Chapter 152

Chapter 152

Those yellow vertical pupils gleamed with cold malice as they stared straight at her without a trace of warmth.

“Hiss, hiss.”

A crimson forked tongue flicked out from that huge, reeking mouth.

At some point, a Giant Serpent had begun inching down from the Tree. Its massive body coiled around the Tree trunk as it watched her in complete silence.

Perhaps it was judging whether it could swallow her whole in a single bite.

If they had not been so close, Tu Nan probably would not have discovered it so quickly.

An indescribable fear crept up from the soles of her feet.

Humans feared snakes. It was an instinct carved into their genes.

A sheen of cold sweat slowly appeared at her temples. Tu Nan unconsciously held her breath, her hand clenching the Lantern Flower tightly. While keeping her eyes locked on its own, she slowly rose to her feet.

When the Giant Serpent saw her move, it clearly became alert. Its head lifted slightly, taking on the posture of something about to strike.

She had already confirmed the direction just now. All she had to do was run south with everything she had.

Tu Nan bit down hard on the tip of her tongue. The pain helped sharpen her focus.

The Giant Serpent let out a hissing sound. Drool dripped from the corner of its mouth onto the ground, making a sizzling noise as it corroded the earth.

A fishy stench wafted over, almost enough to make her gag.

If it bit her, even if she did not die, she would instantly lose the ability to move.

Without hesitation, she summoned the Fairy Tale Compendium. Before the Giant Serpent could react, she hurled the Fairy Tale Compendium at it.

“Hold it off!”

As Tu Nan shouted, she ran south without looking back.

The Fairy Tale Compendium had been smashed dizzy by her throw. Before it could recover, a foul, gaping maw aimed straight at it.

“…”

Was it too late to switch owners?

Everything around her was dim. Even though Tu Nan knew the direction, she still had to constantly watch her footing. The forest floor was covered in gravel and dead branches; one careless step and she would trip.

Her escape slowed considerably.

The Giant Serpent raised its upper body high in fury and rammed the Fairy Tale Compendium in front of it, sending it flying.

Snake scales were hard, and it slithered swiftly along the ground. The Fairy Tale Compendium could not do much against it.

All the Fairy Tale Compendium could do was fly in midair, trying to block the Giant Serpent’s vision, but it was nothing more than a futile effort.

The Giant Serpent opened its jaws wide and lunged at Tu Nan.

At the critical moment, a blinding white light suddenly burst from Tu Nan’s body. In the next second, a circular barrier of light enveloped her. Because of its tremendous momentum, the Giant Serpent slammed into the barrier with a sharp smack. The entire snake was knocked senseless and collapsed to the ground, motionless.

Tu Nan could not help letting out a breath of relief.

Good thing she still had the self-defense item she had asked Fu Zhixing for back then.

This item could block physical and nonphysical attacks three times. It was a very practical item.

If she had not truly had no other choice, she really would have been a little reluctant to use it.

“That’s the second time!” The Fairy Tale Compendium flew in front of her, furious. “I’m just a book. Sure, I’ve grown a big mouth, but that still doesn’t mean I’m supposed to be used like this!”

The ground suddenly began to tremble.

“What is that…” Tu Nan’s body swayed. She struggled to keep her balance, but the tremors only grew stronger.

The Giant Serpent lying on the ground suddenly stirred. It opened its eyes, and after sensing the movement, fear actually appeared in its gaze.

What could possibly make even this Giant Serpent feel afraid?

A chill ran through Tu Nan’s entire body. She recalled the Fairy Tale Compendium and, without the slightest hesitation, turned and ran.
The Lantern Flower in her hand lit up the fog ahead. Beyond the mist, she could already make out the road she had taken to get here.

The commotion behind her was growing louder and louder.

In the end, she couldn’t stop herself from glancing back.

A mass of writhing darkness covered the ground, surging toward her like a tide. They moved so fast it was Weird. In almost the span of a single breath, they caught up and swallowed the Giant Serpent on the ground. When the black shadows writhed away again, only an enormous skeleton remained.

Tu Nan felt a chill crawl over her entire body, her scalp prickling as if it were about to explode.

Then the black shadows came for her.

Her Heart nearly leaped out of her throat. She ran forward with everything she had, and at the very last instant before the shadows could touch her, she finally broke out of the thick fog.

The exit was right in front of her.

She didn’t dare pause for even a second. She ran in one breath all the way to the path outside the forest before turning back to look.

The writhing black shadows seemed to be confined within the forest. Seeing that she had left, they receded like the tide.

Tu Nan’s legs went weak. Only then did she realize she had pushed herself to the limit, and she collapsed to the ground, utterly drained.

“Miss Judy, you’re finally out!”

The coachman, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed up to her and said anxiously, “Why were you gone so long?”

“I…” Her throat was so hoarse she could barely speak. After taking a long while to catch her breath, she finally managed, “I ran into a small accident.”

“Could it be…” The coachman’s voice trembled. “Did you meet the Witch?”

“No.” Tu Nan held out a hand, signaling for him to help her up.

After the coachman pulled her to her feet, she said in a low voice, “I almost lost my way, that’s all. What Witch? Those are nothing but lies spread by people with ulterior motives.”

The coachman, however, looked reverent and afraid. “That was said by people from the Church. How could it be false? Miss, how can you say something so blasphemous against the Church?”

The Church held an extremely prominent position throughout the kingdom, and Tu Nan had no intention of getting entangled with him on this topic. She merely nodded. “It’s getting late. Take me back to the Royal Palace.”
—
By the time she returned to the Royal Palace, she could still make it in time for dinner.

Tu Nan went back to her room, changed into clean clothes, and combed her hair again before hurrying to the Dining Room.

She was already somewhat late. Everyone was seated at the table.

Unexpectedly, Xu Duoyi was there too, sitting beside the Queen.

Given her identity, the King should have been highly opposed to that.

Xu Duoyi’s expression looked terrible.

Tu Nan slowly walked to the table and apologized to the King and Queen.

“I’m sorry. I’m late.”

“It’s all right.” The Queen smiled brightly and waved her over. “Come, sit down.”

The only remaining seat was beside Maria, so Tu Nan walked over and sat down.

The atmosphere at the table was strange.

The King looked unusually excited. An unnatural flush colored his face, and even his voice sounded a little stronger than before.

“Today is a special day,” he announced loudly, only to be interrupted by a string of coughs.

Tu Nan tried to ask Maria with her eyes what exactly had happened, but Maria seemed completely immersed in her own world.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

After a fit of heart-wrenching coughing, the King finally stopped. He lowered the handkerchief he had been pressing to his mouth. Reflected on it was a shocking stain of blood.

Tu Nan’s Heart skipped in alarm.

And yet the King was still smiling.