“You two run really fast,” Eric said, half puzzled, half admiring.

“Where’s the big snake?” Jack asked again.

“No idea, just kept running, never looked back,” Brian Smith said, panting, his face pale.

Jack did a headcount. “Brian Smith, Bruce Smith, Eric, Lance, Puppy, Sam, Paul, all here, just missing... Baldy.”

Brian Smith said with a trembling voice, “Baldy, Baldy couldn’t have been killed by the big snake, right?”

“He was clearly smiling at us from behind the tree, so he probably isn’t dead,” Eric said, not too sure. Baldy’s smile was just too strange, a bad omen.

“The Xuanfu Army is still behind us, they can handle the big snake.” Jack wasn’t too sure either. Thinking back, that snake was just too huge, it seemed like it could swallow the whole Wildwood Town.

The boys nodded. Rather than agreeing with Jack’s guess, it was more like giving themselves a bit of confidence. They’d rather be prisoners of the Xuanfu Army than become the big snake’s lunch.

“We can’t stop here, we need to run a bit farther,” Jack said. Even if the Xuanfu Army defeated the big snake, they’d still arrest people and punish them. He hoped to never see those black-armored soldiers again.

The boys just wanted to get away from the big snake, so they helped each other up, barely managing to stand. They had no idea where they were in the forest, nor did they recognize the path. As they all started talking at once, a noise came from up the slope again.

A horse soared high through the air, and after landing, it stumbled and a knight tumbled off its back with a scream, rolling all the way to the boys’ feet. The horse ignored its master and ran off on its own.

It was that strict officer, still wrapped head to toe in pitch-black armor, lying face down, his condition unknown.

The boys stared at him motionless, not knowing how to handle this unexpected situation.

The officer moved a little, a groan coming from inside his helmet.

Jack was the first to react, leaping forward, but as he raised his arm he realized he was still holding Grace’s hand. The two of them were tied together at the right arm with a rope, so Grace could only stand behind him. Jack tried to bite the knot, but it had been tied tight by the Xuanfu Army soldiers, and a boy of his age couldn’t possibly chew through it.

Brian Smith and Bruce Smith, the brothers, were the first to pounce, with Eric and the others right behind. Several of them worked together, some holding down the legs, some pressing on the body, subduing the officer. Bruce Smith was quick and flipped off the helmet.

“Huh, turns out he’s just a half-grown kid.”

Whatever respect the Wildwood Town boys had left for the officer vanished. They all started pulling off the officer’s black armor in a flurry of hands.

Eric cheered, snatching the officer’s longsword from his belt. He immediately drew it, admiring it in the sunlight and showing it off to his friends, his fear of the snake monster mostly forgotten.

The boys crowded around to look. The sword was three feet long, its blade snow-white, but the body of the sword was black, making for a striking contrast.

“There’s writing on it,” Brian Smith said enviously.

Sure enough, there was a row of strange characters engraved on the black blade, the strokes extremely fine. If not for the sunlight, they’d be hard to see, but no one could recognize what the writing meant.

“Grace knows a lot of characters, let her see what it says,” Brian Smith said.

Eric gripped the sword with both hands, holding it level in front of his waist.

Grace stepped out from behind Jack, looked down for a while, and said softly, “I don’t know either. Maybe it’s a talisman inscription.”

The boys nodded as if they understood. “Then this sword must be really valuable.” Eric’s face lit up. “I heard even the most ordinary talisman written on paper can sell for a dozen taels of silver. This sword must be worth at least a hundred taels.”

A hundred taels of silver was a huge fortune in the eyes of the Wildwood Town boys, enough to last a lifetime. They all clicked their tongues in admiration, not even caring what a talisman inscription actually was.

“Move aside, I want to try this sword. Jack, Grace, you two stand back, I’ll cut the rope.”

Everyone immediately stepped back. Jack and Grace stood one in front of the other, pulling the rope between them as straight as possible.

Eric raised the longsword high with both hands and brought it down with all his might. The rope snapped instantly. He lunged forward and almost fell, but he didn’t care at all. “What a great sword! I didn’t even feel any resistance from the rope.”

“He might have more good stuff on him,” Brian Smith said, pointing at the officer on the ground. This time he was the first to rush over and started searching carefully.

Jack, now free, joined the others in searching the officer. Grace stayed where she was, patiently untying the knot on her wrist. Eric didn’t move either, still admiring the sword he’d gotten, not caring about anything else.

In no time, the boys had divided up all the officer’s gear: helmet, pieces of black armor, silk sashes, ribbons, water pouch, and some small items hidden inside the armor, all found new owners.

Bruce Smith cheered—he’d found a set of fire-starting tools, delicate and compact, much better than the ones he carried himself.

Jack was a step late, but he had sharp eyes and actually found a dagger. The dagger looked ordinary, with a wooden handle, but when he drew it from its sheath, everyone’s eyes lit up. Embedded in the blade was a flat, oval-shaped red gem, dazzlingly bright. Even someone who knew nothing about jewelry could tell it was worth a fortune.