Chapter 11: This Guy, Chu Liang, He's Alright! - Young Noble Be Monster Slaying

**Chapter 11: This Guy, Chu Liang, He's Alright!** Xu Ziqing perhaps found the ground a bit dirty and was reluctant to sit down, so she stood to the side. The little girl had been walking in the middle of the group, well-protected by others, so she wasn't tired and didn't particularly need to rest. As the others sat down to meditate, she grew somewhat bored. Her lively eyes darted back and forth as she glanced around the dense forest's surroundings. Suddenly, a leaf shook ahead, as if something briefly shifted in the shadows. Curious, she fixed her gaze on the spot. In the next instant, a rustling sound echoed as a palm-sized azure toad sprang out from beneath the foliage! Its bulging eyes made it appear ugly and menacing. Although this creature wasn’t a demon, it hadn't been detected by Fang Ting's spiritual senses and managed to sneak into their vicinity. "Yikes!" Although not dangerous, this terrifying appearance inflicted a significant fright on the little girl's mind, causing her to stagger backward several steps. With this misstep, she inadvertently stepped out of the lantern’s protective glow. Just one step. As everyone's gaze was drawn to her, a vine at the edge sprang up with a whoosh, opening its fanged maw! Sss— Caught off guard, the little girl was bitten on her calf by the flower spirit! "Sister Ziqing!" Fang Ting shouted in alarm, as the sword on his back was instantly unleashed. A swirling golden dragon of sword energy charged with thunder erupted forth, engulfing the flower spirit's body, along with subsequent vines, massive trees, and a large swath of dense forest, carving a deep trench spanning over thirty yards. Chu Liang had earlier heard from Lin Bei that Fang Ting's treasured sword was named the Thunderstrike Sword, and he cultivated the Godly Sky Five Thunder Golden Core, specializing in thunderous sword energy. Witnessing its power now was indeed terrifying. The sheer might of that sword, passing just beside Xu Ziqing without so much as grazing her clothing, was also astonishing in its precision. There truly exists a vast chasm in capability between a Golden Core cultivator and a Divine Intent practitioner. However, no matter how fierce his reprisals were, it couldn’t change the fact that Xu Ziqing had been bitten by the flower spirit. She tumbled, sitting on the ground, and hurriedly began circulating her energy to stop the bleeding. But soon, she exclaimed again in panic. "This flower spirit is poisonous..." Looking closer, indeed, beneath her lifted pant leg, a deep wound on her tender calf was oozing black blood. The surrounding skin was tinged with a dark aura. "The green vine flower spirits in this forest are typically non-toxic, but that one just now... must have been a mutated wisteria flower spirit," Fang Ting assessed. "This is bad," Lin Bei stated, "We have antidotes prepared for forest miasma, the Dispel Dull Pill. This mutated flower spirit is rare, and we have no antidote prepared for its venom... The only course of action left now..." "What is it?" Everyone turned their attention to him. Lin Bei, with a determined look, declared, "Sister Ziqing, seal your qi and blood flow to slow the poison. I will draw out the toxic blood with my energy!" He grimaced, seemingly preparing himself for the task. "Ridiculous!" Fang Ting scolded with furrowed brows, "Your cultivation is about the same as Sister Ziqing's. What will you do if you get poisoned too? Hmm... My cultivation is higher. I'll do it." It was at this moment that the usually silent Lu Ren spoke up, "Brother Fang has important responsibilities and should not take such risks. Brother Lin’s cultivation is lower, so he shouldn't act rashly, either. Let me do it." Saying this, he licked his lips. "Ah..." The little girl held her delicate foot, her voice now tinged with tears. This was evidently not a scenario she had envisioned. As the three argued, Chu Liang interjected, "Guys, I have..." Lin Bei looked up at him, "What? Do you want a taste of this too?" "No," Chu Liang shook his head, "I was going to say, I brought an antidote that might help with Sister Xu's flower spirit poison." "What?" Xu Ziqing immediately looked at Chu Liang with eyes brimming with hope, "Brother Chu, do you really have an antidote?" "Indeed. While it's not specifically for flower spirit poison, it should have some effectiveness," Chu Liang said, taking out the Hundred Flowers Powder. "It's not a specific antidote, there’s still some risk," Lin Bei seemed somewhat reluctant, glancing at Xu Ziqing, "It's up to you, Sister Ziqing..." "We have two choices here: suck out the poison or take the medicine?" "I'll take the medicine!" Xu Ziqing declared without hesitation. Chu Liang handed over the Hundred Flowers Powder, "Half to be ingested, and half applied externally." "Okay, thank you, Brother Chu." Xu Ziqing expressed her heartfelt gratitude. "Sigh," Lin Bei sighed, looking guilt-ridden, "Can't help but feel uneasy for being of no help. If I couldn’t draw out the poison, perhaps I could help apply the medicine?" This only earned him a big roll of her eyes from Xu Ziqing. Following Chu Liang's instructions, she divided the Hundred Flowers Powder into two portions, applying half to the wound and swallowing the other half with water, then meditated for a short while. Amazingly, in just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the dark aura around the wound had completely disappeared! Even the sizable wound began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. While cultivators naturally have robust qi and blood, the healing efficacy of the Hundred Flowers Powder certainly played a role. "Brother Chu, your medicine is miraculous!" Xu Ziqing exclaimed, looking at Chu Liang with delight. "As long as it works," Chu Liang replied with a mild smile. For cultivators, so long as there's no demon poison, ordinary cuts and bruises are hardly consequential. Xu Ziqing applied some ointment for her external injuries, and soon stood up looking lively as ever. Whether it was an illusion or not, she felt that after using Chu Liang's medicine, her body began emanating a fragrance that kept changing. Initially, it was a subtle jasmine scent, in the middle it became fragrant rose, and later... well... a peculiar scent she had never smelled before, quite strong too. Probably some kind of floral scent? Once she regained her mobility, she gracefully approached Chu Liang, softly saying, "Brother Chu, how should I thank you?" "It's nothing," Chu Liang replied with a smile, "You gave me the Qi Gathering Pill, and I gave you the Hundred Flowers Powder. It's just a fair exchange." "But..." the little girl tilted her head, "How can a Qi Gathering Pill compare to your Hundred Flowers Powder..." Waving a hand, Chu Liang said, "We're fellow disciples and friends. No need to be so precise." "We're friends, huh..." Xu Ziqing paused, then her face lit up with a joyful smile, "Great." At that moment, Lin Bei chimed in from the side, "But Brother Chu, weren't you brought over directly from the Sword Exchange Pavilion by us? And you still had an antidote on you?" "Better to be safe than sorry," Chu Liang replied casually. Before long, Fang Ting called for the group to move out again, and Chu Liang promptly resumed his position at the front, taking on his role of trailblazer once more. This time, as everyone watched his back, their gazes softened considerably. Now, among the Jade Sword Peak disciples, the consensus was... this Silver Sword Peak disciple was worth knowing. When there are monsters, he fights; when there's medicine needed, he provides. Chu Liang, this guy — he's alright!