[Chapter Twenty-Nine] The Perilous Monster Forest

After half a day’s journey, the group emerged from the Limestone Forest Mountains and saw a fir forest shrouded in dense mist before them.

Lon pointed ahead and shouted: “Ahead is the Monster Forest. Once we enter, everyone must stay highly alert.”

Father John said: “We will enter in a single-file column, eyes scanning all directions, ears listening in every direction, covering each other.”

The group entered the forest, their vision obscured by the thick mist, with visibility limited to only three or four meters. Everyone tensed their nerves. Father John and Stron drew their Exorcism Implements; Lin Xiaoyang and Huang Minhua leaned back-to-back, each wielding a long saber and a long sword; Lon’s wolf clan disciples were armed with bows and arrows or sweeping blades, all prepared as if facing a formidable enemy.

A quarter of an hour passed. Just as the group began to relax slightly, suddenly a giant spider leapt down from above, its sharp forelegs snatching a young wolf warrior. The youth’s shoulders were pierced by the spider’s forelegs, yet he endured the pain and fired an arrow into the spider’s eyes. The spider’s eyeball was struck. Clutching the youth with its forelegs, it tried to escape along the web. Lin Xiaoyang, seeing this, concentrated his true energy, leapt onto a tree trunk, and pursued. After several bounds, he reached the spider’s back. With several swift strikes of his long saber, the giant spider fell to the ground, its head and body severed, blue blood flowing. Xiaoyang, holding the youth around the waist, landed lightly on the ground after stepping across the tree trunk. Except for Father John, Stron, and Huang Minhua, the rest did not see the entire rescue process clearly.

Xiaoyang immediately sealed several acupoints on the youth’s chest and handed him over to companions. Lon came to inspect.

Lin Xiaoyang said: “His injuries are severe. I will temporarily stop the bleeding.”

Lon took a gourd from his bosom, poured two pills into his palm, and fed them to the youth.

Lon anxiously called out: “Xiao Pan, can you still hold on?”

The young wolf named Xiao Pan leaned on his companions, enduring the pain: “I… I can, Chief.”

Except for the two wolf brothers supporting Xiao Pan, the rest remained on high alert.

The group continued forward, with Lin Xiaoyang taking the lead, leaping between tree trunks and maintaining vigilance.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, a giant centipede burst out from behind a tree trunk on the left, attempting to ambush the companions. The wolf youths immediately confronted it with bows, arrows, and sweeping blades. The centipede was struck by several arrows and cuts, green blood oozing from multiple wounds, then suddenly, in a rage, it lunged forward. Huang Minhua drew her true energy, leapt onto a tree trunk with her long sword, and sliced through the centipede from the side, cutting it in half. With a spin, she severed it into four segments. Father John and Stron, witnessing her skillful movements, loudly cheered, and the others joined in.

The group, nerves taut, continued deeper into the forest. Soon, they came upon a small clearing with two small wooden cabins. Father John and Lon approached the cabins and saw inscriptions carved on the doorway tree trunk. Lon read aloud: “The monsters inside have been driven away by me. This place is still not suitable for lingering! Rufus.”

Stron examined Xiao Pan’s wounds: “The poisonous spider that attacked him has spread its venom. He must undergo immediate surgical treatment.”

Lon walked over, looked at Xiao Pan’s injuries, and said with sadness: “Xiao Pan, we must leave you here so as not to slow down the group’s progress.”

Xiao Pan, aware of the situation, resolutely said: “Chief, don’t worry about me. Go ahead quickly!”

One of the two youths supporting Xiao Pan said: “Chief, we can’t abandon him at this moment.”

The other said: “The two of us will voluntarily stay behind to take care of him.”

Lon scolded angrily: “Nonsense! At such a critical moment, you two let emotions override reason!”

Lin Xiaoyang tried to mediate: “Brothers, let them spend the night inside the cabin. Father Stron will treat Xiao Pan’s wounds and neutralize the poison.”

Lon said: “But brother, Rufus said this place is unsafe to linger. This would make everyone even more vulnerable.”

Lin Xiaoyang confidently said: “With Father John and me guarding, the monsters won’t easily succeed.”

Huang Minhua said: “Husband, I will go with you.”

Adorno advised: “Mistress, it’s safer if you stay inside with the group.”

Lin Xiaoyang smiled: “Yes. With your current abilities, I can feel at ease. Adorno, you don’t need to worry about her.”

The group immediately followed the tasks assigned by Father John and Lon. Some were responsible for making fire, others for arranging bedding. Stron instructed the two youths to help carry Xiao Pan into the cabin.

As night fell, two bonfires burned on the open spaces in front of and behind the cabin. In the front yard were Xiaoyang and Minhua, in the backyard were Father John and Lon, with Adorno, Shapo, and Rona and Case guarding the sides. The cabin’s security was airtight.

Some monsters were drawn by the firelight but only watched from a distance, unwilling to approach, realizing that this group was not ordinary. The giant poisonous creatures kept far from the firelight.

Lin Xiaoyang and Huang Minhua sat by the fire, their swords and sabers at hand, nibbling on rations while talking.

“This forest… if it weren’t for these monsters and giant beasts, it would feel quite romantic.”

Lin Xiaoyang recalled: “When I was a child, Wolf Father warned me and Lon not to approach the Hell Valley. We only heard from elders that this forest was inhabited by monsters and giant beasts. Back then, we had no real concept of monsters and had never seen the giant beasts.”

