piratefiction Chapter 16: Su Qingyao in Danger
Chapter 16: Su Qingyao in Danger
The lingering ink of the night had not yet faded, and only a faint, pale white tinge appeared on the horizon, a bluish-gray tinged with a slight chill. Canglang Mountain was already shrouded in a thick, milky-white morning mist, obscuring the outlines of distant mountains and nearby trees, leaving only blurry, damp shadows. Blackstone Town shrank behind, becoming a dark, inky mass, while the road ahead was swallowed silently by this boundless fog.
Lin Yan tightened the belt around his waist, his long sword hanging at his side. The cold copper ring on the scabbard was damp with dew, chilling him to the bone. He glanced at Su Qingyao beside him. She had changed into a worn indigo dress suitable for mountain travel, over which she wore a dark blue short vest. Her black hair was neatly tied back with a matching strip of cloth, revealing her smooth forehead and delicate profile. At this moment, she was carefully tucking the worn and curled "Demon-Slaying Manual" close to her body, her fingertips pressed against her chest, slightly white, showing that she had used some force—the itinerary they had agreed on under the cellar lamp last night now weighed heavily on their hearts, heavier than the mountain mist.
"The morning mist of Canglang Mountain is most annoying. It seems harmless, but it's actually very persistent, making it difficult to see anything beyond a few steps." Su Qingyao's voice was as soft as the wind rustling through the leaves in the forest, yet every word was clear and calm. "Lin Yan, your eyesight and perception far surpass mine. You should lead the way, and I will follow your footsteps. I will not fall behind." Lin Yan nodded slightly, saying nothing more, but his mind had already spread out silently like a spider web, covering the area several feet around him. He raised his hand, his fingertips unintentionally brushing against the rough trunk of an old pine tree beside him. The damp moss on the bark brushed against his fingertips, leaving a sticky feeling. He didn't care, focusing only on sensing—the demonic energy deep within Canglang Mountain was far more complex and concentrated than around Black Stone Town, wisps mixed in the damp air. Every swaying blade of grass, every dark crevice in the rocks, could potentially conceal unknown dangers. His vigilance was Su Qingyao's greatest reliance at this moment.
The two walked one after the other, trudging through the heavy, slippery fallen leaves soaked with night dew, deeper into the mountains. The shifting morning mist stretched the shadows of the trees, making them appear to grow longer and shorter, ever-changing, resembling countless lurking, lurking monsters waiting to strike in the white vapor. Su Qingyao occasionally took out a map from her bosom, using the dim light to decipher it; the pages were damp with mist, the edges already slightly soft. She lightly touched a picture of crimson flowers with her fingertips and whispered, "Look at this Crimson Sun Flower. It's shaped like a flame, yet it thrives in intense sunlight. It often grows in the crevices of sunny, steep rock faces, absorbing the sun's essence, hence its petals are slightly warm to the touch." She looked up at the faint outline of the bluish-gray cliffs visible through the thinning mist. "As for the Bone-Eating Grass, it has a completely different nature. It's extremely cold and yin, preferring to grow in shady ravines, near piles of decaying leaves, or even beside old corpses. It has a foul, fishy smell, and its stems and leaves contain yin poison."
Lin Yan didn't stop walking, but his gaze swept across every rocky corner and clump of bushes like a comb, not even missing the hazy sunlight reflected in the dewdrops on the tips of grass blades. "Focus on identifying the herbs, I'll keep an eye on the surroundings." His voice was deep and calm, like a still, deep well. His divine sense had already quietly extended half a mile away, probing the situation further out. The further they went into the shady part of the mountain, the more rugged the terrain became. The ground was full of loose stones, and occasionally loose rocks would be stepped on and roll down the steep slope with a "gurgle," breaking the silence of the forest and startling several crows perched in the mist. They flapped their wings and took flight with a "whoosh," leaving a few fleeting, chaotic black shadows on the milky white curtain of mist.
After walking for about half an hour, the mist ahead dissipated slightly, revealing a steep, sunlit rock face. Su Qingyao suddenly let out a soft "Eh," paused slightly, and pointed to an inconspicuous crack in the middle of the rock face: "Lin Yan, look there!" Her voice carried a hint of barely perceptible joy. Lin Yan immediately stopped and looked in the direction she was pointing. Sure enough, nestled in the bluish-gray rock crevice were several clusters of crimson flowers, about the size of a palm, their petals layered like flames. Though damp with morning dew, they still radiated a vibrant life force, appearing like solidified, warm flames against the backdrop of the pervasive gray-white mist. "They are Crimson Sun Flowers, no doubt about it." Su Qingyao's eyes brightened slightly, and a faint smile unconsciously curved her lips.
