The Ice Demoness Loves

Chapter 8: Danger in the Forest

Wu QiaoHua opened her eyes and stared at the blue sky. What happened? The last thing she remembered was... She gasped and sat up quickly. She winced slightly from the bruises on her waist but it wasn't terrible.

"QiaoHua, are you alright?" Wu LiJing asked as she sat next to her.

Wu QiaoHua turned to her cousin with watery eyes. "W-what happened?"

Wu LiJing sighed. "You were attacked by a black snake. Thankfully, I was able to come in time."

"Is everyone alright?" She felt great guilt inside and looked around. She noticed everyone was awake, staring at her and felt relieved. No one looked heavily injured.

She looked up at Wu LiJing with a smile. "Thank you, Sister LiJing. And I'm sorry..."

Wu LiJing patted her head. "It's alright as long as you're fine." She took out an apple. "Here, eat something before we set off. You guys need one more plant. You only have until the noon of tomorrow to accomplish your task."

"What?!"

"You've slept for a whole night," Xin Mei explained.

"Oh..." Wu QiaoHua scratched her head, embarrassed. "I'll eat quickly!" The sun was already out, meaning they only had about a day to hunt for herbs. QiaoHua's eyes slightly widened when she ate the apple. It was so refreshing!

Wu LiJing jumped on top of a tree and climbed to the top, while the rest ate. She looked around for a moment and suddenly felt movement behind her. "Who's there?!" Her sword appeared in her hand. She tried to scan her surroundings but could not sense another person. After a moment of silence, she quickly climbed down and rejoined the group.

"I spotted a group of disciples from another sect yesterday. Be vigilant. It seems they are here on an important mission," she warned the team as they headed out. She was sure someone was behind her earlier, and even if they weren't too close, they were skilled enough to escape her - meaning the disciples would have trouble dealing with this person if they meant harm.

"Are they dangerous?" QiaoHua asked.

"I don't think so. But it's better to be careful than not." They started moving with LiJing in the front.

Xin Mei walked up to Wu LiJing and asked softly, "Eldest Senior Sister, is your arm alright now?"

Wu LiJing nodded without looking at her. This morning, the first thing she checked was her arm and after rotating it a few times and testing her sword out, her arms were moving perfectly, and her chi was also able to be released properly.

Xin Mei sighed in relief.

"Arm? Is something wrong with Eldest Senior Sister's arm?" Wu QiaoHua asked from behind, worried. She took a step closer towards them.

"Um! It's my arm!" Xin Mei quickly covered. "I twisted my arm a bit yesterday and asked Eldest Senior Sister for help. Now it feels better." Xin Mei glanced at Wu LiJing, who didn't reveal any move in expression, and sighed in relief.

Yesterday, their Eldest Senior Sister asked all of them to keep her wounds a secret from Wu QiaoHua lest she feels even more guilty. Knowing her friend's personality, Xin Mei understood why Wu LiJing would request that from them... but then wouldn't her hard work go to waste? Defeating that snake was not easy. She sighed and looked at QiaoHua.

"Oh..." Wu QiaoHua nodded. She glanced at Xin Mei. "Sorry," she murmured.

Xin Mei smiled. "Let's just try to go through to today. It's good Eldest Senior Sister came or we might have failed our task." Or even died, but Xin Mei didn't say that.