The rain in the Southern Frontier arrived without warning. Fine threads of drizzle, heavy with the scent of rotting leaves, draped over the two of them like a damp net. Shen Mingyue tightened her cloak; the small copper bells stitched to its hem emitted a faint chime in the wind and rain, sounding like an ominous prelude. Her fingertips unconsciously stroked the soft sword at her waist, the cold hilt reminding her of the conversation in the secret chamber the night before. Gu Jinghong’s pale complexion after being poisoned, combined with the visions of her past life flashing within the Jade Pendant, haunted her like a nightmare. As they resurfaced in her mind, a wave of chill washed over her heart. Beside her, Gu Jinghong had bound his wounded right arm with strips of cloth, but with every breath he took, black blood seeped from the wound, staining the bandages ever deeper. The dark red blotches looked startlingly jarring against the backdrop of the rain.
"Two more miles," Gu Jinghong suddenly spoke. His hoarse voice startled a night owl from the treetops. He gazed at the mountain peaks swallowed by clouds and mist, his pupils constricting slightly. The miasma there was denser than anticipated; ink-green mist churned through the woods as if it possessed a life of its own, at times coalescing into hideous faces, and at others, morphing into massive, clawing beasts. Shen Mingyue followed his gaze, recalling his mention that the poisonous Gu insects raised by the Nether Palace …
Chapter 33