Lin Yan first used his divine sense to carefully probe the area within a few feet around the flower bushes, confirming that there was no lurking demonic energy or traces of array formations, before nodding to Su Qingyao. He took out a small wooden box lined with soft dried grass from his robes, nimbly climbed the rock face, and carefully pinched the flower stems with his fingertips, plucking several Crimson Sun Flowers by the roots. The petals, upon contact with his hands, indeed emitted a gentle warmth, quite different from the chill of the mountains. "How many should I pick?" he asked, his voice very soft, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the mountains. "Three are enough; the medicinal properties are sufficient." Su Qingyao looked up from below, watching him carefully place the flowers into the box; the relieved expression on her face was particularly clear in the mist.
Having obtained the Crimson Sun Flower, the two turned to the shady side of the mountain to search for the Bone-Eating Grass. The fog here was even thicker and more viscous, almost solidified into a milky white substance. The air was thick with the oppressive smell of damp, decaying vegetation mixed with the pungent stench of earth. The fallen leaves piled up beneath their feet, seemingly ancient, were ankle-deep, soft and yielding with a muffled "plop" underfoot. The soil beneath was dark and sticky, easily wetting their shoes and socks if they weren't careful. Su Qingyao crouched down, rolled up her sleeves to reveal half of her fair wrist, and began carefully parting the layers of decaying leaves, her fingertips patiently searching among the cool, slippery soil and roots. A few strands of hair, dampened by the fog, clung to her smooth cheeks, but she remained oblivious. Lin Yan stood three steps behind her, his figure sturdy as a pine tree, his gaze sharp as a hawk, slowly surveying the fog-shrouded area. His hand remained lightly resting on the hilt of the knife, his fingertips feeling the slight coolness emanating from the copper ring—the shady side of the mountain was a place where yin energy gathered and demons preferred, and at this moment the surrounding air seemed a bit heavier than elsewhere, faintly revealing unease.
About fifteen minutes later, Su Qingyao paused, her voice tinged with a tense joy: "It's here!" Lin Yan immediately crouched down and approached. He saw a few clumps of grayish-white grass growing from the roots of an ancient tree that had already died, its trunk covered in dark green moss. The grass stems were as thin as hair, and the leaves were as narrow as needles, their surfaces covered with dull blackish-brown spots. At first glance, they were almost indistinguishable from the surrounding decaying moss, exuding a sinister aura of death.
She took out a pair of gloves made of fine linen lined with some kind of oil-soaked leather from her bag, put them on carefully, and then took out a small silver shovel. Holding her breath, she carefully dug up the few bone-corroding grass plants along with the little bit of soil covering their roots and put them into another wooden box lined with oil paper.
"The necessary medicinal herbs are all ready." She carefully closed the box lid, fastened the buckle tightly, and then let out a long sigh of relief. Her slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, mingling with the mist and slowly sliding down the soft lines of her cheeks. "We can..." Before she could finish speaking, Lin Yan's expression suddenly changed. His previously calm eyes instantly sharpened like unsheathed blades, and his aura suddenly tightened.
"Back off!" With a low shout, Lin Yan, almost instinctively relying on his honed fighting skills, forcefully pulled Su Qingyao, who was crouching on the ground, backward! Caught off guard, Su Qingyao tripped on the wet fallen leaves, cried out in surprise, and stumbled backward. If she hadn't caught herself on a dead tree beside her, she would have fallen. Before she could regain her footing, she heard a sharp "snap," as piercing as a whip whistle. A vine as thick as a child's arm, covered with dark brown nodules and sharp barbs, grazed the hem of her skirt where she had just stood and lashed out at the ground covered with decaying leaves! Wet soil and broken leaves scattered, leaving a deep, charred mark more than an inch deep, with wisps of white smoke carrying a putrid smell rising from the mark.
"It's a Corrosive Heart Vine!" Su Qingyao steadied herself against the tree trunk, her heart pounding in her chest, her breathing slightly erratic, yet she forced herself to remain calm, speaking rapidly, "This thing feeds on the blood and qi of living beings. Its vine is unusually tough, and both its thorns and sap contain potent poison. If it touches the skin, it will cause ulceration that is difficult to heal!"
Before she could finish speaking, more whooshing sounds of wind breaking through the thick fog arose. Indistinctly, seven or eight dark brown vines of varying thickness shot out like venomous snakes from their holes, lashing out from different directions. Some were as thick as an adult's wrist, others as thin as a whip, flailing wildly in the air, weaving a web of death that subtly blocked their escape routes. Lin Yan had already drawn his sword, its blade reflecting the pale light of the sky and the faint glow of the green moss, gleaming with a chilling light. He targeted the first thick vine that attacked, neither dodging nor evading, exhaling sharply as he slashed upwards with his blade to meet it head-on!
