644 Inside the Quagmire (2/2)

The swamp was very dangerous and foggy throughout the year. It was very easy to get lost in it. And in the ground covered by a thin layer of water, grass, and mud, were deep waters that would swallow people up whole. Not even Ning Que was confident of getting out of the swamp.

The black horse carriage temporarily stopped beside the swamp for them to rest and reorganize. Ning Que made some simple food that was high in calories. After eating with Sangsang and the Big Black Horse and making medicine for Sangsang, he stood on top of the carriage to find a path.

The two black crows standing beside his feet looked up and saw the metal cylinder in his hands. They cawed, as if they were asking him what it was.

Ning Que was annoyed by their chatter and kicked them away. Then, he lept off the carriage and walked to the window. He passed the binoculars to Sangsang for safekeeping, seeming ill at ease.

”You can't find a path?” asked Sangsang.

Ning Que nodded and said, ”The fog over the swamp is too thick. I don't see the pebbled path the herdsman said they saw. The carriage has a talisman array over it. So I'm not too worried. I'm just worried that the horse would sink in.”

When he heard Ning Que talking about himself, the Big Black Horse neighed softly.

Sangsang took the big black umbrella with her and got off the carriage. Ning Que could guess what she was about to do and shook his head in disagreement. He said, ”I've said that we should try our best not to use the black umbrella. What's more, you're so weak now.”

”I used it in Chaoyang City and nothing happened. If Yama is really using the umbrella to find me, then why hasn't he appeared after so many years?”

Sangsang smiled and said. She saw that Ning Que still did not approve, and so, she led the Big Black Horse, stepped on the stirrups and clambered up the saddle. Then, she climbed to the top of the horse carriage and opened the big black umbrella.

A black flower bloomed on top of the carriage by the swamp.

After some time, Sangsang signaled for Ning Que to carry her down.

Ning Que noted that she had grown paler, but her temperature was still normal. Being as such, he felt more assured.

”The swamp is too deep, I can't look far. But there is indeed a pebbled path, but it's been covered by mud and grass so it is hard to find. Also, Master Qi Mei and the others are just about 60 miles away from us.”

Sangsang rubbed her throbbing head after saying that. She felt a pain in her chest and began to cough. What made it worse was that she did not cough up blood, but black froth.

Ning Que took out a handkerchief and helped her to wipe the black foam from the corner of her lips. He discovered that the foam was very clean. It was not rancid, and even smelled faintly sweet. He smiled and said, ”It's like black sesame paste.”

Sangsang frowned slightly and said, ”That's too disgusting.”

Logically speaking, swamps and wetlands should only appear in hot and humid areas in the south. They were in the depths of the Wilderness where it was cold and dry, so there should not be any swamps at all.

However, the Quagmire was really odd. There were several hotspots beneath the Wilderness and in the tens and thousands of years, they emitted hot steam and spring waters onto the surface of the Wilderness. It did not freeze year round, and eventually became this large swamp.

It would not freeze even in the coldest of winters. The surface of the swamp would only frost over lightly. Since they were about to enter autumn, the hot spring flowed quietly, all the frost above it had melted. The swamp thus became muddy.

The front hooves of the Big Black Horse had submerged completely in the mud of the swamp. There was a thump, and the horses' chest sunk close to the ground. It looked extremely dangerous, but it had just placed its head onto the ground because it was bored and was resting.

Ning Que stepped on two large pieces of iron sheets and walked to the horse's side. He held the horse's reins and activated his Great Spirit. With a mighty pull of his right arm, he lifted the horse from the mud.

The Big Black Horse turned to the side hurriedly and finally walked to the slightly firmer ground. It shook its head from time to time, however, he could not shake the mud on his head off, so he looked very embarrassed.

Sangsang was feeling better. The mist in the swamp was heated and so the temperatures were not low. She was able to sit on the carriage shaft and feel the breeze. When she saw what happened to the horse, she could not help laughing.

They had already reached the depths of the swamp named Quagmire. There wasn't anyone chasing after them. So what they needed to go against now, was nature and not the human realm.

The swamp was soft and filled with minerals and other things. Vegetation found it hard to grow here, and only algae could be found. It was easy to slip here, and even easier to be swallowed by the ground.

To the ordinary person, the swamp was a dangerous place that would eat them alive. While Ning Que was not worried about being swallowed by the swamp, it was still difficult for him to journey through it. He could not find the pebbled path the Herdsman spoke about beneath the ground covered in algae. He waded through the mud at an extremely low speed.

Fortunately, the talisman array made the carriage light as a feather. Otherwise, they would not be able to even walk two miles into the swamp. Several times, they encountered a large body of water and could not find any path across it. Ning Que had to expend a great amount of Psyche Power and stick several Wind Talismans on the Big Black Horse for them to cross it.