Venerated Venomous Consort

Now that Gu Xijiu had entered the tunnel as well, would anything happen to her? Yuhang Zhenren gazed at the tunnel with a rather complicated look in his eyes. He was actually amazed by the lady’s extraordinary ability, though unsure of her origin.

He was not worried that anything would go wrong. Gu Xijiu was very careful in her every move, unlike Qing Luo, who was completely reckless. She must have entered the tunnel to look for the cure.

Yuhang Zhenren had many men with him; almost all of the elites were present. Also, he had contacted many of his friends for their help. While he was there having a conversation with Gu Xijiu, the rest of the people were thoroughly inspecting the Tree Palace.

The most powerful half-orc men were all summoned by the young palace master to guard the place. All of them were, unfortunately, killed by Gu Xijiu and Shen Nianmo.

There were many half-orc men in the Tree Palace, but most of them escaped when they realized their lives might be at risk. Those that were left behind were stranded in the palace. In the end, all of them were captured alive by the disciples of the different clans.

There were many routes in the Tree Palace, like a massive labyrinth of intricate windings. It would take a long time to explore the place fully.

Seeing both of his disciples being poisoned, Yuhang Zhenren was desperate to protect them, for fear that anything bad might happen to them. “Nianmo, take them and leave this place. Do according to what Chongsheng has said and place them in ice baths. I will stay and wait for her here,” Yuhang Zhenren instructed Shen Nianmo.

Shen Nianmo disagreed to his proposition, “You should guide them and leave this place. I will check the tunnel with her.” With a swift leap, he dived into the tunnel.

Yuhang Zhenren was taken by utter surprise; he rushed forward in despair. “Nianmo!” He called out his name desperately. The child must not be harmed at all. Otherwise, he would have to bear all the consequences.

“Master, I am fine. You can now leave with them!” A directed audio came from the tunnel.

Yuhang Zhenren was still very concerned. “Chongsheng, are you all right?”

“I am fine. We are now looking for the cure.”

Yuhang Zhenren was finally relieved. Without further ado, he guided his disciples and left the place together.

…

Within the aisles of the tunnel, Gu Xijiu floated in an ethereal lightness. She stayed focused on every little detail.

The tunnel felt as though it was endless and completely dark. Without her immense level of cultivation, she would not be able to see anything.

Qing Luo got the poison from a snake, so only the gall bladder of that particular snake could cure the poison completely. Qing Luo was bitten within seconds in the tunnel, meaning that the snake must be hiding somewhere close to the entrance.

The secret tunnel was the only way of escape for the young palace master, so there must be many traps to ensure that no one in pursuit was able to reach her. The traps were her guarantees of a successful escape, which explained why Shen Nianmo was so eager in taking Qing Luo out of the tunnel to make sure she was unharmed.

He was quick, but not quick enough. Qing Luo was already bitten. The snake was very hard to come by. Gu Xijiu had never seen it before, too. However, she had studied the book of poisons that Di Fuyi left behind, so she was aware of the symptoms and the cure.

The young palace master must have been keeping the snake in one of the corners and only released it when she was escaping.

Being in such a dark tunnel, Gu Xijiu dared not act impetuously and had to be very careful. Right after she came in, she could feel some movements around her. Intuitively, she moved back a little in retreat and was surprised to see Shen Nianmo landing next to her.

Gu Xijiu was concerned. “This spot is dangerous. Let’s get to a higher place!”