Good and Evil in the Human Heart (4)

"There's something over there." Xu Ershao's voice came from the side, steady but alert. He pointed his sheathed sword toward the center of the pool.

Everyone followed his gesture and looked closely. Three luminous white spirit plants grew quietly on the water at the pool's center.

Their branches and leaves were translucent as jade, their veins clearly visible, as though carved from fine white jade. A faint halo edged every leaf;

dozens of luminous white fruits the size of longans hung among the branches. Each fruit was wrapped in a gossamer-thin glow and swayed gently with the water, giving off a pure, soft light.

In this filthy place steeped in stench and poisonous mist, they looked especially sacred—like white lotuses blooming alone in the mud, their radiance pushing back some of the surrounding gloom.

An ingenious place for them to grow. Understanding flashed through Shen Yuxi's eyes, and he nodded to himself. The Spirit-Eroding Pool's foulest energy nourishes the purest spiritual essence. Yin and yang balance each other. No wonder such rare spirit plants could grow here.

"Those are Pearl Fruits!" Luo Shen recognized them at once, unable to hide his delight. "Eat one, and you'll be immune to all poisons from then on. It even grants powerful resistance to harmful effects like inner demons and curses. It's the ultimate antidote!"

Before he finished speaking, eagerness had overcome caution, and he had already taken an unconscious step forward. Just as his foot was about to touch the slick rock beside the pool, the still blue-black water suddenly churned as if boiling!

A rapid series of gurgles broke the surface. Several thick vines, each as wide as a bowl, burst from the pool's depths. Inch-long black venomous thorns covered them, with dark green slime dripping from their tips. Like snakes that