231 - Mistress, I Was Wrong

### Chapter 231: The Poisonous Fruit "Seventh Sister." Dongfang Minghui peeked out from behind her, but saw nothing. However, the spiritual energy from Seventh Sister's body was released, and Toothless was scratching at the ground with her claws, which scraped through the snow with a rustling sound. Even the Little Artifact Spirit perched on Toothless' head fell silent. All around was a vast expanse of white; not a single human or ghostly figure was in sight. Yet, something felt amiss to her, and when she reached for her weapon, three plum blossom darts appeared in her hand. "Ow!" With a childish sounding yelp, Dongfang Minghui saw the Little Artifact Spirit suddenly get flung off Toothless' head. Before she could examine the situation closely, her Seventh Sister had already dragged her three meters away. The flame spat out by Toothless seemed to hit an obstacle, dropping mid-air. "Roar—" "Toothless." Toothless was slammed against a wall by an unseen force, causing icicles to rain down, some even hitting her large head. Shaking it off, Toothless quickly stood up again to fight back. Dongfang Minghui watched wide-eyed as Toothless seemed possessed, tossing and turning in the seemingly empty corridor, and even the fireballs she spat out fell to the ground upon release. The Little Artifact Spirit, just tossed away, flapped its way back, angered and shooting its own tiny fireballs at the same invisible target. However, its fireballs were all show and no force, extinguishing the moment they encountered the invisible presence. Unable to resist, Dongfang Minghui rubbed her eyes, still seeing nothing. "Seventh Sister, what exactly is it?" Qian Wanyu sensed a creature roughly the size of Toothless, likely dislodging the icicles falling around them with its massive body. The two creatures were locked in a struggle, but to her eyes, only Toothless and the Little Artifact Spirit were jumping around, with fire rapidly melting ice and snow, loud enough to cause a ruckus as mountain-top icicles crashed to the ground. "Ninth Sister, feel with your heart." "How am I supposed to feel?" Dongfang Minghui was on the verge of tears. Qian Wanyu attempted to channel her spiritual power to her eyes, yet saw nothing. Listening intently to the persistent sound of wind and snow, she assumed a defensive stance. Dongfang Minghui, seeing this, calmed down as well. What was certain was that the attacker was a single creature, likely a large magical beast given Toothed's battle marks, "Seventh Sister, be careful." "You be careful, too." "Can you see the beast?" "Of course not," said Pig Fairy Grass, acting as if asking the obvious. It grabbed its tail, stretching it out long before releasing it to spring back curled, "I've seen an invisible magical beast; they're a hassle to deal with. Judging by its size, this one seems troublesome, too." "Invisibility...?" Was this some kind of magical world? "Even invisibility should have weaknesses." Toothless was suddenly swept off her feet, falling from the path. The Little Artifact Spirit, however, nimbly dodged, still babbling, "Oh dear, Toothless fell off." Qian Wanyu swiftly drew her whip, lashing it into the air, hearing a metallic clang as if striking something. Dongfang Minghui closed her eyes, focusing beyond the sound of wind to detect a strong stench beneath the snow's cover. "Seventh Sister, stand aside." On hearing this, Qian Wanyu leaped into the air, stepping on the large magical beast. At that moment, the three plum blossom darts in Dongfang Minghui's hand shot out. "Hit it!" Joyously announced Pig Fairy Grass. "You saw it, Pig Fairy Grass?" Opening her eyes, Dongfang Minghui saw blood staining the snow, like distinct human footprints, each drop nearing her, "Now it can be seen clearly." Qian Wanyu's whip again drew the beast's attention. The beast stopped, seemingly deciding whether to head toward Qian Wanyu or continue pursuing Dongfang Minghui. Turning in place, it decisively chose to chase after Dongfang Minghui. "Ah, I think I can see the beast now." A large shadow appeared intermittently on the empty snowfield, one moment clear, the next obscured. Dongfang Minghui retreated a few steps as the bloody dots in the snow advanced toward her. Qian Wanyu whispered, "Move back, I'll draw it away." Dongfang Minghui shook her head, aiming to throw more plum blossom darts when a loud bang sounded. The creature collapsed, its blood quickly soaking the snow, fully revealing its form. A small mound-like creature, with sharp icy protrusions covering its back, its white body camouflaged perfectly within the snowy environment. Without moving, few