Chapter 44: Mantis Stalking the Cicada (Part 4): An Eye for an Eye, A Tooth for a Tooth Part 1

The shore mud soaked in the stream water was soft and muddy. Stepping into it left deep footprints, sinking so much that it took a slight exertion of force to pull the foot out.

Shang Shan wore grass shoes, and the soles were constantly sucked tight by the mud. The straps dug into the tops of her feet, leaving red marks and making the going even more difficult.

Thus, she had no choice but to lift her foot forcefully before stomping it down hard. Her shoulders shrugged with the motion, as if she were venting.

“…” She habitually wanted to curse her out, but at the critical moment, Mu Qian Tan slammed on the brakes and held back.

She realized it a beat too late. Even with the disguise mask on her face and her true nature hidden away, she subconsciously forgot in front of Shang Shan. She always treated her with her usual attitude, unable to keep the barbs out of her words.

Once or twice was fine, but if it happened too many times, she might snap Shang Shan awake. If Shang Shan mulled it over and realized something was off, she might follow the trail and guess Mu Qian Tan’s identity. Better to hold back.

“I’m just saying you’re easy to get along with, so I want to stick with you.” Pretending in front of her was especially exhausting. Mu Qian Tan had to suppress that bit of irritation in her heart before she could speak. She turned her head to gaze into the depths of the woods.

“I’m afraid something might happen, and I think you can protect me.”

The woman’s cold and gentle voice drifted into her ears on the wind. Shang Shan’s cheeks puffed up, but her tense shoulders relaxed. She murmured, “Where would you need my protection…”

Several small frogs jumped out of the stream water and paddled their legs to stick close to Shang Shan’s heels, afraid of falling behind. But she suddenly stopped and turned back with firm resolve. “Also, Qin He is a very easy person to get along with—better than me. Don’t misunderstand her.”

Mu Qian Tan said, “Oh.”

Hearing that indifferent response, Shang Shan felt stifled again. She huffed and prepared to continue forward, but her foot seemed to step on something when she moved.

Her heel stayed put as she shifted her toes. Right in the middle of her grass shoe’s footprint was a frog pit.

“Ah!”

Shang Shan jumped back in shock, then hurriedly squatted down. She dug her fingers into the soft mud and unearthed the frog she had stepped into the muck. She cradled it in her palm.

The frog lay on its back with its mouth agape and its tongue lolling out the side of its lips. Its thin, pale limbs draped limply across her palm.

Thinking she had crushed it to death, Shang Shan’s hair nearly stood on end. She panicked and cupped it into the stream water, then pressed rhythmically on its white belly with two fingers. After a moment of frantic rescue efforts, she finally heard a croak. The frog flipped over and jumped up, puffing out its cheeks and croaking on her palm.

“Phew…” Shang Shan let out a huge sigh of relief and sat back down on the ground.

Who could have known she would plop right onto a bunch more frogs.

“Aaaah!”

After another round of rescue, the frogs were finally hopping about lively once more.

Shang Shan wiped the sweat from her forehead and touched the head of each frog one by one, instructing them not to get so close to people. Legs had no eyes, and it was easy to get hurt.

Mu Qian Tan silently watched her perform this cycle of life and death, complete with an educational segment, saying nothing. Yet her eyes seemed to hold a thousand words.

What was going on? Had this ancient immortal hero tale transformed into a children’s picture book?

Over there, after finishing the lecture, Shang Shan was a half-beat slow to realize that the frogs gathered around her… weren’t there a bit too many?

She stood up, and the frogs looked up at her, croaking away. One by one, they hopped forward, as if wanting to lead the way.

“Ah, I get it!” Shang Shan pressed her hands together at her chest. “Did you overhear us talking? Are you taking me to the hive?”

The frogs did backward somersaults—they could actually do backflips. After flipping, they hopped forward boldly, which seemed to be their way of agreeing.

Shang Shan was in high spirits and hurried after them. “Thank you so much!”

Mu Qian Tan said, “…This works too?”

She had thought it was just the protagonist halo at work and was full of disdain, but then she remembered something else.

Before they left the Flying Dragon Stronghold, Village Chief Tan Rong had mentioned that the frogs had mild temperaments and knew gratitude. She said that if they helped out, frogs would assist them no matter where they went afterward.

Mu Qian Tan had thought it was just idle chatter, but it turned out to be true.

The frogs hopped along ahead, leading the way. After about half a stick of incense had burned, a buzzing of wings whizzed past their ears.

Shang Shan covered one ear and looked up. At the stream bank ahead was a small cluster of beautifully posed fiery red flowers. Their goose-yellow stamens crawled with thumb-sized black-and-yellow wild bees, their massive bodies bending the flower stems somewhat.

At this point, the frogs didn’t dare go any farther forward. They all dove into the water, leaving only their black eyes exposed.