"clang--!"
A metallic clang echoed through the valley, far surpassing the sound of grass and trees colliding. The vines were as hard as iron; the blade could only penetrate half an inch before being firmly stuck. A dark green, viscous sap, emitting a pungent, fishy stench, meandered down the blade, dripping onto the decaying leaves on the ground, immediately producing a sizzling, corrosive sound and sending up more foul-smelling white smoke. "It really is poisonous!" Lin Yan's heart tightened. Not daring to let the blade remain exposed to the poison for long, he flicked his wrist, channeling his true energy to forcefully shake the vines away. At the same time, his footwork shifted, his body moving like a wisp of smoke, narrowly avoiding the attack of two more vines.
Su Qingyao had already drawn her short sword, its blade gleaming, to meet a thin vine that was attacking her side. The tip of her sword pierced the vine, but only penetrated a third of the way into her flesh before being stopped by its resilient texture, unable to advance any further. She let out a sharp cry and withdrew her sword to defend, only to find that although the vines' attacks were fierce and their angles tricky, they always seemed to slow down or change direction just before actually hitting their vital points, as if they were driving them away rather than aiming to kill them. "Lin Yan, they... seem to be forcing us somewhere!" she cried out urgently, sensing something amiss as her breathing calmed down.
Lin Yan swung his sword to deflect the three vines entangled in front of him, his eyes icy cold, having already seen through the trap. "Fight and retreat, follow their lead, and see what kind of trap it is," he replied in a deep voice. He knew that if they tried to break through now, in this foggy and unfamiliar terrain, they would only fall into a passive position. It was better to go along with it for now and find out what was going on. The two then stood back to back, forming a pincer movement, using their swords to parry the increasingly dense vine attacks while slowly retreating deeper into the ravine, following the direction the vines were pressing them towards.
The fallen leaves beneath their feet grew thicker and muddier, and the surrounding fog was so dense it was almost impenetrable; beyond five steps, everything was blurred, and even their figures appeared and disappeared intermittently, only the sound of their clothes rustling in the wind and their short shouts providing any communication. After retreating in this way for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the fog suddenly thinned out ahead, revealing a clearing in the forest about ten zhang in diameter. In the center of the clearing, nestled among ancient trees, the ground was sparsely covered with wild grass, revealing dark soil.
Lin Yan's gaze swept across the open space like lightning. Just as he was about to examine it closely, Su Qingyao beside him suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "There... there seems to be a cave over there!" He looked in the direction of her voice and saw that in the center of the open space, slightly to the right, the wild grass had fallen down, forming an irregular circular depression. Many heart-corroding vines, the same kind that had attacked them earlier, were climbing along the edge, completely obscuring the entrance. If it weren't for most of the vines dancing around "monitoring" the area, it would be extremely difficult to spot.
The rotting vines now lingered at the edge of the clearing, no longer pressing forward, but slowly swaying their barbed bodies in the air, emitting a soft rustling sound, like a group of patient jailers waiting for their prey to step into the cage. Su Qingyao felt uneasy and took two steps forward, wanting to get a better look at the cave. Just as she reached the edge, a gust of cold wind, carrying a strong smell of decay and blood, suddenly shot up from below, causing her hair to flutter wildly and her hair to stand on end.
"Watch out, this looks like a..." Before she could finish the word "trap," the ground beneath her feet suddenly gave way! The land around the opening had been secretly hollowed out, disguised only by a layer of turf and a thin layer of soil. How could it support the weight of a human body? The turf collapsed, and soil fell in a flurry.
"Ah—!" Su Qingyao felt as if there was nothing beneath her feet, and a scream escaped her lips as she plummeted downwards like a kite with a broken string! In a flash, a strong and firm hand gripped her wrist, the force almost crushing her wrist bones. It was Lin Yan! He had pounced on her the instant she fell, grabbing her in his arms. However, the fall was too sudden and powerful. Although Lin Yan had a stable stance, the spot where he was standing was the edge of a trap. The soil and rocks were loose, and with his own weight and the force of the fall, his footing also collapsed with a crash!
The world spun around them; darkness, like the maw of a monstrous beast, instantly swallowed all light and shadow. Only the howling wind whistled past their ears, scraping their skin and making it difficult to see. Their bodies lost weight, plummeting downwards, as if their internal organs were about to churn out of their throats. Su Qingyao's screams and Lin Yan's muffled groans were torn apart by the violent air currents, barely audible.