Truth be told, the old ways truly worked wonders. When Director Wu arrived that morning, Zhao Fang’s fever had already dropped to thirty-eight degrees, and she was lucid. Director Wu took her pulse, prescribed some medication to consolidate the effect, and instructed Zhao Fang to stay the night; if the high fever didn’t return, she could be discharged.

Zhao Fen was remarkably diligent—a genuinely rare find in a good girl. She not only cleaned the entire hospital premises, inside and out, but also volunteered to take charge of the cooking. The food she made was simply sublime, light-years ahead of Director Wu’s or my own standard.

After lunch, Zhao Fen said she needed to go home to fetch some things, but she left and didn't return until dusk. Her younger sister, Zhao Fang, grew anxious. She feared her sister might have taken the shortcut through the Black Pine Forest—local legend warned that few people or livestock ever emerged alive from that vast, seemingly endless stretch of pine woods.

I jumped when I heard this, protesting to Zhao Fang, “No way, your sister isn’t foolish. Wouldn’t she know that path is dangerous?”

Zhao Fang replied, “But that path is the closest to our village. Besides, she doesn't have to cross through the Black Pine Forest, just pass alongside it. That’s why most villagers use that route to get to the town.”

Looking at Zhao Fang’s anxiously changing expression, I finally made up my mind. As the saying goes, you can’t catch a tiger cub without entering the tiger’s den. How could a hero win a beauty’s heart without saving her? It seemed today I had to deploy my specialized skills again. I just hoped this time there wouldn’t be any unexpected complications, that I could safely bring Zhao Fen back. If I could find her, I wouldn't even care if Manager Suo demoted me several ranks—being exiled to Siberia would be worth it.

Zhao Fang was so moved that she was speechless for a long time when she learned I was going to look for her sister. “Brother Zhao, thank you. You are such a good person. We haven’t even properly thanked you for saving my life last night, and now my sister is in trouble. My sister and I have depended on each other since childhood; we can’t live without one another. If you can bring my sister back safely, I’m willing to be your ox, your horse, or even your wife…”

The sisters spoke with the same tone. Last night, Zhao Fen had said she’d be my ox, horse, or wife if I saved Zhao Fang. Now her sister was saying the same thing for her sibling. If I was lucky enough to bring Zhao Fen back, would both sisters end up marrying me? Heh… heh… heh… heh…

“Brother Zhao, Brother Zhao, what are you laughing at?”

I wiped the corner of my mouth to cover up. “Nothing, nothing at all, little sister Fang. Director Wu won’t be staying here tonight. When you sleep alone, make sure the door is bolted tight, and absolutely do not wander off anywhere. I will go find your sister; you just wait here at the hospital. Just promise me you won’t disappear after you find her.”

Zhao Fang nodded. “Don’t worry, Brother Zhao. I’m not a three-year-old. But you must be extremely careful too. Let me tell you the way to Peach Blossom Village.”

Peach Blossom Village? What a lovely name. The village must be beautiful, and the women even more so—judging just by these two sisters. This time, the hero must succeed in saving the beauty; I couldn't end up like last time, where the girl didn’t even offer thanks and I got punished with hard labor here.

I went to the yard and found a large wood-chopping broadsword. Director Wu had also brought me a powerful, rechargeable flashlight from the county town during the day, which came in handy now. I had considered going to town to borrow a hunting rifle from the local hunters, but I blamed myself for never building good relationships with them; approaching them now unannounced, they might not be willing to lend one. So, I dropped that idea.

By this time, it was completely dark. I switched on the flashlight, said goodbye to Zhao Fang, and headed toward the mountains. After walking for a little over a mile along the winding path, I realized with a start that I was extremely hungry—I hadn't even eaten dinner! Even bringing along a few cold steamed buns would have helped, but I, the scatterbrain, had run out here with only a chopping knife tucked in my waist. I must have been truly desperate to save the beauty.

It wasn't overcast, nor was it raining, but there was a crisp little autumn breeze. After climbing over one hill and walking a bit further, I came to a fork in the road. According to Zhao Fang, the right path was the normal route to Peach Blossom Village, but it circled a very wide area, meaning it was long—I probably wouldn't arrive until past midnight. The left path went alongside the Black Pine Forest; it was much shorter, and if nothing went wrong, I’d reach the village in an hour.

Zhao Fen had most likely taken the left path. Although the Black Pine Forest harbored the legendary monster, when saving someone is critical, one must risk it all! Otherwise, how could I ever hope to win their affection?

The Black Pine Forest lived up to its name—it was truly black. Even shining my powerful flashlight into it, the darkness remained shadowy and deep. A gust of wind swept through, causing a rustling sound in the woods. Fortunately, this path only hugged the edge of the forest; if I had to go through it, it would surely cost me my life.

