On the mountaintop platform more than a li away, Tie Ci was awakened by the wailing of monkeys. Opening her eyes, she saw Chi Qingbo and Dan Shuang adding firewood to the fire.

Tonight’s deep mountains seemed somehow different from usual. Tie Ci sat up, turned on her flashlight, and illuminated the surrounding darkness.

The mountains were like a giant beast opening its throat like a black hole, devouring all light. Countless rustling sounds wandered through the beast’s bowels, as if also devouring this massive creature.

In this group, Chi Qingbo had always been the most hardworking and enduring. He never considered himself a weak scholar needing care; on the contrary, he felt that as a man, he should naturally care for women, even if that woman was strong enough to fight a hundred men like him alone.

Dan Shuang never wanted to be cared for by others, so she was very active in keeping watch. She took good care of the Chi Qingbo couple, urging Chi Qingbo to sleep and watching over A’li Teng.

Chi Qingbo didn’t want to refuse her kindness, so he smiled and stood up.

Tie Ci’s flashlight swept the surroundings. The beam reached extremely far, like ladders to heaven stretching between the mountains. No existing lighting could achieve such illumination. In Master’s words, this was an invention that transcended the era. Tie Ci wondered where Master had obtained so many things that transcended the era.

Chi Qingbo’s gaze was also inevitably drawn to this magical “lamp.” Following the flashlight beam to the opposite cliff face, he gradually frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Tie Ci walked over to ask.

“Your Highness, look at that cliff face – something seems to be moving?”

The flashlight beam swung back. Tie Ci focused her vision to look. With her x-ray vision, her eyesight was naturally much stronger than ordinary people’s. After a while, she murmured: “Butterflies?”

On the opposite cliff face, clusters of white mist-like objects were writhing, rolling, breathing in and out, cutting the dense black night into gray-white shadows. Looking carefully, they were large numbers of gray-white and pale yellow butterflies, patrolling in and out around the cliff’s crevices.

“Don’t butterflies come out during the day? Why would so many appear at night?”

“These are mesh fritillary butterflies. They do inhabit cliff faces and normally come out during the day, but there’s one exception…”

The two looked at each other and said in unison: “Acacia Butterfly!”

The next instant, Tie Ci had appeared at the cliff edge.

Murong Yi’s position was on another peak, offering the best view to clearly observe Tie Ci’s movements. But to reach the cliff where Tie Ci had discovered the Acacia Butterfly, he would need to take a detour. When he noticed activity on Tie Ci’s side and wanted to rush over, Tie Ci had already arrived first, forcing him to stop, not daring to collide with her in that narrow area.

Tie Ci stared at the opposite cliff. Calling it “opposite” was actually misleading – it was just a mountain crevice. For ordinary people, jumping across might be somewhat dangerous, but for her it didn’t even require teleportation. The Acacia Butterfly seemed to grow in a crevice about one zhang below the cliff face. Countless butterflies danced around that crevice in clusters, and she could even smell that exceptionally rich fragrance.

Tie Ci leaped toward the opposite cliff. While in mid-air, she alertly looked around, but nothing happened. The Chi Qingbo couple supported each other on the cliff top behind her, while Feng Huan clung to the cliff edge, nervously watching her.

Dan Shuang followed, leaping over behind her and preparing to descend the cliff, but Tie Ci stopped her.

Knowing she couldn’t argue, Dan Shuang had to follow Tie Ci’s instructions, tying the rope around her waist with the other end secured to a tree, personally standing guard by the tree.

Tie Ci glanced at the butterflies in mid-air. Up close, these butterflies weren’t attractive – their gray-white wings had crisscrossing patterns like nets. Countless such butterflies flying in interwoven patterns looked like a large net blocking the rolling clouds and mist, bringing to mind unpleasant phrases like “walking into a trap.”

Tie Ci took out a mask from her backpack and put it on, nimbly climbing down the cliff face.

On the opposite cliff, a monkey led the way as Murong Yi abandoned the detour route, climbing along protrusions on the cliff face that could barely accommodate half a toe.

The closer to the butterfly cloud, the more the butterflies seemed to sense human intrusion, flying more frantically. The sensation of the large net churning made one dizzy and heart-stricken. Tie Ci held her breath and plunged headfirst into the butterfly cloud.

