Entering the mountains, Jiang Yue moved with an abundance of caution. She left a distinctive mark every few paces; in an unfamiliar wilderness, those marks were her only lifeline back to civilization.
Small beasts and birds darted through the underbrush around her. Jiang Yue drew her bow, shifting instinctively into the cold, focused state of a predator. A pheasant, startled by her presence, took flight directly overhead. In one fluid motion, she notched an arrow and let it fly. A sharp whistle cut the air, followed by a frantic screech as the bird spiraled uncontrollably toward the forest floor.
Pushing through waist-high grass, she reached the spot just as the pheasant gave its final struggle among the fallen leaves.
“My aim is still true enough,” Jiang Yue murmured with a nod of satisfaction.
She retrieved her arrow, tied the bird’s legs with a bit of twine, and tucked it into her belt before pressing onward. As the day progressed, no animal that crossed her path escaped. By dusk, she was laden with a heavy haul: pheasants, songbirds, rabbits, squirrels, and a surprising prize—a family of yellow-furred martens.
The martens had been a stroke of luck. She had been tracking a squirrel through the canopy when she stumbled upon the martens locked in a fierce territorial battle with a troop of monkeys. Because the monkeys looked too uncomfortably human, Jiang Yue spared them and focused her “output” entirely on the martens. Seven arrows, seven clean kills to the throat, preserving the valuable pelts perfectly. The monkeys, winning by default, shrieked and leaped away into the distance.
With her haul complete, she found a sheltered hollow near a rock face to set up camp. Her travel rations were gone, and her water was down to a few sips. Luckily, she found a damp cliffside where water trickled from the cracks. She dug a small pit in the dirt with a stone, catching the drips; within minutes, she had a clear puddle to drink from.
As night fell, she built a small fire and roasted one of the pheasants. The meat was rich and fatty, the skin crisping over the flames. It was far more flavorful than the dried rabbit she’d had earlier. Once the meal was finished, she added a few thick logs to the fire and pulled out her knife to skin the martens.
Luo Douzi’s blade was exceptionally sharp. It glided effortlessly through the white fat between the pelt and the meat, allowing her to peel away the fur in one perfect piece. She treated the skins with wood ash to prevent rot—these would fetch a high price or provide vital warmth in the winter. She kept only the breast and hind legs of the marten meat to roast for the next day’s journey, burying the rest to avoid attracting predators.
The mountain air grew frigid at night. Jiang Yue extinguished the flames and swept away the embers, revealing the earth beneath which had been baked warm by the fire. She spread a layer of dry leaves to lie on and covered herself in tall grass—a natural camouflage that kept her warm and hidden from any prowling eyes.
The deep forest was never truly silent. The howls and rustles of beasts echoed through the dark, sometimes distant, sometimes uncomfortably close. Jiang Yue slept fitfully, waking often to scan the shadows for danger.
When the first light broke through the morning mist, she filled her bamboo canteen, splashed her face with cold water, and ate a few bites of leftover meat before heading out again.
Following the stream, she noticed an increasing amount of animal tracks. Wolf droppings were the most common. While wolf pelts were valuable, they were pack animals; without better gear, she had no desire to provoke a hunt against those odds. She steered clear of their trails.
By midday, she had downed a deer. Wanting to keep the meat fresh, she had avoided a lethal shot to the vitals, leading her on a long, grueling chase through the brush. The deer was nimble, nearly escaping when it veered into a thicket, but its antlers eventually snagged on a low-hanging branch, allowing her to catch up and secure it with a long rope.
As she tied the animal down, a light drizzle began to fall. She remembered Luo Douzi’s parting warning about the weather.
“He was right,” she thought, glancing at the grey sky. “The man knows his rain.”
Fortunately, the shower was brief. By late afternoon, the forest was alive with activity. Jiang Yue spotted a fresh pile of droppings—far too large for a deer—and immediately climbed a tree to observe. She had hunted since childhood, but in her previous life, she’d never had the chance to go after wild boar, bears, or tigers. This ancient, primordial forest was a different world entirely, and judging by the size of the sign on the ground, something massive was nearby.
Meanwhile, on the slopes near Wangshan Village, Jiang Ming was growing frantic. He hadn’t seen his eldest sister all day, and the rain had only deepened his worry. He led his younger siblings, Jiang Xue and Jiang Lei, along the edge of the woods to forage for wild vegetables.
Jiang Lei looked up from the dirt, his face hopeful.
“Is Big Sister coming back soon?”
