Chapter 34: Danger

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“Hey, you bastard! I’m over here! Come on, come here—come on!” I gripped the sharpened spear tightly, though I had no idea whether the creature could understand me.

As I clutched its wooden shaft, I realized it was much thicker than my trekking pole. I did not know whether he had seized it from Brother Wen and the others or fashioned it himself as a weapon. In an instant, I shortened my trekking pole and fastened it to the belt at my back.

Holding the spear in both hands, I felt a little more confident. Though I was still uneasy, I finally dared to hurry ashore again. By then, I no longer cared whether I startled the creature. I shouted at him, trying to draw him toward me.

He was just about to thrust the spike in his hand into the water, as though spearing a fish, when he turned his attack toward Qu Xiang. Whether it would work or not, it would at least buy us a little time. Almost roaring in the darkness, I could even see the cruel smile in his eyes.

It was enough to make my own heart tremble, let alone Qu Xiang, who was in the water. I had no idea what she was thinking, but there was no time for me to dwell on it. As far as I could tell, the creature’s savagery had left Qu Xiang’s legs weak beneath the water.

The only thing I could do was scream at the top of my lungs. Even though I tried desperately to seize his attention, all I achieved was making him pause for a moment and turn his head toward me. In his eyes, I saw contempt. To him, I seemed no more than a tiny ant.

When he actually looked over, the terror clenching my heart finally eased a little. Yet his vision in the darkness seemed far better than mine. The moment he saw me, he let out a strange, cackling laugh. A baffling sense of humiliation rose within me, faintly kindling my anger.

I naturally had no idea what power that anger might possess. But seeing him standing beside the swaying reed stalks, like a night demon come to reap lives, I still felt my heart hanging tensely with worry.

Sure enough, he stopped looking at Qu Xiang and the other two. Slowly turning around, he gripped the spike in his hand and fixed his strange, twisted smile on me. In the pitch-black night, his eyes looked like those of venomous snakes, as though he wanted to swallow me whole.

After turning, he even shifted his feet slightly and pointed the spike directly at me. But seeing how utterly fearless he appeared, I gathered my courage and encouraged myself. I did not rush forward, but I leaned into the spear, keeping my eyes fixed firmly on him.

No one knew how tense I was. My palms were drenched in sweat. I wanted to remain strong, but I had never faced such a brutal situation before. My forearms even felt weak, yet I knew that if I retreated, death would be certain.

So even without the slightest confidence, I held the spear uneasily before me, ready to meet his attack whenever he charged. I did not know what I would do next, but I had to prepare myself.

I seemed to have underestimated his intelligence. He showed no intention of attacking first. Instead, whenever I moved left or right, his body turned slightly to follow me.

It was the instinct of a hunter surviving in the jungle.

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When facing prey, one could never relax. One had to watch every reaction closely, then deliver a fatal strike.

Naturally, I had no idea that, in his eyes, I was already prey marked for death.

He stared at me intently, a cruel contempt gleaming in his eyes. I could not even make out what he might do next, yet my mind remained taut with tension. I seemed to understand that the moment I let my guard down, he would take my life.

“Watch out, A-Jing!”

Seeing the man suddenly rush at me through the darkness like a ghost, Qu Xiang appeared to react at last. But all she had time to see was his shadow already lunging toward me.

Almost forgetting her own safety, Qu Xiang cried out. Tears welled in her eyes, as though she was certain I could never stand against this monster.

I sensed a blurred figure hurtling toward me, but there was no time to react. Apart from Qu Xiang’s warning, all I could perceive was the black shape before me. He was like a mad dog that had spotted a stranger and wanted nothing more than to tear him apart.

We were not far apart to begin with. Taking advantage of a patch of darkness, he charged forward in an instant. Even before he reached me, the violence of his movement made it obvious that he intended to finish me in a single blow.

I knew he had truly come for me. I could even smell a rank, fishy odor.

It was the powerful stench of death clinging to one of my own kind, a despairing, unmistakable reek.

“Damn it. Am I really going to die here today?”

The thought that rose in my mind was almost absurd.

But I knew that if I failed to dodge, his iron spike would run straight through me. I did not want to die. I wanted to live.

Huang Jianfen, still in the water, was the clearest example of what awaited me. That thought flashed through my mind, and my feet moved almost instinctively, stiffly and hurriedly avoiding the attack. I did not know whether instinct had taken control or whether my consciousness had finally reacted faster than my body.

I could not retreat; it was already too late. Besides, retreating any farther would send me straight into the river. With no time to think, I darted sharply to one side.

I could not move toward the water. I had no choice but to dodge toward the rainforest.

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Clang!

The sound was low, and I never expected the two spikes to meet with such precision.

I did not even have time to look. My arm went numb, but shock and surprise coursed through me as I realized I had struck in time. At last, I had crossed weapons with the man.

My thoughts raced. I realized that he was nearly a head shorter than I was. I felt somewhat relieved, but what pleased me even more was that I had not been forced back after our first exchange.

Yet the fact that he had not retreated either made my heart jolt. I was not a fighter, nor was I a vicious or ruthless man. But in this environment, no matter how kindhearted I was, I understood that if he knocked me down, my fate would be horrific.

So even though my movements had reached their limit and were still half a beat slower than my thoughts, I had no choice but to draw upon every ounce of my potential.

“I really didn’t expect that!”

I instantly drove my left fist upward from below, striking at him. He was strong, but I felt that strength was something I could withstand. The moment I realized I had blocked his attack, I instinctively launched one of my own.

Because I had some understanding of traditional internal martial arts and occasionally trained my tendons and bones, my joints were at least fairly flexible. I had no other thought in my mind except not letting him knock me down. So I followed the instincts of a street fight and threw my first punch.

“Huh?”