With a sword drawn, he laughs proudly, his martial prowess dominating the heavens!

Chapter 128 Li Che: Hey bird, where did you get those pine nuts?!

The cliff face is covered with black iron, and the road winds in a zigzag pattern.

The Lancang River, like a raging dragon, runs through the north and south, passing through Dali and into the south, cutting through cliffs and valleys, where the water is swift and there is no way to cross.

Li Che pondered all the way, only remembering two sentences mentioned in the original work: the Five Poisons Sect should be near the Lancang River, in northwestern Yunnan.

In reality, it was all nonsense, and it wasn't much better than the information Chen Hai had gathered.

Based on the principle that "the shortest distance between two points is a straight line", Li Che originally intended to search along the river.

However, upon seeing the raging torrents of the Nulong River and the towering cliffs in the distance, with no path ahead, they hesitated to proceed.

It's no wonder that the Dian barbarians caused trouble from time to time throughout history, yet were difficult to eradicate completely.

In this area, if you hide in the woods, no number of lives would be enough to fill the void.

So here's the question.

Should we head northwest via Dali, or venture headlong into the mountains?

Looking around at the ancient cypress trees, the road is nowhere to be seen. If you plunge in headfirst, it's no wonder you get lost.

It seems... there's no other choice.

The two mounted their horses again and galloped away. Three more days passed, and they were nearing Dali.

They inquired along the way and learned from merchants that a group of Miao people had indeed passed by in several large carts a few days ago.

It is now certain that Lao Yue and his companions were captured by the Five Poisons Sect.

After asking several hunters and herbalists, the two brothers dismounted and walked into the dense forest.

In early summer, the dense forests of the south are unbearably hot and humid.

The two men were wrapped in oilcloth, their shoes and trousers smeared with realgar and cinnabar. In no time, the powder had thickened into a paste, pungent and nauseating.

Linghu Chong's internal strength was inferior to Li Che's. After walking for only an hour or so, his inner lining was already soaked with sweat, and his forehead and temples were covered with beads of sweat.

He wanted to take off his oilcloth robe, but Li, as the senior disciple, forced him to wear it.

Linghu the Swordsman thought to himself, "So my senior brother is really afraid of these snakes, insects, and rats. I feel sorry for him."

As darkness fell, the two found a flat spot and managed to gather some half-dry firewood, finally managing to start a fire.

Li Che hurriedly drew circles around the area with realgar and cinnabar.

Unexpectedly, as he was sprinkling yellow powder, a dark green horned snake suddenly sprang out from the stone peak in front of him.

Holy crap!

ZINGYI!

The snake was severed in two, and the newly purchased longsword smoothly cut through the tree trunk, which was as thick as a bowl, showing that Young Master Li was truly frightened.

"Hahaha!"

"What's so funny! Is it wrong to be afraid of snakes?!"

Linghu Chong was overjoyed, while Li Che angrily slapped the broken wood with his palm. With a loud crash, the broken wood flew a full three zhang away.

"We're in for a treat tonight! I've heard that the more venomous the snake, the more delicious its meat. Brother Li, would you like to try some?"

Linghu Chong chuckled and used his sword to lift up the latter half of the snake's body.

"Eat whatever you want, but be careful of parasites."

"Hmm? What are parasites?"

Li Che said irritably, "It's Gu!"

Linghu Chong:

'

After a short while, the snake meat was almost cooked, and its aroma filled the air.

Li Che tossed the wine flask to Linghu Chong, "Realgar wine doesn't count as breaking the oath. It's best to drink less of this broken mountain spring water; there might be some poisonous insects or venomous creatures hidden in it."

It's best to be careful.

Linghu Chong smiled and took it. "Do you have a plan? Killing people is probably not an option to deal with the Five Poisons Sect."

"I have no solution. If you push me too far, I'll set the mountain on fire!" Li Che patted the wine pouch at his waist, which was actually filled with kerosene.

He added angrily, "Insects and snakes are afraid of fire; it's their nature. So what if they're near the Lancang River? They'll be suffocated by the smoke!"

"What about Master and Mistress..."

