While biting, it also sensed that something was amiss with Mi Xue. Wuying was not only a Spirit Beast but also an Auspicious Beast, a rare type among Spirit Beasts.

Auspicious Beasts could not carry poison; moreover, they could confer other benefits. Thus, when not engaged in combat, Wuying possessed the ability to detoxify individuals and restore their strength.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

Wuying suddenly let out a cry. Lightning then jumped onto Zhang Yang as well, watching with great tension.

Even Zhui Feng cautiously approached, its head craned forward, its beautiful eyes filled with confusion; it still didn't know what exactly had happened.

"You say it'll be effective?"

Zhang Yang turned back, looking at Wuying with immense pleasant surprise. Wuying had just signaled that it had a remedy for Mi Xue's poison.

Although it was one of the Ten Great Poisons, it wasn't entirely incurable. Mi Xue was a cultivator and possessed a degree of internal energy. Wuying’s bite not only purged the toxin but also subtly improved her physical condition.

"Good, Wuying, you’ve earned a great merit this time!"

Receiving Wuying’s confirmation, Zhang Yang laughed heartily. The fact that Wuying’s action was effective against Mi Xue's poison was tremendous good news to him.

The poison of the Yin Flower was relentless; even keeping Mi Xue asleep wouldn't stop its influence. It was a toxin that stimulated primal instinct, compelling her toward frantic actions even while unconscious—she would break free from restraints if necessary to act upon it.

And today’s incident was merely a trigger. Fortunately, nothing major occurred; had the situation escalated, Zhang Yang didn't know what he would have done.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

Wuying chirped again. This time, it was demanding recognition, extending a tiny paw.

Wuying’s intelligence was not high; like a child, it expected a reward after achieving something noteworthy. It was soliciting a treat from Zhang Yang.

"Haha, here you go!"

With his anxiety suddenly eased, Zhang Yang pulled out a jade vial, retrieved a Blood Essence Pill, and placed it into Wuying's small paw.

During their last expedition into the Wild Man Mountain, they had acquired ten bottles of Golden Crown Python essence blood—the essence of a late-stage Fourth Layer Spirit Beast, containing incredibly potent energy.

This essence blood could be refined into many more Blood Essence Pills. Currently, Zhang Yang was never short of them. Even after sharing some with Zhang Pinglu and Zhang Daofeng, he still had plenty left.

Wuying had again performed a great service by saving Mi Xue, so Zhang Yang was naturally not going to be stingy.

"Squeak squeak squeak!" "Hiss hiss!"

Seeing Wuying happily consuming the pill, Lightning and Zhui Feng grew envious. They crowded closer.

The Blood Essence Pills were vitally important to them too; they certainly didn't want to miss out.

"You both get one too!"

Zhang Yang was no longer overwhelmed with worry, and his mood had significantly brightened. He produced two more blood-red pills, giving one to Lightning and stuffing the other into Zhui Feng’s mouth.

Meanwhile, Wuying had already curled up and fallen asleep, paying no mind to the others.

After consuming the spirit medicine, all three little creatures soon lay down to rest. Sleep was the best way for them to digest the spiritual herbs. Since Zhang Yang was present, no one could threaten them.

Including Mi Xue, Zhang Yang was now the only person awake in the vehicle.

Looking at the soundly sleeping Mi Xue, the worry on Zhang Yang’s face had vanished, replaced by a faint smile and a touch of relief.

He was fortunate to have brought Mi Xue into the cultivation world. If she were still an ordinary person, Wuying’s remedy would have been useless, as detoxification required Wuying to expel a considerable amount of energy, which a normal person couldn't absorb.

It was also a blessing that Wuying was present to deal with this specific poison; without it, Zhang Yang would have been in serious trouble.

The Hundred-Year Yin Flower poison was not incurable, but the method of detoxification was exceedingly complicated.

According to the secret texts passed down by his ancestors, curing the Yin Flower poison required compounding a specific spiritual medicine, the main ingredient of which was the stalk of the Thousand-Year Yin Flower.

To treat the poison from a hundred-year-old flower, one needed the thousand-year variety—this was a peculiar characteristic of the toxin.

Yin Flowers grew in extremely harsh environments; surviving for a century was already difficult, and a millennium was exponentially harder. Even finding a Yin Flower that had caused the poisoning was pointless, as it would only be a hundred years old.

This meant that to formulate the antidote, Zhang Yang absolutely had to find a Thousand-Year Yin Flower.

A Thousand-Year Yin Flower was a treasure that might never be encountered. Whether such a flower even existed in this world was uncertain. If it didn't, Zhang Yang would be helpless, even if he reached the Fifth Layer, let alone the Great Perfection stage.

Ultimately, he would be forced to watch Mi Xue succumb to madness and die, with nothing to be done.

Watching a beloved person die before his eyes with no recourse—the thought itself was terrifying.

Reflecting on this, a chilling sensation returned to Zhang Yang’s eyes.

He could imagine the devastating blow it would be if such a thing occurred. That trauma would be even greater than Mi Xue’s actual death, possibly enough to shatter his Dao Heart and prevent him from ever advancing to the Fifth Layer.

The poisoner must be an internal energy cultivator, and they were clearly targeting him.

However, the perpetrator hadn't anticipated that the Treasure Seeking Rat could neutralize this particular poison, leading to their miscalculation.

