Zanxing

Chapter 33 - Gufeng Mountain (1)

The day they entered the mountain, the weather was perfect.

Thirty disciples each received a white brocade pouch embroidered with a phoenix. Zi Luo smiled and said, "This is a Qiankun Bag. However, it's just an ordinary one, and it can only hold ten items. Once something is placed inside, it can't be taken out until you return. So, unless you've picked something valuable, don't waste space by storing random things. If you do, you can't blame anyone else."

Zanxing fiddled with her Qiankun Bag, turning it over in her hand. The bag was only palm-sized, soft to the touch. She tried to stick her finger inside but felt nothing except a cool, intangible sensation. She quickly withdrew her hand.

"The mountain is full of fierce beasts, and most of them sleep during the day. Remember to move quietly and be sure to leave before sunset. Once the moon rises, the beasts wake up, and it becomes very dangerous." As Zi Luo finished speaking, she looked toward the forest entrance. With a flick of her long sleeve, a ripple appeared in the air, as if some barrier had just been lifted.

"Go ahead. Remember, return before sunset," she instructed.

Zanxing secured her Qiankun Bag and followed the group into the dense forest.

Gu Feng Mountain was treacherous.

Perhaps because ordinary people rarely ventured there, even the mountain paths had to be hastily cleared. A wooden rope bridge stretched between two cliffs, swaying precariously as each disciple crossed. Looking down, all that could be seen were endless layers of clouds and mist, with no visible bottom.

Zanxing thought to herself, luckily, she wasn't afraid of heights.

The mountain's seasons were odd too. They had just passed through an area lush with vibrant flowers, and in the next moment, the stone steps were covered in snow, cold and sparse like jade. The mountainside was home to strange trees and vines, with jagged rocks intertwined among them.

Suddenly, a bird screech pierced the air. Everyone looked up and saw a large shadow, like a gray crane, flying toward them. Its wings were pitch black, and its eyes were a startling red. The bird circled above them once before flying off again.

"What is that?" Tian Fangfang asked in confusion. "It doesn't look like a normal bird."

One of the disciples replied, "The Gu Feng Mountain Atlas mentions a bird from the Yin region, born from the accumulation of corpse energy. It eventually becomes a Rakshasa Bird, a creature that can change form and cause harm, and it loves eating human eyes. Based on the description, that should be the Rakshasa Bird."

Hearing this, the other disciples tightened their grips on their weapons, saying, "There are many fierce beasts in this mountain. Let's not split up; we'll have a better chance if we stick together."

In an unfamiliar environment, staying together felt more reassuring, and Zanxing initially agreed with that. But then, she saw how this group started gathering herbs.

The Gu Feng Mountain Atlas recorded over a thousand species of flora and fauna. Trying to memorize all of them was clearly impossible. However, modern people, trained by exams, knew how to simplify: the more colorful something was, the more likely it was poisonous, and the stranger its appearance, the more dangerous it was.

Yet, these new disciples seemed to love picking exactly the most eye-catching things. Zanxing tried to advise them, but it was in vain. Everyone wanted to be the one who found something unique to store in their Qiankun Bag. The more ordinary yet effective herbs? They scoffed at them.

And just like that, one of the younger disciples was bitten by a snake after picking a herb.

The group gathered noisily around the boy. The snake had already been killed, its body covered in bright, garish colors—clearly no ordinary snake.

"Don't worry, junior brother," said a helpful senior disciple. "I'll suck the venom out for you." He then prepared to pull up the boy's pants and lower his head toward the bite.

Zanxing: "..."

This really was a fantasy novel, so much so that logic and medical knowledge didn't apply. Even the world's setting felt half-baked. Unable to bear it any longer, Zanxing shouted, "Wait!"

The group looked at her in confusion.

"You can't rely on sucking out snake venom," Zanxing said, taking a piece of rope from the senior disciple and handing it to them. "Tie this around the area near the bite. Make sure it's tight."

Otherwise, they might return with nothing but their lives at risk.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" a disciple spoke up. "If we don't suck the venom out, how will he survive?"

Seeing the situation, Hua Yue added with a sneer, "Yang Zanxing, I didn't think you could be so heartless. This junior brother has done you no wrong, yet here you are, trying to harm him."

"Truly, ugliness mirrors a wicked heart!"

Zanxing: "?"

How did she suddenly become the villain? And what did this have to do with her appearance? This animosity was far too forced.

Just then, a voice came from behind, "No need to suck the venom. That was a Jade-banded Brocade Snake. It's in the atlas, and it's non-venomous."

Zanxing turned to see Mu Chengxiao glancing at them before adding, "By now, the bleeding should have stopped."

The boy looked down at his wound, and indeed, the bite had already sealed, the skin forming a light scab. He scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Oh, I guess I overreacted. Thank you, senior brother."

Zanxing glanced at Mu Chengxiao. She hadn't expected him to speak up on her behalf and defuse the situation.

Since she transmigrated, she had only spoken to the original novel's male lead fewer than ten times, and she was always the one to initiate the conversation. This time, Mu Chengxiao had shown her a small bit of kindness. Could it be that the novel's plot couldn't erase her, so now it was promoting her to the female lead?

Zanxing shuddered. She definitely didn't want to become Mu Chengxiao's ninth wife.

Seeing Zanxing staring at him intently, Mu Chengxiao frowned and turned to leave. It didn't seem like he had any intentions of pursuing a romantic plotline with her, which made Zanxing breathe a small sigh of relief.

The group continued picking herbs, their ambition growing larger. Some wanted to find spirit fruits that enhanced vitality, others sought medicinal herbs to aid in breakthroughs, and still others had heard of a particular flower worth the equivalent of a third-grade spirit herb and were eager to try their luck. Though they had promised to stick together, their greed soon drove them apart, each chasing after their own goals.

Zanxing had originally stuck with Tian Fangfang, but after a while, Tian Fangfang paused and scratched his head, apologizing, "unior sister, I have carefully read the atlas these days and circled the ten most valuable medicinal herbs. I'm planning to gather them and sell them at the Zhai Jin Pavillion. But the Nightvine you're looking for is in a different direction, so..."

Zanxing understood. "Go ahead."

"Don't worry, once I've gathered what I need, I'll come find you right away," Tian Fangfang assured her. "It won't take long!"

"It's fine," Zanxing said. "I can manage on my own."

After a few more explanations, Tian Fangfang left. Zanxing looked at the atlas in her hand and sighed softly.

The Nightvine grew near the edges of the Black Marsh, a place often filled with miasma, where ordinary plants struggled to survive. None of the other disciples would go in that direction to gather herbs. So, it seemed she was destined to go alone.