The violent wind and snow stopped in an instant.
The mountaintop fell completely silent. Xiao Bangchui suddenly felt that something was wrong. She looked around and realised that all the people who had originally crowded the summit had vanished. On the snow-covered peak, only she remained.
Startled, she could not help calling out, “Gelin? Lei Xiuyuan? …Ye Ye?”
There was no answer. Dense, tiny snowflakes blocked her vision like summer mosquitoes. This strange change was probably some immortal technique she did not understand.
The only place left before her was the thatched hut with its door wide open. Xiao Bangchui hesitated for a moment, then finally made up her mind and walked quickly inside. Just like when she had boarded the carriage yesterday, the moment she stepped into the hut, the scenery around her changed again. The snow-covered summit became a dense forest shrouded in dark clouds.
She stood beneath a huge pagoda tree. The light was extremely dim. The sky, hidden by thick branches and leaves, was grey and murky. She could not tell whether mist or poisonous miasma filled the entire forest. It seemed even colours were impossible to distinguish.
A figure moved behind the pagoda tree. The long-absent black-veiled woman quietly appeared from nowhere and said in a low voice, “You have one day and one night. If you can safely walk out of this forest before noon tomorrow, you will have passed the second selection.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a small blue-flowered cloth bundle suddenly appeared before Xiao Bangchui. The black-veiled woman continued, “You must find water and food yourselves. Inside the bundle are three talismans each of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Use them as you see fit. Remember, the time limit is before noon tomorrow.”
Before her voice had even faded, her figure scattered like smoke.
Xiao Bangchui opened the blue-flowered cloth bundle. Inside was indeed a stack of talisman papers. They were a little different from the ones her master usually used: larger, and of various colours. The patterns of the talismans faintly shimmered with flowing light. At a glance, one could tell they were countless times more powerful than ordinary cinnabar talismans.
Xiao Bangchui put the talismans away and looked around. In this grey forest, there was no way to tell the time. The so-called “before noon tomorrow” was perhaps also a test of their judgement. She did not know where the others were. Beneath the pagoda tree, there was only her. There was no path in the forest. Without a certain sense of direction, it would be easy to go around in circles. Fortunately, she had grown up in the mountains. Compared to the enormous forest where she had lived, this grey forest before her could only count as a small front yard.
She put her finger in her mouth and sucked on it. Her damp finger soon sensed that a faint wind was blowing from the east. Where there was wind, it proved there must be open terrain to the east. Xiao Bangchui left with light steps.
The forest was very quiet. Occasionally, there were a few sounds, but they were only the cries of unknown birds. Among the messy trees, there would sometimes grow a kind of grass with extremely long, thin leaves. When the root of this grass was cut open, a large amount of clear water would flow out. Xiao Bangchui spent a long time gathering bits and pieces of it and eventually filled a leather water pouch. It was enough for one day and one night.
Judging from the colour of the leaves, there probably would not be any fruit on the trees. She could only search around for edible grass roots and tree roots. Xiao Bangchui thought of the unfinished plate of dried tofu from this morning and regretted not bringing it with her. She was hungry.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound in the bushes. Right after that, a plump grey rabbit jumped out. Its hind leg was covered in blood, as if it had been injured. In its panic, it bounded towards Xiao Bangchui.
“Where do you think you’re running?!” a voice suddenly rang out from the bushes.
With a swish, a talisman shot out like an arrow and stuck perfectly to the grey rabbit’s back. In an instant, several beams of golden light descended from the sky and pierced into the rabbit’s body. It rolled over once and died stiffly on the ground.
“Hey! That’s the rabbit I caught!” The voice from the bushes was very arrogant. Branches and leaves were forcefully pushed aside, and a richly dressed little boy walked out. The two came face to face and both cried out, “Ah!”
It was actually the boy she had slapped with the silver ingot.
The moment he saw Xiao Bangchui, a trace of panic first appeared in his eyes. But very quickly, it turned into shock. He pointed at her, almost jumping up. “You’re actually pretending to be a woman?! Disgusting!”
His face was full of revulsion and disdain as he hurried forward to pick up the rabbit, strongly emphasising, “This is my rabbit!”
