Chapter 25 Poison Path: Corpse Dispersal

This voice fell into Xu Qing's ears, and his eyes widened in surprise. Being able to enter the tent to attend the lessons was something he had longed for. At this moment, filled with excitement, he took a deep breath and bowed deeply towards the tent. "Thank you, Master!" Xu Qing said these four words very sincerely. After a long time, he finally stood up and left the tent. On this day, he turned back and did not see Master Bai's figure, but he heard Master Bai criticizing the young men and women inside the tent. Not paying attention to those, Xu Qing was filled with intense excitement. When he returned to his residence, he immediately informed Team Lei of this matter, and Team Lei was also very pleased, especially seeing Xu Qing's happy expression, which made him smile even more and feel emotional inside. Though the reason this child had frequently gone to the forbidden area during this time wasn't told to him, he knew the other was searching for that life-saving destiny for himself. How could he not cherish such a kind-hearted child who had saved his life in this cold world? However, seeing Xu Qing return each time looking very tired, he felt a pang of sympathy. At this moment, seeing Xu Qing happy, Team Lei was also very happy. So that day, Team Lei cooked a rather sumptuous dinner for Xu Qing, constantly reminding him to respect his teacher and be respectful to Master Bai, etc. Xu Qing took all of it seriously and memorized every word. Until after finishing the meal and returning to his room, Xu Qing's mood was still filled with excitement. Thinking that he could attend the lessons in the tent tomorrow, Xu Qing felt both anticipation and some restlessness, unable to sleep. In his worries, he suddenly recalled the scene of meeting the teacher for the first time with other children in the slum. So he opened his bag, tidied up a bit, and finally took out a newer pouch, putting in more than half of his spirit coins along with many of his white pills. In Xu Qing's understanding, knowledge was priceless; giving away all his savings was nothing. But he had to consider Team Lei's side, so he left half. After doing all this, he took a long breath, quietly closed his eyes, and began his meditation, waiting for dawn. This night was somewhat long for Xu Qing. Until the early sun rose, Xu Qing, who seldom changed clothes, put on a new outfit and washed his hands clean before stepping out of the room. Just as he was about to leave, he was called by Team Lei, who had not gotten up early during this time. Carefully reminding Xu Qing of various matters, Xu Qing nodded repeatedly, listening earnestly. In the end, Team Lei helped Xu Qing tidy his clothes and handed him a pouch. "You can't enter the tent empty-handed to attend the lessons." "I have," Xu Qing replied softly. Team Lei widened his eyes, but when he saw the determination in Xu Qing's gaze, he put away the pouch and went back to his room to take out a jar of wine. "I know Master Bai likes to drink; take this with you." This time, Xu Qing did not refuse. After taking the wine jar, he left the courtyard. After walking a few steps, he turned back and waved to Team Lei, then hurriedly ran towards Master Bai's tent. Looking at Xu Qing's back, Team Lei smiled. "This kid didn't seem this happy even when distributing the Seven Leaf Grass." Filled with a mix of joy and nervousness, Xu Qing arrived at the spot outside the tent where he had stood for over a month. He took a deep breath and knocked on the tent door. "Come in." Hearing Master Bai's voice, Xu Qing looked down to check his clothes, firmly tugging at his collar to make it appear neater before slowly pushing the door open. He saw that besides the guards, Master Bai was sitting there with the young men and women. When Xu Qing looked at them, they were also looking at him. Compared to Master Bai's calm demeanor, the expressions of the youth and the girl were much more vivid. The boy named Chen Feiyuan wore a face of defiance, while the girl Tingyu seemed mainly curious. Xu Qing withdrew his gaze, deeply bowed to Master Bai, and then took out the prepared pouch and wine jar, mimicking his actions in the slum, extending both hands. Without raising his head, Xu Qing did not notice that in that moment, Master Bai's calm eyes softened slightly. Master Bai did not take the pouch but accepted the wine jar and took a sip in front of Xu Qing, as if performing some ritual. "Class is starting." Putting down the wine jar, Master Bai slowly announced. As usual, the review was conducted first. Tingyu and Chen Feiyuan seemed to have compared with Xu Qing and obviously did their homework last night, answering very decisively, and after finishing, they immediately