Chapter 136: How can we possibly get past this?

Tuan Tuan furrowed her little brows, toxic miasma? What is that?

Gongsun Zhi glanced at Xue Jin: "This prince is thirsty."

Xue Jin was taken aback; wasn't he just about to leave?

Gongsun Zhi glanced at him, Xue Jin lowered his head: "Please, Your Highness, come inside for tea."

Having said that, he personally led the way, respectfully inviting Gongsun Zhi into the valley.

Mo Zhanggeng watched their retreating backs, baffled: "How strange! Has Sacred Medicine Valley been sold to Da Xia? Why does Xue Jin obey this Da Xia prince so completely?"

Xiao Ze and Xiao Er exchanged a glance, equally puzzled.

Tuan Tuan ran to stand between them, grabbing one with each hand, pulling them into the valley: "Come on! Let's go find that leaf! Uncle Wang is still waiting for us!"

She turned her head to look at the white-clad youth who had just blocked the road: "Hey, gatekeeper! Where is the valley bottom?"

The youth's face was expressionless; he raised a hand and pointed toward a direction inside the valley: "Go that way, straight ahead." Having said that, he turned and left with his companion.

Xiao Er watched their retreating backs and snorted coldly: "The disciples of Sacred Medicine Valley are really full of themselves!"

No one noticed that on the high cliff behind them, a cold gaze fixed firmly on that small figure.

The group headed toward the valley floor, and the surrounding scenery gradually came alive.

Everywhere was filled with the scent of earth and the fresh fragrance of grasses and flowers; the verdant moss beside the path spread like a carpet, dotted with unknown white little mushrooms, adorable.

Spring water gathered into slender streams, tinkling as they flowed; along the banks, countless plants thrived in the sunlight.

Red, pink, purple, yellow, blue… truly a riot of colors, too beautiful to take in.

Tuan Tuan was like a little mouse that had fallen into a rice bin, completely frolicking, her eyes couldn't keep up.

After a moment she hopped to the left, "Wow, this is pretty!" She plucked a pale yellow flower, held it to her nose to sniff, then happily gripped it in her hand.

A moment later she jumped to the right, "Huh, this smells nice!" She then grabbed a bunch of blue flowers and continued to hold them.

Having gathered many, she occasionally raised her hand and waved at the adults behind her: "Look! I have this many!"

Xiao Ze and Mo Zhanggeng watched her with smiles, while Xiao Er followed closely at her heels.

The deeper they went, the dimmer the light became.

It was eerily quiet all around, even the sounds of insects and birds fading away, as a cloying smell that made heads swim began to permeate the air.

"Miss! Stop!" Xiao Er grabbed Tuan Tuan.

Everyone stopped and looked ahead; not far off, a varicolored mist surged like a living thing, completely blocking the path forward.

Xiao Er said: "What a strong smell! This must be the toxic miasma Xue Jin mentioned."

Mo Zhanggeng's expression grew grave as he took out a porcelain bottle from his bosom: "This is Miasma-Repelling Pill; hold it in your mouth, it can last about an hour. We must go in and out quickly, fight fast and decide fast."

Having said that, he tipped out one pill, placed it in his own mouth, then passed the bottle to Xiao Er, indicating that Xiao Er and Tuan Tuan should do the same.

Tuan Tuan twitched her little nose like a puppy: "What smell? Is that fog ahead the toxic miasma? It looks pretty!" Having said that, she took a few steps forward.

"Miss!" Xiao Er, who had just placed the pill in his mouth, hadn't noticed—Tuan Tuan had already walked into the mist.

"Tuan Tuan!" Xiao Ze and Mo Zhanggeng rushed over.

Suddenly, both of their footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

All three widened their eyes in disbelief at what lay before them: the thick, five-colored toxic miasma, upon encountering Tuan Tuan, acted as if meeting its nemesis, parting on its own and swirling around her without cease.

Xiao Ze furrowed his brows: "Could it be that this toxic miasma is merely a bluff to keep people from intruding, actually harmless?"

He glanced at Mo Zhanggeng and Xiao Er; Xiao Er shook his head and spread his hands, indicating he didn't know.

Mo Zhanggeng pointed at the miasma, then at his own mouth, making it clear: we've all got the pill in our mouths, you go give it a try.

Tuan Tuan turned her head, looking puzzled: "You're not coming in?"

Xiao Ze let out a snort: "This old geezer!"

He gathered his inner breath, held his breath, and stepped into the miasma.

As soon as he entered, he felt something rushing toward his nose and mouth as if trying to bore in; he couldn't help lifting his hand to cover it, but as soon as his hand touched his face, an unbearable itch struck, and he began to sneeze, "achoo, achoo."

This sneeze flung his mouth and nose wide open; the toxic miasma rushed in, blocking his breath. Xiao Ze turned to leave, but his limbs went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

"Third Elder Brother!" Tuan Tuan rushed to his side; the toxic miasma instantly receded like a tide, circling around the two of them, not daring to approach, and Xiao Ze gradually recovered.

Mo Zhanggeng and Xiao Er hurried over; as they approached, the miasma likewise coiled around them, but since they held the Miasma-Repelling Pill in their mouths, the miasma, though tightly entwined, could not enter through nose or mouth.

The four regrouped, astonished to find that the toxic miasma avoided them, swirling around the four just as it had earlier circled Tuan Tuan.

Tuan Tuan also found it strange: "Huh, why does this lovely mist avoid me?"

She glanced at the flowers she had been holding all along, opened her arms, and jabbed the bouquet at the miasma; the miasma promptly dispersed once more.

"Ah! I get it now! It's these flowers! They're afraid of flowers!"

Upon hearing this, Mo Zhanggeng patted Tuan Tuan's little shoulder, reached out and took the flower bundle, examining each stem carefully, then suddenly turned his head to look back along the path they had come, his eyes lighting up as he spat out the pill from his mouth: "Now I understand!"

"These blue flowers are the bane of this toxic miasma! No wonder the classics say, within three steps there must be an antidote—indeed true."

He rubbed Tuan Tuan's little head: "My disciple, why is your luck always so good? I bet even that little rascal Xue Jin doesn't know this."

Tuan Tuan laughed happily.

Mo Zhanggeng plucked two blue flowers and carefully inserted them into Tuan Tuan's hair: "Really pretty!"

Then he divided the rest among them: "Don't put them on your own chest."

"All right! This time we don't need to worry about the time limit; as long as the flowers remain, the miasma can't harm us! Let's go!"

The group strolled leisurely through the miasma, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.

Xiao Ze furrowed his brow: "How can we possibly get past this?"

It turned out to be a massive subterranean chasm lying ahead, blocking the way forward.

Opposite were sheer cliffs, a cave mouth faintly visible, while beneath their feet lay a bottomless black abyss, cold wind blowing upward, billowing their garments.

Xiao Ze gazed at the heavenly chasm before him: "No way forward?"

Xiao Er estimated the distance, shook his head: "With this gap, even lightness kung fu can't get across."

Mo Zhanggeng then examined the smooth-as-mirror cliff on both sides, reached out and touched it, shook his head and sighed: "No, the cliff wall is wet and slippery, cannot be climbed. No wonder Xue Jin that brat agreed to let us in; he figured we couldn't possibly get it."