Chapter 6: Ruthlessness of the Five Poisons—Part 5

Chen Da was knocked out, and Ti Ying lifted her head to see the mysterious young man at the other end of the narrow cave.

He never took off his hood. Despite the shocking changes in the cave, he remained calm and composed, showing no signs of panic.

In the chilly wind, talismans could block the monsters from finding them, but they couldn’t stop the eerie whispers.

Ti Ying comforted herself: They are demons, not ghosts, demons, not ghosts, demons, not ghosts.

She calmed herself down.

She got up, bypassed Chen Da, and sat beside Jiang Xuehe, gently tugging at the young man’s sleeve.

The young man looked down, and Ti Ying bit her lip. Suddenly, she spread out her palm, revealing some pastry crumbs, and held them out to him.

She stuttered, “I have a little left; I don’t want to share it with the hunter. Senior Brother, have it.”

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Kkydt Dwlbl oyp pwarakple.

Eyp pbl vaukdt vs rzlypl bkx?

Kkydt Dwlbl pbssj bkp blye wdela vbl bsse.

“R’x dsv bwdtau; usw lyv.”

Tkp vszlaydnl xyel Mk Zkdt pwprknkswp.

Jlnywpl pbl byed’v rasrlazu alye vbl fyel vyczlv, vblu qynle pwnb y rsolaqwz yehlapyau. Kkydt Dwlbl bye ds tawetl ytykdpv bla, lhld vbswtb vblu olal pvaydtlap. Eyp kv rsppkczl vbyv bl oypd’v yd wraktbv rlapsd lkvbla?

Mk Zkdt oyp yzoyup nwddkdt, ps pbl qlzv fwpvkqkle kd vbkdjkdt kzz sq svblap.

Gv vbkp xsxldv, pbl ypjle, “Fldksa Jasvbla, usw’al dsv pwarakple yv yzz. Ps usw jdso ycswv vbl Ewgbk kd vbl Wkhl Vskpsdp Wsalpv? Gal usw blal qsa kv?”

Jiang Xuehe calmly replied, “Not exactly.”

—He was here for her.

However, the situation in the Five Poisons Forest was dangerous at the moment, and he also wanted to understand the character and abilities of this little junior sister of his, so he didn’t want to reveal himself to her for the time being.

Moreover… Jiang Xuehe thought that his situation was special and that it was not convenient for him to spend long periods of time with others. Revealing his identity to Ti Ying wouldn’t benefit her in any way. When his second junior brother came to take Ti Ying away and he fulfilled his duties and left, there was no need for Ti Ying to know that he was her eldest senior brother.

Ti Ying stared at him suspiciously, about to question him further.

Jiang Xuehe said, “Junior Sister, everyone has their own secrets, don’t they?”

Ti Ying was stunned.

She thought of her own secrets… and suppressed her displeasure, nodding.

Ti Ying stuffed the pastry crumbs into her mouth and chewed them up.

Her sweet voice sounded muffled because she was eating.

Her sweet and crisp voice sounded muffled as she ate. “It’s my own fault. I won’t drag you into this. You stay hidden in the cave, and tomorrow I’ll escort Chen Da down the mountain. I’ll deal with that wuzhi on my own.”

Jiang Xuehe remained calm. “Junior Sister, how do you plan to deal with the Wuzhi?”

Ti Ying sounded confident. “Kill it.”

Jiang Xuehe thought, Can you handle it with your mediocre skills?

Did she hide her true abilities? Did their master teach her some powerful skills that she hadn’t used in the past few days?

Jiang Xue, lost in thought, couldn’t help but raise his eyes and, through the hood, catch sight of the girl’s clear, ink-like eyes.

Her pupils were shining brightly.

She was like an exceptionally obedient cat, nestling beside him, proudly blinking her adorable cat eyes… the cat didn’t ask him to do anything, but her eyes were fixed on him.

Jiang Xuehe realized.

Perhaps he has had too little interaction with people for a long time, or maybe he hasn’t seen any living people for a long time… His little junior sister always tries to coax him up.

Jiang Xuehe went along with Ti Ying’s thoughts and said, “Killing it is the right thing to do, but how can I let my junior sister wander around alone? We entered the Five Poison Forest together, so now I have no excuse to shirk responsibility when the Wuzhi is already knocking on the door. I am willing to advance and retreat with my junior sister.”

Ti Ying indeed liked his answer.

Through the hood, he could see her eyes shimmering with brilliance, shining brightly like ice breaking through water.

Jiang Xuehe shifted his gaze.

