Chapter 21: Poisonous Path Corpse-Destroying Powder

The sound reached Xu Qing’s ears, and his eyes suddenly widened.

Being allowed to attend lessons inside the tent was something he had always dreamed of. Overwhelmed with excitement, he took a deep breath and bowed profoundly towards the tent.

“Thank you, Master!” Xu Qing spoke these words with utmost sincerity.

After a long moment, he finally straightened up and left the tent.

That day, he didn't see Master Bai when he looked back, but he could hear Master Bai's critical words directed at the young boy and girl inside the tent.

Ignoring all of this, Xu Qing was consumed by intense excitement.

Upon returning to his lodging, he immediately shared the news with Captain Lei. Captain Lei was equally surprised and delighted, especially seeing Xu Qing’s joyful expression, which broadened his own smile and filled his heart with emotion.

Although the child hadn't explicitly stated why he frequently ventured into the forbidden zone recently, Captain Lei knew he was searching for the fabled Heaven's Mandate Flower to extend his life.

In this harsh world, how could Captain Lei not cherish such a compassionate, loyal, and life-saving child? Yet, his heart ached each time he saw Xu Qing return, visibly exhausted.

Seeing Xu Qing so happy now, Captain Lei was also delighted. That day, Captain Lei cooked a particularly lavish dinner for Xu Qing, constantly reminding him to respect his teacher and treat Master Bai with deference. Xu Qing diligently committed every word to memory.

Even after dinner and returning to his room, Xu Qing remained in a state of excitement.

Thinking about attending lessons inside the tent tomorrow, Xu Qing was filled with anticipation, yet also found himself tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Amidst his mixture of hope and apprehension, he suddenly recalled the first time he and the other children from the slum met their teacher.

He opened his leather pouch, organized its contents, and finally took out a newer bag. Into it, he placed the majority of his spirit coins and many of his white pills.

In Xu Qing's view, knowledge was priceless, and giving away all his savings would be a small price to pay.

However, he also had to consider Captain Lei, so he kept half for himself.

Once finished, he let out a long breath, silently closed his eyes, and began his breathing exercises, awaiting dawn.

That night felt long for Xu Qing.

As the first rays of dawn appeared, Xu Qing, uncharacteristically, put on a new set of clothes, thoroughly washed his hands, and then stepped out of his room.

Just as he was about to depart, Captain Lei, who rarely rose early these days, called out to him.

Captain Lei meticulously gave Xu Qing a series of instructions. Xu Qing nodded patiently, listening intently. Finally, Captain Lei helped him straighten his clothes and handed him a leather pouch.

“You can’t go empty-handed when attending lessons inside the tent.”

“I have something,” Xu Qing said softly.

Captain Lei glared, but seeing the persistence in Xu Qing’s eyes, he put away the leather pouch, went back to his room, and retrieved a flask of wine.

“I know Master Bai enjoys a drink; take this with you.”

This time, Xu Qing didn’t refuse. After taking the flask, he left the courtyard. After a few steps, he looked back, waved to Captain Lei, who was standing there, and then quickened his pace, heading straight for Master Bai’s tent.

Watching Xu Qing’s retreating figure, Captain Lei smiled.

“This child, he wasn’t even this happy when we were distributing the Seven-Leaf Grass.”

A mix of excitement and nervousness coursed through Xu Qing as he arrived at the spot outside the tent where he had stood for over a month. He took a deep breath and knocked on the tent flap.

“Come in,” a voice called.

Hearing Master Bai’s voice, Xu Qing looked down to inspect his clothes, tugging firmly at his lapels to straighten them. Only then did he slowly push open the tent flap. Inside, he saw Master Bai and the young boy and girl seated, along with the guards.

As Xu Qing looked at them, they, too, were watching him.

While Master Bai’s expression remained calm, the young boy and girl displayed a wider range of emotions. The boy, named Chen Feiyuan, wore a look of defiance, while the girl, Ting Yu, was mostly curious.

Xu Qing averted his gaze, bowed deeply to Master Bai, then produced the prepared leather pouch and flask. Emulating the customs of the slum, he presented them with both hands.

Xu Qing, his head still bowed, did not witness Master Bai’s eyes soften with a rare hint of tenderness in that brief moment.

Master Bai did not take the leather pouch. Instead, he simply accepted the flask of wine and, in front of Xu Qing, took a sip, as if performing a ritual.

“Let’s begin the lesson,” Master Bai said slowly, setting down the flask.

