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墨書 Inktalez
The Breaking the Pot and Sinking the Boat enhancement card was in Cui Ming's hand as he pulled out the Special Flying Card made by his friend Mi Big Head. He cut through the spider silk, pinning a small spider to the rock. With another ordinary flying card, he killed the spider. The other three spiders immediately scattered. Cui Ming severed the web and reached for Miss Fortune's hand, jumping into the sea.
Moments later, one of the spiders was positioned among the rocks, watching as the legs of the pinned spider still twitched. It pulled out the Special Flying Card, glancing around nervously, feeling as if eyes were upon it. With a sense of unease, it returned to Stone House, where three spiders had spread out nearby. The spider closed the wooden door behind it.
In front of the Stone House was a river rushing down from a cliff—fast but not wide. The crack was on the other side, where Cui Ming and Miss Fortune were submerged in the sea below. They exchanged little conversation, turning slightly to enter the Rainforest, finally letting out a sigh of relief. Sitting back to back, Cui Ming was panting heavily from exhaustion after their escape.
Miss Fortune asked, "What happens next?"
"I'm not sure; there's a 50% chance," Cui Ming replied as he stood up, adjusting his pants with one hand while pulling down a vine to use as a belt with the other.
"What about your belt?" Miss Fortune inquired.
"It broke." He couldn't cut his own belt; how could he reach inside? That sensation was something he had never experienced before—thrilling and unforgettable.
"You..."
"Nothing. If there were anything, I wouldn't have escaped. She insisted on eliminating Force first..." Cui Ming skipped over details of his negotiation with the spider. He asked, "Based on your understanding of spiders, do you think she will inform the elders?"
Miss Fortune responded, "I don't know much about spiders. According to hunter records, they are solitary and never align with any faction; they just enjoy their own pursuits. Personally, I believe she won't seek trouble for herself. If she believes what you said is true, she won't provoke us. If she doesn't believe you, she won't snitch either; that would just complicate things for her. Most importantly, even if she has doubts, she might think it's better to stay out of it altogether, so the likelihood of her informing the elders is close to zero."
Cui Ming nodded thoughtfully: "That makes sense."
Looking at him, Miss Fortune remarked, "Have you lost your mind? You can't even analyze this simply... Your hands are shaking."
Quickly shaking his hands off, Cui Ming insisted, "No! I'm just exhausted. My brain isn't getting enough blood flow combined with adrenaline from escaping; it's hard to think clearly."
Understanding dawned on Miss Fortune. It seemed that Cui Ming had been lured by the spider—not physically but spiritually. She believed that feeling would linger with him until he truly sought out a woman. "You should rest first," she said. "I'll start a fire and find something to eat while you stabilize your emotions."
"Okay."
As night approached, a fire crackled to life surrounded by a circle made from bamboo and palm leaves. It provided shelter from wind and rain while preventing light from spilling out. Miss Fortune also gathered plenty of licorice to lay on the ground beneath them; sitting on it felt very comfortable and offered a strong sense of security in the dim forest.
While sipping hot tea, Cui Ming watched as Miss Fortune roasted wild rabbit meat. Once it was ready, she tore off a piece and handed it to him. As he ate, he suddenly slapped his own head in frustration before sinking back into deep thought again—only to slap himself once more in annoyance before tossing his cup aside and lying down on the ground.
Miss Fortune comforted, "Some things that interfere with our thoughts are beyond human control, especially when your plans have to consider the spider, which makes you more affected. You don't need to force yourself."
Cui Ming smiled and sat up, eating rabbit meat, and asked, " Miss Fortune, do you have any good ideas?"
Miss Fortune replied, "Our plan hasn't failed. We suspect that the spider won't raise an alarm. This is the map I drew; here are the buildings along the river. The western side is the most remote, with only the spider present. Honestly, I don't think the three of us plus a turtle can defeat the spider. Even if we could kill it, the noise would be significant, so the spider can't be our target. Tomorrow morning, we'll move east to join up with Feng and look for a target from that direction."
"Sounds good." Cui Ming turned his body slightly while Miss Fortune adjusted her coat. At that moment, even a small glimpse of skin from Cui Ming made him lose focus. Miss Fortune didn't disturb him and placed the second rabbit on the fire to roast for tomorrow's provisions. After a long while, Cui Ming turned back to Miss Fortune and said, "The spider won't betray us for two reasons: it's not worth it for her to do so, and she wouldn't dare because she's afraid I might be telling the truth. From our earlier analysis, those who live alone generally possess strong abilities, which has been confirmed with the spider. Even if we head east, it might still be tricky."
"What are your plans?" Miss Fortune asked.
