Ave Xia Rem Y

~~~

Poison Fang Canyon is located several miles away from Eastern Port City. It boasts an impressive depth of 3 miles and is large enough to fit the entirety of Eastern Port City within its bounds. The depths of the canyon are dominated by dense foliage full of dangerous and often poisonous creatures. In fact, it is not only the creatures inside the canyon that are poisonous. The plants, the soil, and even the air of Poison Fang Canyon can be toxic.

Many would consider going into Poison Fang Canyon to be a fool's errand, and they would not necessarily be wrong. However, there is a reason why many venture into Poison Fang Canyon. There is a reason why both the Xiao and Yun Sects routinely send parties of skilled cultivators to its depths.

The plants and creatures of Poison Fang Canyon are valuable resources for cultivation and other purposes. Liu Jin and his father often visit Poison Fang Canyon to gather rare medical herbs. Since there are many dangerous beasts there, the Xiao Sect would usually send a few of its guards along with them.

This time there is no one of the Xiao Sect accompanying Liu Jin. He has not come with his father either.

This time Liu Jin walks down the canyon with Old Jiang.

Since becoming Old Jiang's disciple, the old master has been making him do a number of inane tasks which often seem largely pointless to Liu Jin, having to transcribe an entire collection of poems not the least among them. Still, Liu Jin cannot complain. The bits and pieces of knowledge Old Jiang often drops in a casual conversation are enough to broaden his knowledge of the medical field by leaps and bounds. In the end, his master is someone who always goes at his own pace. The only thing Liu Jin can do is let himself get dragged along.

That is why when Old Jiang announced they were going to Poison Fang Canyon Liu Jin did not even bat an eyelash. He just got his things and followed.

His master had not even bothered letting the Xiao Sect know so they could assign guards to them as is the norm, not that such a thing is needed. The presence of an Emperor is all the protection necessary. There is no Spirit Beast around that can match up to that. If there were, no one would dare set foot in the canyon, not even the Xiao Sect.

When they entered the canyon, Old Jiang flared his aura just once.

Liu Jin has yet to see a single creature approach them.

That was one hour ago, Now, master and disciple walk on a narrow path surrounded on both sides by dangerous vegetation. Old Jiang leads the way with Liu Jin trailing behind him. On his back, Liu Jin carries a large basket full of herbs. For the past hour, Old Jiang has been gathering herbs, presenting them to Liu Jin, and asking him to identify them. If Liu Jin failed to do so, Old Jiang would go into a quick lecture about their properties and uses before placing them in the basket.

"What of this one?"

"Deadly Insides-Destroying Wormwood," Liu Jin replies at once. The pale yellow plant is easy enough to identify.

"And its properties?"

Liu Jin mulls over the question for a moment but comes up blank. "I was not aware it had any medical uses, master."

"It does not," Old Jiang replies. "At least, nothing that cannot be accomplished better by more common, safer ingredients. However, the Deadly Insides-Destroying Wormwood can be used to create several poisons, ranging from subtle to sudden. You will learn how to prepare them all."

At this, Liu Jin frowns. "Master, I thought I was to learn medicine from you."

"Child, a doctor must know more about poisons and diseases than anyone in the world. If he does not know every ailment, how is he to cure them? When we return to the clinic, I will teach you how to prepare a simple poison. Then, based on the properties of the ingredients used, you will make an antidote. It goes without saying that I expect you to succeed on the first try."

He cannot find any flaw in his master's reasoning, so Liu Jin resolves to do his best. "Yes, master!"

Satisfied with his answer, Old Jiang places the Deadly Insides-Destroying Wormwood in the basket Liu Jin carries. The basket is large enough to fit Liu Jin's entire body inside, yet it is already filled to the brim. Old Jiang could have easily placed all those roots and herbs in his spatial pouch, but he hadn't, letting Liu Jin carry it all instead. The basket has become quite heavy, but Liu Jin bears the weight with grace, not complaining or showing it bothered him even once.

