Chen Lan broke out in a cold sweat at Xu Mingxuan's words: "Burn it." She quickly stopped him, saying, "Brother Mingxuan, you absolutely cannot burn this! Otherwise, the two of us will really be done for."
Xu Mingxuan was also startled by Chen Lan's words and looked at her in surprise.
However, Xu Mingxuan's words suddenly awakened Chen Lan. That's right! When she watched historical dramas in her previous life, the main ingredients of the soporifics and smoke bombs in the dramas were said to be datura flower powder and the smoke produced after burning datura flower powder.
Whether it was true or not, Chen Lan decided to try it now. Besides, there were no other good methods at the moment. She had to treat a dead horse as if it were alive. She'd try it first to see if it worked. Anyway, she knew that datura flower powder had an anesthetic effect! Chen Lan believed it would have some effect.
Moreover, the three young men studying medicine at that time had repeatedly emphasized to her that datura flower powder was poisonous and that she must store it carefully. They also told her that not only the flower but also the leaves, roots, and fruits of the datura were all poisonous, and that burning it produced the best soporific, which could cause poisoning and unconsciousness.
Thinking of this, Chen Lan immediately became excited. Seeing Xu Mingxuan still looking at her, she added a branch to the fire and whispered, "It's a very important thing, something that can save both our lives."
Seeing Xu Mingxuan still looking at her with a puzzled expression, Chen Lan said mysteriously, "Brother Mingxuan, just you wait and see! I've thought of a really good way. We can catch all the wolves outside very soon." With that, she made a throat-slitting gesture with her hand.
Xu Mingxuan smiled and gently stroked Chen Lan's slightly messy hair, asking curiously, "Lan'er, have you thought of a good way to deal with those wolves outside? Tell me quickly!"
So Chen Lan explained, "Brother Mingxuan, this paper packet contains the pollen of the world's most poisonous fruit, datura, also known as devil's grass and the soporific of the martial world. Just one of its fruits can poison two cows to death."
She then spoke about using burning datura flower powder to incapacitate the wolves. Afterward, Xu Mingxuan chuckled and said, "Lan'er, I believe your method will definitely be very effective. But have you considered this? While you're fumigating the wolves outside, you'll also fumigate the two of us."
Chen Lan thought about it after Xu Mingxuan said that. It was indeed the case. So she lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then immediately had an idea. She used her mind to open the system and ordered two highly acclaimed gas masks, known as pig noses, from modern times. As soon as she took them out of the system warehouse, she handed one to Xu Mingxuan. She opened the packaging bag, glanced at the instructions, and handed them to Xu Mingxuan. Following the prompts on the system screen, she put on her gas mask. Turning back, she was about to help Xu Mingxuan put his on when she heard him ask, "Lan'er, what is this thing? Will it really work if I wear it? Will I really not be poisoned if I wear it?"
Hearing Xu Mingxuan's string of questions, Chen Lan couldn't help but want to laugh.
Chen Lan coughed and then whispered, "This is a gas mask. It can protect our respiratory organs, eyes, and facial skin, and isolate us from contact with the toxic air outside. Brother Mingxuan, don't worry! My father-in-law said it's the best gas mask in their region. Thousands of people have used it, and no one has ever had an accident."
After finishing, she took out several more brown paper bags and gloves from the system warehouse. Putting on the gloves, she began to pack the datura flower powder from the paper packets into individual brown paper bags. Then she tied each paper bag containing the datura flower powder to a branch.
The couple then checked the power supply of the lights on their miner's hats to ensure it was sufficient. Chen Lan had Xu Mingxuan take the crossbow, already loaded with six carbon steel arrows, to protect her from behind.
Xu Mingxuan initially refused stubbornly, insisting that he should walk in front with Chen Lan behind him holding the crossbow to protect him. In the end, Chen Lan stood behind Xu Mingxuan with a smile. Xu Mingxuan looked down at Chen Lan, who was much shorter than him, and finally had to compromise.
The couple wasted no more time and decided to act immediately. Chen Lan held all the branches with the medicine powder bags tied to them. She then picked up a burning branch from the fire as a torch and walked towards the cave entrance. Xu Mingxuan, holding the crossbow loaded with six carbon steel arrows and adjusting the infrared sight, followed closely behind Chen Lan, his thumb on the trigger. He was on guard behind Chen Lan and would quickly press the trigger if he sensed any disturbance.
Seeing the couple approaching the cave entrance, the wolf pack began to stir. Perhaps it was due to the brightness of the miner's lamps, or perhaps they sensed the weapon in Xu Mingxuan's hand, but the wolf pack did not immediately attack. Instead, they retreated a few steps, continuing to observe the couple's next move.
During this brief moment, Chen Lan used the torch to light the branches with the medicine powder bags tied to them. After the branches were fully burning, she threw them in different directions towards the cave entrance. Then, the couple quickly retreated step by step back into the cave, awaiting the final outcome.
The waiting period was long and agonizing. At first, they could still hear the continuous howling from outside the cave, which was very piercing, as if they had encountered a formidable enemy. Gradually, the sounds became smaller and smaller, and then all sounds disappeared. Finally, it became deathly silent outside, with only the rustling of branches in the wind.
Chen Lan was still a little uneasy and dared not rashly go out to check. In many wolf stories she had seen in her previous life, wolves were described as very cunning animals that were good at feigning death and then leaping out to hunt their prey when the latter let down their guard.
To be safe, Chen Lan ordered ten entire datura plants from the system and collected some dead branches into the system warehouse. Then, wearing their miner's hats and each holding a crossbow loaded with arrows, they approached the cave entrance and cautiously observed the movements in the surrounding area outside the cave. The woods were quiet. Looking into the distance, it was too dark to see clearly, but it seemed that several wolves were lying on the ground, motionless!
Xu Mingxuan and Chen Lan were not careless. Chen Lan felt the direction of the wind in the woods and couldn't help but smile silently, thinking that heaven was helping them. The wind in the woods was now a whirlwind. So, she no longer hesitated. She quickly took ten datura plants and a pile of dead branches from the system warehouse, bundled them together, and threw them into a pile of dead branches not far from the cave entrance. She then lit the lighter and threw it into the dead branches. The dead branches and the ten datura plants quickly ignited.