Mist-Shrouded Heroic Trail

After the killing intent in the canyon, the price they paid was abandoning the donkey cart and part of their supplies. Everyone was wounded, and every step was difficult.

The shadow of pursuing enemies had hung over the convoy the entire time, forcing Chen Qing to make a difficult decision—leave the relatively passable official road and detour into the northern perilous land that struck fear into the hearts of all who heard its name: Misty Marsh.

Chen Qing was thinking of them as well. If he had only Wolf King and A Ning with him, he could have carved a bloody path through anything. But these escorts might not survive a rain of arrows or a sneak attack.

After hesitating again and again, Liu Meng finally nodded. He trusted this young hero's judgment.

The moment they stepped onto the edge of the marsh, the air immediately became thick and oppressive.

The sour stench of rotting vegetation seeped into every opening and drilled into their nostrils, making their heads spin faintly.

Gray-white fog lingered all year round, severely obstructing their vision. Beyond three to five zhang, everything blurred into obscurity. They could only hear the mud squelching beneath their feet and the strange cries of unknown creatures in the distance.

The ground itself was a deadly trap. Beneath seemingly solid grassland might lie bottomless mud pits, and every step had to be taken with utmost care.

"Stay close to me. Watch your footing." Chen Qing's voice was especially clear amid the thick fog.

His spiritual senses played a crucial role here. Not only could he sense whether the ground beneath them was solid or hollow in advance, he could also pierce through the fog and roughly distinguish paths where the flow of energy was comparatively steady and safe to pass through.

Chen Qing gathered Starforce into his eyes. At once, a faint starlight began to flow within them, allowing him to see through some of the false illusions hidden in the mist.

Liu Meng and the wounded escorts supported one another as they followed, taking one deep step and one shallow step, every movement draining their strength.

Yan Yunxi gripped her sword tightly, vigilantly watching the bizarre tree shadows warped by the fog around them. With her other hand, she held tightly onto A Ning. A Ning's small face had gone somewhat pale from the miasma, but she remained silent and struggled to keep up.

Wolf King's performance surprised everyone. This giant beast's instinct for danger far surpassed that of humans. From time to time, it let out low warning growls, using its claws to rake aside seemingly harmless patches of grass concealing poisonous insects. Once, it suddenly reared up and smashed a venomous snake dangling from a tree with one paw just as it was about to strike.

When judging the route, Chen Qing also consulted the directions Wolf King instinctively chose. The coordination between man and wolf grew increasingly seamless.

When they reached an area of slightly higher ground, the fog seemed to thin a little. Wolf King suddenly stopped, letting out a low growl mixed with vigilance and curiosity as it turned toward a depression half-covered by enormous, rotten deadwood.

Chen Qing's thoughts stirred. A faint starlight glimmered in his eyes as he sensed an exceedingly weak yet unusually pure ripple of life energy coming from deep within that depression.

"Wait here." Chen Qing motioned for everyone to stop, then cautiously headed in that direction.

Pushing aside tangled vines and avoiding several poisonous bogs that bubbled and hissed, Chen Qing arrived behind the deadwood. In the center of the depression was a small patch of rare dry, hard ground, covered by a layer of peculiar fine white sand.

Within that white sand, a strange plant grew quietly.

Its leaves were black and lustrous like dark jade, yet their intricate veins seemed traced in pure gold. The leaves surrounded a pearl-sized fruit at the center as stars surrounded the moon, and the fruit emitted a milky-white halo beneath the sunlight.

An extraordinarily faint yet refreshing fragrance lingered in the air. One breath was enough to invigorate the spirit, and even the miasma around them seemed to disperse somewhat.

Chen Qing's gaze sharpened as he recognized it as an extremely rare spiritual treasure. He cautiously observed the surroundings and, after confirming there was no danger, borrowed a jade medicine box from Liu Meng. He carefully dug up the entire herb, roots and all, placed it inside, and closed the lid.

The strange fragrance was sealed away with it.

When he returned, Liu Meng and the others were curious but tactfully did not ask. Only Wolf King came over and rubbed against his hand ingratiatingly, as if it knew he had found something good again. Chen Qing patted Wolf King's head and carefully put away the jade box. The value of this unexpected harvest far surpassed everything they had found before.

The marsh was not a land of death alone; it also harbored life.

Under Chen Qing's guidance, they occasionally found herbs that grew in special environments, some of which had miraculous effects in treating injuries and neutralizing miasma poison.

Relying on his sensitivity to energy fluctuations, Chen Qing also found several peculiar ores beneath the stones of a dried riverbed. They contained faint Earth Star Power and Sharp Metal Qi. Though they were not spiritual materials, skilled craftsmen might be able to forge decent weapons or armor plates from them. He casually put them away.

