【Twenty-Nine】The Perilous Monster Forest

After traveling for half a day, the group emerged from Limestone Forest Mountain, and a fir forest shrouded in dense fog came into view before them.

Lang En pointed ahead and shouted, “The Monster Forest is up ahead. Once we enter the forest, everyone must stay on high alert.”

Chen John said, “We’ll enter in a single-file column. Keep your eyes and ears open in every direction, and cover one another.”

The group entered the forest, where their vision was obscured by dense fog, reducing visibility to only three or four meters. Everyone was tense and on edge. Chen John and Stryker drew their demon-subduing magical weapons; Lin Xiaoyang and Huang Minhua stood back-to-back, each holding a long saber and a long sword; some of Lang En’s young warriors carried bows and arrows, while others carried broad-bladed swords, all of them prepared as if facing a formidable enemy.

Fifteen minutes passed, and just as everyone was beginning to relax somewhat, a giant spider suddenly dropped from above and seized a young wolf warrior with its sharp forelegs. The spider’s forelegs pierced into the young warrior’s shoulders, yet he endured the pain and fired an arrow at the spider’s eyes. The arrow struck one of its eyes. With the young warrior clutched between its forelegs, the spider began climbing away along its web. Seeing this, Lin Xiaoyang gathered his internal energy, leaped onto a tree trunk, and pursued it. After several bounding leaps, he landed on the giant spider’s back. With several swift strokes of his long saber, the giant spider fell to the ground, decapitated, blue blood spilling from its body. Xiaoyang wrapped one arm around the young warrior’s waist and back, then lightly stepped and leaped from tree trunk to tree trunk before landing on the ground. Except for Chen John, Stryker, and Huang Minhua, none of the others clearly saw the entire rescue.

Xiaoyang immediately sealed several pressure points on the young warrior’s chest and handed him over to his companions. Lang En hurried over to check on him.

Lin Xiaoyang said, “His injuries are serious. I’ll stop the bleeding for now.”

Lang En pulled a gourd from inside his clothes, poured two pills into his palm, and fed them to the young warrior.

Lang En called out anxiously, “Little Pan, can you hold on?”

The young wolf warrior named Little Pan leaned against his companions and endured the pain. “I—I can, Chief.”

Except for the two wolf warriors supporting Little Pan, everyone else remained on alert.

The group continued forward, with Lin Xiaoyang taking Chen John’s place at the front and leaping between the tree trunks while keeping watch.

Less than fifteen minutes later, a giant centipede suddenly darted out from behind a tree trunk on the left and was about to ambush the companions. The young wolf warriors immediately attacked it head-on with bows and arrows and broad-bladed swords. The giant centipede was struck by several arrows and slashed several times, green blood flowing from multiple wounds. It suddenly became even more vicious and lunged at them. Huang Minhua gathered her internal energy, leaped onto a tree trunk with her long sword, and swept sideways across the giant centipede, cutting it cleanly in half. Then, with a spinning turn, she struck again, cutting the giant centipede into four sections. Seeing Huang Minhua’s swift and precise movements, Chen John and Stryker spontaneously shouted their approval, and the others joined in cheering.

The group remained tense as they continued deeper into the forest. Before long, a small clearing and two little wooden cabins appeared ahead. Chen John and Lang En approached the cabins and saw a line of words carved into a tree trunk beside the doorway. Lang En casually read it aloud: “The monsters inside have already been driven away by me. It is still not advisable to stay here for long! —Rufu.”

Stryker examined Little Pan’s wounds. “The venom from the poisonous spider that attacked him has already spread. He needs immediate surgery.”

Lang En walked over and examined Little Pan’s injuries. He said sadly, “Little Pan, we have to leave you here so you won’t slow everyone else down.”

Little Pan already understood his situation. With a resolute expression, he said, “Chief, don’t worry about me. Hurry and go!”

One of the two young warriors supporting Little Pan said, “Chief, we can’t abandon him at a time like this.”

The other said, “The two of us are willing to stay behind and take care of him.”

