Shackles of Humanity

By now, the sky had completely darkened. Old Cai led the group to a clearing to make camp. They were already accustomed to spending nights in the forest and had brought tents with them. They built a bonfire and lit some mugwort to repel mosquitoes.

No one looked particularly happy. The swarm of rats they had suddenly encountered today was immense, almost impossible to cut down completely. If the rats were to leave the vine-covered area, they would undoubtedly disrupt the forest’s balance.

Old Cai said worriedly, "This won’t do. I have to go back and tell the Garrison Officer. We must figure out where these strange rats are coming from."

"Okay. I’ll have Ah Wei go back with you tomorrow," Yao Guangfa said with a nod.

After a quick meal and setting the night watch schedule, Luo Kai took a walk around the perimeter. Sensing no danger, he returned and slipped into his tent. Lu Qing was already fast asleep inside; she was utterly exhausted from the day.

Luo Kai sat cross-legged in the tent, contemplating the idea of returning. ’I should probably head back.’ In this vast forest, any trace a person might leave was completely swallowed up. Trying to find someone here was like looking for a needle in a haystack. The only way would be to mobilize thousands of people for a large-scale mountain search. Su Wenlin had the power to do that, but he didn’t. That was the difference between an individual and a collective.

「The next day.」

Old Cai and Yao Guangfa’s cousin, Zhang Wei, left to head back first. The remaining four continued to wander the forest, searching. Luo Kai tried his best to use his sense of smell, but Granny Hua’s floral scent was easily confused with the fragrances of the various plants in the forest. They searched for another full day with no results.

「The third day.」

Their food and water supplies were nearly depleted. Yao Guangfa made a suggestion. "Junior Brother Luo, not far from here is a place called Long Snake Valley. It’s known for its many precious medicinal herbs. The old woman you’re looking for must have come to Mist Mountain to find herbs, too. Why don’t we go take a look?"

Luo Kai nodded in agreement. "Alright. Thank you for all your hard work these past two days."

Yao Guangfa hurriedly replied, "It’s no trouble, no trouble at all! Making a friend like you, Junior Brother Luo, is a blessing we couldn’t have hoped for in several lifetimes."

After crossing a stretch of marshland, Yao Guangfa led them to a long, narrow valley. Mist swirled within the valley, shrouding everything in a haze and reducing visibility to only four or five meters.

"This is Long Snake Valley. Legend has it that an impossibly giant serpent died here. There are a lot of venomous snakes inside, so we must be careful once we enter."

Yao Guangfa and the other man picked up two sticks from the ground. They tapped them against the ground and bushes as they walked into the valley to drive away any venomous creatures that might be in their path.

For some unknown reason, the moment he entered the valley, goosebumps broke out on Luo Kai’s skin. The valley seemed to have a unique Magnetic Field frequency that was stimulating his body.

After walking for a while, Yao Guangfa stopped and turned around. "Junior Brother Luo, the visibility is too low here. Why don’t we split up to search?"

"Alright. You two be careful. If you run into trouble, shout for help. I’ll come find you."

Yao Guangfa’s expression suddenly changed for some reason. He forced a smile. "It’s fine. There are just a lot of venomous snakes here. They usually don’t attack people."

Watching Yao Guangfa and the other man disappear into the Mist, Luo Kai felt a flicker of doubt, but he didn’t dwell on it. Yao Guangfa and his men had been so dedicated and helpful these past few days that his animosity toward Su Wenlin had lessened considerably.

The valley was utterly silent, without even the sound of the wind. There was only the rustling of reptiles moving through the grass and trees.

Women tend to be more afraid of things like snakes and rats. Lu Qing tugged on Luo Kai’s sleeve and whispered, "There are snakes."

Luo Kai whispered back, "It’s fine. Generally, snakes don’t attack large animals unless they’re provoked. Besides, they’re running away."

In truth, the reason they had encountered so few animals over the past two days was because of Luo Kai’s presence. Animals were far more sensitive than humans; some could even sense a creature’s Magnetic Field. The more powerful the creature, the larger the Magnetic Field it emitted. As he was now, Luo Kai walking through the forest was like a humanoid Fierce Beast. All animals scrambled to get out of his way. Of course, if he were to intrude upon an animal’s lair, it would rise up to fight, like the strange rats from the day before yesterday.

As they walked, Luo Kai suddenly felt that something was wrong. A wave of drowsiness washed over him. The moment the thought occurred, his entire mind was filled with an overwhelming sleepiness. A chill rose from the bottom of his heart. He quickly bit his tongue and forced his heart to beat faster, driving the drowsiness away. Beside him, Lu Qing was already leaning against his shoulder, fast asleep.

"Lu Qing, wake up."

With a grim expression, Luo Kai checked her breathing. It was normal; she had simply fallen into a deep sleep.

The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet. Even the sound of air moving had vanished.

Luo Kai hoisted Lu Qing onto his shoulder and started back the way they came. He had only taken two steps before he staggered, nearly falling. The increasingly heavy drowsiness assaulted him relentlessly, forcing him to frantically accelerate his heartbeat as he sprinted toward the entrance.

...

At the edge of the valley, Yao Guangfa and the middle-aged man named Li Shuncai stared grimly into the depths. After a long while, Yao Guangfa sighed. "He probably isn’t coming out."

"Hmph. You’re getting soft," Li Shuncai snorted. His voice was hoarse and his expression cold, a complete change from his previous dull-witted demeanor.

"Sigh... He did save our lives, after all. Besides, the young master instructed us to spare the girl’s life if possible."

"You saw them. The two are never apart. There was no chance to spare the little girl. Don’t worry. Once this is done, the young master won’t treat you poorly."

Yao Guangfa hesitated for a moment. "Do you really think this Valley of Eternal Sleep can kill that young man?"

Li Shuncai paused, recalling the sharp glint of Luo Kai’s blade and his valiant skills. He asked, sounding a little less confident, "But didn’t you say that no one has ever made it out of the Valley of Eternal Sleep?"

"I don’t know. But what if he doesn’t die? You and I will definitely be in for it. Even the young master, despite being a member of the Tri-Eyed Race, would probably be in trouble."

Li Shuncai thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "Then we’ll wait here. I’ll have someone bring explosives and we’ll plant them at the valley entrance. If he actually makes it out alive, we’ll blow him to bits."

"No. If we do that, we’ll have no excuse to fall back on. Besides, I doubt even explosives could kill him."

...

Luo Kai no longer had the strength to run. He had thought he could dash out of the valley in an instant, but the path before him had suddenly become long and endless. He had been running for over an hour, yet it felt as if he were just going in circles.

He collapsed to the ground, holding Lu Qing in his arms. He struggled to summon his Spiritual Will to fight against the powerful drowsiness. The omnipresent Mist wasn’t just affecting his senses; it seemed to be affecting his memory as well. Scenes flashed through his mind like a slideshow—some were his own, but others felt like they didn’t belong to him. If this continued, he would surely suffer a mental Split.

He gritted his teeth and withdrew his consciousness into his Little Cosmos. He blocked his breathing and sealed all his pores. His Spiritual Power formed an invisible barrier around him, almost completely severing his connection to the outside world. Only then did the drowsiness lessen slightly.

His muddled thoughts gradually cleared. He opened his eyes. In his arms, Lu Qing’s eyelids were twitching, and her pale forehead was covered in large beads of sweat. Her expression was pained, as if she were trapped in a nightmare.