Ti Ying snapped out of her trance, and her twisted logic returned to her mind. “That’s right. The trouble was caused by both of us, so we should face it together. You’re not entirely innocent either…”

Jiang Xuehe couldn’t help but lean in, “I’m not entirely innocent?”

— Can she blame everything on him for not carefully reading the jade tablet?

Ti Ying had pastry crumbs on her cheek. “We each had a jade tablet, but you insisted on giving yours to me. You didn’t read it yourself, and you expected me to. Even if I misread it, can you truly claim to have made no mistakes?”

Jiang Xuehe was speechless.

Ti Ying gently nudged his arm with her finger.

Jiang Xuehe lowered his gaze to her lips and said, “I was wrong.”

Ti Ying looked at him in surprise, feeling a bit uncomfortable herself. She coughed and focused on the matter at hand—

“Senior Brother, do you think this Chen Da is a mortal?”

Jiang Xuehe glanced at the young hunter, who had been knocked unconscious by Ti Ying and was lying on the ground.

He replied, “He should be a mortal.”

Ti Ying relaxed. “I also think so…”

If Chen Da were a mortal, her plan would be easier to execute.

The Five Poisons Forest was truly unsettling… Ti Ying lowered her head and whispered, “You’re also human, not something else… right?”

Jiang Xuehe didn’t understand, so he didn’t respond.

She added, “Because there was a tree bark demon pretending to be you before.”

Jiang Xuehe understood. “I am human.”

Ti Ying relaxed and tilted her head back. Suddenly, the dignified young man bent down, brushing his hood as he did so. His sleeve inadvertently brushed against her lips, wiping away the pastry crumbs.

His voice was as smooth as sand. “Tired of sitting? Change your posture.”

As his sleeve touched her cheek, she shuddered, her fingertips extinguishing the flames, and she fell into darkness in a daze.

Jiang Xuehe wore black clothes and a hood. Ti Ying was young and didn’t understand what “gentlemanly charm” meant. She just momentarily forgot what she wanted to say and momentarily thought that he seemed different from her former master.

The two sat together in the darkness, silent and still.

—

Ti Ying’s plan was simple and ruthless.

The little monsters in the Five Poisons Forest relied on the power of the Wuzhi to survive.

If Chen Da was really colluding with the people chasing her—her admission to the Yujing Sect couldn’t be compromised. She intended to use Chen Da, a mortal, to lure those pursuers into the Five Poisons Forest, where they would clash with the Wuzhi.

After the pursuers were killed, the power of the Wuzhi would be depleted. Then she would strike while it was weak—elliminate the Wuzhi.

Without eliminating the Wuzhi, she and the unfamiliar senior brother wouldn’t be able to leave the Five Poisons Forest. Besides, with the elimination of the Wuzhi, the Yujing Sect would hold her in high regard. She could leverage this merit to enter the sect, worship her desired master, and learn true skills.

Perhaps the Wuzhi were pitiful… but she was pitiful too. Pitying a monster wasn’t her concern.

So, at dawn, when Chen Da opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the smiling face of a little fairy.

The little fairy spoke softly, “Senior Brother and I have discussed it. We’ll send you down the mountain first, and then we’ll deal with the Wuzhi. With us around, the Wuzhi shouldn’t stop you from leaving the mountain.”

Chen Da asked, “What happened?”

Ti Ying said, “My kindness suddenly awakened, and I feel that I can’t involve you, a mortal. Senior Brother and I can’t escape the clutches of the Wuzhi, but you still have a chance to survive.”

Chen Da: “…”

He looked at the youth in the hood.

The youth in the hood just stood tall and didn’t speak, seeming to agree with his little junior sister’s words.

Naturally, Chen Da had no other choice.

—

The three of them left the cave, and Jiang Xuehe and Ti Ying, following Chen Da’s directions, retraced their steps to escort Chen Da out of the forest.

One night later, even in broad daylight, the sky over the entire forest was gray and bleak.

Ghosts and demons glided through the forest, intermittently appearing and stealthily striking, only to be thwarted by Ti Ying’s presence.

Ti Ying felt gloomy.

The number of little monsters appearing in daylight had increased, and their strength had grown. Perhaps after another night, even the Wuzhi would dare to show itself openly.

The Wuzhi had to be dealt with tonight.

As the three walked through the rugged forest path, they heard an eerie song.

Several times, the little monsters appeared at the end of the road, holding the red wedding gown, while the bloodstained sedan chair was parked behind the branches.

Eyeless little monsters chased after them, singing, “Red embroidered shoes, blood wedding gown, crying for parents. Sitting in the sedan chair, rocking back and forth, the mountain road is rugged and the night is long; the new bride should not look back…”

If they couldn’t catch the bride, the sedan chair would continue to follow.

