Chapter 341: Chapter 58: Damn it! Senior Sister Turns the Tables
“So Senior Sister, have you always categorically refused any invitation to go out for experience?” Ling Yunpo asked seriously.
“That…” An Zhisu sat in a chair, her legs together beneath her light green long dress, her slippers fidgeting with each other. She lowered her head in embarrassment and said, “Master once said that a Sword Immortal should not be hindered by trivial matters…”
“Did Master tell you to cut yourself off from your fellow Shushan disciples?” Ling Yunpo interrupted her.
An Zhisu hesitated, overwhelmed with shame.
Ling Yunpo showed a look of disappointment, chiding her with the frustration of someone who despairs at the failure of someone close to succeed:
“Senior Sister is the Chief Disciple at the Foundation Establishment Realm in Shushan, the foremost under the Golden Core. You ought to be able to call for action and be followed by disciples from various peaks… But look at our Qingluo Peak now, to what extent has it declined?”
An Zhisu lowered her head again, her eyes reddened as if she was about to cry.
“Senior Sister, you can’t avoid social interactions!” Ling Yunpo urged earnestly, “Nowadays, how many of the disciples from the various peaks do you know? Even among the top ranks of the Immortal Sword Ranking, only Lin Duanshan is familiar with you.”
“Duan Fenhai and I became closer because we have interacted more in recent years. Guan Shanyue has some quirks, but he’s not impossible to befriend. Senior Sister, why…”
“Enough!” An Zhisu finally couldn’t stand it, flared up in annoyed embarrassment, and grabbed Ling Yunpo for a hug, her hands kneading his cheeks as she said seriously, “I got it, you don’t have to say any more. If the junior brother keeps being preachy, you’ll end up like an old woman.”
“But…” Caught in the embrace of warmth and tenderness, Ling Yunpo still tried to struggle, “If Senior Sister continues like this, I can’t…”
“Junior brother.” An Zhisu tried to look commanding, “I am still your Senior Sister!”
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Ling Yunpo: ………
It was too much for him.
His willpower started to scatter, forcing him to muster the last bit of strength to insist:
“Senior Sister, you will regret this.”
Whether An Zhisu regretted it at that moment, Ling Yunpo truly didn’t know, but he himself quickly felt regret.
Because suddenly the voice of Duan Fenhai came from outside:
“Junior Brother Ling, I’ve brought people over, why is this door open…”
He barged in casually and, seeing the two hastily separate, turned around silently and stepped out of the door.
“What’s wrong, Brother Duan?” Sima Changyan was waiting outside and hurried over to ask.
“Nothing,” Duan Fenhai said after a moment of silence, “They were cultivating.”
“Cultivating?” Sima Changyan exclaimed in surprise.
“The cultivation of the Sentiment Inquiry Path, don’t ask too much,” Duan Fenhai waved his hand dismissively.
Sima Changyan knew to leave it at that and immediately fell silent.
After a short while, Ling Yunpo and An Zhisu came out of the residence, both neatly dressed with their hair properly arranged, clearly having tidied themselves up.
“Brother Duan.” Ling Yunpo urged, fearing that he would ask further, “How about we discuss that secret realm?”
“The secret realm is in Xiangxi,” Duan Fenhai replied, “We’ll talk on the way.”
The four of them flew off on their swords, leaving the territory of Shushan and heading eastward along the river.
It was only on the journey that Ling Yunpo learned that the secret realm was discovered by Sima Changyan, deep in the mountains of a certain Miao Village in Xiangxi.
Upon entering, they could see tall ancient trees everywhere, along with numerous snakes, insects, rodents, and ants—an amount significantly greater than that of a normal primeval forest.
Sima Changyan killed several and discovered that they were all poisonous. Sensing the deadly danger within, he dared not explore alone and instead returned to the mountain to call for reinforcements, eventually finding Duan Fenhai.
“Poisonous?” Ling Yunpo asked in surprise, “Both you and I have undergone Marrow Cleansing. Ordinary poisons shouldn’t affect us, right? Even if we accidentally ingest arsenic or cinnabar, we can just force it out with our True Yuan.”
“Junior Brother Ling, what you don’t know is that these toxins seem to be able to contaminate True Yuan,” Sima Changyan said with a smile, “They are similar to Demon Cult magical treasures, possessing a tremendous ability to defile and pollute.”
Everyone’s expression turned solemn.
If the poison targeted not the flesh but the True Yuan, that would be a bit troublesome.
As is well known, the True Yuan of Daoist practitioners flows in the meridians like ‘great rivers and endless streams’.
In the case of such a toxin, it would be akin to pouring red dye into a river, swiftly spreading contamination throughout the entire expanse of water.
Ordinary poisons, a cultivator can force out with True Yuan, but these toxins can infect True Yuan. If the expulsion rate is slower than the spread, then the more you try to force it out, the more it spreads.
“As I see it, there are only a few solutions,” summarized Sima Changyan, “First, don’t get bitten by those snakes and insects.”
“Second, bring more elixirs that can promote the recovery of True Yuan. Because once poisoned, you will need to sacrifice the contaminated True Yuan, and the consumption is indeed too great.”
“Third…”
At this point, he glanced at Duan Fenhai.
Duan Fenhai immediately understood and asked Ling Yunpo:
“Junior Brother Ling, last time in Langgan Cave, it seemed you had a certain resistance to toxins?”
“Uh,” Ling Yunpo paused, then recalled, “Indeed.”
His physique was that of Innate Sword Bone, with naturally unobstructed and smooth-flowing meridians throughout his body, without any dead spots; therefore, his True Yuan flowed faster than that of ordinary people.
Though he was not immune to toxins, he was able to expel them more quickly after being poisoned, without worrying about the residue lingering in any bodily dead spots.
“Deep within that forest of giant trees, I saw vast green miasma and faint Spiritual Light,” Sima Changyan replied, “If someone has resistance to toxins, they should be able to explore inside… Of course, the specifics will have to wait until we get there.”
“Indeed,” Duan Fenhai joined the conversation, “Ordinary miasma, of course, is not worth touching. But what if there’s something valuable hidden in it?”
“If there could be treasures, I might be willing to take the risk,” Ling Yunpo was somewhat moved and had just spoken half a sentence when Senior Sister An cut in decisively:
“No! We don’t know the potency of the miasma’s poison; how can you casually agree to go in and face the danger?”
“We can check the potency of the poison when we get there…” Ling Yunpo had only uttered half a sentence when An Zhisu interjected again, “Besides, miasma can obscure the line of sight and Divine Sense. If there’s some creature inside that grabs you, what will we do waiting outside?”
The group fell silent, realizing that Ling Yunpo’s sudden disappearance after leaving the Misty Forest last time had left a psychological shadow on An Zhisu.
Duan Fenhai then brokered peace:
“Senior Sister An is right. However, if Junior Brother Ling just explores the periphery, staying within our line of sight at all times, there shouldn’t be any issues, right?”
An Zhisu pondered for a moment before saying:
“How about I go in with Junior Brother? Even if there are creatures hiding in the miasma, I can help handle them.”
“Senior Sister, you don’t have resistance to toxins, how could you endure for a long time in the miasma?” Ling Yunpo said with a laugh, “It would be better to let me…”
“Listen to me!” An Zhisu scowled, authoritatively declaring, “I am still your Senior Sister!”