Wings fluttered all around, countless glimmering white powder fell like rain, resembling a starlight shower in the hazy mist. However, Tie Ci felt no beauty, only pressed her mask tighter and pushed through the dense fog to see a narrow mountain crevice ahead. She reached her hand into the crevice.

The next moment she jerked her hand back – a coiled, gnarled large snake was on her hand!

Dan Shuang, who was watching intently from the cliff edge, forcibly swallowed back a cry of alarm.

The mist grew even denser. Feng Huan on the opposite side couldn’t see clearly into the butterfly cloud and kept asking nervously: “What’s happening? What’s happening!”

Chi Xue said: “Get up! Watch out for snakes and insects in the grass!”

“Haven’t we not seen any snakes or insects these past few days… Wait, if we haven’t seen snakes or insects these past few days, why did I just seem to see the Crown Princess pull out a snake?”

Chi Xue’s expression changed. At the same time, Feng Huan suddenly bounced up, saying in surprise: “You were right – there really are insects, but I crushed them!”

Chi Xue’s heart began pounding. She vaguely felt something was wrong and quickly ran toward the cliff.

On the cliff face, Tie Ci grabbed the snake’s vital spot, closed her five fingers with a crackling sound, and the snake went limp. Tie Ci shook her hand and dropped the snake.

Suddenly there was an “ow” from below. Tie Ci looked down through the mist and vaguely saw that Murong Yi had actually climbed to the bottom of this cliff face. Looking up at her with a smile, he said: “Don’t litter – what if you hit a child’s head?”

Tie Ci couldn’t help but smile.

Murong Yi waved at her from below: “Be careful, but don’t be afraid. If you fall, I’ll catch you.”

But she didn’t hear his last sentence clearly because suddenly a sound like ocean waves rose up, drowning out his final words.

Tie Ci looked around. These mountains were shrouded in clouds and mist – where would ocean waves come from?

Could it be mountain mist flowing like tides?

Every moment longer on the cliff face meant more danger. She couldn’t spare time to investigate, so she pushed aside the butterflies dancing before her eyes and finally saw a flower like two butterflies embracing growing in the mountain crevice, with a cluster of black and white mushrooms crowded together on the adjacent wall.

Tie Ci took out a prepared glass bottle, first picking the mushrooms that could make antidote, then gathering the Acacia Butterfly flower.

Chi Qingbo had said this flower was very useful – it was poison, but its roots could make antidotes for many exotic poisons, making it extremely precious.

The constant chattering sounds in her ears grew closer and closer, yet nothing around her seemed abnormal. This situation was rather eerie. Tie Ci wondered if something was wrong with her ears.

Because the flower grew in the cliff crevice, its root system was dense. One pull didn’t budge it. Anxious to get the flower and climb up, Tie Ci pulled hard.

A light tearing sound.

As if something had been ripped open.

The flower came out easily and lightly, along with a root system more numerous and massive than imagined. But in the soil turned over by pulling the flower, countless blue-black dots came tumbling out.

Those blue-black dots rolled out like a spring, covering the ground and Tie Ci’s arms in the blink of an eye, as if hell had opened a small mouth releasing demons from below. Tie Ci heard screams from above and all around.

She shook her hand violently, shaking off the insects on her arms. The ocean wave-like sound in her ears intensified. Looking down, she saw the entire cliff face writhing. The next moment, countless blue-black insects swept across the entire cliff like an overwhelming tide!

At one glance, the entire cliff seemed covered by these insects. Even Tie Ci, who had seen all kinds of situations, couldn’t help but shout: “Murong! Run quickly!”

The insects surged out from around her and mainly rushed toward her. As long as Murong Yi didn’t come close, he could escape.

Not just him – everyone still had a chance as long as they didn’t approach her.

“Don’t come over!”

On the cliff top, Dan Shuang waved a fire starter at insects pouring from the tree trunk.

Further away on the opposite cliff, Chi Xue quickly poured oil in a circle around the fire, threw out a fire starter, encircling the Chi Qingbo couple in the fire ring. Feng Huan, who had been lying at the cliff edge, quickly scrambled up and instinctively shook his clothes, but paused in confusion.

With a light “hiss,” the rope Tie Ci was attached to was bitten through by insects.

Tie Ci’s body tilted backward, but she didn’t fall. Her boot tips suddenly extended two blade points – Yuan iron that could cut through iron like mud, stabbing firmly into the cliff crevice.

