Mistaken Era – Chapter 16
These eggs, each as big as an elongated pumpkin, made it impossible to tell what kind of animal they belonged to.
Just as she was about to turn and speak to the man, she froze, unable to make a sound.
During the earlier cliff jump, the black veil on the man’s face had also been blown open by the wind.
She had originally thought this man was unwilling to show his face because of an unsightly appearance.
But now, looking at him, it turned out that she was the one encountering a beauty today.
If Qin Lingxiao’s type could be described as boldly handsome in a righteous way, then the man before her possessed an enchanting demonic handsomeness.
Before witnessing such an appearance, it was truly hard to imagine there could be such a bewitchingly handsome man in this world!
Especially those long eyes of his that occasionally shimmered with a faint purple light, complemented unexpectedly harmoniously by his high-bridged nose and thin lips. The depths of those eyes seemed capable of devouring one’s soul, unknowingly luring one into being immersed within them…
However, the man didn’t seem to enjoy being stared at. Under Cui Xiaoxiao’s entranced gaze, his expression grew increasingly cold as he deliberately turned his face away, then slowly said, “What’s the matter? Is there something wrong with my face?”
Cui Xiaoxiao finally snapped out of her daze, forcibly shifting her eyes away from that impossibly handsome face.
Having witnessed too many ugly things in the world from a young age, she naturally knew that good looks, for either men or women born into lowly situations, were seldom a blessing.
It seemed this man must have previously suffered from the burden of an outstanding appearance, which was why he was unwilling to show his true face.
She had no need to bring up his uncomfortable past by rashly praising his handsomeness.
Thinking this, she calmly said, “Hmm… your face is a bit smudged with dirt. You can wipe it off later. Oh no, it seems we’ve crashed into some animal’s eggs. We should get away from here quickly.”
This man didn’t seem to expect Cui Xiaoxiao to regain her senses so quickly, nor for her to avoid falling into an entranced state like others did upon first seeing his appearance. So he was slightly stunned, wiping his face with his shirt as he said, “We’re both covered in egg fluids. The owner of these eggs will track us by following the scent. I’m afraid it’s too late to leave now…”
The egg fluid carried a sweet, pungent odor that was quite potent and impossible to mask. Looking at these massive eggs, Cui Xiaoxiao’s eyelids began twitching ominously.
She quickly took off her outer jacket stained with egg fluid and tossed it aside, raising her head to scan their surroundings. Her innate supernatural eyes soon discovered that something seemed to be surging toward them from underground in the northeast corner of the valley.
Such an earthly undulation was truly a sight to behold. But Cui Xiaoxiao had already guessed that whatever was rapidly approaching from belowground must be the owner of the eggs – she just didn’t know what creature could lay eggs of such massive size!
Thinking this, she turned to the man and said, “Should we… go back up?”
The man’s lips curved into a meaningful smile as he casually glanced down at Xiaoxiao and said, “Miss went to so much trouble luring me here. If we just leave, wouldn’t that be a pity?”
He was clearly implying something, but Cui Xiaoxiao didn’t understand what he meant.
She didn’t have time to ponder it deeply now. After weighing the pros and cons, she said solemnly, “There are pursuers up on the cliff, and a fierce beast here. But beasts are easier to deal with than people. Let’s hide here quietly… When that creature shows itself, I’ll use a Soul-Sealing Talisman to subdue it…”
Finished speaking, she took out several Soul-Sealing Talismans that her senior martial sister had drawn for her – previously, members of the Talisman Sect had relied on hunting to earn a difficult living.
These Soul-Sealing Talismans were exceptionally effective for hunting. No matter how fast a rabbit ran, as long as it touched the talisman laid on the ground, it would immediately freeze in place, allowing one to calmly wait for the prey to come to them for an easy meal.
Now, Cui Xiaoxiao planned to use the same method. She arranged the Soul-Sealing Talismans around the shattered pile of large eggs, then burrowed into the dense tangle of vines, using fallen leaves to conceal her body.
Her plan was to temporarily hide here. When the creature came to check on the eggs and was entrapped by the talisman’s effects, she would then emerge to finish it off.
She just didn’t know what kind of exotic beast it was. If simply roasted, would the meat be tender and delicious enough…?
That man had been idly sitting by the whole time, watching Xiaoxiao bustle about making arrangements like a busy little sparrow, completely indifferent.
Finally, he did put in some work, getting up to go to a stream and wash off the egg fluid from his body. Then he searched around and fixed his gaze on a trifoliate plant.
He plucked some leaves, rolled them into two small balls, and stuffed them into his nostrils.
The surface of the stream also began to ripple slightly. The man looked down at the rippling stream water, slowly standing up to face the rapidly approaching mound of earth from the distant valley, his expression becoming quite solemn.
Cui Xiaoxiao, hidden behind the green screen, stole another furtive glance at the man’s bewitching appearance.
After all, once they escaped this danger, she would have to part ways with this chivalrous gentleman. She might as well take another look, as she might not have a chance to see such a good-looking person again.
At that moment, the rumbling sounds from underground grew increasingly close.
Cui Xiaoxiao glanced over in a daze, and with an explosive sound, two massive snake heads suddenly burst forth from below the ground!
As the two enormous snake heads bounced high into the air, Cui Xiaoxiao’s eyes grew wider and wider.
This snake… had two connected large heads on a single body!
In Cui Xiaoxiao’s memory, she had heard tales of such a snake before. What was it called? That’s right! The Sinbream Snake that emerged from the Sinbream Snake Den atop Elder Mountain two hundred years ago.
The Sinbream Snake was a hermaphrodite, and these two snake heads – one was oval-shaped, likely the female snake’s head, while the other became triangular in anger upon seeing the shattered eggs, obviously the male snake’s head.