As I walked, I shouted at the top of my lungs, “Zhao Fen! Are you here? Zhao Fen! If you’ve fallen into some pit, make a sound so I know!”

Shouting served two purposes: it bolstered my own courage, and if Zhao Fen was nearby, she would hear me and give some indication. But my voice grew hoarse with no response. Meanwhile, the light from this so-called powerful flashlight was dimming.

About halfway through the section bordering the Black Pine Forest, the flashlight finally sputtered down to the intensity of a small kerosene lamp. A moment later, it went out completely. How could this happen? Right at this crucial time, the battery died! What a useless flashlight! Wait, I never even charged it after buying it. Oh my God, what am I going to do?

Even with the light, the path was treacherous. The ground was littered with strange plants called “foot-stabbers”—they had no leaves, only a sharp, hard tip sticking about two centimeters above the ground. Step carelessly on one with rubber-soled shoes, and it could easily pierce the sole and stab your foot.

Now that the flashlight was dead, even with the faint moonlight, it was practically the same as walking blind. Every step required immense care, lest I step on one of those hard plants and end up with a pierced sole.

I knew it. Being a hero isn’t easy, and saving a beauty isn’t straightforward. Zhao Qian, oh Zhao Qian, you let lust cloud your judgment, just hoping these sisters would be so grateful they’d offer themselves in return. But even if you wished that, you needed to measure your own worth. You were a soldier, yes, but with those amateur skills, any real monster would swallow you whole!

The further I walked, the less confident I felt. Initially, I had shouted loudly, but soon I was focused only on looking down for the path, too preoccupied to call out. When I finally looked up again, I was stunned to see two lanterns ahead!

Thank God, Amitabha! Could this be Zhao Fen, or perhaps someone from her village searching for her? Overjoyed, I shouted and quickened my pace. Even the sharp pain in my soles from the thorns seemed to lessen.

But instead of responding to my shouts, the two lanterns moved off the path and into the Black Pine Forest. What were they doing? Was Zhao Fen testing my courage? Unlikely; she didn't seem that calculating based on her appearance.

If it wasn’t Zhao Fen or her villagers, who else would be traveling on this dark and windy night? Even if they were traveling, why would they head toward the Black Pine Forest? Wouldn’t they be in danger if the monster really existed?

No, I had to stop them. Even if this had nothing to do with saving the beauty, I couldn’t just watch them walk into danger. With that thought, I followed the two lanterns into the Black Pine Forest.

As a soldier educated in proletarian revolutionary thought, I shouldn't believe in ghosts or gods. But honestly, being an only son spoiled by my parents, I’ve always been timid. Now, in these desolate mountains, in the pitch-black Black Pine Forest, my legs trembled uncontrollably.

To make matters worse, after leading me a short distance into the Black Pine Forest, those two lanterns suddenly vanished. All around me was dark timber, and the wind howled eerily. Overwhelmed by terror, I tried to turn back, but after bumping into several tree trunks, I realized I was completely lost. Good heavens, I had lost my sense of direction; I couldn't even tell which way was back.

I sank onto the ground, finally understanding. Those two lanterns were not people from Peach Blossom Village at all; they must have been the legendary will-o'-the-wisps, luring me in here for a candlelight dinner courtesy of the monster.

Alas, my twenty-three wonderful years, and I hadn't even held a girl's hand before being extinguished. Thank heavens I’d accidentally grabbed Zhao Fen’s chest through her clothes last night and stolen a glance at Zhao Fang’s mysterious area. God had been kind to this great virgin.

I prayed fervently to the Buddha, wishing for a fox spirit to appear, allowing me one moment of ecstasy before they ate my heart, dug out my liver, drank my blood, and gnawed my bones. However, after such intense fear and shock, my body’s toxic hormones must have spiked. Perhaps the meat would be too sour for them? Hopefully, they’d smell the stench and leave on their own.

Suddenly, a cold wind brushed my back. I turned around—damn it! Those two lanterns were now hanging from the tops of trees! They were truly elusive and mysterious. I didn't care if they were wandering spirits or fox spirits; I was going to fight them!

As I scrambled up, intending to draw my broadsword and charge at the two balls of ghostly fire, perhaps sensing my intent, they tried to strike first, suddenly swooping down toward my head.

They moved too fast; I didn't even have time to blink. Everything went black, and a foul, pungent odor flooded my nostrils. Suddenly, from head to toe, I felt wrapped inside a soft, mushy steamer, and before I could process anything, a sharp pain in my head made me pass out cold.