would have noticed it was a magical beast. Toothless flapped her wings back up, the Little Artifact Spirit calmly overseeing from her head, creating a harmonious picture. Spotting the fallen beast, Toothless grumbled, sparking flames at it. "No, Toothless." Reluctantly, Toothless retracted her fire and treaded carefully around the beast, affectionately nuzzling Dongfang Minghui. Checking Toothless for injuries and finding none, Dongfang Minghui refocused on the now visible magical beast. "Seventh Sister, is it dead?" "Dead." Raising an eyebrow, Qian Wanyu inspected the beast. Its triangular head, with ugly sharp features, and uneven icy spikes, served both as protection and for attacking enemies, though made it look even uglier overall. Curiously, Dongfang Minghui pondered why the creature had suddenly appeared, "Previously on the mountain, this wasn’t here. We arrived and it attacked. Could it have been tracking our scent?" "Highly likely." On a barren mountain like this, such beasts, unsure of their food source, would naturally seek humans out when their scent wafted by, hunting alone was only logical. But just unlucky in this instance. While Qian Wanyu spoke, she had focused her spiritual energy into a blade, about twenty centimeters long. Holding the blade, she easily sliced open the beast's head, extracting a pure ice element energy core, about the size of a small pigeon egg. "Seventh Sister, look, the blood is freezing." Dongfang Minghui was astounded at how quickly the blood from the invisible beast solidified in the icy conditions. "It’s the influence of the mountain climate," Qian Wanyu mused, noting Minghui's snow-dappled eyelashes, "Are you cold?" Dongfang Minghui shook her head, using spiritual energy to resist the cold, feeling much better than before. Subsequently, to recover her three plum blossom darts, she overturned the invisible beast, finally locating them inside its belly. Qian Wanyu pocketed the chilled pigeon egg into her space storage, "Let’s move on." They patiently searched the base of the mountain for three days without any sign of Xiao Miao. --- Meanwhile, Lian remained in the mountain crevice for two days, rising suddenly on the third. His movement roused the others. Concerned by his previous 'resurrection' and the mysterious seal on him, Qian Yiling and Qian Ziyan remained cautious. Though they mentioned 'Qian Ying' in casual conversation, Lian showed no reaction. They planned to question him thoroughly once Qian Wanyu returned. "Lian, where are you headed?" Qian Yiling asked quietly, watching him intently. "The Shaman's been gone a long time; I want to see if she's returning," Lian said, adjusting the bow upon his back and stepping toward the crevice entrance. Qian Ziyan abruptly stood up, "Wanyu and Little Nine said they'd be back in three days. Just wait one more day." "I want to wait outside," Lian, stubborn as ever, was determined to do what he willed, despite obstacles. "You—" Qian Yiling hesitated, words left unsaid. Nearby, Little Fatty stood with Little Beansprout in hand, silently following Lian. Seeing this, Qian Ziyan returned to his seat, as the space meant for five now crowded with six felt much roomier after two had left. Mu Sheng rubbed his hands together. When Little Fatty was around just now, they could still share a bit of warmth. Now that she had left, the temperature seemed to have dropped significantly—perhaps it was just his imagination. "Uncle, do you think Sister Wanyu and Minghui can find Xiao Miao?" Qian Ziyan didn't quite know how to answer. Typically, if they had found Xiao Miao, they would have returned earlier. Now, as the third day unfolded, the situation seemed grim. After some thought, he replied, "We'll know when they return." Lian stepped out from the mountain crevice, with Little Fatty following closely behind. The snow outside had become deeper than it was before, completely covering up the traces from a few days ago due to overnight snowfall. Lian took a deep breath and started to descend the mountain. Halfway down, seeing Lian suddenly halt, Little Fatty couldn’t help but urge, "Keep going." Having not seen Dongfang Minghui for two days now, Little Fatty felt out of sorts. Hearing Lian mention searching for someone, she tagged along without hesitation. Lian hesitated, glanced back at Little Fatty, but chose a path off the beaten track, a scarcely noticeable small trail leading away. He had some recollection of this mountain, drawn from that long and vivid dream he’d had before. The events from the dream had been troubling him for the past two days, and now he decided to follow his instincts. As they continued walking, they