Chapter 978: Chapter 978

Hearing what the Fire Sang Woman's father said, everyone suddenly remembered the matter. Right, just now the Fire Sang Woman's sister clearly mentioned it—the poison of the Snake Lizard, even a tiny bit of contact, is enough to take someone's life within three minutes. Yet now, ten minutes had passed, and Ye Qing was completely unaffected, not even showing any change in complexion. How could this be possible?

The crowd's gaze at Ye Qing instantly changed. To the people of the Miao Borderlands, possessing a Detoxifying Holy Object would make someone almost the nemesis of most Gu Masters in Miaojiang.

One must understand that most Miaojiang Gu Insects are poisonous. Only a few powerful Gu Masters can afford to raise those non-toxic but formidable Gu Insects. Take, for example, the Twin Life Gu. Though non-toxic, even a master like Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun wouldn't be able to kill it. However, nurturing such Twin Life Gu is extremely challenging—without sufficient power and wealth, it's simply impossible. The other non-toxic Gu Insects are also rare and precious. Therefore, most Gu Masters in Miaojiang use poisonous Gu Insects rather than non-toxic ones. As such, holding a Detoxifying Holy Object would render most Gu Masters in Miaojiang defenseless, making it an object of utmost importance to everyone present.

The Fire Sang Woman's sister scrutinized Ye Qing up and down and whispered, "No wonder this Han person dares to venture this deep into Miaojiang. With such a formidable weapon in hand, and possessing a Detoxifying Holy Object, even encountering a powerful Gu Master wouldn't be a concern!"

Ye Qing himself was baffled; even he didn't understand what was going on. In truth, this matter could only be explained by Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun. The last time, Ye Qing had consumed an entire bottle of Ziyu Chenxiang Pills, and the medicinal effects of the Ziyu Chenxiang Pills had fully settled in his body. These pills inherently had the ability to neutralize all poisons. Although the Snake Lizard's poison was potent, it was rendered completely ineffective against Ye Qing.

"I don't have a Detoxifying Holy Object," Ye Qing replied honestly.

"Hmph, you still want to deceive us?" the Fire Sang Woman's father said coldly. "You, with such a powerful weapon in hand, carrying a Detoxifying Holy Object into Miaojiang in the middle of the night, hiding here to secretly spy on our Miao people's Gu Masters using Gu techniques—hmpf, and you dare claim you have no ulterior motive?"

At these words, a commotion erupted around them, and the crowd's gazes toward Ye Qing grew even more hostile. The Miao people had long suffered oppression from the Han people and therefore harbored strong animosity toward them. Whenever a Han person appeared in their presence, they would immediately suspect that person of intending to harm them or steal Miaojiang's secrets. Especially when such a Han person appeared formidable, their wariness only deepened.

"Kill him!" someone shouted, and the cry was immediately met with unanimous approval, with people clamoring to kill Ye Qing to protect Miaojiang.

Ye Qing's brow furrowed tightly. He bore no hostility toward these Miao people, yet they refused to hear his explanations. This situation posed a bleak outlook; whether or not he could escape with his life remained uncertain!

Meanwhile, behind a massive boulder near the clearing, the Fire Sang Woman was secretly watching the scene unfold. Seeing Ye Qing surrounded by so many people, her face was filled with worry. But she knew very well that she was powerless to change the situation. As the lowest-ranked person in the Huo Family, her status was beneath even the servants. What could she say that mattered here?

The Fire Sang Woman's father gazed coldly at Ye Qing and said in a deep voice, "Hand over this weapon and the Detoxifying Holy Object, and we can let you leave Miaojiang!"

Hearing this, Ye Qing's expression turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, "So, at the end of it all, you just want to rob me. All this talk about protecting Miaojiang is utter nonsense!"

The Fire Sang Woman's father's expression remained unchanged as he responded coldly, "Hmph, with these two items in your possession, you could rampage through Miaojiang. Forcing you to hand them over is the real way to protect Miaojiang!"

"Huo Lie, why waste words with him!" said a middle-aged man beside him in a deep voice. "You're actually thinking of letting him leave Miaojiang? Just kill him outright!"

This suggestion gained widespread support, and many people began summoning their Gu Insects, preparing to surround and attack Ye Qing.

Huo Lie sighed. His original plan had been to deceive Ye Qing into handing over the two items first and then kill him. After all, with those two items in Ye Qing's possession, he was impervious to the effects of Miaojiang's Gu Insects. Engaging in a direct confrontation with him would undoubtedly result in significant losses for the Miao people. However, these Miao people couldn't grasp his intentions and were instead intent on starting a fight. If losses occurred, they would simply have to accept them.

Looking at the crowd around him, Ye Qing furrowed his brows tightly and declared loudly, "Friends, I've come to Miaojiang with no hostility toward the Miao people, nor do I wish to conflict with you. But if you insist on pressing me, then don't blame me, Ye Qing, for being unkind!"

