Cheng Qian was starting to understand just how strange and wicked his two senior brothers were.
Li Yun said, "Go find Han Yuan."
The small toad croaked, then jumped in one direction.
Li Yun signaled them to follow it and explained, "Golden Toad Divine Water is made from golden toad urine mixed with the water of the five poisons. A few drops can turn small objects like leaves, paper, or stones into toads. A few days ago, Junior Brother played with a toad that was made from a leaf for a long time. His clothes and body must still carry the same smell, so the toad should be able to track him."
Yan Zhengming almost collapsed. "What do you mean? He hasn't changed his clothes for several days? Or hasn't bathed for several days? Is he even human?"
Even Cheng Qian's face turned green after hearing the ingredients of the "Divine Water." "Second Senior Brother," he said stiffly, "you don't have to explain it in such detail."
The effect of the toad urine was limited. The little toad only jumped a short distance before suddenly stiffening and turning back into a stone. Li Yun had to drip more drops onto it.
He sighed. "This is just a toy, not a real spell. It only lasts a short time. I only have this one bottle left. I'm afraid I'll have to save it before we find Junior Brother."
As he spoke, he looked at the jumping toad with a sad and reluctant expression, as if he couldn't bear to waste it. Cheng Qian shivered. He suddenly felt that his second senior brother was not an ordinary person.
Jumping, stopping, then jumping again, the toad led them deeper into the forest. The woods grew darker and denser. The sunlight was blocked, and everything looked lifeless.
Seeing this, Yan Zhengming picked up a long branch from the ground. Covering his nose with his sleeve, he poked the toad from a distance and said strangely, "Did it die of shame from knowing its own background?"
With a soft sound, the toad turned back into a stone, frozen with a terrified expression. No matter how much Li Yun dripped the Divine Water onto it, it would not move again.
Li Yun scratched his head anxiously. "This…"
Suddenly Yan Zhengming's face changed. "Shh!"
He stood up at once, threw away the branch, pulled out his sword, and pointed it toward the dense forest.
A frightening rustling sound came from inside the trees.
Then, with a roar, a huge bear with a human-like body appeared before them.
The beast was as tall as two men. Its head was enormous, and when it opened its mouth, it showed iron-like teeth. The stench from its breath could be smelled from far away. With a single swipe of its paw, a large tree flew into the air.
Yan Zhengming pushed Li Yun and shouted, "Why are you standing there? Run!"
But Li Yun's limbs were frozen with fear.
At that moment, the wooden token in Cheng Qian's arms suddenly grew hot. Then all three of them heard a calm male voice at the same time.
"Don't move."
Yan Zhengming turned sharply. "Who's there?"
The voice said again, "Don't be afraid. Come here."
This time they could tell clearly—the voice came from Cheng Qian's side. Cheng Qian slowly looked down at the wooden token in his hand.
Li Yun's eyes widened. "Can a spell… talk?"
The voice seemed amused. Then it said calmly, "It's just two or three small demons. They won't hurt you."
But before he finished speaking, the giant bear was already charging toward them. The ground shook with each step. No wonder the toad had chosen to "die"!
There was no way the three boys could outrun such a monster. Just as they were about to be caught, a shrill roar sounded nearby.
Suddenly, a brightly colored snake tail wrapped around the bear's waist. The enormous bear was lifted into the air and then smashed into the ground, creating a deep crater. Trees and flowers were crushed everywhere.
Even Yan Zhengming forgot to care about his white clothes being stained with mud.
Two or three small demons? All three boys felt that the voice was clearly speaking lightly about something terrifying.
The giant snake finally appeared completely. Its upper face looked human, with vertical pupils in its eyes. The lower half of its face was covered in scales. Its long body coiled through the forest like a blur.
Cheng Qian could hear the harsh scraping of scales on the ground but could barely see the snake's head.
Then it struck.
It bit into the bear's neck. Hot blood shot high into the air like a fountain.
The bear's face, already partly human, showed deep terror before it collapsed.
The snake pulled back slightly. Then, suddenly, it stabbed its head into the bear's belly like a blade. It tore out a bloody demon core and rose high into the air, holding it.
Li Yun vomited immediately. He couldn't believe he had lived near such creatures for more than a year.
Yan Zhengming felt the blood rush to his limbs. His legs nearly gave out. If not for the sword in his hand, he would have collapsed.
Only Cheng Qian stood there, staring at the blood covering the ground, his heart pounding wildly.
If cultivation could reach such a level… could one control life and death like this?
At that moment, the giant snake began moving toward them.
Wherever its tail passed, trees fell like grass. It twisted through the forest as if nothing could stop it.
Yan Zhengming grabbed Cheng Qian with one hand and held his sword with the other. He also had to support Li Yun, who could barely stand.
His legs were weak, but his mind was strangely calm.
There was no hope of escape. If they were going to die, he refused to be torn apart by that disgusting creature. A fierce determination rose inside him. His hand stopped trembling.
All the sword moves he had never fully mastered seemed to connect in his mind. The snake's movements appeared slower.
Yan Zhengming raised his sword, aiming at the snake's eyes.
He knew he could not miss.
The snake came closer.
He held his breath—
And then the snake passed right by them.
Its tail brushed less than a palm's width from Cheng Qian's ankle, but it acted as if it had not seen them at all. It continued moving in another direction.
The three boys stood frozen.
After a long moment, their pounding heartbeats broke the silence.
Yan Zhengming slowly lowered his sword. His body suddenly felt heavy. Cold sweat ran down his back.
He looked at the sword in his hand. For a brief moment, he felt as if he had understood something important.
The calm voice from the wooden token spoke again. "I told you. With me here, you don't need to fear such small monsters."
Cheng Qian felt the voice was strangely familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it before.
He stuffed the wooden token into Yan Zhengming's hands and picked up his wooden sword. Then he walked toward the bear's corpse.
Yan Zhengming nearly shouted himself hoarse. "What are you doing? Get down from there!"
But Cheng Qian ignored him. He climbed onto the dead bear and quickly found what he wanted.
Hanging at the bear's waist was a weapon made from a large sharp tooth. It was over two feet long, polished smooth, with a hole at the bottom for gripping. The tip was sharp like a blade.
Cheng Qian held the massive tooth in both hands. The cold light reflected in his eyes. It was still stained with blood.
Without hesitation, he threw away his wooden sword.
Yan Zhengming and Li Yun stared at him in shock.