporting you, you know! I…”

After her fuss, Jiang Xuehe gently interrupted, “I was just thinking, if my junior sister has such abilities, we won’t be afraid to leave this cave. As long as junior sister summons the spirits from last night again to help us scout the surroundings, we might be able to leave the Five Poisons Forest today.”

Ti Ying suddenly fell silent.

Jiang Xuehe said, “Junior sister?”

Even through the wind veil, Jiang Xuehe could feel Ti Ying giving him a disdainful look.

She was very confident. “I’m super awesome! I don’t need to summon spirits; I can lead you out.”

She had already assumed that Jiang Xuehe was just a useless person with no skills.

Jiang Xuehe didn’t argue.

—

After hesitating for a while, Ti Ying decided to follow Jiang Xuehe and find a way to leave the Five Poisons Forest.

She couldn’t stay in the cave forever.

She came here to apprentice and learn martial arts, and she couldn’t let the small Five Poisons Forest defeat her.

However, she would never summon the spirits from last night again—she wouldn’t summon them for the rest of her life!

Thinking of the terrifying appearance of the ghost faces from last night, Ti Ying shivered at her own fear.

Before following Jiang Xuehe out of the cave, Ti Ying had a stern expression: “Wait.”

Jiang Xuehe turned back, patiently waiting for his hesitant junior sister.

Ti Ying hesitating for a moment, she took three incense sticks from her pocket and lit them with an illusionary flame. Ti Ying inserted the three incense sticks into the damp soil, formed hand seals, and bowed three times.

The smoke drifted with the wind, faintly connecting with karma. Jiang Xuehe watched with confusion.

He considered himself well-versed and knowledgeable, but he had never seen such a peculiar orthodox spell before.

He had only encountered similar worship methods in the evil arts…

Concerned that his junior sister might stray from the right path, Jiang Xuehe, knowing she would be angry, still asked, “Junior Sister hasn’t even joined the Yujing Sect, yet some elder has already taken you as a disciple in secret. Do you want to formally apprentice ahead of time?”

This time, Ti Ying didn’t retort.

Her snowy-white face was directed towards three incense sticks, respectful and devout.

She responded obediently, “No. I severed ties with my previous sect and paid my respects to my former master for the last time. When I leave the Five Poison Forest today and participate in the disciple selection of the Yujing Sect, I will forget my previous master and sect.”

Jiang Xuehe remained silent for a moment.

Ti Ying turned half of her face, saying, “The Yujing Sect doesn’t care whether disciples have previously joined other sects! If you want to report, go ahead; I’m not afraid! But you better not report—hmph, offend me, and you’ll regret it!”

She scowled, but due to being busy kowtowing, she didn’t appear particularly aggressive.

The girl kneeling in the shadow of the cave had slender eyelashes, and her black eyes were round and glossy like ink-jade. This clever appearance finally made Jiang Xuehe connect her with the description in the master’s letter.

However, in Ti Ying’s eyes, this youth in black robes who refused to take off his hood could be considered bad-tempered.

Behind the hood, he chuckled.

His laughter was hoarse and somewhat eerie in the damp and cold wind.

In that not-so-pleasant voice, he slowly said, “If you still miss your previous sect, why join a new one?”

Ti Ying turned her face away and said, “Hmph!”

She wouldn’t tell him—

The previous sect had offended powerful figures, and her former master was in trouble. She was being hunted down.

Both she and her former master couldn’t handle it!

Ti Ying knew she was weak and couldn’t help her former master. She wanted to join the formidable Yujing Sect, learn powerful skills, and then return to help her former master solve problems.

Although her former master lacked skills, he had treated her well. Once she became the most powerful cultivator in the world, she could lend a hand and take care of the previous sect.

However, the trial in the Five Poison Forest was not as easy as it seemed.

Under the hazy gray sky, Ti Ying, who had confidently declared her determination to leave today, and Jiang Xuehe had been wandering in the forest for a long time, unable to find the right direction.

The daylight rain fell intermittently, and Jiang Xuehe watched as his junior sister’s face gradually sank.

He thought to himself, “She’s going to be upset again.”

After Ti Ying awkwardly and clumsily used spells to deal with a sneak attack from a small demon, she kicked the tree next to her in frustration.

As the day grew darker, moving forward seemed impossible, but going back was equally unacceptable. The creatures attacking them seemed to be getting stronger, and Ti Ying was finding it increasingly difficult to cope.

She struggled to deal with the situation, her face drooping, but instead of saying anything to Jiang Xuehe behind her, she kicked the nearby tree in frustration.

