“This… what is this?” Yan Xuan leaned in to observe the few blades of grass in Meng Qi’s hand. The leaves were deep green, darker than ordinary grass, but still blending well with their surroundings. But now that he was aware of them, they stood out distinctly.
“This is Drunken Dragon Grass,” Meng Qi said as she bent down to pluck a few more blades. She brought them to her nose to take a sniff, then handed a leaf to Yan Xuan.
Yan Xuan mimicked her and sniffed the leaf, which seemed ordinary at first. But as soon as he brought it close, he could smell a powerful scent of alcohol. “Such a strong smell,” Yan Xuan remarked, looking at the Drunken Dragon Grass. “No wonder it’s named like this. Can it even intoxicate a dragon?”
Meng Qi glanced at him, now understanding why Yan Xuan was unaffected. Unlike normal alcohol, which became intoxicating above a certain dosage, Drunken Dragon Grass worked by directly confusing the spiritual consciousness of cultivators. Thus, ordinary people might not be affected when they smell it. Although Yan Xuan was also a cultivator, his inner core was damaged, and his current cultivation level was equivalent to that of a Qi Condensation stage, only slightly better than that of an ordinary person. So, the effect of the Drunken Dragon Grass on him was minimal.
As for Meng Qi, she had previously taken a pill that could suppress all poisons when she crossed the swamp. The effect of the pill hadn’t worn off yet, so she was naturally unaffected.
Realizing this, Meng Qi pulled Sikong Xing close and fed her a detoxifying pill as well. She then raised her head and moved her gaze around, looking for her friends in the chaotic crowd. Li Che, her fellow medical cultivator, didn’t seem to have been fully affected yet. Although Drunken Dragon Grass was rare, it looked similar to ordinary grass and had a very faint scent. Only after inhaling enough of it for a sufficient time would it have an effect.
At this moment, Li Che was standing somewhat unsteadily among his peers from the Canglang Academy. Their disciples were known for their harmonious relationships, and as medical cultivators, had few grievances with each other. Although Li Che’s group of three were affected, they were not yet attacking one another.
“We should go over there,” Meng Qi said to Yan Xuan, pulling Sikong Xing toward Li Che’s direction. When she arrived, she quickly stuffed a detoxifying pill into the young man’s mouth.
Soon, Sikong Xing’s swaying body stabilized, and her gaze gradually cleared, “Meng Qiqi…” She shook her head, looking at her friend, “What… what just happened to me?”
The red fox girl’s eyes widened in shock as she noticed that some cultivators from various sects had already started fighting. Some were fellow disciples who belonged to the same sect and had pre-existing grievances, perhaps over trivial matters. But they were now in Ten Absolutes Mountain—once they left this place, no one would remember what had happened. Coupled with the Drunken Dragon Grass clouding their spiritual consciousness, the slightest irritation that was normally suppressed was now surfacing. Several people were already fighting bloodily.
“They…” Sikong Xing’s beautiful eyes widened, “What’s happening to them?”
As soon as her words fell, a long, agonized scream echoed. A cultivator was struck hard in the chest by a fellow sect member wearing the same uniform. The victim’s scream had not yet ceased when he spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood landed on the grass, and the blades of grass around him began to grow wildly.
Meng Qi frowned, “If Drunken Dragon Grass is nourished with fresh blood, it grows much faster and its effect greatly intensifies.”
“I really smell it. What a strong scent of alcohol,” Sikong Xing murmured.
Not only her, but Yan Xuan also noticed it. As more and more cultivators got injured, the scent of alcohol in the air became stronger. The intoxicating smell that initially required one to bring the Drunken Dragon Grass close to the nose was now overwhelming, drifting from all directions.
Li Che was gradually regaining his clarity and naturally also smelled the intense fragrance of alcohol permeating the grassland. “This is…” He still had the bitter taste of the pill Meng Qi had given him in his mouth, “Qingling Pill?”
“Mhm.” Meng Qi nodded.
“Drunken Dragon Grass?” Li Che’s expression turned grave. By this point, the smell of alcohol on the grassland was too intense to ignore. The stronger the scent of the Drunken Dragon Grass, the more frenzied the actions of the cultivators became.
Li Che and Sikong Xing exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of shock in each other’s eyes.
“Drunken Dragon Grass,” Meng Qi confirmed in a serious tone.
“Qingling Pills can suppress most poison, but they are difficult to make, right?” Li Che asked.
“Yes, I only have twelve,” Meng Qi sighed. This pill, whose key ingredient was Qingling herb, could suppress most poisons. However, the ingredients required were not only numerous but also time-consuming to process, so Meng Qi only had twelve pills. She had taken one in the swamp earlier and had just given one each to Sikong Xing and Li Che. She then handed two more to Li Che for his fellow Canglang disciples.
“Thank you,” Li Che cupped his hands to Meng Qi. “But since it’s Drunken Dragon Grass, I have some Tingxue herb which might work without needing the Qingling Pill.”
Meng Qi glanced at him. She bent down, parted the grass, and picked a tiny white flower: “This is Imp Orchid.”
Li Che took the flower, his expression growing more serious. The flower, no bigger than a fingernail, was easy to overlook among the grass, appearing like a common wildflower. Closer inspection, however, revealed that the four tiny petals of the flower were spread out, resembling a child making a face.
It was indeed an Imp Orchid.
Meng Qi took a deep breath and said, “Drunken Dragon Grass isn’t difficult to counter, Tingxue herb would suffice. But when Tingxue herb encounters Imp Orchid, the poison penetrates the body, eroding even the spiritual sea walls of Void Comprehending cultivators. Once eroded… the poison will be much harder to cure.”
“True,” Li Che sighed, giving the Qingling Pills to his fellow Canglang disciples, “It seems the one who planted this Drunken Dragon Grass had expected all this.”
Under normal circumstances, they would only need to expose those affected by the Drunken Dragon Grass to the medicinal fumes of Tingxue Herb. However, since the cultivators had already inhaled the fragrance of Imp Orchid for so long, adding Tingxue Herb would cure the Drunken Dragon Grass but worsen the overall poisoning.
Li Che’s face showed helplessness; at this point, they needed something like Qingling Pills. However…
He looked up at the sky, his mind recalling various medical texts he had studied.
Yan Xuan, on the other hand, was relatively calm, just quietly standing beside Meng Qi. Meng Qi had already spotted Chu Tianfeng and Qin Xiumo among the crowd, but both were caught up in the chaotic fighting. With her and her companions’ current cultivation levels, it was impossible to safely reach them through the battling cultivators.
She looked around and saw Pei Mufeng sitting cross-legged on the grass. His natal sword hovered above his head, protecting him and the two other Xingluo Pavilion disciples within a barrier of sword light.
“Stay here, I’ll go to Pavilion Master Pei,” Meng Qi said.
“Meng Qiqi, I’m going with you!” Sikong Xing was decisive. She formed a hand seal with her right hand, conjuring a sphere of black water that enveloped her and Meng Qi in its center. “Let’s go!”
The two immediately charged towards Pei Mufeng. They wisely avoided the most chaotic part of the melee, circling around the edge of the crowd and finally reaching the Xingluo group. Among the three was Xu Zijun, who had entered the Starfallen Sea with them.
“Pavilion Master Pei.” Meng Qi swiftly put a Qingling Pill into Pei Mufeng’s mouth.
Without hesitation, Pei Mufeng swallowed the pill.
Meng Qi then handed out two more Qingling Pills, one each to Xu Zijun and the other Xingluo Pavilion disciple.
Just like that, only four of the twelve Qingling Pills remained.
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