Chapter 102: The Ancestor’s Belated Rebellion (29)

Whoosh—

The vine moved with lightning speed, coiled around the woman, and vanished into the tall grass. After a few shrill screams, there was no more movement.

Ling Qiong: "..."

What the hell!! Are all the vines in this world this savage?

The map Lou Xingluo was following pointed exactly toward where the woman had disappeared. Even knowing it might be dangerous, they had no choice but to head in that direction. It was a classic case of knowing there was a tiger in the mountains, yet insisting on walking right into its lair.

Sigh.

It was all for the sake of her "cub."

Ling Qiong twirled a blade of grass in her hand. "Why would there be people out in this godforsaken wilderness?"

Lou Xingluo didn't know. Judging by the woman's attire, she looked like a disciple from some sect.

"Be careful."

Ling Qiong immediately seized the opportunity, holding out her hand. "Hold my hand."

Lou Xingluo: "..."

He had meant for her to watch out for people. Looking at the small hand suspended in the air, he saw the young girl smiling faintly, her eyes filled with expectation.

Lou Xingluo took a deep breath and grasped her hand. Her hand was fair, delicate, and small. Encased in his palm, it felt boneless and soft, and the warmth of her skin began to radiate heat. He did his best to ignore the strange sensation, telling himself to just treat it like holding his own left hand with his right.

...

Passing through the tangled grass, they reached a forest overgrown with vines. Hanging in the gaps between the trees were long, cocoon-like objects.

Ling Qiong clung to Lou Xingluo’s arm and whispered, "Do you think these look like people?" It was truly creepy.

The same thought had just crossed Lou Xingluo’s mind.

The forest was silent; even the chirping of insects was absent. There were many such cocoons—at least twenty were visible right where they stood.

"I'll go take a look. You wait here," Lou Xingluo said.

"Okay," Ling Qiong replied.

Lou Xingluo looked at his arm. "Let go of me first."

Ling Qiong released him. Lou Xingluo walked over and stopped in front of the outermost cocoon. He tried to pry it open. The vines were wrapped tightly; after a long time, he only managed to create a small slit. But the slit was enough to see inside. The vines were filled with a viscous liquid, and a human form was vaguely visible within.

[Dear, want to draw a card?]

"No, get lost!" She had no money!

[Dear, are you sure you don't want to?] Shan Shan knew Ling Qiong had money and began its responsible duty of swindling her for a recharge.

"I can do it myself!"

Shan Shan sighed and offered a very helpful reminder: [Dear, this is a game about raising a cub.]

You can be useless if you want. But if I don't let you clear the level, you won't clear the level.

Ling Qiong understood the subtext. Her small face twisted slightly, and her cheeks puffed up in anger. She might not be a human, but the system was definitely a dog.

She glanced at Lou Xingluo; his world-class beauty was a feast for the eyes.

Take a deep breath. Exhale.

Raising the cub is happiness, raising the cub is happiness, raising the cub is happiness...

...

[Yuchuan]

The card displayed this very forest, though it didn't look like anything special. Ling Qiong suspiciously closed the illustrated handbook. Lou Xingluo returned, wiping his hands. "It’s a person inside. It must be the work of those vines."

"Are we going in?"

Lou Xingluo looked around. "This seems to be the only way to reach my destination."

"Oh, then let's go."

Lou Xingluo hesitated. "It might be dangerous. Are you sure you want to go in with me?" No one knew what the situation was inside, or why so many people had been wrapped into cocoons and hung up. He didn't really want Ling Qiong to go in with him.

Ling Qiong curled her lips into a smile. "If I don't go in with you, *you’re* the one who’s in danger."

"???"

"Let's go." Ling Qiong took the lead, heading inside. "If we don't go now, it'll be dark soon, and I don't want to be traveling at night."

"Miss Yue!"

Unable to stop her, Lou Xingluo had no choice but to follow her into the woods. The entire forest was choked with vines, and cocoon-like shapes hung down at frequent intervals. If all of these were people... just how many had died here?

The further they went, the darker it became, and the air grew thick with a foul, rotting stench.

*Rustle, rustle, rustle—*

A sound suddenly erupted in the quiet forest. Lou Xingluo instinctively grabbed Ling Qiong and stepped in front of her.

*Rustle, rustle—*

The leaves in every direction seemed to be shaking, yet nothing could be seen. Ling Qiong gripped his arm and poked her head out to look. "What is it?"

"I don't see anything..." Lou Xingluo remained vigilant.

*Swish—*

A vine suddenly shot out from the ground, lashing toward them. Caught off guard by the attack from beneath the earth, Lou Xingluo pulled Ling Qiong aside and swung his hand, slicing off a section of the vine. The piece fell to the ground and, in the blink of an eye, burrowed into the soil and vanished without a trace.

The next second, two more vines shot out from a different direction, whipping toward them.

Lou Xingluo knew Ling Qiong’s strength, but his instinct was still to protect her. More and more vines erupted from the ground, nearly surrounding them.

Lou Xingluo hacked away at the vines. "Run!"

...

The entire forest was the domain of the vines. No matter which way they ran, countless vines erupted to intercept them. These vines regenerated at an incredible speed; even when severed, they grew back almost immediately. They were simply impossible to kill.

Ling Qiong was dragged through the forest by Lou Xingluo. Vines surged from all directions, dancing like demons and intertwining with the trees to form wall after wall of vegetation. They were being hemmed into a tight circle.

Lou Xingluo frowned, about to speak to Ling Qiong, when he caught a glimpse of a flame suddenly igniting in her palm. She threw it, and as soon as the flame touched a vine, it flared up.

"Doesn't seem so hard to deal with, does it?"

Lou Xingluo was silent. "Look again."

Although the vines were burning, the leaves remained vibrant green, showing no signs of being scorched. The vines whipped toward the ground, extinguishing the flames in a few movements. Then, they extended again, looking brand new and swaying arrogantly in the air, as if mocking her.

Ling Qiong: "..."

Damn it!

That works too? What kind of plant is this, for heaven's sake?

"These vines are very strange," Lou Xingluo said. "In a moment, I'll find a way to hold them off. You find a chance and run."

As soon as he finished speaking, the person beside him suddenly vanished. His heart skipped a beat, and he looked ahead.

The young girl now held a dagger. Her vibrant, colorful dress looked all the more striking against the backdrop of green. The vines were clawing and lashing at her from the air. She gave a light flick of her wrist, effortlessly slicing off a piece of vine.

Unlike before, the severed vine withered instantly instead of burrowing back into the ground.

The vines near Ling Qiong seemed intimidated; they recoiled a distance, hesitating and not daring to move forward, their previous arrogance gone.

Ling Qiong held the dagger up to examine it. *It’s actually quite useful...*

This was given to her by Jiang He when she first arrived at Yuelu Villa. She had said it was a family heirloom and a very powerful weapon for self-defense. The dagger just looked expensive to her; she hadn't realized it had any special properties. She had mostly used it to peel fruit or skin things...

Ling Qiong’s eyes curved, and she looked toward the vines with a smile that gradually turned twisted.