As Ye Qing spoke, he brandished his Seven-Star Ancient Sword and said, "I may not be a match for all of Miaojiang, but if it comes to it, I, Ye Qing, am confident I can take a few of you down with me."

These words caused some of the younger individuals to step back slightly. They had personally witnessed Ye Qing sever the Snake Lizard's head with this very sword moments earlier. Most of their Gu Insects were inferior to that Snake Lizard. If they were destroyed by Ye Qing, they would undoubtedly regret it deeply.

"Audacious Han person, how dare you threaten us Miao people!" Huo Lie stepped forward and said coldly, "Don't think that just because you managed to harm a Snake Lizard, you can act so arrogantly. In Miaojiang, a Snake Lizard is merely a mid-tier Gu Insect. Truly powerful Gu Insects won't fear the weapon in your hand. I advise you to surrender quickly, or perhaps we might show leniency and let you leave Miaojiang alive!"

"Ha, if I truly surrender, would you even let me go?" Ye Qing sneered. "They say the Miao people are simple and honest. But as I see it today, that's far from the truth."

"Courting death!" Huo Lie roared and prepared to attack, but Ye Qing suddenly raised a hand and said, "Wait!"

"Wait for what?!" Huo Lie glared at Ye Qing.

Ye Qing stretched his arms and legs, then casually took the sword scabbard for the Seven-Star Ancient Sword down from a tree. Judging by his stance, it seemed he was readying for an all-out fight. However, as soon as he got into position, he suddenly froze, looked behind Huo Lie and the others, and asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Hearing that, everyone instinctively turned their heads to see who had arrived. In that split second, Ye Qing spun around and bolted without hesitation, sprinting into the forest at full speed.

Ye Qing knew very well that fighting against such a large group of Miao people would only result in his loss. Rather than standing his ground and awaiting death, it was far better to make a run for it.

Hearing the sound of rapidly retreating footsteps, everyone quickly realized they'd been tricked. They spun back around to find that Ye Qing had already covered a significant distance.

"Damn cunning Han person!" Huo Lie roared in fury and shouted, "Chase him!"

The Huo Family members immediately gave chase after Ye Qing. The other two groups didn't hesitate either, hurriedly joining the pursuit. Thus, a frenetic chase began in the dense forest.

Although most people left the clearing, the Fire Sang Woman's sister stayed behind. She walked over to the spot where Ye Qing had been standing and picked up the severed Snake Lizard from the ground. She let out a soft whistle, and her pocket suddenly wriggled. Moments later, another Snake Lizard crawled out.

This Snake Lizard was half again as large as the one that had just been slain, clearly making it a more formidable creature. It climbed up the woman's arm and circled the severed Snake Lizard twice, letting out a series of sharp hisses, the meaning of which was unclear. Soon after, it stopped circling and suddenly opened its mouth, quickly swallowing the severed Snake Lizard whole.

Watching this unfold from a distance, the Fire Sang Woman gasped in shock, having no idea what was happening. As the lowest-ranked member of the Huo Family, she had no qualifications to learn Gu techniques and naturally didn't understand what her sister was doing. In fact, this was the first time she even realized her sister harbored not one but two Snake Lizards.

"Eat, eat…" the Fire Sang Woman's sister gently stroked the Snake Lizard's body, murmuring softly, "Eat it, and you'll grow even stronger. That way, you can avenge it!"

The Snake Lizard seemed to understand her words. After consuming the dead Snake Lizard, its body visibly grew larger.

Seeing this transformation, the Fire Sang Woman's sister nodded in satisfaction and stroked the Snake Lizard's scaled body again. Letting out another whistle, the creature promptly slithered into her sleeve.

After hiding the Snake Lizard, the Fire Sang Woman's sister didn't immediately set off to join the pursuit. Instead, she looked around and muttered under her breath, "There should be two Han people here. Where's the other one hiding?"

Having previously used the Snake Lizard to sniff out Ye Qing and Huangfu Ziyu's scents, she knew there were two of them. However, seeing only Ye Qing appear, she deduced the other one must be hiding somewhere nearby. She decided to search for Huangfu Ziyu instead. After all, catching the remaining one would be relatively easier than chasing after Ye Qing.

From her hiding spot, the Fire Sang Woman's expression changed dramatically. She had previously been helped by both Ye Qing and Huangfu Ziyu and regarded them as the kindest people she'd ever known. Seeing Ye Qing surrounded had already left her deeply anxious. Now, hearing her sister's intent to go after Huangfu Ziyu, her worry only intensified.

As her sister started in one direction, the Fire Sang Woman quietly emerged from behind the boulder and slipped away along another path. Although she dared not follow her sister, she intended to try her luck. If she could find Huangfu Ziyu before her sister did, perhaps she could save Huangfu Ziyu's life!