As dawn broke, my hungry stomach began to rumble restlessly, like a persistent alarm clock. My pleasant dream, still hazy from sleep, was shattered by this hunger, forcing me awake. Looking over, I saw A'li was still asleep, so I tiptoed out without disturbing him to find something to eat.
Outside the cave, however, there were only a few ancient-looking trees and some weeds that resembled punk hairstyles. There was nothing edible to be found. So, with an empty stomach, I continued walking, hoping to find something to eat.
Wandering aimlessly, I arrived at a reed marsh. I rubbed my eyes and looked closely, thinking there might be bird eggs in the reeds that I could roast, boil, or scramble. The thought of such deliciousness made my mouth water, and I rubbed my excited little hands together. Like bandits raiding a village, I eagerly entered the marsh.
After searching for a while, I found no birds or eggs. Puzzled, I scratched my head and looked around, "This is strange, why aren't there any birds here?"
Sighing slightly, and still burdened by my hungry stomach, I searched the reeds with a sense of helplessness.
Suddenly, from the silent wind, I heard the joyful sounds of men and women laughing. I pricked up my ears curiously, but couldn't quite make out the details. A mischievous thought flickered in my pure heart. I tiptoed in the direction of the sound, gently parting the reeds as I went. The voices grew louder.
Just as I was wondering what good fortune I might witness, a fair, long leg suddenly stretched out from the reeds.
Startled, I thought someone was injured and was about to rush forward to help. Suddenly, I saw the long leg move, and then I heard a woman's voice say, "Yesterday, I smelled a meaty aroma, like it came from somewhere else. I've been here for so long, and I've never smelled such fragrant meat."
A man's voice replied, "Didn't you go to see?"
"I did. It looked like a little girl. Before I could act, that damned raccoon dog that just arrived got there first. I chased him to the cave entrance last night and fought with him. He burned my arm with fire."
"Let me see."
"See, there's still a scar."
"That's quite a serious injury. It seems that raccoon dog is quite capable."
"Indeed."
I never imagined that woman was the ghost from last night. I never thought she actually wanted to eat me. Meeting her now was truly the worst luck of my life. I should escape quickly.
So, I quietly started to back away, my only thought being to flee as fast as possible. As I turned, I suddenly bumped into a pair of white boots.
I carefully looked up and saw a handsome man in a green robe blocking my path.
He crouched down, smiled slightly, and asked, "Young lady, why are you here alone?"
I lied, "My brother and I came to chop wood nearby and got lost, and wandered here."
"Then your brother will take you out," he said, reaching out to pull me. I shook him off and scrambled backward in a panic.
At that moment, a green shadow flew out and blocked my path. The newcomer was a woman with disheveled hair and a pretty face, also dressed in a dark green robe. Her skirt was slit, revealing that long white leg.
This was the long white leg I had seen earlier.
The woman laughed heartily upon seeing me, "Du Lan, this is the girl I told you about. I didn't expect that raccoon dog to be so kind as not to eat her. That would have been too good for us."
I retreated in terror. The man slowly walked over, sniffed the air filled with the aroma of meat, and a thought immediately formed in his mind: "So fragrant! This smell doesn't belong to any of the nearby monsters. Could she be the daughter of some great demon? If so, eating her might increase my power."
He looked at his companion and said, "What a fragrant meat! Yuan Yuan, you were right. Will you share half of it with me?"
Yuan Yuan smiled faintly and politely refused, "You know my appetite. I eat a whole demon in one go. But since you're my companion, I'll give you a leg."
Good heavens! They were discussing how to divide me up right in front of me.
"I think she looks quite plump. Wouldn't just one leg be too stingy?"
"It's already generous of me to share. Don't be so picky. If you're not happy, go catch another one yourself."
"Can't you really give me half?"
"No."
Seeing the cold reply, the man knew he was merely her plaything. He thought to himself, "Rather than be with her like this, it's better to have this plump meat all to myself and increase my demonic power."
With this thought, he smiled faintly, suddenly grabbed me, and flew into the sky with his wings spread, saying, "Since you are heartless, don't blame me for being unrighteous. I'm taking this girl."
