Chapter warnings: Animal death, arachnophobia, mention of giant spiders preying on humans
What exactly was Pan Wukun doing in a dark scary forest again?
As a rogue cultivator, she was investigating yet another strange occurrence.
The villagers pointed her to a nearby dense forest covered in a strange white sticky threadlike substance. Other cultivators had entered to investigate before but they never returned.
The villagers' desperate pleas for help kept Pan Wukun from turning away and running for the hills.
But that didn't mean she enjoyed investigating this forest alone. Sure, there were other cultivators in here. But they were either still alive or dead.
Pan Wukun held a light talisman and sliced through the strange white threads with Yuyun to continue walking. These damn things were everywhere! She still couldn't figure out what they were.
"Pan Wukun? Is that you?" a voice called out.
Up ahead of her, Pan Wukun saw someone holding a light talisman as well. Her hand hovered near her sword just in case it was a threat.
Once the other person got close enough, Pan Wukun's light talisman shone on a familiar face. "Kang Xieren!"
Pan Wukun was surprised to run into her fellow rogue cultivator and rival again. She hadn't seen him since the time before meeting Meng Shi and Meng Xingyao in Yunping City.
Kang Xieren smiled in relief. "You're quite the sight for sore eyes!"
Pan Wukun was glad not to be alone in this creepy forest. "It's good to see you again, Kang Xieren. But I wish it was under better circumstances."
Kang Xieren nodded. "So you're investigating the strange happenings in this forest too, I see."
"Yes, unfortunately."
Kang Xieren shook his head and sighed. "At least we have each other's company."
Pan Wukun chuckled. "True."
Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren walked together, watching each other's backs.
"So Kang Xieren, when did you first enter this forest?"
"An hour ago."
"Ah. You got here before me then. What have you found out?"
"Nothing yet."
"I heard other cultivators entered this forest before we did. Did you see anyone other than me?"
"I'm afraid not."
Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren went silent. It was likely those other cultivators were dead.
Kang Xieren tensed. "Did you hear something?"
Crack!
Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren gripped their swords tightly, whirling around in the direction of the noise.
Several crooked spindly spikes shot at them from the bushes!
Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren blocked the spikes with their swords.
Then more spikes shot at them from everywhere!
Whatever was attacking the cultivators lay beyond the reach of their light talismans.
Deflect! Deflect! Deflect! - was all Pan Wukun could think.
The ground shook beneath Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren. Something was coming.
Pan Wukun's light talisman managed to catch beady eyes. Lots of beady eyes.
The creature lunged forward.
"Look out!" Kang Xieren shouted.
Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren rolled away. Something huge landed on the spot where they just stood.
From beyond the shadows, the trees creaked and bushes shook as more creatures appeared, ten of them in total. Some were on the ground and others were perched on the sticky white threads in the trees.
Pan Wukun's legs shook as she finally made out what attacked her and Kang Xieren. "Sp-spiders! Really big spiders!" she sputtered.
It wasn't spikes that were attacking them, but spider legs!
Kang Xieren's eyes narrowed. "Eight-legged spider demons. I've never seen them this massive before…"
Pan Wukun felt like crying. This was worse than the giant spiders from Skyrim and Zelda! Shit. There were so many spiders. Why couldn't it be any other mountain demon? No, it had to be a whole spider demon infestation!
"Pull yourself together, Pan Wukun! You can't let fear take control now!"
At Kang Xieren's words, some of the spider demons shot webs in his direction. A web caught his hand, sticking him to a tree.
Kang Xieren slashed at the web with his sword. Pan Wukun hurried to help free him with Yuyun.
"Don't shout! Whisper!" Kang Xieren said.
Kang Xieren and Pan Wukun stayed quiet and remained still. They noticed that stopping their motions kept the spider demons away from their location.
Kang Xieren picked up a rock and threw it.
Some of the nearby spider demons rushed over to where the rock landed.
Kang Xieren threw another rock at one of the webs where the other spider demons rested.
Those spider demons also converged upon where the rock hit their web.
"The spiders can't see very well so they detect us through vibrations!" Kang Xieren noted. He turned to Pan Wukun with a serious expression. "They have us surrounded. If we want to escape, we'll have to fight our way out."
Pan Wukun's heart filled with dread. She'd been hoping to slip away without confronting the spider demons. But she knew that Kang Xieren was right.
Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren held two fingers up, directing their swords to fly towards the spider demons.
Yuyun took down one spider while Kang Xieren's sword took down another, leaving eight left.
Unfortunately, the eight spider demons felt the gusts of the swords to maneuver and closed in on Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren.
"Shit!" Kang Xieren hissed.
The spider demons split up into two groups and got between Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren, blocking them from each other. It was easier to hunt prey separately than two at once.