Xiao Bangchui did not want to bother with him and turned to continue on her way. Unexpectedly, he called anxiously from behind, “Y-you, wait!”
Xiao Bangchui looked back. The boy seemed to want to come closer, but when he saw the women’s clothes she was wearing, he backed away in disgust. “Are you, are you, are you a boy or a girl?! Answer m—answer me!”
“You’re not blind,” Xiao Bangchui replied coldly.
The expression on the boy’s face immediately became strange. He looked her up and down, and the look of dislike on his face grew even stronger. After a while, he asked, “Have you seen anyone else?”
Xiao Bangchui shook her head and turned to keep walking.
“Wait!” he called again.
“Say everything in one go if you’ve got something to say,” Xiao Bangchui snapped impatiently, cracking her fingers.
The boy quickly retreated a step and waved his hand. “Fine, don’t get violent! My talismans are almost used up. Do you still have any? I’m willing to buy them!”
“I’m not short of silver,” she refused immediately.
The boy’s expression dimmed slightly. Then he shook the grey rabbit in his hand. “I’ll trade this for them!”
“I don’t eat meat.”
He was completely speechless. From childhood until now, he, Ji Tongzhou, had never suffered this kind of anger. If this were any ordinary time, he would have whipped this unruly commoner half to death. But since entering the forest, he had not met even half a person. Those lackeys who usually surrounded him, flattered him, and tried to please him had disappeared to who knew where. After finally meeting someone, it had to be this neither-male-nor-female commoner. It was truly infuriating!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He turned around and left. He refused to believe his luck was so bad that, apart from her, he would not meet anyone else.
After only a few steps, he discovered that his luck had turned. A little girl was hurrying towards him from the opposite direction. He quickly shouted, “Hey! You over there! Come here!”
The girl rushing forward seemed not to hear him. As she ran, her hands waved wildly, making her look rather eerie. As she drew nearer and nearer, her faint crying and shouting became clearly audible.
“Help! Mother! Help…”
This strange scene made Ji Tongzhou suck in a cold breath. Without warning, Xiao Bangchui rushed over from the side and grabbed the little girl by the shoulder.
“Hey…” he instinctively wanted to stop her.
Xiao Bangchui held the girl’s shoulders and turned her around. Terrifyingly, purple-black smoke was billowing out from the girl’s eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. It looked extremely frightening. The girl’s cries grew softer and softer. Finally, her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.
“…What is that?” Ji Tongzhou asked in a trembling voice.
Xiao Bangchui did not speak. She laid the girl flat on the ground. The purple-black smoke continued to pour out in streams, and soon it turned into the colourless mist of the forest.
Was this miasma? The girl could not withstand the miasma!
Xiao Bangchui instinctively held her breath and jumped away like a rabbit. Before long, a faint blue light came from the girl’s body. She gradually became transparent, then finally disappeared before their eyes.
So this was what elimination looked like? The forest was filled with miasma. Children who could not resist it would be bewitched by it and eventually fall completely unconscious, resulting in elimination.
The two children standing there in a daze could not help looking at each other. Ji Tongzhou suddenly said, “…Shall we go together?”
Xiao Bangchui did not speak. Perhaps because she had been constantly using the breathing method taught by that mysterious old sir, she felt nothing from the terrifying miasma. The arrogant and domineering child opposite her was not simple either. It seemed he was not just an embroidered pillow stuffed with straw. He did have some real ability.
She pulled out a few talismans and handed them to him. “One of each of the five elements. Use them sparingly.”
She had silently agreed to the suggestion of travelling together. In a forest with miasma, there would certainly be monsters. Two people were safer than one.
“…What’s your name?” Ji Tongzhou asked awkwardly. Deep down, he disdained making the acquaintance of a commoner like Xiao Bangchui. But circumstances forced them to travel together, so they at least had to exchange names.
“Xiao Bangchui.”
“…Really?” Was she joking? Could there really be someone in the world with such a stupid name?
“Really.”
Ji Tongzhou still did not believe her, but he could not bring himself to make up some random name like “Little Mallet” or “Little Hammer” for himself, so he could only tell the truth. “My surname is Ji, the Ji from discipline. My given name is Tongzhou, Tong as in parasol tree, Zhou as in heavenly cycle. My courtesy name is—”
“No need to explain that clearly. I won’t have any chance to write your name.”
