Chapter 7

At this moment, Zhang Lisheng had never been so close to death, but he did not panic. Perhaps it was his innate nature to remain calm in dire situations, or perhaps it was the combat instincts that came with becoming a shaman. His mind was surprisingly clear, breaking free from the illusion of controlling everything.

Instinctively, he began to use his hands to block the black-spotted leopard’s mouth while continuously chanting the shamanic spell to drive the shamanic insects to counterattack.

Unfortunately, human movements were far less agile than those of the black-spotted leopard. Before Zhang Lisheng could block his throat, he felt the leopard’s sharp teeth pierce his flesh.

But at that moment, the shamanic insect, Qinghong, with its hundreds of red and green legs, suddenly thrust itself into the leopard’s mouth.

Bitten on the tongue by Qinghong, the leopard immediately abandoned its attack, roaring and struggling in the forest, tearing at the exposed half of the poisonous insect’s body.

However, an adult black-spotted leopard only weighed about thirty kilograms. Once its head was poisoned, its resistance was even less than that of domesticated livestock.

After four or five seconds, the terrible jungle hunter’s mouth began to drip with black, foul-smelling blood, and it lost its life. The shamanic insect that killed it was almost severed into two by the leopard’s sharp teeth.

Fortunately, the vital essence of wild beasts was strong. After the leopard died, Qinghong wriggled its long body into the leopard’s mouth. The leopard’s body then slowly caved in, quickly leaving only withered skin and rotten bones.

When the shamanic insect emerged from the leopard’s body, the cracks on its body had disappeared, but its movements were slightly slower than before.

The attack by the black-spotted leopard, from start to finish, lasted less than ten seconds, but it gave Zhang Lisheng a more direct understanding of his current abilities.

First, the shamanic spell could only intimidate insects and reptiles. At least for a novice shaman, the spell’s power was limited to this. When he entered the jungle and chanted the spell, the small wild animals scattered, probably because they were startled by the poisonous insects.

Second, the abilities of low-level shamanic insects, or those of a novice shaman, were more about stealthy attacks. Controlling two highly toxic shamanic insects, Zhang Lisheng could silently and unexpectedly massacre a village. However, in a fair fight, his shamanic insects might not be stronger than a large wild beast.

Third, the cultivation and enhancement of shamanic insects could not rely solely on the shamanic power they emitted. Blood was still a necessity for shamanic insects.

As Zhang Lisheng summarized his shamanic knowledge, the traveler who had been attacked nearby was on the verge of a mental breakdown, only able to emit painful wails, no longer even calling for help.

Guided by the wails, Zhang Lisheng got up from the forest floor and cautiously circled around a cluster of intertwined branches and trees. He saw a muddy, blonde young woman lying next to a small, moss-covered swamp, her face contorted in a hysterical scream.

Zhang Lisheng did not recognize that the dirty brown jacket, which had barely saved the woman’s life from the leopard’s claws, was a custom-made piece from the top international outdoor brand, Arc'teryx, worth enough to support him in the village for ten years. However, he knew what a pond in the deep forest meant.

Water represented life, but also endless danger. Only the most experienced hunters dared to hunt by the pond in the dense forest, for although it was easy to catch endless prey there, the roles of hunter and prey could easily be reversed.

Sighing, Zhang Lisheng cursed the woman’s ignorance in his heart while chanting the shamanic spell, approaching the pond step by step.

With each step, hundreds of strange insects scurried away from the shadows, their rustling and the terrifying black shadows in the darkness making the woman’s meaningless wails even louder.

“I’ve killed the leopard. Its body is on the other side of the bushes. You’re safe now,” Zhang Lisheng said calmly to the woman, not offering any further explanation but cautiously chanting the spell again, his head turning regularly to keep watch.

He knew that the leopard could hunt alone or in groups. Until the situation was clear, he could not be careless, especially in the dense forest by the pond, where anything could happen.

To someone in dire straits, a rescuer with a strong will, a calm attitude, and orderly actions was more convincing than any comforting words, even if the rescuer was less than 160 centimeters tall in the dim light.