Four spiders went after Kang Xieren while the other four went after Pan Wukun.
Pan Wukun became out of breath and her legs burned as she ran for her life.
The spider demons were fast on her trail.
Shit. If they could detect vibrations, then they must be tracking her through her footsteps.
She needed to get off the ground! She called Yuyun back to her and jumped on to fly.
That threw the spider demons off for a bit, but not forever.
She couldn't do this alone! She needed to send a distress call!
Pan Wukun found a place to hide, pulling out an instant communication talisman and an energy-replenishing pill.
She transmitted her thoughts of the forest's location, the threat of eight-legged spider demons, and conveyed her desperation.
Come help me right fucking now, please!
Wei Wuxian was laughing with his fellow YunmengJiang sect disciples at Lotus Pier when the communication talisman in his robes grew warm.
Wei Wuxian's smile dropped instantly. He, Pan Wukun, and Lan Wangji did not use instant communication talismans except in emergencies since they consumed so much energy. He pulled out the talisman. Its message filled him with dread.
"Da-shixiong?"
Wei Wuxian stood up. "Training's suspended."
The sect disciples were alarmed. "Da-shixiong? What's going on?"
"Pan Wukun's in danger!" Wei Wuxian rushed off.
The sect disciples ran after Wei Wuxian. "Pan Wukun? That rogue cultivator guy you talk so much about?"
"Yes! I've got to go help him!" Wei Wuxian shouted.
Jiang Fengmian happened to be passing by and noticed Wei Wuxian and the other sect disciples running frantically. "What's wrong?"
"My friend is in danger! I have to leave Lotus Pier!" Wei Wuxian explained.
"Your friend told you through the instant communication talisman." Jiang Fengmian figured out that Wei Wuxian found out through the instant communication talisman he showed him after returning from the Cloud Recesses.
"Pan Wukun saved my life once! I have to go! Please, Uncle Jiang!"
"Your friend told you his location?"
"Yes!"
Jiang Fengmian called forth an older YunmengJiang sect cultivator to use her transportation talisman on Wei Wuxian. She was one of the few cultivators at Lotus Pier to cultivate the transportation pathway.
"A-Xian, you shall go there first to provide immediate assistance. The rest of us will follow after."
"Thank you, Uncle Jiang!"
The YunmengJiang sect cultivator threw the transportation talisman at Wei Wuxian's feet and blue flames engulfed him.
Hang on, Chun-ge! I'm coming!
This is bad! This is bad! This is bad!
Pan Wukun cowered away in a corner of the forest. She tried to get herself under control. She tried to steady her trembling hands. - Damn it! Hold still!
Usually, her parents and Pan Heng took care of spiders for her. But they weren't here right now…
Pan Wukun was unable to get back to Kang Xieren again. She didn't even know if he was still alive.
The energy-replenishing pill kept her from collapsing. So she was able to run away from the spider demons.
She ate food and magical cultivation items to replenish the spiritual energy she lost using the instant communication talisman.
Those giant spider demons were still on the hunt for her. She could hear the sounds of their legs scurrying across the forest floor and trees in the distance.
She avoided touching any spider webs that gave away her location.
Pan Wukun felt a sudden pulse of energy next to her. A transportation talisman?
Pan Wukun turned to see a grinning Wei Wuxian standing next to her.
"Hey, Chun-ge!" Wei Wuxian whispered so the spider demons wouldn't hear him.
"Why did you come by yourself?! You were supposed to bring reinforcements!" Pan Wukun sputtered.
"You said you needed help immediately! The only way I could do that was coming here by transportation talisman! The rest of the YunmengJiang sect will come by later!"
"Oh…I see." It had been five months since Pan Wukun last saw Wei Wuxian. In person, anyway. She had been surprised to be sent letters by Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian on her travels. She answered them back, of course. No reply would have been rude. Seeing Wei Wuxian again, he still looked his usual cheerful self, nonchalant in the face of danger. Having him here made her feel safe but she'd probably just invited him to his doom.
Wei Wuxian's face turned serious. "We need to get out of this forest. Or better yet, find the source of the eight-legged spider demons and destroy it."
He held up a talisman.
"What's that?" Pan Wukun asked.
"It's a new talisman I created! The string keeps the person attached to me by four meters. If a spider demon tries to quietly drag one of us off, the other person will know and save them."
"Good idea." Pan Wukun allowed Wei Wuxian to use the talisman on her. A string wrapped around her and Wei Wuxian's wrists.
Pan Wukun and Wei Wuxian cautiously crept through the dark forest.
