Inside the secret passage, Bai Hehuai looked up at the small flower drifting slowly down from above and murmured, "Why is there a flower falling from above?"
Hearing this, Su Muyu turned around with a frown and immediately pulled Bai Hehuai behind him. "Be careful!"
"Careful of what?" Bai Hehuai asked in confusion.
"It's poisonous." Su Muyu tightened his grip on his sword hilt. As the flower descended, it suddenly turned into dust. A gentle breeze from above scattered the particles. Su Muyu was startled and swiftly drew a pill from his sword hilt. "Take this pill."
"I know it's poisonous. I just wanted to ask what I should be careful of?" Bai Hehuai pushed past Su Muyu and stepped forward. "I'm the Medicine King Valley Master's junior uncle and the granddaughter of the Wen Family head. Do you think I fear poison?" She extended her hands and with a slight twist, the scattered flower dust gradually coalesced, reforming into a small flower. Bai Hehuai glanced at it and, as if out of spite, popped the flower into her mouth.
Su Muyu stared in astonishment. "The Miracle Healer never fails to surprise."
Bai Hehuai shrugged helplessly. "What kind of poison technique has that girl practiced to turn her whole body toxic?"
Su Muyu returned the pill to his sword hilt. "Xuewei trained in the Poison Sand Palm as a child. You have sharp eyes to recognize it at a glance."
"Many in the Wen Family practice poison techniques—either they fail to poison others or end up poisoning themselves." Bai Hehuai exhaled a faint white mist. "Your little friend originally trained in the Poison Sand Palm, which isn't particularly profound. But something must have gone wrong during her training, causing deadly poison to spread throughout her body. She should have died, but some miraculous method saved her. Though she survived, the poison remained, turning her into a Poison Puppet. If an ordinary person so much as touches her, they'd likely turn into a puddle of black liquid within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."
"Can she be cured?" Su Muyu asked, intrigued. Since Bai Hehuai had described the situation so accurately, perhaps Mu Xuewei still had a chance to return to normal.
"She tried to poison me the moment we met. I even fled into this secret passage, and she still sent a Poison Flower after me." Bai Hehuai shrugged. "And now you're asking me to save her? That doesn't seem appropriate, does it?"
Su Muyu paused, then nodded. "This friend of mine, though covered in deadly poison, has a gentle nature. She always avoids others, afraid of accidentally harming them. Her attack on you was only due to her family's orders."
"No, she genuinely wanted to kill me." Bai Hehuai glanced at Su Muyu with a faint smile. "As for the reason, I don't know. But if, after all this, we're both still alive and no longer enemies, I can save her. The condition is simple..."
Su Muyu immediately understood. "Money—as much as you need!"
"Hahaha, as expected of Dark River's Puppet. You catch on quickly." Bai Hehuai sighed lightly. "But right now, shouldn't our priority be escaping this place?"
"I checked earlier—this stone door should be pushable." Su Muyu thrust his sword forward, slowly opening the door. Inside was pitch black, with only a few faintly glowing night pearls embedded in the walls.
"This Spider Nest is eerie. Could there be traps inside?" Bai Hehuai asked.Su Muyu shook his head: "No. The Wooden Bird spreads its wings, finding hope in despair. This is an escape route that should lead directly to safety. There won’t be any more traps along the way."
"You came down to protect me—what about The Head?" Bai Hehuai asked.
"Just as I was rushing here, I received a signal from the front courtyard. The enemies have retreated, and all is safe," Su Muyu replied calmly. His tone always carried a certain magic—no matter how fearful or uneasy one might feel, hearing his composed and resolute words would bring a sense of calm.
Bai Hehuai nodded. "That’s good."
Su Muyu took out a fire starter from his pocket, blew on it lightly, and the path ahead brightened slightly. Leading Bai Hehuai forward, he said, "The Miracle Healer has already treated The Head’s poison."
Bai Hehuai laughed nervously. Fortunately, she was standing behind Su Muyu, so he couldn’t see her expression. She feigned composure and said, "It’s temporarily suppressed for now. Earlier, I used the Soul Transference Technique on The Head and also gained some insight into how to counter the Snow Falling on a Plum Branch."
"Thank you, Miracle Healer. Then let’s hurry out," Su Muyu quickened his pace.
"By the way, Lord Puppet. That day when I left the Medicine Mansion, I encountered an assassin wielding a Buddhist Staff—seemingly one of your Su Family members," Bai Hehuai suddenly mentioned.
Su Muyu nodded. "You’re referring to Uncle Zhe. He was the top martial artist of the previous generation in the Su Family and also the former Puppet. Many once believed he would become the new Head."
"Oh… Then why didn’t he?" Bai Hehuai pressed.
"Once, The Head and his group were ambushed. Nearly all of the previous Twelve Zodiac Shadows perished, and The Head was severely injured. It was Uncle Zhe who ultimately killed all the enemies and rescued The Head. But Uncle Zhe suffered grave wounds in that battle—wounds that couldn’t be fully healed. He could only cling to life with the Mu Family’s secret techniques. So, Uncle Zhe retired. Only for exceptionally critical missions would the Su Family dispatch him," Su Muyu explained. "Like this time."
Bai Hehuai’s eyes dimmed slightly. "He saved The Head from the brink of death, only to suffer irreversible injuries himself, and years later, drags his half-dead body back to kill The Head? The Dark River’s logic is… a bit strange, isn’t it?"
Su Muyu also smiled. "It does sound strange when you put it that way. But there’s no choice. Su Zhe was once the Puppet, responsible only to The Head. Now that he’s stepped down from that role and returned to the Su Family, if the Su Family rebels, Uncle Zhe doesn’t have many options."
"Your Head isn’t very popular, is he…" Bai Hehuai pursed her lips.
"The Head has held this position for too long. The three families were already discontent. I often think—if only Uncle Zhe hadn’t been injured back then, he would have directly succeeded as Head, and none of these troubles would exist," Su Muyu said.
Bai Hehuai gave a faint "Oh" and didn’t continue the topic. After walking a bit further, she casually asked, "What kind of person is this Uncle Zhe?"Su Muyu stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Bai Hehuai. "After knowing the Miracle Healer for so long, this is the first time I've seen you show such great curiosity about someone. Miracle Healer, is there some connection between you and Uncle Zhe?"
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