Chapter 55: The Fierce Battle

The chubby man, who seemed unremarkable at first glance, had effortlessly unraveled Xun’er’s sorcery. This, however, left the young girl displeased. She leapt up and said, “Who are you talking about? You ruined my plan! Want to have a duel with me, just the two of us?”

The fat man waved his hand dismissively. “What’s the point of dueling? We’re on the same side—no need to fight among ourselves. Besides, I’ve sworn never to contest magic with a witch in this life, because I owe one a great debt. I won’t break that vow.”

Wujue found this odd. This man didn’t seem a practitioner of the arcane arts, but more like an eccentric with a wide range of knowledge.

He smiled and asked, “May I have your name, friend? I am Wujue, just passing by and causing some disturbance.”

The fat man extended his hand. “My surname is Ma, as in ‘heavenly horse galloping across the skies.’ Everyone calls me Old Ma. But you, Master, seem older than me, so you can call me Little Brother Ma. In these apocalyptic times, aren’t we all just trying to survive? If there’s a need, we ought to help each other. Now, what brings you two here?”

Successfully evading Old Ma’s pursuit, Wujue and Xun’er hurriedly escaped, intending to regroup with Xiao Yang and the others.

But in their haste, they lost their way and stumbled into a dense forest, unable to find an exit.

As they wandered blindly, Xun’er suddenly cried out, “Big Monk, let’s not go any further. I have a terrible feeling—something bad is about to happen!”

“What’s going to happen?” Wujue had barely asked when something swooped down from above. He quickly ducked and pulled Xun’er to the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Animal cries echoed overhead. Turning his head, Wujue saw a white-furred monkey swinging on a vine, causing mischief.

“That damned monkey, trying to scare us!” Xun’er stretched out her hand, casting a spell that struck the vine in the monkey’s grasp, causing it to lose its grip and fall.

Unwilling to kill, Wujue dashed forward to catch the monkey. But his foot slipped, and he plummeted into a pitfall.

Fortunately, his skills were exceptional. Spreading his legs, he braced himself against the sides of the pit and avoided falling all the way down. Looking below, he saw sharpened bamboo stakes embedded in the mud—a truly perilous trap.

Xun’er’s head soon appeared above, calling out, “Wujue, are you alright? Don’t scare me!”

Seeing Wujue climbing up, she breathed a sigh of relief and sat at the edge of the pit, panting, “That was terrifying! Luckily you’re alright.”

Before she could finish, a few startled cries escaped her lips—the monkey had leapt onto her back, tugging her hair and pulling with all its might, causing her to lose her balance and tumble in as well.

Wujue groaned in silent misery. He let himself drop quickly to the bottom, used his legs to snap the bamboo stakes, and focused his energy to shield himself. Taking a risk, he collided with Xun’er, and the two crashed together at the bottom of the pit.

The fall was no small matter. Despite Wujue’s Iron Bell Technique, his body still ached from the impact, though most of the bamboo had been shattered by his kicks, sparing them serious harm.

Holding Xun’er, he caught his breath and asked, “Are you hurt?”

With her head buried in his arms, Xun’er remained still for a long moment before finally looking up and grinning, “Of course not—I was just trying to scare you, you fool.”

To Wujue’s surprise, she mischievously teased him again, saying with a smug smile, “Now we’re both trapped. We can spend some quality time together, don’t you think?”

Wujue shook his head. “That’s not it at all. You really think a pit like this can hold me? Xun’er, you underestimate me.”

With a slight push of his toes, he shot upward like a spring, nearly reaching the pit’s edge. But the monkey chattered, dragging a branch over the opening to block their escape.

Now the two were plunged into darkness, unable to climb out no matter how they tried.

“This is bad. We’re really stuck this time!”

After calling out for help several times to no avail, Wujue let go of Xun’er in frustration, feeling that luck was not on his side today—everything seemed to happen to him, and it was all too uncanny.

“How long do you think we’ll be trapped here?” Xun’er asked quietly.

Their question was answered only after several hours, when a beam of light shone down from above. Someone had uncovered the entrance and peered in, saying, “What unlucky souls you are, falling into a trap meant for animals. Do you look like beasts to end up here?”

A rope was then thrown down. Overjoyed, Wujue urged Xun’er to hold on tight while he wrapped his arms around her and climbed up. After much effort, they finally emerged from the pit.

