“Father!” wailed Little Rascal, tearing across the clearing toward him. He flung himself forward and seized one of Shi Shou Shan’s arms, weeping bitterly, crying, “what’s wrong with you? What brute has wounded you so?” His mother came running as well, tears streaming down her face. She grasped Shi Shou Shan’s other hand and stood tearfully by his side.
“What’re you weeping for? It’s only an arrow wound! On our regular hunts I get torn by wildbeasts—I’ve shed worse blood then this!” Shi Shou Shan glared at them fiercely, forbidding tears, as it wasn’t his manner to show weakness. His torso ran red with blood—the shaft of a great iron arrow tore his heavy steel breastplate clean through both his right lung and back plate, with a metallic three-metre-long spear-shaft left standing grim and glistening in contrast to streams of fresh blood.
“Don’t cry,” Shi Fei Jiao consoled. “Cousin Shi, it’s not that grave! Big Brother Shi will be right as rain and as sturdy as an iron boar if given enough rest.” Truthfully, despite Shou Shan’s sturdy physique, he required the utmost precaution or the damage this grievous injury caused—lingering and debilitating chronic illnesses could follow him for rest of his years, like bodily weakness and wheezing ailments. Fortunately, his wounds had been temporarily dressed by a team led by Shi Linhu with certain jungle herbs crushed into poultices, then fed him medicinal powders concocted by senior shaman from true bloods of vicious beasts.
“Don’t weep—it’s a blessing to come home wounded but whole—.” Village Chief Shi Yun Feng stepped forward and abruptly seized the arrow sticking right through chest. A spray of blood erupted from the wound instantly.
He was quick—bright runes shimmered and flared from within his palm resembling starlight—and with a sweep he cast powerful glyph-magic that swiftly staunched Shi Shou Shan’s bleeding and even sealed his gaping flesh. From within his robes, Yun Feng produced and unscrewed a tiny gemstone vessel and poured forth two wafting purple elixirs—crushed one atop the injury spot, making his swallow the second pearl.
Eventually, Shi found himself borne back homeward, a small crowd from the village flocking out bearing him warm welcomes: men, women, old or young—youngsters brought bushels of roots while elders supplied bush-meat jerky preserves, all chattering and generous, the simple people offering kindness and care.
“Uncle’ll be alright super duper quick, you betcha!” Little Imp, Shi Hao, presented a token of his care—a half-basked basket filled full with bright scarlet jungle berries he cherished especially so—before waving them farewell.
Inside the Elder’s Grand Courtyard, leaders convened under one anxious roof—Shi Yun Feng furrowing intense brows.
“What on earth happened exactly?”
“Lord Chief,” began Lin Hu heavily: “it’s clear to me—Bai Village is the culprit. The trespassers stormed our lands attempting forcibly wresting the Six-legged Camel from BigBro Shou Shan’s hunt. And then they turned vicious in their attack—they meant to end Brother for good! If Brother hadn’t twisted away so quick, an arrow would have pierced the heart directly.”
The elders’ faces clouded ominously—he’d meant serious killing.
“The severity of this strike… truly defying all norms,” mused an elder. “Even though both towns stand over thirty strolls distant keeping clear, both living peaceful inside these mountains—we all were expected to retain basic civility—this sort of ruthless treatment, never has it occurred till these days.”
Shi Fei Jiao said darkly, “the shot originated from one child no older than fifteen or four—he presented fairer than expected—a fine, clean face, ivory complexion, charming countenance. But oh, the icy cruelty. He loosed his bolt with none of the emotions that follow human mercy. As though but slaying quarry. He killed unfeeling.”
Hearing this the Shicun mob boiled in unison—a wild bunch surging forth! Their adversaries? Just as fierce! Dozens at their rear rallied quick! Hardline. Resolute—meeting fire with fiercer flames.
But for happenstance intervention—an awakened malevolently roaring Saber Tiger from deeper mountain ranges shaking all stone from peaks both rivals fled in haste both fearing greater misfortune. Or else—unrest bloodsoaked.
“You think you’re something?” roared elders: “so arrogant that you dare tread us so callously? Could it ever seem this justified to trample our emotions?”
Within wildland hamletes—an able healthy adult male bore priceless worth—the audacity with which that opponent had attempted murder?
A comment rose—”that kid’s something else entirely. You stood facing the grown form of some Pizui spirit—an adult guardian beast. Coldly merciless—extremely imposing.”
“It may well be Bai Village has birthed quite an extraordinary youth. Their fortunes clearly wax bright again… With power swelling so, their hungers rise.”
Elder Shi reflected quietly. He half-closed eyes gazing distantly in Bai Hamlet direction.
“I neither invite nor welcome trouble…,” then addressed his men including Lin Hu, “yet I shall never shrink from what should be done: Be prepared vigilently, should they test us ever further… don’t hesitate, no second thought in dealing what justice we must make manifest!”
