Zheng Qing found Li Meng behind a clump of bushes not far from Linzhong Lake.
At the time, the Little Witch was facedown, limbs spread wide, lying limply on the grass like a turtle without its shell. Unlike a turtle, however, she lay completely still, as though she were dead.
The young wizard's heart leaped into his throat. He even forgot to breathe as he broke into a run toward her.
But after only three steps, he suddenly came to his senses. His right hand darted into the Gray Cloth Bag at his waist, pulling out a stack of talismans that he desperately scattered in every direction and over the Little Witch's body. At the same time, his left hand produced his spellbook and held it before his chest.
The talismans were mainly for protection and warning, while Zheng Qing happened to have a highly useful spell recorded in his spellbook:
"Bright Heaven above, shine upon the earth below!"
A gentle, brilliant light suddenly flared in the pitch-black woods, as though a small sun were slowly rising. Everything around them was illuminated, so clearly that even the ants crawling through the grass could be seen.
For a moment, there seemed to be two moons in the sky, and the moon created by magic looked even more like a moon than the real one.
As he chanted, Zheng Qing could clearly feel his voice trembling.
That was not a good sign.
The young wizard immediately flipped to the second page of his spellbook, steadied himself, and recited, "Unshaken and unmoving, neither fearful nor startled!"
In an instant, the panic in his heart subsided, and his mind regained its calm.
Zheng Qing did not stop walking. As he headed toward where Li Meng had fallen, he warily scanned both sides, the pages