Seeing their rescuer, Wujue pressed his palms together in gratitude. “Thank you so much. I never expected someone so kind would come to our aid…”

To his surprise, their savior was a wild-looking youth clad in animal skins, hair unkempt, with the white monkey perched on his back.

“That’s the one! It’s the monkey that got us into trouble. You’re so naughty!” Xun’er shook her fist at the monkey, who responded by making faces and mocking them both.

The wild child patted the monkey. “Enough, Aji! Go play elsewhere—I need to talk to our guests.”

Once the monkey had scampered off, the wild child turned to Wujue. “Hey, who told you to wander in here? Didn’t anyone tell you outsiders aren’t allowed in this forest?”

Wujue was puzzled. “Little benefactor, this is our first time here—we truly don’t know. May I ask, who lives in this forest?”

The wild child scratched her head. “Benefactor? I don’t know what you’re talking about. Anyway, from that big tree a few dozen steps behind you, everything here is my territory. Are you with that fat guy? Tell them to stop hunting here.”

“Fat guy? You must mean Old Ma?” Wujue began to understand. “I only just met him today. Honestly, we’re not on good terms—otherwise, we wouldn’t have wandered in here by mistake. If you don’t like being disturbed, we’ll leave right away. In fact, we were just about to return to the lake.”

“The lake? Are you looking for trouble?” The wild child grew even more curious. “Grandpa says there are monsters in the lake, and things have been uneasy lately. Beware—you might get eaten by a big fish.”

Wujue realized she knew something about the lake’s dragon folk and pressed further, “Oh? We ran into trouble on the water and saw great storms. Could there be sea monsters at work? If you know anything, please tell us.”

“What’s there to tell?” The wild child suddenly sounded annoyed and rubbed her nose. “I’m a girl, you know! What makes you think I’m a boy? I don’t want to talk to you anymore—just go.”

Xun’er burst out laughing. “Well, with a flat chest and such a wild look, it’s no wonder people mistake you for a boy! Don’t blame us.”

Before the girl could get angry, Xun’er stepped forward, gently offering, “Don’t be upset—want me to help you dress up a bit?”

Her voice was soft and melodious, and in a flash she cast a spell, seizing control of the wild girl’s mind. Wujue frowned but did not intervene. The wild girl’s eyes drooped as though drowsy, and she slowly sat down, confessing, “My name is Linger. I lost my parents young, and Grandpa raised me in these mountains. That Old Ma outside is a recent arrival—he and his group hunt under the pretense of searching for food, trying to drive out Grandpa and me. After Grandpa was injured, I roused the animals to fight back, set up traps, and drew boundaries to keep them out.”

So that was the truth. Wujue nodded in understanding; Old Ma’s group had indeed gone too far.

Xun’er then asked about the lake’s aquatic folk. Linger replied, “Grandpa says a mysterious water tribe has always lived in this lake. They keep to themselves at the bottom and dislike human interference. If anyone offends them, they’ll be dragged into the lake and drowned, so it’s best not to venture onto the water.”

“Is that so? But what are these water folk? Animals or humans?” Wujue mused, when a voice called out from nearby, coughing, “Alright, I’m coming as fast as I can—stop hurrying me. Linger, where are you?”

The words snapped Linger out of her trance. She leapt to her feet, pointing at the pair. “You tricked me into talking! I’ll kill you both!”

She drew a sickle from behind her back and charged at Xun’er. Xun’er merely laughed and blocked her. “What are you going to do, hit me with a snake?”

In a blink, the sickle vanished and became a cold viper coiling around Linger’s arm, its tongue flicking out menacingly. Panicked, Linger threw the snake away, which then reverted to a sickle on the ground—Xun’er’s illusion at work.

At this moment, the old man arrived, surveying the scene with a sigh. “So, descendants of witches have come. It seems you and Old Ma are cut from the same cloth.”

“What nonsense!” Xun’er feigned innocence, “I’d never have anything to do with Old Ma!”

Just then, Wujue sensed danger approaching. He glanced around and saw faint figures moving among the trees. He shouted, “Be careful—someone’s coming!”

A gunshot rang out in the distance, followed by a wet splatter of blood before them—a bullet had, without warning, pierced the old man’s chest and exited, flying past the four of them.

End of Chapter Fifty-Five: Fierce Battle.