Li Chen did not head straight to the Ten Thousand Medicine Hall. Instead, he rented a room at an inn and waited until midnight, then spread his spiritual power over the whole of Green Mountain Town, drawing everyone into an illusion at once.
The next morning, Little Doctor Fairy opened her eyes.
She got up and washed as usual, then pushed open the back door of the Ten Thousand Medicine Hall and went into the courtyard to bring the medicinal herbs that had been drying overnight into the shop.
Mercenaries were already moving about in the street. A few passed the entrance and called out a greeting to her, and she nodded in response.
The sun rose, and the streets grew busier. Everything was exactly as it had always been.
Shortly after nine, she and the Ten Thousand Medicine Hall's herb gatherers prepared to head into the mountains to collect herbs. They also hired the Wolf Head Mercenary Group to escort them.
After traveling through the mountains for over two hours, the party reached their gathering site, a peculiar valley shaped like a three-way junction. The main path they had entered through was fairly wide, but the other two branches were rather narrow.
Aside from the path they had entered through, both branches were dead ends. All sorts of medicinal herbs grew on the left, while a flat stone platform lay on the right.
The mercenaries spread out to keep watch while the herb gatherers crouched down to identify the plants.
The mercenaries spread out to keep watch.
Just then, a low hiss rang out, followed by a faint tremor beneath their feet.
An enormous python burst out of the dense forest. Its body was pitch-black, with dark green markings shimmering beneath its scales. Its trunk was as thick as