A Miscalculation Indeed

The lightning mink was not yet weaned when Zhong Ling adopted and raised it. Having spent four years by her side, the creature was exceptionally intelligent, capable of understanding Zhong Ling's guidance; it would attack or seize whatever it was told to.

How long had Ginger been in Azhi's possession? Besides, the monkey was entirely poisonous and required gloves just to handle. After finding it a novelty for a couple of days, Azhi had largely lost interest.

Ordering the monkey to claw Zhong Ling's face was merely a trick she had just learned and immediately put into practice.

Unaware of this, Zhong Ling genuinely believed the monkey had been commanded to rip her face apart. Struck by great alarm, a sudden thought crossed her mind:

Could this little girl be my destined nemesis? I am no match for her in hand-to-hand combat; she is faster at catching snakes than I am; and while I have my lightning mink, she actually owns a scorpion-eating monkey!

Ginger's native home was precisely in these mountain forests. Since Zhong Ling had grown up here and her father, Zhong Wanchou, was fond of playing with poisons, she naturally recognized this species of monkey. Because they loved to eat centipedes and scorpions, the locals referred to them as scorpion-eating monkeys.

Knowing the terrifying potency of the scorpion-eating monkey's venom, she dared not block the attack. Tucking her head, she retreated a short distance, let out a sharp whistle, and pointed at the monkey, shouting, "Dian'er, come quickly and bite this monkey to death!"

Having returned to its long-missed homeland, Ginger had been excited for some time. Tossed out by Azhi now, it immediately prepared to flee. Unexpectedly, with a swift swoosh, a lightning mink dropped out of thin air, baring its fangs and blocking its path.

Ginger instantly grew tense!

"Lightning mink" was the name Zhong Ling had given it, though its proper scientific name was the yellow-throated marten. Despite its long body, short legs, and deceptively adorable appearance, weighing only around five pounds, its diet was remarkably extensive. Aside from poisonous snakes, small beasts, and birds, it even dared to hunt wild boars, pandas, and black bears, making it exceptionally ferocious.

Although the bee-monkey was completely covered in poison, the yellow-throated marten consumed countless venomous snakes, giving it naturally outstanding resistance to toxins. Furthermore, bee-monkeys were among the most sluggish of all monkey species; once they crossed paths with a marten, they might as well start preparing for reincarnation.

However, Ginger was unlike ordinary bee-monkeys!

During the period it was raised by Ding Chunqiu, it had consumed no shortage of fine treasures. After following Jiang Mingzhe, in the battle of Centipede Mountain, it had swallowed an untold number of rare centipedes, accumulating a level of internal toxicity far surpassing that of ordinary bee-monkeys.

Seeing a formidable enemy approach, Ginger immediately clasped its paws together and raised them high above its head, swiftly licking the poison glands under its armpits with its tongue before spitting out a jet of venom with a soft *pff*.

The lightning mink leaped aside to dodge. When the venom hit the ground, it emitted a faint, sizzling sound, clearly possessing immense corrosive power.

The lightning mink's nostrils twitched rapidly, seemingly appraising the quality of the venom. It then cautiously retreated a few steps, a greedy glint flashing in its eyes as it darted swiftly in circles around Ginger.

Having had nothing to do while idling in the bamboo basket earlier, Ginger had licked every inch of its fur until it was damp—meaning its toxicity was currently at its peak. Although the lightning mink possessed extremely high poison resistance, it dared not try its luck rashly. Instead, it kept feinting lunges, waiting for Ginger to reveal an opening so it could bite straight through its throat.

A bee-monkey's tongue could not reach its own throat, making this the single greatest vulnerability in the eyes of any predator.

Yet Ginger maintained remarkable composure. Ignoring the darting and leaping of the lightning mink, it simply sat upright with its hands raised, meeting motionlessness with stillness. Whenever the lightning mink closed in, it would instantly spit another mouthful of venom.

The two small beasts—one active, the other static—remained locked in a stalemate.

***

With Ginger keeping the lightning mink occupied, Jiang Mingzhe ceased releasing poison. Channeling the mental arts of the Crossing Tribulation Scripture, he took a deep breath. The green-black toxic mist shrouding his surroundings began to roll and churn like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, drawing back through his mouth and nose to return into his acupoints.

This particular skill had little practical use other than looking exceptionally impressive. Terrified out of her wits by such a display of might, Zhong Ling was convinced he was some ancient fiend or supreme demon. Abandoning even her lightning mink, she spun around and fled.

Azhi shouted loudly, "Quickly catch her! Since the White and Blue Fiends have already made their move, how can we let some stinking girl escape?"

Fleeing for her life while weeping bitterly, Zhong Ling cried out, "You two bad people! I never provoked you, why are you bullying me?"

Radiating delight, Azhi declared, "If we didn't bully people, what kind of White and Blue Fiends would we be!" She unleashed her lightness kung fu and gave hot pursuit.

Jiang Mingzhe's brows knitted deeply in a heavy frown. He figured that since Zhong Ling had not yet formally stepped into the pugilistic world, they were most likely in the vicinity of the Vengeful Valley; provoking her parents would likely bring trouble too heavy to bear.

He hurriedly called out, "Senior Sister, do not pursue a desperate foe!"

Righteous and confident, Azhi retorted, "That stinking girl owes me ten thousand and ninety-three snakes; she is no desperate foe!"

Lowering her voice slightly, she added urgently, "Once I catch this stinking girl, I'll make her lead us to find Ginger's brothers and sisters!"

