She could still hold on for a while, but the baby was in dire straits. Already suffering for so long, and now caught in another crisis—if they couldn’t free him from the thick vines soon, he might very well die here.
As she fretted, she suddenly noticed Sha Yi drawing a fruit knife from his waist and slashing it hard across his own arm. A single cut, and blood gushed out.
Sha Yi’s act of self-harm stunned her, but in an instant, she understood his intention.
The vine tree captured humans or animals solely to suck their blood. Since it fed on blood, it must be highly sensitive to it. Right now, both she and the baby were entangled by the vines, and even if the tree intended to drain them, the process would be slow. But Sha Yi had directly spilled his own blood—a large volume of it, with a strong scent—making it far more enticing than the mere puncture wounds on her and the baby.
However, the blood-sucking vine tree had so many branches. It could easily send another vine after Sha Yi. While his self-inflicted wound might divert most of its attention, would it truly free her and the baby?
As it turned out, her doubts were unnecessary. The vine tree abruptly flung both her and the baby to the ground. The two thick vines that had been constricting them instantly shifted their focus, shooting rapidly toward Sha Yi.
Fortunately, the ground was thick with rotting leaves and branches, damp and soft from the moisture. Neither she nor the baby was hurt in the fall.
The moment she landed, she heard Sha Yi shout something at her. She whipped her head around just in time to see him sprinting away like an arrow loosed from a bow, already a considerable distance ahead. The vine tree pursued relentlessly, its gnarled, withered vines seemingly capable of infinite extension, keeping pace with every step he took.
Drawn by the scent of Sha Yi’s blood, the thick vines chased closely behind him, making Sha Yi’s heart pound with fear.
Night was approaching. They had no fire, no weapons, and Sha Yi was bleeding. If she didn’t seize this moment to find a way to eliminate the threat at its source, Sha Yi would inevitably lose too much blood and be ensnared. Worse, the scent of blood might attract more of these creatures.
She no longer doubted that this place was teeming with carnivorous plants—including whatever lurked in the deep waters they had encountered earlier. She suspected those were likely blood-sucking or flesh-eating aquatic plants as well.
But finding a solution was incredibly difficult. Frowning, Sha Yi scanned her surroundings but came up with nothing. Helpless, she could only pick up the wailing baby, who lay flailing on the damp leaves.
The baby was filthy and now shivering. Heart aching, she removed the short animal hide draped over her shoulders and wrapped it around him. As she placed him on a relatively dry rock, her sharp eyes caught sight of a large, thick log behind it. A spark of inspiration struck her.
If they wanted to sever the vine tree’s two thick tendrils, they didn’t necessarily need fire or a blade. Right now, they had the perfect tool.
Thinking quickly, she dragged the hefty log out, scraped some blood from the wound of the animal Sha Yi had discarded earlier, and smeared it onto the broken log. Then, she approached the vine tree’s trunk and placed the log near the base of the thick vines.
In mere moments, one of the rapidly extending vines hesitated slightly. Soon after, part of the vine’s base began to writhe, quickly coiling around the log. The thorns on the vine dug tightly into the wood.
This was a rare opportunity. Seizing the moment, Sha Yi grabbed both ends of the log and twisted it with all her strength.
Right now, this was the only way to sever them. Once someone was hoisted into the air, escape was nearly impossible without drastic measures like Sha Yi’s self-harm. They only had one fruit knife, which was useless against the vine tree’s thick tendrils. Fortunately, the base of the vines was low enough to the ground that she could attempt this—otherwise…
But twisting the log was no easy feat. She strained hard, managing only a few turns. The vine’s resilience was astonishing—after several twists, it merely tightened slightly, showing no signs of tearing.
If she didn’t break it soon, Sha Yi would be in trouble. Gritting her teeth, she resolved to snap it no matter what. She couldn’t bear the thought of him suffering for her sake again, nor could she let him pay any more prices. In the rainy season, unforeseen dangers lurked everywhere—both known and unknown threats could be deadly. She could be dispensable, but he couldn’t fall.
With that determination, she poured even more strength into her hands.
She lost count of how many times she twisted the log. Just as her arms grew numb and nearly useless, a dull snap echoed. The tightly strained log suddenly loosened, and a foul-smelling liquid sprayed out. The thick vine was completely severed from the tree, collapsing limply to the ground.
Catching her breath, Sha Yi prepared to retrieve the log and use the same method on the second vine. But her arms were now so numb and weak that she could barely control them. After several attempts, she still lacked the strength. Meanwhile, the remaining vine seemed to sense the loss of one of its tendrils, trembling violently as it rapidly retracted.
Panic surged in her. While this meant it hadn’t caught Sha Yi, it wasn’t good news for her either. She had to sever it before it fully retreated. But right now, she might not even manage that. At the very least, she had to wedge the log into its body—otherwise, even if Sha Yi returned, he’d be powerless to help her if she was left dangling mid-air.
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