Chapter 57 Part 1

Zhang Jue refused to believe it. When they reached the next fork in the road, he took out the Luopan Compass again. “This time, it’s definitely correct. The Life Gate points to the left.”

Chu Yi said, “Right.”

Zhang Jue glared at him and stubbornly ran off to the left. But he hadn’t gone far before he returned with a red, swollen face that looked like a pig’s head.

“Wh-what the hell did you do to me?!” Zhang Jue rushed up to hit Chu Yi, but Chu Yi twisted his arm and lightly kicked him away.

Zhang Jue sprawled on the ground, his eyes filled with grievance and hatred. Combined with his current miserable appearance, the Program Group members exchanged glances and couldn’t help but feel that Chu Yi had gone too far.

Whether they truly had any skills or were just pretending to be charlatans, anyone with eyes could see that Zhang Jue’s misfortune was abnormal. Combined with how Chu Yi had chosen the opposite direction without hesitation, what did that imply? It went without saying—Zhang Jue had probably fallen victim to some kind of curse!

Chu Yi said, “It’s not that I did anything to you. It’s what you did in the woods earlier?”

Although he didn’t care about the Program Group’s opinions, he wasn’t about to take the blame.

“What do you mean?” Zhang Jue frowned.

“I observed that thing stuck to the sole of your shoe. You didn’t even notice it yourself, did you? It was a Broken Tile.”

“So what—” Zhang Jue’s face suddenly changed as he recalled something a certain master had told him on the mountain: the small houses and stone alcoves in the woods were homes for Mountain Spirits or Earth Spirits. It was best not to desecrate them.

He had gotten lost earlier and kicked something in anger, but it had been buried under dead leaves and was already broken and tattered, so he hadn’t paid attention.

“I-I didn’t mean to!” Zhang Jue stammered. That thing was already falling apart; whether he kicked it or not, it would have collapsed anyway. What did it have to do with him!

Chu Yi shook his head. “If you were peacefully staying in your own house and someone suddenly kicked it, shattering it, wouldn’t you be angry?”

The surrounding soldiers and Program Group members: Yeah, they’d be pretty pissed. No wonder Zhang Jue was so unlucky!

Once they figured it out, they all instinctively distanced themselves from Zhang Jue. Especially the Program Group Leader and the other two staff members—they had followed Zhang Jue earlier and foolishly fallen into a mud pit. Who knew if his bad luck was contagious!

Zhang Jue was thus isolated by everyone. After setting off again, he limped along at the back of the group.

Fu Chengmao, afraid that things might really turn deadly, quietly approached Chu Yi. “Master, is there really no way?”

Chu Yi looked enlightened. “Of course not. He broke someone’s house, so he just needs to apologize and build a better one in its place.”

Out with the old, in with the new—who wouldn’t be happy? Mountain Spirits and Earth Spirits were the same, with childlike temperaments: they’d hate you to death one moment and forget all about it the next if pleased.

Of course, if the cause was never found, dying from sheer misfortune was possible too…

Fu Chengmao: “…”

He looked at Chu Yi, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Chu Yi smiled faintly. “Does Captain Fu still want to find the way out? In here, not only do compasses fail, but accurate divinations are extremely difficult too.”

Otherwise, why had Zhang Jue been circling the same area for three days with his Luopan Compass?

Chu Yi could use Merit, but why do it himself when there was wool to shear? Besides, Zhang Jue had wrecked someone’s house—he deserved to let them vent a little. Who wanted to see an arrogant, unrepentant bully?

Fu Chengmao immediately fell silent. Compared to Zhang Jue, curing Cousin Huaiyan was more important…

After Fu Chengmao left, Ouyang Yuyuan winked at Chu Yi. “Yi Ge, you’re putting on such a righteous front, but you’re just being petty and want to mess with Zhang Jue a bit, right?”

This brat sees through it but doesn’t say it outright!

Chu Yi glared at Ouyang Yuyuan until he chuckled and rubbed his nose.

That evening, during the rest break, Chu Yi went out and returned with a large handful of herbs. He rinsed them simply, added the ones prepared in advance, and boiled a big pot of blackish Medicine Soup.

Ouyang Yuyuan paled at the smell. “Yi Ge, you don’t plan to make us drink that, do you?”

Chu Yi stirred the Herbal Decoction without batting an eye. “There will be a lot of Miasma ahead. Breathing too much causes dizziness and even loss of sanity. If you don’t want to mysteriously disappear, you’d better drink a bowl.”

Uncle Ping’s eyebrow twitched. “Did the Eldest Young Master’s previous team lose people because of the Miasma?”

Chu Yi replied, “Miasma is just one factor. There’s something inside luring them, like a pitcher plant catching small insects. Once humans or animals smell that fragrance, they become prey.”

“What’s preying on them?” a voice suddenly interjected. They turned and saw one of the Program Group’s cameramen, who had sneaked up behind the group unnoticed.

Chu Yi didn’t mind. “If I’m not wrong, it should be Giant Man-Eating Flower.”