Only then did Jiang Mingzhe understand Azhi's intentions. Seeing her running faster and faster, he had no choice but to lengthen his stride and chase after her.

However, this place was nothing like the Xingxiu Sea. Wherever he looked, trees cast heavy shadows and the ground was littered with dead vines and rotting wood. Without lightness kung fu, it was impossible to pick up speed. After running a short distance, he lost sight of the two girls' backs entirely.

Jiang Mingzhe was struck dumb with exasperation. First, he was angry at Azhi's self-will; second, he was angry at himself for fancying himself clever, only to miscalculate in the end.

When he first entered the gates of the Xingxiu Sect, Azhi had explained the various skills of the sect. Jiang Mingzhe had planned according to the Eisenhower matrix, categorizing lightness kung fu as neither important nor urgent.

At the time, he had assumed he would be staying in the Xingxiu Sea for quite a while, with no need for traveling long distances, pursuing enemies, or fleeing for his life. Who could have foreseen that plans would change faster than circumstances? Right now, solely because he lacked lightness kung fu, he had been completely left in the dust by two young girls.

With no other options, Jiang Mingzhe decided to head back to the ravine first, help Ginger drive away the lightning mink, and then wait for Azhi to return.

Yet, after walking back for about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Jiang Mingzhe was horrified to discover that he seemed, appeared, and felt quite certain he was lost.

He and Azhi had gotten lost once yesterday, stumbling in circles before accidentally finding their way back to the ravine. At that time, Azhi had been leading the way, and he had even chuckled inwardly at the little girl's poor sense of direction. He never imagined that when it was his turn, he would become hopelessly turned around in the gathering gloom.

He stood his ground and looked around: the trees in every direction looked both unfamiliar and vaguely familiar, making it impossible to tell whether he had walked this way before. Cursing inwardly, he waited for a while; when Azhi failed to come looking for him, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk straight ahead by sheer instinct.

As to whether he was truly moving in a straight line, he could hardly be certain.

After walking for well over an hour in this manner, a mountain path suddenly appeared before him. Elated, he thought to himself: If I follow this path, I am bound to reach a populated area. That ravine has distinct features; I can describe them to someone and ask them to show me the way back so I can reunite with Azhi.

***

Energized by this thought, Jiang Mingzhe immediately quickened his pace. The mountain path wound and twisted through the dense forest. After rounding a couple of bends, he suddenly heard voices speaking: "If we don't slaughter the Wuliang Sword sect until not even a dog or chicken is left, and seize their Wuliang Mountain and Sword Lake Palace, every last one of us in the Shennong Sect might as well slit our throats."

Wuliang Sword? Shennong Sect?

Jiang Mingzhe was stunned at first, then vaguely recalled that when Duan Yu had appeared before the Wuliang Sword sect, it was precisely when the Shennong Sect had come to attack. Many of their members had been bitten by Zhong Ling's lightning mink, leading them to send Duan Yu to the Vengeful Valley for the antidote, which sparked the subsequent series of events.

At that moment, another voice remarked, "What is so great about the Wuliang Sword sect? With the kind of power the Vulture Palace of Piaomiao Peak holds, why would they ever take a fancy to their Sword Lake Palace?"

An older voice replied, "I did hear the Holy Envoy drop a hint. It seemed to be about investigating the truth behind the Wuliang Jade Wall."

Another person laughed and said, "I know all about that so-called Wuliang Jade Wall. The people of the Wuliang Sword sect have always been secretive and reluctant to say much, but it's really just a pretentious trick of theirs to make their heritage seem profound. Even I, Ah Sheng, can see right through it. To think the Holy Envoy actually believed it—she's just a woman, hair long and—"

Before this "Ah Sheng" could finish the phrase "short on insight," a crisp *slap* rang out, as if someone had received a tight facial smack.

Then the old man barked angrily, "You fool! If you don't want to live, go jump into the Lancang River yourself, and stop spouting nonsense that will drag us all down with you! Our reverence for the Holy Envoy is greater than our reverence for our own parents; how dare you talk nonsense! Let me hear you say that one more time, and I'll cut out your tongue immediately!"

Though the old man's harsh reprimand of Ah Sheng sounded severe, his voice trembled slightly, clearly showing he was terrified of the so-called Holy Envoy to his very core.

Jiang Mingzhe's brows furrowed. He thought to himself that since the Shennong Sect had been dispatched by the Vulture Palace to deal with the Wuliang Sword sect, they would undoubtedly silence him if they discovered he had overheard them. It would be best to hide.

Just as he was about to slip into the forest, several men dressed in yellow robes suddenly rounded the path ahead. With medicine pouches slung over their shoulders and carrying broad blades or medicine hoes in their hands, both parties were startled upon spotting Jiang Mingzhe.

Only then did Ah Sheng's voice ring out from afar: "Yes, yes, this disciple spoke out of turn for a moment and won't dare do it again."

The sound was separated by a distance of at least twenty paces.

Jiang Mingzhe felt a surge of intense frustration: Damn it all, a medicinal-gathering sect was acting just like an army, even posting scouts!

Unfortunately, these men were accustomed to traveling through the mountains, moving with such lightness and speed that they made no sound. Jiang Mingzhe had only noticed that the speakers were still far away, never imagining there were several others walking ahead of them.

One of them pointed his broad blade forward and sternly demanded, "What are you sneaking around for, brat? Kneel down and answer when you're spoken to!"