The two quickly left the scene of the accident.
Qi Yihan noticed Li Maner tearing up medicinal powder as she walked, and specifically sprinkling it on the dismembered corpse of the giant crocodile. He had a guess and immediately asked, "Is that medicinal powder to mask the smell of blood?"
"Mmm. The commotion was too great, I was afraid it would attract other monsters. Sprinkling some is better than nothing." In fact, beasts have very keen senses of smell, and some cute ones can even smell blood from tens of miles away.
Not long after they left, the two discovered a small puddle, about six or seven square meters, with good quality water. Li Maner tested it and found it to be non-toxic, signaling Qi Yihan that he could wash himself there. After all, being covered in blood was both unsightly and uncomfortable.
Qi Yihan squatted by the puddle and washed off the blood from his face and hands. As for his body, he didn't care. He had no spare clothes, and getting them wet would be a hassle.
The two resumed their journey. Not long after, they saw another towering tree. This tree grew incredibly tall, with lush foliage and gray bark, looking particularly sinister and terrifying.
Li Maner's eyelids twitched. If she wasn't mistaken, the tree before them was an upas tree.
Qi Yihan glanced at the tree with puzzlement, "What's wrong? Is there anything strange about this tree?"
As he was about to step forward to examine it, Li Maner stopped him, "Wait a moment. Take out the map and see if there's any record of this tree on it."
Qi Yihan unfurled the map and looked carefully, then shook his head.
"What's strange about this tree? Could it be a sentient tree spirit?" Qi Yihan rolled up his map, appearing ready for battle.
"This tree is called 'See Blood Seal Throat,' and it's incredibly poisonous!" Li Maner said, "This tree secretes a milky white liquid. Once it comes into contact with a wound or is inhaled through the nose or mouth, death by suffocation is immediate."
Qi Yihan was about to take off his protective gear for her again, but Li Maner refused.
"Let's go around it. Remember to mark it on the map so that there are no mistakes when we come back later." Just in case, Li Maner took out a mask from her backpack and put it on, preventing Qi Yihan from always trying to give her the one he had worn.
The two walked around the tree, afraid of touching anything they shouldn't. Just as they were about to circumvent it, they must have stepped on some mechanism. The vines that had attacked them before emerged again, tightly wrapping around their ankles and then quickly constricting, dragging them backward.
The vines were very strong, as if trying to wrap them around the tree. Li Maner and Qi Yihan reacted quickly, drawing their weapons and cutting the vines, stopping a mere three or four meters from the poisonous tree.
"It's not some spirit, it's a mechanism," Qi Yihan felt something was amiss. "But I don't know where it is. Shall we look for it?"
Li Maner shook her head. "There's not enough time. Take two more pills to prevent poisoning later."
Qi Yihan swallowed the pills, put on his protective gear, and said, "The most potent part of the poisonous miasma is at the poison pool. By the time we reach the 'See Blood Seal Throat' tree, there's not much miasma left."
"Right! But there are mechanisms here, and there might still be things hidden that we don't know about."
Qi Yihan thought for a moment, "Let's retreat for now. We can't go any further."
Li Maner felt the same. The two returned the way they came. When they reached the vicinity of the giant crocodile's corpse, Li Maner noticed something was wrong again.
The dismembered corpse of the giant crocodile seemed to have been moved, and two pieces were missing.
However, in their haste, they couldn't dwell on it. The two walked along, memorizing the surrounding scenery and marking anything that needed to be on the map, then quickly exited the poisonous miasma forest.
A Si, A Wu, and the others had been waiting impatiently for a long time. Seeing the two emerge from the forest safely, they were all extremely excited. Even A Wu, who was usually taciturn and expressionless, could not hide his excitement.
"Your Highness, are you injured?" A Wu's heart pounded when he saw Qi Yihan covered in bloodstains, but Qi Yihan's complexion was good, indicating he was likely not the one injured.
"I'm fine." Qi Yihan gathered everyone and told them about the situation in the poisonous miasma forest.
Although everyone was shocked, they were not afraid of death. Besides, they still had Miss Maner's antidote pills. With her around, what was there to fear?
"To be clear, once you enter the forest, you must follow all orders. No curiosity, and absolutely no unauthorized actions," Li Maner said. "You've all heard that there are no spirits in the forest, but there are mechanisms everywhere. The Prince and I were caught a few times. If we hadn't brought many things and relied on our skills, who knows what would have happened by now!"
Everyone naturally agreed.
Li Maner then took out the antidote pills and had A Si distribute them to everyone. Afterward, she rummaged through her bag for masks and face coverings, providing a set for each person.
Qi Yihan also felt for his men, but for Li Maner's safety, he still instructed, "The items used must be returned."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
After taking the pills and putting on their protective masks, everyone followed Li Maner and Qi Yihan into the poisonous miasma forest.
Along the way, the smell of miasma indeed troubled everyone, but fortunately, no one showed any signs of discomfort. When they reached the vicinity of the poison pool, they witnessed the gruesome scene. Everyone held their breath and remained silent, not daring to exhale, for fear that another giant crocodile would emerge from the pool.
Fortunately, they passed without incident and smoothly reached the area near the 'See Blood Seal Throat' tree.
This time, no vines attacked them. Everyone kept their distance from the tree, and no one with firearms was foolish enough to go and investigate.
Clearly, the military discipline was strict.
After leaving the 'See Blood Seal Throat' tree, they followed the map for another half a day, and the light in the forest grew completely dim.
Everyone found a place to rest. Soon, A Wu found a small cave, but it was too small to accommodate more than three or five people.
"I'll have my men set a fire at the cave entrance, it'll be the same. Your Highness and Miss Maner, please go in and rest," A Wu said, his expression stiffening slightly. He felt his words were a bit too forward, but in the wilderness, no one would likely care about such things, right?
Li Maner indeed didn't mind and happily called A Si over to help spread out the bedding.
After a busy day, she needed to rest well.
A fire was lit, and porridge was being cooked. A Wu was lucky enough not only to find rabbits and pheasants but also to discover a few wild eggs.
Li Maner gnawed on a chicken drumstick and drank a bowl of porridge before going to sleep. It was too cold in the mountains, and the cave was too small to light a fire. She could only try to cover herself with her cloak and blanket, thinking that if Qi Yihan had any sense and didn't come in, perhaps she could go into her personal space for a while.