Chapter 191: Ambush in the Mist

Lin Xue also felt something in her heart, and she lightly nodded.

Seeing that the two had made up their minds, Qin Yueyao took out a pair of jet-black jade talismans engraved with intricate cloud patterns from her bosom and handed them to Zhang Jun and Lin Xue.

"This is a pair of 'Hidden Breath Jade Talismans' treasured by my Qin family," Qin Yueyao explained. "Worn on the body, they can maximally restrain one's aura, block divine sense probing, and should be helpful for your infiltration of Wan Yao Gu."

The talismans felt ice-cold in hand, yet they contained a strange energy.

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue were not polite either; they thanked her and put away the talismans. Qin Yueyao's ability to produce this shows her sincerity.

The night grew deep, leaving only the final night before departure.

Lin Xue alone under the lamp carefully sorted those fragmentary Medicine Sect prescriptions.

These prescriptions' script is ancient; many herb names and preparation methods differ from today's, requiring her to expend great mental effort to decipher and ponder.

When she turned to a yellowed beast-skin fragment, her motion paused slightly.

The front of this fragment records a lost single-ingredient detox remedy.

She inadvertently flipped the fragment over; by candlelight, the back seemed to bear some traces so faint they were almost invisible.

Lin Xue's heart stirred; she fetched a special developing fluid and carefully applied it to the beast-skin's back.

Moments later, a line of fine yet vigorous small characters gradually appeared on the beast-skin:

"Wan Yao Gu, Guardian One True Person once left a sliver of life; the method to break the formation may be in a fragment of the Hundred Herbs Classic."

Guardian One True Person?

Lin Xue's breath almost stopped.

That astonishingly talented, near-divine figure from Medicine Sect legends actually also had ties to Wan Yao Gu?

Moreover, he left behind a sliver of life and even pointed out that the method to break the formation might be related to the Hundred Herbs Classic!

This discovery stirred great waves in her heart.

The Hundred Herbs Classic is one of the Medicine Sect's supreme classics, but unfortunately most of it has been lost, leaving only scattered fragments in the world.

Could it be that a fragment of the Hundred Herbs Classic is still hidden within Wan Yao Gu?

As this thought arose, Lin Xue's heartbeat suddenly quickened.

If she could truly find a fragment of the Hundred Herbs Classic, it would not only possibly resolve Wan Yao Gu's predicament but also be an immeasurable great contribution to the revival of the entire Medicine Sect's inheritance!

"This damned place, the fog is too evil."

Zhang Jun lowered his voice; under the cover of the commotion created by the Qin family's outer forces, they had sneaked to the edge of Wan Yao Gu.

The grayish miasma at the valley mouth made one's scalp tingle just from smelling it, mixed with the rot of plants and an indescribable medicinal-stone stench, even more pungent than the poisonous drugs Qin Yueyao had.

Both wore the Hidden Breath Jade Talismans Qin Yueyao gave them around their necks; the talismans clung to their skin, cool and silky, emitting a faint pulse that blended their aura as much as possible with the surrounding rocks, plants, and trees.

Even so, passing through the valley mouth's few concealed sentries and the flashing gloomy light of the warning formation patterns, danger still lurked everywhere.

The deeper they went, the thicker the fog became, shifting from grayish to an unsettling pale green.

This fog was clearly not natural mountain mist but rather a man-made bewildering formation; after walking half a day, they felt as if they were still turning in place, and even their divine sense was heavily suppressed, unable to probe far.

"This formation is probably not simple," Zhang Jun muttered, his pure yang energy slowly circulating within his body, ready to respond to any sudden situation.

Lin Xue closed her eyes, lightly pinched her fingertips, and a few threads of extremely fine profound yin qi quietly extended, but like a mud cow entering the sea, she could not discern the formation's reality at all.

Just as the two were at a loss, the Yang Jade in Zhang Jun's palm and the Yin Jade Lin Xue kept close to her body both warmed slightly at almost the same moment.

A barely perceptible golden gleam and a hint of pale blue halo flickered in the thick fog, trembling as they pointed toward a certain direction.

"The jade pendant is moving!" Zhang Jun's spirits lifted.

The two exchanged a glance, no longer hesitating, and carefully followed the jade pendant's faint but clear guidance as they picked their way through the thick fog.

Though this wall-hitting-like formation was formidable, the Yin Yang Jade Pendant seemed able to sense the minuscule gaps between the formation's nodal shifts, guiding them through seven turns and eight twists, and they gradually penetrated deeper.

Not far ahead, within the thick fog, faint low voices and the soft clatter of armor plates could be heard.

A patrol squad of the Shadow Organization!

Leading them was a black-faced man with bulging temples, his stride windy, obviously a trained fighter, a minor chief. Behind him followed four black-clad warriors, each with steady aura, looking formidable.

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue almost simultaneously halted their steps, even lightening their breath.

Although the Hidden Breath Jade Talisman can restrain aura, at this distance, if the opponent pays even slight attention, exposure is still possible.

We must absolutely not alarm them!

Their eyes met; years of tacit understanding needed no more words.

Zhang Jun's body flickered like a night cat, silently pressing against a protruding rock on the left, his fists already covertly gathering power.

Lin Xue, meanwhile, lightly held her jade fingers, a few silver needles as fine as cow hair, coated with potent paralytic poison, already pinched between her fingers, aimed straight at several vital points of the minor chief.

That patrol squad was walking along its fixed route at a leisurely pace, completely unaware that danger had already descended.

Just between the minor chief and the last squad member, a brief, almost negligible gap appeared—

Now!

Zhang Jun moved first! Like a leopard lying in wait, he burst from behind the boulder, his fists wrapped in scorching energy, striking squarely at the vital point on the back of the last squad member's heart!

"Pfft!"

With a muffled thud, that poor fellow couldn't even utter a groan before his body went limp and he died.

Almost at the same instant, Lin Xue darted like a fleeing rabbit, silently shooting several poison-coated silver needles toward the minor chief's face and throat!

"Which damned thing?"

The minor chief's reaction was not slow; as soon as Zhang Jun moved, he noticed, cursing while drawing his blade.

Unfortunately, he was fast, but Lin Xue's needles were faster!

"Swish!"

Several silver needles pierced his major acupoints with unerring precision; the minor chief felt half his body suddenly go numb, and the blade in his hand slowed by more than half.

In a clash of masters, a hair's breadth difference leads to a thousand-mile error!

Having landed his strike, Zhang Jun did not pause; using the momentum of his forward charge, he nimbly dodged the minor chief's hastily swung knife, his whole body already crashing into the opponent's embrace, his right elbow ruthlessly driving into the man's chest!

"Crack!"

The sound of bones shattering was especially clear in the silent mist.

The little leader's eyes bulged wide and round, full of disbelief, as a mouthful of blood mixed with organ fragments spurted out, and his body went limp and collapsed.

The remaining three black-clad warriors were terrified out of their wits; just as they were about to open their mouths to call for help, Zhang Jun pounced on them like a hungry tiger lunging at prey, his fists and feet flying everywhere, breaking tendons and bones, while Lin Xue's silver needles followed them like a shadow, constantly aiming at them.