Chapter 7 Chapter 6 The Secret of the Flame

Lisa lifted her skirt and ran as fast as she could, but her house was more than a mile away from Bruna's cabin, and she knew very well that she would never make it in time.Her family screamed and ran after her, but their voices were drowned out by the beating of their own hearts and the sound of their own footsteps. There was a stabbing pain in her side, and the pain in the scars on her back and thighs where Ilona's belt had pulled out was unbearable.She fell and scraped her palms when she got up.She struggled to get up, regardless of the pain in her body, and continued to run forward with willpower.

Halfway through the run, the sun finally disappeared completely, and a new night summoned demons from the center of the earth.A dark mist began to rise, coalescing into ugly shapes. She didn't want to die—Risa finally realized this, but it was too late.Even if I wanted to turn back now, her house was farther away than Bruna's, and there was no other house in between.Because the townspeople complained about the bad smell of the chemicals, Ernie deliberately built the house away from the village.She had no choice but to continue running towards Bruna's cabin at the edge of the woods, where the wood demons were gathering.

A few goblins leaped at her as she passed, but they weren't fully formed to touch her.Not long after, when a demon's palm pierced her chest, she felt a chill, as if a ghost touched herself, without a trace of pain, and without affecting her running speed. There will be no fire demons near the woods.The wood demon will attack the fire demon as soon as it sees it.Normal fire cannot burn a wood devil, but fire saliva can.A wind demon took shape in front of her, but Lisa made a detour, the opponent's slender feet were not capable of chasing on foot. A light source appeared ahead, an oil lamp hanging by the door of Bruna's room.She began to sprint and yelled, "Bruna! Bruna, please open the door!"

There was no response, the door remained closed, but the road ahead was clear, and she began to feel that she might survive. Then, an eight-foot-tall wooden demon came to her. Hopes were dashed. The wood demon opened its mouth and roared, revealing its sharp teeth like a kitchen knife. Its muscles were protruding, stronger than Steve, and it was covered with a thick bark-like shell. Li Sha gesticulated the magic seal in front of her body, silently begging the Creator to grant her a clean death.Legend has it that demons can not only devour the body, but also absorb the soul.She thought she would soon know whether that statement was true.

The demon gradually approached, calculating the escape direction of the prey.Risa knew she should run, but even without the limbs stiffened with fear, she still couldn't see where she could go.The geocentric monster stood between her and the only shelter. Bruna's door creaked open, flooding the front yard with light.The demon turned away as the old woman came into view. "Bruna!" Lisa yelled, "Stay behind the magic seal! There's a wooden demon ahead!" "My eyesight isn't as good as it used to be, my dear!" Bruna replied, "but not so bad that I can't see the ugly thing."

She took another giant step forward, through her own sigil field.Amidst Lisa's screams, the demon rushed towards the old woman. Bruna stood there, watching the demon rushing towards him at a terrifying speed.She reached into the shawl, took out a small object, and touched the flame in the oil lamp by the door; Liza saw that the object caught fire immediately. When the devil was in sight, Bruna raised her hand and threw it hard.The thing exploded suddenly, enveloping the Wood Demon in a cloud of liquid flame.The fire lit up the night sky, and despite being several yards away, Rissa felt a wave of heat on her face.

The demon's charge was blocked, and he screamed and fell to the ground, rolling wildly, trying to extinguish the flames on his body. The flames stubbornly attached to it, and the earth core monster could only struggle and scream on the ground. "Come into the house quickly, Lisa." Bruna said while the demon was burning, "or you'll catch a cold." Lisa was wrapped in Bruna's shawl, sitting on a chair, staring at the steam from the teacup in her hand, not wanting to drink at all.The wood demon's screams lasted for a long time before completely disappearing.She pictured the smoldering wreckage in the front yard and felt sick to herself.