came across an uneven platform with a flower blooming amidst the snow. The flower bore two or three vividly colored fruits—red, yellow, and a small white one. A closer look revealed a subtle spiritual plant beside it, nearly invisible amidst the white—all transparent purity and resembling a sculptured ice flower, lifelike and proudly independent. Little Beansprout in Little Fatty's arms suddenly perked up, and she found it intriguing. Ever since merging with the Tianyin Helmet, this little sprout appeared lifeless, unresponsive no matter how she teased it. "I want it." Little Beansprout wiggled happily, and its response delighted Little Fatty. Lian was captivated by the ice flower's beauty. He recalled these vibrant fruits from memory, especially since eating them once caused him significant pain. Coincidentally, his father had taken to the mountains to find food for him, crossing four icy peaks to procure them back then. Sometimes his father would disappear for days, and that was one such time. He knew better than to eat random things now, though no regret potion existed in the world. Lian reached out, uncertain whether to pick the fruit or touch the beautiful ice flower. Before he could make a decision, he was suddenly tackled to the snow by someone from behind. "Little Fatty, what are you doing!" "Ack." Little Fatty quickly scrambled up and pointed to an empty spot nearby as if there was something there. Lian swiftly rose, sensing an unfamiliar presence in the air, questioning her seriously, "Little Fatty, what are you looking at?" "Uh." Little Fatty frowned, uncertain how to alert him. Little Beansprout in her arms shivered, burying itself deeper into her embrace. Without the Tianyin Helmet, it felt less secure, its precious obsidian soil slowly dwindling without its detection. Thus, following the loss of its pot, its beloved soil also seemed poised to disappear. "Attack." As the beast charged, Little Fatty conjured a small fireball and hurled it at the creature. The beast deflected it with its icy spikes, those sharp protrusions wiggling on its back, sometimes enlarging, sometimes shrinking. Disturbingly, they moved only along the beast’s back. Little Fatty, tilting her head, observed it for a moment, before tossing four or five more fireballs toward it. Lian, grasping his bow, realized his arrows prepared earlier had been expended by Qian Wanyu. Thus, to combat the beast, he improvised, shaping a snowball. He used wind elemental energy to compress the ice and snow tightly, forming a solid projectile. Nocking it onto his bow, he shot it straight at the beast. One, two, three... the invisible beast, covered in snow, began to reveal its form gradually. Lian increased his efforts, attacking from all angles until finally seeing its true form. A hint of shock crossed his eyes; had Little Fatty not pushed him away in time, he might have fallen victim to the beast. Normally, his hearing was incredibly sharp, but mesmerized by the fruits, he had faltered, giving the creature its chance. "Little Fatty, you attack from the front, I'll flank." "Okay." Little Fatty tucked Little Beansprout into her clothes, then dashed toward the beast, landing blows with fists as bright as small suns on the creature's grotesquely ugly face. Boom— The beast staggered backward five steps as Lian, circling around, recalled the power of Qian Wanyu's magically conjured arrows. The memory of their impact still pained him near his heart. If he could muster such spirit arrows at will, he believed, even weaponless, his bow would still be formidable. Channeling wind elemental energy through his fingers, he summoned a fierce whirlwind, forming a snowswept vortex around the beast heavily beaten by Little Fatty, forcing it to retreat further until it finally turned to flee. "What?" Confused, Little Fatty watched the massive creature bolt, disappointment flickering in her fiery eyes—she hadn’t finished playing with it. She retrieved Little Beansprout from her pocket, “Bean.” Little Beansprout stretched its stem and bud, aiming directly at the majestic ice flower. "You want it?" “Little Fatty, those fruits are poisonous; you can't eat them.” Lian thought Little Fatty wanted the fruit and gave a warning. "No." Little Fatty presented Little Beansprout to the ice flower, noting a striking resemblance to the sacred herb in Kunlun Valley, yet their energies were different. "Be careful." No sooner had Lian spoken than a force knocked him flying toward the edge of a cliff. Quick to react, Little Fatty launched a massive fireball at the attacking beast. After the explosion, they realized another threat from the left. It wasn’t