Beyond the Veil of Folly

8. The fire girl

"My foolish master, you can rely on me this time," said Suluh.

Renggin Ang spread his arms to protect the girl behind him.

"Take shelter behind me, Miss."

"What can a second-stage warrior cultivator like you do?" the girl asked, doubting Renggin Ang.

A cultivator can estimate the rank of another cultivator by observing their spiritual energy aura. This applies to ranks lower than their own. Therefore, it is very difficult to gauge the rank of cultivators who are at a higher level.

"Heh, just watch," replied Renggin Ang with a smile.

Once again, the chicken used its beak to peck at them.

"Follow my instructions," said Suluh.

Renggin Ang nodded.

With instructions from the wooden sword spirit, the boy used a wind slash technique to open the monster chicken's mouth. Then he threw the wooden sword and shouted, "Bone-piercing wooden sword!" Renggin Ang combined the wooden sword technique with his own wind sword move.

Whuuuus!

Sleeeb!

The wooden sword shot swiftly, piercing through the throat and out the monster chicken's rear. After that, Renggin Ang pulled the wooden sword back into his hands, and the monster chicken was dead.

The chicken's carcass transformed into a deep brown pearl. Renggin Ang picked it up and threw the pearl to the girl.

"Take this!"

The girl caught it deftly.

"Why are you giving it to me? Didn't you defeat it?"

"Just now, you said that chicken belonged to you, right? Or consider it a gift from me," Renggin Ang grinned. Then he left, saying to the girl, "See you again, fire girl! I must continue my journey."

"Fire girl? Huh!" The girl snorted. Then, several guards approached her.

"Miss Yu, are you okay? You suddenly disappeared without a trace and made us worried," said one of the guards.

"I'm fine. Let's go back to the camp!" she replied.

Meanwhile, Renggin was still searching for Ajw fruit. By the evening, he found a tree.

The trunk of the tree was scaly, and its leaves resembled coconut palms. The fruit of the tree, which was orange-yellow, was still unripe. Its texture was hard and dense. The ripe fruit would turn black. When bitten, it felt soft in the mouth and filling for the stomach.

"Hey, isn't this the ajw fruit?" asked Renggin Ang, pointing to the fruit in question. He placed his bundle of provisions next to the tree.

"Correct," replied Suluh.

Then Renggin Ang picked some fruits. Suddenly, from behind the tree emerged a monster snake. This snake was not venomous. However, it had been dwelling there long enough to possess a medium-level ferocity aura. Its strength was comparable to that of a warrior level.

Sssss ....

The snake flicked its tongue while glaring sharply at Renggin Ang. The boy trembled in fear.

"Ru-run!"

Just three steps after Renggin Ang moved, the monster snake whipped its tail and tightly coiled around him.

Renggin Ang tried to escape using the wind slash technique. However, it had no effect on the snake. Then he attempted to fight back again with the wind sword technique. Unfortunately, its scales were too thick, and the snake received no scratches at all.

The snake tightened its coil around Renggin Ang's body. The boy felt as if he were being squeezed, blood seeping from his skin pores.

"Aaargh!" he groaned. "Hey, Suluh! Can't you help me?"

"I can't; my power is measured depending on who wields me. You must be at least at the swordsman level to defeat it."

"Then, what should I do? Aargh, this hurts."

"There's nothing you can do unless a miracle occurs."

"Will I die like this? Mother, forgive me. Ampy, forgive your brother." Renggin Ang closed his eyes, crying in surrender. His body was covered in his fresh blood.

The boy's condition weakened, and his vision began to blur. Suddenly, an ancient book tucked in his clothes shook. The book shone brightly, revealing its mysteries.

Will the book bring a miracle to save Renggin Ang's life?