These scenes began to appear even in broad daylight, terrifying Chen Da to the point of turning pale.

Ti Ying was afraid too.

A sleeve extended towards her.

Ti Ying trembled at the sudden appearance of something, but this sleeve was not the tree bark demon from the previous night.

She heard her senior brother’s voice from behind: “Don’t be afraid.”

Ti Ying acted coy, saying, “I don’t like sleeves.”

Jiang Xuehe remained silent for a moment.

The sleeve that Ti Ying held changed into a young man’s hand.

Except for her former master, no one had held her hand before.

Ti Ying was stunned, wanting to look down, but the sleeve blocked his hand—she felt rough skin and numerous scars, different from her former master and the tree bark.

She held his hand, slightly cold. Ti Ying’s fingers fidgeted, wanting to touch it, but her wrist was lightly slapped by him as a warning… Her heart raced, and she suddenly stumbled over a tree branch under her feet.

Jiang Xuehe said softly, “Walk properly.”

Ti Ying muttered, “I don’t like your hand either.”

Jiang Xuehe remained silent.

Ti Ying continued, “Once we’re out of the Five Poisons Forest, I’ll find ointment for you, and your hand injuries will heal.”

Jiang Xuehe paused for a moment, silent.

Only the rustle of falling leaves and footsteps could be heard in the forest.

Chen Da felt sour in his heart. As he walked, he couldn’t help but glance back at this pair of senior brother and junior sister. Could it be that he had stumbled upon a pair of young lovers?

Indeed, the Wuzhi only blocked their path forward, not the way back.

The two escorted Chen Da all the way to the foot of the mountain, where the mountain road truly appeared, winding towards the outside.

Ti Ying bid farewell to Chen Da, but as Chen Da turned to leave, she quickly slapped a talisman into his back—this was a “Splitting Shadow Talisman.”

The Spilitng Shadow Talisman could be attached to a person, and when that person saw others, the talisman would carry Ti Ying’s aura and catch up with the others, thereby allowing Ti Ying to track their movements.

Ti Ying wasn’t very proficient with this talisman, but with the concealment of the Five Poisons Forest environment, she should be able to deceive those people.

If Chen Da really gets together with those who are chasing her, they will know she might die at the hands of Wuzhi. So they will definitely not be able to wait and will inevitably enter the Five Poisons Forest. After all, what those people want is her, not a corpse.

Perhaps Ti Ying’s expression became a bit gloomy, and Jiang Xuehe asked, “Junior Sister?”

Ti Ying immediately raised her face. “Senior Brother, let’s go make other arrangements to deal with… um, um.”

He thought she should be saying “Wuzhi,” but she was afraid the monsters would hear, so she didn’t speak it out loud.

—

Ti Ying led Jiang Xuehe around the Five Poisons Forest.

Jiang Xuehe defended against the sneak attacks of the little monsters, while Ti Ying set up formations in several places, saying that these formations would be effective in helping her kill the Wuzhi later at night.

The two walked through the deep forest with slow steps, and Ti Ying breathed a sigh of relief.

Well, once the pursuers were dealt with, she would have to kill the Wuzhi. Ti Ying knew her abilities well, and if she wanted to kill the Wuzhi, she could only use her most talented technique—the “Vast Dream spell.”.

But after reading the jade tablet, Ti Ying knew that all the monsters in the mountains were controlled by the Wuzhi, and she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to summon enough… spirits.

Looking up at the sky, which wasn’t too late, Ti Ying swallowed her saliva. What if she opened her divine eye during the daylight to see if there were enough spirits?

Seeing spirits during the day… it shouldn’t be as frightening as at night, right?

Ti Ying secretly fell a few steps behind Jiang Xuehe, encouraging herself for a while. She recited the spell and opened her divine eye, bravely looking into the air between heaven and earth—

The foul breath and ghostly aura roared like a flood, enveloping Jiang Xuehe.

Densely packed, it blocked out the sky.

Countless ghosts crouched, followed, and stuck to the young man. When the divine eye opened, the black mist instantly swallowed him.

Ghosts were rampant—some listless, some crazy, some cold, some resentful—in great numbers, enough to cover the sky. Amidst the overwhelming ghostly aura, the only constant was their relentless pursuit of Jiang Xuehe.

As Jiang Xuehe walked, he was like a large clothes rack for ghosts.

Under the dense layers of ghostly shadows and black mist, Ti Ying couldn’t even see a single sleeve of his clearly.

—

Ti Ying’s whole body froze—Didn’t you say you were human?!