Chapter 126: Wait for My Return

“Does this stuff really work?”

Jiang Sui handed over the Poisonous Potion as she walked over, her official hairpin glinting in the light. Lu Yunze took it, tilting it against the sun to inspect it. The translucent liquid inside looked rather sticky.

“That Green Mist is so thick—how can something like this keep it out?”

Hearing this, Jiang Sui couldn’t help but let out a long breath, thinking that explaining basic principles to these blockheads was always a headache.

“There’s no time to waste, so I’ll keep it short and explain it once more.”

As long as a little Green Mist enters, it will cause obvious symptoms; it’s really impossible to fully defend against it. But if you put in some effort with breathing techniques, you can handle it effectively.

The inspiration for Jiang Sui’s Poisonous Potion came from frequent accidents in the workshop—whenever she accidentally inhaled some questionable byproducts, she made this thing to protect herself.

Just one whiff of its fragrance and it would spread inside the nasal cavity. Sure, it continuously stimulated the vagus nerve, but the Green Mist that followed would be quickly broken down, unable to enter the body any further.

“Is it useful?” Lu Yunze asked.

“If you don’t believe me, you don’t have to use it—unless you don’t want to learn from Jiang Sui.”

Lu Yunze took a deep breath and could only say, “Fine.”

Jiang Sui said she only brought two doses. Lu Yunze and Lin Ying would share one bottle, and she’d keep one for herself.

Lin Ying used her drink bottle as a makeshift container, pouring out half to share. Jiang Sui handed it to her from a distance.

Because it wasn’t a specialized vessel, the potion in his hands would evaporate faster, and it wouldn’t last as long as Lu Yunze’s.

Lu Yunze brought the potion to his mouth, took two swigs, and almost choked. Even after swallowing, the pungent medicinal fragrance still lingered, making it hard to breathe.

“What about you?”

“I… I still need a little time to prepare.”

“You’re not thinking of retreating, are you?”

Jiang Sui immediately grabbed his collar and her expression turned grim: “I’m putting medicine on my wound, got it?”

“Ah, got it, understood.”

Just standing there, Jiang Sui could feel the sharp pain from her hip. Before entering battle, she had to apply some potion to numb it.

All your fault for being so rough, you brute.

After Lu Yunze and Lin Ying set out, Jiang Sui stayed behind in a nearby nook, wrapping herself in her Gray Robe.

When she grabbed her short skirt with both hands, she kept reminding herself silently: Gently, be gentle, you have to be gentle.

But when the cloth brushed against her swollen, red skin, she couldn’t help but let out a short, suppressed gasp.

After preparing, Lu Yunze and Lin Ying headed out together, once again stepping into the Green Mist.

After traveling for a while, Lu Yunze’s anxious nerves finally relaxed. The Poisonous Potion Jiang Sui gave him really worked.

He truly couldn’t smell the irritating scent of the Green Mist anymore, but he still had to use the potion from his pocket in time to keep up the protection, otherwise, there was no way he could last an entire battle.

This world wrapped in Green Mist was dead silent, and with limited vision, finding even a single person was extremely difficult.

Sure enough, it would be quicker to take down that Mistmaster directly.

Unlike when he was forging with An Kang, this time the potion’s coverage was limited, and most of it was for support—he still relied on other weapons for offense.

But this enemy was much stronger than before, and the Green Mist here was even deadlier.

Just as the two were about to lose their sense of direction, a sudden noise came from not far ahead. Lu Yunze and Lin Ying exchanged a glance and moved toward the source.

A ramen stall appeared in the wilderness, with someone sitting at the entrance, eating cold noodles by the handful.

Upon hearing their footsteps, the Mistmaster paused, then hurriedly put down his food and put his Mask back on.

Although it was only for a brief moment, Lu Yunze still caught a glimpse of his decaying skin—he was glad he hadn’t seen it more clearly.

“You’ve come, you’ve come… It’s Lu Yunze, and with someone from the medical team?”

The Mistmaster stood up, wanting to greet them, but he had only one arm left.

“No need for introductions, just passing by. I’m short on time—let’s get straight to it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, both sides moved at once.

The Mistmaster waved his arm, sending a raging Green Mist Tornado hurtling toward them.

Even with Jiang Sui’s Poisonous Potion for protection, getting hit by that wind would still force a lot of Green Mist into the body.

Lu Yunze alone couldn’t hold out, but he had Lin Ying by his side.

As soon as the Mistmaster attacked, Lin Ying raised an Ice Wall in front of the two of them, blocking the Green Mist Tornado’s assault.

“Go on, young master. I’ll guide your path.”

Just as he said, with Lu Yunze following behind the Ice Wall, a Labyrinth Path formed ahead, winding ever forward.

Using the Labyrinth Path to quickly advance, Lu Yunze reached the Mistmaster in the blink of an eye.

He had already summoned the Heavy Sword, leaped high, and brought it down on his enemy.

The Mistmaster dodged backward, narrowly avoiding the direct blow, but the shockwave from the sword’s impact shook the ground, making his footing unstable.

