27: Slay the Leaf Serpent

The deeper they ventured into the forest, the denser the trees became. The intertwined branches and leaves formed a giant net, cutting the moonlight into fragmented silver patches scattered across the ground covered in decaying leaves.

The sounds of human voices gradually faded, eventually leaving only the rustling of the wind through the treetops and the occasional deep roar of an unknown magical beast echoing from afar.

Jiang Donghua looked up at the sky and frowned.

"If we continue walking, I'm afraid we won't even be able to see the path."

Liu Yuting tightened her collar, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the ice crystal pendant on her chest. She whispered.

"There are fewer and fewer people in this forest."

Liu Mingyu looked around and noticed two or three other groups of students setting up camp nearby, maintaining a subtle distance from one another.

They weren't close enough to cause alarm, yet not so far apart that they couldn't assist each other.

He nodded toward those groups in greeting, and they simply raised their hands in response, establishing a neighborly relationship in this temporary camp.

"Let's rest tonight."

Liu Mingyu took a folding tent and thick beast-hide mats from his storage ring and skillfully began setting them up.

"We'll continue exploring when the sun rises tomorrow."

Jiang Donghua raised an eyebrow and teased:

"Oh, well prepared, aren't we? You even brought mats?"

Liu Mingyu chuckled and lowered his voice.

"Coming from Black Iron City, who doesn't have a bit of wilderness survival experience?"

Liu Yuting helped secure the tent ropes. Hearing this, she looked up and glared at her brother.

He really shouldn't boast about his mediocre skills and wilderness survival experience.

Soon, a gray-brown tent was set up, and the three sat around a bonfire.

Jiang Donghua pulled a few pieces of dry rations from his pocket, broke them into three portions, and handed them to the siblings.

Liu Yuting took hers and nibbled slowly, but her gaze constantly swept toward the depths of the forest, as if she were wary of something.

"What's wrong? Afraid of a magical beast sneak attack?"

Jiang Donghua asked, his voice muffled by the dry rations he was chewing.

Liu Yuting shook her head and whispered.

"Not magical beasts... I just feel like someone is watching us."

Hearing this, Liu Mingyu paused his movements, his gaze instantly sharpening.

He calmly added a piece of firewood to the blaze.

The bonfire crackled, and Jiang Donghua casually poked the flames, sending sparks flying into the night.

He looked up, scanned the perimeter of the camp, and lowered his voice.

"I'll take the first half of the night watch, Liu Mingyu, you take the second half."

Liu Mingyu nodded, but his eyes involuntarily glanced toward a few students with powerful auras nearby who were organizing their gear. One of them, a woman in dark red leather armor, was polishing a pair of twin blades, their edges gleaming coldly in the firelight.

"There aren't many people in this camp, but there are quite a few experts."

Jiang Donghua narrowed his eyes.

"Those guys are probably already at the peak of the Three-Star Dou Practitioner level."

Hearing this, Liu Yuting whispered.

"Then we should be relatively safe, right?"

Jiang Donghua grinned, patting the longsword at his waist.

"Don't worry. According to the map from Jia Nan Academy, the strongest magical beasts in this area are only at the Six or Seven-Star Dou Practitioner level, and we are still within the red circle. Even if we run into one, with this many people, why would we be afraid of it?"

As night deepened, the camp fell into silence, broken only by the occasional faint crackle of the bonfire.

Jiang Donghua sat cross-legged beside the fire, the Fire Attribute Dou Qi circulating slowly within his body, maintaining his vigilance.

His gaze occasionally swept through the surrounding darkness, his ears catching every sound in the forest.

Unfortunately, neither man nor beast gave Jiang Donghua a chance to show off.

The bonfire gradually died down, with only a few sparks occasionally popping out of the ashes, making the faint light of morning seem particularly desolate.

Jiang Donghua stretched, his bones giving a slight crack. After guarding the first half of the night, his eyes showed some fatigue, but his spirit remained alert.

