Chapter 11: A Frenzied Dance of Demons, Part 4

The venomous fangs disappeared into the darkness without a sound.

Daoist Shen held his long sword and stirred up the campfire, his movements swift as he spun the blade—a shower of embers soared into the air, scattering in ten directions to encircle them, and at once the firelight illuminated the entire area around them.

Shi Xianyu pressed her back against the ram, nerves taut, fumbling frantically in her bag for something to defend herself with. When her eyes landed on the monstrous figure behind the tree, she felt her breath catch in her throat.

It was a black spider as large as an automobile!

Not truly the size of a car, in fact its head and abdomen were only as thick as a tree trunk, but its long, robust legs spread wide, making its silhouette at least ten times larger than a person! Half-concealed in the shadowy forest, it was unspeakably terrifying.

“My children… my children…”

The spider monster slowly raised its forelegs, revealing beneath its venomous fangs the dreadful face of a woman. Her visage was deathly pale, the eyes wholly white, and with each movement of her lips, white webs spilled forth while a chilling, hair-raising voice called out.

Shi Xianyu’s legs nearly gave way—this was too horrifying!

Shen Xiao swiftly muttered an incantation, sword poised as he lunged forward, shouting, “Back!”

His sword swept with a fierce aura, slicing through the leaves as it passed, and pierced straight through one of the spider’s legs! From another direction, Linyuan leapt high, aiming directly for the spider’s head!

Flanked on both sides, the black spider recoiled sharply, spewing forth a torrent of webs from the woman’s mouth like a wave of white surging toward the two.

Shen Xiao sidestepped, but a layer of web clung to his sleeve. His expression changed at once, sensing the poison in the thread; he hastily cast a fire charm with one hand, burning it away completely.

“Be careful!” Shen Xiao snatched a burning branch from the ground and flung it at the spider. “These webs are toxic! Try fire!”

Linyuan rolled nimbly on the ground to evade the webs, then looked up to see the branch Shen Xiao had thrown already thickly cocooned in web—its flames snuffed out in an instant.

These damp webs were impervious to fire?!

Linyuan’s amber eyes flashed with cold light; with a burst of force, he vaulted onto the spider’s back, drove another centipede fang deep into its abdomen.

Rip—

The spider’s belly split open, unleashing a torrent of white web, spraying and churning like a wild waterfall.

“Get out of the way!” Shen Xiao bellowed.

But it was too late! In the blink of an eye, the webs engulfed Linyuan, and the black spider, its belly torn open, seemed unfazed by pain. Its bristling claw lifted to strike—but a long sword cleaved through the air, chopping off the spider’s leg, which plunged into the earth beside Linyuan.

In that half-second reprieve, Linyuan gave a low shout and, like a cicada shedding its skin, tore himself free from the web!

He left behind his black robe, his body transforming into a black panther—sleek and shining, with a lithe, powerful form. His long tail swept sideways, snapping branches, sending dust flying.

The panther growled, poised to leap, but again spider webs gushed forth from the creature’s rear; he had to twist aside to narrowly escape.

Shen Xiao eyed the strange threads warily; his sword was hard to wield in such close quarters. He prepared to cast another spell when suddenly a flash of light burst through the forest.

Both Shen Xiao and the panther froze; the black spider, too, seemed startled by the flare, scurrying back into the shadow behind the tree.

The bright light flashed again—the black spider retreated further.

The piercing light shone through the woods, and at last the monster revealed its fear, abandoning its prey and fleeing without a trace.

Shen Xiao and the panther stood stunned. Turning, they saw Shi Xianyu trembling, clutching a glowing object, her voice quivering, “Are… are you both all right?”

“No harm,” Shen Xiao replied, then glanced at the panther beside him, frowning, “Linyuan’s old wounds have reopened, but don’t worry, I have medicine for that.”

Shi Xianyu finally let out a breath of relief, but still dared not put down her phone, afraid the monster would return.

“Then… thank you, Brother Shen, for treating his wounds. I… I’ll keep watch for you,” she stammered.

Shen Xiao said no more, immediately retrieving a bottle of salve from his pack. As he applied it, he instructed Linyuan, “Don’t change forms again right away; let the wound heal first, or it will tear open further.”

Linyuan, always sparse of words, now in panther form, was even more silent, acknowledging with a flick of his tail.

Shi Xianyu edged closer, her phone’s light sweeping nervously around as she asked, “Brother Shen, will… will the sp-spider come back?”

“Hard to say.” Shen Xiao finished applying the medicine, stowing the bottle away, his brow furrowed. “Spiders I’ve encountered before only spun webs to hunt in fixed places. I’ve never seen one roaming the woods like this. And ordinary spider demons’ webs burn easily—this one’s immune to fire. Most unusual.”