When consciousness returned, it was to intense pain. My body felt like it was being squeezed into several pieces, and I could barely draw breath into my lungs. If I had woken up even a minute later, the pressure would have suffocated me to death. Luckily, my hands were free. Fumbling blindly, I touched something wrapped around me—a slimy, fish-smelling object, thicker than a man, with a surface that felt faintly like fish scales.

I was still in the Black Pine Forest. The dense canopy blocked out almost all moonlight, making it impossible to identify the thing strangling me. But there wasn't time to analyze it anyway; if I didn't fight back, I would be finished.

I remembered the broadsword I carried. Feeling for my waist, I was relieved to find it still there. How lucky that the blade wasn't facing inward when the creature wrapped around me; otherwise, I would have impaled myself to death!

Though the grip was tight, desperation gave me strength. I managed to draw the broadsword. My internal organs felt on the verge of being crushed, so ignoring everything else, I brought the blade down with all my might to hack!

The strength a person exerts when facing imminent death is terrifying. I figured that even if the creature had skin of copper and bone of iron, I must have sliced off a layer. However, to my surprise, the blade didn’t result in the expected spray of blood and gore when it hit. Instead, a searing pain shot up my hands, and I could no longer grip the broadsword as it was violently flung back, whistling past my ear.

Its skin was incredibly tough—it wasn't afraid of a blade! But it must have felt the pain, because it tightened its grip and shot forward, dragging me with it. Helpless without a weapon, a few punches wouldn’t even sting it. I was pulled deeper into the pine woods.

It was too dark to judge how far we traveled, but I suddenly felt my body sink; the scraping branches were gone. I thrashed my limbs a few times and felt mud—oh no, this bastard was taking me to its underground lair!

Though my mind raced, I couldn't devise a countermeasure. I was probably going to be its midnight snack tonight. Heavens, gods, someone save me!

After reciting the names of all the deities in charge of the heavens, a faint glimmer of light suddenly appeared before my eyes. Though weak, in this pitch-black underground cavern, it felt like a beacon in the sea, bringing hope to my heart.

The monster swept me toward that glimmer of light. Using the sparse illumination filtering through, I finally got a clear look at the creature. Good heavens! It was a super-thick, enormous python! I must have been swallowed whole at first, and my hard bones must have irritated its stomach, causing it to spit me out quickly. It was probably trying to maneuver me back into position to crush and eat me, but I was resilient and woke up in time. That slash must have hurt it badly. Now it was heading home to get reinforcements. I sincerely hoped the mother and baby snakes in this lair weren't too numerous.

The giant python moved quickly, arriving at the light source in an instant. That faint light came from a rock glowing green. This strange stone sat in a vast, open underground hall. Illuminated by the green light, I also saw a stark naked woman lying next to the stone, her face down—her condition unknown. Strange! Could the python's mate be a woman? Surely she wouldn’t enjoy eating human flesh, would she?

Back in its own territory, the python regained some of its boldness. The stinging pain from my earlier cut had probably subsided. It coiled its body around me even tighter, then lunged its massive, gaping mouth down toward my head again.

I was going mad with panic. If it swallowed me again, I might not be so lucky as to be spit out. But I had no weapon—how could I hurt something impervious to a knife?

In desperation, I lowered my head and bit down hard on the snake’s body. So slimy! It was truly disgusting. As the saying goes, a cornered dog will bite. I forgot all about maintaining my dignity; that bite held absolutely no restraint.

“Agh!” I suddenly roared. The snake’s body, which had felt relatively smooth and soft before, suddenly became hard and rigid where I bit it, nearly knocking all my teeth out.

No wonder the broadsword was deflected! This creature had this kind of armor. Was I doomed to die today?

I couldn't hurt it, but it was merciless toward me. Opening its jaws wide, it lunged to swallow me again. In my panic, I spotted a patch of white skin beneath the snake’s 'neck'—its coloration was so distinctly different that it stood out. Why was that area white? Could it be that the skin there was thinner and more tender? Hence the lighter color?

Before I could figure it out, my vision went black—it had swallowed my head! With no time to think, I concentrated all the strength in my fingers and thrust them toward the distinct spot I remembered.

I felt a satisfying squelch as my fingers plunged into the snake flesh! Damn, did this snake, like practitioners of Iron Cloth Shirt, also have a fatal weak point? Heaven must have taken pity on me; I must have accidentally struck its vulnerability. My prayers must have worked!

In agonizing pain, the giant python violently shook its neck, spitting my head out. Finally, it loosened the constriction around my body. But now, I didn't want to let go. I had finally grasped a lifeline; if I released it now and allowed the snake to regain the upper hand, I would surely die more miserably.