just one beast—they were not alone. "Ah," she murmured as more invisible beasts appeared. The one that had fled initially had brought reinforcements. Unhappy, Little Fatty placed Little Beansprout safely away, then set out with her bare hands to subdue the first of the invisible beasts, followed by a series of assaults that caused each beast to become visible. --- On their ascent, Dongfang Minghui and Qian Wanyu encountered an invisible beast tumbling off the cliff, landing lifelessly before them. Looking up in unison, they spied the cliff’s edge. “Oh,” the Little Artifact Spirit exclaimed in surprise, “It’s that one.” It couldn't specify which one it meant, but the sight of the large beast thrilled it. It flew from Toothless' head, puffing fire at the invisible beast's corpse, albeit to no avail as the fireballs evaporated upon contact with the snow, completely ineffective. Witnessing this, Dongfang Minghui couldn’t help facepalming. She had learned from her Seventh Sister that artifact spirits usually awakened with metallic elemental power, and this Little Artifact Spirit, wanting to mimic Toothless, likely didn’t understand one key fact: artifact spirits of metal cannot produce fireballs. Yet, tirelessly, it flapped its imitation wings around, and only after failing to spew fireballs did it return to Toothless’ head, looking at them obediently. Qian Wanyu waited for the Little Artifact Spirit to cease its antics before crouching to examine the fallen invisible beast’s wounds. The injuries were nearly undetectable, but she finally located a tiny red mark on the beast’s skull. Due to the climate, blood quickly froze upon exposure, and the miniscule wound had taken quite some time to find. After assessing the wound, Qian Wanyu said, "Looks like it was struck by a needle-like concealed weapon." “A needle?” Dongfang Minghui retrieved a similar implement from her weapon stash. “But a needle wound would typically leave the needle lodged in the flesh.” “Indeed.” For verification, Qian Wanyu reformed a blade of spirit energy, cleaving open the beast’s skull. They found an ice-element energy core inside, but no hint of anything else—except a fading remnant of wind elemental energy near the brain. Of the people she knew, those adept at wielding wind-based spiritual power were numerous, but those capable of using it to lethally attack were rare. Besides her mother and Uncle, there was also Lian. "It seems I underestimated him." "Seventh Sister, what are you talking about?" Throwing the ice element energy core into her spatial storage, Qian Wanyu remarked, "They may have run into some trouble. Let's hurry." "Okay." As they made their way, it became clear the path was unfamiliar. Only after Toothless and the Little Artifact Spirit searched around did they find a barely noticeable shortcut, leading to a cliff. Dongfang Minghui was puzzled. "Seventh Sister, you clearly instructed Mother and Uncle to stay in the crevice, so why did they take this route? Where were they heading?" Quian Wanyu followed two sets of footprints up—a deeper one and another that clearly belonged to Little Fatty. Little Fatty, who ran shoeless all over the mountain, left unique footprints that were hard to erase in the ice and snow. Apart from Little Fatty, there was also a smaller set belonging to Xiao Miao. However, Xiao Miao being shorter than Little Fatty, left distinctly different footprints. Upon reaching the battle site, they witnessed Lian form and shoot a spiritual needle, taking down the final invisible beast. The beast toppled with a crash as Little Fatty sat heavily on the ground, exhausted from the effort—these invisible monsters were no joke in size and heft. Little Beansprout leaped from Little Fatty's embrace, scampering eagerly to Dongfang Minghui and wagging excitedly to lead her towards the ice flower. However, a vine darted out before it, shamelessly wrapping around the ice flower as though claiming ownership. Little Beansprout, seeing this, hurried to tangle with Little Colour's vine, almost uprooted from its obsidian soil by the altercation. With her focus shifted from the defeated invisible beasts, Dongfang Minghui's gaze fell on the vivid fruits and then to the ice flower, which Little Colour jealously guarded. "Huh." Qian Wanyu soon spotted the ice flower, reminiscent of the sacred medicine, and asked, "What is this...?" "A celestial ice lotus born of the earth and heavens," Pig Fairy Grass poked its head out, unlike Little Colour's blatant enthusiasm, it merely tugged Dongfang Minghui's weapon before retreating into her space again. "It still needs a chance to be sealed once more." Dongfang Minghui