Li Xue's words made Zhao Xian laugh again, and he said:
"It seems you really believe there are demons in the valley. Since demons can transform into anything and are omnipotent, would they be afraid of the cold?"
In fact, there are no devils in Devil's Valley. It's just a rumor. The only thing that harms people in the valley is a poisonous gas called miasma. It floats above the ground, and once inhaled, it slowly poisons you.
If too much miasma is inhaled, the poison will take effect, causing hallucinations and a perception that one is surrounded by demons; this may be how Devil's Valley got its name.
Zhao Xian's words surprised Li Xue and Li Guang greatly, as they did not understand his meaning.
Next, Zhao Xian began to explain to the two in detail the cause of the miasma and how to prevent this toxic gas.
Zhao Xian's words reminded Li Guang of some books he had read about miasma in some southern regions, which usually appeared in dense primeval forests.
But this is the southwest region, and he didn't expect that miasma would appear here, and in the middle of the valley.
After analysis, Li Guang began to believe that the various phenomena that occurred in Devil's Valley were caused by miasma, and that the corpse-collecting team from Jindian Kingdom was able to pass through Devil's Valley safely because they used rats and torches.
Rats have an extremely sensitive sense of smell; their little noses can detect miasma in time, and then they can light torches to remove it.
The miasma was poisonous, but it was immediately burned away when it came into contact with an open flame, thus eliminating the risk and allowing them to safely traverse the valleys.
Hearing this, Li Xue became excited and said:
"Brother Zhao, do you mean that if we encounter miasma while crossing Devil's Valley, we can safely cross the valley as long as we clear away the miasma in time?"
"Yes, that makes sense. We shouldn't rush through the valley yet; it's best to wait for windy weather."
Once a strong wind blows, the air in the valley will move, and even if there is miasma, it will be quickly dispersed. At that time, there will be no risk in entering the valley.
Of course, for safety, we still need to take necessary precautions. We should not only carry a few rats as a warning, but also bring torches to drive away miasma at any time.
If we encounter a large amount of miasma that even torches can't eliminate, we'll use bombs. The high temperature and shockwave generated by the bombs will completely obliterate the miasma.
“Great! I know Brother Zhao has plenty of ways. We’ll definitely be able to get through Devil’s Valley safely and find my brother.”
Li Guang nodded and said, "Although crossing Devil's Valley this time will solve the threat of miasma, there are still poisonous snakes and ferocious beasts in the valley, so there is still some risk."
Another point is that the greatest danger around us is Wang Ling, who will definitely attack us in Devil Valley.
As the saying goes, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. The darts on his body are very powerful and could attack us at any time.
"If I didn't want to get some important evidence from him, I would have gotten rid of him long ago. Having someone like that around makes me never sleep soundly at night."
“Don’t worry, I’ll find him the perfect opportunity to strike in the valley, expose his true colors, and then we can capture him and get the evidence we want from him,” Zhao Xian said.
After they finished discussing, they went to their tents to rest.
The next day, after breakfast, the group planned to enter the entrance of Devil's Valley to learn about the area.
The old hunters said that the area more than 20 miles in front of the entrance to Devil's Valley was very safe, so they planned to go there first.
When the old hunter heard that the group was going to Devil's Valley to find out what was going on, he volunteered to take them there. Li Guang thanked him profusely.
The old hunter gathered several hunters from the village, left Yunjiazhuang, and headed towards the valley entrance.
Yunjiazhuang is only a dozen miles from the valley entrance. After walking four or five miles, the terrain began to rise, and we had entered the mountains.
It was at this point that the temperature began to rise, and it felt like the temperature was increasing with every step forward. By the time we got close to the valley entrance, the temperature was already quite high.
The valley was not only hot and humid, but also humid, and the temperature was expected to be even higher around noon.
Just as the old hunter had said, the valley entrance was very wide, and it didn't feel like the entrance to a valley at all. It was overgrown with weeds and had very few trees, so it was practically impossible to find a shady spot.
Looking at the scene before him, Zhao Xian couldn't understand why there were no trees in this area, while a large primeval forest was not far away.
At this point, the old hunter told everyone that they must be careful where they step, and try to walk on exposed ground to avoid stepping on poisonous snakes.
There is a venomous snake here with black and white stripes on its body. It is extremely poisonous, and if bitten by it, death is certain.
If you encounter this kind of venomous snake while walking in the valley, you must stay far away from it and never provoke it.
Upon hearing that there were poisonous snakes, everyone immediately became cautious and dared not walk through the grass.
After walking for a while, the path ahead began to narrow, and the mountains on both sides began to converge, gradually forming a valley.
Because the mountains on both sides are not high, the valley does not appear very deep. Rather, the valley looks like a passage leading into the depths of the mountains.
As the weather grew hotter, the group began to sweat profusely. Ahead lay the real Devil's Valley. The old hunter stopped and told everyone that they could not go any further.
The group stood at the entrance of the valley, where a hot wind blew out, carrying with it a rotten smell.
Zhao Xian looked at the old hunter and said:
"Grandpa, does the wind pick up in the valley?"
"Of course the wind will rise in the valley. The valley is wide on the outside and narrow on the inside. Once the north wind blows, the wind in the valley will be very strong. However, the wind rarely rises in this season, but the wind is quite strong in winter."
"At this moment, hot air is blowing out of the valley. This is the breath of the devils. Entering Devil's Valley at this time will surely mean certain death," the old hunter said.
The old hunter's words frightened the timid men so much that they retreated repeatedly.
Having gained a fairly good understanding of the situation, the group prepared to return.
Back in Yunjiazhuang, people felt the village was very cool, as if it were paradise on earth.
It seems that now is not the time to enter Devil's Valley. The weather is hot and humid, and the air in the valley is not circulating, so there may be a lot of miasma accumulated in the valley. Entering the valley at this time would be very dangerous.
Zhao Xian and Li Guang discussed and decided to choose a windy day to enter Devil's Valley. This way, the miasma in the valley would be blown away, making it much safer to enter.
After that, Li Guang arranged for someone to scout the valley entrance every day, and to return immediately to report if the wind picked up in the valley.
Li Guang took out the "Gu Chan Ce" given to him by the Taoist priest, found the "Celestial Phenomena and Star Charts" section in the book, and began to study it carefully.
This part is very profound, and Li Guang found it difficult to understand many of its contents.
However, in the unique environment of Yunjiazhuang, Li Guang seemed to have grasped the secret and had a sense of enlightenment.
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