Chapter 6: The Merciless Five Poisons (5)

Chen Da was knocked unconscious. Ti Ying looked up and saw, at the other end of the narrow cave, the young man in dark clothing.

He never took off his hood; even with such chaos erupting in the cave, he remained perfectly calm, betraying not a hint of panic.

In the biting wind, though the talisman could shield them from the monsters’ detection, it could not ward off that chilling song that seeped through the darkness.

Ti Ying tried to comfort herself: They’re monsters, not ghosts. Monsters, not ghosts. Monsters, not ghosts.

She steadied her nerves.

She stood, stepped around Chen Da, and sat down beside Jiang Xuehe, gently tugging at the young man’s sleeve.

The boy looked down at her. Ti Ying bit her lip and suddenly opened her palm, revealing a few crumbs of cake, which she offered up to him.

She stammered, “I... I have a little left, I couldn’t bear to share with the hunter. Senior brother, you can have it.”

Jiang Xuehe was momentarily taken aback. Was she trying to win his favor?

Jiang Xuehe shook his hood. “I’m not hungry. You eat it.”

His tolerance only made Ti Ying more suspicious.

After all, it was her own carelessness with the Jade Tablet that had landed them in the clutches of such a formidable Wuzhi Hui. She and Jiang Xuehe barely knew each other, yet he showed no anger at all? Was he really as blameless as he seemed?

Could it be that he, too, was not entirely innocent?

Ti Ying had always been a bit devious, and it came naturally to her to judge others by her own standards.

So she asked, “Senior brother, you’re not surprised at all. Did you already know that there was a Wuzhi Hui in the Poisonwood Forest? Is that why you came?”

Jiang Xuehe replied gently, “Not exactly.”

—He had come for her.

But with the Poisonwood Forest so perilous, and wanting to observe the character and skill of his young junior sister, he had no intention of revealing himself to her just yet.

Moreover... Jiang Xuehe thought, given his own peculiar circumstances, that it would do her no good to recognize him. Once his second junior brother came to fetch her, he would quietly depart, his duty fulfilled. There was no need for Ti Ying to know that he was her eldest senior brother.

Ti Ying’s eyes widened suspiciously, just as she was about to voice more doubts.

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

Ti Ying was startled.

She thought of her own secret... and suppressed her displeasure, nodding.

She stuffed the cake crumbs into her mouth and chewed them away. Her sweet, crisp voice was muffled by the food: “I caused this mess, but I won’t drag you down with me. You can stay here in the cave. Tomorrow I’ll take Chen Da down the mountain and then handle the Wuzhi Hui myself.

“When I’m done, I’ll come back for you, senior brother!”

Jiang Xuehe replied with a calm expression, “And how does junior sister plan to deal with the Wuzhi Hui?”

Ti Ying spoke boldly, “I’ll kill it.”

Jiang Xuehe thought: With your meager skills?

Could she be hiding her true talents? Had their master taught her something formidable that she had yet to display these past days?

As he pondered this, he looked up suddenly, and through the silken veil, met the girl’s eyes—clear as black jade.

Those eyes glimmered, shining with a watery light.

She looked like an obedient kitten, curled up by his side, blinking those pitifully endearing feline eyes... The cat wasn’t asking him to do anything, but her gaze was fixed on him.

Jiang Xuehe suddenly understood.

Perhaps he had spent too long in solitude, too long without meeting another living soul... After all, a junior sister of his own must be humored.

So Jiang Xuehe humored her, saying, “It should be slain, yes. But how could I let you face this alone? We entered the Poisonwood Forest together, and now that the Wuzhi Hui has found us, it would be wrong for me to shirk responsibility. I am willing to face this together with you, junior sister.”

Ti Ying was indeed pleased by this answer.

Even through the veil, he could see her eyes sparkling brilliantly, as luminous as sunlight breaking through ice and snow.

Jiang Xuehe looked away.

Ti Ying, her spirits revived, let her crooked logic return: “That’s right. We got into this mess together, so of course we should face it together. You’re not entirely blameless either...”

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

—Was she really blaming him for her own failure to read the Jade Tablet carefully?

