As the flames flickered.
This bear-like giant monster grabbed Zhao Fengchun and dragged him out of the camp.
"Stop!"
Jing Jian, greatly alarmed, swung his peachwood sword and charged forward.
The monster swatted again, the terrifying force making the firelight even brighter.
In the bright light, the monstrous, aged humanoid face appeared even more hideous.
Just this face alone was enough to make one shudder in fear.
Jing Jian wanted to save the person but dared not get too close to the monster's hand, sweating profusely in anxiety.
The monster carried Zhao Hongchun on its shoulder, moving its thick, black-haired legs, and quickly walked towards the darkness.
Zhao Fengchun awoke with a start, finding himself caught by the monster, and was nearly frightened out of his wits.
"It's the Bear Granny... Help, help me!"
"Huzi, quick, bang the pot!"
Seeing this, Lu Fei was extremely anxious, shouting as he ran.
Huzi then remembered he was holding a pot spoon and immediately started banging it forcefully.
Dong, dong, dong!
Dong, dong, dong!
The piercing sound of metal clanging echoed urgently through the dark forest.
The monster instantly covered its ears with its claws, looking very pained, and slowed its pace.
"It's working! Huzi, don't stop! Jing Jian and I will go save them!" Lu Fei shouted as he caught up with Jing Jian.
Huzi struck even harder.
Clang, clang, clang!
Clang, clang, clang!
The monster covered its ears and let out a howl, its tall and bulky body swaying, but it never let go of Zhao Fengchun.
Zhao Fengchun struggled desperately to escape, but the claws only pulled him in deeper.
"Old Zhao, don't move for now!"
Lu Fei and Jing Jian caught up with the monster, surrounding it from both sides.
On the monster's face, which resembled that of an old man, a fierce expression appeared, and it bared its teeth at the two men.
This thing is way too strong!
Lu Fei did not dare to approach easily and first threw out a ghost-repelling character.
However, it was trampled into the ground by the monster's foot.
The ghost-repelling character is effective against ghosts and evil spirits, but it is completely useless against this monster.
He had to think of another way.
Amidst the rapid clanging sounds.
Lu Fei's expression darkened.
Thunderstruck wood is the bane of all evil, so he would have to take a risk.
"Brother Jing, cover me!"
He shouted to Jing Jian.
"Wait, I still have this!" Jing Jian seemed to remember something and hurriedly pulled out a mechanical crossbow from his backpack.
This was bought from Master Mo last time to deal with the Yin Dogs. He had taken it with him when he left, just in case it would be useful.
"Lu Fei, I'm going to do it!"
Jing Jian took a deep breath, aimed the crossbow at the huge monster, and pulled the trigger with force.
Whoosh!
The arrow flashed a thin, cold light in the darkness, shooting straight toward the monster's bloated belly.
The monster howled and swatted with its claw, actually knocking the arrow away.
Taking this opportunity, Lu Fei rolled forward and approached the feet of the giant monster.
He channeled his magical power into his hand.
He swung his stick hard at the broad sole of the monster's foot.
Boom!
A blue arc rapidly spread upwards from the soles of its feet. The large monster convulsed violently, its bloated body swaying as it released its hold on Zhao Fengchun.
Lu Fei quickly grabbed Zhao Fengchun's clothes and dragged him off the monster, retreating step by step.
Jing Jian then fired a second arrow at the large monster.
Whoosh!
The arrow struck the large monster's belly.
Enraged, the large monster let out howls and charged towards them, brandishing its thick, sharp claws.
Jing Jian continued to retreat while constantly firing arrows to impede the large monster's advance.
The arrows were swatted away by the large monster, embedding themselves in tree trunks and the ground.
Leaves fell all around.
As Jing Jian was about to be overwhelmed, Lu Fei placed Zhao Fengchun behind Hu Zi, rushed forward, and infused his magical power into the lightning-struck jujube wood staff.
On this seemingly ordinary little stick, a cold electric light flashed instantly.
The might of thunder and lightning!
The huge monster suddenly stomped its foot, terror overflowing from its red eyes. Then, it actually held its head in panic and fled.
The sound of thudding footsteps quickly faded away until it completely disappeared.
Everyone did not dare to let their guard down.
After remaining vigilant for a while and seeing that the monster had not returned, their tense bodies finally relaxed.
Huzi stopped hitting the pot, his arms were sore.
The small black dog barked as it ran to Lu Fei's side.
"It's okay now, there's nothing to be afraid of."
Lu Fei patted its furry head to comfort it, and then went to check on Zhao Fengchun.
"Old Zhao, how are you?"
Zhao Fengchun had several scratch wounds from the monster's claws, with blood seeping out and staining his clothes red.
He propped himself up in a state of shock, gasping for breath.
"It's, it's nothing, should be just some superficial injuries."
"I don't know if that monster's claws were poisonous. Your wounds need to be treated right away."
Lu Fei helped him back to sit by the fire, adding more wood to make the flames burn brighter.
Zhao Fengchun carefully took off his jacket, wincing in pain as the fabric touched his wounds.
In the firelight, where the monster's claws had caught him, his skin and flesh were torn open.
"Brother, you're seriously hurt! That bear woman just shows up out of nowhere, it's so bizarre!"
Huzi quickly put down the pot and ladle, took out a first-aid kit from his bag, and helped Lu Fei treat Zhao Fengchun's wounds and apply medicine.
"That was a close call. If it weren't for Lu Fei's lightning-struck wood, we would have been in big trouble. That monster even knew how to create a diversion; who knows how many years it has been around!"
Jing Jian wiped the sweat from his forehead, still feeling the lingering fear as he vigilantly surveyed the surroundings.
After treating the wounds and redressing, Zhao Fengchun's face was pale, but he was immensely grateful to be alive.
"I've caused you more trouble."
"What are you saying, Brother Zhao? Even without you, that Xiong Jiapo would still have come," Lu Fei reassured with a wave of his hand. "I reckon, it's been a long time since people have ventured into these deep mountains. As soon as we, these uninvited guests, arrived, all the evil spirits in the mountains became restless."
"With you here, informing us about the Xiong Jiapo's weakness, otherwise, we might not have been able to deal with it."
Zhao Fengchun shook his head, looking deeply at Lu Fei in the firelight: "I saw that your earlier moves were extraordinary. You must not be ordinary people... But it doesn't matter. It's enough for me to know that you are good people."
In the latter half of the night, no one dared to sleep, keeping their eyes open as they guarded the fire.
That Xiong Jiapo, after being frightened by the lightning-struck wood, seemed to be scared and didn't come back.
When dawn finally broke, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and took turns resting.
The mountain was relatively calm during the day.
Everyone had a sound sleep and felt rejuvenated.
Time quickly passed, reaching the afternoon.
After eating and drinking, they extinguished the bonfire with soil, packed up their things, and prepared to go find the ginseng that had become a spirit.
"Old Brother Zhao, just tell us where the ginseng is. We will catch it for you, and you don't have to move."
"Alright, follow me."
Zhao Fengchun knew that his current physical condition would only hinder them if he insisted on pushing himself, so he didn't stand on ceremony.
He looked up at the sky and led the group through the mountain forest.
The mountain guardian had his own unique way of determining directions. As he walked, he looked around, sometimes picking up a leaf, sometimes smelling the earth.
Lu Fei and the other two remained vigilant as they walked, keeping an eye on their surroundings.
After finding Zhao Fengchun's bundle, they walked for about another hour.
Zhao Fengchun stopped and a look of joy appeared on his face.
"Found it!"