"Tell me something, child, what do you know of the creatures that live in this place?" Old Jiang asks as they keep walking.

"Poison Fang Canyon is home to many dangerous plants and animals," Liu Jin says, getting the obvious out of the way first. "It is not just the Spirit Beasts who are born here that are the problem. Poisonous creatures of all kinds are often attracted to this place. The population of Spirit Beasts in the canyon can grow so much that a few will drift towards the city. When that happens, the Xiao and Yun Sects send their members to exterminate them and cull the population of Spirit Beasts in the canyon."

It is one of the few times when members of the Xiao and Yun Sects are on the same page. Of course, even then they compete over who can kill the most Spirit Beasts. Since the cores of strong Spirit Beasts are valuable resources for cultivation, the two sects make sure to gather as many as they can.

"Good. However, do you know the reason why so many creatures are attracted to this place?"

Liu Jin can only shake his head in negative. For as long as he has been alive, it has been a fact of life that poisonous creatures are attracted to Poison Fang Canyon. It is simply the way things are.

"There's a special energy coming from the center of this canyon," Old Jiang says. He strokes his beard while looking straight ahead. "It is what attracts all manner of poisonous creatures. I have an idea of what the source might be, but we'll need to go there to confirm it."

Liu Jin's eyes bug out. "Go to the center? Impossible, master!"

He points to the inner area of the canyon, a place far in the distance surrounded by sickly purple mists. "That place is heavily poisonous, master. The air alone will rot a person's lungs. Even cultivators from the Xiao Sect cannot go there!"

There is a reason why Poison Fang Canyon has never once been fully divested of resources. The outer areas of the canyon are dangerous but nothing a skilled cultivator cannot handle. However, as one moves towards the center of the canyon, the lethality increases. Even the air itself becomes poisonous. Many high-level cultivators from Eastern Port City had tried to make their way to the very center of the canyon, lured by the existence of the much rarer beasts that surely lurked within. The smart ones were able to turn back in time. The stubborn ones died, their bodies rotting to nothingness.

Old Jiang laughs.

"Oh, foolish disciple of mine, have you forgotten who you are talking to?"

In the entirety of Eastern Port City, there is only one man who stands in the same realm as Old Jiang, and that is Xiao Zheng. Comparing the many cultivators who failed to access the inner parts of Poison Fang Canyon to Old Jiang is nothing short of laughable and even insulting.

"It is true that for master that level of toxicity should be no problem,” Liu Jin says before pointing at himself. “However, this one has not even reached the Inner Realm. The poisonous mists will surely kill me."

"That is true," Old Jiang allows. "To a point. I could protect you from the mists, but then you would not learn anything. Yes, you will have to learn how to endure the poisonous mists. We do not have much time, so endeavor to do it within a year."

"Is such a thing even possible?"

The proposition is so outlandish, Liu Jin cannot wrap his head around it. If Old Jiang had just said he could use his powers to protect him from the mists, Liu Jin would have believed it, but to survive all those deadly poisons on his own? Impossible! There is no way.

In a year, he will have reached the Inner Realm at best. For a humble doctor's son like him, it will be seen as a big achievement. However, to brave those mists, much more power is needed, much more power than all but two cultivators in the city had. The idea of being able to equal them in a year is nothing more than a joke.

"Calm down, disciple. Eat this, and I will explain." While Liu Jin was busy thinking, Old Jiang produced a small, delicious-looking fruit, likely from his spatial pouch. He offers it to Liu Jin who takes it without a second thought. He takes his first bite, and the sweet, fresh taste of it has him taking a second and third bite within moments. In his whole life, Liu Jin has never eaten something quite so good.

"What is this fruit master?" He asks with the taste of the delicious fruit still in his mouth. Is it some rare mythical ingredient that will allow him to brave the poison mists? Its flavor is certainly divine.