Lang En angrily reprimanded them, “Nonsense! At a critical moment like this, you two are letting your emotions get the better of you!”

Lin Xiaoyang tried to ease the tension. “Brother, just let them stay in the cabin for the night and rest. Father Stryker can treat Little Pan’s wounds and neutralize the venom.”

Lang En said, “But brother, Rufu himself said that this place isn’t suitable for staying long. That will put everyone in even greater danger.”

Lin Xiaoyang said confidently, “With Father Chen John and me standing guard, the monsters won’t find it so easy to get the better of us.”

Huang Minhua said, “Honey, I’m staying with you.”

Adono urged her, “Boss Lady, you’d better go inside with everyone. It’s safer.”

Lin Xiaoyang smiled. “Yes. With the abilities you have now, I can rest easy. Adono, you don’t need to worry about her.”

The group then had Chen John and Lang En assign everyone their tasks. Some were responsible for starting fires, while others arranged the beds. Stryker had the two young warriors help Little Pan into the cabin.

As night descended, two fires burned in the open spaces in front of and behind the cabin. Xiaoyang and Minhua, the married couple, guarded the front yard, while Chen John and Lang En guarded the backyard. Adono, Xia Bo, Rona, and Keith took positions on the two sides. The entire cabin was guarded so thoroughly that there was not a single opening to exploit.

Some monsters were attracted by the firelight, but they merely watched from a distance and did not dare approach, because they sensed that this group was far from ordinary. The giant poisonous insects, on the other hand, kept their distance as soon as they saw the firelight.

Lin Xiaoyang and Huang Minhua sat beside the fire, keeping their weapons close at hand as they nibbled on dried rations and chatted.

“If it weren’t for these monsters and giant insects, this forest would probably feel quite romantic.”

Lin Xiaoyang recalled, “When I was little, Wolf Dad always warned me, Lang En, and the other children never to go near Hell Valley. As for this forest, we had only heard our elders say that monsters and giant insects lived inside. Back then, we children really had no concept of what monsters were, and we had never actually seen any giant insects.”

“I was just about to ask you. From your conversation with Lang En, it sounds like he was your childhood playmate.”

“Yes. My whole family originally lived on the edge of the forest. I was only six or seven years old at the time. One day, my father and mother went away on a long trip, and for some reason, they never came back. Lang En was the first person to find me, and then his parents adopted me.”

“The story you’re talking about is about your previous life as David, right?”

“Yes. When I recognized Lang En, I could no longer tell whether I was David or Lin Xiaoyang.”

Lin Xiaoyang said, “It’s quite incredible. It was only after you and I became husband and wife that I gradually began remembering things from my previous life.”

After Stryker performed surgery and treated Little Pan to neutralize the venom, his condition was brought under control.

The forest in the middle of the night was instead unusually quiet. The four groups responsible for keeping watch took turns resting, all of them remaining outside the cabin.

Chen John and Lang En chatted, and the two quickly became friendly. They sat beside the fire and talked.

“Chief, when I first discovered that your people were following us, I was actually pretty worried.”

“Our wolf clan has always been wary of humans, but we rarely attack humans who enter the mountains on our own initiative, unless they harbor malicious intentions.”

“That’s true. Mama Bear said the same thing at the inn that night. But I’m curious. Why do members of your wolf clan live several times longer than we do?”

“I know what you’re wondering, Father. We are not ordinary wolves. Just like the bear clan, in ancient times our ancestors were exiled by the gods to the Alps. The purpose was to guard the Alps and protect the animals living in these mountains, including humans.”

“Oh? You say that your people were exiled here by the gods to protect the animals, but you have always relied on hunting weaker animals for survival, haven’t you?”

“We hunt weaker animals, but we are quite restrained. We never destroy the environment or disrupt the ecological balance here. Humans are different. Your intelligence and wisdom far surpass ours, but because of your greed, you not only destroy the environment on a massive scale, you also kill animals without restraint.”

“That’s true. Some humans are extremely greedy. They often think only of themselves and refuse to respect the fact that other animals also have the right to survive and develop.”