almost forgot about Pig Fairy Grass's situation, curious about the person pursuing it. "Why is he chasing you? Did you steal something valuable?" "Absolutely not!" Pig Fairy Grass nervously squatted in the corner, silent, acting like background decor. This stirred Dongfang Minghui's curiosity further, now finding the ice lotus far less interesting. "Seventh Sister, the seal on my weapon accidentally unsealed itself. Could you inform Mother and Uncle to seal it again?" Qian Wanyu only realized the seal was undone after the artifact spirit returned Dongfang Minghui, and she nodded in agreement to handle it. "Shaman, this Ice Flower is beautiful and exquisite," Lian expressed, awed by the celestial treasure ice flower. "It's an ice lotus, condensed from the natural qi of this mountain, roughly a century old," Dongfang Minghui explained as she scanned the area, aside from the invisible beasts, there was nothing else. She quickly scolded Little Colour in her soul sea for its greed. Lian curiously asked, "Shaman, since the ice lotus is a treasure, what purpose does it serve? And what's that plant beside it?" Noticing the other plant, she saw a stark contrast to the ice flower. It exuded a dark aura, surrounding it with an unsettling presence though its color matched the snowy landscape. Dongfang Minghui examined it closely and recognized it from a medical text. "It's not truly a flower. I think I've seen this spirit plant in the compendium before." Frustrated, Little Colour sulked, "Why can't I collect the ice lotus? You promised me celestial treasures in the Changsheng Cauldron." Patiently, Dongfang Minghui explained, "This celestial treasure has been here for years, surely guarded by something. If you impulsively pick it, what if it triggers an avalanche again?" Having experienced multiple avalanches already, she dreaded something similar happening to little Xiao Miao again. Little Colour, resignedly accepting, muttered, "Fine, I’ll wait until we reach another mountain to pluck it." "That's wise," Dongfang Minghui nodded, her plan being to let everyone safely leave before any potential avalanche occurred again. "Shaman?" "Do you know this spirit plant by the ice lotus? Is the fruit edible?" Lian's persistence caught Qian Wanyu's interest. She glanced at the plant, realizing it resembled the berries trapped in ice within the cavern—bright and tempting yet misleadingly dangerous. Dongfang Minghui wasn't entirely sure, but Pig Fairy Grass mumbled, "It’s likely Hun Yin Cao, bearing fruit every fifty years with seven fruits, each highly poisonous." "But I remember the compendium saying this plant grows in extremely dark places," Dongfang Minghui mused. "And the color of Hun Yin Cao isn’t supposed to be white... Did I remember wrong?" "You only see one side of Hun Yin Cao. It changes color to match its fruit as it grows. You noticed the white fruit because it’s still maturing, hence it’s white." Counting three fruits on the plant, Dongfang Minghui realized this Hun Yin Cao could be 150 years old. "Don't be ridiculous. The plant is nearing its end." Pig Fairy Grass sighed, "It’s over 340 years old. Once the fruit matures, it has to regrow." "What?" "Hun Yin Cao exists to nurture its seven fruits. I don't know why there are just three left, but it’s past 300 years old." Pig Fairy Grass suggested, "You could help it by ending its life early, and it will be grateful." Dongfang Minghui was surprised—this was the first time she'd heard of plants wanting to die. "Shaman," Lian repeatedly called her back from her thoughts, earnestly asking, "Can the fruit be eaten?" "Ah, this plant is Hun Yin Cao. You can’t eat its fruit; they’re deadly poisonous. Just one could bring death," Dongfang Minghui explained, muttering, "Whoever picked them earlier should have finished the task." As the saying goes, delivering kindness should be seen through. But then again, who half-picked the fruit anyway? Lian turned pale, his eyes wide. Looking at his hands, confusion soaked his expression. If the dream was real, didn't that mean he had met his end? He staggered back a step. Dongfang Minghui was engrossed in examining the Hun Yin Cao, unaware of Lian's reaction. "Is something wrong here?" Qian Wanyu noticed her frown and inquired, her gaze flicking to Lian. Dongfang Minghui neither nodded nor shook her head, "Seventh Sister, give me a moment," she said before crouching by Hun Yin Cao, whispering mentally, "Elder, Pig Fairy Grass said you’re over 300 years old, is it true?" After some time, hearing no response, Dongfang Minghui hesitated whether to help the plant move on, until she finally heard a slow, aged voice in her