The children with a bountiful harvest washed the Chinese dates by the stream, gathered them in their shirt fronts, and ate until their mouths were sweet and sticky. After eating their fill, they still had a task: they needed to go into the mountains to collect some firewood to bring home.

Among these children, only Emily Bennett didn’t have to do this chore.

On ordinary days, she didn’t need to gather firewood, cut pig grass, or even fetch water or cook. Every day, she was either studying or playing, her clothes always spotless, her little hands fair and tender, and when she got home, there was often a fragrant chicken drumstick waiting for her. She was the envy of all her friends.

“Xiang’er, we’ll be back soon. Wait for us here, okay?”

Her friends waved goodbye to her. Emily Bennett sat alone by the stream, but she wasn’t bored at all. Now, in this world without any electronic devices, life wasn’t as dull as she had imagined. In fact, every day felt fresh and interesting to her.

For example, at this very moment, not far from her on the stream bank, there was a little creature with human limbs, dressed in green clothes, but with a frog’s head, climbing up a slippery boulder. He seemed to be trying to pick a few bright red raspberries hanging from the bank. The rock was covered in moss and too slippery to grip, so every time he climbed a few steps, his feet would slip and his small body would tumble down to the ground.

Emily Bennett hid to the side, watching mischievously. Even though she saw the frog-man about to reach the fruit, she quietly stretched out a twig and poked at his feet, causing him to tumble down onto the grass again.

She stifled her laughter, watching the little frog-man clumsily get up. His eyesight seemed poor, as he couldn’t see Emily Bennett sitting quietly nearby at all. After getting up from the grass, he dazedly scratched his head, not understanding why he kept falling, and could only start climbing again. This made Emily Bennett, who wasn’t exactly kind-hearted, snicker to herself.

After teasing the little sprite several times, Emily Bennett heard a faint sound of crying from deep in the forest. She listened carefully, stood up, grabbed the frog-man by the collar, and placed him on top of the rock. She casually picked a few raspberries, placed them on a leaf, and set them in front of the silly frog-man.

“I won’t tease you anymore. Here, eat these.”

Emily Bennett followed the sound of crying. Pushing aside the branches of the bushes, she saw a trap set by a hunter: sharp iron jaws had clamped onto a wildcat cub, about a month old. The kitten’s leg was covered in blood, too weak to break free, lying on the grass and crying softly.

When it saw Emily Bennett appear, its fur bristled and it shouted in human speech, “Ah! It’s a scary human! Father, save me! Father, help!”

Emily Bennett was charmed by its babyish voice. She had loved fluffy creatures like this since her previous life. She reached out and, despite the kitten’s loud cries, pried open the iron trap, grabbed the kitten by the scruff, and carefully lifted the injured kitten out of the trap.

“Ah! It’s a human, so scary! Don’t come near, don’t catch me!” The little wildcat, dangling from Emily Bennett’s hand, stretched out its soft little paws, swiping at the air in a futile attempt to resist.

“Stop fussing,” Emily Bennett said, skillfully holding the kitten by the neck so it couldn’t get away. “I just want to check the wound on your leg.”

The thin, furry leg was covered in blood. Even a gentle touch made the kitten bristle and scream—who knew if it was from pain or fear.

A deep, angry roar echoed from the jungle. In an instant, a foul wind swept through, sand and stones flying. A gigantic cat demon leapt out from the forest, roaring as it pounced at Emily Bennett.

Its gaping maw sprayed saliva as it flew, and Emily Bennett could clearly see the row of gleaming fangs and the huge, barbed tongue inside.

She had no doubt that if it bit down, she would be torn apart on the spot, blood splattering everywhere, and not even a god could save her.

This was the first time Emily Bennett truly experienced the terror of demons—not play, not practice, but a real threat to her life.

The stench of its breath chilled her to the bone. The fear of death seeped into her pores and gripped her heart. In that life-or-death moment, all the spells and forbidden arts her master had taught her over the past two years flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.

The Six Jia Divine Incantation? No, that required a ritual implement.

Draw the Five Thunder Talisman? Even at home, with everything set up and a calm mind, she could barely succeed once in ten tries, and it wasn’t very powerful.

Set up the Heavenly Gate Formation? No time for that at all.

Summon the Yang Spirit and Yin Soldiers? Oh, she hadn’t learned that yet.

Only then did Emily Bennett panic. She realized that although she seemed to have learned a lot, when it came to real combat, she was as helpless as a flustered chicken, unable to use any defensive techniques.

The fierce wind from the cat demon’s claws was already scraping her skin when suddenly, a burning sensation flared at Emily Bennett’s waist. Back when she left Yuanjia Village, her master had personally folded a talisman for her, which she had always carried with her. Now, the talisman in her sachet suddenly burst forth with golden light, manifesting a circle of intricate golden patterns in front of Emily Bennett. The dense, majestic runes shone brilliantly, blocking the cat demon’s fierce attack at the critical moment.

Her master’s protective talisman had saved her.