Wei Wuxian didn't mind Pan Wukun keeping so close to him. It was obvious that she didn't like dealing with eight-legged spider demons. He remembered how Pan Wukun comforted him when he ran into Jin Zixuan's dog at the Cloud Recesses. Wei Wuxian didn't hesitate to do the same for her.
Pan Wukun and Wei Wuxian didn't know how long they walked for, but they eventually came upon a clearing with wide open space.
Wide open space that was currently occupied.
"Do you see that, Wei Ying?" Pan Wukun asked with a quiver in her voice.
"Yes…" Wei Wuxian answered grimly.
In the center of the clearing rested a gigantic spider demon, much bigger than the ones Pan Wukun and Kang Xieren faced.
Beside it were empty egg sacs.
Pan Wukun figured that the babies that hatched must've been the spider demons that chased after her and Kang Xieren.
The spider demon nest made Pan Wukun incredibly queasy and Wei Wuxian disgusted.
Before Pan Wukun and Wei Wuxian could move, a small spider demon leaped at them from the shadows.
Pan Wukun slashed it with Yuyun.
The massive spider demon in the nest stirred. It opened its eyes, revealing rows of red dots.
Shit! The boss spider demon knew they were here!
A rumbling sound emitted from the boss spider demon, making a cluster of smaller spider demons assemble.
Wei Wuxian shot up a signal flare for the YunmengJiang sect to find his location. "We need to hold off the spider demons until Sect Leader Jiang and the others can get here."
"Keep away from the spider webs and avoid touching the ground!" Pan Wukun said.
"Right!"
Wei Wuxian removed the string from himself and Pan Wukun so they could move around easily. They quickly leaped on their swords. They needed to get rid of the smaller spider demons first before going for the biggest one. With small bursts of spiritual energy, they slid on their swords so that the edges slashed through the small spider demons.
Pan Wukun never thought sword skateboarding (swordboarding?) could be so effective for spider demon extermination. Nice.
The boss spider demon screeched in rage at the death of its spawn.
"I'll distract it!" Wei Wuxian flew in front of the boss spider demon, keeping its attention on him.
The boss spider demon shot balls of spider web at him.
Wei Wuxian nimbly dodged. "Ha! You missed me!"
Meanwhile, Pan Wukun threw explosive talismans at the boss spider demon, stunning it.
Wei Wuxian threw his explosive talismans next to finish it off.
The boss spider demon toppled to the ground on its back, curling in on itself.
Wei Wuxian cheered. "We did it, Chun-ge!"
Pan Wukun rejoiced. - It's dead! It's dead! Fucking finally!
Without warning, the boss spider demon moved and burst out of its exoskeleton, bigger than ever. It towered over Wei Wuxian and Pan Wukun, its fangs bared.
Wei Wuxian cursed. "Damn spider was playing dead!"
Pan Wukun's eyes turned blank and her jaw slacked. - Fuck! That is a big spider! Why the hell did I think becoming a cultivator was a good idea again?!
The boss spider demon lunged at Wei Wuxian.
The spider demon was too close, too fast for Wei Wuxian to dodge.
"Wei Ying!" Pan Wukun cried. She rushed forward and pushed Wei Wuxian out of the way.
The boss spider demon's fangs sank into Pan Wukun's arm.
She let out the most distressed and terrified scream Wei Wuxian had ever heard.
"Chun-ge!"
The boss spider demon knocked Wei Wuxian away from Pan Wukun. He landed on a spider web and struggled to free his arms and legs. Suibian fell to the ground.
With Wei Wuxian out of the way, the boss spider demon started wrapping Pan Wukun up into a web cocoon.
Pan Wukun stared into the spider demon's beady eyes.
Hah. Dying of suffocation and spider demon venom before being eaten. What a way to go. Facing one of humanity's ancient primal fears: being eaten alive.
She pictured the other unfortunate cultivators, thrashing and screaming in terror as they met their doom.
Shit. What if Kang Xieren died before they even had their rematch?
What if Wei Wuxian got killed because of her? First the Waterborne Abyss, now this…
Pan Wukun's mind whirled.
Some nights, Pan Wukun's mother prepared steamed crab for dinner. Quyên bought live crabs from the local Vietnamese grocery store. The crabs squirmed in the plastic bag, their claws poking through the plastic, trying desperately to escape. Quyên placed the bag in the sink. Then she took a crab out from the bag and held it down with one hand - still writhing, still alive - brandished a large knife and stabbed it through the mouth. The crab's legs jolted and then stilled.
As a toddler, Pan Wukun thought nothing of it, watching with a morbid fascination. At least until her aunt told her, "Killing the crabs with a knife is the fastest and most merciful death we can give them. Back then, we stuffed them live into a cooking pot and shut the lid! You can hear the crabs trying to crawl out of the pot!" That had made Pan Wukun cry for the crabs. Quyên sent her sister an admonishing look and took Pan Wukun to their bedroom alone to talk.
