The dead man sat with his back against a big tree, his clothes tattered, revealing patches of white bone. The bones were somewhat dark, and his expression was ferocious, indicating that he must have suffered greatly before his death.
Li Youlan glanced at the skeleton: "He died of poisoning, but why are the bones dark red instead of black?" People who die from poisoning, no matter what kind of poison, should have black bones.
"It looks like he's holding something in his hand?" The guard parted the tall grass to reveal the man's hand.
Everyone could see clearly that he was holding a bunch of grass. Although it was withered, the shape of the grass was exactly the same as the one in Li Youlan's hand.
Shen Lixue examined the skeleton closely for a few moments: "The color of his bones is very similar to the soil here, which is caused by heavy metals. He must have been poisoned after eating grass!"
The grass was indeed poisonous! Li Youlan was startled, as if bitten by a snake. She threw the grass away, her beautiful eyes flickered unnaturally, and her slender body trembled slightly. She was still shaken. Fortunately, she thought it over and did not rush to be reckless, otherwise she would surely be dead.
"It seems that Black Mist Mountain is indeed a dead mountain. The things inside cannot be eaten or drunk!" Dongfang Zhan said calmly, looking at the waves of green grass swaying in the wind. The water and plants are poisonous, and no toxins can be detected. Even the most powerful person would not return if they came in.
A gentle gaze fell upon Shen Lixue, whose long, black hair was loosely tied up and adorned with a white jade hairpin. Her features were exquisite, and her snow-blue robes fluttered gently. A breeze stirred up green leaves, which scattered onto her, making her skin appear as clear and lustrous as jade.
Her fair and silent face was radiant and captivating, and her clear, cool eyes sparkled with a hint of confidence—a natural and flawless beauty.
His handsome face was adorned with a gentle smile, but his dark eyes held a hint of inexplicable emotion. If it weren't for her, they would have all mistakenly drunk the poisoned water and perished!
"Let's go!" Dongfang Heng held Shen Lixue's small hand tightly and strode forward. The water and food were poisoned and could not be replenished, so they didn't need to stay any longer.
The teasing voice of Dongfang Zhan, the bodyguard, came from behind:
"It's so annoying to be surrounded by such a huge mountain but not be able to eat or drink anything!"
"You won't die from going hungry for a couple of days. I'll let you eat your fill after we get down the mountain!"
"The sun is blazing; you'll die of thirst in two days!"
"Cousin, should we follow them?" As Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue walked further and further away, Li Youlan consulted Dongfang Zhan's opinion. The water and grass were highly poisonous, but she hadn't noticed at all, which severely damaged her confidence. The confidence and arrogance in her words had disappeared.
"Is the medicine you're looking for in that direction?" Dongfang Zhan looked calmly at the rippling water, his gaze deep and his smile gentle.
“Yes!” Li Youlan nodded.
"Then let's go!" Dongfang Zhan's gaze sharpened, and he walked slowly forward. They would naturally go in the direction where the medicine was located.
After noon, the golden sun still shone warmly, but the light was not as intense as before, and a thin mist slowly gathered.
In summer, the grass was lush and taller than a person. Walking through the dense grass, Dongfang Heng held Shen Lixue's soft little hand tightly in one hand, while using his other jade-like hand to part the grass. His sharp, deep eyes warily surveyed the surrounding environment: "Lixue, is there nothing in this mountain that is edible?"
The food brought by the guards had all rotted. It would be unbearable for a normal person to sit in the mountains for two days without eating or drinking. They also had to pick cold stone flowers on the cliffs. If they didn't replenish their strength, they wouldn't be able to pick the cold stone flowers even if they saw them.
“Not necessarily!” Shen Lixue shook her head: “If a mountain is truly a dead mountain, there won’t be any animals in it!”
On their way here, they encountered frogs and a large group of snakes. The frogs had mutated, probably because they had eaten something poisonous in the mountains. The snakes, on the other hand, were perfectly normal. There must be non-poisonous food in these mountains.
"Splash, splash, splash!" The sound of clear water flowing could be heard. Shen Lixue looked at the vegetation in front of her, her eyes lit up, and she pulled Dongfang Heng forward quickly: "Let's hurry up!"
