Chapter 9: The Venomous Spiders

The blue-clad girl's name was Pan Xiaohan. Her family had been blacksmiths for generations, and her grandfather, in his younger days, was the most renowned blacksmith in Baqi City. She lived with her grandfather at the foot of a mountain on the western side of the Greatwood Forest. They were the only residents there.

As for her parents, when we asked about them, she didn't answer.

The reason she had been captured by the orcs was that some time ago, Commander Tiger Might had sought out her grandfather, hoping to commission a large batch of weapons. However, her grandfather had refused. She didn't know why, though she was just as curious. The orc tribe wasn't far from her home, and occasionally, orcs would visit her grandfather to request iron tools and weapons. In fact, both Tiger Might's short-handled throwing axe and the greatsword she had wielded in her duel were crafted by her grandfather.

"If you were already acquainted with them, had met them more than once, and even understood some of their language, why would they capture you?" Zhang Yi pressed on.

"Honestly, I have no idea." Xiaohan frowned, clearly puzzled.

"Could it be that they wanted to use you to force your grandfather into forging weapons for them?" Zhang Yi speculated quickly. I had considered the same theory but hadn't had the chance to voice it yet.

"Now that you mention it, that does sound quite possible." Xiaohan clenched her fists angrily. "Hmph! They took advantage of me while I was gathering herbs on the mountain and caught me off guard. Otherwise, they never would have captured me."

"What's the name of that sword technique you used?" Lu Xi, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up.

"Greatsword Technique," Xiaohan answered without hesitation. "My grandfather taught it to me. It's not an especially powerful sword style, but my grandfather said that in certain situations, the element of surprise is the real key to victory. Like how none of you expected me to be able to lift that greatsword, let alone wield it. But that's precisely what makes it effective. I use my body's momentum to drive the sword's swings, and once it starts moving, it, in turn, drives my body's movements. As long as I maintain balance between my strength and the sword's weight, I can catch my opponents off guard."

It seemed that Xiaohan's grandfather was not just a blacksmith but also a skilled swordsman. After we got out of the forest, I was looking forward to meeting him.

As we walked and talked, time passed quickly, and the sky gradually darkened.

"How much farther, Xiaohan?" Zhang Yi asked. "Don't tell me we have to spend the night in this forest?" His tone carried a hint of reluctance, but I suspected he had ulterior motives—he was probably interested in Xiaohan.

"No way. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. We're not far now. The Greatwood Forest is extremely dangerous at night." Xiaohan quickened her pace, her tone serious.

"What's so dangerous about it?" I asked warily. In just one day, we had already encountered man-eating flowers and orcs. Now there was yet another danger? If I had known, I would have never taken this trip.

"There are—"

Xiaohan suddenly stopped and gestured for silence. The rest of us instinctively moved closer to her.

"What is it?" I whispered, gripping my dagger. Lu Xi and Zhang Yi also tightened their grips on their weapons.

"Possibly a spider."

"A spider? What's so scary about a spider?" Zhang Yi scoffed.

"Oh? Then take a look." Xiaohan turned and pointed ahead.

"Spiders? I can crush a few with my foot, what's the big deal?" Zhang Yi muttered as he turned his head in the direction Xiaohan indicated—only to freeze in place.

"Holy—! You call that a spider?" I cursed internally.

Perched on a thick tree branch ahead was a massive, earth-yellow spider, as large as a full-grown ox, though not as bulky. Its body was covered in coarse yellow fur, and its front legs were lined with rows of sharp barbs. It bared its fangs at us, watching intently.

"What do we do?" Zhang Yi's voice trembled slightly.

"You were just saying you could stomp it to death." Xiaohan shot him a glare.

Seeing how calm Xiaohan was—even joking with Zhang Yi—I figured she must have a way to deal with the creature.

"What's the plan?" I asked urgently.

"I'll draw its attention. The three of you just focus on attacking." Xiaohan scowled at me. "What? Three grown men can't even kill a spider?"

I wanted to argue that this was no ordinary spider. I had never seen anything this huge before.

"No way, I'll do it," Zhang Yi volunteered, clearly concerned for Xiaohan's safety.

"I should go. This thing has eight legs and is incredibly fast. It can also spit venom, so be careful." Xiaohan rejected his offer.

"It spits venom?!" My fear was no longer just mild concern.

"Here, take my weapon. You're the best swordsman among us," Lu Xi said, handing his bronze sword to Xiaohan. But she didn't take it.

"Keep it. I only know how to use a greatsword. This won't do me much good." Xiaohan must have noticed our fear and added, "It's not as terrifying as you think. Just focus on attacking it."

With that, she picked up a small stone from the ground and hurled it at the spider. The rock struck its head, and the creature let out a sharp screech before charging straight at her.

Xiaohan had already dashed to the side. The three of us, despite our nerves, had no choice but to fight.

Lu Xi struck first, swinging his bronze sword and severing one of the spider's legs. The spider shrieked in pain. I followed up with a quick slash of my dagger across its abdomen. Zhang Yi, however, took the most unusual approach—he stabbed his ebony sword right into its rear end.

Despite our attacks, the spider remained fixated on Xiaohan and didn't turn to fight us. It slowed down slightly after being wounded, but it still chased after her relentlessly.

"It's injured! Finish it off!" I shouted. Xiaohan continued pelting it with small stones from a distance.

We slashed, stabbed, and hacked at the spider until, after a long and agonizing struggle, it finally collapsed, lifeless. The ground around us was a mess, stained with the spider's oozing green venom. Several of its legs lay scattered around, severed from the battle.

"Ugh, that's disgusting." Zhang Yi covered his nose and mouth.

Xiaohan approached, taking a quick look at the spider's corpse with a disgusted expression. "You guys didn't get hurt, did you? Be careful not to touch the green venom."

"No, we're fine," Zhang Yi replied.

"Watch out!" Xiaohan suddenly shouted.

Just as Zhang Yi was about to wipe his sword clean, a yellow blur shot toward him at lightning speed. None of us had time to react. In the split second before the spider could reach him, Xiaohan tackled Zhang Yi, sending both of them rolling across the ground.

We barely had time to check if they were hurt before a chilling sound echoed from the surrounding forest—shaa shaa shaa.

The noise was unmistakable. It wasn't coming from just one spider.

"Run! Now!" Xiaohan yelled. Zhang Yi and she had already scrambled to their feet. Without a second thought, the four of us bolted.

The sounds of pursuit grew louder behind us. I glanced back mid-sprint—and my heart nearly stopped.

At least a dozen of those massive spiders were closing in on us.

"This is it… We're doomed."