"It seems I was overly worried."

He rubbed his temples, letting the Fire Attribute Dou Qi circulate once through his body, dispelling the last trace of drowsiness.

Liu Mingyu emerged from the tent. Dark shadows hung beneath his eyes, indicating he hadn't relaxed much during the second half of the night. He looked around and found that the camp was mostly empty, with only a few groups of students packing up their gear.

"Those guys couldn't wait to head deeper the moment it got light."

Liu Mingyu scoffed lightly, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.

"Do they really think magical beasts are rabbits waiting to be caught?"

Liu Yuting finished packing the tent, looked up toward the depths of the forest, and said softly.

"Brother, shouldn't we set off too?"

Jiang Donghua brushed the dust off his robes and grinned.

"We can't be careless when it comes to making money. Let's go!"

The three cautiously proceeded along the path trodden by those who went before them.

The compacted earth and broken grass stems indicated that at least three teams had just passed along this route.

"It's convenient having people scout ahead. The footprints look neat, so there shouldn't have been any fighting up ahead."

Liu Mingyu used his scabbard to push aside the hanging vines.

Liu Yuting gracefully stepped over a section of exposed tree root, her gaze constantly scanning both sides.

"We just need to watch out for magical beasts lying in ambush in the bushes and the tree canopy."

Jiang Donghua suddenly stopped, the toe of his boot resting against a pile of withered yellow leaves.

The leaves looked naturally piled, but the curvature of the edges was too uniform. He narrowed his eyes, recalling the records in the *Magical Beast Compendium*.

"Wait, this looks like the camouflage of a Withered Leaf Snake."

Liu Mingyu squatted down, placing his palm on the damp soil.

Earth-yellow Dou Qi seeped into the ground through the gaps between his fingers. A moment later, his eyebrow twitched.

"There's something alive in the pile of dead leaves ahead."

"Can you tell what it is?"

Liu Yuting placed her right hand on her sword hilt, a faint blue glow of Water Attribute Dou Qi radiating around her.

"It's not very big..."

Liu Mingyu closed his eyes, sensing the vibrations coming from the ground.

"It should be a Withered Leaf Snake."

He stood up and dusted the dirt off his hands.

"A small fry at the One-Star Dou Zhe level. No wonder it didn't dare move when the three teams passed by earlier."

Hearing this, Jiang Donghua grinned, red Dou Qi swirling in his palm.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

The three drew their swords simultaneously, cold light crisscrossing in the woods.

The seemingly ordinary pile of dead leaves suddenly shook violently, and a large, earthy-yellow snake shot out.

The scales on its triangular head flared open in anger, revealing bright orange-red markings underneath, yet it was clearly retreating. The Dou Qi wrapped around the three longswords made it instinctively feel danger.

"Trying to run?"

Liu Mingyu plunged his sword tip into the ground, and earth-yellow Dou Qi instantly raised a half-foot high dirt wall in front, blocking the Withered Leaf Snake's retreat.

Seeing its path cut off, the Withered Leaf Snake suddenly erupted in an attack, its body shooting like an arrow toward Jiang Donghua, who was in the lead.

*Swish!*

Three flashes of sword light passed simultaneously.

Jiang Donghua's Fire Attribute sword energy scorched the snake's head, Liu Yuting's Water Attribute sword energy wrapped around its body slowing it down, and Liu Mingyu's Earth Attribute sword energy precisely struck its vulnerable seven-inch spot.

The Withered Leaf Snake crashed heavily onto the ground, twitched twice, and then lay still.

"Good teamwork."

Jiang Donghua flicked the blood from his sword and squatted down to examine the snake carcass.

"The poison sac is intact, and the snake gall is also fine. That should fetch twenty gold coins."

Jiang Donghua used his short sword to pry open the Withered Leaf Snake's head. After searching for a moment, he shrugged.

"No magical core."

None of the three were particularly disappointed; finding that item was purely a matter of luck.