Evan Chu found it extremely strange. Both he and Rhea Yang had been bitten by the Hellwing Centipede, yet only he was poisoned while she seemed perfectly fine. Unable to hold back, he asked:
"Why are you okay? You got bitten too, didn't you?"
"I have no idea. I mean, I don't feel dizzy or anything. Maybe that centipede wasn't poisonous?" Rhea Yang replied, unable to explain.
Evan walked with difficulty, feeling dazed and weak. Seeing his state, Rhea immediately supported him. "So even you have moments like this, huh? Haha!"
Evan rested one hand on Rhea's shoulder while she supported his waist with her own arm. The pose was quite intimate, but this wasn't the time to think about such things—the priority was to get away as quickly as possible.
Walking while supporting someone was slow going. The two of them spent nearly two hours covering just over ten miles, and along the way Rhea efficiently dispatched a third-rank magical beast they encountered.
Suddenly, a massive gravestone appeared before them. The name inscribed on it was already blurred beyond recognition, but the date below could still be made out—it was from about three hundred years ago.
Seeing the date, Evan looked at Rhea in confusion. "Why is there a gravestone from three hundred years ago here? What kind of place is this, anyway? There are wild beasts, magical beasts, and those terrifying Hellwing Centipedes!"
"I find it strange too. This place is unimaginably huge, and after all these days we haven't run into a single ordinary-class student. There's no way they've all been killed, right? Even if some were, we should've at least seen some corpses." Rhea mused.
"No idea, but something's definitely off here. We'd better be careful!"
"Could this be the tomb of a powerful cultivator? Maybe there's treasure here!" Rhea said with a playful grin.
"Don't get your hopes up. How could there be anything like that here? This place is crawling with magical beasts and those vicious Hellwing Centipedes. Just thinking about it gives me the creeps," Evan replied weakly, feeling like he could collapse any moment.
"Poison miasma doesn't just show up in a valley for no reason. There's definitely something unusual about this place, some kind of secret. I've heard that some truly powerful seniors set up fierce beasts or special traps around their cultivation sites to keep people away...
...They'd raise powerful magical beasts or set up barriers to stop intruders. I bet this is one of those places. Should we look around?" Rhea was torn, but the appearance of the gravestone was definitely tempting.
"Makes sense, but right now you should focus on helping me detoxify. If we run into a fierce beast, I'm done for!" Supported by Rhea, Evan could barely stand, his body starting to tremble. He hadn't expected the Hellwing Centipede's venom to be this potent.
Rhea started to panic a little too. After scanning their surroundings, she realized there was only a small patch of open ground behind the gravestone where they could hide.
"Sorry, Senior. Desperate times call for desperate measures—please let us borrow your resting place for a bit." With that, she helped Evan over to the space behind the gravestone.
Evan was poisoned by the Hellwing Centipede, and this venom was no joke. Curing it would be extremely difficult. Rhea knew of one way to detoxify him, but she wasn't sure how to go about it.
Yang Gate possessed a secret detoxification manual called the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, which only women could practice. It could resolve all kinds of deadly poisons—but the price was steep.
The Jade Maiden Heart Sutra had three layers. The first layer could cure ordinary poisons, but it was basically useless here—a simple antidote pill would do the same job.
The second layer was much more powerful. It could resolve most poisons in the world, but the process and requirements were harsh.
The practitioner had to strip completely naked and press her palms against the patient's, then circulate her internal stellar power through the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, drawing the toxins out and into her own body.
Afterward, she expelled the poison through every pore in her skin. Any clothing would block the discharge, risking failure. If her stellar power ran dry halfway, the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra would backfire, and she’d be poisoned herself.
The third layer was even more extreme, with a far greater price. It could only be used once, and only to detoxify a man—because it required full yin-yang union to completely purge the toxin.
If a woman who was no longer a virgin tried to use this layer, the poison would transfer into her body instead, and she would die without exception.
If she was still a virgin, there was no risk to her life. But who would treat their chastity so lightly? Unless it was a matter of life and death, no one in Yang Gate would use the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra to detoxify someone—unless it was for someone they truly loved. Right now, Rhea faced that dilemma.
Hellwing Centipede venom wasn’t the deadliest in the world, but only the second layer of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra could handle it. But to strip naked in front of him—especially while he was still conscious—how was she supposed to go through with that...?
Evan was wracked with pain. The wounds from the Hellwing Centipede bites began to ooze pus and blood, reeking so badly it made anyone nearby want to vomit.
"Evan, how are you feeling? Is it getting worse?" The Sword Spirit Luna's voice suddenly appeared.
Every time the Sword Spirit showed up, Evan got a surprise—he was sure this time would be no different.
"Luna, how do I get rid of this poison? I feel awful—please help me figure something out!" Evan pleaded urgently.
"This poison is a huge problem for most people, but for you, it's actually simple. You can detoxify yourself—or rather, something you have can do it for you."
"How? What is it?" Evan was losing his patience—Luna always left him hanging with these half-explanations.
"Your Bloodshadow Berserker Lion cub, Shadow, is a detoxification expert. This poison is nothing to it—child's play."
"Shadow can detoxify me? No way." Evan couldn't believe it. He'd trust the cub to hunt third- or even fourth-rank magical beasts, but detoxification? Not a chance.
"Suit yourself! I only told you because I felt sorry for you. If you don't believe me, fine! Next time you're in trouble, don't expect me to help!" Luna seemed genuinely annoyed, and after that, she went silent.
Rhea was still hesitating. She just couldn't bring herself to strip naked in front of Evan, even if she did have feelings for him—and even though he'd promised her about the three-year deadline. She just couldn't do it.
Evan was out of options. The pain was getting worse by the minute, and if he didn't get rid of the poison soon, it might really kill him. So he desperately called out to Shadow in his heart.
"Shadow, come out and help me detoxify!" With a thought, the cub instantly appeared before him.
But this time, Shadow was clearly bigger than before, its fur glossier too. Evan realized it must be because the cub had devoured the giant serpent's Magic Crystal.
Shadow lifted its head and looked at Evan. "Master, I was having such a nice dream—why'd you drag me out here?" It sounded genuinely annoyed.
"Can't you see I'm poisoned? You'd better do your best—my life is in your hands!" Evan said with a bitter smile. Letting a little lion cub detoxify him was unheard of.
Just then, Rhea saw Shadow suddenly appear beside Evan. She was shocked—it was right next to him! Her face changed instantly and she shouted, "Evan, watch out! There's a magical beast by your side!" She drew her sword and slashed toward Shadow...
(More at noon! If you have votes, please support! Tips are welcome too, hehe!)