"Thanh, it is good that you have a kind and soft heart. We are not trying to be cruel to the crabs when we have to kill them for food. I cooked those crabs for you because I love you."
When Pan Wukun grew older, she came to understand that not eating the food her family prepared for her was an insult to their love and a dishonor to her ancestors.
Still…the crab incident and her science classes made her aware of nature's dynamics of predator and prey.
Once, she watched a spider in the garden wrap up a bug in a web cocoon. Although the bug was much bigger than the spider, the bug couldn't escape at all.
This was karma, wasn't it? The predator successfully captured its prey. Survival of the fittest.
Huh? Was someone calling her name?
"Chun-ge!"
Wei Wuxian sliced through the spider demon's web cocoon with Suibian. "Get away from him!" he growled.
Wei Wuxian had directed Suibian with his fingers and spiritual energy to cut off his sleeves so he could escape from the spider web.
Wei Wuxian lay Pan Wukun on the ground. He glared at the boss spider demon.
"Aaaaaargh!" Wei Wuxian launched himself forward, dodging the boss spider demon's attacks, and plunging Suibian through the boss spider demon.
Pan Wukun gritted her teeth. With the last of her strength, she moved her fingers, directing Yuyun to stab into the boss spider demon's back too.
The boss spider demon let out one last terrible screech and collapsed to the ground. Its legs curled inward and it lay still. It was finally truly dead.
Wei Wuxian rushed over to Pan Wukun's side. "Chun-ge! Your arm!"
Pan Wukun's arm had large puncture marks where the boss spider demon bit her and it was turning purple. A piece of the spider demon's fang stuck out of one of the puncture marks. It must've gotten stuck inside Pan Wukun's arm because the spider demon bit her hard during the fight.
Wei Wuxian removed his red hair ribbon and tied it tightly around Pan Wukun's arm to keep the spider venom from reaching her heart.
He carefully grasped Pan Wukun's arm. "A piece of the spider demon's fang is stuck inside your arm. I have to pull it out."
Pan Wukun whimpered. "That's gonna hurt though."
"I'll make it quick!" Wei Wuxian assured her. He got out a pair of protective gloves from his qiankun pouch and grasped the spider fang. "On three!"
Pan Wukun braced herself and tightly shut her eyes.
"Three! Two! One!"
Pan Wukun cried out in pain, making Wei Wuxian's heart clench. "Damn! That hurts!"
"I'm sorry! I know it hurt! But it's done now!" Wei Wuxian said gently. He did not even make fun of Pan Wukun for sobbing like a child.
Wei Wuxian removed the gloves and squeezed Pan Wukun's hand, looking into her eyes. "Just focus on me, Chun-ge. Stay awake."
Pan Wukun blinked rapidly and groaned in pain.
Keeping her eyes on Wei Wuxian, a lopsided smile formed on Pan Wukun's face. "Hah…You look nice with your hair down. Your Yiling Patriarch look is the most attractive."
Wei Wuxian was confused. "Yiling Patriarch? What? Who's that?"
Pan Wukun giggled. "You, silly."
It was worse than Wei Wuxian thought. Pan Wukun was made so woozy by the spider demon venom that she mistook him for someone else!
Pan Wukun's expression morphed into sadness and she whimpered. "I don't want to die. I've got to get back home."
Wei Wuxian tightly squeezed Pan Wukun's hand. "You worry too much! You're not going to die! Not on my watch!"
Tears slipped from Pan Wukun's eyes. "You know, I didn't even form my golden core until I was thirteen. So slow, so lame, right?"
"Hey! That's not true! You're an awesome cultivator! You saved me from the Waterborne Abyss, remember?"
Wei Wuxian's words could not reach Pan Wukun. In her near-death state, she was helpless and weak. "No matter what I do, I just can't catch up with everyone else...All that training in cultivation for nothing!"
Had Pan Wukun been part of a cultivation sect rather than trained by Pan Heng, she would've been considered an embarrassment for forming her golden core so late. She would've sooner been kicked out than allowed to continue being a sect member.
Wei Wuxian's eyes softened. "Chun-ge…you are still a formidable and brave cultivator." He gently brushed Pan Wukun's hair aside to feel her forehead's temperature. It was sweaty and burning up.
Tears fell from Wei Wuxian's eyes. - No! Chun-ge can't die here! He can't!
Pan Wukun frowned and reached a shaky hand up to Wei Wuxian's face to wipe away his tears. "Hey…don't waste…your tears…on me…I don't like it…when you're sad…"
Pan Wukun's hand fell away from Wei Wuxian's face and her eyes shut.
"PAN CHUN!"