She interrupted him mercilessly.
“You!!”
Forget it. He would not waste words arguing with a commoner. He would endure it!
Who knew how much longer they walked. The trees grew denser and denser until there was hardly any place to step. Behind her, the boy’s breathing and footsteps became heavier and heavier. Surprisingly, he had quite a bit of perseverance. He never complained or shouted that he wanted to rest.
Xiao Bangchui wiped her sweat. She was exhausted too. Earlier, she had underestimated this forest. She had not expected to walk for so long without seeing any sign that they were close to getting out. Calculating the time, it was probably almost dark. But this place was still grey and foggy; sure enough, there was no way to tell the sky’s colour. At this rate, they might have to travel through the night.
A burst of crying came from the distance. It sounded strangely familiar.
Xiao Bangchui looked back at Ji Tongzhou. He nodded. “Let’s go take a look.”
The closer they got, the more familiar the crying sounded. Xiao Bangchui pushed aside the annoying branches and leaves in front of her, and the view suddenly opened up. Opposite them seemed to be a clearing in the forest. Three or four dead monsters lay there, black smoke rising from their bodies.
And the source of the crying was none other than that crybaby, Lei Xiuyuan. He was sitting opposite the monsters, sobbing so hard he could barely breathe. Anyone who did not know the situation might think the dead person was his father.
“Lei Xiuyuan.”
Xiao Bangchui called his name.
Lei Xiuyuan turned his head blankly. When he saw Xiao Bangchui, he cried even harder.
“Boss… wuwuwu… these monsters… these monsters wanted to eat me…” he accused them as if his heart had been shattered.
Xiao Bangchui really could not help sighing. “…They’re already dead. Did you do this?”
The corpses were giving off black smoke, so they had probably been struck by lightning. He had clearly used his talismans quite well, and he had even killed the monsters. She had no idea why he was crying like this. Besides, his crying sounded rather full of energy, so it seemed he was also quite capable of resisting the miasma in the forest.
Lei Xiuyuan rubbed his eyes and nodded. After finally stopping his tears and standing up, he caught sight of Ji Tongzhou behind Xiao Bangchui. He choked again and murmured, “You… you…”
Ji Tongzhou had long since grown impatient. Because of Xiao Bangchui, he did not dare lose his temper, so he could only frown and say, “What?!”
Lei Xiuyuan looked at him, then glanced at Xiao Bangchui, muttering as if he did not know what to say.
“The forest is full of miasma, and there may be monsters too. It’s safer to travel together,” Xiao Bangchui said. After making sure he was not injured, she added, “All right, it’s getting late. Let’s find somewhere sheltered from the wind, rest for a while, and then keep moving.”
Ji Tongzhou said anxiously, “We’re not sleeping?”
“If we sleep, we might not make it in time.”
Ji Tongzhou muttered a few complaints, but could only follow behind unwillingly.
Lei Xiuyuan quietly walked to Xiao Bangchui’s side and whispered, “Boss, are you hungry?”
Hungry. She was practically starving to death. But she still had not found any edible grass roots or tree roots.
Lei Xiuyuan secretly stuffed a piece of dried tofu into her hand. “Here. I didn’t finish this at breakfast and secretly packed it in my bag.”
Dried tofu!
Xiao Bangchui could not help swallowing. The piece of dried tofu in her hand was thick. If she ate it, her empty stomach would definitely feel much better. But…
“What about you? Do you have anything to eat?”
“I already ate. And I have this.” Lei Xiuyuan pulled a grey wild goose from his bulging sleeve. “When we rest later, we can roast it and eat it together.”
Xiao Bangchui shook her head. “I don’t eat meat.”
She looked back at Ji Tongzhou. His face was a little pale, and he was probably exhausted too. He was still gripping the rabbit in his hand tightly, and from the look in his eyes, he seemed like he wanted to eat it raw.
She tore the dried tofu into two pieces and handed one to Ji Tongzhou. “Eat some. Hold on.”