"Du Lan, you! Fine, you said it."
The woman was furious. She then spread her wings and flew into the sky. Catching up to him, she ruthlessly shot feather-like thorns at him. The man dodged them quickly and retaliated with his own feather-like thorns.
The woman swiftly flew in front of him, rapidly retracted her wings, and then spread them wide. Countless feather-like thorns rained down like a night shower. The man hastily blocked them with his wings, but was still injured by the rain of thorns and fell to the ground.
Perhaps due to his injury, he released me in mid-air. I fell straight down like a bird without wings, screaming in terror, "Ah!!!"
Fortunately, I got caught on a branch and wasn't killed.
The woman also landed on the ground, looking disdainfully at the injured man who had fallen. With a hint of mockery, she said, "How is it? Doesn't eating alone taste good?"
The man slowly stood up, his right arm bleeding profusely. He covered his right hand and feigned repentance to the woman, "Yuan Yuan, it's all my fault, I was wrong. I'll never do it again. I'll give you that woman. You can take her."
"You know my methods. If I want something, I get it. If you had realized this from the beginning, you wouldn't have suffered like this." Saying this, she contemptuously walked past him and reached out to grab me.
Unexpectedly, the man seized the opportunity and shot a feather-like thorn at the woman, hitting her. The woman looked at him in disbelief, turned back, and cursed, "You scoundrel!"
The man smugly replied, "To deal with you, I had to use some tricks."
Damn it! I never thought these seemingly loving couple could be so ruthless for a bite to eat. It truly fits the saying, "If a man does not look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him."
With that, the man flew up and tried to slap her to death. Fortunately, the woman's strength was no less than his. She sidestepped, grabbed him, and kicked him in the stomach. The man cried out in pain and retaliated with equal ferocity.
Seeing them entangled in a fight, I hurriedly broke free from the branch and landed on the ground. Although I fell hard, I covered my mouth and quickly ran away.
On my way back to the cave, I suddenly saw a few fallen fruits. I quickly picked them up, hugged them, and ran back to the cave. As soon as I entered, I saw A'li lying lazily on the grass mat, with a pile of fruits beside him.
He looked at me, covered in dirt, and curiously asked, "Where have you been?"
Fearing he would worry, I lied, "I went out to find some fruit, but only found these few."
He saw that I was lying and reminded me, "I don't like girls who lie. If you lie, I won't take care of you anymore."
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you." Seeing him angry, I told him everything that had happened.
He laughed heartily after hearing it and couldn't help but praise me, "You're truly lucky to have escaped. Are you hungry? Come and eat some fruit."
Seeing that he wasn't angry, I finally relaxed and went to his side, picking up a fresh fruit and eating it.
Other than this incident, the day was uneventful. I just wondered who among them won the fight. I guessed it was the woman, as she was stronger. Or perhaps it was the man, as he was better at exploiting a woman's weakness.
Regardless of who won or lost, the outcome was mutual destruction. How pitiful.
"Alas!" I sat in front of the cave, gazing at the faintly reddening sky with a sigh. A'li remained as he was, lying lazily on the grass mat.
At night, a gentle breeze blew. Listening to the birdsong from outside the cave, I felt a little scared. A'li comforted me, "Don't be afraid, they fear fire and won't come in."
I nodded slightly, tired from the day's events, and fell asleep leaning against him.
A'li looked at me curiously, then slowly got up. I had fallen onto the ground. He poked my face curiously and whispered, "What exactly is this? Could it be a great demon that I found?"
Thinking of this, he became excited, "If that's the case, it would be wonderful! I could take her to defeat the mountain god, reclaim our homeland, and even become king of the mountain and dominate the region."
He became more and more agitated as he thought about it. He stepped on my face and laughed wildly. After laughing, he felt something was wrong. How could such a clumsy creature be a great demon? If she were a great demon, wouldn't I be supreme? Hmph! She a great demon? What was he thinking?
Facing reality, he lay back on the grass mat with a sigh of disappointment and then slowly fell asleep.
The gentle breeze of dawn blew, rustling the wild grass outside the cave. A ray of morning light shone into the cave.