Ti Ying, with cake crumbs on her cheek, replied, “We were assigned one Jade Tablet per pair, and you insisted on handing it over to me. You didn’t read it yourself, expected me to do it. Even if I misread a word, isn’t that partly your fault too?”

Jiang Xuehe was left speechless.

Ti Ying poked his arm with her finger.

Jiang Xuehe lowered his gaze to her lips. “I was at fault.”

Ti Ying looked at him in surprise, a little flustered herself. She coughed and returned to the matter at hand—

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

Jiang Xuehe glanced at the unconscious young hunter on the ground.

“He should be a mortal,” he said.

Ti Ying felt relieved. “I thought so too...”

If Chen Da was indeed an ordinary man, her plan would work.

The Poisonwood Forest was truly unnerving... Ti Ying kept her head down, speaking quietly, “And you’re human too, not something else... right?”

Jiang Xuehe didn’t understand, so he stayed silent.

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

Jiang Xuehe understood now and replied, “I’m human.”

Ti Ying relaxed and looked up, and the poised youth suddenly bent down, the edge of his sleeve brushing her lips and wiping away the cake crumbs.

His voice was soft as drifting sand, “I’m just changing position—sitting too long.”

The sleeve brushed her cheek and parted instantly. Ti Ying shivered, her fingers’ fire extinguished, and she sat dumbstruck in the dark.

Jiang Xuehe wore black, hooded robes. Ti Ying was young and did not know what it meant for a gentleman to be charming. She only, in that instant, forgot what she had meant to say, and thought for a fleeting moment that he was 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 of the Poisonwood Forest all survived by leaning on the power of the Wuzhi Hui.

If Chen Da was indeed colluding with those hunting her—she could not let her place in the Jade Capital Sect be jeopardized. She would use Chen Da, the mortal, to draw out her pursuers and lure them into the Poisonwood Forest, where they would wear each other down against the Wuzhi Hui’s power.

Once the pursuers died and the Wuzhi Hui’s strength was spent, she would strike while it was weak—she would take its life and eliminate the Wuzhi Hui.

If she did not, neither she nor her mysterious senior brother would ever leave the Poisonwood Forest. But if she succeeded, the Jade Capital Sect would look on her with new favor, and she could use this merit to apprentice herself to her chosen master and learn true skills.

Perhaps the Wuzhi Hui was pitiful—but so was she. Pitying a monster was a luxury she could not afford.

Thus, at dawn, when Chen Da opened his eyes, he was greeted by the smiling face of a young immortal.

The little immortal spoke gently, “My senior brother and I have discussed it. We’ll escort you down the mountain first, and then return to deal with the Wuzhi Hui. With us here, the Wuzhi Hui shouldn’t stop you from leaving.”

Chen Da asked, “...What happened?”

Ti Ying replied, “I was suddenly overcome by kindness and couldn’t bear to involve a mortal in our troubles. My senior brother and I may not escape the Wuzhi Hui’s clutches, but you still have a chance to survive.”

Chen Da said nothing.

He glanced at the hooded youth.

The hooded youth only stood tall and silent, as if agreeing with his junior sister’s words.

Naturally, Chen Da had no other choice.

—

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

After a long night, even in daylight, the sky above the woods was a bleak, smoky gray.

Specters and monsters flitted through the forest, sometimes appearing suddenly, sometimes launching surprise attacks, only to be beaten back by Ti Ying.

Ti Ying grew anxious: more minor demons were appearing even by day, and their strength seemed to be growing. Perhaps after another night, the Wuzhi Hui would dare show itself openly.

It must be dealt with tonight.

As the three made their way through the rugged woods, they heard that eerie song.

Several times, a red bridal gown, carried by monsters, suddenly appeared at the end of the path; behind the branches, a blood-soaked bridal palanquin stood waiting.

Monsters with no pupils pursued them, chanting, “Red silk shoes, blood-red bridal gown, weep for your parents. Ride the bridal palanquin, jostle along, the mountain road is rough and the night is long, bride, don’t look back...”

If they failed to catch the bride, the palanquin would follow relentlessly.

Such sights now appeared even in daylight, turning Chen Da’s face deathly pale.

Ti Ying, too, was afraid.

A sleeve reached out.

Ti Ying, startled by sudden movements, flinched—but this sleeve was not like that of the bark demon from the other night.