There were other oddities, too: for instance, when Linyuan split open its belly, it hadn’t slowed the creature’s assault at all. Far too strange.

“It… it must still be… afraid of fire…” Shi Xianyu tried to keep her tongue steady, but it trembled uncontrollably. “Otherwise… it wouldn’t have put out the fire… so quickly…”

Shen Xiao considered for a moment, then nodded. “You’re right. Although the fire didn’t harm it, it must have feared it, or it wouldn’t have snuffed it out with webs.”

He looked around—the embers he’d scattered earlier were all extinguished, not a single one left. His suspicions firmed, and he stood. “I’ll stoke the fire higher. This spider demon isn’t afraid of a small flame, but a large one, it must dread.”

With that, he drew out a talisman, tracing symbols in the air. The paper burst into flames, and he pressed it into a heap of branches, which roared to life.

He produced three more talismans, repeating the technique at several points, until the firelight bathed the entire area.

The effort seemed to sap his strength; when he finished, his face was drawn.

“I’ve cast a spell; these fires will burn until dawn.” Shen Xiao pulled out a bottle of pills, placed one beneath his tongue, and after a moment, color returned to his cheeks.

Shi Xianyu asked timidly, “Brother Shen, do we have to stay here until morning?”

Shen Xiao exhaled deeply, his voice gentle, “It’s best. Monsters are most active at night. If we run into another, we could be in trouble. Here, at least, we know the spider’s weakness. And Linyuan still needs to recover…”

He looked at Shi Xianyu, his tone growing lighter. “By the way, we owe you today. What kind of magical tool is that? To release such dazzling light—remarkable.”

Shi Xianyu smiled wryly. “Not at all. This tool can only last an hour or two at most.”

The phone’s flashlight drained the battery fast; even with her backup charger, it wouldn’t last the whole night.

“Don’t worry. An hour or two will be enough for Linyuan and me to recover,” Shen Xiao reassured her. “Besides, with these fires, even if it dares return, I have other ways to deal with it.”

Shi Xianyu nodded, gripping her phone tightly, still unable to relax. She glanced anxiously around, murmuring, “You two should rest… the sooner you recover, the sooner we’ll be safe. I’ll keep watch.”

Shen Xiao pondered a moment, then nodded. “Then we’ll trouble you, Little Fish.”

He sat down, gathering his energy, murmuring incantations.

The long sword, as if summoned, rose on its own, inscribing a circle around the fire, then plunged into the ground within, standing guard like a steadfast protector.

After setting up a temporary protective barrier, Shen Xiao closed his eyes and spoke no more.

Shi Xianyu had thought herself brave, but as soon as Shen Xiao closed his eyes, that trembling fear surged up again.

Shen Xiao was resting. Linyuan was resting. It felt as if she alone remained in the world.

She gripped her phone with both hands, her limbs shaking, her whole body cold despite the fire’s brightness. The silent forest pressed down on her, the shadows threatening monsters at every turn—her nerves strung taut, every instant a trial.

It’s all right… It’s all right…

She drew deep, deliberate breaths, again and again, trying to reassure herself—

Fear is a rare experience! How many people pay to be terrified in haunted houses, just to feel this? Now the chance is right here—she should savor it, savor the fear!

Besides, what’s there to be afraid of? Being eaten by a monster might be better than dying slowly of cancer. Death is death; when it comes, there’s nothing left to feel, so what’s the use of being afraid? Yes, no need to be afraid, no need at all…

…But… she whimpered quietly, it was no use, she was still scared.

She sat with her knees drawn up, inching herself backward, her teeth chattering as the fear overwhelmed her.

Suddenly, her back bumped into something soft. At first she thought it was her ram, but the feel was different. Turning, she realized her hand was pressed against the belly of the panther… Compared to the ram’s coarse wool, the fur beneath her palm was sleek and supple, the body curved and warm—the sensation was almost blissful.

So soft, so comforting…

Shi Xianyu was reluctant to pull her hand away. Physical contact could do wonders for fear, like holding hands with someone when walking at night—courage seemed to double and be shared.

But…

He was healing, and here she was, petting him. That just wasn’t right.

She awkwardly withdrew her hand and continued to shine her phone around.

The black panther lay stretched out, half-opening his eyes to look at her. In the firelight, his amber eyes gleamed gold, dazzling like the most precious gemstones.

Noticing her constant shivering, those golden eyes showed a hint of puzzlement.

After a moment, a thick black tail slipped under her arm and gently draped over her wrist.

Shi Xianyu froze, turning to look at the panther, who had already closed his eyes, leaving only his tail for her.

What… what did that mean?

Had he noticed her fear and wanted to comfort her?

Shi Xianyu took a slow breath, then carefully gathered the black tail into her arms, whispering, “…Thank you.”