"No matter who you are, I will find you and make you regret it!"

A fierce shadow crossed Zhang Yang’s face. He had to admit, this person's actions had deeply provoked him, making him furious. Whoever this person was, Zhang Yang swore to hunt them down.

Resuming driving, Zhang Yang continued forward.

He had wasted nearly half an hour at the service station. Long Feng, who was ahead, was already nearing Pengcheng.

This was because they had been traveling so quickly earlier. A destination they were scheduled to reach at dusk was now reachable much sooner.

Long Feng called Zhang Yang after exiting the highway, asking him to wait a moment, as he would arrive shortly.

Having resolved Mi Xue's crisis, Zhang Yang felt much less anxious. He drove the car swiftly, quickly reaching Pengcheng, where he met Long Feng and Qu Meilan at the highway exit.

Besides their Bugatti, several other vehicles were parked there, but they were all ordinary cars, valued around a hundred thousand yuan.

One man was continuously taking photographs of the Bugatti with a camera.

It was obvious that these onlookers were drawn by the luxury vehicle. They had stopped, partly to admire the car, and partly to observe the people associated with it.

Long Feng and Qu Meilan had both stepped out. Long Feng wasn't exceptionally handsome, but he exuded a strong, masculine aura—a quality inherent to internal energy cultivators that ordinary people lacked.

Qu Meilan was even more striking; having trained since childhood and being naturally beautiful, they truly looked like a pair of golden boy and jade girl together.

"Young Master, what is wrong with Xiao Xue?"

Seeing the soundly sleeping Mi Xue in the car, Qu Meilan paused slightly, asking with concern.

Mi Xue was an internal energy cultivator with mid-stage First Layer strength. Even if she were exhausted, she shouldn't be sleeping so deeply in the car. Qu Meilan, having once possessed mid-stage First Layer strength herself, knew this well. She had spent considerable time with Mi Xue recently, and unlike the senior martial sisters back in their sect who used to bully her, the two had formed a genuine bond. Qu Meilan was truly worried now.

"She’s fine. I’m having her cultivate!"

Zhang Yang replied with a light smile. Qu Meilan looked slightly startled, not entirely understanding, but she nodded nonetheless.

Sleeping while cultivating? Humans were not Spirit Beasts; few could genuinely cultivate while asleep. That was why beds like the 'Icy Bed' held such high value.

However, since Zhang Yang had said it, she chose to believe him.

She now trusted Zhang Yang implicitly.

Zhang Yang wasn't entirely lying about Mi Xue cultivating. The energy contained within Wuying's bite was substantial, and Mi Xue was currently absorbing it—which was nearly equivalent to cultivation.

Upon waking, her strength would likely increase slightly; it counted as a blessing in disguise.

Seeing Zhang Yang’s Hummer, the man with the camera approached cautiously, snapping pictures from a respectful distance, not daring to get too close.

People who could afford such vehicles were never ordinary. He loved luxury cars, but he had no desire to invite trouble.

After waiting an hour at the highway exit, Long Cheng finally arrived in his Mercedes-Benz commercial van. His speed was decent, but he couldn't match the pace of the preceding Bugatti and Hummer, forced to pursue from behind.

This was despite him driving quite fast; otherwise, it would have taken even longer.

With the trio finally assembled, they drove toward the city center. Mi Xue needed more rest, so Zhang Yang did not wake her.

Pengcheng was a city rich in history. In ancient times, it belonged to Xuzhou and was one of its most famous strongholds—a place constantly fought over by military strategists.

In more recent history, it had seen several massive conflicts.

The most famous were the Battle of Pengcheng during the War of Resistance against Japan and a subsequent major engagement.

The long history, coupled with continuous warfare, had instilled a remarkably resilient character in its people. Zhang Yang had visited here in his previous life and held a good impression of the city; it was one of the most important urban centers in Jiangbei Province, second only to the provincial capital.

Pengcheng boasted deep historical roots, and the Yellow River flowed past it, leaving behind many famous scenic spots and ancient relics, some of which Zhang Yang noticed as they entered the city.

Once they found their reserved hotel in the urban area and checked in, the sky was beginning to darken.

"Ring ring ring!"

Zhang Yang’s phone rang, but this time it was Mi Xue’s. He hesitated slightly, glancing at Mi Xue before answering the call.

"Sister, have you arrived yet? Where are you now?"

As soon as the call connected, an urgent, sharp voice—like that of a young girl—cried out from the other end.

"Excuse me, Mi Xue is a bit tired and fell asleep earlier and hasn't woken up..."

"Ahhh, you must be Zhang Yang! Are you my brother-in-law? Where are you? How far have you gotten?"

Before Zhang Yang could finish, the voice on the other end grew louder, sounding highly agitated, as if she had just witnessed something astonishing.

"I am Zhang Yang..."

"I knew it was you! Brother-in-law, where are you? Where are you now?"

Zhang Yang was interrupted again before he could finish speaking, asked the exact same question.

A trace of helplessness touched the corner of Zhang Yang's mouth. He had been about to state their location, but the person on the line was simply too impatient to let him finish the first time.

Zhang Yang quickly relayed their location. Finally, the caller allowed him to finish speaking before promising to arrive shortly.

Fourth update! RQ