Jiang Xue was quiet for a long moment before whispering,
“She only took one roasted rabbit with her. I hope she isn’t hungry. If she’s starving and still can’t speak… what will she do?”
Jiang Ming frowned, attempting to soothe his sister’s fears.
“Xiao Xue, Big Sister can pick a bird off a branch with a single arrow. She won’t go hungry. She’ll probably be back any minute now. Why don’t you and Xiao Lei head home and check on Mother? I’ll wait here for her a bit longer.”
The younger siblings, their baskets already overflowing with wild greens, nodded obediently and began the trek back to the village.
Once they were gone, Jiang Ming climbed a sturdy tree to get a better vantage point. He scanned the horizon for his sister, but instead of Jiang Yue, he spotted a familiar, irritating figure: Luo Douzi.
Luo Douzi spotted him at the same time. “Where’s your sister?” he called out.
Jiang Ming’s temper flared instantly. “Stop pestering her! If it wasn’t for your nonsense, she wouldn’t have ventured so deep into those mountains in the first place!”
Since parting with Jiang Yue the previous day, Luo Douzi had been restless. He had brought the rabbit skin home for his mother to dry, but as he wandered the outskirts of the forest, he hadn’t seen a trace of the girl. A nagging sense of unease had taken root—he suspected she had slipped into the deep woods alone, but as a teenage boy, he couldn’t exactly barge into the Jiang household to ask after her.
Seeing Jiang Ming confirmed his suspicions. A mix of anger and bitter disappointment surged through him. “Fine! So she really did trick me!”
“You’re the only liar here!” Jiang Ming hissed, sliding down from the tree in a blur of motion.
His sister wouldn’t even let him, her own brother, follow her; what right did Luo Douzi have to complain? How did this cheat have the nerve to say she had tricked him?
Without another word, Jiang Ming lunged. He threw a heavy fist that caught Luo Douzi square in the face. Luo Douzi stumbled back, nearly losing his footing. What a pair these Jiang siblings are, he thought grimly. The sister cons me, and the brother ambushes me!
Luo Douzi steadied himself and struck back without hesitation. Fists collided in the air with dull, thudding sounds. There was no one to pull them apart and no wager on the line—just raw friction. Catching an opening, Luo Douzi drove a knee into Jiang Ming’s midsection. Jiang Ming doubled over, falling to the ground, though he struggled to crawl back up.
Luo Douzi quickly straddled him, pinning his shoulders to the earth. He raised a fist, ready to deliver a finishing blow, but stopped it just inches from Jiang Ming’s nose. Breathing hard, he regained his senses and stood up, releasing his grip.
“You’re a sore loser, Jiang Ming. Fighting you is beneath me,” Luo Douzi spat.
Jiang Ming gasped for air, his eyes burning with defiance. “One of these days, I’m going to knock every tooth out of your head.”
Luo Douzi leaned back against a crooked tree, adopting the posture of a reckless, carefree youth. “It’s been years. How do you still hold such a grudge?”
The veins in Jiang Ming’s forehead pulsed. When it came to a man’s dignity, he would hold a grudge for a lifetime. If he couldn’t beat him today, he would try again tomorrow.
Luo Douzi looked at Jiang Ming’s sour face and sighed. If he didn’t need a favor from the older sister, he wouldn’t bother with the brother at all. He forced himself to be patient.
“Look, I apologize for what happened when we were kids. You just punched me, so let’s call it even, alright?”
“No,” Jiang Ming snapped.
Luo Douzi grew exasperated. “What, do you still want me to crawl between your legs as an apology?”
“Don’t you dare mention that!” Jiang Ming roared, lunging at him again.
If he hadn’t been so young and small back then, he never would have been humiliated like that. The fact that Luo Douzi dared to bring it up only added fuel to the fire.
Luo Douzi dodged the clumsy tackle and pinned him once more. “Are you only capable of remembering the bad parts? Did you forget my father taught you how to set traps after that?”
Jiang Ming thrashed beneath him. “Uncle Luo taught me because of his friendship with my father! What does that have to do with you?”
“It has everything to do with me—I’m the one who begged him to do it!”
“I don’t care! Don’t think for a second I’ve forgiven you!”
“If it weren’t for your sister, I wouldn’t even give you the time of day!”
“As long as I’m around, don’t you dare even think about her! Stay away from my sister!”
The two continued to bicker, their voices echoing through the trees until the sun dipped below the horizon. Finally, exhausted and still seething with frustration, they turned their backs on each other and headed for their respective homes.