My slightly hungry stomach rumbled softly. I opened my eyes slightly and rolled to the side, picking up an apple and taking a bite. After just two bites, I felt drowsy again and fell into a deep sleep, snoring softly.
In a daze, I heard urgent shouts from outside the cave, "A'li, A'li, something's happened! Something big has happened!" It sounded like a spoiled little brat.
I rubbed my eyes and slowly got up, still groggy from sleep. I followed the sound and walked out of the cave. Standing at the entrance, I looked around but saw no one. Just as I was wondering, I suddenly heard a curious voice from the tree, "Who are you?"
I looked up and saw a small white dove perched on a thick tree branch. I thought I had misheard and ignored it.
A'li also heard the shouts and quickly darted out of the cave. Looking up, he saw the small white dove standing on the branch. As if it were an old acquaintance, he said, "I thought it was someone else. It's just Little White Dove. What's wrong?"
Listening to A'li talking to the bird, I was filled with disbelief. I looked closely at the small white dove.
Little White Dove said anxiously and urgently, "It's bad, it's bad! Because you broke the mountain god's bowl, you angered the mountain god. The mountain god released the black bears, and they are destroying our food and houses everywhere."
A'li was shocked to hear this, "When did this happen?"
"A few days ago."
His pupils contracted, and he said angrily, "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Hurry and take me back!"
Little White Dove, however, unhurriedly extended its wing and pointed at me curiously, "Who is she?"
A'li had no time for other matters and said anxiously, "Never mind that for now, just take me back."
This world is truly magical. Not only can raccoon dogs talk, but even little birds can talk. Could that little bird also be a deity? If so, I must find an opportunity to worship it. I still have three wishes to fulfill, hahaha.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but get excited. I also wanted to go and see the world with them, so I quickly shouted, "I'm going too, I'm going too!"
Little White Dove flew ahead to lead the way. A'li picked up a leaf and placed it on his head, transforming into a large white bird. With a mouthful, he carried me on his back. I broke out in a cold sweat and exclaimed, "Oh no!"
When I came to my senses, I felt the cold wind whistling past my ears. The clouds seemed to have legs, flashing past my eyes. I suddenly looked down and realized I had crossed several mountain ranges. Vaguely, I saw billowing black smoke rising from a lush green valley, and a swarm of dark, unidentifiable things flying in the air.
However, it was not difficult to guess that A'li's village was likely located beneath that black smoke.
A'li, transformed into a large bird, flew towards the black smoke. He then swooped down rapidly and landed. He immediately reverted to human form. Before I could prepare myself, I tumbled off him, landing face-first in the dirt. I grumbled, "Boss, can't you slow down a bit? If I die, who will run errands for you?"
He didn't speak, but stared blankly ahead. I scratched my head, looked up, and carefully examined him. To my surprise, he had transformed into human form, though his incomplete transformation technique still left his furry ears embedded in his head.
His delicate face, paired with a gray robe, made him look like a refined young man in his teens.
I unconsciously drooled with curiosity and wiped my mouth. A smell of burning drifted on the wind. I also realized something was wrong and looked forward. The surroundings were in disarray: grass huts burned by fire, crops scattered on the ground, and raccoon dogs crying and fleeing in all directions. Everything looked like the aftermath of a fierce battle, with the lingering smoke of war.
The black things circled in the sky for a few rounds and then flew down towards the villagers. A'li casually picked up a leaf and threw it at the black bears. The leaf, upon contact with them, transformed into a large net that ensnared all the black things.
Then, A'li took out a fire starter and blew on the large net, instantly igniting it into a raging inferno. The fire burned the black bears, causing them to screech. However, these black bears were not to be trifled with. They bit through the giant net and charged at A'li in a swarm.
At the critical moment, a white cloth flew from the front and blocked A'li. The black bears seemed to fear this white cloth and flew into the sky with a rustle.
I looked closely at these so-called black bears. They looked exactly like the hornets in the woods back home. I never expected even hornets to become spirits here.
After flying into the sky, the black bears circled for a few more rounds. Seeing that the entire village had been largely destroyed, they triumphantly chirped above our heads before flying back to the mountains, satisfied.
