Reborn as a Hatrack in the Mystical Land-Chapter 872 - 122: Poisoned Wine

Horizontal is a slash, vertical is also a slash. Everyone knows that retreating would mean certain death, so they gritted their teeth, abandoned the thought of going back, and proceeded straight ahead.

Fortunately, the upcoming mountain path was no different from any other usual mountain path, except it lacked the chirping of birds and fragrant flowers, no blooming flowers or green grass, everything appeared very calm.

They reached a turn, and the mountain path gave way to reveal a river with smoke billowing across, with neither a stone bridge nor piers above it, only a single-log bridge, shaved bald, allowing only one person to pass at a time.

The colorful smoke below the river swirled, resembling a sea of clouds bathed in the light of the sunrise, occasionally rolling up to smack the lone log bridge.

On the path leading to the single-log bridge, there stood a small wooden table, upon which sat a barrel of wine.

When they approached, they saw the barrel was filled with amber liquid, a rich fragrance occasionally wafting out.

A note was pasted on the wine barrel, saying, "To drink Fusheng Wine, only then cross the Fusheng Bridge."

At present, it seemed that only by drinking this wine one could safely cross the bridge ahead.

To further enter Zhuqiu, one had to cross the single-log bridge, but this wine had been placed here for years, who knows if it’s poisonous. Nobody was willing to be the first to drink it and test it out.

"I refuse to believe we can’t cross without drinking this wine. Maybe that smoke is harmless, and the wine is what’s truly poisonous," said a member of the Sparrow Team, stepping forward.

He was a skilled Dark Heavenly expert. Confident in his abilities, he jumped onto the log bridge and headed towards the other side, head held high.

His feet barely touched the wooden bridge before the multicolored smoke beneath surged, as if a thousand horses were galloping within the river. The colorful smoke, like many-armed monsters, twined around him.

He cried out in struggle. No one dared save him, watching as he was dragged down by the smoke.

He flailed a few times in the smoke, like a drowning man, before quickly disappearing without a sound.

Yue Jinghua contemplated for a moment and walked up to the wine barrel. She scooped out several ladles of wine into four water bags meant for carrying water, "I know none of us want to drink this wine, but we’ve all seen it—without drinking, we can’t cross this bridge. Here are four water bags, one for each of our squads. If we die, we die together, as companions on the road to the Netherworld. If we live, we bring Zhuqiu down together."

With that, she tossed the bags to the leaders of the other three squads, implying they should take the lead in drinking.

If we live, we live together; if we die, we die together. Yue Jinghua’s words were stirring and carried a bold spirit.

The three captains exchanged glances. Yue Minzhi gave a thumbs-up to his sister; Hu Li secretly cursed Yue Jinghua for stealing Ying Wuwang’s captaincy, while Liao nodded in approval at Yue Jinghua.

Yue Jinghua’s approach was spot on; at such times, unity was the need of the moment.

The four water bags were raised high, and after pulling out the stoppers, everyone took a full gulp.

The wine tasted no different from ordinary rice wine, and after a sip, all four showed no change in expression.

The wine bags passed around; Ying Wuwang grabbed Yue Jinghua’s bag first and, after a sip, ambiguously praised, "Good wine, good aroma."

Yue Jinghua’s expression shifted subtly, while both Liao and Yue Minzhi guardedly watched Ying Wuwang.

The bag emptied quickly, and none exhibited signs of poisoning.

"I’m fast, let me go first," Feng Buhui leapt onto the log bridge, followed by Compass, then Qian Luo, Qin Dongting, and subsequently Yue Jinghua, Liao, Ying Wuwang, Hu Li, Yue Minzhi, and others.

Upon reaching the center of the bridge, a gust of wind scattered the swirling smoke beneath. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Countless sharp stone blades jutted out from the base of the log bridge, skewering numerous white bones, easily numbering several hundred upon rough counting.

Those were all people who refused the Fusheng Wine, hoping to cross the bridge, yet without exception, fell from the log bridge.

Everyone crossed with trepidation; once off the bridge, Compass’s legs gave way, "Oh, I was scared to death. Thankfully, our captain came up with the idea of sharing the same fate; otherwise, I would never have dared drink the wine to cross-alone."

Humans indeed are herd animals, especially in life-and-death scenarios; most clinging to the notion of dying together rather than alone.

Compass thought this, as did everyone else. Even Liao, if not initiated by Yue Jinghua, likely wouldn’t have had the courage to be the first to drink.

No one dared linger more, and they continued forward.

"Qing Pu," Yue Jinghua quietly asked, "What’s the deal with this Fusheng Wine? Are you sure it’s not poisonous?"

Given the journey so far, if the Fusheng Wine weren’t poisonous, getting across the Fusheng Bridge seemed too easy.

"The Fusheng Wine was a creation left by my master, the Wine Witch. I haven’t directly tasted it, but one thing’s for certain, my master despised others’ practice of poisoning wine. So, inherently, the wine is definitely non-toxic," Qing Pu whispered to Yue Jinghua earlier to drink the wine first.

Yue Jinghua couldn’t question further. Assured the wine was non-toxic, she led everyone to drink it together.

"The wine itself isn’t toxic? How should that be understood?" Yue Jinghua’s face changed color hearing this.

Qing Pu had spent only a decade or so with those twelve masters, the ages among the Twelve Sky Witches varied a lot, and Qing Pu spent more time with the Female Sect and another master, Wushou Yu. As for the Wine Witch Master, he was a grey-haired, little old man who was often drunk.

He devoted himself to crafting various wines, and this Fusheng Wine was a new variety he brewed in his later years, made from dozens of precious spirit wood and dozens of Xuan Beast Xuan Pill.

"The wine itself is harmless, but when mixed with certain things, it could become highly toxic. Be cautious of strange flowers and plants along the way; avoid contact to prevent the wine’s properties within becoming activated, transforming harmless into harmful," Qing Pu advised.

Yue Jinghua acknowledged, passing the log bridge; the road ahead turned rough and hard to navigate, ending at a cliff.

Around the cliff’s edge grew a lush patch of luminescent Spirit Grass.