Chapter 7

Xiao Qiu ran as fast as he could, his legs almost not belonging to him anymore. The giant snake's head seemed to be chasing right behind him, its long tongue tightly pressed against his back.

He was a brave young boy, but he had never seen such a scene. Wild Forest Town was a remote and peaceful place where demons and monsters were nothing more than absurd legends. The first appearance of a real entity could not help but make one's soul fly apart.

Flexible branches whipped his face, and the ground was full of intertwined obstacles, but these did not stop Xiao Qiu. He ran forward desperately, not caring about direction or whether there was a path ahead. After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly realized that there was someone behind him.

Fang Fang was running with him, her speed not at all like that of a well-mannered daughter of a scholar. She had no other choice, as their right wrists were still tied together by a long rope that, miraculously, had not gotten tangled in the trees.

Xiao Qiu turned his head, and the two looked at each other. Neither slowed down, as they were too shocked to show any emotion in their eyes, as if they were just strangers who happened to run together.

Their feet suddenly lost their footing, and before they could understand what was happening, they were already rolling down the hillside.

This was a long, shady slope, covered with layers of old and new leaves, emitting a unique decaying fragrance of the forest. The leaves were soft to the touch.

Finally, they reached the bottom. Xiao Qiu and Fang Fang sat on the ground, dazed and disoriented, covered in dirt and dead leaves. They panted heavily and looked at each other again, neither able to stand up.

Fortunately, the giant snake did not follow. Xiao Qiu mustered his courage and looked back, seeing only a thick layer of broken branches and dead leaves, with nothing moving above. He felt a slight relief, but his fear did not lessen much.

Fang Fang was terrified, her eyes fixed on Xiao Qiu. When her breathing became more even, she suddenly asked, "Did you really dream about me?"

"Huh?" Xiao Qiu didn't understand Fang Fang's meaning at first. After a moment, he remembered that Da Liang had leaked the secret last night, saying he had dreamed about Fang Fang asking for help. But he didn't understand why she was asking this at such a critical moment. "Yes... I dreamed..."

Before he could finish, a rustling sound came from above. Xiao Qiu, somehow finding a burst of strength, grabbed Fang Fang and rolled a few times, hiding behind the nearest tree.

The two clung tightly to each other, peering fearfully at the slope.

Thud, a person fell to the bottom of the slope. It was Er Shuan, as dazed as Xiao Qiu and Fang Fang had been, only able to sit and not stand.

Thud, thud... One after another, people rolled down from above, like ripe fruits falling from the trees. The young people of Wild Forest Town tumbled down one by one.

Xiao Qiu felt a bit more at ease and managed to stand up. He pulled Fang Fang out from behind the tree and asked, "Is the giant snake still chasing us?"

This simple question almost drove the young people into a frenzy. Half of them jumped up, and the other half lay on the ground, hugging their heads and trembling, wishing they could bury their heads in the decaying leaves.

When they realized it was Xiao Qiu who spoke, the young people softened and lay on the ground, spreading their limbs.

"You two ran really fast," Er Shuan said, half in doubt and half in admiration.

"Where is the giant snake?" Xiao Qiu asked again.

"I don't know. We just kept running and never looked back," Da Liang said, out of breath, his face pale.

Xiao Qiu counted the heads, "Da Liang, Er Liang, Er Shuan, Lengzi, Xiao Gou, Xiao Shun, Zhu Zi, all here, except... Tou Zi."

Da Liang said in a trembling voice, "Tou Zi, Tou Zi couldn't have been killed by the giant snake, could he?"

"He was smiling at us from behind the tree, so he should be alive," Er Shuan said uncertainly. Tou Zi's smile was too strange, a bad omen.

"The Xuanfu Army is still behind. They can defeat the giant snake," Xiao Qiu said, though he wasn't sure. Recalling the snake, it was so large that it seemed capable of swallowing the entire Wild Forest Town.

The young people nodded, more to give themselves some confidence. They would rather be prisoners of the Xuanfu Army than lunch for the giant snake.

"We can't stay here. We need to run further," Xiao Qiu said. Even if the Xuanfu Army defeated the giant snake, they would still catch and punish them. He hoped never to see those black-armored soldiers again.

The young people only wanted to get away from the giant snake, so they helped each other up, barely standing. They didn't know where they were in the forest or the path, and were discussing what to do when a sound came from the slope again.

A horse flew high in the air, and after landing, it stumbled, and a rider fell off, rolling down to the young people. The horse ignored its owner and ran away.

It was the stern officer, still fully clad in black armor, lying face down, his condition unknown.

The young people watched him motionless, unsure how to handle this unexpected situation.

The officer moved, and a groan came from the helmet.

Xiao Qiu was the first to react, leaping forward, but he realized he still held Fang Fang's hand. Their right arms were tied together, so Fang Fang could only stand behind him. Xiao Qiu tried to bite the rope, but it was too tight, and he couldn't break it.

Da Liang and Er Liang were the first to pounce, followed by Er Shuan and the others. They worked together, holding legs and pressing bodies, subduing the officer. Er Liang quickly removed the helmet.

"Hey, it's just a young boy."