She hung horizontally in mid-air. Before she could right herself, she fell the next moment.

There were too many insects with their own corrosive acid. In an extremely short time, they had actually broken through her Yuan iron boot tips!

Tie Ci wasn’t panicked when falling. Her wrist trembled to shoot out a sleeve cable, but suddenly there was a whistling sound. White mist splashed like water, and an arrow seemed to come from primordial chaos, spinning and enlarging in her suddenly turning eyes.

The next instant Tie Ci fell. Mist surged below as a human figure trailing wisps of mist leaped up, firmly grasping her wrist.

Tie Ci was pulled back steadily like a kite about to fly away but yanked back, landing with a thud in Murong Yi’s embrace.

On the diagonal cliff face, Murong Yi’s subordinates who were still climbing looked up at the situation here. The leading woman raised her eyebrows: “This is bad!”

The others were so startled they nearly fell, clinging to rocks and glaring at her: “Chazi, can you not be so jumpy!”

Chazi paid no attention, cursing loudly: “This idiot! Vomiting blood every night thinking people don’t know? This old lady worked so hard to maintain his condition, and what does he do? Someone climbs a cliff and he rushes over! That’s not his woman, that’s a mobile poison source – a poison source! Does he understand? Is he trying to die faster?”

Thinking about it, she seemed even angrier and cursed again: “Goes crazy whenever he meets her! What kind of things is he doing! Did he take the wrong medicine!”

The cliff face had fierce winds, but Murong Yi’s embrace was very warm.

Though they hadn’t been apart long, Tie Ci felt this embrace had been absent for ages. She couldn’t help burying her head in his chest and taking a deep breath.

Then remembering his poison, her body stiffened and she tried to struggle free, but Murong Yi held her even tighter.

On the cliff face, Tie Ci didn’t dare struggle, only said muffledly: “How’s your poison?”

“It’s fine.” Murong Yi took a breath, his voice smiling: “Don’t worry about the poison or those insects. Let me hold you – I missed you to death.”

However, this embrace lasted only an instant. The overwhelming insects surged forward one after another, not giving them time for an embrace.

The two quickly separated. Murong Yi stopped talking. His hands were wrapped in cloth, but just from holding Tie Ci for that instant, countless insects had crawled up his arms.

Tie Ci slapped away those insects.

With this action, her own arms were also covered with insects, so Murong Yi shook off the insects on her arms.

Murong Yi raised his hand, shooting out a cable from under his elbow that nailed into the opposite cliff face. The two linked arms and flew up the cliff face. However, these insects could actually fly, buzzing up after them. Behind the two seemed to unfold a huge black flowing cape, covering half the sky.

The entire sky filled with the sound of tiny wings beating, making hearts race and blood flow urgently. The cacophony made it impossible to distinguish sounds. Especially for Tie Ci, whose hearing had greatly increased, she was particularly affected now, feeling dizzy and nauseous with surging blood, nearly vomiting.

The mist grew even denser. The moment they rose, the two could only see each other’s fingers.

The air vibration sounds behind them suddenly changed. Tie Ci’s hearing was chaotic and hadn’t noticed, but Murong Yi suddenly pressed her down.

A dull, muffled sound of metal piercing muscle and bone exploded in Tie Ci’s ears. She whirled around.

But Murong Yi wouldn’t let her look, pulling her to land on the cliff face.

Their toes had just inserted into the cliff crevice when the airflow behind them vibrated again. Tie Ci quickly dodged to the side and saw a cold flash graze past her waist – a white feathered arrow pierced through the flying insects and disappeared into the white mist.

A monkey swung past in the mist, baring its teeth at her. The monkey actually had a vine tied around its neck.

Obviously the monkey had knocked this arrow hidden among the countless insects off course.

In that instant, Tie Ci vaguely heard a strange voice speaking in what sounded like extreme frustration. The voice was muffled and distant, clearly not nearby.

After this voice, there were several more of those odd syllables, then they were drowned out by the buzzing and humming of insect wings.

The mist cleared slightly, and Tie Ci was amazed to see Xiao Xueya standing opposite, still in his white robes and icy mountain coldness. Looking carefully, this ice-snow fairy was actually standing on a monkey’s head.

