Chapter 170: The Grand Magic—Dark Weasel Forest (Part 1)

Three days in the blood pool passed in the blink of an eye.

When Sang Chu emerged from the pool, she felt as if she’d been reborn.

Sure enough, her skin was now smooth and flawless. The dark patches and small scars that had once marked her body were all gone, even the calluses on her hands had disappeared.

Mu Xue held Sang Chu’s hand, gently rubbing it in amazement. “This is incredible! Look at you, it’s like you’ve shed your old skin.”

Granny Xiang stood nearby, collecting the blood pool, and explained with a smile, “Human-mermaid blood has the power to renew the body. But if you want to avoid any side effects, you have to use magic to remove the curses embedded in human-mermaid blood. Otherwise, strange patches will appear on your body, and you’ll end up as a half-human monster.”

Mu Xue looked at Granny Xiang curiously. “Granny, what do you mean by ‘half-human monster’?”

Granny Xiang replied, “They’re hideous creatures, not quite human, not quite merfolk. They can’t live among humans, nor can they return to the sea. They’re forced to live in the shadows, like some of our merfolk mages.”

Sang Chu put on her dry clothes and looked at Granny Xiang. “What about Wu Qi? Did he end up like that too?”

Granny Xiang’s hands trembled slightly at the mention of that name. She was clearly afraid, and after a moment of silence, she spoke in a low voice:

“No, he didn’t. He trapped me in a magic circle and kept using an extractor to drain my blood. He knows how to use merfolk magic, and he also knows how to harness the laws hidden within the magic of blood!”

That’s why she called herself a sinner of the human-merfolk race. Many newborn merfolk were captured by Wu Qi’s men and taken to his lab to suffer inhuman torment.

If Sang Chu hadn’t destroyed the witch’s institute, they would all have died there.

At this point, Granny Xiang looked at Sang Chu with gratitude. “If it weren’t for you, Master, we would all have been tortured to death. Master, I don’t know where you’re going next, but if possible, please take us with you!”

Sang Chu sighed softly and, with Mu Xue’s help, sat on the stone edge of the pool. “Granny, to be honest, the world I’m from is a wasteland. All the water sources there are contaminated with deadly viruses—so toxic that even a drop will rot your skin and brain, leading to a painful death. If you want to follow me, you can, but you’ll probably have to stay in the card world.”

Granny Xiang seemed to understand that Sang Chu had another world.

“Master, the human-merfolk race isn’t afraid of any pollution. I can purify water sources.”

Mu Xue’s eyes lit up at this. If Granny Xiang could really do that, wouldn’t there be hope for the apocalypse?

She looked expectantly at Sang Chu, but heard her say, “Even if you can purify water, I’m afraid I can’t let you return to the sea. If you’re sure, are you willing?”

“I’m willing, I’m willing! As long as Master lets me follow, I’m happy.”

“Alright. I hope you remember what you said today, and don’t regret it later.”

She hadn’t planned to take them along, but since they insisted, she wouldn’t refuse.

Lu Min knocked on the door from outside. “Ah Chu, Xiao Xue, are you ready?”

“Yes, we’re ready. Have you packed up?”

Lu Min said he was ready, so Sang Chu pushed open the door. “Good. The cold current has already passed. I’ll take my flying squirrel and set off now. By the time we reach the Dark Weasel Forest, it should be dawn. When we get there, I’ll switch to my main body. Crossing the Dark Weasel Forest will take a lot of time. Are you all up for it?”

He had already stayed here too long. If he didn’t hurry, it would be hard to reach Rose City within a month.

Besides, who knew what might happen along the way?

“No problem. My brother will put away the flying squirrel first and repair it later. I’ll head out now.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

...

After getting onto Lu Min’s flying squirrel, Sang Chu finally relaxed.

They headed straight for the Dark Weasel Forest.

It took a full day and night before they finally reached the edge of the forest. Crossing it would take even longer.

Granny Xiang had taken the transformation pill Sang Chu gave her, shedding her fishtail and becoming a two-legged human.

She walked up to Sang Chu and said, “Sang Sang, once we enter the Dark Weasel Forest, we can’t ride the flying squirrel anymore. There might be dark witches inside. Everyone needs to be extra careful. It’s best if we cross on foot.”

She had already warned them before, and now she was repeating it, which showed just how dangerous this forest was.

Sang Chu glanced at Lu Min. “Min, how long can your stealth skill last at most?”

“About a day, if there aren’t too many people.”

Sang Chu thought for a moment and took out the stealth cloaks. “Let’s do this: Xiao Xue, you and I will take turns using the cloaks to stay hidden. Xiao Xue, I’ll need you to use your spatial powers to cover a wide area around me. If you sense anything, let me know immediately. And if your prophetic ability activates again, don’t be afraid of what you see—just tell me. Only if I know can I try to resolve it.”

Mu Xue nodded seriously. “I understand. Like you said, what I see might not be the whole truth, but it’s always a sign of something. I’ll remember. If I see anything, I’ll tell you right away!”

“Good.” Sang Chu turned to Yi Ge. “Yi Ge, your eyesight is the best. Keep a close watch on the road ahead. If you notice anything unusual, let me know immediately.”

“Don’t worry, leave it to me!”

Yi Ge patted his chest confidently, as if to say, “With me here, you can relax.”

“Naxi Rui, you stay in the card house for now. There are plenty of flowers in the greenhouse, so you can rest there.”

Originally, she wanted to keep Rui out of danger, but Rui said, “Master, can you give me the same transformation pill you gave Granny? My mental power is pretty good, and I can attack from a distance. There are others like me among the merfolk. As long as I change my appearance, no one will notice.”

“You’re sure? There will be a lot of people out there.”

“Yes, I’m not afraid. Besides, on land, I can transform into a snake. Granny Xiang can disguise herself as a noblewoman. That way, we can even confuse Wu Qi’s spies!”

Sang Jingwen looked at Rui. “That’s actually a good idea.”

Lu Min agreed, “This might really work. I’ve dealt with snakefolk before—they often take on delivery jobs for witches. Jingwen can release his tail, Yi Ge has his little fire, and with Naisen and Riyi, plus Sang Chu and Rui, we’ll have a pretty strong little team.”

Let me know if you need further chapters or more context!"