She was furious.

When her emotions reached a boiling point with no outlet, a leather bag was handed to her from behind. “Junior Sister, do you want some water?”

Ti Ying bit her lip, holding back the curses that were on the tip of her tongue.

She restrained herself until her face turned pale.

Jiang Xuehe observed her.

Before she could explode, he quickly reached out, grabbed her chin, forced her to open her mouth, and poured some clear water into it.

With the purified water flowing down her throat, Ti Ying looked up at him dumbfounded, momentarily forgetting her anger.

Jiang Xuehe said, “The demonic aura in the forest is becoming stronger. It seems that the hidden powerful demon’s demonic energy is increasing, and it’s not in our favor.”

Ti Ying snorted.

Jiang Xuehe continued, “It seems we won’t be able to leave today. We should find a place in the forest where the demons won’t find us to spend the night. Also, Junior Sister, I remember that before we left, the Yujing Sect provided you with a jade tablet that had information about the demons. Perhaps tonight, we can take it out and discuss our strategy.”

Ti Ying was momentarily stunned before remembering.

She wasn’t fond of reading, and after receiving the jade tablet from the Yujing Sect, she hadn’t taken it out. It was only now that Jiang Xuehe reminded her that she recalled it.

Her voice softened. “Hmph.”

Jiang Xuehe thought to himself: … Quite the stubborn one.

—

Tonight in the Five Poison Forest was much more frightening than the previous night.

A chilling wind blew at the back of their necks, and Ti Ying walked with shaky steps, trying not to show fear.

This didn’t seem to be just her imagination—

The night had fallen, and the rain had stopped.

In the forest, faint, ghostly lights appeared.

Occasionally, indistinct shadows swiftly floated by from all directions.

There seemed to be deep breaths, sighs, someone blowing in her ear, and distant, blurry singing.

The air was damp and sticky, and Ti Ying stuttered, “Se-senior brother, is th-there… a spirit coming?”

Walking behind her, Jiang Xuehe had already seen the thickening ghostly entities around them converging towards the girl, layering over each other and lighting up ghostly fires in the forest.

Jiang Xuehe remained unfazed. “No spirits. But if Junior Sister is afraid, we can turn back.”

Ti Ying defied, “No way!”

After a while, Ti Ying asked, “Senior brother, have you heard someone singing?”

Jiang Xuehe replied, “Junior Sister, you’re too scared, experiencing hallucinations.”

Ti Ying pretended not to hear.

After a while, Ti Ying said, “Senior brother, are you still there?”

Jiang Xuehe advised, “Don’t turn around.”

Ti Ying questioned, “Are you ordering me?”

A hand reached out, grabbing her.

After a moment of hesitation, Ti Ying really followed his advice and didn’t turn around. He’s really good at leading her. But his hand, compared to her former master’s, was… well, more “old-fashioned.”

After a while, Ti Ying hesitated. “Senior…”

The young man gently replied, “I’m here.”

—

As Ti Ying walked, she continued to ask questions, and each time, she heard Jiang Xuehe’s response.

His voice had always been unpleasant, and she wasn’t quite used to it, but on this night, it provided her comfort.

Amidst stumbling along the way, Ti Ying finally found a cave where she could take a break. As long as she drew the talisman and arranged everything properly, tonight would be safe.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

She was about to call Jiang Xuehe when she heard a hoarse voice behind her say, “I’m here.”

Ti Ying’s blood froze instantly.

In a moment, the hoarse calling repeated in a flat tone, “I’m here.”

Ti Ying lowered her head and looked at the hand she was holding—but it wasn’t a hand; it was the rough bark of a tree!

No matter how ugly an unfamiliar senior brother might be, no matter how poor his skin, and no matter how unpleasant his voice, his hand shouldn’t be tree bark.

Distant singing pressed against her ears, allowing her to hear the lyrics clearly:

“Red embroidered shoes, blood-stained wedding dress, crying to the parents. Sitting in the flower sedan, rocking back and forth, the mountain road is rugged and the night is long; the bride must not look back…”

Ti Ying’s anxious eyes reflected the desolate and eerie forest, where demonic energy roared.

Trembling, she reached into her bosom and found the pre-prepared, warm talisman, forming the seal to ward off evil spirits: “Calling upon the gods, subduing demons and monsters!”

The girl’s fingertips ignited with a bright flame. She turned around and threw the burning talisman towards the creature behind her. As the flaming talisman momentarily immobilized the creature, she crawled forward, avoiding the attack of the creature behind her in a clumsy manner.