240 The Pink Sandals Actually Came In Handy?!? 2

it took me a while to calm down, but i managed to do it while i thought nice, soothing thoughts. like the ocean. and puppies. and... uh food?

yeah. i'm all calm.

now then, what shall i do with this master of mine?

wait, i never considered him to be my master. yeah. let's call him the wuxia jin yahui's master. uh... too long. nevermind. either way, i'll have to keep pretending that he's my master, even if he's completely unreliable. it's time for me to step up.

"master," i sighed. "let's just-"

*rustle*

what? did i just hear what i thought i heard...?

*rustle rustle*

i whipped my head around. that sound... it's the only other sound that i've heard since coming into the forest, other than the munching of the worms. in fact, i think it's the only other sound that seems like it's normal since junior brother and i entered the forest.

if it's a normal sound, then that means that's where the trouble's at!

"master!" i called out to the old man. "follow me!" without a second thought, i rushed towards the rustling sound as fast as my legs could carry me,, my heart beating faster than i had ever heard it go.

junior brother couldn't be dead... could he?

i rushed past trees and jumped over roots, my feet with the pink sandals beating out the rhythm of my thoughts.

right?

the trees still hurt to look at even now, and i tried my best to focus on the ground as i weaved my way through each and every trunk.

he just can't be-

dead.

multiple trees have been sliced apart, a sticky, black fluid leaking like blood from each wound. corpses of worms made a paste on the forest floor, and even from here i could tell that it did not smell good.

but what got me was what was in the middle of all of the destruction- a human body.

i gaped in horror.

no way.

absolutely no way.

i stumbled and had to use one of the trees behind me to regain my balance. it can't be... can it?

with trembling footsteps i made my way towards the body, and i had to count every step to keep myself calm.

one step.

two.

three.

it was at the third step that i noticed it. the body's heart was pierced five times by what i could only assume were long, thin... somethings. i squinted to see better, but immediately took a step back because of the smell.

i knew this smell.

it was the same type of smell that i would sometimes get a whiff of when passing by a patient's room in the hospital. it was acrid, sharp, and... the smell of death.

"no," i whispered. "no!"

suddenly, i gained the strength from somewhere deep within me, and i took large strides towards junior brother's corpse. i collapsed in front of him, but even from that distance i couldn't see clearly.

my tears were getting in the way.