Amid the bamboo grove, wisps of white mist suddenly rose, shrouding the valley like a fairyland.
“This is… miasma!”
The smile on Elder Longbrow’s face froze abruptly.
Just moments ago, he’d called it an omen of great fortune, only to be proven wrong the next second.
“Fall back!”
Elder Longbrow made a snap decision.
Miasma was highly toxic, a single touch meant certain death.
Yet when he turned around, he realised that fifty metres behind them, more miasma had appeared, completely blocking their retreat.
“Quick, get through here.”
Elder Longbrow shouted loudly, then bolted, aiming to cross the valley before the miasma closed in.
But after just two steps, he stopped.
Miasma had appeared ahead as well.
Now, it surrounded them on all sides—front, back, left, and right.
The miasma grew thicker and more abundant, eventually pressing towards the three of them like a vast cloud layer.
Ye Qiu snorted coldly, “Old man, this is your so-called omen of great fortune?”
“What, are you doubting me?” Elder Longbrow replied, somewhat displeased.
“Do I even need to doubt? The facts are right in front of us,” Ye Qiu shot back irritably.
Elder Longbrow said, “This place is scenic, it doesn’t seem like somewhere miasma would gather, if I’m not mistaken, this must be the work of the Patriarch.”
Shameless, unable to foresee it himself, he blamed it on Master Zhang, utterly brazen.
Ye Qiu’s eyes were full of disdain.
Elder Longbrow caught Ye Qiu’s look but remained unfazed, continuing, “The Patriarch was a figure who ascended to the ranks of immortals, his methods are boundless, he knows past and present, can foresee the future, nothing in heaven or earth escapes his eyes, he must have known we’d come here, so he deliberately set this miasma.”
“Firstly, to test us, secondly, to prevent others from reaching the Heavenly Master’s Sword.”
“As for you thinking my divination was off, I don’t think it’s my fault, the Patriarch is an immortal, he can obscure the heavens, I’m just a mortal, it’s only natural I couldn’t predict it.”
Excuses!
Ye Qiu was thoroughly unimpressed.
Shuisheng said urgently, “Uncle Master, the miasma’s coming, what do we do?”
“What’s there to fear! Since this is the Patriarch’s test, he won’t let it harm our lives!”
Though Elder Longbrow sounded calm, he was panicking inside, silently praying.
“Patriarch, whether this miasma is your doing or not, I beg you to show mercy and save us.”
Just then, the miasma converged from all directions, now only ten metres from Ye Qiu and the others.
“Uncle Master, think of something quick, or we’re all done for here, I don’t want to die,” Shuisheng’s face was full of panic, nearly in tears.
“Don’t panic, the Patriarch surely won’t harm us,” Elder Longbrow said, sneaking a glance at Ye Qiu, hoping he’d come up with a plan.
“There’s only one option now, hold your breath and charge through the miasma’s encirclement,” Ye Qiu said.
“That might work for you, but not for me and Shuisheng,” Elder Longbrow replied, “Shuisheng doesn’t know martial arts, and I’m injured, if I hold my breath, my qi and blood will flow backwards, I’d die before the miasma even gets me.”
Hearing this, Shuisheng’s heart sank.
“It’s over, I’m dead for sure,” Shuisheng simply closed his eyes, bracing for death.
“You little brat, you really have no other ideas?” Elder Longbrow pressed Ye Qiu, unwilling to give up.
Ye Qiu shook his head.
Elder Longbrow’s heart plummeted, “Damn heavens, you can’t really mean to let me die here, I haven’t even gotten the Heavenly Master’s Sword yet.”
The miasma was now just three metres away.
Suddenly—
The miasma stopped.
It formed an encircling ring, trapping the three inside.
Ye Qiu, who’d been watching the miasma closely, immediately said, “Old man, the miasma’s stopped.”
Elder Longbrow let out a surprised sound, “Odd, why did it stop?”
Then he burst into laughter, “I knew it, the Patriarch wouldn’t harm us, haha…”
Ye Qiu said, “Don’t get too happy yet, the miasma’s stopped, but it’s not showing any sign of dispersing.”
Shuisheng opened his eyes, looked around, and said, “As long as it doesn’t come closer, we can sit here and wait, it’ll dissipate eventually.”
“How long are you prepared to wait? An hour? A day? Three or five days?” Ye Qiu said, “Forget whether our rations can last that long, even if they could, the old man’s body wouldn’t hold up.”
“You little brat, no need to worry, miasma can’t last forever,” Elder Longbrow chuckled, “From my past experience, miasma fears sunlight, once the sun shines for half an hour, it’ll vanish on its own.”
“You serious?”
“Of course I am.”
“Then we’ll wait!”
The three sat down on the ground.
Soon, a red sun rose in the east, casting myriad rays.
“The sun’s up, great,” Shuisheng said, his face lighting up.
Elder Longbrow smiled too, “Little brat, I’ll bet we only need to wait an hour at most, and the miasma will be gone.”
“Let’s hope so.”
In the blink of an eye, an hour passed.
The miasma didn’t dissipate.
The three kept waiting.
One hour, two hours, three hours…
Until noon, twelve o’clock!
The sun blazed down, leaving them drenched in sweat, but the miasma showed no sign of dispersing.
“Uncle Master, waiting doesn’t seem to be working, what now?” Shuisheng asked.
Elder Longbrow fell silent.
Ye Qiu glanced around, the miasma was rolling incessantly, like a pack of ferocious beasts ready to pounce any second.
“We can’t wait any longer, we need a plan.”
Ye Qiu stood up.
“Little brat, have you thought of something?” Elder Longbrow asked eagerly.
Ye Qiu said, “I’ll test it out, see if I can walk through, if I can get out, I’ll figure out a way to save you.”
“Be careful, don’t let the miasma get into your mouth or nose, or you’ll die,” Elder Longbrow warned.
Ye Qiu took a deep breath, held it, and stepped forward.
Suddenly, something unexpected happened.
The rolling miasma, as Ye Qiu approached, seemed startled, quickly parting to either side, clearing a path of its own accord.
It feared Ye Qiu, as if getting near him would make it vanish into thin air.
Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow.
What’s going on?
Could this miasma have a mind of its own?
Elder Longbrow was astonished, “Little brat, take a couple more steps and see.”
Ye Qiu walked two more steps forward, and it was the same, as soon as he moved, the miasma retreated to both sides, always keeping twenty centimetres away, never daring to come closer.
