Maxwell Jing stared at the Blood Jade Amulet in his hand, momentarily stunned. "What are you doing?" he asked.
Ethan Gu sized up the swirling miasma before him and answered offhandedly, "Blood Jade Amulet. It cures all poisons." Back then, he never expected Gu Yin would be so bold as to make an enemy of the entire martial world. It wasn’t until Ghost Gate received word and Gu Yin failed to send anyone to greet them that Ethan realized what was happening—otherwise, he wouldn’t have stuffed Maxwell Jing with so many pills!
Though a single pill could dispel this miasma, the chaos here meant that just one careless moment could separate them.
Poisonous creatures lurked everywhere. Maxwell Jing had given all the medicine to Susie Yun. If they got separated, danger would be inevitable!
Yuna Ye felt a pang of disappointment at Ethan Gu’s words. She couldn’t help but glance at Maxwell Jing—clearly, this man meant a lot to Ethan Gu.
Maxwell Jing handed the Blood Jade Amulet back to Ethan Gu, averting his eyes. "I don’t need it." He had a Blood Jade Amulet of his own, though Ethan Gu didn’t know that.
Ethan Gu frowned at him, sensing something odd. Just as he was about to ask, Quentin Hua suddenly lunged for the amulet, saying, "If neither of you want it, give it to me—I need it!"
Ethan Gu quickly withdrew his hand, dodging the grab. At the same moment, Maxwell Jing blurted, "No way!"
Quentin Hua pulled back, clicking his tongue. "So stingy!" He shrugged and strode into the poisonous haze.
Ethan Gu and Maxwell Jing exchanged glances. Maxwell Jing was the first to look away, about to follow Quentin Hua inside, but Ethan Gu grabbed him by the arm and handed him a pill.
Maxwell Jing glanced over and repeated, "I don't need it!"
Ethan Gu frowned at him and asked in a low voice, "Why are you being so stubborn? Do you want to die here?"
Maxwell Jing pursed his lips and said, "If I die, I'll die outside!" He would never die in this place he despised.
"You..." A flash of anger appeared in Ethan Gu's eyes.
Sensing the tension, Yuna Ye gently tried to mediate, "Mr. Jing, Ethan is only worried about you. Please don't refuse his kindness. It's really dangerous here!"
Maxwell Jing glanced at her, then at Ethan Gu, and said, "Don't worry, I'm immune to all poisons!" With the Blood Jade Pendant, he truly was immune.
Immune to all poisons? Ethan Gu was momentarily stunned, his face darkening slightly. Though masked, his anger was palpable. "You're immune to all poisons—why did I never know that?"
Maxwell Jing replied indifferently, "I have my own secrets. You can't know everything about me. That's normal!"
Ethan Gu saw his nonchalant attitude and his voice grew heavier. "If you're immune to all poisons, why do you never refuse the medicine I give you?"
Maxwell Jing said, feigning helplessness, "I know it's wrong to waste your medicine. I'll pay you back!" The reason he never told him was simply because he couldn't bear to reject his concern.
In Maxwell Jing's eyes, Ethan Gu's anger was simply because he wasted his medicine—Ethan truly treasured his remedies and loved the art of healing!
He once asked Ethan which was more important—him or medicine. Ethan's answer was 'you,' but in truth, after taking Forget-Dust, Ethan still loved medicine but no longer loved him!
He knew it wasn't Ethan Gu's fault, but his heart still ached.
Maxwell Jing didn't want to dwell on it. Since he was trying to leave Ethan Gu behind, he had to learn to stop thinking about things he shouldn't.
Suddenly remembering something, Maxwell Jing looked toward the poisonous miasma and asked, "How long has that troublemaker been inside?"
Yuna Ye also realized Quentin Hua had already gone in and frowned. "It's been quite a while!" It was easy to get separated here, and now she wasn't sure if they could find Quentin Hua.
Maxwell Jing frowned. That troublemaker shouldn't be so easy to deal with!
"Let's go!"
Ethan Gu squinted as he watched Maxwell Jing disappear into the poisonous miasma, unmoving. Why did he feel Maxwell Jing was drifting further away from him? Was it because of Quentin Hua?
The feeling was unpleasant, leaving his heart blocked yet more empty than ever. He'd always felt something was missing inside, and now that feeling was even stronger, leaving him at a loss.
Staring down at the jade pendant in his hand, Ethan Gu hadn't had time to think before he pulled his hand back. In that instant, a trace of reluctance rose in his heart. Although the Blood Jade Pendant was rare, he wasn't that stingy. Quentin Hua was his friend, so why could he give it freely to Maxwell Jing but not to him?
"Ethan, are you okay?"
Ethan Gu snapped out of it and shook his head. "Let's go!"
After passing through the poisonous miasma, they found themselves at a cliff. Quentin Hua was nowhere to be seen. Only Maxwell Jing was fighting a group of people whose faces were dark and eyes lifeless, yet their movements were eerily agile.
"Poisoned men!" Ethan Gu frowned. Poisoned men were no longer truly human—just walking corpses. Every inch of their bodies was toxic; an ordinary person would die instantly upon contact.
But Maxwell Jing handled them with ease. Watching him fight the poisoned men, Ethan Gu truly believed he was immune to all poisons!
Turning to Yuna Ye, he said, "Stay here and don't wander off!" Then he joined the fight.
Yuna Ye watched the two weave through the group of poisoned men, unable to help at all, and grew anxious.
Those poisoned men felt neither pain nor fear of death. As long as they could move, they would fight relentlessly, making them difficult opponents.
Gradually, Maxwell Jing noticed something was wrong with Ethan Gu. Up until now, they'd only encountered poisonous creatures that could be dealt with using medicine, so there hadn't been any fighting. He hadn't realized Ethan Gu was still injured until now!
Maxwell Jing couldn't help but curse Quentin Hua. That damned troublemaker was never around when needed!
Maxwell Jing flicked open his folding fan, knocking aside one enemy, then slashed another's head with a quick stroke. Seizing the moment, he darted to Ethan Gu's side and shielded him from an attack from behind.