However, since ancient times, all skills are perfected through practice. To master boxing, one must train a thousand times; to excel in singing, one must rehearse a thousand repetitions. This is the principle of “never letting the fist leave the hand nor the song leave the mouth.” To master the art of insect manipulation, one must first familiarize themselves with the countless complexities of insects. Right now, the most important thing is to get in touch with them.
Ma Ruoxing noticed my contemplative smile: “Xiao Qi, what are you thinking about? You seem to have gained some insight.”
I shook my head and asked, “Do you know Duan Yu?” Ma Ruoxing replied, “I came across such a character when I used to sneak-read martial arts novels.”
I continued, “I’m a bit like him. My understanding of insect arts jumped from zero directly to the most advanced techniques. It’s like Duan Yu, who had never learned martial arts, suddenly mastering the most powerful skills. Right now, my insect techniques work sometimes, but other times they fail. I need to go through several trials before I can truly master them.”
As we walked and talked, I carried Bai Yueming on my back for Ma Ruoxing. Unnoticed, it was already ten in the morning, and Bai Yueming began to cry. Ma Ruoxing had already prepared fresh blood for him to drink. Halfway through, Bai Yueming suddenly sat up in the bamboo basket, his eyes darting around vigilantly. Ma Ruoxing signaled me to stay quiet, untied the machete from his waist, and held it in his hand, scanning the surroundings.
I also took out my machete. In broad daylight, could we possibly encounter a tiger? But in this area, the most dangerous creatures were wild boars, aside from pheasants and rabbits—no other fierce beasts.
Just then, Bai Yueming leaped from the basket and landed a few meters away, disappearing into the yellow weeds. A strange cry came from the thicket.
I found it odd—Bai Yueming had just learned to walk yesterday, yet today his movements were incredibly swift.
Ma Ruoxing had already chased after him. He wasn’t slow either, and by the time I caught up, we had run over a hundred meters. With more and more people leaving for work outside the village, the mountains had been largely untrodden for years, and many paths had vanished. If it weren’t winter, with withered plants and fallen leaves, navigating these woods would be nearly impossible. Without familiarity with the terrain, one could easily get lost within hours. Worse, if one accidentally provoked a wild boar, they could be gored to death or mauled alive. Wild boars are relentless—if you climb a tree, they’ll keep ramming it until it falls. Add venomous snakes, scorpions, and centipedes to the mix, and a single bite could spell disaster.
But now it was winter, and aside from the threat of wild boars, other dangers could be ignored.
When I caught up with Ma Ruoxing, Bai Yueming had already caught a foraging rabbit, biting its neck. Blood dripped from his lips as the rabbit’s legs twitched, and Bai Yueming’s belly slowly swelled.
Ma Ruoxing watched with a smile and said, “Xiao Qi, I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering if it’s right for a child to hunt and kill, aren’t you?” I didn’t deny it and nodded—because that was exactly what I was thinking. Ma Ruoxing had taken Bai Yueming into the mountains, but this ghost infant was no ordinary child. If he drank rabbit blood now, would he later crave human blood?
Ma Ruoxing picked up Bai Yueming, placed him back in the bamboo basket, and slung the rabbit over his shoulder. “Xiao Qi, Bai Yueming has an innocent side, but I can’t suppress his survival instincts. He only has thirty years to live and will face many sinister people in the future. Giving him some skills will make it harder for him to die.”
I nodded. Ma Ruoxing had a point. Society was too complex, and Bai Yueming, being different from ordinary people, would struggle without extraordinary survival skills.
I asked, “How many times have you taken him into the mountains?” Ma Ruoxing’s brow twitched. “This is the first time. I need to temper his nature, but I can’t bring him here every day. If he can go to school and live a normal life in the future, that would be best.”
After half a year, it was clear Ma Ruoxing had grown deeply attached to Bai Yueming. He must have been conflicted—sometimes wanting to raise the ghost infant as an ordinary child, other times wishing to equip him with self-defense skills.
Contradiction is something everyone must face.
We walked for hours toward Jiangxi until around one in the afternoon, when we found a cave. I took out the dry rations and water I had brought.
After half a day, aside from the rabbit, we hadn’t encountered any major predators.
This area was hilly, with low mountains and no highly venomous creatures—just some snakes, most of which were tropical and not very dangerous. The Jiangxi-Hubei border had a temperate climate, so deadly snakes were rare, and even if they existed, encountering them now was unlikely.
