After resting for a while, Li Xiang and Xeno finally recovered some of their strength. Neither wanted to waste any more time holed up in that hollow tree.
They briefly discussed their options and decided to follow the river upstream.
Everything else in the rainforest was a tangled mess. Following the water to its source gave them a good chance of finding traces left by the main group.
Xeno walked ahead, with Li Xiang following two or three steps behind.
The river flowed at an unhurried pace, its rushing murmur constantly surrounding them. A dense layer of slippery pebbles covered the bank, beyond which grew knee-high weeds. The ground felt soft underfoot, with plenty of unseen hollows hidden beneath it.
They moved slowly, stopping and starting. Whenever they reached a slippery stretch of stones, they paused to catch their breath.
Li Xiang had kept watch all night, spending most of it exposed to a cold wind. Her body was already running on empty.
At first, she could still force herself to concentrate, but as they walked, waves of drowsiness kept washing over her.
Her head felt terribly heavy, her eyelids kept drooping, and her steps grew unsteady. Her vision blurred now and then, leaving her to follow Xeno's back by instinct, one step at a time.
Both of them were exhausted, and neither paid much attention to what lay in the grass around their feet.
Suddenly, something gave beneath Xeno's foot.
He froze in place, his heart lurching.
Xeno slowly lowered his head and parted the long, drooping grass.
A thick python lay coiled deep in the weeds, most of its body buried beneath the vegetation. It was impossible to spot without getting close.
He lowered his voice.
"Li Xiang, we have a new problem."
Still groggy with exhaustion, Li