After Zhang Lisheng appeared, the woman’s wails gradually subsided and disappeared after about twenty seconds. She then panted in fear and asked hoarsely, “Sir, was it you who spoke just now? You said the devil is dead?”

“Yes, I heard your cries for help and responded. Was the leopard that attacked you alone or in a group?” Zhang Lisheng asked, seeing the woman calm down.

“It was just one. Oh God, one devil was enough to turn this forest into hell. If there were more, I would have been torn to pieces,” the woman exclaimed.

When her face was no longer contorted, it was clear she was young and beautiful, with the delicate features typical of Western women, but without the slightly rougher skin of her Eastern counterparts.

The woman’s answer that only one leopard attacked her eased Zhang Lisheng’s tension. He chanted the spell to summon Qinghong to his side and said, “If it was just one leopard, it’s really dead. The pond in the dense forest is very dangerous. We must leave immediately.”

But Zhang Lisheng’s words did not reassure the woman, who had just escaped death. Seeing a giant centipede nearly a meter long approaching her in the dense forest was no more reassuring than being attacked by a leopard.

“Oh God, what, what is that by your feet? Oh no, it’s, it’s a snake with countless legs…” the woman cried incoherently.

“Miss, you don’t recognize a leopard or a centipede, yet you dared to explore the primeval forest. I’m truly impressed,” Zhang Lisheng said, exasperated by her ignorance.

“That’s a centipede. How can a centipede be so big?”

“It’s a specially trained breed. I’m a hunter born and raised in western Sichuan. This centipede is like the hunting dogs Western hunters use to hunt foxes, ducks, and deer, just a bit different.”

Cultural differences between countries can sometimes lead to absurd misunderstandings. For example, both Chinese and Americans believe that almost all Indians practice a breathing and flexibility technique called ‘yoga,’ just as Americans and Indians believe that all Chinese practice a combat technique called ‘kung fu.’

Similarly, Zhang Lisheng’s explanation of using a centipede as a hunting dog might not convince any Chinese person, but for the blonde woman, it only added to the mysterious aura of the ancient Chinese civilization.

Finally relaxing a bit, she suddenly remembered her boyfriend, who was still in danger, and exclaimed, “Oh God, right, Harik, Harik is still there. I hope he’s okay, no, no, he must be alive. Although I cursed him for bringing me to this dangerous place, it was just in anger. Oh Lord in heaven, that wasn’t my true intention…” She scrambled to a large cedar tree by the pond and fell onto a pile of dirt.

Zhang Lisheng carefully examined the pile and realized it was a young man lying motionless on the ground, his camouflage clothing blending in with the forest.

Seeing the woman’s rough attempts to revive her boyfriend, Zhang Lisheng, who had just saved two lives, did not want to lose one after escaping danger. He walked to her side and said with a bitter smile, “Miss, if you shake your boyfriend like that, he might have internal bleeding…”

“You, you can save him, right? You’re a forest hunter, you must know first aid. Please, save him, please.”

In ancient times, the earliest rulers of any civilization also served as doctors. This was true from the priests of the ancient Indian civilization to the shamans of Mesopotamia and the voodoo doctors of Africa. The Chinese ‘shamans’ were no exception.

Unfortunately, as a novice, Zhang Lisheng did not yet have the ability to save people. The medical knowledge he possessed was limited to using various spices and herbs to make nourishing soups or using special techniques to grill meat to replenish the vital essence lost due to various reasons.

However, although Zhang Lisheng could not save the man, he could guide the woman to help herself. Pointing to the large travel backpack the man was carrying, which matched his clothing, he said, “Such a big backpack, it must have some useful things inside. I’ve heard that well-equipped hikers always carry first aid supplies and emergency injections.”

“Oh God, I’m so stupid. Yes, our backpack has everything.”

Reminded by Zhang Lisheng, the woman hurriedly removed the backpack from her boyfriend’s back and, after rummaging through it, found a small black leather first aid kit.