Li Man'er's words did not reassure Qi Yihan. He was willing to believe Li Man'er, but he was unwilling to let her take such a risk alone. He insisted on accompanying her.
"You want me to go with you, isn't it just to get past this poisonous miasma?" Only by clearing this hurdle could they reach the Wuzu's former living grounds and find the Wuzu's great tomb.
Qi Yihan stated resolutely, "Finding the Wuzu's great tomb is very important, but I cannot let you risk your life in vain. If we go, we go together."
Li Man'er said helplessly, "Your status is too noble. If something were to happen, I couldn't bear the responsibility."
Qi Yihan disliked her saying such things. He immediately said, "You mean more to me than anything. I cannot afford to take any risks. Be good."
The dignified Ninth Prince, infamous for his ferocity, had never spoken such soft words before.
Li Man'er found it easier to yield to gentleness than to force. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Alright then, but the medicine I have might not be effective. You must listen to me once we enter. If anything feels wrong, we retreat immediately."
"Agreed!"
Li Man'er then said, "I'll go get the medicine."
Qi Yihan seized this opportunity to call A Wu and A Si aside, instructing them to stay and guard, and not to act rashly.
A Wu instinctively objected, "Your Highness, let me go!" It was too dangerous. If anything were to happen to the Prince, he could never forgive himself even with death.
"You go?" Qi Yihan was speechless. "Do your job."
A Wu knew he had said something he shouldn't have and lowered his head dejectedly, "Yes."
Li Man'er carried a basket on her back, which likely contained supplies for their journey into the forest.
She also brought the medicine and first handed Qi Yihan two pills, telling him to take them together.
Without hesitation, Qi Yihan took the water pouch and swallowed the pills. The water in the pouch was sweet and delicious, as if it had been mixed with honey.
"Now put this on," Li Man'er took out a protective mask and a respirator. In this situation, there was no time for modesty.
Qi Yihan's expression changed when he saw these two items. Fortunately, the others were a good distance away. Qi Yihan instinctively wanted to hide them, not wanting others to see.
Li Man'er felt a sense of satisfaction seeing him so protective of her.
"It's fine. Let's go a bit further before we put them on."
"You only prepared one? What about yours?" Qi Yihan, though he didn't know the names of these strange-looking items, had a good idea of their purpose.
"I told you I'm immune to all poisons, why don't you believe me?" Li Man'er led Qi Yihan aside, first put the respirator on him, and then fastened the protective mask. "I don't need them. I didn't even take the antidote pills."
Qi Yihan touched the texture of the protective mask, his heart filled with shock. Especially when he saw that the mask was made of transparent material, several thoughts flashed through his mind.
These items clearly looked like foreign objects, something that could not be produced in Zun Country. Qi Yihan thought, and his hidden worries grew.
Li Man'er pretended not to notice his gaze and, after helping him put on all the equipment, said, "Let's go in now. We'll have others wait outside to provide support."
Qi Yihan said nothing, merely nodding. They entered.
The two calmly entered the poisonous miasma forest. Those watching from a distance could only worry, unable to help.
As they walked deeper into the forest, the signs of decay became more apparent. In the depths of the forest, a faint acrid smell wafted through the air. Not a single bird or insect could be seen in the woods. Even through the respirator, Qi Yihan could feel the unpleasant odor.
"Are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Qi Yihan asked nervously, watching Li Man'er, afraid that the poisonous miasma in the forest would have any adverse effects on her.
"No, I'm fine!" Li Man'er even took a few deep breaths. "My head isn't dizzy, my eyes aren't blurry."
Seeing her move freely and show no signs of discomfort, Qi Yihan finally relaxed.
The two continued to walk deeper into the forest. The more they walked, the darker their surroundings became, as if something were blocking the sun. Li Man'er felt as if she had entered a deep mountain forest sealed for nearly a hundred years. Besides the acrid smell, she could faintly smell a decaying odor.
"Why is it so smelly?" Li Man'er instinctively covered her mouth and nose with her hand. Qi Yihan immediately reached out, took off his protective mask and respirator, and was about to put them on Li Man'er.
"Don't cause trouble. Put it on properly," Li Man'er said. "It's just smelly, there's no need for this." She then took two more pills from her bosom, ate one herself, and gave the other to Qi Yihan.
The pills were small, slightly pink, and tasted faintly of flowers. Strangely, after taking the pills, the air became much fresher. The decaying and acrid smells dissipated, replaced by a very faint fragrance.
"What is this?"
"Deodorant pills."
It was amazing how a small pill could completely neutralize the strange odors in the air.
At this moment, the two gradually reached the center of the poisonous miasma, where a bubbling, yellow-green deep pool appeared before them.
"The smell we noticed earlier probably came from this pool. This means it's the source of the poisonous miasma."
Li Man'er asked him to take out the map, but found that it was not marked.
"Your people haven't traveled this route before?"
Qi Yihan shook his head. "The Xiao family sent people in several times before, but none of them ever reported finding this poisonous miasma pool."
"Then we must mark it this time." Li Man'er was about to take out a pen to mark it when a more serious question suddenly occurred to her. "There's only one path, and we crossed it in less than half an hour. Why haven't people mentioned it before? Did they deliberately not say, wanting to mislead those who came later, or did they truly not take this path?"
Qi Yihan instantly understood her meaning. "You think perhaps no one has ever taken this path before?" The world was vast and full of wonders, so this was possible. Perhaps this path was invisible to others, perhaps no one had ever walked it!
"It's just a feeling." In fact, Li Man'er's intuition was always very accurate. The intuition of the Xuan Yi sect often played a crucial role at critical moments.
"Let's examine the surrounding environment first."
"Don't go near the pool..." Before Li Man'er could finish speaking, she suddenly heard rustling sounds. The two immediately became alert, leaning against each other and looking around.
This was a habit ingrained from their time on the battlefield; they would only expose their backs to those they trusted.
Li Man'er looked for a long time but saw nothing unusual. Qi Yihan was the same. When he listened again, he found there was no sound at all.
Could their hearing be malfunctioning?