Bruna was sitting on his rocking chair, while skillfully turning the needle and thread in her hands, while humming a little tune.Li Sha didn't understand why she could be so calm, she felt that she would never be able to calm down again for the rest of her life. Bruna had just inspected her wound and hadn't said a word except for the occasional murmur as she applied the dressing.Apparently, several of the wounds were self-inflicted on the way.She also instructs Lisa how to fold and stuff the cloth to block the menstrual blood between her legs, and admonishes her to change her clothes frequently.

But now Bruna sat back in the rocking chair, as if nothing unusual had happened, and the only sounds in the room were the interlacing of knitting needles and the crackling of burning firewood. "What did you do to that demon?" Lisa asked. "Liquid demon fire," Bruna said, "is difficult to make and very dangerous, but it's the only thing I know that can stop wood demons. Wood demons are not afraid of ordinary fire, but liquid demon fire is as hot as flame saliva. " "I didn't know there was anything that could kill demons," Risa said. "Girl, I told you before that herbalists are guardians of ancient science," Bruna said.She grunted and spat on the floor. "At least a few herbalists are, and I'm probably the only one who still has the demon fire formula."

"Why not share it with everyone?" Lisa asked, "Everyone will be liberated from the fear of demons." Bruna laughed. "Liberation?" she said. "This thing might burn down a village, or burn a large forest. But no flame can affect a fire demon, and it can't block the path of a stone demon. No flame can resist a wind demon flying at high speed. set lakes and ponds on fire, and hurt the water demons." "Nevertheless," Lisa continued, "what you did tonight proved how useful this thing is. You saved my life." Bruna nodded. "We preserve ancient knowledge in case we will need it again someday, but with that knowledge comes a heavy burden. Men who killed each other in history have left us with a bloody lesson - laity will abuse The secret of the flame."