“I was just about to ask. From your conversation with Lon, he seems to have been your childhood playmate.”

“Yes! Our family originally lived on the forest’s edge. I was only six or seven. One day, my parents went on a long trip and, for some unknown reason, never returned. Lon found me first, and then his parents adopted me.”

“The story you’re telling… that’s from your previous life as David, right?”

“Yes! When I recognized Lon, I could no longer distinguish whether I was David or Lin Xiaoyang.”

Lin Xiaoyang added: “Strangely, it was only after marrying you that I gradually began recalling my past life.”

After Father Stron’s surgical treatment and detoxification, Xiao Pan’s condition was stabilized.

The forest in the deep night was unusually quiet. The four groups on watch took turns resting, all staying outside the cabin.

Father John and Lon chatted by the fire, quickly warming up to each other.

“Chief, at first, when I noticed your people following us, I was quite worried.”

“We wolves have always been cautious of humans. But we seldom attack humans entering the mountains unless they harbor ill intentions.”

“That’s true. That night at Mother Bear’s Inn, she said the same. But I’m curious… why do wolves live several times longer than humans?”

“I know your question, Father. We are not ordinary wolves. Like the Bear Clan, in ancient times, our ancestors were banished by the gods to the Alps to guard them and protect the animals living there, including humans.”

“Oh? You say you were banished to protect the animals, yet you rely on hunting weaker creatures for survival, don’t you?”

“We hunt weak animals, but with great restraint, never disrupting the environment or ecological balance. Humans are different. Your intelligence surpasses ours, but your greed destroys the environment on a large scale and kills animals without restraint.”

“Indeed, some humans are very greedy. They think only of themselves, disregarding the rights of other creatures to survive and develop.”

Lon’s expression turned guilty: “I am ashamed. I did not expect that this time, instead of protecting you, we brought trouble and caused much inconvenience.”
“Chief, don’t think like that. Your willingness to sacrifice for your brothers and accompany us on this mission—your deep loyalty and righteousness—we all feel it.”

Lon smiled and said, “My brother David has actually learned an astonishing set of skills. It really surprised me. Even when he was a child, playing combat games with me, I would deliberately let him win. Father, were these skills all taught to him by you?”

“Ha! Where would I have such incredible skills to teach David? I just gave him a starting point. His comprehension is very high, and he learns extremely fast. The first time he struck, he already took down the Ghost King Anderson.”

“Ghost King Anderson? I think I’ve heard of him. Isn’t he supposed to be a very powerful vampire?”

“Yes! He’s a vampire drowned by his own lust for power.”

Lon laughed and said, “I’m a little puzzled. How come we’ve all gone deep into the Monster Forest and haven’t encountered a single monster?”

“Actually, around the cabin, there are a few monsters secretly observing us. I can sense their presence. However, I speculate that these monsters are not very organized; otherwise, they would have launched a major attack on us long ago.”

“Father, your analysis is reasonable. But it seems that these monsters do not fear us; they fear you. After witnessing the skills of my brother David and his wife, I truly think so.”

Father John smiled and said, “Perhaps! Anyone who wants to defeat David will find it no easy task.”

The sky began to lighten, and the wolf clan brothers inside the cabin were already awake.

The firewood in the yard had just burned out when several giant scorpions gathered, raising their poisonous pincers in a threatening display.

The wolf clan brothers inside heard the commotion and immediately grabbed their weapons and rushed outside.

Father John shouted loudly, “Do not shoot arrows yet!”

It turned out that Lin Xiaoyang and his wife had already combined their swords, linking arms and spinning in midair like a rotating rotary blade. Wherever the swords’ edges touched, the poisonous pincers and massive foreclaws were sliced off. Everyone initially gaped in astonishment, then erupted into thunderous applause. The scorpions at the rear, seeing their companions dismembered and fallen, all turned and fled.

Lon exclaimed loudly, “Truly spectacular! I’ve lived for over three hundred years, and this time my eyes are really opened. I never imagined such incredible martial skills exist in this world!”

Father John said to Stron, “Junior brother, the two-person sword combination of Xiaoyang and his wife, the ‘Yin-Yang Blades,’ should be derived from Taiji boxing, based on the principle of yin and yang generating each other.”

Stron nodded with a smile: “I can see some of the technique as well. Truly, Eastern martial arts are profound and extensive to allow such variations.”

Lin Xiaoyang and his wife landed lightly on the ground, completely unharmed. Everyone crowded around. Lon curiously examined the long saber in Xiaoyang’s hand.

Lon asked, “What metal is this long saber made of? It’s so sharp that it slices through the scorpions’ thick armor as easily as peeling fruit.”

Lin Xiaoyang smiled and said, “It should be forged from tungsten-manganese alloy steel.”

Father John judged: “The monsters watching now have all seen the power of Xiaoyang and his wife. For the time being, we should be relatively safe.”

Stron asked, “Senior brother, how can you be sure of that?”

Father John smiled and said, “These giant beasts have little intelligence. The monsters, however, are different; they calculate the cost of daring to violate us.”

Stron understood and said, “I see! The giant beasts are bold but foolish, while the monsters are intelligent but timid.”

Father John said to Lon, “These giant beasts fear fire. Chief, have the young men carry torches, and the beasts will not dare approach easily.”

Lon responded, “Alright, that’s what we’ll do. I’ll go instruct them.”

Sure enough, for the remainder of the journey, the monsters only monitored from a distance, not daring to act, while the few giant beasts attempting ambushes were easily scared off by the torches.