Ji Tongzhou looked incredulous. But when he saw the dirty piece of dried tofu, he felt disgusted. Besides, it had been given to him by two little beggars. Still, he was so hungry that he was almost seeing stars. After freezing for a long while, he suddenly snatched the dried tofu, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it without even chewing.
“Ugh…”
The dried tofu had a strange smell. It must have been the smell of those two beggars. Ji Tongzhou’s stomach churned.
This piece of dried tofu really did have a miraculous effect. He no longer felt hungry. Not only was he no longer hungry, he even felt a little like throwing up…
After walking for a short while, Xiao Bangchui suddenly quickened her pace. She had seen a huge maple tree. Maple sap was edible. Although it was not as filling as grass roots or tree roots, at least it could ease the hunger a little.
“Let’s rest here.”
She walked around the tree once and chose a place sheltered from the wind. Then she bent down to gather withered grass, rotten leaves, and dry branches. Very quickly, she made two small piles.
Ji Tongzhou generously took out his fire striker and lit both fires. The grey rabbit and grey goose were roughly plucked, skinned, and cleaned before being placed over the fire to roast. The children sat against the tree, with food about to be ready in front of them. At last, they could let out a long breath.
Xiao Bangchui took out a small knife and dug hard into the tree. After digging for a long time, she made a hole. Soon, pale golden sap slowly seeped out of it. Xiao Bangchui cupped it in her hands and lowered her head to drink a few mouthfuls.
It was not like ordinary maple sap, which was so sweet it became cloying. This flavour was light, but very fragrant. Xiao Bangchui’s spirits lifted. She happily drank a bellyful of sap, then used leaves to dip some sap and smear it over the rabbit and the grey goose.
“What are you putting on my rabbit?!” Ji Tongzhou was startled and hurriedly snatched his rabbit back.
“Maple sap.” Xiao Bangchui threw away the leaf. “You’d better turn it over. It’s about to burn.”
He looked down and found that half the rabbit really was almost charred. He hurriedly turned it over clumsily. As the skin and meat smeared with maple sap roasted over the fire, it gradually gave off an extremely sweet and rich fragrance. Even he, who had grown up with fine clothes and exquisite food, was tempted by the smell. He had never smelled anything so delicious…
Damn it. How could something so crude smell this good? It had to be because he was too hungry!
The grey goose was soon cooked. Lei Xiuyuan tore off a leg and handed it to Xiao Bangchui. “Boss, you can’t not eat meat. Your strength won’t keep up. This is for you.”
Xiao Bangchui still shook her head. “I don’t eat meat.”
She had been unable to eat meat since she was little. No kind of meat worked. She did not know whether it was her constitution or some other problem. When she was small and ignorant, as long as she ate even a little meat during a meal, she would definitely vomit up everything she had eaten before. Later, when she grew older, she had forced herself to eat meat too. But every time she held it in her mouth, an instinctive disgust would rise up, and she had to spit it out immediately. She could not control it at all.
Fortunately, even though she ate only vegetarian food and no meat, her body was not sickly. Instead, she was much tougher than other children. Gradually, her master stopped caring about this strange picky habit of hers. If he wanted to eat meat, he could only eat outside alone. At home, there was not the slightest bit of meat or fish to be found.
So she really did not eat meat. She was not deliberately opposing him…
Ji Tongzhou was happily gnawing on a rabbit leg. This barbaric and vulgar way of eating was a first for him. At this moment, he desperately hoped no one he knew would pass by and see him. Otherwise, he would lose face for eight lifetimes.
Xiao Bangchui rolled leaves into little cones, filled them with water, and handed one to each person. Ji Tongzhou had already been surprised too many times today and no longer had the energy to be surprised. He accepted the water and drank it down greedily. The water actually tasted quite sweet, cold and refreshing to the heart.
Xiao Bangchui divided the remaining water in her leather pouch between the two of them, then continued digging up grass roots and collecting clear water. It took a long while before she filled the pouch again.
When she looked back, Lei Xiuyuan and Ji Tongzhou, both full from eating and drinking, had fallen asleep leaning against the tree. This forest hid danger everywhere, yet they could still fall asleep. She could not sleep. She had to hold on.
“Boss…”
Lei Xiuyuan, who was beside her, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at her quietly.
“Can I ask you a few questions?”
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