“Yes,” nodded Lin Hu thoughtfully.
Another fortnight slipped pass unnoticed. Bai Village grew ever more daring in repeated incursions, even digging man-kill pits scattered across Shi’s territory—once villagers wandered in—only avoided death narrowly at the last instant as cruel metallic spearheads nearly pierced into backs.
The situation teetered dangerously near bloody war—but before escalation, Bai’s side retreated.
“Strange. Hunting with such reckless abandon—even populations rising cannot fully excuse this behavior,” hypothesied Chief, suspecting: “Sure something dire must plague their Village!”
Eventually their village cooled hostility after multiple skirmishes. But the Shi were cautious, assigning night scout parties, hearing from afar, growl and screech like wild beasts within Bai.
“Just wait—so long they keep hands off, perhaps no blood must spill further—survival within mountains already demands effort enough” one elder proposed peaceable, eventually silencing unrests.
A fortnight later found unexpected Shicun hunters returning richer then usual: stumbles across aftermath carcass-strewn killing fields left in wake some rare jungle titan brawl—dozens of miles wide forest torn in wild conflict, beasts dying tragic in crossfirings.
From deeper regions arose ancient prehistoric lineages battling, warring death matches that occasionally summoned cataclysm—but this time, Shicun went untouched by collateral misfortunes:
“Chief!” declared triumphant Lin Hu, dragging back slain game: dead light-drenched tusked giants—eight fallen, more pure-white Lunar-maned Rhinos beside many others—enough meat enough, dried to provisions, sufficient to supply the entire village with rations stretching far into coming hard winters!
“Excellent, perfect, tremendous news!” celebrated elders cheerfully.
Village youth ran excited:
“We’ll go too! Definitely enough rare creature’s treasureblood for collecting!”—groups cried out, excited. Their hearts burned hotter since little Stone’s powers blossomed so brightly—kids stopped resisting the pain, no shying from their bronze pot medicinal baths but embracing these ritual cleansings more and more. Now—with precious creature true-blood harvest promising to exceed prior levels—all their childish souls thrilled wildly!
“Count me in. Great Peng, Little Azure and Purcloud—younglings—stay at village entrance while I’m scouting—I expect you kids play nice,” bid forth Xiao Hao.
Yet barely had the whole group set foot halfway across trail when came running Shi Fei Jiao and company, bodies slick crimson, rag-tag bunch straggling in terror, faces unrecognizable mess—blood-soaked, dirt stained hair all flying wildly:
“What calamity happened to you Fei Jiao,” demanded Lin Hus shouting.
“Bai… again…” he gritted sharply, rage flashing from within eyes blood-veined: “They waylaid us—snatched all our prey that remains behind!”
“That’s unforgivable!” bellowed Lin in response, “Again, they presume us as cowardice? Letting our kindness mistaken as surrender!”
Shicun villagers raged. Not simply a once or twice—it had happened repeatedly again, yet Bai kept coming hard. Pride boiled—individually and collectively.
“We suffered no loss of lives. However, few were grievously wounded—arrows piercing internal organs. Scars might scar more damage upon health.” replied Shi Fei Jiao, grave.
“If the shot originated from that little fiend, then he is nothing but evil!” growled the father of Er Meng, a bloodstained figure amongst the wounded mob. “If not halted by an old sage from Bai Village he’d have felled many in our group—he’d have let arrows slaying every one of our men.”
An older limping man, among the rescue parties, frowned: “He’s barely more than a child barely past puberty—How powerful can this pale pretty-faced brat become, that your team were all outplayed by him?”
“No intimidation intended,” answered Fei Jiao grimly. “Only—they outnumbers our group two to one. As such resistance grew impractical.”
“He’s dangerous despite youth,” elaborated Fei Jia once added thoughtfully. “Able to pierce armor plating worn by our finest three folded steel shields in layers! Our most powerful in village can match such feat but me and you, BigBro Hu!”
Fiercely unanimous resolve swelled among all at such injustice.
“Recover what’s rightfully been taken!”—they cried unanimously, hearts flaming rage, viscera boiled hotter as frying oil. Never can they stand still while suffering this affront so bitterly inflicted upon themselves. They marched out as a vengeful flood straight toward heart of the woods. Finally, this foe has trespassed beyond the limit of what the villagers were willing to absorb passively—crossing point that made retaliation a necessity.
“Little Imp, it is,” Shi Fu smiled gently—covered now in blood, once a kind man who gathered fruits especially for young Stone. The child approached tightly clenched tiny fists offering hope-filled voice to the fallen soldier. Then with quickened footsteps darted forward into crowd mass following the warbound group ahead toward impending battle in the deep woods.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage