The Poison Suppressing Stele

Before the Alchemy Furnace, the three stood poised, each holding a piece of the jade pendant, forming a triangle.

Cai Qingluan's hand trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the familiar, cloying scent of sulfur. It seeped from the ancient furnace, awakening a deep, primal memory within her bloodline – the scent her father carried before he plunged into the saltpeter caves, the last scent of his life.

"Ready?" she asked softly, her gaze shifting between Hong Jiu and Zhang Feidie.

Hong Jiu nodded. The scar on his throat, faded by the Spirit Vexongrass, was less pronounced, but the metallic rasp still resonated in his voice. "Once the furnace is opened, a portion of the Miasma Mother's power will be released. We must act quickly."

Zhang Feidie's situation was the most precarious. The butterfly mark had now spread visibly up her neck, the intricate wing patterns writhing beneath her skin as if ready to burst forth at any moment. Yet, her eyes held an unwavering resolve. "No matter what, we cannot allow the Miasma Mother to return to this world."

Just then, the rhythmic thudding of footsteps echoed from deeper within the cave system – the Nuo corpses were closing in, their approach heavy and relentless, like the tolling of a funeral bell.

"No more time," Hong Jiu urged. "Do as I say!"

Simultaneously, they thrust the jade pendants into the matching indentations on the Alchemy Furnace. Instantly, the entire structure blazed with blinding violet light. A powerful wave of energy erupted from within, slamming into them, throwing them back several steps. The furnace lid groaned open automatically, and thick purple smoke billowed out like a living entity, coalescing in the air into the hazy silhouette of a woman.

"Miasma Mother..." Zhang Feidie whispered, the butterfly mark on her shoulder throbbing violently, resonating with the shadowy figure forming in the smoke.

In that critical instant, Hong Jiu lunged towards the furnace. His hands blurred through a series of complex mudras, and a stream of ancient, guttural syllables ripped from his throat. It wasn't Han script, but something far older, the sounds sharp and grating, like metal scraping against stone.

"What's he doing?" Cai Qingluan cried out.

"Activating a mechanism!" Zhang Feidie recognized the ritualistic movements. "There's something beneath the furnace!"

As Hong Jiu's chant reached its crescendo, the ground directly beneath the Alchemy Furnace shuddered violently and split open, revealing a massive subterranean cavity. Rising from the depths within was a colossal stone stele – an exact replica of the Poison Suppressing Stele they had seen outside, but far larger, its surface covered in even denser, more intricate script.

"This is..." Cai Qingluan stared, awestruck.

"The true Poison Suppressing Stele," Hong Jiu clarified, his voice trembling with exertion and emotion. "The one outside was merely a decoy. The real Stele, bearing the complete truth, has always been hidden here."

They cautiously approached the massive monument. Its surface teemed with text – Han characters intertwined with Miao script and other, even more ancient symbols. At its apex was an exquisitely carved relief depicting a woman, identical to the figure in the Miasma Mother Diagram.

"This is the record left by General Zheng's forces during the Southern Ming," Hong Jiu explained, pointing to a line of small script near the top. "Before Zheng Chenggong's troops withdrew from Tingjiang, they inscribed the truth here, as a warning to future generations."

Cai Qingluan moved closer, beginning to read the illuminated text aloud: "Chongzhen Year Twelve. The Tingjiang Miasma Plague erupts, originating from the 'Miasma Mother Corpse' in the ancient tomb beneath the river. The Miasma Mother was once a Miao shamaness, skilled in Gu poisons. Resenting Imperial taxes, she used herself as bait to refine a deadly poison, releasing it into the Tingjiang waters to kill Imperial soldiers. But the poison proved too potent, causing the plague to spread uncontrollably, devastating the land. Realizing the depth of her sin, the shamaness drowned herself in the river. Her corpse sank to the bottom, merging with the poisons, becoming the Miasma Mother..."

Her voice dropped lower as she continued: "General Zheng Zhilong, under Zheng Chenggong's command, learned of this. He ordered the three artisan families—Meng the Alchemist, Cai the Saltpeter Refiner, Zhang the Apothecary—to create an antidote. They discovered the plague's source was the toxic aura emanating from the Miasma Mother's corpse. Using special methods, they refined the 'Three Yuan Pill' and successfully suppressed her. To prevent her return, the Three Families swore a blood oath, becoming hereditary guardians. Meng guards the Diagram, Cai the Refinery Cave, Zhang cultivates the Spirit Vexongrass..."

"This matches the inscription outside," Zhang Feidie interrupted. "But why hide the real Stele?"

Hong Jiu pointed to the lower half of the monument. "Keep reading."

Cai Qingluan took a deep breath and continued: "However, in the process of suppressing the Miasma Mother, the three artisans were themselves tainted by the miasma poison. Meng the Alchemist's eyes slowly began to calcify. Cai the Saltpeter Refiner's lungs accumulated sulfur. Zhang the Apothecary, through contact with the Living Gu, gained the Butterfly Mark, passing it down through generations. Knowing the poison was incurable, they devised a special method to slow its effects, distributing the affliction across three generations of their descendants, flaring up once every hundred years..."

"So that's why our families suffer these afflictions every century!" Zhang Feidie exclaimed, understanding dawning. "The Meng family's eye sickness, the Cai's sulfur dependency... and my family's Butterfly Mark!"

Cai Qingluan nodded grimly, reading on: "To ensure the secret remained hidden, the Three Families chose the Hong clan as Stele Guardians, sealing their throats with Mercury Sand. Guardians must pass the duty through bloodline, drinking the Seal upon adulthood, remaining mute for life. Should the Miasma Mother stir, the Guardian must guide the Three Families' descendants to restart the sealing ritual..."

Her voice faltered, the next lines causing her to gasp in shock: "However, the Miasma Mother is cunning. She can influence minds through the Diagram, causing betrayal of the blood oath. In Republic Year Twelve, she first attempted revival, controlling the Meng descendant of that era, Meng Déxiáng, forcing him to try and break the seal. Fortunately, the Stele Guardian of that time, Hong Shouchéng, discovered the plot in time. At the cost of his own life, he stopped Meng Déxiáng and reinforced the seal..."

"Hong Shouchéng... your father?" Cai Qingluan turned to Hong Jiu, her eyes filled with sudden empathy.

He nodded, pain etched deep in his expression. "My father... to stop the Miasma Mother's return... he had to kill the controlled Meng Déxiáng. That... that was the corpse wax in the pawnshop cellar. Afterwards... he sacrificed his own life to strengthen the seal."

"Then history is repeating itself..." Zhang Feidie whispered, horrified. "Meng Xuanye controlled by the Miasma Mother... just like Meng Déxiáng before him."

"It's worse than that," Hong Jiu rasped, pointing to the final, chilling lines on the Stele. "Her ultimate goal... is this."

Cai Qingluan read: "The Miasma Mother's final objective is to find a suitable Living Gu vessel and regain a physical body. The Living Gu requires three generations of willing sacrifice to fully mature: First generation sows the seed, second cultivates, third reaps the harvest. If the third-generation Living Gu vessel falls under the Miasma Mother's control, she will use their body to return to the mortal realm and unleash eternal suffering..."

"'Three generations of willing sacrifice'?" Zhang Feidie echoed, recoiling in horror. "What does that mean?!"

Hong Jiu's face became impossibly grim. "It means... your grandfather, and your father... they willingly became vessels for the Living Gu. And you, Zhang Feidie... you are the third generation. The final harvest. If the Miasma Mother controls you, she uses your body to return."

"Impossible!" Zhang Feidie cried out, shaking her head violently. "My father would never willingly become a Gu vessel! He was a healer, a good man!"

"Perhaps he didn't know the full truth," Cai Qingluan offered gently. "Like us... kept in the dark."

Just then, a cackle, cold and unnatural, echoed from the cave entrance, followed by Meng Xuanye's chilling voice: "No. He knew the truth. He simply chose to hide it. Just like your grandfather, Zhang Feidie. They were both loyal servants of the Miasma Mother."

They whirled around. The headless Meng Xuanye stood blocking the passage, the eighteen Nuo-masked corpses arrayed behind him like a grotesque honor guard. But now, coiling out from the severed neck stump was a swirling mass of purple smoke, vaguely forming the face of a woman – the Miasma Mother herself!

"Did you think discovering the truth could stop me?" the Miasma Mother spoke through Meng Xuanye's corpse, her voice a grating, metallic screech. "Three hundred years... I have finally waited for the third generation Living Gu to mature. Today, I regain my flesh! Today, I return to the world of the living!"

Her gaze fixed on Zhang Feidie, burning with a predatory, malevolent hunger. "Come, my child. Fulfill your ancestors' wish. Become my new body."

The butterfly mark on Zhang Feidie's shoulder erupted in agony, writhing violently as if the creature within was trying to claw its way out. She crumpled to her knees, clutching her shoulder. "No... I won't let you!"

Cai Qingluan instantly drew her Miao Dao, planting herself protectively in front of Zhang Feidie. "You won't touch her!"

Hong Jiu stepped forward too, the scar on his throat splitting open once more, black blood oozing out. "As Stele Guardian, I will fulfill my duty! Even if it costs my life!"

The Miasma Mother laughed, a sound like shattering glass. "Foolish mortals! Do you truly think you can stop me? Look at yourselves! Cai Qingluan, the sulfur poison in your blood reaches critical levels! Hong Jiu, the mercury has already corroded your mind! As for Zhang Feidie... her Living Gu is ripe, merely awaiting my call!"

With a flick of her incorporeal hand, the eighteen Nuo-masked corpses surged forward.

Cai Qingluan's Miao Dao became a silver blur, striking with deadly precision. But strangely, the corpses seemed impervious to pain, advancing relentlessly even with severed limbs.

Hong Jiu countered with the Guardian's secret arts. His hands formed mudras, ancient chants ripping from his damaged throat, each syllable vibrating with metallic power. Black blood sprayed from his scar, forming dark sigils that slapped onto the corpses, momentarily slowing their advance.

Meanwhile, Zhang Feidie fought her own battle. The butterfly mark had spread across her entire left arm, the intricate patterns now terrifyingly clear beneath her skin, like a real butterfly struggling violently just beneath the surface.

"Hong Gu, hold on!" Cai Qingluan yelled over the clash of steel and the grinding chants. "Don't let her control you!"

"I... I'm trying..." Zhang Feidie gasped, fumbling for the jade box containing the mutated Spirit Vexongrass. Trembling, she pressed a leaf against the thrashing birthmark. "The grass absorbs poison... maybe it can temporarily suppress the Gu..."

Miraculously, the writhing seemed to lessen slightly as she applied the leaf. But the Miasma Mother clearly wouldn't give up so easily. More purple smoke poured from Meng Xuanye's corpse, forming ethereal tendrils that snaked through the air towards Zhang Feidie.

"You cannot escape, my child," the Miasma Mother's voice echoed directly in Zhang Feidie's mind. "Your grandfather, your father... they paved the way for me. Now... it is time for you to complete the final step."

Zhang Feidie's consciousness began to fray. A powerful force tugged at her soul, trying to drag her into a dark abyss filled with the tormented faces of countless miasma victims, their eyes pleading in silent agony.

"No..." she screamed internally. "I won't give up!"

Suddenly, a memory flashed through her mind – her father's dying words: "Hong Gu, remember, Spirit Vexongrass doesn't just cure poison... it carries memories. When you face the final choice... let the grass guide you..."

Understanding dawned. With a final surge of will, Zhang Feidie ripped the Spirit Vexongrass leaf from her shoulder and pressed it firmly against her own forehead, closing her eyes, focusing all her being.

Instantly, a flood of unfamiliar yet intimately familiar memories poured into her mind—

She saw Tingjiang three centuries ago, choked by plague. She saw the three artisans toiling before the furnace. She saw the true face of the Miasma Mother – not a shamaness, but an ancient spirit of corrupted nature, born from the river's pollution, feeding on human fear and suffering.

Most importantly, she saw her grandfather, her father – not devotees, but secret warriors fighting the Miasma Mother from within. They cultivated the Spirit Vexongrass not to feed the Gu, but to provide a countermeasure at the crucial moment. The Butterfly Mark wasn't a curse, but a shield, designed to resist the Miasma Mother's control.

"So that's the truth..." Zhang Feidie whispered, the confusion in her eyes replaced by burning clarity. "I understand now!"

She surged to her feet. The butterfly mark on her shoulder no longer radiated pain, but a soft, gentle luminescence, pushing back against the Miasma Mother's encroaching purple tendrils.

"Miasma Mother, you can't fool me!" Zhang Feidie shouted, her voice ringing with newfound strength. "I've seen the truth! My grandfather, my father – they fought against you! They didn't serve you!"

The Miasma Mother's laughter died abruptly, replaced by a furious roar. "Impossible! How can you resist my control?"

"Because she's not fighting alone," Cai Qingluan declared, stepping beside Zhang Feidie, her Miao Dao gleaming. "The bloodlines of our three families exist to oppose you!"

Hong Jiu moved to stand with them, the bleeding from his throat stopped, his eyes harder and more determined than ever. "Three hundred years ago, our ancestors sealed you! One hundred years ago, my father sacrificed himself to stop your return! Today, we end this curse forever!"

The Miasma Mother shrieked through Meng Xuanye's corpse, the purple smoke around his neck boiling like a thundercloud. "Foolish humans! You think you can defeat me? I am the miasma incarnate! As long as the waters of Tingjiang flow, I can never truly die!"

"Then we'll solve the problem at its source," Cai Qingluan stated calmly, her gaze shifting to the Alchemy Furnace. "Hong Jiu... you know what to do."

He nodded grimly, turning back towards the ancient furnace. This time, he didn't chant. He reached directly inside, feeling for something within its depths.

"Found it!" he yelled, pulling out a small, intricate mechanism. "This is the heart of the furnace... and the source of the Miasma Mother's power! Three hundred years ago, the artisans left one final failsafe, just in case!"

It was a delicate bronze device shaped like a lotus flower, each petal intricately engraved with complex runes. Hong Jiu carefully placed it on the ground, then produced a small vial of mercury, pouring the silvery liquid over the device.

"Now, we need three things," Hong Jiu instructed, his voice clearer now. "The Saltpeter Refiner's Sulfur, the Stele Guardian's Mercury Sand... and the Living Gu's Heart Blood. But not to release her... to destroy her completely."

Without hesitation, Cai Qingluan pulled a small pouch from her belt and poured out a pinch of yellow powder – her family's specially refined sulfur, known for its purifying properties.

Hong Jiu bit his own thumb, letting a drop of blood, still laced with trace amounts of mercury sand, fall onto the device.

Finally, all eyes turned to Zhang Feidie.

"My... heart blood?" she asked, hesitating slightly.

"Not literal blood," Hong Jiu explained quickly. "The essence within your mark. The Butterfly Mark isn't a curse, it's a blessing. It absorbs miasma, purifies corruption."

Understanding dawned on Zhang Feidie. She took a fresh Spirit Vexongrass leaf and pressed it against the now glowing butterfly mark. Miraculously, the leaf absorbed a single, iridescent droplet of pure essence from the mark. Carefully, she let the shimmering drop fall onto the lotus device.

As the three substances merged, the lotus device began to glow with a soft, gentle light. Its petals slowly started to rotate, pushing back against the Miasma Mother's oppressive violet aura.

"No!" the Miasma Mother shrieked. "You can't do this! You'll destroy everything!"

"No," Cai Qingluan countered calmly. "We're saving everything. Three hundred years of suffering ends today."

The light from the lotus device intensified, coalescing into a blinding pillar that shot directly into the Alchemy Furnace above. The purple smoke trapped within the furnace roiled violently, emitting waves of tortured screams, as if millions of souls cried out at once.

The headless Meng Xuanye and the eighteen Nuo corpses began to shudder violently. Purple smoke poured from their bodies, drawn inexorably towards the furnace, sucked into the purifying beam of light.

"What's happening?" Zhang Feidie gasped.

"Purification," Hong Jiu explained, his voice strained but clear. "The device is absorbing all residual miasma, neutralizing it into harmless energy."

As the last wisps of purple smoke vanished, the Nuo corpses crumpled one by one, reverting to ordinary, lifeless bodies. Meng Xuanye's headless corpse collapsed, finally still.

Within the furnace, the violet miasma completely dissipated, replaced by a sphere of pure, white light. The lotus device on the floor stopped spinning, its glow slowly fading.

"Is it... over?" Cai Qingluan asked warily, her Miao Dao still held ready.

Hong Jiu approached the furnace, peering cautiously inside. "Yes. The Miasma Mother... has been purified. Returned to her original state – pure water vapor."

"What about Meng Xuanye? And the Nuo corpses?" Zhang Feidie asked.

"They were merely puppets, now freed," Hong Jiu said, a touch of sadness in his voice. "But their souls cannot return to their bodies. They can only find peace in the next world."

They stood in silence for a moment, mourning the lost lives.

"So... is it really finished?" Cai Qingluan finally broke the silence. "The three-hundred-year curse... is it broken?"

Hong Jiu shook his head. "Not entirely. The Miasma Mother is gone, but the pollution that created her remains in Tingjiang. If we don't address the root cause... a new Miasma Mother could arise in the future."

"You mean... we need to purify Tingjiang River?" Zhang Feidie asked.

"Yes. That is the true challenge," Hong Jiu confirmed, pointing to the final passage inscribed on the true Stele. "Look. A prophecy was recorded here: 'When the Three Bloodlines reunite, when the Guardian breaks silence, when the Living Gu becomes Butterfly, Tingjiang shall find new life, and the miasma poison shall be no more.'"

"What does that mean?" Cai Qingluan asked, puzzled.

"I believe," Hong Jiu said slowly, "we have already fulfilled the first three conditions. The Three Bloodlines reunited – us three. The Guardian breaks silence – I can speak again. As for the Living Gu becomes Butterfly..."

Their gazes all fell on Zhang Feidie. The butterfly mark on her shoulder was undergoing a final, wondrous transformation. The lines were no longer flat; they were becoming three-dimensional, as if a real butterfly was about to emerge from her very skin.

"I think," Zhang Feidie whispered, her eyes wide with awe and anticipation, "we're about to find out."

They walked out of the Refinery Cave, emerging onto River Heart Island, gazing towards the distant town of Tingjiang. The purple miasma was completely gone. The first rays of dawn were breaking, bathing the world in a soft, golden light.

A new era was about to begin.