We lit a fire at the cave entrance. Ma Ruoxing was cautious—winter was dry, and the forest could easily catch fire, trapping us inside. After roasting the rabbit, we quickly buried the flames with dirt.
Ma Ruoxing scanned the surroundings and said, “Next time, let’s not cook here. If we burn the mountain, we’ll end up in jail.” He packed some rabbit meat for later.
I ate two pieces and drank some water. Bai Yueming, having drunk rabbit blood, fell asleep again, his innocent face still smeared with blood. Watching him, I wondered what kind of life he would have as an adult. Perhaps he should have left this world at birth.
Was what I was doing right or wrong?
Ma Ruoxing took out a bamboo tube, lit a pinch of fragrant herbs inside, and placed it in the cave. The cave wasn’t large, and some insects or snakes might have made it their home. Ma Ruoxing crouched at the entrance, blocking his view with grass and controlling his breath.
I joined him. After half an hour, a faint rustling came from the soil as a bright green insect cautiously poked out its head before darting toward the bamboo tube.
Ma Ruoxing’s face lit up with excitement as he watched the crawling insect. The green bug took two steps forward, then froze, still wary. After ten minutes of waiting—testing my patience—I realized insect masters needed immense patience. This first attempt took over an hour, and we couldn’t make a sound.
Once the green insect deemed it safe, it followed the scent into the bamboo tube.
Suddenly, a lone bird cawed outside. The insect immediately retreated, slipping back into the soil before Ma Ruoxing could react.
Ma Ruoxing sighed. “That green insect is a wood-type, a kind of caterpillar. People call it the ‘Green Beauty’ because, like a shy maiden, it’s extremely cautious. With it, you can detoxify poison or even recover from lung diseases.”
I chuckled. “It’s just a weird caterpillar. Why call it a ‘Green Beauty’?”
Ma Ruoxing shook his head. “It won’t come out now. That thing is smart. Earlier, when I roasted the rabbit, it probably thought we were just hunters. Now it knows we’re after it.”
My jaw dropped. This “Green Beauty” wasn’t just an insect—it was practically an intelligent robot. How could it be so clever?
Ma Ruoxing told me to pack up, and we carried Bai Yueming onward.
The mountain wasn’t tall but stretched endlessly. By two in the afternoon, I considered turning back—without proper gear, spending the night in the cold would be deadly.
When I asked Ma Ruoxing, he just laughed. “We won’t freeze. Keep going, and we’ll reach a village in Jiangxi. We can stay there overnight.”
That put me at ease.
We walked and stopped all afternoon, catching two ordinary centipedes that Ma Ruoxing dismissed and tossed into the grass. Later, we caught two more, but they died within an hour.
Frustrated, I suggested, “What if I shout? Maybe some insects will come out.” Ma Ruoxing looked at me curiously. “Go ahead and try.”
I thought I should’ve tried this earlier. I told Ma Ruoxing to step back, dug a small pit with my knife, and whispered, “You’ve slept too long this winter. Come out and move around. If you freeze, don’t blame me.”
Ma Ruoxing called from a distance, “Xiao Qi, what’s your trick? Can you really summon them?”
I grinned. “Just watch.”
I shouted, “Come out and play—it’s almost New Year!” Instantly, the grass rustled. Two green bamboo vipers slithered out, shivering, followed by several other snakes, yellow millipedes, centipedes, katydids, and other insects, all crawling obediently into the pit.
Even two hedgehogs that had feasted on human brains emerged.
Ma Ruoxing laughed in amazement. “I didn’t know you had this skill! But these are just common creatures—no spiritual ones. Except for the bamboo vipers, which are decent for snake soup, the rest are useless. If you ever lose your job, you could hunt snakes for a living. Sell them, get rich, marry a woman with wide hips like Song Nineteen’s wife in Songxi Village, have a couple of kids, build a house. Send your son to take the civil service exam—life would be sweet. Those officials have it good these days. Song Chuxi’s eldest, Song Youwei, is a secretary in Ning County, and his younger son, Song Badou, works at the city’s Women’s Federation.”
This was the second time Ma Ruoxing had mentioned Song Nineteen’s wife. I wondered what kind of extraordinary woman had left such an impression on him.
I cut him off. “Uncle, forget the woman. If snakes are ‘common,’ then what counts as a ‘spiritual’ creature?”
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