Qingning, in a daze, stumbled back to the Third Peak. The entire journey, her mind was filled with the pharmacology knowledge her junior uncle had force-fed her. His handsome face contorted, each character he'd stuffed into her head transformed into dark, winding patterns that clung stubbornly to his features, making him look detestable.
The tiny spark of courage she had managed to muster was no match for this tempestuous onslaught. With a thunderous roar, not only was the spark extinguished, but the entire candle was swallowed whole.
Qingning had entered Yaowang Valley at the age of five. She had lived within the valley for over a decade, growing up on the Third Peak. Although familiar with everything in the valley, her knowledge was limited.
Ji Cheng and Ji Feng had joined the sect sequentially, one mature and steady, the other lively and playful.
The sect had not taken in many disciples. Apart from Ji Cheng, Ji Feng, and Ji Wu, there had been a female disciple. However, Qingning had only heard fleeting mentions of her senior aunt from her master. Her master himself was not very clear, only stating that he had heard some things from Senior Uncle Ji Cheng, whom he had never met.
Qing Yuan knew even less. After finishing the soup, she took the pot away. Qingning had run off, and she followed suit, fearing that her junior uncle might suddenly turn his attention towards her.
Her little head was filled with thoughts of delicious food; as for pharmacology and medical skills, they had long since been thrown to the winds.
After Qingning and Qing Yuan, the Poison Elder brewed a pot of tea. The master and disciple sat by the warm stove. The Poison Elder casually grabbed a handful of seeds from the nut box, sipping tea and cracking seeds, asking Nan Shiying if she had any gains from her expedition into the mountains.
Nan Shiying lifted her herb basket and, from beneath a bundle of herbs, produced a glass bottle. She placed the bottle on the table.
Different types of herbs required different methods of preservation. Ordinary herbs could be uprooted and placed anywhere. However, some herbs needed to be stored in a sealed environment or in specific containers. Glass bottles were generally used for herbs with potent toxicity.
Nan Shiying pried open the lid, and the Poison Elder quickly glanced inside.
"Luosha Manduo Luo?"
"Where did you find it?"
"Under the stream at the back of the Third Peak."
Nan Shiying closed the lid again, her finger tapping on the bottle cap. Compared to the Poison Elder's somewhat serious expression, her face remained largely unreadable. Only the slight droop at the corner of her eyes and her eyelashes brushing against her lower eyelids added a touch of shadow.
Luosha Manduo Luo was a type of Manduo Luo. Compared to ordinary Manduo Luo, Luosha Manduo Luo possessed a far more potent toxicity. This flower typically bloomed only in mass graves.
It was a flower nurtured by blood and flesh.
How could such a flower appear in Yaowang Valley?
"Were there any skeletons under the stream?"
He pressed.
Nan Shiying shook her head, "I don't know!"
"Hmm?"
The Poison Elder's eyes widened in surprise, then he understood, pointing to her sleeve, "Did it pick it?"
Nan Shiying nodded.
As if to confirm, she took out a wooden box from her embrace and, after opening the lid, said, "The other one found this."
Upon seeing the碎石块 (suì shí kuài - fragments of stone) lying quietly in the box, the Poison Elder's brow furrowed.
She would certainly not place an ordinary stone in a wooden box and then open it for him to see. This stone was undoubtedly extraordinary. And of all the extraordinary stones in this world, the only ones that piqued her interest were meteorites.
The treasures within the mountains of their Yaowang Valley were truly varied and abundant!
The Empress's body remained unfound; information about Nan Shiying's birth mother could not be uncovered; those coveting Nirvana remained elusive, and he couldn't even investigate the cause of his master's death. This trip to Yaowang Valley had been incredibly frustrating.
From another perspective, Yaowang Valley was like a dense ocean, a body of water with extreme density. Some things could sink to the seabed, while others could only float on the surface their entire lives, allowing one to glimpse only what was on the water's surface. Below, looking down, one could only see their own reflection.
...
A rustling sound echoed through the dark, silent night. Nan Shiying opened her eyes and sprang from the bed.
She flicked her finger, sending out a gust of wind that relit the extinguished candle. In the moment the candlelight illuminated the room, she saw dense swarms of poisonous creatures.
The Five Poisons.
Snakes, scorpions, centipedes, geckos, and toads!
The Five Poisons crawled into the room through cracks in the door and windows.
The azure snake flicked its tongue, coiling around the edge of the bed, its head held high. Its vertically slit pupils reflected the dense mass of poisonous creatures. It showed no fear. Being a poisonous creature itself, the poison in these creatures was like that of a common chicken or dog compared to it – utterly incapable of posing a threat.
A small gap was pushed open on the炉鼎 (lú dǐng - censer) placed on the table, and two pincers emerged, followed by a scorpion struggling to climb out.
It was a full two sizes larger than the scorpions that had crawled into the room, its barbed tail blacker and shinier.
Judging by their stance, they seemed intent on fighting against a hundred. Nan Shiying grasped the azure snake by its vulnerable spot, coiling it back around her wrist. She then placed her hands to her mouth and let out a whistle. The scorpion, which had been advancing aggressively with its pincers raised, paused slightly and then climbed back into the censer.
Nan Shiying stood up. Her bare, jade-like feet, with their tender toes, tapped on the bed. Her body, light as nothing, leaped onto the table and, in an instant, onto the cabinet beside it.
She gripped the cabinet with one hand and opened the cabinet door with the other, finding the powder to disperse the poisonous creatures.
The poisonous creatures were not darting about aimlessly like headless flies. They had a clear objective, circumventing the table and crawling towards the bedside cabinet beside the bed.
Nan Shiying's hand, holding the opened parchment, paused slightly.