“It is a fruit from an Essence Draining Tree. As such, it is highly poisonous."

Liu Jin blinks.

"What?"

"Oh, you will not die. Do not worry about that. The Essence Draining Tree uses its delicious fruits to lure creatures close to it. The fruits contain a potent paralyzing agent which renders the fool who eats it helpless while the tree proceeds to drain him. However, there are no Essence Draining Trees around here."

Liu Jin just looks at his master in clear incomprehension. To his panic, he notices his limbs are starting to feel heavy.

"Why?"

"To teach you, of course. Make no mistake. You will learn how to expunge the poison from your body, or you will stay here frozen for the next several hours."

"How?" Liu Jin asks. He wants to say more, so much more. But his mouth is already going numb. He can barely feel it moving as it is.

"Do you really have to ask? Focus your Qi. You have already learned how to harmonize your Qi to refine ingredients. The principle is the same. Feel the poison working within your body. Harness its essence and expel it from you. The essence of cultivation is nothing more than to rid the body of all impurities. What I demand from you is impossibly simple."

Old Jiang's words make sense, and Liu Jin does not doubt them because he is his father's master. However...

Couldn't he have just told him!

Liu Jin would glare at the old man, but he can't seem to move his face anymore.

Instead, he decides to focus on expelling the poison from his body. He can't sit down to properly meditate or even close his eyes. Nevertheless, Liu Jin focuses on his Qi, focuses on the way it flows inside his body through his meridians. He can feel it resonating with every part of him. It is something he has done many times, yet something feels different now.

It is the poison.

The poison disturbs his body which disrupts the way Qi flows through it. He can use that disturbance to locate and isolate the poison coursing through his body, Liu Jin realizes. It is simply a matter of working things out in reverse. Breath by breath, Liu Jin focuses his Qi inwards. He can do this. He knows he can. Fundamentally, it is no different from harmonizing with an ingredient before refining it, only this time he has no intention of refining the poison.

Like Old Jiang said, what he needs to refine is his body.

After what seems like a small eternity to Liu Jin, he finally locates all traces of poison flowing through his body, the impurities present in his system. Then breath by breath, he begins to expel them. Through his acupoints. Through his breath. In small, minuscule doses at first, then greater amounts as he gains more control over the technique, causing a sickly green mist to emanate from his body.

When the last of the poison is gone from his system, Liu Jin falls to the ground, gasping. He blinks and flexes his hands just because he is finally able to do so again. The simple motions have never felt so satisfying before. He looks to the sky and realizes that he had been so deep inside himself that he never realized when night fell.

"You certainly took your time."

Old Jiang's words make his anger flare up. He whips around to face the old master. Liu Jin does not know what he is going to say, but his anger compels him to speak, to say something, anything. However, the words die on Liu Jin's throat before he can even decide on them.

It is not Old Jiang's expression that gives him pause.

It is the dead dragon behind him.

The creature looks big enough to crush his house with one of its claws. Even in the moonless night, its scales seem to glow vividly. Crimson blood pools around it. Had his master fought it while he was trying to purge the poison from his body? No, Liu Jin realizes as he looks at the surrounding area. There are barely any broken trees. Additionally, a Spirit Beast like this one fighting would have undoubtedly broken his concentration.

Thus, nothing that could be called a battle had happened.

"This one drifted from the inner canyon," his master says. "It probably felt my energy and foolishly thought itself strong enough to challenge me."

His words confirm Liu Jin's suspicions. The giant Spirit Beast had been slaughtered in an instant.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Old Jiang says, waving him over. "Come over here. I'll teach you how to harvest a Spirit Beast’s core."

The words snap Liu Jin to attention.

"Yes, master!"

"The flesh, blood, and bones will also be useful for later. I'll teach you the various ways to use them. And do not forget, you will be learning how to make the poison we talked about once we return to the city. Now, observe."

For master and disciple, the night is only beginning.

~~~