Chapter 32: The Forest

Shen Si slapped her thigh. "I knew something felt missing. They keep rebuilding the bridge, but where do they get the raw materials? There must be a forest nearby that they can constantly log; only then would bridge-building be possible."

Liang Dan replied, "That would also explain why all their farm tools are so sharp. Dull tools wouldn't be able to cut through the trees in that forest."

Liang Dan muttered to herself, "There’s more."

Yang Liuqing and Shen Si asked in unison, "More what?"

"The giant snake, and the leaves the little boy wore." Liang Dan’s eyes lit up. "The first day we arrived, I saw a giant snake in the utility room. And when the little boy set off for the sacrifice, he was covered in leaves. Why did it never occur to me? There isn't a single tree inside or outside the village—how could he possibly be wearing leaves?!"

Finished with her realization, Liang Dan strode away, filled with excitement.

They ran outside the village and, sure enough, found a dense forest not far from the small river. This was the first scene they had successfully summoned.

Without hesitation, the three of them walked toward the forest. Scattered outside were individual branches and a pile of branches stacked high by human hands. This was likely the firewood the villagers used for cooking. On the ground ahead, many leaves had been deliberately laid out in a very orderly fashion.

"Awoo! Awoo! Awoo!"

Liang Dan stopped in her tracks. "Apologies, we mean no harm. We just wanted to ask you some questions."

Shen Si was shocked. "You’re talking to wolves?"

Yang Liuqing retorted, "Are those the sounds your pet wolves make?"

Liang Dan kept walking. "If you don't mind, we’re going to keep moving forward."

Silence.

Liang Dan smiled slightly; it seemed these girls had accepted them.

As Liang Dan stepped forward, the ground suddenly gave way beneath her, and she plummeted.

*Oh no!*

She had thought the leaves were just to muffle their footsteps; she hadn't expected them to be masking a trap!

Liang Dan crashed into the pit. A stake, sharpened to an extreme point, stood in the center and instantly pierced her arm. Blood began to flow freely.

"Hiss."

Shen Si, standing above, shouted in alarm, "Are you okay?!"

"I am not okay..." Liang Dan curled her body, moving slowly toward the center. Even with extreme caution, every slight movement caused agony to shoot through her impaled arm.

Shen Si was furious. "Those wicked little brats! It was one thing for them to steal the corn we harvested, but to set a trap waiting for us to fall in!"

Liang Dan felt waves of dizziness; in a matter of seconds, she had lost a significant amount of blood. Despite her years of martial arts training and previous near-death experiences, she had never felt pain like this.

Yang Liuqing stood above, her voice sounding perfectly calm. "Liang Dan, endure the pain for a moment and pull your arm out."

Shen Si paced anxiously. "It's only our fourth day here. A puncture wound this severe—she could bleed to death!"

Liang Dan smiled weakly, her lips turning pale. "Yang Liuqing, do injuries sustained in the instance carry over to the real world?"

Yang Liuqing shook her head. "No."

"Shen Si," Liang Dan said softly, "don't worry, I won't die."

Shen Si didn't respond. She ran to the side, picked up a long branch, and poked it into the pit. "Yang Liuqing is right, you have to pull your arm out first. We’ll get you up and back to the village somehow. We can only find a way to stop the bleeding once we’re back."

"Back?"

The laughter of children echoed, crisp yet tinged with obsession. "My sacrifice has arrived here—do you really think you’re going back?"

Shen Si handed the branch to Yang Liuqing, stepped forward, and pointed at the forest, cursing loudly. "Damn you! You little brats, are you ever going to quit? To hell with your River God, and to hell with your sacrifices! Look closely—I am not one of the villagers you’re trying to kill! We spent all day working ourselves to the bone to save that corn; you don't thank us, and instead, you set traps for us? Dammit, don't let me catch you little runts!"

Liang Dan, curled in the pit, trembled uncontrollably. She found Shen Si’s rant amusing, but she couldn't laugh; even the slightest movement aggravated her wound.

Yang Liuqing watched her quietly from above. She didn't rush her, simply waiting with the branch in hand.

Liang Dan let out a long breath and used every ounce of her strength to stand up. The stake didn't seem to have been finished properly; its edges were jagged with splinters. As she pulled herself free, she felt the wood tear through her flesh. She staggered a few steps, her back slamming hard against the dirt.

She turned around and felt the solid earth with her uninjured hand. There were several small indentations in the dirt—it looked like a makeshift ladder the children had carved to set the trap. Liang Dan tried to wedge the tip of her shoe into the lowest indentation, but it was too small.

Seeing her move away from the center, Shen Si rushed to Yang Liuqing’s side, leaned over the edge of the pit, and reached her hands down.

"Sister Liang, grab the branch first. Once you’re close enough to reach me, I’ll pull you up!"

Liang Dan smiled. "You’re so thin, you probably can't pull me up."

Shen Si looked her in the eyes. "I can."

Looking into those eyes, Liang Dan felt an inexplicable sense of trust.

Liang Dan gripped the branch Yang Liuqing reached down with her good hand. Yang Liuqing asked, "Do you have a firm hold?"

"I do," Liang Dan said.

Yang Liuqing pulled upward with force. Liang Dan was hoisted up in an instant, landing safely on the ground above the trap.

She collapsed, one hand clutching the bleeding hole in her arm, her heart racing as she struggled for breath. Shen Si scrambled up, her hands trembling in the air, not knowing where to put them.

After a long silence, she finally managed to ask, "Are you okay?"

Liang Dan gave a weak smile. "I am not okay."

Shen Si glared at her. "Can't you just lie to me?"

Liang Dan didn't even have the strength to shake her head. "I can't lie to you."

Yang Liuqing pulled Shen Si’s arm aside and knelt before Liang Dan. She gently took Liang Dan’s hand, and Liang Dan felt a surge of warmth radiate from her palm.

The next second, the wound healed.

Liang Dan’s eyes widened in disbelief. Even though the arm was attached to her own body, she couldn't fathom how this had happened.

"My god," Shen Si leaned in eagerly, grabbing Liang Dan’s arm to inspect it. "Sister Yang, what kind of skill is that? Is it a healing class?"

Yang Liuqing laughed. "Why are you so pragmatic? Just because I have a skill, I'm suddenly your sister?"

"How could that be?" Shen Si giggled. "You were already my sister long ago."