Oh no! How could she have encountered the legendary monster snake?
Her only hope now was that those Soul-Sealing Talismans would work and subdue this ancient serpent of myth.
The man had remained unmoving, so the two-headed giant snake naturally attacked him first, standing by the stream.
The massive snake body lifted into the air, jaws gaping wide as it suddenly released a greenish mist carrying an indescribable serpentine stench that instantly filled the entire valley.
Cui Xiaoxiao only got a brief whiff before inwardly exclaiming, “Not good!”
So this was how the snake attacked its prey – first immobilizing them by dousing them in a toxic mist before devouring them at its leisure.
Now the entire valley was filled with the serpent’s venom. Cui Xiaoxiao had inadvertently inhaled some and immediately felt her legs go weak, tumbling out from behind the green screen.
Due to the steep terrain, she rolled rapidly downhill, ending up right in front of the two-headed snake – as if sacrificing herself to feed the serpent and shield the man from disaster.
This handsome stranger seemed touched, raising his voice to say, “Miss, there’s no need to be so rash! I can handle this alone, don’t rush forward!”
If Cui Xiaoxiao could speak through the numbness from the venom coursing through her body, she would curse up a storm!
Was she really fated to perish tragically here because of her Ten Wounds Birthmark?
There was no time to ponder further, as the giant snake had already picked up the lingering scent of egg fluid on her body. Enraged, it glared with four blazing lantern-like eyes, baring baring its ferocious serrated fangs as it lunged viciously toward her.
Though her body was paralyzed, Cui Xiaoxiao caught a glimpse of the nearby stream in her peripheral vision and quickly began chanting the Water Manipulation Incantation inwardly.
Perhaps being in a life-threatening situation could better stimulate her latent abilities, or maybe her previous sparring with the Sword Sect disciple had made her more proficient in using the Water Manipulation Incantation. This time, without much effort, Cui Xiaoxiao redirected two streams of water shooting directly toward the two terrifying snake heads.
The two massive snake heads were blasted backward by the water, buying Xiaoxiao a brief opportunity.
She circulated her dantian’s inner energy, trying to suppress the serpent venom within her body. But unexpectedly, it felt as if her dantian’s energy was being drained away, leaving an empty void. At the same time, the demonic bead’s venom, which had already flared up once before, showed signs of resurgence.
Cui Xiaoxiao realized that the demonic bead within her seemed to have been nourished, its previously dormant malice growing increasingly potent.
She immediately guessed the reason – although this bead was a condensation of impurities refined by Wei Jie years ago, its origins were from the venom of this two-headed serpent.
Now that she had accidentally inhaled the serpent’s toxic mist, the demonic bead received nourishment. If it accumulated enough power, it might just break through the restraints of her Yin Blood lineage and seize control of her consciousness…
It was a case of misfortune compounding misfortune in quick succession.
As her dantian’s energy gradually depleted, the water streams she controlled also shrank. The two-headed snake was repeatedly blasted back by the water, growing increasingly enraged.
Once the water’s force weakened, the two massive snake heads shook off the droplets before viciously charging forward again, shrouded in a toxic green mist.
At this critical juncture, Cui Xiaoxiao’s waist was bound by a black whip that yanked her to the man’s side.
After pulling Cui Xiaoxiao over, the young man propped her up against a large boulder. He then leapt toward the two-headed serpent, his agile movements indicating he was completely unaffected by the toxic mist.
Cui Xiaoxiao focused her gaze on his nose – no wonder the serpent’s venom had no effect on him. Earlier, he had stuffed some unknown grass into his nostrils, apparently acting as a filter against the toxins…
She watched as he drew his rusty, battered sword. While agilely leaping about, he flicked his wrist, slashing rapidly toward the snake’s heads.
Though his movements were swift, the giant serpent reacted with incredible speed as well. The two snake heads dodged left and right with agility while continuing to spew dense green mists that gradually enveloped the entire valley.
Left with no way to avoid it, Cui Xiaoxiao could only hold her breath and focus her inner energy to suppress the surging demonic toxins within her body.
By now, the giant snake had slithered to the edge of the shattered egg pit. As it moved, its underbelly dragged across the Soul-Sealing Talismans Cui Xiaoxiao had previously laid on the ground.
Her senior martial sister’s talismans did prove effective! The serpent froze motionless like a wooden chicken after being immobilized by the talisman’s power.
But in the blink of an eye, the talisman’s effects seemed to wear off as the giant snake began flicking its tongue once more.
However, the man seized that momentary opportunity. Two streaks of light flashed as the two snake heads were nearly simultaneously severed, spraying crimson blood everywhere…
After decapitating the snake, the man approached its still twitching abdomen, slicing it open to retrieve a large mottled-green serpent gall bladder that he held over his shoulder. He then came over to Cui Xiaoxiao.
Cutting open the gall bladder, he used his own water canteen to collect some of the bile fluid, passing it to her and saying, “The taste is quite foul, but it’s an excellent antidote for serpent venom. Best to drink it down in one gulp.”
Saying this, he offered the canteen right up to Cui Xiaoxiao. By now, the serpent venom was coursing through every part of her body, being greedily consumed by the demonic bead hidden somewhere within.
Knowing there was no time to hesitate, Cui Xiaoxiao immediately drank down the bile fluid the man had passed her.
This chivalrous gentleman was right – the serpent gall did indeed work. In no time at all, Cui Xiaoxiao felt the numbness leaving her fingertips, and even the piercing pain from the demonic bead’s venom flaring up had greatly subsided.
After drinking another mouthful of the intensely bitter gall bile, Cui Xiaoxiao finally felt some relief, though her legs still wouldn’t move.
Seeing the grass balls the man had stuffed into his nose, she suddenly wondered: how did this stranger foresee that the approaching creature would spew toxins?