The last bit of respect the young people of Wild Forest Town had for the officer disappeared. They stripped him of his black armor, each piece finding a new owner.

Er Shuan cheered, grabbing the officer's long sword from his waist. He pulled it out, admiring it in the sunlight and showing it to his friends, forgetting most of his fear of the snake demon.

The young people gathered around to admire the sword, which was three feet long, with a white blade and a black body, forming a striking contrast.

"There are words engraved on it," Da Liang said enviously.

Indeed, a row of strange characters was engraved on the black blade, so fine that they were hard to see without the sunlight. No one could recognize the specific content.

"Fang Fang knows more words. Let her see what it says," Da Liang said.

Er Shuan held the sword with both hands, extending it in front of his waist.

Fang Fang stepped out from behind Xiao Qiu, looked down for a moment, and said softly, "I don't recognize them either. They might be talismans."

The young people nodded in understanding. "This sword must be very valuable," Er Shuan's face lit up. "I heard that the most ordinary talismans on paper can sell for over ten taels of silver. This sword must be worth hundreds of taels."

Hundreds of taels of silver were a huge fortune to the young people of Wild Forest Town, enough to last a lifetime. They marveled and didn't even care what the talismans were.

"Move aside, I want to try the sword. Xiao Qiu, Fang Fang, stay back. I'll cut the rope."

Everyone immediately scattered, and Xiao Qiu and Fang Fang stood one in front of the other, pulling the rope as tight as possible.

Er Shuan raised the sword with both hands and swung it down. The rope broke, and he took a step forward, almost falling. He didn't care, "What a good sword. I didn't even feel the resistance of the rope."

"He might have other good things on him," Da Liang pointed to the officer on the ground. This time, he was the first to rush forward and began a thorough search.

Xiao Qiu, now free, joined the other young people in the search. Fang Fang stayed behind, patiently untying the rope on her wrist. Er Shuan didn't move, still admiring the sword, not caring about anything else.

In no time, the young people had divided the officer's equipment among themselves. The helmet, black armor, silk ribbons, sashes, leather bags, and some small items hidden inside the armor all found new owners.

Er Liang cheered, finding a set of fire-making tools, more delicate and better than his own.

Xiao Qiu was a step behind but had sharp eyes. He found a dagger, which looked ordinary with a wooden handle, but when he pulled it out, it shone brightly, with a flat, oval red gem embedded in the blade, radiating light. Even someone who knew nothing about jewels could see its value.

Xiao Qiu freed his right wrist and helped Fang Fang untie her rope, feeling very happy because the dagger was not only beautiful but also very sharp.

Lengzi was the only one dissatisfied. He only got the helmet, which he put on his head, but couldn't see anything. "The Xuanfu Army can wear it without any problem, but why am I blind?"

Da Liang held a stack of about ten papers, flipping through them. "Are these talismans? How much are they worth?"

Er Shuan glanced at them, "Look at the strokes, all crooked. They're not worth much. Keep them for wiping your butt."

Da Liang was unwilling to part with them and carefully hid them in his chest.

Everyone was admiring their new treasures, except for Fang Fang, who was the first to notice the officer sitting up.

The officer was also a young boy, not much older than Xiao Qiu, with clear features and fine, soft inner clothing, which even the richest Shen family in Wild Forest Town couldn't provide many of.

At this moment, his expression was not stern at all, but full of confusion. He looked down at his body without armor, frowned, and suddenly jumped up and ran.

Fang Fang called out, and the young people rushed forward again. Xiao Qiu ran to the front, leaped, and tackled the officer to the ground, pinning him down. "Bring the rope."

There was still a long piece of rope left, and Xiao Qiu tied the officer's hands behind his back.

The officer turned over, spat out the dead leaves in his mouth, and finally realized he was not in the snake demon's belly but in the hands of a group of poor boys. "Let me go," he ordered.

Without the black armor to protect him, his voice sounded young and couldn't scare the young people of Wild Forest Town.

"I declare that from now on, you are our prisoner," Xiao Qiu waved the dagger. "Tell us, what is the seed of evil? Why did the giant snake come to Wild Forest Town?"

"Do you know who I am?" The officer shook his body, his voice full of contempt and threat, not answering Xiao Qiu's question.

"You are a fool," Xiao Qiu grabbed the officer's collar. "And a coward. Where are the other Xuanfu Army soldiers? Where is the giant snake? As an officer, did you run away by yourself?"

The young officer's face changed abruptly. "The snake demon! The snake demon is right behind us. Give me back my things."

No one was willing to return their treasures. The people of Wild Forest Town were simple, and in a few years, the young people would become law-abiding under the influence and teachings of their parents. But now, they followed the simplest rule: whoever got it, it belonged to them.

"The seed of evil... the seed of evil is a very terrifying thing," the officer said, hoping to scare the wild young people. "Just touching a tiny bit of the seed of evil can turn beasts into demons. Humans... will lose their nature, not recognizing their relatives, feeling no pain, and even eating themselves..."

The officer made an exaggerated expression, which truly frightened the young people of Wild Forest Town. As if to verify his words, a sound came from the top of the slope, and soon, an empty black helmet rolled down, covered in blood inside and out.