mind. "Pig Fairy Grass?" Pig Fairy Grass peered over, startling the old plant to silence. "Do you have any wishes I can help with?" she offered, though tempted to ask blatantly if it wished to die—a blunt question she held back knowing sometimes honesty isn’t welcomed. "There is one." "Tell me, if it's reasonable, I'll fulfill it." Dongfang Minghui seemed agreeable, but secretly nudged Pig Fairy Grass within her soul sea, "What use is its toxic fruit to us?" "Though it is highly poisonous, this is the only Hun Yin Cao in existence, making its fruit exceptionally rare. Since you've encountered it, it must be fate," Pig Fairy Grass idly twirled its pig tail, stretching and retracting it repeatedly, thoroughly entertained, before adding, "To humans, it's poison. But to others, it's a treasure. Your Seventh Sister's soul is incomplete. If she consumes this fruit, it may help her quickly gather her soul fragments—an opportunity others can only dream of." "Really?" Dongfang Minghui exclaimed with excitement. Pig Fairy Grass snorted with displeasure, as if to say its words were unquestionable. "I nurtured seven children, but years ago, a little boy swallowed one and died," Hun Yin Cao said, its story emerging in fragmented whispers. Likely, that boy consumed a soul shadow fruit and perished in its presence. Days later, a middle-aged man came, seemingly in anguish, and harvested the rest of the precious fruits it had nurtured for centuries, leaving with the boy's corpse. "Sigh." Dongfang Minghui heard its lamenting sigh and almost wanted to join in. But as she reconsidered, something felt off. "So, what do you wish to do?" "I dedicated my life to these seven children. Before I fade from this world, I naturally wish for them to be reunited." "…" Well, this was awkward. She did not foresee such a sudden turn. Out of seven fruits, three remained, one was consumed by the boy, and the other three likely met similar fates—eaten, a mission impossible. "Had I known, I would have picked the fruits right away to save myself from forming this hematic bond." "You're not at a loss; Hun Yin Cao has many treasures," Pig Fairy Grass teased. "Alright, then I'll listen to its story," she quickly adjusted her attitude, enticed by the potential treasures. Perhaps anticipating her silence, Hun Yin Cao continued, "I know one cannot be recovered. But the remaining three still exist. I feel them, a blood-borne connection." "I can give you one of my marks. When the time is right, plant it, and in a hundred years, it will bear fruit." "What is a mark?" "The mark is a seed carrying a century's memory of Hun Yin Cao, akin to reincarnation," Pig Fairy Grass explained patiently. "If you don't want it, selling it will certainly cause a frenzy." "…" She found Pig Fairy Grass increasingly human-like, savvy in the world, almost an oddity among spiritual plants. "Is there a way to find where the remaining fruits are?" "Carry the mark I give you, and you will sense them." "Alright." Qian Wanyu and Lian stood on either side, observing as Dongfang Minghui interacted with Hun Yin Cao, her expressions shifting like a thousand-faced chameleon—from sighs to joy to worry. Abruptly, Dongfang Minghui stood and gathered the fruits one by one, murmuring, "Rest easy, I will find them." Toothless lay idly on the ground, using her paw to push the Little Artifact Spirit around repeatedly; perhaps to vent frustration, she took this time to toy with the spirit. The Little Artifact Spirit wearily complied, its belly pressed by Toothless’s paws, assuming it was just play. Moldable like a container, it changed forms endlessly. After the fruits were picked, Hun Yin Cao shriveled unexpectedly and slowly collapsed, leaving only a shining, seven-colored bead on the snow, which floated into Dongfang Minghui's hands. "Is this the mark the elder spoke of?" "Yes, keep it safe." Pig Fairy Grass suddenly interjected, "Wait a moment." Holding the fruits and the mark, Dongfang Minghui asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?" "Oh dear, I nearly forgot something important," Pig Fairy Grass wailed in the soul sea. Dongfang Minghui was taken aback by its lament, "What is it?" "Hun Yin Cao is revered as an extremely yin object. Yet, a celestial treasure, an extremely yang object, grew beside it. I finally understand why it grew on this mountain—someone was using the mountain to suppress their essences." "So—" "What’s with the 'so'? Quickly pick that celestial treasure and run!" Scarcely had Pig Fairy Grass finished speaking when Little Colour, as quick as lightning, swiped the protected ice lotus and darted back into the soul sea. Dongfang Minghui: "…"