With his life in someone else's hands, this ordinary person had no choice but to submit to Yu Aoqing's tyranny. Trembling, he stepped forward to take a look, then spoke: "Esteemed masters, it's just a small grass."
Hearing this, the five from Lingxiao Pavilion perked up. Zhang Yu hurriedly asked, "What kind of grass?"
"Snow-white, very beautiful," the man answered, then asked again, "Should I pick it for you?"
"Don't you touch it!" Yu Aoqing snapped coldly. She then led the Lingxiao disciples forward, Yang Kai following along. As they approached, all five from Lingxiao let out involuntary exclamations of awe.
It was indeed a small, snow-white grass, as eye-catching as fine jade. It appeared crystal clear, with faintly visible luminous fluid flowing through the veins within the blades.
"Heavens!" Zhang Yu exclaimed. "It's the Ice Skin Jade Bone Grass!"
A smile appeared on Yu Aoqing's face as well. "It truly is. An earth-grade, upper-grade spiritual herb!"
Luo Qianqian was also quite excited nearby, while Qi Yuan and Miao Lin remained relatively calm.
The reason was simple: the Ice Skin Jade Bone Grass was a spiritual herb specifically for women. Much like the Beauty Pistil Yang Kai had previously obtained on Lingxiao's right peninsula, which could make a woman slightly more beautiful if consumed, the Ice Skin Jade Bone Grass, if taken by a woman, would make her skin crystal clear and delicate as a newborn's.
Used together, they had the power to transform an ugly woman into a beauty, effecting a complete metamorphosis.
Women all loved beauty, and there were three women present here. Who wouldn't want to become more beautiful? Seeing the Ice Skin Jade Bone Grass, they were naturally overjoyed.
"To find such a treasure right after entering the Hidden Island... it looks like our trip here is destined to be highly rewarding," Miao Lin said, his spirit notably lifted.
Yu Aoqing didn't hesitate. She bent down, carefully picked the Ice Skin Jade Bone Grass, and then took out a jade box from within her robes, placing the herb inside with utmost care.
Zhang Yu and Luo Qianqian watched, wanting to speak but holding back.
Yu Aoqing smiled. "When we return to the sect someday, I'll have the Alchemy Hall refine it into pills. I won't forget to include a share for you two junior sisters."
She knew it wasn't appropriate to cause conflict with her fellow disciples right now, so she offered these words of reassurance.
Sure enough, Zhang Yu and Luo Qianqian beamed. "Thank you, Senior Sister Qing. When the time comes to have the Alchemy Hall refine the pills, you'll need to handle it, Senior Sister."
Having obtained an earth-grade, upper-grade spiritual herb, the previous worries and anxieties of the Lingxiao group vanished completely. The heaviness and unease lingering in everyone's hearts gradually dissipated, replaced by a sense of ease and excitement.
It was as if they hadn't ended up stranded here, but had come to this place to hunt for treasures.
But it had to be said, the Hidden Island, having been untouched by who knew how many years, had indeed grown many rare treasures. After walking through the island for two days, the group had already reaped a bountiful harvest, gathering over a dozen varieties of exotic flowers and herbs. All of them were earth-grade, middle-grade or higher, and they had even found one or two heaven-grade herbs here.
With these gains, the five from Lingxiao became even more motivated.
On this day, as they were walking, a hazy, thick fog suddenly appeared ahead, obscuring everyone's vision.
The fog seemed strange. The ordinary man leading the way halted, his face showing hesitation and fear. He turned his head to look at Yu Aoqing.
"Keep walking!" Yu Aoqing remained unmoved, her exquisite features utterly cold and ruthless.
The man had no choice but to continue forward.
But the moment his body merged into the fog, a sharp, sizzling sound was heard. A blood-curdling scream tore from his mouth—short and abrupt—before he collapsed directly onto the ground, convulsing violently.
Everyone's expressions changed drastically. They all retreated in unison, staring in horror at the man's transformation.
It was as if he'd been thrown into a vat of boiling oil or forged in raging flames. Waves of white vapor constantly rose from his body. Flesh and blood detached from his bones and fell to the ground, turning into puddles of dark red liquid.
In the time it took to breathe five times, a living person was stripped of all flesh and blood, reduced to a pile of desiccated bones scattered on the ground.
A strange, indescribable scent filled the air.
"Bleh..." Zhang Yu and Luo Qianqian were so frightened their beautiful faces turned ghastly pale. They bent over and retched on the spot. Miao Lin and Qi Yuan were slightly better, but not by much.
Yu Aoqing's long eyelashes trembled uneasily, and her face and lips suddenly lost all color, becoming extremely pale. Though she too was visibly shaken, she didn't lose her composure as completely as Zhang Yu and Luo Qianqian.
The other ordinary man, standing next to Yang Kai, went weak in the knees and collapsed to the ground.
The only person present who remained relatively calm was Yang Kai. Even so, he felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet.
If he had gone in just now, this would likely have been his fate as well.
But then again, if Yu Aoqing had truly forced him to go in, Yang Kai wouldn't have risked it.
"There's deadly poison in that fog!" Yu Aoqing turned around stiffly, giving everyone a cold glance. Forcing herself to stay calm, she said in a trembling voice, "We'll go around!"
Having just witnessed such a horrifying scene, everyone was only too eager to leave this place. They quickly followed after Yu Aoqing's footsteps.
Only after walking several miles did everyone finally regain their composure.
Having survived a close call, the Lingxiao disciples all looked at Yu Aoqing with gratitude. If not for her cautiousness, one of the Lingxiao disciples would likely have perished in that fog—and that person might have been any of them.
After this incident, they admired Yu Aoqing's earlier decision to bring along ordinary people to scout ahead even more.