Earlier, when they passed through the long corridor from the outside of Deep Dark Lake to the suspension bridge, the journey had been peaceful with nothing unusual.

But now, as they walked back through the corridor, waves of eeriness permeated the path.

For instance, the two long rows of lanterns suddenly all went out, plunging everything back into pitch darkness…

And then, in this darkness, Chu Li suddenly couldn’t see again…

Mu Yunjin stayed close to Chu Li, holding onto his arm. Earlier, when it was just their group, she could have taken out her jade pendant to help when she couldn’t see.

But now, knowing that the black-robed figure and Qiuye were somewhere in the shadows of Ghost Valley Cave, she would never take out her jade pendant to light the way.

“It’s so dark, can all of you see?” Mu Yunjin suddenly asked lazily. In truth, she could walk forward using just the moonlight, let alone the others.

“Yes, we can see!” the others replied.

Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, looking at the end of the corridor they were about to reach. Below the end was a large flight of stairs leading directly to the location of Deep Dark Lake.

These stairs had taken her and Chu Li quite some time to climb earlier, with the light from the lanterns.

Now Chu Li couldn’t see the path…

“There are stairs ahead. Let’s light a lantern to see the way!” As Mu Yunjin finished speaking, she casually waved her hand and took down one of the lanterns hanging in the corridor.

Qiqi turned to look at Mu Yunjin, figuring that lighting a lantern wasn’t a bad idea, and reached out to take one down as well.

“I have a wooden torch. Let me help you light them.” Ding Xian knew that Chu Li had night blindness, so before setting out, he had prepared a wooden torch.

Now he opened the cover of the wooden torch, and a small flame leapt out.

Ding Xian approached and lit the lantern in Mu Yunjin’s hand.

With the lantern lit, Mu Yunjin pressed her lips together and said to Chu Li, “Chu Li, take the lantern and light the way for me.”

“Alright.” Chu Li took the lantern, his heart completely smitten with her.

After walking for a while, they finally stepped down the last stair, but when Mu Yunjin saw the scene before her, her body froze in place.

“Huh? How did this place turn into a cave?”

She remembered that when she and Chu Li came out from Deep Dark Lake following the sounds of fighting, they had come up these very stairs…

Moreover, they had come out from an open stone door, and there hadn’t been any cave then.

Now, what was this suddenly appearing cave?

Mu Yunjin looked at Chu Li and noticed that he was also staring at the cave before them, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes intense and dark.

“Can this place move on its own?” Mu Yunjin scratched her head. If that was the case, then she wouldn’t even be able to find Deep Dark Lake!

“No wonder the black-robed figure left like that earlier. They were sure we would have to struggle here!” Qu Xinyao was somewhat annoyed, having thought they were about to reach the final stage.

“Cough, cough, cough.” Nearby, Xu Heyu suddenly couldn’t help but cough several times.

Hearing the coughing, Qu Xinyao quickly looked over at Xu Heyu and noticed that in the weak lantern light, his face was deathly pale.

“Idiot, are you alright?” Qu Xinyao asked.

“I’m fine,” Xu Heyu replied, his voice hoarser than even he realized.

Ever since Mu Yunjin learned that Xu Heyu’s body contained a deadly poison, she had felt very sorry for him and Qu Xinyao. Now, seeing his pale face and hoarse voice, she couldn’t help but press her lips together, wondering if his poison was causing him discomfort.

“Idiot, what’s wrong with you? Why are your hands so cold? Are you freezing?” Qu Xinyao grabbed Xu Heyu’s hand, growing increasingly worried.

She knew Xu Heyu had always been physically weak, and with tonight’s exertion in this place, she wondered if his body was giving out.

“I should have brought Sister Qingmeng along!” It wasn’t good to travel without someone skilled in medicine.

“Let me take a look.” Huaying, skilled in poisons and somewhat proficient in medicine, walked over to Xu Heyu upon seeing his discomfort.

Xu Heyu glanced at Huaying and shook his head. “No need to trouble yourself. I’m fine.”

“No way, don’t listen to him. Miss Huaying, please check him!” Qu Xinyao grabbed Xu Heyu’s arm and extended it toward Huaying.

Xu Heyu hesitated.

Huaying gently placed her hand on Xu Heyu’s pulse. After a moment, she narrowed her eyes slightly, looked at Xu Heyu, and a strange expression flashed quickly across her eyes.

Xu Heyu had been watching Huaying’s face, knowing that with her expertise in poisons, she would detect the deadly poison in his body.

Now, catching Huaying’s gaze, he happened to be facing away from Qu Xinyao. He gave Huaying a meaningful look and mouthed the words “don’t tell.”

Seeing this, Huaying realized that Xu Heyu knew about his poisoning, so she nodded and said, “Nothing serious, just a slight cold.”

As she spoke, Huaying took out a white bottle from her bosom and poured out a pill. “Try this. It might alleviate your discomfort.”

Xu Heyu took the pill, put it in his mouth, and thanked Huaying.

After swallowing the pill, the pain that had been accumulating in Xu Heyu’s chest and lungs gradually began to dissipate, and the poison was slowly suppressed.

“How do you feel? Any better?” Huaying looked at Xu Heyu.

Xu Heyu nodded. “Thank you, Miss Huaying.”

