FID – Chapter 1008

 Chapter 1008 – Why Aren’t You Dead?

Xue Honglian couldn’t be sure whether the Hundred Poison Pill he had taken was effective against all the toxins in this place.

  The longer he walked and the more he saw, the deeper his gaze became.

  The Black Witch Forest was practically a forest of poison, yet the people of the Saintess Tribe seemed to enter and exit it often, and completely unharmed.

  And then there was Qian Liu, who even carried a pouch of homemade insect-and-snake-repellent powder.

  He was certain those powders weren’t purchased elsewhere. They were far too specialized; anyone who hadn’t been in the Black Witch Forest would never be able to make them.

  He suspected that the Saintess Tribe might be connected to witchcraft or Gu techniques.

  Otherwise, how could someone as afraid of death as Qian Yi confidently insist that if he encountered danger, he should just blow the whistle and she would come rescue him?

  It showed she was very sure she could enter and leave the Black Witch Forest safely.

  Opening his palm, he glanced at the simple bamboo whistle, then began walking toward the southeast.

  After passing countless beasts and poisonous creatures and crossing a region shrouded in miasma, Xue Honglian easily found the Black Witch Cave.

  What might be difficult for most people wasn’t necessarily difficult for him; the poisons in the forest posed no threat to Xue Honglian at all.

  The soil at the mouth of the cave was soft and damp, with a line of footprints across it. The vegetation inside showed signs of being trampled. Qian Liu had already gone in.

  Without delay, Xue Honglian stepped forward. The moment he entered, he heard a flurry of wingbeats. Startled bats burst out from within the cave, swarming toward him in a dark wave that seemed ready to engulf him.

  Yet Xue Honglian did not stop walking. Strangely, as the bats approached within half a meter of him, they abruptly dropped, falling to the ground with dull thuds. None of them could get close to him.

  The cave was dimly lit, and the farther he went, the worse his visibility became. On one section of the stone wall, Xue Honglian spotted several dry torches.

  He paused for a moment, then went over, took one down, and lit it.

  It must have been left by Qian Liu—he was, at least, a forthright person.

  Taking a small medicine bottle from his clothing, he applied the ointment inside to his skin and continued forward, moving as though the place were empty.

  The poisonous creatures crawling on the walls, ceiling, and floor all retreated automatically whenever he came near. As if encountering a natural enemy, they shrank back in fear.

  “Ah!” A sudden scream echoed from deep within the cave. It was muffled, but the voice sounded somewhat familiar.

  Xue Honglian frowned and rushed inward.

  Near the inner part of the cave, by a rock wall, he saw Qian Liu leaning against it, gasping for breath. He held a torch in his hand, eyes bloodshot as he glared at something ahead.

  The skin on his face had taken on an unnatural dark color, which was a clear sign of poisoning, and the toxin was spreading quickly. Opposite him on the wall, confronting him, was a tiny black snake, no larger than half an adult’s pinky finger.

  Its head was raised high, its crimson tongue flicking in and out, and its eyes glowed with a ghostly green light. The sight was extremely unsettling.

  Xue Honglian casually picked up a pebble and flicked it with lightning speed, slicing the snake cleanly in half. It happened so fast Qian Liu didn’t even have time to shout a warning.

  The bisected snake fell to the ground, its body still writhing. Instantly, an overpoweringly foul stench spread through the cave—thick, sticky, and clinging to them both. Qian Liu’s already darkened face grew even worse.

  “You can’t kill that snake! Its kind are closely connected. When one dies, more will come rushing in. Soon we’ll have an entire swarm with nowhere to escape! Why didn’t you wait before acting? At least ask me first! Everything in here is extremely dangerous. If you don’t understand it, don’t make reckless moves! You could get us both killed, do you understand?”

  Frustrated to the extreme, Qian Liu immediately began cursing. He, too, possessed martial skills, so if the snake could have killed him, it would’ve done so already. Why else would he be stuck here glaring at it, half-dead and unable to move? Didn’t he consider the consequences?

Xue Honglian gave him a cold glance and continued walking inward.

“Stop! You’re still going in? The nest of these black snakes is deep inside the cave! With their scent on you, every black snake in the cave will treat you as an enemy! Going in now is basically handing yourself over. Those snakes will tear you apart in moments! Hurry up and get out of here! Are you really going to risk your life over a wager?”

  This made Xue Honglian pause. He turned to look at Qian Liu.

  Qian Liu was still leaning stiffly against the stone wall in the same posture, movements rigid, the darkness on his face worsening.

  “Why aren’t you dead yet?”

  “…” Qian Liu’s expression was quite a sight—colorful in its fury beneath the blackening of his skin. He let out a cold laugh. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not dying.”

  “Does this snake’s venom only paralyze?”

  Qian Liu was surprised to hear that. He hadn’t expected the man to recognize it. “This is a Xijiang snake. A small amount of its venom causes stiffness and temporary paralysis, but it won’t kill you. After some time, the effects fade on their own. But if someone takes in too much venom, their heart will stop almost instantly and they’ll die within a few breaths.”

  Xue Honglian nodded, then turned back and quickly slipped a pill into the man’s mouth.

  Caught completely off guard, Qian Liu had no time to avoid it. The moment it entered his mouth, it dissolved instantly and flowed deep into his lungs and body.

  “What did you just give me?!” Feeling the changes in his body, Qian Liu’s anger immediately turned to shock.

  As the medicine worked, the stiffness in his body eased remarkably fast, and the strength that had vanished from his limbs gradually returned. It was an antidote pill, and the speed of its effect was something he had never seen before!

  “Consider it payment for this torch,” Xue Honglian said, raising the torch in his hand before turning and walking further into the cave.

  “Xue Honglian, are you really going in?” Qian Liu’s body was slowly regaining sensation. Though still a bit stiff, he could at least move now. Seeing the man stride ahead, he gritted his teeth and dragged himself after him.

  After a short distance, his movements became smoother. He looked up at Xue Honglian’s retreating figure. “If you intended to save me, why didn’t you give me the medicine from the start? What if I’d been poisoned with something lethal? I could’ve died instantly!”

  “You wouldn’t have died. There’s no fear of death or despair in your eyes.”

  “…” So that’s why you ignored me at first. Even though you had the medicine, you didn’t give it. “Then wasn’t saving me later completely unnecessary?”

  He couldn’t bring himself to feel grateful for Xue Honglian’s action. No—he decided that Xue Honglian simply didn’t have any notion of ‘good intentions’ at all.

  Sure enough, the man replied lightly, almost dismissively, “I just felt like it, so I did it.”

  ”……”

  ”Where did you say the snake nest is?”

  “What do you want to do?”

  The man turned his head, his deep eyes calm as he looked at him. “Catch them.”

  ”……”

  “Where?” They were at a three-way fork in the path. The man asked again, clearly intending to strike straight at the nest.

  Qian Liu couldn’t even describe how messed up his emotions felt at that moment. Yet, under the man’s completely unreadable gaze, he found himself unable to resist—he raised his hand and pointed toward one of the paths.

TL Note: Honglian is mighty!!! I’m looking forward to his love story (づ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ )づ🍿