The dangers went far beyond the environment. A shrill scream tore through the mist as an escort lagging slightly behind the group was suddenly dragged into a murky pool by tremendous force. Blood instantly dyed the water red, leaving only a string of bubbles rising to the surface. Immediately afterward, a huge tail as thick as a water barrel, covered in mud and scales, swept viciously toward them!

"It's a Marsh Giant Crocodile!" Liu Meng rasped in warning, raising his blade to block. The impact sent him staggering back and tore open his wound.

Almost at the same time, fog churned on the other side. A brightly colored venomous python with a fleshy crest atop its head silently slithered out, its scarlet tongue hissing as it lunged straight at A Ning, who looked the weakest!

"Watch out!" Yan Yunxi was terrified beyond measure. She thrust out her sword to stab it, but she was already one step too late.

At that critical instant, A Ning, who had been protected in the middle of the group, suddenly stepped forward and stared directly at the venomous python.

The python, which had leaped into midair, suddenly froze. A rare flicker of confusion and hesitation flashed through its vertical pupils, and its attack immediately slowed.

That single instant was enough!

Chen Qing's figure had already swept over like a ghost. He held two fingers together like a sword, Starforce gathering upon them, and struck precisely at the python's vital point! With a pfft, his finger force pierced straight through its body! The python let out a pained hiss, twisted as it fell into the mud, and swiftly fled.

On the other side, Wolf King had already roared as it pounced into the pool, rolling and tearing at the thick-skinned giant crocodile. Mud splashed in all directions and beast blood sprayed wildly. In the end, with greater ferocity and strength, it forcibly bit through the crocodile's neck.

The battle was brief and intense.

Chen Qing turned to look at the calm A Ning, his gaze profound. That had definitely not been an illusion. The aura that had made the venomous creature hesitate... the secret hidden within this child was likely deeper than he had imagined. But since A Ning did not speak of it, Chen Qing would not ask.

The group found a patch of level ground and began to rest.

Yan Yunxi walked over to A Ning with a face full of apology and crouched down. "That really scared me to death just now. Thankfully Brother Chen acted in time. Otherwise, I truly wouldn't know how to face any of you."

A Ning looked up at Chen Qing, then turned to look at Yan Yunxi. She slowly shook her head, indicating that she was fine and Yan Yunxi should not take it to heart.

A tear fell from Yan Yunxi's eyes as she cried excitedly, "A Ning!" Then she threw her arms around A Ning.

The sudden scene left Chen Qing staring, and made A Ning's entire body go rigid, too afraid to move.

Other than Wolf King and Chen Qing, no one had ever touched her like this before. Yet she did not seem entirely opposed to it.

A Ning slowly raised her hand and patted Yan Yunxi's back.

Yan Yunxi released A Ning and hurriedly wiped away her tears. "A Ning, are you hungry? I still have half a rabbit. Do you want me to roast it for you?"

A Ning was bewildered by Yan Yunxi's string of enthusiastic questions and could only look up at Chen Qing for help. Seeing that he merely smiled, with no intention of helping her at all, A Ning could only turn back and say weakly, "N-no need..."

But Yan Yunxi insisted on roasting a rabbit for A Ning and was about to get up to gather firewood when Liu Meng called out to stop her.

"Miss, this place isn't suitable for making a fire to roast meat. The smell will attract all kinds of wild beasts, and then we'll be in trouble!"

Chen Qing looked at Liu Meng. As expected of an escort; his own wilderness survival experience truly still needed improvement.

Night drew near.

Everyone began gathering firewood and lit a bonfire in the middle of the open ground. The escorts all climbed into the nearby trees to rest, while Wolf King lay beside the fire and yawned.

It was not afraid of those little playthings nearby. If they came over, they would only become an extra meal for it.

Of course, Chen Qing was not afraid either. He brought A Ning to lie on Wolf King's belly. Wolf King raised its head to glance at them and yawned. There was nothing it could do—it could not beat him, and its master deeply respected this man. It could only let him do as he pleased.

On a tree branch, Yan Yunxi looked toward the people beside the fire. "Uncle Liu, wouldn't it be safer for them to hide up in the trees?"

Liu Meng chuckled. "Young Hero Chen's martial arts may not be the best under heaven, but he is certainly hard to find a match for. And with that giant wolf beside him, there's no need to fear these birds and beasts in the mountains."

Yan Yunxi watched as A Ning nestled into Chen Qing's arms. A trace of envy appeared in her eyes.

Liu Meng looked at Yan Yunxi and could only sigh helplessly. "Miss, get some rest early. We still have to continue our journey tomorrow!"

Yan Yunxi could only nod dejectedly and lie down on the branch, but her gaze remained fixed on the bonfire.