Jack untied the rope on his right wrist, then helped Grace get free from her bonds. He was overjoyed, because not only was this dagger beautiful, it was also very sharp.

Lance was the only one dissatisfied. He had only managed to grab a helmet, which he put on his head, but couldn’t see anything. “The Xuanfu soldiers wear it just fine, so why am I blind?”

Brian Smith held a stack of papers in his hand, about a dozen sheets, flipping through them. “Are these talismans? How much are they worth?”

Eric glanced over. “Look at those strokes, all crooked and messy. You can tell at a glance they’re worthless. Might as well save them for wiping your butt.”

But Brian Smith couldn’t bear to part with them and carefully tucked them into his chest.

Everyone was admiring the treasures they’d snatched, except for Grace, so she was the first to notice the officer sitting up.

The officer was also a young man, looking not much older than Jack and the others, with delicate features and fine, close-fitting clothes—so fine that even the wealthiest Shen family in Wildwood Town couldn’t produce a few like them.

At this moment, his expression wasn’t stern at all, but full of confusion. He glanced down at his armorless body, frowned slightly, then suddenly leapt up and started to run.

Grace cried out, and the boys swarmed forward again. Jack was at the front, pounced on the officer, pinned him to the ground, and shouted, “Bring the rope!”

There was still a long piece of rope left. Jack quickly tied the officer’s hands behind his back.

The officer turned over and spat out the dead leaves in his mouth. He finally understood—he hadn’t been swallowed by the snake demon, but had fallen into the hands of a bunch of poor kids. “Let me go,” he ordered.

Without the cover of black armor, his voice immediately sounded childish, and couldn’t scare the boys from Wildwood Town.

“I declare, from now on you’re our prisoner.” Jack waved the dagger. “Tell me, what are demon seeds? Why did that giant snake come near Wildwood Town?”

“Do you know who I am?” The officer struggled, his voice full of contempt and threat, but he didn’t answer Jack’s question.

“You’re an idiot,” Jack grabbed the officer’s collar, “and a coward. Where are the other Xuanfu soldiers? Where’s the snake? You’re an officer—did you run away by yourself?”

The young officer’s face changed dramatically. “The snake demon! The snake demon is right behind us—give me my things back, quickly!”

No one was willing to return their hard-won treasures. The people of Wildwood Town were simple and honest, but in a few years, under the influence and discipline of their elders, these boys would also learn to obey the law. For now, they only followed the simplest rule: whoever grabbed it, owns it.

“Demon seeds… demon seeds are terrifying things,” the officer said, hoping to use fear to persuade these wild boys. “If you even touch a bit of demon seed, beasts will immediately turn into monsters, and humans… will lose their nature, forget their kin, feel no pain, and can even eat themselves…”

The officer made an exaggerated face, which really startled the boys from Wildwood Town. As if to prove his words, there was another noise from the top of the slope, and soon, an empty black helmet rolled down, inside and out covered in bloodstains.

Chapter Eight: Paper Talismans

The boys took off running, still unable to tell which way to go, just instinctively heading downhill to save some energy. Jack, Brian Smith, and Bruce Smith had herded animals in the woods since they were little, so they knew the terrain better and ran at the front.

No one knew how much time had passed, but even the nimblest Jack couldn’t run anymore and collapsed to the ground. Even if the giant snake appeared overhead right now, mouth open to eat him, he wouldn’t want to move.

Brian Smith and Bruce Smith also fell, gasping for breath.

Surprisingly, Grace hadn’t fallen behind. She was supported by some force, never more than five steps away from Jack. Her face was frighteningly pale, but she didn’t collapse. Instead, she slowly sat down.

Next came the young officer, his hands still tied, but without the burden of armor and driven by a strong will to survive, he ran faster than most of the boys.

Before long, the others caught up too. Most of the heavy “spoils” had been abandoned along the way. The last was Eric, still clutching that longsword, refusing to let go no matter what.

They had already entered the depths of the dense forest, where almost no wild grass grew, only a thick layer of dead leaves. Looking up, they couldn’t see the sky, and outside, dusk was already falling.

This place seemed even more like a haunt for demons and monsters, but no one suggested moving elsewhere.

After a long while, Bruce Smith was the first to speak. “I’m starving.”

He reminded everyone that there were pains in this world even more real than snake demons. Several stomachs seemed to understand his words and started growling one after another.

Even Jack, who was used to roaming the woods, couldn’t find any edible wild fruit in this desolate forest. He forced himself to stand up and looked around. “We need to find that little river first.”

Eric sat on the ground, shaking his head. “How are we supposed to find it?”

“Let’s each go in a different direction, leave marks along the way, and come back after a while. Maybe we’ll find something.” Jack came up with an idea.

Lance shook his head even faster. “I’m not going alone. That snake… we’re not even enough to fill the gap between its teeth.”

Mentioning the giant snake demon made the boys alert. No one dared to go off alone, not even in pairs or threes. They just wanted to stay together.