'

"What I mean by 'getting things really bad' is that my master, mistress, and fellow disciples from Mount Hua would lose their lives. If that happens, those scoundrels from the Five Poisons Sect will surely be buried with them!"

Linghu Chong nodded silently; it was indeed the way Huashan had personally taught him.

"However, it would be best to try diplomacy first and then resort to force. If we can achieve both, that would be the best outcome."

As Li Che said this, he thought to himself, "That's true, but if that guy surnamed Lan really wants to be ruthless, poisonous insects and poisonous smoke will be impossible to guard against."

Whether it's a blessing or a curse, it all depends on fate.

As night deepened, the broad branches and leaves of the southern trees made the forest even darker.

The forest was filled with rustling sounds, and occasionally the roar of a wild beast could be heard, and forest birds would take flight in fright. The density of living creatures was far greater than that of Mount Hua.

"Coo coo!"

Linghu Chong ate the snake meat, drank three mouthfuls of wine, and then sealed the bag.

Li Che, however, was still munching on dried meat.

"Coo coo!"

Ok?

"Coo coo!"

The croaking sound grew louder, and Li Che, who hadn't paid much attention before, subconsciously turned his head away.

But then they saw two "lanterns" lit up on the horizontal branches of a giant tree about four or five zhang away.

Its large, round eyes, like glass beads, hung on its flat little head, below which was a plump body, with sharp claws at the end gripping the branches tightly, staring straight ahead in the direction of the fire.

owl?

"Want some?" Li Che casually tossed the jerky away.

With a flapping sound, its sharp beak precisely landed on the jerky.

The flickering flames illuminated its bright white wings.

But it chewed the jerky twice and then spat it out. Its little head, which was attached to its body, turned around and stared at the triangular snake head that Li Che had just cut off.

Li Che found it amusing, and with his sword, he flicked the snake's head away, kindly reminding him, "This thing is probably poisonous."

"Coo coo!"

The strange bird let out a cry, seized the snake's head, and turned to leave, whether it understood or not is unknown.

Do owls eat poisonous snakes?

When Li Che asked casually, Linghu Chong was stunned for a moment, then replied, "Who knows?"

Whoosh—

!

Two thin needles pinned a three-inch-long, plump centipede to a tree trunk. Dark sap seeped from its head and tail. The centipede writhed and twisted, but the needles were deeply embedded in the wood, and it could not break free no matter what it did.

"No wonder you bought so many needles, it turns out they're for this purpose."

"It's much less strenuous than using a sword." Li Che smiled faintly, inexplicably thinking of someone on Blackwood Cliff.

"Gugu and his companion walked three or five zhang, but out of the corner of their eye, the white-feathered owl followed them again."

It had been following for three days, eating its fill along the way. It was as if Li was a chef at a buffet, as most of the poisonous creatures he killed ended up in the little guy's stomach.

This bird has a truly remarkable stomach; it can swallow all sorts of poisons, yet it only becomes more energetic.

The two of them had gone deep into the forest and had not seen a single person yet.

But it wasn't all for naught; if you listened carefully, you could hear a rumbling sound, so at least you were heading in the right direction.

Linghu Chong had removed his oilcloth shirt, but the damp heat had not lessened in the slightest.

As the sun was about to set, the two stopped again and lit a fire.

His words seemed relaxed, but he was actually very anxious inside.

The large bird seemed to think the two "outsiders" were harmless and was no longer as wary as before.

After circling in the air a few times, it landed on Li Che's shoulder.

"Brother Li, it seems this little guy has taken a clingy attitude towards you."

Li Che raised his hand and reached for its smooth, round head. The big bird tilted its head in agreement, and its large, glassy eyes narrowed.

Only then did he notice that among the large bird's white feathers were a few pale yellow feathers; this owl was probably no ordinary bird.

After resting for a while, the two hastily made torches and got up to leave in perfect unison.

But the big bird had disappeared again.

"Coo coo!"

Speak of the big bird, and the big bird arrives.

It landed on Li Che's shoulder, nudged its little head, moved its pointed beak, and spat out something.

"You certainly know how to reciprocate."

Li Che looked down instinctively and found it was a pine nut!

"Wow, where did you find this thing?!"