Chapter 175: 175. Chapter 172: Meeting Elder Qu Again

175. Chapter 172: Meeting Elder Qu Again

Because they had previously been poisoned by the Cold Ghoul's illusionary toxin, both Elder Liu Yinzhu and Elder Gu Youchang constantly maintained clarity in their spiritual cores.

Moreover, each of them held a Soul-Returning Pill in their mouth.

Most people assumed Ding Huan was putting on an act before Elder Qu Yueshan, which was why he had entered the forest.

But Ding Huan's earlier premonition had been too accurate; after Elder Liu and Elder Gu followed him off the main road and into the forest, they had no choice but to follow him in.

Two hours later, Elder Liu Yinzhu of the Purple Mist Valley suddenly stopped:

"Everyone, halt."

"What's wrong, Elder Liu?" Ding Huan asked in confusion.

Ding Huan was the guide; if Elder Liu stopped, he naturally had to ask.

Elder Liu's facial expression turned grave:

"Ding Daoist, Elder Gu, have we been affected again by the Cold Ghoul's illusionary toxin? Look—we're standing right on the main road."

Until Elder Liu mentioned it, no one had noticed.

Once she pointed it out, everyone realized with horror that they were indeed standing in the middle of the main road.

They had encountered this once before—previously, they too thought they were on the main road, only to be attacked by the Cold Ghoul, losing more than half their number.

Now it was happening again—they had found themselves back on the main road.

Just moments ago, they had clearly followed Ding Huan into the forest; they should be deep within the woods, not standing on the road—that made no sense.

"Ding Daoist, what's going on?" Elder Gu was also uncertain now.

Ding Huan smiled inwardly—it was natural to circle back to the main road.

He wasn't Bai Chi; would he dare wander for long in the forest of Dahu Gorge?

"Elders, I'm not entirely sure, but I sense we're perfectly safe right now. So let's not dwell on it—just keep walking forward."

Ding Huan could only pretend ignorance.

Elder Liu sighed:

"Then we'll follow Ding Daoist's lead—we have no other choice."

They themselves weren't even sure if they'd been poisoned by the illusionary toxin.

But Ding Huan, through memories of past information, knew clearly that after being poisoned by the Cold Ghoul's illusionary toxin, one felt a bone-chilling coldness in the meridians when cultivating.

He couldn't say this aloud.

The group walked further, and night fell.

Ding Huan stopped:

"Elders, let's set up camp here."

When Ding Huan suggested camping, the two elders naturally had no objections.

The camp was quickly established, and Elder Liu Yinzhu and Elder Gu Youchang agreed to take turns guarding opposite sides.

Although everyone was exhausted, the new disciples in the camp, like birds startled by bows, couldn't sleep.

They strained to listen for any sound outside; every rustle of wind or movement made them jump up in alarm.

Ding Huan couldn't sleep either—not because he feared the Cold Ghoul, but because he was studying the array jade slip given to him by Elder Gu Youchang.

Delving into this array jade slip was even more boundless than the art of talismans.

The more complex it was, the more it stirred Ding Huan's desire to study it.

He imagined that in the future, when camping alone, he could casually set up a defensive array—or a trigger array—far easier than calculating everything.

Besides, as he interacted with cultivators of higher realms, the heavenly laws of the Cultivation World grew stronger, and his calculations became increasingly hazy.

Array art could perfectly compensate for this.

Elder Liu Yinzhu was on watch at the rear of the camp when her direct disciple Mo Huanping walked over and whispered:

"Master, why do I feel that Chef Ding has given up entirely?"

Elder Liu paused, puzzled:

"Why do you feel that way?"

Mo Huanping said: "He's just a cook—a temporary one at that—and yet he dares to speak harshly to Elder Qu of the Twin Souls Sect. Isn't that asking for death?

I'm worried that knowing he's doomed, he's deliberately leading us all down a path to death."

This last part was what Mo Huanping truly feared.

In fact, it wasn't strange for her to think this—after all, she was a high-ranking cultivator.

In her eyes, a hundred Ding Huans were worth less than a single cultivator like herself.

So if this was just Ding Huan's suicide mission, and we followed him, it would be disastrous.

That's why she came to her master at night—to warn her not to blindly trust Ding Huan.

Elder Liu looked at her favorite disciple and sighed inwardly.

Mo Huanping was the disciple she valued most, which was why she brought her along on this journey into the Mortal World.

Now, it seemed her disciple still fell far short of that cook, Ding Huan.

"Master, is my thinking wrong?"

Sensing her master's sigh, Mo Huanping asked anxiously.

"Huanping, if you were in Ding Huan's position, with his abilities, what would you do?"

Elder Liu asked.

Mo Huanping replied as if it were obvious:

"Even if Elder Qu mocked me endlessly, I would answer him respectfully and never deliberately separate myself from him.

Given Elder Qu's status and position, he would never remember a lowly cook for long."

After we pass through the Great Gorge, I'll flee far away. If I ever gain the strength, I'll return for revenge; if not, then forget it.

To Mo Huaping, the latter sentence was nonsense. She was certain that, under any hypothetical scenario, Ding Huan would never gain the ability to seek revenge.

With your status so low, yet still showing off your sharp edges—what else is this but begging for death?