As always, the session began with an assessment. Ting Yu and Chen Feiyuan seemed to be competing with Xu Qing; they had clearly done their homework the previous night, as their answers were concise and direct. After responding, they immediately looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing, ignoring their gazes, focused solely on Master Bai, answering each assessment comprehensively. Once satisfied, Master Bai nodded and commenced the formal lesson.

Xu Qing listened with utmost diligence, cherishing this opportunity to attend lessons inside the tent. He remained completely focused throughout.

Chen Feiyuan and Ting Yu were equally attentive, which brought a hint of a smile to Master Bai’s lips.

In this manner, another ten-plus days passed. Xu Qing grew accustomed to attending lessons inside the tent, yet his diligence never wavered, and the knowledge he gained became increasingly substantial.

Compared to Xu Qing, Chen Feiyuan reverted to his old habits within a few days. Only Ting Yu continued to compete with Xu Qing, remaining exceptionally serious.

After class, their conversations became more frequent, though Ting Yu was mostly curious about life within the camp. Xu Qing, being taciturn, would only offer brief answers.

Chen Feiyuan, meanwhile, remained unconvinced by Xu Qing from start to finish and rarely spoke.

Xu Qing paid no mind to this; he was never adept at social interaction. Thus, after each lesson, he would leave for the forbidden zone as quickly as possible. His daily trips to the forbidden zone now had an added purpose: studying plants.

Before gaining botanical knowledge, all the flora and fauna in the forbidden zone looked the same to him. Now, things were different.

Xu Qing often discovered medicinal herbs he recognized, and each such find significantly deepened his understanding of botany.

However, Xu Qing slowly realized that the forbidden zone was predominantly home to sinister, poisonous plants, with very few positive yang herbs.

Consequently, his research into herbs focused primarily on poisons from the outset.

As he collected these poisonous plants, he also constructed a simple hut in the small canyon, using it as a laboratory to research toxic herbs.

Thanks to his unique physique, which allowed him to neutralize toxins, Xu Qing was particularly daring in his poisonous herb research. After experimenting with various combinations, he finally formulated an unknown venom.

This venom was created by blending eight different poisonous herbs and then adding snake venom, making it a concoction of nine distinct substances.

The toxin contained potent corrosive properties. Xu Qing had tested it: a single drop on a test specimen's flesh could reduce a mutated beast's corpse to blood in just five breaths.

However, this rapid effect was only observed on corpses; for living beings, for some unknown reason, the process took considerably longer.

Nevertheless, Xu Qing was quite satisfied with this, the first venom he had ever formulated.

After drying it into a powder, he named it "Corpse Dissolving Powder."

As for positive yang herbs, though scarce, Xu Qing managed to formulate some semi-finished medicinal liquids by applying the Yin and Yang duality method.

A small portion of these, when mixed with Seven-Leaf Grass, exhibited a certain ability to suppress anomalies. Xu Qing once asked Master Bai if they could be combined with his existing prescription to better help Captain Lei.

Master Bai informed him that nothing but the Heaven's Mandate Flower would be useful, and even his own prescription would eventually lose its efficacy.

This proved true: despite Captain Lei taking his medicine punctually each day, his physical weakness was visibly worsening. Xu Qing observed this silently, his heart heavy.

Then one day, during their meal, Captain Lei, after a moment of hesitation, finally told Xu Qing that he felt he was no longer suited to remain at the Scavenger Camp. He planned to purchase residency rights in a nearby city soon.

“Kid, I know your path won’t end at this small camp. Your future extends much further, so I won’t ask you to join me in retirement.”

The moment he heard these words, Xu Qing paused his eating. After a long silence, he lowered his head and quietly asked,

“Will you come back?”

“Of course, I’ll return occasionally,” Captain Lei said with a smile, raising his hand and, for the first time, gently touching Xu Qing’s head. A wave of emotion washed over him; he no longer wanted Xu Qing to risk venturing into the forbidden jungle for his sake.

Xu Qing instinctively wanted to flinch away, but he glanced at Captain Lei and remained still, allowing Captain Lei’s hand to rest gently on his head. As he stroked, Captain Lei chuckled.

“Besides, you can always come to visit me.”

Hearing this, Xu Qing nodded firmly.

That night, while cultivating, Xu Qing repeatedly opened his eyes to gaze at Captain Lei’s room.

This emotion was silently buried deep within Xu Qing’s heart, only after several days. From then on, besides attending Master Bai’s lessons, he spent even more time in the forbidden zone, diligently searching for the Heaven’s Mandate Flower.

However, as Master Bai had said, this flower was incredibly rare and difficult to obtain.