“Since it’s working, take this bottle of medicine with you. If you feel unwell along the way, you can take it anytime.” Huaying directly handed the entire bottle of medicine to Xu Heyu.

Xu Heyu accepted it and lowered his gaze to examine the medicine bottle. For many years, he had been taking medicine regularly provided by Qingmeng, which could suppress the poison, but none had ever made his chest and lungs feel as comfortable as the pill he just swallowed.

Mu Yunjin, witnessing this scene, suddenly felt a glimmer of hope. She pulled Chu Li aside and lowered her voice. “Do you think Huaying might be able to cure Xu Heyu’s poison?”

Chu Li narrowed his eyes, furrowed his brows slightly, and replied softly, “Perhaps.”

“Why don’t we just ask Huaying? You go keep them occupied and let them rest for a while.” Mu Yunjin patted Chu Li and then walked over to Huaying’s side.

Huaying understood Mu Yunjin’s intention and turned to walk aside with her.

After walking a distance away, Mu Yunjin finally spoke in a low voice, “Did you detect anything unusual in Xu Heyu’s body just now?”

“He’s been poisoned, and the poison has reached his heart and lungs. It’s been there for many years!” Huaying said.

“Is there any way to cure his poison?” Mu Yunjin asked tentatively.

Hearing this, Huaying glanced in Xu Heyu’s direction and sighed slightly. “The poison in him, I’ve seen it in the Book of Hundred Poisons. It’s called Luosheng Gate, a slow-acting poison. It’s been in his body for so many years that it has already seeped into his marrow and become one with him!”

“At this point, the poison has spread throughout his entire body. I fear even his blood has turned black!”

Mu Yunjin’s heart sank. “Are you saying there’s no solution?”

“I’m not certain. The poison is called Luosheng Gate, so perhaps what I’ve diagnosed is just the surface manifestation and not the true condition inside his body.”

“…” Mu Yunjin didn’t know how to respond.

Huaying pressed her lips together. “The medicine I gave him just now will help suppress the poison for a while. When we return to Phoenix Feather Pavilion, I’ll research this poison further.”

Mu Yunjin looked at Huaying and nodded.

When they returned to the cave entrance, both Mu Yunjin and Huaying maintained normal expressions. Mu Yunjin walked close to Chu Li, staring at the cave before them, undecided.

“Get ready to enter the cave!” Daoist Feng Xuan’s face didn’t look good. Tonight’s journey to Deep Dark Lake was proving to be more difficult than imagined.

Mu Yunjin looked at the pitch-black cave, knowing that Chu Li definitely couldn’t see clearly. She picked up the lantern and had just taken two steps when she heard Daoist Feng Xuan’s reproachful voice, “There must be something unpleasant inside. Carrying a lantern is too conspicuous. Put it out quickly!”

Mu Yunjin’s face fell.

“Let’s go.” Chu Li stepped forward, put his arm around her waist, and walked inside casually, as if he weren’t the one who couldn’t see the path.

Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, extinguished the lantern, and darkness enveloped them once more.

As soon as they entered the cave, Mu Yunjin noticed that the ground was full of potholes, and one could easily trip over loose stones if not careful. Even with her normal vision, she found it difficult to walk, let alone Chu Li with his night blindness.

“Just take bigger steps and lift your feet higher,” Chu Li said from beside her. Despite not being able to see ahead, he could tell that the path underfoot was uneven and difficult to walk on.

Right now, Mu Yunjin was holding onto his arm the whole time, indicating that the path ahead was fine; it was just the ground beneath their feet that was troublesome.

As long as she didn’t verbally warn him, he just needed to continue walking forward in the darkness.

With her by his side, he felt at ease.

Hearing Chu Li’s voice, Mu Yunjin felt for a moment as if she were the one who was blind and couldn’t see the path.

Tsk, this guy was too good at pretending!

The cave was very quiet. Apart from the footsteps of the group, no other sounds could be heard.

But gradually, as they walked, the air in the cave became increasingly thin, and everyone clearly felt breathing becoming more difficult.

Especially for Mu Yunjin, who already had two heart meridians breathing inside her body. Now, as the cave became increasingly enclosed, even taking a breath became extremely laborious. Her chest pulsed, and the two heart meridians rapidly pulsated, almost ready to burst out.

Mu Yunjin’s face turned deathly pale. She crouched down in pain, continuously taking deep breaths, her body convulsing.

“Yunjin, what’s wrong?” Chu Li sensed something was wrong with the person beside him, but unable to see her current state, he could only take out his jade pendant, casting white light throughout the dark cave.

Mu Yunjin, enduring the pain, shook her head. She wanted to speak but had no strength at all.

The people around them were also having difficulty breathing, struggling to maintain their last bit of rationality. Someone spoke up, “There’s no air here, and we don’t know how much further ahead we need to go. Should we turn back?”

“Continue forward! Girl, hang in there!” Daoist Feng Xuan made the decision. They had already been walking here for a long time. If they turned back, they might not all make it safely anyway.

Chu Li bent down and picked up Mu Yunjin, feeling her body trembling incessantly. Enduring his discomfort, he quickly walked forward.

Now, with the jade pendant lighting the way, everyone’s pace involuntarily quickened.

“What’s going on? There’s no path ahead…”