The bulb of the darkpetal lily was starting to expand, and the leaves were starting to tilt downwards – these were signs that the flower was about to bloom.
These white flowers looked beautiful and mysterious with the further end of each petal being completely black, but they were not nearly as harmless as they seemed.
Darkpetal lilies might not be carnivorous like the frozen spiders, but they were dangerous spiritual plants all the same.
And that was because of their poisonous traits.
Not only did they possess toxic pollen that could numb one's movements when inhaled, but their roots could also be ground into toxic powder that could disorientate one's mind when ingested.
Despite that, their petals could surprisingly be made into tea with nourishing effects, a testament to the fact that there could be multiple uses to most things, and one just had to know how to use them properly.
"Wait here and don't follow me, Senior Martial Brother Lei," Zhao Yunxiao instructed before approaching the darkpetal lily.
"Got it," Lei Wenzhang nodded without hesitation. "Then again, I wouldn't have followed you even if you begged me to."
Thankfully, Zhao Yunxiao did not hear that second line, allowing him to focus on the work at hand.
He proceeded to check on the huge net that he had set up around the darkpetal lily, making sure that no parts of it had been damaged while he was gone.
Only after confirming that everything was in order did he retreat back to where Lei Wenzhang was waiting.
"So, what is the plant actually?" Lei Wenzhang asked. "What's with the huge setup?"
Lei Wenzhang had not been present back when Zhao Yunxiao came to transplant the darkpetal lily, so he had been surprised to suddenly see it upon his return to the garden plot.
Nevertheless, the huge net was enough of a warning in and of itself, so Lei Wenzhang had never tried to approach the darkpetal lily.
Even then, he had always been curious about what the plant actually was.
"It's a darkpetal lily," Zhao Yunxiao explained. "Its pollen is extremely toxic in nature, so we need to be careful not to let it spread upon blooming."
"Is it the kind that spreads its pollen upon blooming?" Lei Wenzhang asked. "Or is it just a preventive measure to keep out bees and butterflies?"
"Do you think I will set up such a net just to keep out bees and butterflies?" Zhao Yunxiao asked in return.
"...It's not that I am doubting you, but is this a safe distance?" Lei Wenzhang replied. "You know, just in case the net fails."
"Haha, don't worry," Zhao Yunxiao laughed. "I am just as concerned as you are, so there's no way that I would put myself in range. We should be safe even if the net fails."
Lei Wenzhang: "..."
That did not sound very assuring!
Shouldn't you be telling me how amazing the net is instead, and that I have no need to worry?
Of course, Lei Wenzhang knew of Zhao Yunxiao's careful and meticulous personality, so words were nothing but a formality at this point.
If Zhao Yunxiao had set up this net and was even staying here to watch along with him, then the net would surely be able to stop whatever came next, even if it was something like flower pollen.
Had it been someone else, Lei Wenzhang would definitely have retreated much further by now!
"Hush, it is about to bloom!" Zhao Yunxiao said.
With that, the two of them squatted down to lower their bodies, watching the darkpetal lily from a distance.
By now, the bulb had expanded to a point where the petals were just about to be separated.
And the very next moment, the six petals snapped open simultaneously.
But instead of the beautiful core, all Zhao Yunxiao and Lei Wenzhang could see was an eruption of black pollen akin to that of a volcano.
There were no thunderous sounds or frightening tremors, but the silence only served to make the situation feel even more creepy.
The black pollen was like a mass of dark powder that shot out in all directions, colliding against the net and instantly dyeing it black.
One moment they were staring at the blooming darkpetal lily, and the next moment they were staring straight at a black wall.
"That's crazy..." Lei Wenzhang exclaimed. "What kind of flower spreads its pollen like this?"
"Plenty do," Zhao Yunxiao answered. "But I guess few look this disgusting."
"Is it over, at least?" Lei Wenzhang asked.
"Want to go take a look to find out?" Zhao Yunxiao suggested.
"I'll pass," Lei Wenzhang answered without hesitation.
"Just joking, I'll do that," Zhao Yunxiao laughed.
But before doing so, Zhao Yunxiao carefully extended his spiritual sense over to get a preliminary observation of the situation.
There were no movements anymore.
Or, at the very least, it would appear that the eruption of pollen had stopped.
That was the most dangerous part, so confirming that was good enough.
Still, Zhao Yunxiao dared not be careless.
He shrouded himself in a protective layer of essence energy and confirmed that he had some recovery elixirs in his spatial pouch before approaching the net.
Next came a series of carefully calculated actions where he opened up the net to collect the pollen within.
This black pollen was extremely toxic, but that was exactly what made them valuable.
And that was especially so when it came to a poison user like Zhao Yunxiao.
Perhaps a good thing about the pollen of the darkpetal lily was that it was heavier than that of most flowers. This meant that they would quickly settle instead of remaining airborne for long.
Otherwise, Zhao Yunxiao might have had to wait a day or two, allowing the pollen to settle before actually proceeding with this.
He carefully entered the net and started collecting the pollen that had fallen on the ground, before starting on those trapped in the net.
It was only when he was done clearing the released pollen that he finally turned his attention back to the darkpetal lily.
Now that the darkpetal lily had bloomed, it looked a lot more beautiful than before. The current darkpetal lily finally resembled an actual flower, albeit a dangerous one.
After making sure that the plant was still healthy, Zhao Yunxiao finally left the net enclosure in satisfaction.
The toxic pollen was extremely useful as ingredients for various types of poisons, so it was perfect that he had managed to collect it before going on his mission.
Now, it was just a matter of deciding what he should do with them.
It always felt great to have more means at his disposal, so just thinking about it made him excited!
"Wait, are you not removing that plant?" Lei Wenzhang asked.