"What happened?" Dongfang Heng looked at the young woman with a bright face and sparkling eyes. She hadn't eaten lunch and hadn't had a drop of water all day. Despite being in the scorching sun, she was still so energetic.
“It should be a good thing!” Shen Lixue, unaware of Dongfang Heng’s thoughts, pulled him along and hurried out of the tall grass.
In an instant, a river of moderate size came into view. The water was clear and flowed downstream. Occasionally, a clump or two of green water plants grew among the rocks on the bank, swaying back and forth with the clear water.
Shen Lixue looked around at the plants and the color of the soil, a hint of joy flashing in her beautiful eyes. She quickly walked towards the river: "The water in this river is drinkable!"
"Really?" The two guards had no doubt about Shen Lixue's words. They instantly went to the riverbank, scooped up some river water, took a big gulp, licked their moist lips, and their eyes sparkled: "So sweet, just like mountain spring water!"
"Your Highness, Your Highness!" After drinking several handfuls of water, the guard filled two cups and handed them to Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng.
He quickly unpacked the package, took out a small water bottle, and gulped down water into it, filling it with plenty of water for later use, so he wouldn't be afraid to go to places with heavy metals again.
After finishing her drink, Shen Lixue carefully looked around, slowly walked to the riverbank, parted the clumps of grass, dug out something, washed it clean in the water, and threw it to Zi Mo: "This is edible!"
Zi Mo reached out and caught it, looking at the unidentified object lying quietly in his palm. The top was round and plump, with a support at the bottom, something common on rainy days. He twitched his lips: "Mushroom? Can this be eaten raw?"
"These aren't mushrooms, they're yu!" Shen Lixue explained, tossing over a few more yu: "Peel off the round tops and outer skin, and eat the yu meat inside!"
"Okay!" Zi Mo looked at it carefully. It had a light-colored outer skin, which was indeed different from a mushroom. He removed the round head and outer skin as instructed. The taro meat inside was white and tender. He slowly took a small bite, and a light sweetness instantly filled his mouth: "It tastes really good!"
"It smells and tastes sweet!"
The guards held the Mingyu flute and wolfed it down, chewing it quickly.
They were in a hurry to get on their way and hadn't eaten properly for a day and a night. They had used up a lot of energy after entering the mountains and were starving. So when they found some good food, they certainly wouldn't be polite.
Dongfang Heng held the yu (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument) and ate slowly and deliberately, with elegant manners and a light breath.
When Dongfang Zhan and Li Youlan arrived at the riverbank with heavy steps and haggard faces, the guards of the Holy King's Mansion were eating Mingyu with gusto.
Li Youlan rubbed her dry, cracked lips and glanced strangely at the yu (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument) in their hands. Wasn't it said that food from Black Mist Mountain was inedible? Although they were eating mushrooms, they grew in Black Mist Mountain and carried toxins from the soil; eating them would surely kill them.
Shen Lixue glanced at the puzzled Li Youlan without saying a word. She sat down next to Dongfang Heng and slowly ate her yu (a type of Chinese yu). When Dongfang Heng finished his, she handed him two or three more. Dongfang Heng did not refuse, took the yu, peeled them, and ate them elegantly.
"Can these mushrooms be eaten?" Dongfang Zhan and Li Youlan remained silent, while their guards, starving and licking their chapped lips, couldn't help but ask Zi Mo and the other two guards.
The three of them happily ate a lot of taro, leaving a pile of taro husks at their feet, without showing any signs of poisoning. This stuff must be non-toxic.
The guard from the Holy King's Mansion gave the guard from the Zhan King's Mansion a disdainful look: "Brother, you're just asking a question you already know the answer to. If we can't eat it, why would we put it in our mouths?"
Whoosh! Following the skin of the yu (a type of taro), the guards of the Zhan Prince's mansion saw the yu growing by the river. They quickly walked over, dug it out, peeled off the skin, and wolfed it down: "Delicious!"
"It smells so good!"
"Is the water in this river drinkable? Is the food around here edible?" Li Youlan asked Shen Lixue tentatively while eating a yu (a type of Chinese yam).
"More or less!" Shen Lixue nodded. The river they had just crossed was only a few miles away, but it was utterly lifeless, a world apart from the teeming life here.