Lang En said with an ashamed expression, “It’s embarrassing to admit it, but this time, not only did we fail to protect you, we actually caused you trouble and added quite a few difficulties to your journey.”

“Chief, don’t think that way. You were willing to make sacrifices for your brother and accompany us on this mission. We all felt your loyalty and deep affection.”

Lang En smiled. “My brother David actually learned such astonishing skills. It truly exceeded my expectations. Although when we were kids and he practiced fighting with me, I always deliberately let him win. Father, were these skills all taught to him by you?”

“Ha! How could I possibly be skilled enough to teach David all that? I merely helped him get started. He has tremendous natural ability and learned extremely quickly. The first time he took action, he defeated the Ghost King Anderson.”

“Ghost King Anderson? I think I’ve heard of that fellow. Wasn’t he a very powerful vampire?”

“Yes. He was a vampire who drowned in his own lust for power.”

Lang En said with a laugh, “I’m a little puzzled. How is it that we’ve already gone so deep into Monster Forest, yet we haven’t encountered a single monster?”

“Actually, there are several monsters around the cabin secretly watching us. I can sense their presence. However, I suspect that these monsters are not very well organized. Otherwise, they would have launched a large-scale attack against us already.”

“The priest’s analysis makes sense. But the monsters seem to be afraid not of us, but of you. After witnessing the skills of my brother David and his wife, that’s certainly what I think.”

Chen John smiled. “Perhaps. Anyone who wants to defeat David will probably find it quite difficult.”

The sky was beginning to brighten, and the wolf warriors inside the cabin had already gotten up.

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

Hearing the commotion, the wolf warriors inside the cabin immediately grabbed their weapons and rushed outside.

Chen John shouted, “Don’t shoot yet!”

It turned out that Lin Xiaoyang and Huang Minhua had already combined their sword and saber techniques. With their arms linked, they spun through the air like a rotating cutting wheel. Wherever the edges of their blades swept, the poisonous pincers and enormous claws of the scorpions were sliced off one after another. Everyone stared in stunned silence at first, then erupted into thunderous applause. Seeing their companions in front of them dismembered and killed, the poisonous scorpions farther back immediately turned around and fled.

Lang En shouted in admiration, “Absolutely spectacular! Absolutely spectacular! I’ve lived for more than three hundred years, and this is truly an eye-opening experience. Who would have thought that such incredible martial arts could exist in this world?”

Chen John said to Stryker, “Junior Brother, this sword-and-saber dual technique used by Xiaoyang and his wife seems to have evolved from Taiji martial arts, based on the principle of yin and yang generating and complementing each other.”

Stryker nodded with a smile. “I can see some of the principles behind it too. But to be able to transform Taiji martial arts into something like this, Eastern martial arts truly are profound and extensive.”

Lin Xiaoyang and Huang Minhua lightly descended to the ground without a scratch. Everyone gathered around them, while Lang En curiously examined the long saber in Xiaoyang’s hand.

Lang En asked, “What kind of metal is this long saber made from? It’s incredibly sharp. Cutting through the scorpions’ thick armor is like slicing through fruit skin.”

Lin Xiaoyang smiled. “It should be made of tungsten-manganese alloy steel.”

Chen John judged, “All those monsters watching us have seen the strength of Xiaoyang and his wife. We probably won’t have much danger to worry about for the time being.”

Stryker asked, “What makes you say that, Senior Brother?”

Chen John smiled. “These giant insects may not have much intelligence, but monsters are different. They know how to calculate the price they would have to pay if they dared to attack us.”

Stryker understood. “I get it! The giant insects have courage but no sense, while the monsters have sense but no courage.”

Chen John said to Lang En, “These giant insects are afraid of fire. Chief, have the young men carry torches. The giant insects won’t dare approach easily.”

Lang En replied, “All right, we’ll do that. I’ll go give them the order.”

Sure enough, during the journey that followed, the monsters along the way only dared to watch from the sidelines, while the giant insects that came to attack numbered only a handful and were easily frightened away by the torches.