Once they confirmed they were safe, Qimeng slumped against the trunk of an ancient tree, panting heavily without any regard for her image.
“Haah... Haah...”
She steadied her breathing and looked at Xiaomi, who had fluttered back down to her side.
“You didn't do half bad. For your first time cooperating, I can barely give you a passing grade.”
Xiaomi rubbed her aching arms and puffed out her chest proudly.
“Hmph, of course! It's not like I eat pollen for nothing!”
Beside them, Yinzhi's steps were somewhat unsteady.
The spell from earlier had clearly exhausted her.
“No time to lose. Let's keep moving.”
Qimeng straightened up, and Xiaomi took the lead, heading north.
The surrounding trees grew denser, and the fallen leaves underfoot piled up thick.
The woods were eerily quiet; even the birdsong had vanished, and the whistling of the wind felt stifling.
“The atmosphere here is a bit off.”
Qimeng frowned, looking at the twisted trees.
Yinzhi stopped and closed her eyes.
An ethereal ripple of mana seeped into the surrounding trees.
A moment later, she opened her eyes, looking rather anxious.
“I've tried communicating with the local plants. It's safe here, but they haven't caught up.”
“They?”
Qimeng was puzzled.
“My three attendants. Ever since we were forced to separate in that cave, I haven't been able to sense their location.”
“So you're worried about your subordinates.”
Qimeng shrugged.
“Don't worry. With the strength of those Wood Elves, if they're just trying to escape, things shouldn't have turned out for the worst.”
Yinzhi shook her head solemnly.
“No. Right now, in this place, they can only exert power equivalent to the Novice Rank. This is undoubtedly a very dangerous situation.”
“Come to think of it, why can you only exert Novice Rank strength?”
Qimeng had long suspected this group had secrets, and Yinzhi's words confirmed her suspicions.
She looked over in confusion and asked probingy, “Is there some sort of suppression mechanism on your clan? Surely the proud Wood Elves aren't this weak.”
Just as Yinzhi was about to explain, a loud rumble echoed from deep within the woods.
Branches snapped, and soil churned.
Some massive creature underground was rushing toward them.
“Watch out! It's coming!”
Xiaomi immediately shielded Qimeng, taking a defensive stance.
But as the tremors neared, they suddenly stopped.
Yinzhi let out a sigh of relief and tugged at the corner of Qimeng's clothes.
“D-don't worry. That's our clan's movement spell. It's our own people.”
The shadows of the trees shifted.
A group of young girls emerged one after another from the gaps in the bushes.
They were all about the same height, barely reaching Qimeng's chest.
They had pointed ears, and their silver hair was streaked with various colors like red, blue, and yellow.
These little ones carried short swords at their waists and bore woven vine shortbows and quivers on their backs.
There were about seven or eight of them in total.
Following at the very rear of the group were two slightly taller figures, holding long staffs in their hands.
A young girl with silver-red hair brushed the dirt off her clothes and looked at Yinzhi and Qimeng.
Her gaze lingered on Qimeng's black hair for a moment.
Then she looked anxiously at Yinzhi.
“Lady Spirit Maiden, are you alright?”
“I'm fine. What about Elsa and the others?”
The leading girl's expression darkened.
“We've received their distress signal. They're trapped in the eastern cave and can't get out for now.”
Yinzhi pursed her lips.
“But please don't worry, we've already sent others to reinforce them. Lady Spirit Maiden, you are injured. Please return to the tribe with us first.”
After saying that, she looked warily at Qimeng.
“And this is...?”
Just as Yinzhi was about to speak, Qimeng raised her hand.
“Just passing through. Don't mind me.”
The other girl clearly didn't believe her, noticing that Yinzhi was subtly shielding Qimeng behind her.
“Do you know her?”
“She is my savior.”
The other girl frowned.
“In that case, you have our gratitude. If it's convenient, why don't you come back to our tribe with us? We would like to thank you properly.”
With that, she turned to instruct the others around her.
“Take the Spirit Maiden first. Her injuries need to be treated as soon as possible.”
Yinzhi glanced sideways at Qimeng.
“What are you looking at me for? Go on.”
“You'll come too, right?”
“We'll see if fate allows.”
Qimeng stood aside with her arms crossed, watching the little ones bustle about.
Yinzhi was helped to the side; some offered her water, while others used leaves to wipe the dust off her face with practiced ease.
Qimeng withdrew her gaze, looked toward the silver-red-haired girl, and asked probingy, “Does your Wood Elf clan not even have a single Intermediate Rank combatant left?”
“What do you mean by that?”
The silver-red-haired girl glared at Qimeng with irritation.
Qimeng continued in a casual tone, “From the looks of it, even reaching High-tier Novice is a struggle for you guys. Is your clan really that weak?”
Several of the young girls nearby indignantly gripped their shortbows.
The silver-red-haired girl stopped her companions with a look, then lowered her gaze.
“We have lost the blessing of the Spirit of Nature.”
“Everyone has dropped in rank.”
Leaving behind those words, she turned around and said no more.
The Spirit of Nature? Dropping in rank?
Before Qimeng could ask further, the ground suddenly shook violently. The entire earth seemed to sink, accompanied by a rumbling sound rising from deep underground.
The faces of all the Wood Elf girls paled in unison.
The silver-red-haired girl suddenly looked toward the edge of the woods, her face drained of color.
At the edge of the forest, a massive grey body burst out from underground.
The mana fluctuations of a Mid-tier Intermediate.
The giant earth spider that had been provoked in the hollow tree had caught up.
“Oh no, it's after Lady Spirit Maiden!”
“Everyone, retreat!”
Someone shouted, and the girls immediately sprang into action, drawing their shortbows.
But the arrows they shot bounced off the earth spider's carapace, leaving only faint white scratches.
Without even a pause, the giant spider swept its front leg.
The two girls at the very front were sent flying, crashing into the pile of dead leaves as their shortbows slipped from their hands.
Another little one was knocked flat by the earth spider pouncing from the side, pinned to the ground by its spiny, jointed legs.
The silver-red-haired girl gritted her teeth and pulled up her companion beside her.
The pinned girl struggled desperately to break free, running back in a panic and crying out, “Where is Lady Spirit Maiden?! Where is Lady Spirit Maiden?!”
“Over here!”
Yinzhi called back loudly.
The silver-red-haired girl scrambled up from the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, and shouted toward the rear, “Elder! Please take Lady Spirit Maiden and leave first!”
Qimeng turned her head and saw a petite figure step forward from the very back of the group.
This elder was slightly taller than the other Wood Elves.
Her silver-white hair was styled in a bun, and she leaned on a withered wooden staff.
She had been blending in with the crowd, assessing the situation.
Now, she lifted her head and slammed her staff heavily onto the ground.
Buzz.
A ripple of pale green light spread from the tip of the staff, sweeping across the entire woods.
Qimeng felt a change in the soil beneath her feet.
The intertwined roots underground were rapidly converging according to some pattern.
It felt more like a form of guidance.
The elder spoke, her voice sounding old and weathered.
“Everyone, gather around me.”
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