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Chapter: The Villagers Extracting Toxins
Ji Zichen untied A-Jiao, who, seeing the two outsiders before her and realizing they had saved her, kindly said, "You should go back the way you came. You can't go any further."
Ji Zichen stared suspiciously at A-Jiao and asked, "Why not?"
A-Jiao replied straightforwardly, "This is the Toxic Barrier Forest. Once the sun sets, the toxic barrier emerges. The mist is filled with toxins from the saliva of Long-Billed Mutant Swallows. Prolonged exposure can cause vomiting at best, or fainting and death at worst."
Ji Zichen was unfazed by this information, as he had consumed the Three Transformation Cultivation Pill and was immune to all poisons. The toxic mist in the ruins was far more potent than that of the Golden Swallow. Although Ji Zichen was not afraid of the Golden Swallow's saliva toxins, Lin Chuyu was different. Upon hearing about the toxins in the mist, she became frightened and said, "But I don't smell anything unusual in the mist."
A-Jiao explained, "The toxins are colorless and odorless. The mist has just begun to form; you won't feel any discomfort yet. But as night deepens, the toxins will become more intense. You should leave quickly."
Ji Zichen understood that Lin Chuyu's constitution was different from his own. He said, "We came from the Mountain Valley near Banyan Grove. There's no way back for us now. Since you are a local villager, do you have a shortcut to help us get out?"
A-Jiao recognized the Mountain Valley Ji Zichen mentioned and gasped, "You came from the Cornerstone Secret Passage? What happened there? I heard a huge noise."
Ji Zichen replied, "The cave collapsed."
A-Jiao's expression changed dramatically. "Collapsed! What are we going to do now?"
Ji Zichen did not realize how important that secret passage was to the villagers. He said, "The collapse is severe; it won't be passable for months. So what if it collapsed? What does it matter?"
A-Jiao anxiously muttered to herself, "How could a perfectly good secret passage collapse?"
Lin Chuyu glanced at Ji Zichen, who understood her meaning. He asked A-Jiao, "Can you lead us out of here?"
A-Jiao sighed, "As the night deepens, the toxins grow stronger. If you continue traveling through the Toxic Barrier Forest, you will die. How about this: come back to the village with me and we can leave tomorrow."
She took out a black scarf from her pocket and said, "This is a specially made anti-poison scarf. I don't have any extras, so you can share it."
Ji Zichen took the scarf and handed it to Lin Chuyu. "Put this on."
Lin Chuyu did not take the scarf. She said, "You wear it first; I can hold my breath for a few minutes."
Ji Zichen smiled and replied, "But we're walking on a mountain path, not swimming in water." She stepped forward to help tie it around Lin Chuyu's head, speaking softly in her ear, "I've taken the Three Transformation Cultivation Pill, so I'm immune to all poisons."
As Ji Zichen tied the scarf for her in a very intimate manner, Lin Chuyu's heart raced. She stared at Ji Zichen with shy eyes and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "I can tie it myself."
Ji Zichen chuckled, "Alright then."
Seeing their affectionate interaction, A-Jiao guessed they were either a couple or newlyweds rather than siblings. Her face flushed as she turned away, thinking to herself, "He's not bad; he didn't fight her for the scarf to save his own life."
Suddenly, A-Jiao pulled out another black scarf from her pocket and handed it to Ji Zichen. "Put this on."
Ji Zichen was taken aback. "You don't mean—"
Before Ji Zichen could finish her sentence, A-Jiao interrupted, "I only have one black scarf. I was just testing your character. You didn't take the scarf for yourself; that shows you're a good person."
Ji Zichen couldn't help but smile bitterly to herself. "I saved her life but instead of earning her trust, I've ended up being tested."
Unable to resist asking, Ji Zichen inquired, "What if I had put it on myself? Would you have killed me?"
"This is the Toxic Barrier Forest; there's no need for me to take action," A-Jiao said.
"Does that mean I've passed the test? You can safely take us back to the village now, right?" Ji Zichen replied.
A-Jiao narrowed her eyes, a smile hidden beneath her black veil. "Let's go."
Leading them through the mist, A-Jiao moved effortlessly while Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu struggled to find their way. The three of them walked in a line, with Ji Zichen bringing up the rear. She leaned closer to Lin Chuyu and whispered, "Does the Vermilion Bird Pearl have any danger warnings?"
Lin Chuyu shook her head slightly and replied softly, "No, she means us no harm."
Still unconvinced, Ji Zichen worried about the villagers' intentions. She reminded Lin Chuyu, "Once we reach the village, let me know if the Vermilion Bird Pearl gives any warnings."
Lin Chuyu nodded. "I understand."
A-Jiao was aware that they were whispering behind her, but she didn't mind as long as they kept up. Turning to Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu, she said, "Once we return to the village, you two can stay at my house. Don't wander around; the villagers aren't fond of outsiders."
Lin Chuyu didn't want to cause trouble either. "We won't go out carelessly; you can rest assured. But how vast is this mist? When will we be able to get out?"
A-Jiao responded, "We can't get out. As long as it remains dark, the toxic mist won't disperse. The village is shrouded in it as well; we can't remove our veils anywhere except inside a house."
Lin Chuyu clicked her tongue in disbelief. "If you know this place is toxic, why don't you leave?"
A-Jiao replied with a hint of curiosity, "Leave? Where would we go? No place is safer than the Toxic Barrier Forest. It's precisely because of the toxic mist that our village remains undisturbed. There are no Demon Beasts here; they fear the mist. There are also no bandits or robbers; they too are afraid of it. Plus, we won't be affected by wars."
Ji Zichen sensed something was off. "But what do you eat? A place that generates toxic mist at night must not be suitable for farming or raising livestock."
A-Jiao nodded, seemingly praising Ji Zichen for having some insight. "Our village is called Jinsi Village. We make a living by extracting venom from the Long-Billed Mutant Swallow. In the past, there was no toxic fog here. However, as the extraction of venom increased, the environmental damage became irreparable. Back in my day, many people would come to the village to buy the venom, usually for hunting or pest control."
"We used to extract only mild toxins. Did you see the rotting trees when you passed by Banyan Grove?"
Lin Chuyu nodded. "Yes, I did. Were those caused by the toxins?"
"Yes," A-Jiao replied. "Those are caused by high-level toxins. I remember a time when I could go out without wearing a mask. Now, I can only breathe outside for long periods if I wear one. Since seven years ago, the toxic fog has become too heavy; I haven't seen the moon or stars since then. This fog appeared after we started extracting high-level toxins."
Lin Chuyu gasped in shock. "Then you should stop extracting high-level toxins!"
A-Jiao shook her head. "It's too late; stopping now won't help. Nothing can be grown here, and we can't raise any livestock either. If we stop extracting high-level toxins, then the Cornerstone City Lord won't be able to produce the Golden Silk Bottle, and we won't receive any food supplies."
Lin Chuyu was taken aback. "The Golden Silk Bottle is made by your village!"
Ji Zichen asked, "What is the Golden Silk Bottle?"
Lin Chuyu sighed in frustration. "I'm so foolish; how could I forget? My father..." She quickly corrected herself, "I mean, the Cornerstone City Lord has a type of Golden Silk Bottle that turns into blood upon impact with a person. I've heard of it but have never seen it."
Upon hearing this, Ji Zichen felt a wave of panic wash over her. "I hope her father doesn't use such things against General Xiang and his men."
The three of them stopped on a slope, and A-Jiao pointed down at the lights faintly visible through the mist. "We're almost there; that's the village."
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