looked at Xu Qing. Xu Qing did not look at them but focused on Master Bai, answering all of his reviews comprehensively. Master Bai nodded and began the formal lesson. Xu Qing listened attentively; he cherished the opportunity to enter the tent, and throughout the process, he did not lose focus in the slightest. Chen Feiyuan and Tingyu were the same, which brought a slight smile to Master Bai's heart. Thus, more than ten days passed, and Xu Qing became accustomed to attending lessons in the tent, but his seriousness never decreased, and the knowledge he gained became more and more abundant. However, compared to him, Chen Feiyuan quickly returned to his old ways in just a few days, while only Tingyu continued to compare with Xu Qing, being very serious. After class, the two began to converse more, mainly with Tingyu asking curiously about life in the camp, while Xu Qing was taciturn, only giving brief answers. Chen Feiyuan, on the other hand, remained defiant towards Xu Qing, speaking very little. Xu Qing paid no attention to this; he was not skilled in socializing, so he would quickly leave for the forbidden area after each class, which was now aided by his knowledge of herbs. Before understanding herbal knowledge, he saw no difference between all the grasses and trees in the forbidden area, but now it was different. Xu Qing often discovered some herbs he was familiar with, and each such discovery greatly deepened his understanding of plants. However, Xu Qing also gradually realized that most of the plants in the forbidden area were poisonous and malevolent, with very few righteous herbs. Thus, his research on herbs was predominantly centered around poisons from the beginning. As he harvested those poisonous plants, he built a simple hut in a small canyon to serve as a laboratory for studying poisonous herbs. With his ability to neutralize toxins, Xu Qing was quite bold in his studies of poisonous plants. After trying various combinations and mixtures, he finally concocted an unknown venom. This venom was a mixture of eight poisonous herbs combined with snake venom, made from these nine substances. The toxin contained a strong corrosive effect; Xu Qing tested it, and a single drop entering flesh could reduce the experimental beast's corpse to blood water within five breaths. But it only worked that quickly on corpses; for living beings, the time increased significantly for some unknown reason. Even so, Xu Qing was very satisfied with this first poison he had concocted in his life. He dried it into powder and named it Corpse Destruction Powder. As for the righteous herbs, although they were rare, Xu Qing still managed to concoct some semi-finished medicinal liquids using the principles of yin and yang. A small portion mixed with Seven Leaf Grass had some suppressing effects on the异质. Xu Qing had once asked Master Bai if he could combine it with his medicinal formula for a better effect on Team Lei. Master Bai informed him that apart from destiny, everything else was useless, and his formula would eventually lose efficacy. And indeed, this was the case; even though Team Lei took his medicine on time every day, the weakness in his body was still visibly apparent, which Xu Qing observed quietly in his heart. Until this day, while eating, Team Lei hesitated before telling Xu Qing that he felt he was not suited to stay in the Scavenger Camp any longer and was preparing to buy a residency in a nearby city soon. "Child, I know your path will not stop at this little camp; your future will be much farther, so I won’t ask you to come with me to retire." At the moment Xu Qing heard this, he paused mid-bite, lowered his head for a long time in silence, and softly asked, "Will you come back?" "Of course, I will come back occasionally," Team Lei said, smiling as he raised his hand, the first time reaching out to touch Xu Qing's head, feeling emotional inside; he didn't want Xu Qing to risk going into the forbidden jungle for him any longer. Xu Qing instinctively wanted to avoid it, but after looking at Team Lei, he did not move, allowing Team Lei's hand to gently rest on his head. "Moreover, you can come see me anytime." Hearing this, Xu Qing nodded heavily. That night, while cultivating, Xu Qing opened his eyes several times, looking towards Team Lei's room. This emotion was silently buried in Xu Qing's heart for several days, and every day, besides attending Master Bai's lessons, he spent more time in the forbidden area, working hard to search for his destiny. But this destiny, as Master Bai said, was something that could only be encountered and not sought. ---- Righteous herbs are medicine, while the opposite is poison. I hope everyone enjoys this book's poison path. (End of this chapter)