Chapter 9: Poison Fang Canyon

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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.

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“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?”