You can't even endure humiliation and bear hardship—no wonder you're just a cook.

Do you think we'll always rely on you, a mere cook? We're only temporarily relying on you—that's what it means to not know who you are.

"Heh, if you act like that, you'll die faster," Liu Liu Yinzhu chuckled.

"But Master, didn't you teach me that sometimes a person must endure humiliation and bear hardship, and know how to hide his talents?" Mo Huaping asked, puzzled.

Liu Liu Yinzhu spoke slowly:

"Because Ding Huan sensed the killing intent on Elder Qu's body—that is, as soon as we leave the Great Gorge, Elder Qu will kill Ding Huan the instant he can."

"Do you think Elder Gu will risk offending the Twin Soul Sect to avenge a mere cook?"

"Ah…" Mo Huaping gasped.

What nonsense—Ding Huan may have saved everyone, but he's still just a cook. Elder Gu would have to be mad to risk offending the Twin Soul Sect for a cook's sake.

Liu Liu Yinzhu said calmly:

"You should have guessed Elder Gu wouldn't act. Ding Huan also guessed the chance of Elder Gu acting was extremely low. Besides, even if Elder Gu did act, Ding Huan would already be dead—what difference would it make whether he acted or not?"

"His only chance of survival is to kill Elder Qu inside the Great Gorge—or at least severely injure him, leaving him unable to kill again."

In other words, if Elder Qu didn't die but was severely injured and no longer a threat to Ding Huan, Ding Huan would no longer insist on splitting ways with Elder Qu."

"So then—if Ding Huan knows Elder Qu intends to kill him, why would he still endure humiliation and act politely? Is he that lowly?"

"But he's just a cook—how could he possibly kill Elder Qu? He wouldn't even get a chance to strike!" Mo Huaping was even more confused.

Liu Liu Yinzhu glanced at Ding Huan's position and sighed:

"He's already acted—and you're still worrying he had no chance to strike."

"What?" Mo Huaping gasped, then suddenly understood: "Master—you mean splitting ways was his move?"

"Yes," Liu Liu Yinzhu said. "The only chance he had was to sense where safety lay within this place."

"Neither I nor Elder Gu believed Ding Huan was seeking death—we both agreed to let him lead us into the forest."

Liu Liu Yinzhu truly thought this way. For other mortals, perhaps they'd think their own lives worthless if they could trade one life for many cultivators'—it'd be worth it.

But she trusted her own judgment: Ding Huan's eyes, words, and movements had never treated himself as inferior to a cultivator.

So she didn't believe Ding Huan was entering the forest to die.

Though Mo Huaping didn't ask further, she still felt her master was overestimating that Ding Huan.

…

Night passed quickly. For others, it felt like dragging through years; for Ding Huan, it seemed no longer than a few minutes.

A piercing scream came from behind. Elder Liu and Elder Gu instantly landed at the rear of the group.

Then they saw another shadow rushing toward them.

"Elder Qu?" This time it was Gu Youchang who exclaimed in shock.

Hadn't Elder Qu been walking ahead of them? How, after a night's rest, had he appeared from behind?

This was strange. If not for the crowd, Elder Gu would've almost asked: "Elder Qu, are you trying to scare us to death?"

Elder Gu couldn't bring himself to say it—but Ding Huan had no such hesitation. This man had wanted to kill him—what did he have to fear?

"Elder Qu, you're trying to scare people to death!"

After saying this, Ding Huan finally exhaled in relief.

The old bastard had lost both feet—he'd crawled here using a talisman.

Without feet, he had no chance to keep chasing him.

As long as they left the Great Gorge, if Elder Qu couldn't kill him the instant they stepped out, he'd never get another chance.

She didn't know how the old bastard had lost his feet—but they looked as if still tainted by a chilling aura.

"Elder Qu, how did you end up like this?"

Liu Liu Yinzhu stared, stunned, at Qu Yueshan, drenched in blood.

The last time she'd seen Qu Yueshan escape, though battered, he'd still had all four limbs.

This time, Qu Yueshan was torn and bloody all over—most terrifyingly, both his legs were gone below the knees.

"Foot-swallowing corpses… over there, foot-swallowing corpses…" Qu Yueshan's voice still trembled.

Foot-swallowing corpses?

Liu Liu Yinzhu and Gu Youchang both felt their hearts leap. In the Great Gorge, the terror of foot-swallowing corpses was no less than that of the Cold Ghoul.

These things were yin spirits that cultivated by possessing corpses, hiding beneath the earth.

When cultivators passed by, they suddenly erupted to devour their feet. If the cultivator was strong enough, flee immediately.

If the cultivator was weak, the foot-swallowing corpse wouldn't stop at just the feet—Qu Yueshan had lost even his shins.

Liu Liu Yinzhu and Gu Youchang involuntarily glanced at Ding Huan. If not for Ding Huan insisting on taking the forest route, their own feet might have been lost too.

If you thought that because a group passed, the foot-swallowing corpse would only devour one person's feet—you'd be terribly wrong.

A powerful foot-swallowing corpse could devour the feet of a hundred people at once.

Han Weicheng wiped sweat from his brow and swore: from now on, even if Ding Huan closed his eyes and walked straight through the Corpse Swamp, he'd follow without hesitation.