"Two plans. The first plan is for Feng to approach the spider directly and ask for the duty roster. If it's Sadin on duty, then we should ask the spider to invite Sadin near the cliff. I think there's no problem with that first request, but getting the spider to invite Sadin, I'm not so sure about. She's a solitary creature who prefers to avoid trouble. If we ask her to find Sadin, she might just sell us out while keeping herself safe. Because if we really come with so many people to assassinate the city lord, we certainly wouldn't go after her first because of some minor grievances. That's the most logical assumption. But there's always a chance; if the spider refuses to give us the duty roster and instead attacks Feng..."
Miss Fortune interjected, "Feng would be more than happy to be attacked." She recalled Feng's mischievous demeanor.
"…"
"You say," Miss Fortune urged.
Cui Ming continued, "We need to prepare for the possibility of having to eliminate the spider—three against one; no matter how much noise it makes, we have to do it. Then we'll leave a note saying that the Ding Family and Ye Family found the spider; it's purely personal revenge and has nothing to do with Silent City. I'm sure Silent City knows about her background and that she has killed people from both families. Here we have different elders; we will respond differently. If it's Sadin, we'll reveal ourselves; if it's someone else, they won't spend too much time helping the spider find her murderer. So we can proceed with our next plan."
Miss Fortune pondered carefully and said, "The plan is good, but the spider is my nemesis; I can't exert my strength against her."
"Based on her living habits, some of her abilities are designed to seduce men; she has put a lot of thought into this aspect. Her main tactics rely on her instincts as a spider—spider silk and little spiders are two points where both Wind and I can counter her effectively. My concern is her escape methods using spider silk. So once we make our move, Wind and I will reveal ourselves while you cut off her escape route. I've already observed the environment near Stone House, and I'm certain she'll flee down a specific path. You ambush there while I pursue from behind; together we'll take her down."
"Perfect! You've considered all possibilities; very well done." Miss Fortune praised him, realizing that Cui Ming was far more thoughtful than herself. Then she added, "You should enter a meditative state before sleeping tonight; I'll keep watch."
"Um... Do you know a lot?" Cui Ming couldn't help but ask.
"I can guess most of it; that's how it is," Miss Fortune replied. "Now sleep; you've had a tiring day."
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Cui Ming realized he was still quite inexperienced in this area despite having considerable theoretical knowledge.
That night, thoughts of the spider lingered in Cui Ming's mind.
…
Throughout their journey, Miss Fortune worried that Wind and the turtle would be discovered; however, it turned out she had overthought it. The timid nature of Moss made their marching speed incredibly slow, which frustrated Wind greatly and led to an argument between them.
For two days and one night, the two of them had only traveled five kilometers, and before they could reach the observation point, they were caught up by Cui Ming and Miss Fortune. Perhaps it was a good thing; looking on the bright side makes life more cheerful.
One night after a day and a night, the wind emerged from the river area and headed straight for Stone House. Two minutes later, Cui Ming arrived at the riverbank, keeping his head low as he lay quietly among the reeds in the water. With such a striking appearance as the wind's, it was unlikely that any spiders would pay attention to anyone else nearby. Even if there were others, it didn't matter; it was easier to believe that they had a group of people. Miss Fortune had already taken a detour to lie in ambush at the retreat location mentioned by Cui Ming.
The wind was thirty meters away from Stone House, with trees on both sides and an invisible spider silk stretched across the center. As soon as the wind's body touched the spider silk, he drew his knife with a swift motion, slicing through it effortlessly before sheathing it again and continuing forward. Cutting through something like vines or threads can be difficult, but with a sharp weapon, a gentle slice can sever them easily. Miss Fortune's bullets could be considered sharp weapons, but in this situation, they were more like blunt instruments—very difficult to deal with strong vines.
When the wind reached ten meters from Stone House, he called out, "Is anyone home?"
The wooden door swung open as if pushed by the wind itself. The wind entered Stone House at a leisurely pace; the living room was dimly lit while several candles flickered in the bedroom. A stunning woman leaned against the bed, smiling at him.
Wow, what a beauty! The wind felt his appetite stir. As a playboy who had seen countless women—some more beautiful and some with better figures—none could compare to her allure. A seductive woman might not be suitable as a wife, but... The wind swallowed hard, reminding himself of his purpose. "Hello, I'm Feng, Feng Qingyun. Nice to meet you. I'm here to retrieve something belonging to my friend and to ask about the current situation."
The spider rolled over on the bed and moved closer to Feng, biting her lower lip as she asked, "If I tell you, will you stay and keep me company?"
What a difficult choice... After hesitating for a long time, Feng finally said, "I'm afraid... not today."
The spider rolled again until she was beside Feng, teasingly lifting her foot towards him from her knee up while placing her right index finger in her mouth and gazing at him seductively. "Am I not pretty enough? Or are you not man enough?"
Feng took hold of the spider's outstretched foot gently and caressed it as he slowly leaned closer.
A man should treat himself better. (To be continued.)
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