Shang Shan waved her thanks to them, then observed the flower cluster.

Some of the wild bees, covered head to toe in pollen and having finished gathering nectar, shot upward rapidly.

Following their path with her eyes and carefully pushing through the underbrush, Shang Shan spotted a tall palm tree with dense branches and leaves. Protruding from beneath its serrated leaves was a massive dark brown clump of writhing, overlapping bees—like a tumor twisted out of existence. It was the hive.

Mu Qian Tan gave it a faint glance before immediately looking away. The hand she held over her stomach pressed a bit harder.

This primitive forest was really not friendly to those with insect phobias.

Having confirmed the hive’s location, Shang Shan was eager to give it a try and take it down. But she remembered Qin He’s warning and decided against acting on her own. She retraced her steps.

After rendezvousing with Qin He, she brought her to the flower cluster and pushed down the underbrush. “There are so many bees. It won’t be easy to take it down, right?”

The bee swarm was so dense that one glance made one’s hair stand on end. Forcing it down without preparation would definitely result in injuries, great or small.

And these wild bees living deep in the old mountain woods—who knew if they were venomous? Getting stung would definitely hurt.

Qin He studied it for a moment before saying, “Not difficult. Shang Shan, watch closely.”

With that, she had everyone retreat. She crossed the stream to the opposite bank and found a spot with a good vantage point to hide.

Then, she stared at the hive beneath the leaves and shot a clump of spiritual power into the water while pinching a mudra with her hand.

The clump of spiritual power instantly stirred up a whirlpool. It was as if a hand had yanked at the water’s surface, rubbing it into a large water ball that bobbed up unsteadily before slowly drifting beneath the hive. Starting from the bottom, it swallowed the entire thing.

Next, a silver gleam flashed at Qin He’s waist as her flying sword shot out of its sheath before returning. The hive had been severed at the roots and fully plunged into the water ball.

Countless wild bees buzzed madly, abandoning the hive and crawling out from the water ball’s surface. They seemed unable to comprehend why their treetop home had been flooded. Unable to find the culprit, they could only circle around blindly like headless flies.

Qin He said in a low voice, “Now head to the Candy Banyan Forest.”

To maintain the flow of spiritual power, they couldn’t get too far away. To avoid detection by the wild bees, they couldn’t make a sound, lest they invite retaliation. The three of them kept their eyes fixed on the hive several dozen feet away as they quietly shifted their steps.

Night gradually swallowed the forest. As time dragged on, fine sweat beaded on Qin He’s forehead, but her movements remained steady as she manipulated the hive in the water back with them.

A half hour later, just before the last traces of twilight faded from the horizon, she finally placed it at the edge of the Candy Banyan Forest.

The water ball burst with a pop, and the hive thudded to the ground. Sweet syrup flowed out, drawing the wings of nearby spotted cicadas into vibration as they changed direction. The wild bees stood vigilant guard over the hive, refusing to budge an inch.

“Done.” Qin He withdrew her hand and calmed her spiritual power. “It’s dark now. Let’s find a place to wait.”

The five-day trial had only just passed its first day, and things had gone so smoothly that it put everyone in a good mood.

Dusk thickened as stars spread across the distant sky. Aside from the faint glow emanating from the syrup on the Candy Banyan branches and leaves, everything else was swallowed in pitch darkness where one couldn’t even see their own fingers.

The spotted cicada swarm finally settled down to rest, falling asleep along with the forest.

The three climbed to a slope with a good view. It had once been struck by lightning, leaving a large swath of trees dried out and toppled. They leaned against a protruding boulder, forming a natural shelter that blocked wind and rain—perfect for resting underneath.

Shang Shan went in first and shooed away the squeaking rats and snakes. She gathered an armful of slightly damp dry grass and spread it on the ground for bedding. Qin He gathered some firewood and piled it up in one spot. “Shan Shan, come here and light the fire.”

She fished a gold pellet out of her bosom and tossed it to her. Shang Shan bent over swiftly and caught it in her mouth. Her teeth clacked a few times, and sparks sizzled from her throat.

She took a deep breath and sprayed out a thick jet of flame, igniting the wood pile.

Darkness was torn open, casting the three silhouettes onto the stone wall—some sitting, some standing—as they swayed with the firelight.

Mu Qian Tan thought to herself: No fire-starting tools? This kid is loaded—such a waste.

Qin He laughed. “Tasty?”

Shang Shan licked her lips and went up on tiptoe. “Tasty.”

Mu Qian Tan thought: So it’s feed. Still a waste.

Unaware of what the others were thinking, Qin He took out some rations and divided them among the other two. “If there’s truly a Spotted Cicada King in these woods, we’ll know by tomorrow night if we can lure it out. If there’s still no reaction by then, we’ll have to think about catching some other demon.”