Tong Lesheng was very talkative, always with a smile on his face. He looked no older than twenty-something. He said he had been a guide for several years.
On the rest of the journey, Tong Lesheng gave Lu Yuzhi and the others a brief introduction to the no-man's-land.
The forces in the no-man's-land were deeply intertwined. Many martial arts sects had their strongholds here. It was a mixed bag of all sorts of people, from various walks of life.
Initially, this area was a lawless territory. The surrounding countries didn't want it. Gradually, more and more martial artists began to flock here.
By the time those countries wanted to reassert control, they found it impossible to manage. Slowly, the no-man's-land became an independent martial force.
However, the no-man's-land also had its own rules: people within the zone were not allowed to arbitrarily trespass into other countries. If anyone caused trouble outside and brought trouble to the no-man's-land, their entire sect would be expelled.
It was precisely because of these rules that the various forces in the no-man's-land could maintain a semblance of peace on the surface.
The most famous forces in the no-man's-land were the Wuji Gate, the Thousand Poisons Sect, the Blood Robe Sect, the Three Saints Palace, and the Carefree Valley. Other smaller sects survived by attaching themselves to these major powers.
Recently, the relationship between the major forces had become very tense as they competed for leadership in the no-man's-land.
Therefore, many guides were unwilling to accept orders without cargo. The fee for a trip that used to be only a few dozen taels had now more than tripled.
After traveling for half a day, the group stopped on the barren ground by the roadside to prepare a meal.
"Ah! Why are there so many snakes?" As soon as Su Cuiping and the others got out of the carriage, they saw something wriggling in the grass.
When they peeked their heads out, they saw layers upon layers of snakes in the grass, constantly twisting. The horses were also startled, pacing restlessly nearby.
Su Muqing was also a little afraid of these slippery, soft-bodied creatures. She quickly raised her sleeve and blew a gust of wind, sending the piles of small snakes far away. Then she turned to calm the frightened horses.
"When you enter a house, greet people; when you enter a temple, worship the gods. You start by bullying my little darlings. Isn't that a bit unreasonable?" A sweet, girlish voice came from the woods.
Everyone looked up and saw a young girl in peculiar ethnic clothing jump down from a giant tree behind them. The girl was adorably cute, with a youthful face and a bit of baby fat.
She held a jade flute of a vibrant green color, and her entire body was adorned with silver bells that jingled with a clear, crisp sound. Whenever the bells rang, the coiled snakes would move along with them.
Seeing that the newcomer was the Saintess of the Thousand Poisons Sect, Tong Lesheng inwardly cursed his bad luck. How could he have encountered this capricious and difficult troublemaker! He could only hope they could escape safely today!
Tong Lesheng stepped forward, bowed, and said obsequiously, "I am Tong Lesheng, a guide from the Wanxiao Tower. Today, I am leading a few new travelers through. I didn't know you were training your pets here today, and I apologize for any offense. Please forgive us, Saintess. We will leave now."
Seeing that they intended to leave, the girl's playful nature took over. "Wait, you said they are new travelers? Then leave a few for me to play with! It will be an apology to my little darlings!"
Tong Lesheng's heart sank at the Saintess's words. He knew it wouldn't be so easy to resolve today. "Saintess, show mercy. Wanxiao Tower has always shown respect to the Thousand Poisons Sect. We hope the Saintess will be lenient and let us go this time."
The Saintess pointed at Leng Nuo, Leng Ren, and Lu Yuzhi. Then she pointed at Su Muqing. "I want that one, that one, and that white-haired one. Leave them to me as male consorts. As for that little girl, she's so pretty, I'll keep her to test my medicine! I want her face to be covered in festering pustules!"
Before they could speak, the girl said to Tong Lesheng again, "Stop talking! If you weren't from Wanxiao Tower, I wouldn't just keep a few. Alright! You take the others and go!"
"Saintess, my dear aunt, this cannot be done. They..." Tong Lesheng wanted to intercede for them, but the Saintess immediately changed her expression.
Hearing that the guide dared to refuse her repeatedly, the Saintess flung out a palm strike, sending him several meters away. He landed right beside Su Muqing's carriage.
Seeing Tong Lesheng spat blood from the Saintess's blow, Su Muqing quickly reached out to help him up. She didn't realize this action would further enrage the Saintess.
The Saintess extended her slender, fair wrist and opened her palm. Several extremely thin, pale green small snakes flew from her palm, rushing directly towards Su Muqing and Tong Lesheng's faces.
"Muqing!" Lu Yuzhi, seeing someone about to harm Su Muqing, quickly got up and ran towards her.
"Ah~" Su Cuiping also saw the woman's actions and couldn't help but let out a startled scream.
"Miss Qing..."
"Miss Qing..."
Tong Lesheng tried to raise his hand to shield them, but his ribs were broken, and the pain made it impossible for him to even lift his arm.
The small snakes were very close to them. Su Muqing clenched her palm in mid-air. With a "pop," the snakes were blown into a pulp!
"You dare! You killed my little green. I'll take your life." The Saintess, seeing her secret weapon fail to even get close to the girl and be so easily crushed, was furious and on the verge of exploding.
The jade flute flipped in her hand a few times, then she brought it to her lips. A moment later, a melodious and pleasant flute melody began to play.
The tune was beautiful and gentle, the sound clear and soothing. Lin Rongrong and Su Cuiping, unconsciously, became entranced by the music and gradually closed their eyes.
Even the third brother and the others felt a bit dizzy. This was only because they had consumed something from the spatial dimension, which had improved their bodies. Thus, it only affected their minds.
Lu Yuzhi, who was already poisoned, was not significantly affected by the poison sound technique. Su Muqing, having absorbed the spiritual energy from the spatial dimension, had fewer impurities in her body, and her internal energy became more refined, making her mind more steadfast. Therefore, the minor sound technique could hardly harm her.
Lu Yuzhi shouted to Leng Ren, who was slightly more awake, "This is the poison sound technique of the Thousand Poisons Sect. Quickly, strike their acupoints to induce sleep!"
Just then, countless poisonous snakes, scorpions, and insects swarmed out from all directions, crawling towards them densely. The sight was enough to send chills down one's spine!