The Miasma Forest is shrouded in perpetual black mist, its interior a hazy gray—like night, but not quite night. Even someone as skilled as Prince Nolan, stepping into the forest, finds his vision limited; he can barely see three meters ahead.
All around, the air was gloomy and cold. Doudou kept feeling a chilling presence at the back of his neck. Warned by Prince Nolan, he didn’t dare speak much, trailing cautiously behind Serena like a little tail.
Since the three entered the Miasma Forest, they hadn’t spoken another word—not even their breathing was careless.
They weren’t on guard against people, but against the environment itself—the Miasma Forest had the power to destroy anyone who entered.
Serena gripped Prince Nolan’s robe with one hand and a compass with the other. She trusted his memory for routes, but she also believed in science—the compass had been tested countless times and was absolutely reliable.
Maybe it was the lack of sunlight all year round, but the forest felt perpetually damp. The ground was soft and springy, with moss everywhere—stepping on it was like treading on snakeskin, slick and squishy, making your whole body tingle.
Thankfully, Prince Nolan and Serena had prepared in advance—their shoes were slip-resistant. It wouldn’t be easy for either of them to fall here.
Time was on their side; none of the three were in a rush. Led by Prince Nolan, they moved deeper into the forest at a slow pace, and the further they went, the heavier the dampness became.
“Where exactly are we? Why does every path look the same? Where are we going?” Doudou finally couldn’t hold back and asked.
“In the Miasma Forest, we’re looking for the place where Prince Terrence Valen might camp. Wherever there are traces of people, that’s where we’ll wait.” If Terrence retreated, he would definitely take the route he knew best.
Lying in wait like this might seem a bit clumsy, but as long as you’re sure the rabbit will come running, it works.
“This place is huge—how are we supposed to find anything?” Not being able to see ahead or predict what dangers lay in wait, Doudou felt the pressure mounting.
Faced with unknown dangers, people instinctively feel fear.
“There aren’t many places here where people can stay for long. We’ll check each one, and we’ll find it soon enough.” Prince Nolan turned to comfort Doudou, then added a warning: “Be careful. If I remember correctly, there’s a swamp nearby.”
“I kno—”
“Ah—!”
Serena had only managed two words before Doudou’s sharp cry cut her off.
“It hurts, it hurts, it really hurts—help, help!”
Serena turned and saw Doudou jumping in place, frantically shaking out his collar.
“What’s wrong?” Serena didn’t dare get too close; she quickly flipped her backpack over, pulled out a flashlight, and shone it at Doudou.
“Bugs—there are bugs attacking me! They jumped inside my clothes. It hurts...” Doudou pointed to his back, nearly in tears.
Waaah—he’s supposed to be the number two ranked assassin, and now he’s going to die because of a bunch of bugs. How humiliating.
Snap—the moment the flashlight beam swept over him, Serena was stunned.
Damn, what was she seeing?
A tree—a soft, squishy tree that seemed to writhe and twist, with drooping branches just as limp.
It wasn’t the tree’s species that was strange—the whole thing was covered in caterpillars, raining down with a crackling sound as if it were a shower of bugs.
Serena couldn’t even see the trunk—the caterpillars were so thick, it looked like the whole tree was made of them. They carpeted the ground, hiding the branches completely. As for Doudou...
His back was absolutely covered in caterpillars—at least a hundred, with more in his hair and on his face. He was standing right in the drop zone.
Terrifying!
“Quick, get out of the way—take off your clothes!” Serena shouted. Doudou didn’t hesitate, leaping aside, whipping off his clothes, and stomping on them with both feet.
With a squelch, the clothes instantly turned into a soggy mess—but it wasn’t over yet.
“Don’t just stomp them—there are still bugs on your undershirt. Keep undressing, take everything off your upper body.” As soon as Serena finished, Prince Nolan stepped forward to help peel off Doudou’s clothes.
Doudou stubbornly refused, driving Prince Nolan to the brink of wanting to smack him: “Do you have a death wish? Hurry up and strip!”
“Waaah, I can’t take my clothes off—I didn’t bring a change! If I strip, I’ll have nothing to wear.” Doudou was nearly in tears; who could have predicted this?
He’d never gotten into the habit of bringing spare clothes. What kind of top assassin lugs around a bundle of laundry? How embarrassing—where’s the cool factor in that?
You’ve never seen his master—so obsessed with looking cool he won’t even carry weapons. Who needs a sword in Jianghu when bare hands are so much more dashing?
“You’re worried about that now? Are you out of your mind?” Serena was about to lose it.
Good grief—was Doudou’s brain made of tofu? How could he not know what’s important? He wasn’t even as sharp as Zed. Zed might be violent, but at least he’s smart and practical.
“I’m not crazy—this is important! We’re stuck in the Miasma Forest for days; am I supposed to go around naked? No way, absolutely not!” Doudou clung to his clothes. “Just help me shake off the bugs—ow, that hurts!”
Bitten all over, Doudou writhed like a caterpillar. Prince Nolan ignored his protests and slapped him on the back with a loud squelch.
After squashing who knows how many caterpillars, Doudou felt his back was sticky all over. “Ugh, it’s filthy! There’s no water—no water at all!”
“Are you going to strip or not?” Prince Nolan asked coldly, all affection gone.
“Even if the clothes are filthy, they still cover me. Why should I take them off?” Doudou was stubborn as ever—once he made up his mind, he wouldn’t budge, right or wrong, unless...
“I’ve got a spare set of clothes. I promise you won’t be left naked.” Serena was exasperated—especially since she saw the caterpillar swarm starting to move in their direction.
Doudou lit up. “You jerk, Serena—why didn’t you say you had clothes earlier? Strip, strip, strip! Prince Nolan, hurry up and help me take them off!” Suddenly, he was very cooperative.
Doudou was totally cooperative, stretching out his arms for Prince Nolan to do the work.
Prince Nolan had never dealt with anyone so difficult. In frustration, he yanked hard, sending Doudou stumbling forward and squashing even more caterpillars with a loud splat.
“Ugh, it’s disgusting! It hurts!” Doudou leapt up from the ground, covered with blobs of green caterpillar goo and angry red welts from the stings.
He looked so miserable, it was like he’d been fished out of a latrine—there wasn’t a single clean spot left on him.
“What do I do? It hurts so much—am I poisoned? Am I going to die?” Doudou looked pitifully at Serena, his face swollen and red like a pig’s head—comical, but Serena and Prince Nolan couldn’t laugh, because...