I looked at the stunned A'li and quickly went up to him, asking, "Boss, boss, are you alright? Are you injured?"
He smiled bitterly, "I'm fine. Don't call me boss anymore. I'm not used to it. Just call me A'li."
I nodded and called him, "A'li."
Little White Dove landed on his shoulder, looking at the devastated village with concern, and asked him, "What should we do next?"
"Let's save people first."
"Okay."
I also said, "I'll help too!" So I followed them into the village, carrying water to douse the fires, rescuing raccoon dogs, and working until nightfall to finally extinguish the flames.
As night fell, the village held an emergency meeting in the only intact open space on the outskirts. Since I was not a member of the raccoon dog clan, I could only watch from the sidelines.
I don't know what they discussed, but suddenly a raccoon dog jumped up angrily and accused A'li fiercely, "This is all your fault." Then he picked up scattered vegetables and threw them at A'li. The people nearby quickly pulled him back and whispered, "Stop throwing, we're out of food."
A'li remained silent, lowering his head. It was clear how much pain and guilt he felt at that moment.
I was curious about what kind of mountain god would be so enraged over a bowl. Could such a deity protect the raccoon dogs of this region? I suspected it might be someone with some power who had claimed the mountain as his own, enslaving the ignorant and foolish raccoon dogs here.
While I was contemplating, A'li suddenly spoke, "Please use me as a sacrifice to the mountain god. Perhaps that will appease his anger."
What he said made my heart tighten. Could it be that here, like in ancient times, such cruel sacrifices were required?
"No!" I quickly exclaimed to stop him.
As soon as I spoke, the little raccoon dogs all looked at me with surprised eyes. I thought I should clarify their thinking.
"Ahem, you have already paid a heavy price for breaking the divine bowl. Is it not redundant to offer a person as a sacrifice? The most important thing now is to rebuild our homes."
At this moment, a little old man with a white beard walked out from the raccoon dog crowd. It was obvious without a doubt that he was the most respected person in the clan.
"Who are you?" he asked curiously.
"My name is Liu Muye, and I am A'li's friend," I replied boldly.
The old man stepped forward, took a deep breath, shook his head, and asked, "You are not from this land. Where do you come from?"
I gave a foolish smile, "Well, I came here inexplicably."
The old man frowned and guessed, "You don't have the aura of a monster. Are you a god?"
God? Crazy? No, no, no, I was misunderstood, and I had to explain quickly, "No, no, no! I am just an ordinary person."
"If you are neither a god nor one of our people, then our affairs do not require outsiders to interfere."
I thought for a moment. What if I said I was a god? Would that work? So I said frankly, "That's right! I am a god. Can a god solve the problem?"
The old man cursed, his expression fierce, and rebuked, "You rascal, didn't you say you weren't a god?"
Does a mentally ill person count? Thinking this, I felt it was not right. It was time for me to use my superior linguistic wisdom to persuade this old man.
"I can see that this elder is likely the most wise person in the raccoon dog clan. You should know what is most important right now."
He listened to my words and was silent for a moment, feeling that I had a point. He then turned to the raccoon dogs and said, "Let's deal with the immediate problem first. After we have tidied up our homes, we can discuss the matter of the mountain god. Everyone, disperse."
Hearing the old raccoon dog's words, everyone dispersed one by one.
After all the raccoon dogs had left, I curiously asked A'li, "The mountain god here treats you so badly, why don't you move away?"
He sighed, gazing at the dark night sky, and replied helplessly, "I used to ask my mother the same question, but she didn't answer me then. Only when I grew up did I realize that only this land is our most familiar and cherished homeland. Leaving here for an unfamiliar place holds too many unknown dangers for a race. Moreover, no one wants to leave."
Is this what homeland is? His words touched me deeply.
I asked again, "Then why don't you resist?"
A'li explained, "You don't know how powerful this mountain god is. He has a group of subordinates called black bears, who are bloodthirsty. A few who had rebellious thoughts before were discovered by his spies, and then the black bears would come and kill the rebels."
As I suspected, it must be some evil person who claimed the mountain as his own. As the military strategist Sun Tzu said, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles." If we want to defeat the enemy, we must first understand the enemy.