Chapter 8

The young boys took off running, still unable to determine their direction, instinctively heading downhill to conserve some of their energy. Xiaoqiu, Daliang, and Erlang, who had grown up herding in the woods and were more familiar with the terrain, led the way.

After an unknown amount of time, even the most agile Xiaoqiu could no longer run and collapsed on the ground. Even if a giant snake appeared overhead, ready to eat him, he wouldn't budge.

Daliang and Erlang also fell, gasping for breath.

Fangfang, surprisingly, did not fall behind. She was supported by some force, staying within five steps of Xiaoqiu. Her face was pale with fear, but she didn't fall; instead, she slowly sat down.

The next to arrive was the young officer, his hands bound, but without the burden of armor, his strong survival instinct made him run faster than most of the boys.

Not long after, the others caught up. The heavy "spoils of war" were mostly discarded along the way. The last to arrive was Ershuan, who still clung to the long sword, refusing to let go.

They had entered the depths of the dense forest, where the ground was almost devoid of wild grass, covered only by a thick layer of dead leaves. The sky was obscured, and it was already dusk outside.

This place seemed more like where demons would frequent, but no one suggested moving on.

After a long while, Erlang was the first to speak, "I'm about to starve to death."

He reminded everyone of a more real pain than the snake demon. Several stomachs seemed to understand his words and began to rumble one after another.

Even Xiaoqiu, who was accustomed to roaming the forest, couldn't find any edible wild fruit in this desolate dense forest. He struggled to stand up and looked around, "We need to find that stream first."

Ershuan, sitting on the ground, shook his head, "How do we find it?"

"Everyone goes in different directions, marking the way as you go, and then come back. Maybe we'll find something," Xiaoqiu suggested.

Ershuan shook his head even faster, "I won't go alone. That snake... We're not even enough to fill its teeth."

Mentioning the giant snake demon, the boys became alert. No one dared to go alone, and even two or three together didn't feel safe; they just wanted to stay together.

The young officer, now devoid of any authority, had his smooth clothes more damaged than the others, his face covered in sweat and dirt, but his eyes still held a look of disdain, "Now you know how terrifying the snake demon is. I have a way to safely get out of the forest."

"You?" Xiaoqiu stood in front of him with his hands on his hips, "If you had a way, you would have escaped long ago."

The officer stood up, about the same height as Xiaoqiu, not particularly muscular, "That's because my things were taken from me."

"That wasn't stealing; you're a criminal, so the things naturally belong to us. Just like when you captured us, you took our things," Xiaoqiu immediately countered, and the boys agreed with him. Even though the "spoils of war" had been discarded, they insisted on their simple rights.

The officer had a lot to say, but it all turned into a short snort. He always considered himself an adult and was unwilling to argue with children, "Fine, the things are yours, but can you use them?" His gaze swept over the group, landing on Daliang, "Do you still have the talismans?"

"Talismans?" Daliang felt around his body and pulled out a stack of paper, "These are talismans? How much are they worth?"

The officer didn't answer Daliang's question, his gaze shifting between Xiaoqiu and Ershuan, trying to determine who was the leader. Finally, he said to Xiaoqiu, "Give me the talismans, and I'll lead you away from the snake demon and out of the forest. I think that snake is a bit strange, maybe it's already been invaded by a demon seed. The farther away from it, the better."

"Why didn't you use the talismans at the beginning?" Xiaoqiu was deeply wary of the young officer and remembered his fierce attitude towards him and Fangfang.

The officer's dirty face remained unchanged, "Well... Talismans can only be used to avoid demons, not to kill them. Give them back to me, the snake demon will eventually catch up, and this isn't a place to stay long."

Xiaoqiu extended his hand to Daliang, "Give them to me."

Daliang hesitated, "There are several. All to you?"

"Temporarily, I'll keep them, but they'll still be yours later."

Daliang finally handed them to Xiaoqiu with some reassurance.

Xiaoqiu counted them—twelve talismans. The paper was white with a slight yellow tinge, and the talisman symbols were pitch black, as fresh as if they had just been written. He didn't recognize the symbols, let alone the complex talisman symbols, "Tell me which one to use and how to use it."

The officer laughed, "You're joking. Even the most ordinary talisman can't be used by someone like you. Besides, these are high-quality talismans..."

"What's wrong with someone like us? Do we have fewer arms or legs? You were also captured by us as a criminal."

The officer slowly shook his head, but seeing the unfriendly gazes around him, he changed his tone, "The third one is an invisibility talisman, and the seventh one is a directional talisman. Hold it between your index and middle fingers, flick it up and down, but not too hard. If the talisman can burn, it will release the spell. If it doesn't burn, it means you can't use it."

Xiaoqiu picked out the seventh one and flicked it several times as the officer described, but the talisman only made a rustling sound, without a single spark.

"I'll try," Erlang said, but the result was the same. The boys took turns trying, and the talisman remained intact, not burning as the officer had said.

Fangfang peeked out from behind Xiaoqiu and whispered, "The talisman doesn't seem to be used that way."

"Do you know how to use it?" Ershuan, who was getting impatient, handed the talisman to Fangfang.