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

Ti Ying grew petulant. “I don’t like sleeves.”

Jiang Xuehe was silent for a while.

Instead of his sleeve, Ti Ying found herself holding the youth’s hand.

No one but her former master had ever held her hand before.

Ti Ying froze, trying to look down, but his sleeve still blocked her view—she could only feel the rough, scarred skin, so different from her former master, and nothing like bark.

His palm closed around hers, cool to the touch. Ti Ying’s fingers fidgeted, wanting to explore, but her wrist was gently tapped in warning... Her heart flushed hot, and just then she stumbled over a branch.

Jiang Xuehe murmured, “Watch your step.”

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

Jiang Xuehe said nothing.

Ti Ying added, “Once we’re out of the Poisonwood Forest, I’ll find you some ointment. Your hand will heal nicely then.”

Jiang Xuehe was momentarily stunned, and fell silent.

Only the sound of rustling leaves and footsteps could be heard in the woods.

Chen Da, teeth aching from the display, couldn’t help but glance back at the pair: Had he stumbled upon a pair of young lovers?

—

As expected, the Wuzhi Hui only blocked their way forward, not their retreat.

The two escorted Chen Da all the way to the foot of the mountain, where the path truly appeared, winding its way out of the forest.

Ti Ying bid Chen Da farewell, but as he turned to leave, she swiftly slapped a talisman onto his back—a Shadow-Splitting Talisman.

When stuck to a person, this talisman would carry Ti Ying’s aura and, upon encountering others, would rush to them, allowing her to track their movements.

Ti Ying was not yet proficient with this spell, but with the Poisonwood Forest’s cover, it should conceal her from those people.

If Chen Da was truly in league with her pursuers, and they believed she might die at the hands of the Wuzhi Hui, they would not be able to wait any longer and would soon enter the Poisonwood Forest themselves. After all, they wanted her alive, not just her corpse.

Perhaps Ti Ying’s expression was a bit grim, for Jiang Xuehe asked, “Junior sister?”

Ti Ying immediately looked up. “Senior brother, let’s go make the other preparations, so we can deal with... mmm.”

He surmised she meant the Wuzhi Hui, but that she feared the monsters might overhear, so she didn’t say the name aloud.

—

Ti Ying led Jiang Xuehe through the Poisonwood Forest.

Jiang Xuehe maintained their protective wards, fending off the ambushing minor monsters; Ti Ying set up arrays in several locations, claiming that come nightfall, these would help her kill the Wuzhi Hui.

They trudged through the deep woods, one uneven step after another. Ti Ying finally breathed easier.

Good. Once she dealt with the pursuers, she would have to face the Wuzhi Hui. Ti Ying knew her own limits: if she wanted to kill the Wuzhi Hui, she would have to use her most gifted technique—the Great Dream Incantation.

But after reading the Jade Tablet, Ti Ying knew that all the monsters in the mountain were under the Wuzhi Hui’s dominion, and she feared she might not be able to summon enough spirits...

Glancing up, she saw that it was still early. Ti Ying swallowed: Perhaps, while it’s still daylight, I should open my spirit eyes and see if there are enough spirits around?

Seeing spirits in the day... shouldn’t be as frightening as at night, right?

Ti Ying quietly fell a few steps behind Jiang Xuehe, took a deep breath to steel herself, then recited the incantation and formed the hand seals, opening her spirit eyes and forcing herself to peer into the currents of heaven and earth—

Foul miasma and ghostly energy surged like a flood, enveloping Jiang Xuehe ahead.

Dense, endless, blotting out the sky.

Countless ghosts crouched and crept, clinging to the youth. The moment her spirit eyes opened, the black mist swallowed him whole.

Tens of thousands of ghosts, some inert, some deranged, some icy cold, some deeply bitter, in such numbers as to blot out the sky. Beneath the oppressive gloom, the only constant was their relentless pursuit—they followed Jiang Xuehe, never letting go.

As Jiang Xuehe walked, he was like a grand rack hung with ghostly garments.

Surrounded by layer upon layer of shadowy specters and black mist, Ti Ying could no longer see even a corner of his sleeve.

—

Ti Ying felt her blood run cold—Didn’t you say you were human?!