Good and Evil in the Human Heart (3)

"Let me take a look." Su Qing crouched down eagerly and carefully dipped a fingertip into the strangely colored poisonous water.

The instant his nail touched it, he rubbed the droplet between his fingers as though he had found a fascinating new toy. A trace of deep blue clung to his fingertip, giving off an eerie sheen.

Only after a moment did Su Qing draw back his hand. The blue droplet did not eat into his flesh. Instead, it ran down his finger like ordinary water.

He lowered his gaze to his fingertip, understanding flashing through his eyes. When he looked up again, his familiar teasing smile had returned. He waggled his finger. "I have two pieces of good news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Now's hardly the time to keep us guessing!" Seeing Su Qing's carefree expression, Xu Ershao jabbed him in the back with his sword sheath. He did not strike hard, but the jab still sent Su Qing stumbling forward.

Su Qing caught himself, rubbed his aching back, and glared over his shoulder. "When are you going to do something about that temper?"

Despite his complaint, he knew this was no time for jokes. His grin faded a little as he spoke at an unhurried pace:

"The water contains Spirit-Eroding Poison. It's one of the more troublesome poisons in the cultivation world, but its nature is clear: it attacks spiritual energy and objects imbued with it first. If you don't use spiritual energy to protect yourself, at worst it'll eat through your clothes and any Spirit Artifacts you're carrying. Your flesh should be fine."

Luo Shen's mouth twitched. "You call that good news? Torn clothes are one thing, but what are we supposed to do when danger comes along if our Spirit Artifacts are