Stepmother

The burly man was a Divine Cultivator, one of those cultivators who were adept at imprisoning souls and forging them into Yin Soldiers.

Xu Yuan pointed in a direction. "Keep going that way for another three li, and you'll reach Wangxiang Village. I won't be going with you. There's nothing dangerous up ahead. I gather firewood on the other side..."

The two exchanged a look. Should we make our move?

The burly man nodded. Three ghostly fiends soundlessly sprang out of the shadow beneath him!

Their eyes were bloodred, their ghostly aura chilling!

Two grabbed at Xu Yuan's legs, while the third lunged for his throat.

It seemed that the two ghostly figures had caught Xu Yuan by the ankles, causing him to stumble and fall into the woods ahead. Instead, he dodged the fatal attack.

One strange, snake-like thing after another shot out from the woods, coiling around Xu Yuan's neck, hands, and feet before dragging him swiftly into the depths of the forest.

The two ghostly figures clinging to his legs refused to let go. The "strange snakes" suddenly opened their mouths and sucked in a breath. The two ghostly figures were swallowed whole, while the last one hastily fled, trembling with fear and not daring to pursue.

"Hey!" The burly man was heartbroken. Big-and-Small Eyes stared at the woods, uncertain and wary, not daring to take a single step farther.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle!"

A strange sound came from within the woods, as if something else were watching them, but was unable to leave the forest.

"Was that kid on guard against us the whole time, or was it just a coincidence?" Big-and-Small Eyes couldn't be sure.

The burly man was still mourning his Yin Soldiers. "Who cares? My Yin Soldiers were no match for those things. That ordinary man is as good as dead."

Big-and-Small Eyes hesitated. "Should we go in and take a look? We came to Ghost Witch Mountain for that thing. We absolutely can't let anyone find out we're here."

The burly man sensed that the Yin Soldiers were terrified of the forest.

"If you want to go, go by yourself."

Big-and-Small Eyes cautiously took a step forward. The moment half his body entered the forest, dozens of dark shadows came shooting at him. He hurriedly backed out. "That kid's definitely dead."

Deep in the forest, Xu Yuan tore open a hidden pocket in his collar with his teeth. Realgar Powder spilled out.

The "Snake Vines" fled in terror.

These strange vines had always thought they were snakes, so they were deathly afraid of realgar.

Freed from their grip, Xu Yuan rubbed the Realgar Powder over himself and quietly made his way to the edge of the forest, where he listened to the two men talking.

"What now?"

"We've lost our guide, so we'll have to find Wangxiang Village ourselves. At least it shouldn't be far."

The two set off cautiously once more. The burly man couldn't help asking, "What exactly is that 'June Bug'? Lord Zheng's such a miser. Why would he pay so much to have us find it?"

Big-and-Small Eyes glanced at him. "You think that since Lord Zheng was willing to pay such a high price, the June Bug must be worth far more than what he offered?"

"Of course."

Big-and-Small Eyes warned him, "We're paid to do a job. Don't get any crooked ideas! Zheng is no good sort. If we take his thing, he'll hunt us to the ends of the earth until we're dead!"

The burly man fell silent. Big-and-Small Eyes thought to himself, There's only one June Bug. How would you and I split it? Once we find it, I'll have to kill you and keep it all for myself.

Hidden in the woods, Xu Yuan furrowed his brow. This was the third group he'd led into the mountains to search for something.

The previous two groups had both died in the mountains.

There were surely other people in town acting as guides. The true number could only be higher.

Still, this was the first time Xu Yuan had learned that the thing they were looking for was called the "June Bug."

The two traveling merchants went on ahead. Xu Yuan emerged from the other side of the forest. This was the right direction; those two would never reach Wangxiang Village.

They'd been up to no good from the start and had never intended to pay him a reward. The burly man had even taken a fancy to Xu Yuan's soul.

It was a pity they didn't understand the people in town. If it were that easy to get one over on them, no one in town would survive three days.

Xu Yuan skirted a Ghost Stream in the mountains and walked a little farther before reaching the foot of a sunny slope. The sunlight here seemed gentler and warmer than elsewhere.

Yang Energy was abundant here, so evil spirits despised the place.

This was where Xu Yuan gathered firewood. The slope was covered in all kinds of wild trees.

Xu Yuan climbed all the way to the top of the slope. There stood an old walnut tree as thick as a man, with a tree hollow about the size of a basket in its trunk.

Inside was a small Bamboo Cage.

Xu Yuan took out the cage, and his eyelid twitched. A chubby white worm lay inside.

"Is this what they're looking for... the June Bug?!"

His stepmother had given him the little cage.

His stepmother was four years older than Xu Yuan. She had originally been his father's apprentice, but somehow she'd become his father's second wife.

Half a month ago, Xu Yuan's father had passed away. After the funeral, his stepmother inherited all his father's businesses, then found Xu Yuan this job at the inn.

Before he left home, his stepmother handed him the cage and said without a hint of tenderness, "After you get there, find an old tree hollow where you gather firewood and put it inside. Remember to check it every day. If you catch a fat, white worm, eat it."

"What if I don't catch one?" Xu Yuan asked.

"If you don't catch one... don't come back."

Inside the little Bamboo Cage, his stepmother had placed a few grains of old rice as bait.

On Xu Yuan's first day at the inn, an older man had taken him out to gather firewood. The next day, he'd gone alone, and put the cage in the hollow of the walnut tree.

For more than ten days, Xu Yuan had checked it whenever he came to gather firewood, but it had always been empty.

Yet those few grains of old rice were still there. He didn't know if the insects in these mountains were different from those outside, but did they not like rice?

Before today, Xu Yuan had never imagined that those people rushing into the mountains like moths to a flame were after this very worm!

The cage had been made very cleverly: once something crawled inside, it couldn't get back out.

Xu Yuan had to admit one thing: his stepmother was indeed very skillful.

The little worm seemed to have given up. It lay there without moving.

Xu Yuan took it out and opened his mouth—but the thought disgusted him. After a moment's hesitation, he shut his eyes, gritted his teeth, and tossed the worm into his mouth.

To his surprise, it was delicious. It melted in his mouth, its fresh sweetness sliding over his tongue and down his throat.