If the timing and mood weren’t wrong, Xiao Xueya’s appearance would have almost made Tie Ci laugh. Since meeting her, the Marshal had been quite unlucky – he’d been to slums, had his head shaved bald, and now was riding monkeys.

But she quickly realized something was wrong. Why wasn’t Xiao Xueya being pursued by insects?

It was because of… the monkeys!

The monkeys in these mountains weren’t afraid of these insects!

This thought flashed by in an instant. Tie Ci had just steadied herself when the weight in her hands suddenly increased. Turning back, she saw Murong Yi had actually fainted in her arms.

Was he bitten? Or was it due to his injury?

Then she realized – Murong Yi must have had a poison attack. Having rushed up to save her, his toxicity could only worsen.

But she couldn’t let Murong Yi leave her side now.

Staying by her side meant death by poison; leaving her side meant death by insect bites. Choosing the lesser of two evils, they would die together.

While driving off pursuing insects, Tie Ci hastily pulled out two more masks for herself and Murong Yi to wear as additional layers, then hoisted Murong Yi onto her back.

Countless insects rolled and boiled, surging down like tides from cliff bottoms, treetops, holes, and above. Tie Ci could see that the insects were mainly coming for her. The quantity was like mobilizing all the poisonous insects of the entire Li Mountain range, as if the hidden venomous creatures from the past few days had suddenly all awakened and found her.

Why were there no insects or venomous creatures before, but now they were all emerging?

On the opposite cliff, Xiao Xueya suddenly waved the vine whip in his hand. A robust monkey that had been beaten black and blue had no choice but to leap forward.

Beside him, Feng Huan stood up, looking himself up and down with surprise and pride: “Hey, these insects don’t seem to bite me. Do I have special talent?”

He had been terrified seeing the insects earlier, then discovered they flowed around him toward others.

Feng Huan was delighted, smugly putting his hands in his sleeves while pointing at the opposite cliff: “Chief Manager, save people! Quickly save people!”

Xiao Xueya glanced at him and cracked his whip.

Feng Huan’s ankle tightened with an “ah” of alarm as he was dragged up by his ankle, then landed with a thud on a furry, slightly smelly back. Both he and his monkey mount screamed loudly.

Xiao Xueya cracked his whip again. The monkey he had beaten into submission followed orders like commands, leaping frantically.

Xiao Xueya: “Fine, go save them.”

Feng Huan: “Ahhhhh you bastard you’re committing murder for money! Ahhhhh don’t jump so high! Ahhhhh there’s a cliff below, a cliff! Help! Help!”

Xiao Xueya: “Hold tight!”

Feng Huan spun around dizzy and disoriented, only knowing to scream and grip the monkey’s neck fur. Xiao Xueya’s vine moved like a flexible serpent, constantly cracking on the monkey’s red bottom. The monkey originally wanted to flee from pain but was forced by Xiao Xueya to escape toward Tie Ci’s cliff. Wherever the monkey and Feng Huan passed, insects scattered.

Only after the monkey and man had escaped to Tie Ci’s side did Xiao Xueya retract his long vine. Perched high on his macaque, he looked at Tie Ci expressionlessly.

Then he made a gesture of cutting cleanly in two and walked away without looking back.

On the cliff face, the arrival of Feng Huan and the monkey indeed slowed the insect assault. Tie Ci simply lifted Feng Huan off the monkey, finding protrusions on either side – a monkey on the left, Feng Huan on the right. This protected three directions: left, right, and back, making things much easier and allowing her to check on Murong Yi’s condition.

Feng Huan pressed tightly against the cliff face, standing tremblingly on the protruding rock that could barely fit half a shoe, eyes closed and crying as he asked: “Your Highness, is it over? Can we go up? Are the insects gone?”

Tie Ci bit her lip, holding Murong Yi with one hand while pressing his arm with the other. After breaking off the arrow shaft, she cleanly pulled out the arrow that had pierced his arm, then efficiently applied medicine to stop bleeding and simply bandaged it.

The blood flowing from Murong Yi was pale black – the situation was not good. Tie Ci’s expression was very ugly.

She had obtained the main medicinal materials needed for the antidote, but now they were trapped on the cliff by these endless insects. Without resolving the insect problem, she couldn’t approach Chi Qingbo, let alone make the antidote. She removed the cloth and mask from Murong Yi’s face and saw there were indeed many more pox sores, while his complexion had turned blue-green, obviously unable to hold on much longer.