Before she knew it, she had reached the end of the town’s cobblestone road. Xuanxi looked up and realized she was already standing at the edge of the forest.
She remembered coming to this forest often when she was young, especially when she was being chased by those dragon race descendants.
She would run into the forest alone. But back then, she didn’t dare go too deep. She would only hide at the edge and wait until dark to go home.
According to the map, beyond this forest and a bit further south was the territory of the beast tribes.
She had only read descriptions of beast tribes in books—mainly the Wolf Clan, Bear Clan, Eagle Clan, and Jiao Clan. Their physical strength ranked among the top of all races, but she had never seen a real beast tribe member.
Xuanxi stepped into the forest. Her perception extended outward, covering an area of three hundred meters in radius. She sensed an explosion in the distance.
It was magic, and without a doubt, fire magic. It came from deep within the forest, exactly at the farthest range of her spiritual energy detection.
Xuanxi quickened her pace. Her perception continued forward—there were seven dragon race members ahead. Six standing, one tied up. The six standing seemed to be attacking something, unleashing all kinds of spells.
Xuanxi had seen it in the “Continental Dangerous Creature Illustrated Handbook” at the Academy library—Man-Eating Flowers. Their vines would wrap around prey, and the petals secreted digestive fluids to slowly dissolve and devour them.
It was said that some high-level Man-Eating Flowers could even corrode the tough scales of dragon race. Among the group, one person was already entangled in vines, struggling.
Xuanxi quickened her steps and arrived at the scene.
In the center of the clearing, a huge Man-Eating Flower was contracting its petals. Its vines extended from the stem, writhing in the air like snakes.
Six people were attacking the flower, but unfortunately, their attacks couldn’t even break through its defenses.
The person entangled in the vines was being dragged to the edge of the petals, about to meet his end.
“Attack its roots!” someone shouted. A fireball slammed into the roots, sending dirt flying. The Man-Eating Flower’s roots were exposed—thick as an adult dragon race’s arm, covered in tiny suction cups.
“We can’t damage it!” the person’s voice carried fear.
Xuanxi’s water blade condensed in the air. She charged forward, circling to the side, ready to strike where they least expected. A vine whipped toward her.
She ducked, and the water blade sliced through the base of the vine. The vine snapped, spraying milky white fluid from the cut. The air filled with a foul, rotting stench.
“Who?” Someone turned and saw her.
Xuanxi didn’t answer. The water blade flipped in her hand. A second vine swung at her. She sidestepped, and the water blade cut through the middle of the vine. The vine cleaved in two, fell to the ground, still writhing.
The Man-Eating Flower’s petals suddenly opened wide, revealing the entangled person inside. His legs were covered in thick digestive fluid, and his pants had several holes corroded through.
On the inside of the petals were rows of fine, sharp teeth—not real teeth, but they would clamp together like jaws when contracting.
Xuanxi’s water blade stabbed into the connection between the petal and the stem, then sliced horizontally. One petal fell off, and a torrent of milky white juice gushed out.
The Man-Eating Flower let out a sharp screech. The entire flower began to contract. The vines retracted into the ground. The petals closed. In a few seconds, the entire plant sank into the earth—it fled.
All that remained in the clearing were the severed vines still twitching slightly, and the boy sitting slumped on the ground, his legs covered in mucus.
Xuanxi dismissed the water blade. She crouched down and looked at the boy’s legs. His pants were corroded beyond recognition, and his skin had patches of red burns—caused by the Man-Eating Flower’s digestive fluid. Not serious, but it would hurt for a few days.
“Can you still move?” she asked.
The boy nodded. His face was covered in dirt and sweat, with red marks from the vines.
“Thank you, you saved my life…” His voice trembled. When he looked up and saw the face of his rescuer, he suddenly froze. “You… are Xuanxi?”
Xuanxi’s hand paused. She stared at that face for a few seconds. Dark brown hair, eyes of the same color, and a scar on his face from a fall when they were kids. She suddenly remembered who he was.
In this border town, in the alley next to the blacksmith’s shop, among the group of kids who used to chase her, the one who always ran in the lead was him.
Back then, he was half a head taller than her, and his fists were thicker than her arms. She could never outrun him; he always cornered her at the alley entrance.
“Xuanxi?” The other people gathered around. They also recognized her.
Six faces—all familiar from her childhood. The one who had used fireball on the Man-Eating Flower had thrown stones at her when they were kids.
The one who used ice spike had drawn a turtle in front of her house. The one who used wind blade had pulled her hair.
The boy who had been tangled in the vines was the leader of their group. Now he got up from the ground, his legs still shaking.
Xuanxi stood still. Her ink-green hair draped over her shoulders, and the dark gold heavenly fate mark flickered in the dappled tree shadows.
Her amber-gold eyes were like two ignited stars under the sunlight, the corners slightly upturned, carrying a nobility, distance, and depth that did not belong to this town. Her neck was slender, and a hint of collarbone showed beneath her collar.
Her skin was much paler than in childhood—not just pale, but with a texture like fine mutton-fat jade. A wind blew through the forest, lifting her long hair, making it glisten in the sunlight.
The people standing before her dared not speak. Someone swallowed, betraying his nervousness.
The leading boy opened his mouth, his throat dry. “Xuan… we…” His words got stuck in his throat, neither rising nor falling.
“Anyway, thank you!” He finally squeezed out those words. Then the second person, “Thank you.” The third, the fourth, until everyone had said it.
“About those things when we were kids…” The leading boy’s voice was very low. “We shouldn’t have treated you like that. Sorry.”
Xuanxi looked at him. She remembered being cornered by him at the alley entrance when she was little—him half a head taller, his fists a size bigger.
Now, he was still taller than her, his fists bigger, but the way he stood before her made him seem diminished.
“I’ve long forgotten.” Xuanxi’s voice was soft but clear.
This wasn’t just being polite; she truly didn’t remember much. Not because she had forgiven them or let go, but because those things were so small compared to other matters—too small to mention.
Her own injuries compared to the battle with the Dragon Lizard in Echo Valley, compared to her mother’s message in a dream to “save the multitudes,” compared to her feelings for Hildegrifa—the bullying she suffered as a child was far too trivial. Her story world would never be confined to such a small town.
The leading boy’s hand moved. He pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Xuanxi. It was a deep blue stone, the size of a fist, with fine lines on its surface like some ancient runes.
“We found this in the forest. It might have some effect, which attracted the Man-Eating Flower.” His voice was low. “Also, there’s a cave ahead. It seems like something is deep inside. We didn’t dare enter, but maybe you can.”
Xuanxi took the stone. The blue lines felt slightly cool in her palm. She asked, “What cave?”
“Walk deeper into the forest. About two li away, there’s a mound. Beneath it is an entrance, covered by vines. Inside the cave, there’s a very strong energy fluctuation. We only reached the entrance.” He paused.
“That energy felt similar to what you’re emitting. It doesn’t seem like elemental force—it’s something else.”
Xuanxi pondered for a moment. If it wasn’t elemental, then it was spiritual energy. She looked at the deep blue stone in her palm and decided to check it out.
“Thanks.” She put the stone into her pocket.
The leading boy nodded and, with his companions, limped away. After a few steps, he stopped. “Xuanxi.” His voice was very soft. “Thank you—and I’m sorry.” Then he walked on, flashing through the dappled shadows and disappearing toward the edge of the forest.
Xuanxi stood still, looking at the deep blue stone in her hand. The forest shadows swayed gently in the wind, as if something deep in the woods was calling her. She stepped forward and headed deeper into the forest.