Fangfang didn't take it, "I don't know either, but I read a book that said talismans need to be burned with a special fire, not flicked around."

Ershuan turned to the officer, saying angrily, "Is it fun to lie? Hand over the special fire."

The officer's trick was exposed, but he didn't care, lecturing, "The special fire can't be handed over; you have to learn to use it yourself. For someone like you... it might take ten years to learn, if you're smart."

Ershuan punched the officer, knocking him down, then mounted him, hitting him with both fists, "For lying..."

The boys were stunned, and Fangfang, frightened, hid behind Xiaoqiu. After a while, Daliang and the others pulled Ershuan away.

Ershuan gave one last kick and said, "For lying."

The officer lay still, and Daliang bent down to look, raising his head timidly, "He seems dead."

The mention of "dead" changed the atmosphere immediately. Even Ershuan was a bit scared, swallowing his saliva, muttering something inaudible.

Daliang checked the officer's nose, "He's still breathing, just unconscious."

Ershuan, angry, tried to hit him again but was held back by his friends.

"Rest first, and we'll talk when he wakes up," Xiaoqiu said.

The boys split into two groups, with Xiaoqiu, Fangfang, Daliang, and Erlang on one side, and Ershuan, Lengzi, Xiaogou, Zhuzi, and Xiaoshun on the other. They didn't usually play together and now felt a bit distant.

As the sky grew darker and true night fell, the forest became even more ominous. Xiaoqiu stood up, "Let's start a fire first."

The boys, at a loss, waited for someone to tell them what to do. They immediately stood up, gathering some dry branches nearby, and gathered them in a pile. Daliang took out the newly acquired fire-making tools, striking the flint with the fire striker, igniting the tinder, and carefully lighting the campfire.

The flames gradually grew, and the heat and light dispelled much of the boys' fear, but no one wanted to speak, and no one knew what to do next.

"Are you looking for death?" The officer finally woke up, his first words full of contempt, as if the beating had no effect on him.

"What did you say?" Ershuan raised his fists.

The officer had already sat up, his face bruised, "The firelight revealed your location last night. I didn't expect you to forget so quickly. Starting a fire in this forest, it can be seen from far away. Are you inviting the snake demon to come?"

Ershuan had no response, and Xiaoqiu jumped up again, kicking over the campfire. The burning branches hit the damp ground and quickly went out.

At that moment, a strange sound came from the distance, like bubbling water or a wild animal's growl.

The boys from Yelin Town no longer split into groups, gathering nervously behind a large tree. Ershuan tightly gripped the long sword, determined to make everyone recognize him as the leader.

The officer, surprised that his guess was so quickly confirmed, jumped up and joined the boys, swaying.

The night in the forest was deep, and they could only see a few yards ahead. Everyone felt a massive creature approaching, getting closer and closer, then stopping, making the same strange sound.

Xiaoqiu ran out and, to everyone's confusion, charged towards the creature. A moment later, he returned, leading a horse, "It's a chestnut horse. I was so scared, I didn't even recognize its sound."

The chestnut horse affectionately rubbed its head against Xiaoqiu, and on its back were two bundles given to Fangfang by Grandma Wind.

The boys came out, standing around the chestnut horse. Seeing a familiar animal in the dense forest brought them great comfort. When Fangfang found some remaining dry rations in the bundles, everyone was almost cheering.

The rations were divided, though far from enough to fill their stomachs, but their hearts were less anxious.

Xiaoqiu even gave the officer a piece of rations and cut the ropes on his hands with a dagger, "After eating, lead us out of the forest."

"It's too late," the officer sniffed the unfamiliar rations, showing a look of disgust, but it was dark, and no one noticed, "The directional talisman can only show direction. It's too dark to move. Let's wait until morning."

Xiaoqiu had no objections, and the others agreed. They were all exhausted, leaning against the tree, and slowly fell asleep.

Before sleeping, Xiaoqiu said to the officer, "Don't think about escaping."

"I don't know the way, and I don't have the talismans to help. Where can I run?" The officer tried to make his voice sound sincere.

The boys from Yelin Town were very simple, with little suspicion, and even in fear, they slept soundly. Xiaoqiu and Fangfang's bodies slowly leaned, their heads eventually resting against each other.

The officer couldn't sleep. He had requirements for his sleeping place and a hidden plan.

In the middle of the night, the officer quietly got up, moved a bit, and stealthily approached Xiaoqiu. After observing for a while, he found it difficult to steal back the talismans and gave up, turning towards the chestnut horse.

An old horse knows the way. With this horse, what use were the talismans? The officer secretly mocked the boys' stupidity.

The chestnut horse was gentle, not minding even when a stranger approached.

The officer grabbed the reins, glanced back at the sleeping boys, thinking that soon these country boys would realize the unforgivable mistake they had made, especially the Ershuan who dared to hit him and the Xiaoqiu with the aggressive tone.

He skillfully jumped on the horse, ready to flee, when he suddenly saw something about ten steps to his left.

It was the boy who refused to leave the forest during the day, known as "Touzi." At that moment, he was smiling at the officer as if they were lifelong friends.

The officer felt his blood turn to ice.