"That's why herbalists have always been women," she continued. "Once men get the power, they use it. I'd sell Steve lightning rods and celebration crackers for a lot of money, but I won't Tell him how these things are made." "Daxi is a woman." Lisa said, "but you didn't teach her." Bruna snorted. "That cow still thinks like a man, and even if she was smart enough not to burn herself mixing chemicals, I wouldn't teach her." "They'll come to me tomorrow," Risa said. Bruna pointed to Lisa's half-cold tea. "Drink it!" she ordered, "We'll talk about tomorrow's business tomorrow." Li Sha did as she did, and a burst of dizziness came along with the sour taste of tempu grass and the bitter taste of gerbera in the tea.In the haze, she vaguely remembered the teacup falling from her hand. The pain came with the morning.Bruna added ginger root to Liza's tea to quell wound pain and abdominal cramps.But the formula caused some delusions in her—she felt as if she was floating on the bed, with heavy limbs. Ernie arrived shortly after dawn.As soon as he saw her tears filled his eyes, he knelt beside her bed and hugged her tightly. "I thought I lost you." He choked out. Lisa reached out her hand weakly, stroking his thinning hair. "It's not your fault." He said weakly. "I should have stood up to your mother long ago," he said. "What nonsense," Bruna said, knitting. "A man shouldn't let his wife ride on his head." Ernie nodded without arguing.His features twitched, and more tears welled up behind his eyes. There was a knock on the door.Bruna looked at Ernie, who went to answer the door. "Is she here?" Lisa heard her mother's voice, and the abdominal cramps intensified immediately.She was too weak to continue to resist.She didn't even have the strength to get up from the bed. Not long after, Ilona appeared at the door, Gard and Steve followed behind her like a pair of hounds. "You're hiding here, you worthless girl!" cried Ilona. "Do you know how frightened I am to run out at night? Half the village is out looking for you! I should kill you That's right!" "Don't hit people, Ilona." Ernie said, "It's really strange, it's all your fault." "Shut up, Ernie." Ilona said, "It's because you spoil her so much that you make her so willful." "I'm not going to shut up," Ernie said, walking up to his wife. "Shut up if you're sensible." Steve clenched his fists and warned Ernie. Ernie looked at him and swallowed. "I'm not afraid of you," he said, sounding weak; Gard snickered quietly. Steve grabs Ernie by the shirt, lifts him off the ground with one hand, and makes a fist with the other. "You stop these stupid actions for me." Irona said to him. "And you," she turned to Lisa, "follow us home immediately." "She's not going anywhere." Bruna said as she put down her knitting needles and stood up on crutches. "It's the three of you who are leaving." "Shut up, you old hag," Ilona said, "I won't let you ruin my daughter's life like you ruined mine." Bruna snorted. "Did I force pom tea down your throat and make you spread your legs out to all the men in town?" she asked. "Your problems are of your own making, now get the hell out of my house." Ilona went forward and challenged, "What else?" Bruna smiled coldly, pointed at Ilona's instep with her crutch and poked her hard, causing her to scream.Then she put another stick on Ilona's stomach, the pain made her bend over, and the screaming stopped abruptly. "Okay, let's do it!" Steve yelled, leaving poor Ernie behind and rushing towards the old woman with Gard. Bruna was as unflappable as she was with the wood demon.She reached into the shawl, grabbed a handful of powder, and sprinkled it on the faces of the two men. Gard and Steve fell together, covering their faces with their hands and yelling. "I've got more powder here, Ilona," Bruna said. "Keep messing around in my house and I'll blind you all." Ilona scrambled out of the door, stretching out her hands to protect her face as she crawled.Bruna laughed and slapped her hard on the ass, sending her out of the cabin. "Get out, you two too," she yelled at Gard and Steve, "Get out, or I'll set you on fire!" The two men groped blindly, moaning in pain, their cheeks flushed and tears streaming down their faces .Bruna beat them with a cane and threw them out of the house like a puppy urinating on the floor of her house. "Come back to me if you can!" Bruna laughed, watching them escape from her front yard. Later that day, there was another knock on the door.Risa was able to get up at that time, but her body was still weak. "What's the matter?" Bruna yelled, "I haven't had so many visitors in one day since my breasts sagged!" She walked to the door with heavy steps, opened the door, and saw Schmitt standing outside the door, rubbing his palms nervously.Bruna narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm retiring, I'm going to find Daxi." She was about to close the door after she finished speaking. "Wait, please," Smit pleaded, putting his hand against the door.Bruna frowned.He immediately withdrew his hand, as if the door was hot. "I'm waiting for—" Bruna said impatiently. "It's Andy," Smit said.Andy was one of those injured in the attack last week. "The wound on his stomach started to rot, so Darcy cut it, and now he's bleeding from both sides of his stomach." Bruna opened her mouth and spat on Schmidt's shoe. "I told you this would happen," she said. "I know." Smith said, "You are right, I should listen to you, please come back, I will do whatever you want me to do." Bruna grunted. "I won't make Andy pay for your stupidity," she said, "but if you make a promise and keep it, don't think I'll forget." "I promise anything." Smith promised again. "Ernie!" Bruna yelled, "Go get my herb blanket! Smit carry it for me, you help your daughter, we're going to town." Lisa took her father's hand and set off on the road.She was afraid that she would slow them down; despite her frailty, she could keep up with Bruna's slow pace. "I should tell you to carry me," Bruna grumbled to Schmidt. "My old legs aren't what they used to be." "I can carry you if you want." Smith said. "Don't be stupid." Bruna said. Half the townspeople gathered outside the sanctuary.Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Bruna appear; and when they saw Lisa, who was dressed in tatters and was covered in injuries, everyone couldn't help whispering. The old woman ignored everyone, pushed away the villagers blocking the way with her crutches, and walked directly into the church.Lisa almost couldn't help laughing when she saw Gard and Steve lying on the hospital bed with wet towels covering their eyes.Bruna had explained that the pepper and stinky grass sprinkled on their faces would do no permanent damage, but she hoped Darcy's medical knowledge wasn't good enough to tell them that; Ilona's eyes stabbed like knives . Bruna walked straight to Andy's bed.He was sweating profusely and stank.His skin was yellow and the cloth wrapped around his stomach was stained with blood, urine and feces.Bruna looked at him, then spat.Sitting close to her, Daxi had obviously just cried. "Lisa, spread out the herb blanket." Bruna ordered, "We are busy." Daxi hurried over and took the cloth blanket containing herbs from Lisa. "I wish I could," she said. "You look like you're going to collapse." Lisa pulled back the herbal blanket and shook her head. "This is what I should do." She replied, untiing the herb blanket and spreading it on the ground, revealing many cloth bags containing herbs. "Lisa will be my apprentice from now on!" Bruna announced loudly to everyone.She looked around, meeting Ilona's eyes. "The engagement between her and Gard has been cancelled, and the apprenticeship period is seven years and one day! Anyone who has an opinion on this matter or her, please find a way to cure the disease yourself in the future!" Ilona opened her mouth to speak, but Ernie pointed at her. "Shut up!" he yelled.Ilona's eyes widened, and she swallowed the words with a burst of coughing.Ernie nodded and went to Smit.The two men walked to a corner and talked quietly. Risa and Bruna are so absorbed in their work that they completely forget about the time.Darcy accidentally cuts Andy's intestines while trying to remove the demon-infested carrion, infecting him with his own filth.While Bruna was healing, she kept cursing, ordering Lisa to clean up utensils, fetch herbs and mix potions. Finally, after the surgery, they sew up the wound and cover it with a clean bandage.Andy was still asleep under the influence of the drug, but seemed to be breathing much more easily and his complexion was more normal. "Will he be okay?" Schmidt asked as Liza helped Bruna up. "Because of your relationship with Daxi, no." Bruna said loudly, "But as long as he lies here obediently and does everything according to my orders, this will not be the cause of his death." On their way to the door, Bruna came to Gard and Schmidt's hospital bed. "Get those stupid bandages off your eyes and stop yelling," she said. Gard took off the bandage first, squinted his eyes and looked around. "I can see it!" he exclaimed. "Of course you can see, dumb idiot," Bruna said. "The town needs people to carry heavy loads, and you can't let you do it blind." She raised her crutch and waved it in front of his eyes. "But if you offend me again, what you have to worry about is not just such a trivial matter as being blind." Gard's face turned pale, and he nodded quickly. "Fine," Bruna said. "Now, honestly, did you take Lisa's virginity at all?" Gard looked around, terrified.Finally, he lowered his eyes. "No," he said, "I lied." "Speak up, brat," Bruna said loudly. "I'm an old woman, and my hearing isn't what it used to be. Speak up so everyone can hear," she demanded. "Did you take Risa's virginity?" "No!" Gard yelled, blushing even more than he had been sprayed with the powder before.People's whispers spread like sparks. By this time Steve had already taken off the bandage, and slapped his son hard on the back of the head, "You'll feel better when you get home," he yelled. "Don't come back to my house," Ernie said.Ilona immediately looked up at him, but Ernie ignored him, pointing his thumb at Smit. "The tavern has prepared rooms for the two of you," he said. "You have to exchange your labor for rent." Shi Mite added, "and you can only live there for a month. When the time comes, even if you just build a shed, you can move back to live in me." "It's ridiculous!" Ilona said. "They can't work and pay the rent and build the house at the same time." "I think you have your own problems to worry about," Schmidt said. "What do you mean?" Irona asked. "Meaning you've got to make a decision," Ernie said, "whether you want to keep your marriage vows or if I ask the priest to break your vows and move you to Steve and Gard's shed." "You're not serious," Ilona said. "Never taken it this seriously," Ernie replied. "Leave him alone." Steve said, "Come with me." Ilona looked sideways at him. "To live in a shed? Impossible." "Then you'd better go home quickly," Ernie said. "You have to spend some time learning how to cook." Ilona frowned, and Lisa knew that her father's struggle had just begun, but judging from the fact that her mother left obediently, his chances of winning were not small. Ernie kisses his daughter. "I'm proud of you," he said, "and I hope one day you'll be proud of me, too." "Oh, Dad," Liza said, hugging him tightly, "I'm already so proud of you." "So you want to go home?" he asked expectantly. Lisa turned her head to look at Bruna, then looked at him, and shook her head. Ernie nodded and hugged her again. "I understand."