"Why would I? It is a good source of toxic pollen," Zhao Yunxiao shrugged.
"Do you mean that it will keep releasing pollen...?" Lei Wenzhang felt the corner of his lips twitch.
"Of course," Zhao Yunxiao nodded nonchalantly. "So, make sure not to damage the net."
"Do you think that I would even go near enough to be able to damage the net?" Lei Wenzhang rolled his eyes. "That reminds me, I'd better tell Junior Martial Brother Qing not to go near that thing."
"Haha, that'd be best!" Zhao Yunxiao laughed.
"That aside, you need to stop introducing such dangerous things to our garden plot!" Lei Wenzhang chided.
"Trust me, I've got this," Zhao Yunxiao assured while patting him on the shoulder.
"You'd better!" Lei Wenzhang warned while quickly cleaning off his shoulder. "Otherwise, I will definitely seek heavy compensation from you if anything happens to me!"
The sky was already turning dark when Zhao Yunxiao left the garden plot.
By the time he reached the Lightwind Pavilion, the evening sun had fully disappeared from the horizon, welcoming the arrival of the night.
As he arrived, Zhao Yunxiao could see Gu Qiansi, Lu Zhiying, and Nie Hanchang having their meals there.
Speaking of which, Nie Hanchang had been joining them a lot more often nowadays.
Perhaps he could already be considered part of their group?
"Senior Martial Brother Zhao! You are finally here!" Lu Zhiying jumped up and waved excitedly when she noticed his arrival. "Come over quick, I have something important to tell you!"
"What a coincidence, I have something to say as well," Zhao Yunxiao said as he joined them under the pavilion. "Why don't you go first?"
"Yes, yes, I'll go first!" Lu Zhiying nodded profusely. "Senior Martial Sister Gu and I have been invited to join Senior Martial Sisters Chang Min and Luo Ling on a mission, and we convinced them to let you come along as well!"
"A mission?" Zhao Yunxiao repeated in surprise.
"That's right! We will be going to investigate some weird plants!" Lu Zhiying elaborated.
"Weird plants...?" Zhao Yunxiao turned towards Gu Qiansi for a better explanation.
"Apparently, the surrounding vegetation near a town has been exhibiting signs of corruption, so the mission is to investigate the matter," Gu Qiansi clearly understood the matter better.
"This is indeed your field of expertise, so it's no wonder that they asked you along," Zhao Yunxiao nodded in understanding.
"That's right! They were saying that they needed Senior Martial Sister Gu to ensure the success of the mission. Senior Martial Sister Gu is so amazing!" Lu Zhiying praised. "What about you, Senior Martial Brother Zhao? What did you want to say?"
"Initially, I wanted to ask you along on a mission as well, but it seems like that might not be possible now," Zhao Yunxiao answered. "When will you be going on that mission of yours?"
"What..." Lu Zhiying's excited look disappeared in an instant. "We are leaving in two days..."
"And it might take a week, possibly more," Gu Qiansi added. "What are the time restrictions on the mission that you have taken up?"
"I probably can't do both, then," Zhao Yunxiao said. "I need to make sure that I make it back for an upcoming briefing on the opening of the Four Symbols Mystic Realm."
"Does that mean not only can you not join us, but we can't join you after that, either?" Lu Zhiying asked in disappointment.
"It does seem that way," Zhao Yunxiao nodded. "No matter. My mission is nothing exciting anyway, just to perform a rain dance for a village. It is good that you can get exposure to corrupted plants instead."
"I guess there's no other choice..." Lu Zhiying sighed regretfully.
While she would much rather go with Zhao Yunxiao regardless of the type of mission, she also knew that it was not right to back out of something that they had already promised.
Even if she did not care about what the other party thought, she had to care about it reflecting badly on Gu Qiansi.
After all, Chang Min and Luo Ling were close seniors of Gu Qiansi's.
"When will you be leaving for your mission?" Gu Qiansi asked.
"I was initially thinking of giving you girls a day to prepare," Zhao Yunxiao contemplated. "But since there's no longer a need for that now, maybe I will just leave tomorrow?"
"So soon!" Lu Zhiying exclaimed.
"Do you mind if I join you, then?" Nie Hanchang suddenly interjected.
"Hmm? Are you sure about that, Senior Martial Brother Nie?" Zhao Yunxiao raised an eyebrow. "It is just a mission to perform a rain dance. Won't you be bored?"
Zhao Yunxiao knew for a fact that Nie Hanchang had zero interest in things like this, so he could not help but be surprised.
"I have been thinking about taking a break from all the training as well, so this is a good opportunity," Nie Hanchang explained.
"Is that so?" Zhao Yunxiao narrowed his eyes.
For some reason, he did not quite believe Nie Hanchang's explanation.
"For safety reasons, it is best to not travel alone as well," Gu Qiansi advised. "Since Senior Martial Brother Nie has kindly offered to accompany you, why don't you just go together with him?"
"If you are concerned about the rewards, then there's no need to give me a share," Nie Hanchang added.
"No, that's definitely not it," Zhao Yunxiao shook his head. "All right, since you are willing to go, then I have no reason to decline further. As for the rewards, I will split them evenly between us. So, when will you be able to leave?"
"Tomorrow is fine," Nie Hanchang replied.
"That's decided then," Zhao Yunxiao nodded with a smile. "We leave tomorrow at dawn."
It was just a simple mission, but Zhao Yunxiao could not help but look forward to it now.
After all, he had never actually seen the Grand Annihilator in action after helping to forge it.
If they were to meet with any spiritual beasts or monsters along the way, Zhao Yunxiao thought that he would definitely have to request for Nie Hanchang to show off a thing or two!