Lu Yunze followed up with a horizontal slash, hoping to sever his opponent’s only arm.

“Tch, looks like this won’t do it.”

The Mistmaster made a disgruntled noise and simply stood there, letting the attack land directly on his body.

At the instant their weapons met, a powerful shockwave blasted out, dispersing the surrounding mist.

Lu Yunze blinked again, only to see that his opponent was still standing firm.

Did he miss? No, that’s not right.

His sword had definitely struck, even sinking deeply into the Mistmaster’s body. Yet, instead of being cut in two, the blade was stuck inside, with sickly green blood pouring out.

Not enough strength?

No, this was a fully-powered blow with all his enhancements—it was enough to cut a person in half. It’s not that he was weak; this Mistmaster was too durable!

“Didn’t want to use this, but now I’ll have to replace everything again.”

The Mistmaster spoke, then took off his Mask right in front of Lu Yunze.

“It’s all your fault. Now I have to go all out.”

The Mask clattered to the ground.

Lu Yunze could now see his chest clearly—or rather, that couldn’t be called a chest anymore.

His skin was like rotting leather, the entire torso caved in, with only a few pitch-black cracks remaining. Only the orbs in his eye sockets had any spirit in them; they were the only part that looked human.

The Mistmaster opened his mouth, spraying a jet of toxic Green Mist. Lu Yunze dodged back just in time, but still caught a glancing blow.

He retreated to Lin Ying’s side and quickly applied more potion from his pocket, taking a couple extra sips to shore up his defenses.

He glanced at his arm—sure enough, a rash was already appearing.

Even worse, the potion was wearing off faster than he’d thought; there was barely any left now, and it wouldn’t last much longer.

“Looks bad. We… retreat!”

Before he could finish, Lin Ying suddenly slumped to the ground. After mumbling a weak “Sorry, young master,” he could no longer get up. Rashes were now spreading across his body, and his wide-eyed, blank stare was almost terrifying.

“Heh, looks like you two have run into a bit of trouble, hmm?”

The Mistmaster laughed, his expression straight out of a horror film.

“My Green Mist is an improved version. It only gets blocked the first time—after that, there’s no defending against it. Even if you hold your breath the whole time, it’ll still get in without you realizing.”

“You really are a Scab.”

“Yes, I’m a Master of Disease. Everyone says that about me. But so what?”

The Mistmaster scratched his shin, peeling away chunks of rotten skin.

“But I still want to get stronger, until my title becomes an unerasable story in history.”

The potion was gone, his teammate was down, and the enemy was still full of life—how could he win now?

Just as Lu Yunze was racking his brain for a way out, he spotted a shadow, a color totally at odds with the green mist, quietly sneaking up behind the Mistmaster.

A girl in a robe coalesced behind the Mistmaster, her blade already drawn.

A flash of cold light.

The Mistmaster’s head fell straight to the ground, his body collapsing.

“Sigh, in the end, I had to do it myself.”

Jiang Sui flicked Lu Yunze’s forehead.

“Wasn’t much of a big deal after all.”

Is it over just like that?

Lu Yunze looked around, then shouted anxiously, “Wait, the Green Mist hasn’t dispersed yet!”

“Ah—”

Before Jiang Sui could react, her arm was grabbed by the headless corpse. The green blood spurting from its neck splattered onto her wound.

Damn it!

Jiang Sui chopped off the corpse’s hand, staggering backward. After wiping the fluids off her body, she realized her skin was starting to break out in a rash.

Then came that familiar, sinister laughter.

The Mistmaster’s head rolled on the ground, laughing madly.

Since his body could be replaced, even decapitation wouldn’t kill him.

Careless.

As the rash spread rapidly, Jiang Sui suddenly felt weak and sickly, her legs giving out as she slumped to the ground.

Isn’t there any medicine that can relieve these symptoms?

Jiang Sui fumbled in her pocket, pulling out the bottle that wasn’t quite empty yet.

A small amount could block the Green Mist from entering, but if she drank it straight… maybe…

But it was far too risky. She’d never tried drinking it directly before; maybe it would work instantly, but the aftereffects could be severe.

If she took the risk, she might not die, but if she didn’t, she definitely would.

Jiang Sui just managed to bring the bottle to her lips, but her strength gave out, and her hand loosened—she could only watch helplessly as it slipped to the ground.

At that critical moment, a hand caught it, saving it from shattering.

“Drinking it straight works better, right?” Lu Yunze asked, holding the Poisonous Potion.

“It might cause problems, I’m not sure.” Jiang Sui said nothing more, simply took a deep breath, “Don’t take the risk, give it to me.”

“So you weren’t hiding it out of selfishness—there was another reason.”

Lu Yunze laughed softly.

“I already said I’m better at fighting head-on. You should’ve told me sooner, that way we could’ve finished this and gotten Jiang Sui out earlier. Now that I’ve finally gotten a grip on the situation, I’m not letting go.”

With that, he tilted his head back and drank all the potion in one go, then exhaled a long breath.

Lu Yunze gave Jiang Sui a look, then set out after the enemy once more.

His voice was gentle, like a child’s promise: “Wait for my return.”